NFL Player News

Marshall gathered in all three targets for 50 yards during Saturday's preseason defeat to the Ravens.

Marshall made the most of his looks from reserve quarterback Will Grier, including a 34-yard grab down the right sideline to kick off the second quarter. With D.J. Moore not available Saturday due to back tightness, Marshall got some work early, and David Moore, his primary competition for the No. 3 WR role, wasn't targeted while returning one punt for nine yards. A rookie second-round pick, Marshall has been as advertised through two exhibitions, averaging 23 YPC and 17.3 YPT on his six receptions and eight targets to date.

Moore (back) didn't play in Saturday's preseason loss to the Ravens, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Just two removed from landing hard on his right side while diving for a pass, Moore didn't risk it Saturday while tending to a tight back. And with Sam Darnold making his first appearance in a Panthers uniform, Moore may have missed his chance to get game action before Week 1. On a positive note, Moore participated in pregame warmups, so he may be over his recent health concern sooner than later.

Thielen suffered a thigh bruise early in Saturday's preseason game against the Colts, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Thielen was among the Vikings' offensive starters to take the field alongside Kirk Cousins. However, his time on the field was short-lived, as he took a knee to his thigh early in the game and did not return. The injury is not currently deemed serious, though it's not clear when he will return to the practice field.

Gage did not play in Saturday's preseason game against the Dolphins, Scott Bair of the Falcons' official site reports.

The Falcons sat a number of players from their wide receiver corps, including Calvin Ridley. After the departure of Julio Jones, Gage figures to serve as the team's second receiver. Gage produced 72 receptions for 786 yards and four touchdowns in 2020 and could see more volume in 2021. However, he's not much of a downfield threat, as he averaged only 7.2 yards per target.

Jefferson (shoulder) didn't play in Saturday's preseason defeat to the Colts.

Per Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Jefferson was among the Vikings listed as "not expected to play," but there were some positive signs pregame in the wide receiver's recovery from an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder. First, Jefferson took part in early warmups, according to Krammer, and he later donned pads and caught passes, Arif Hasan of The Athletic reports. Jefferson took part in recent practices for the first time since Aug. 6, including mixing into team drills, and Saturday's developments indicate he could be cleared for all activity sooner than later. With Kirk Cousins and Adam Thielen (thigh) playing Saturday, the Vikings may have put their "dress rehearsal" for the regular season in the rear-view mirror, meaning the duo and Jefferson may not see game action again until Week 1 at Cincinnati.

Miller secured two of three targets for minus-1 yard in the Buccaneers' 34-3 preseason loss to the Titans on Saturday night.

The third-year speedster has had a solid camp by all accounts, but he was a non-factor Saturday night while catching his two passes from Ryan Griffin. Miller seems to have a fairly secure grip on a roster spot, but he could certainly lose snaps to both Tyler Johnson and rookie Jaelon Darden behind the top trio of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown as the season progresses.

Thielen couldn't corral his only target during Saturday's preseason loss to the Colts.

Thielen has been without Justin Jefferson, his running mate at wide receiver, for much of training camp as the latter recovers from an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder. After Thielen and Kirk Cousins didn't suit up in the Vikings' exhibition opener, the pair attempted to connect on their first possession of preseason Week 2 but were unable to do so on a short pass over the middle. The appearance may have been Thielen's only one before Week 1, especially to ensure Minnesota's top skill-position players are as healthy as possible to face the Bengals on the road on Sunday, Sept. 12.

Collins did not play in Saturday's preseason contest against Dallas due to a pulled muscle, Drew Dougherty of the Texans' official site reports.

Coach David Culley didn't offer much detail regarding the injury and didn't specify which muscle Collins was having an issue with. It was noted that Collins could have played Saturday, but the team took a cautious approach. That said, the injury doesn't appear to have the potential to impact his availability for the start of the regular season.

Cephus caught two of three targets for 15 yards during Saturday's preseason loss to Pittsburgh.

Cephus looked healthy after missing the preseason opener with a head injury. While he's no higher than No. 5 on the depth chart now that Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond seem established under Detroit's top duo of Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman, Cephus at least appears to be in no danger of losing his roster spot considering he only remained in Saturday's game as long as Perriman and St. Brown did (Williams and Raymond weren't active). As such, it seems unlikely that the Wisconsin product will be asked to suit up for Detroit's preseason finale next Friday against Indianapolis as the team prepares for Week 1 of the regular season.

Washington (leg) secured three of four targets for 24 yards in the Steelers' 26-20 preseason win over the Lions on Saturday night.

The speedster was able to shake off the leg injury that had befallen him earlier in camp to suit up and play a solid role in the night's air attack. Washington made some waves earlier in August with a reported trade request, and a move elsewhere could still potentially come to fruition ahead of Week 1; however, for the moment, there's no indication the 2018 second-round pick won't open the new season in Pittsburgh, albeit as a likely No. 4 wideout once again.