NFL Player News

Shepard (rib) isn't on the injury report for Sunday's game against Dallas, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Shepard will close out the regular season in a favorable matchup, after posting season highs for targets (12), catches (nine) and yards (77) in last week's loss to Baltimore. He missed the first Cowboys-Giants matchup back in Week 5, which was Darius Slayton's best game (eight catches for 129 yards) of the season. Shepard should spend a lot of time in the slot Sunday, as Golden Tate (calf) is doubtful to play.

Hill (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Chargers.

In addition to Hill, the Chiefs also ruled out Sammy Watkins (calf), which sets the stage for the Chiefs -- who have clinched the AFC's No. 1 seed and a first-round bye -- to roll out a wideout corps headed by Demarcus Robinson, Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle in Week 17. Hill is expected to be good to go for Kansas City's playoff opener Jan. 16 or 17.

Powell (foot) has been ruled out for Sunday's regular-season finale against Tampa Bay, Jason Butt of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Powell never seemed especially likely to go Week 17, as the return man was unable to submit even a limited practice session heading into Sunday's finale. He'll close out the year with 8.9 yards per punt return, good for eighth-best in the NFL. The 25-year-old also saw his offensive role increase as the campaign progressed, contributing seven of his 12 receptions over his final five appearances of 2020.

The Bills have ruled Beasley (knee) out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

Beasley wasn't able to practice in any capacity Wednesday through Friday, effectively sealing his fate for the regular-season finale. Fortunately for the Bills, their receiving corps will be fortified by the return of John Brown, who will suit up Sunday after missing the previous five games with an ankle injury followed by a short stint on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Look for Brown, Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis to operate as the team's starting receivers Week 17, though all three could have their workloads managed in the event Buffalo -- which is locked in as the AFC's No. 2 or 3 seed -- elects to rest players to some degree with an eye on entering the postseason at optimal health.

Robinson (hamstring) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against Green Bay.

Robinson was only a full participant in practice one time this week, just like he was las week before he went on to record 10 receptions in a win over the Jaguars. His snap share (68 percent) in that game was a season low, but that's at least partially due to the Bears resting starters in the fourth quarter of a blowout win. Robinson had a big game against the Packers not too long ago, catching eight of 13 targets for 74 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 12 loss. The Bears will qualify for the playoffs if they get revenge on the Packers, while a loss would leave Chicago's fate in the hands of the Cardinals and Rams.

McLaurin (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Eagles, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

McLaurin was listed as a non-participant in every practice this week, but head coach Rivera said the wideout looked good Thursday when he was doing rehab work with the training staff. Washington heads into Sunday's game with all of McLaurin, quarterback Alex Smith (calf) and running back Antonio Gibson (toe) listed as questionable, making it difficult to project what the offense will look like in the team's most important game of the season. With McLaurin and Smith both out last week, the target leaders were tight end Logan Thomas (12), running back J.D. McKissic (10), wide receiver Cam Sims (nine) and wide receiver Steven Sims (six).

Chark (shin) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Colts.

The 24-year-old was unable to practice this week due to the shin injury and won't be available for Week 17. It's a disappointing end to a disappointing season for Chark, who finishes with 53 receptions for 706 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games after breaking out with a 1,000-yard campaign in 2019. Laviska Shenault, Keelan Cole and Chris Conley are poised to lead Jacksonville's receiving corps in the season finale.

Grant (ankle) will be listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bills, Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post reports.

Along with Grant, DeVante Parker (hamstring) is also taking a questionable designation into the weekend, with resolution on the receivers' statuses likely to come when Miami releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff. Per Schad, Grant "was not moving as well" as Parker during the media-access portion of Friday's practice, suggesting the latter as a better chance at playing Week 17 than the former. Mack Hollins, Isaiah Ford and Lynn Bowden would be candidates for added snaps this weekend if either or both Grant and Parker are unavailable.

Parker (hamstring) remained limited at practice Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bills, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Along with Parker, Jakeem Grant (hamstring) is also questionable, with the two wideouts' Week 17 statuses set to be confirmed when the Dolphins release their inactive list approximately 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff. While Grant suited up in Week 16, Parker has missed two straight games and should be viewed as a game-time decision for an important contest as the Dolphins look to secure a playoff spot. For what it's worth, Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post relays that Parker "looked to be running well" during the open portion of Friday's practice.

McLaurin (ankle) isn't practicing Friday, Sam Fortier of The Washington Post reports.

Washington head coach Ron Rivera said McLaurin looked good while working with the training staff Thursday, but that doesn't necessarily mean the wideout will be ready to go ahead of Sunday's 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff. McLaurin is absent from practice for a third straight day, making it two weeks in a row with no participation. He wasn't able to play in the loss to Carolina last week, and he'll presumably have a designation when Washington releases its final Week 17 injury report later Friday.