NFL Player News

James (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Saturday's game against the Cardinals.

The 49ers cleared James for the Week 16 matchup after he upgraded from limited participation at practices Tuesday and Wednesday to full activity Thursday. With Deebo Samuel (hamstring) having been shut down for the season, James is expected to hold down a regular role in three-receiver sets alongside Brandon Aiyuk and Kendrick Bourne for the 49ers' final two games.

Parker (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Saturday night's game against the Raiders, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site reports.

As was the case in advance of Week 15 action, Parker, Jakeem Grant (hamstring) and tight end Mike Gesicki (shoulder) are all listed as questionable by Miami, a context that sets up the trio to profile as game-time decisions for Saturday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff. If Parker and Grant aren't active this weekend, Lynn Bowden, Mack Hollins and Isaiah Ford once again would be in line for added Week 16 snaps/targets.

Powell (foot) was limited during Thursday's practice session, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

Powell practiced in full Wednesday, so he may have picked up the foot injury during practice that day. Though the second-year wideout has made minimal contributions on offense this season (11 catches on 16 targets for 67 yards), his absence would be felt on special teams, as he serves as Atlanta's primary kickoff and punt returner.

Lazard (core/wrist) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The Packers have capped Lazard's reps in both of their first two practices of Week 16, but head coach Matt LaFleur hasn't expressed any concern about the receiver's chances of playing Sunday against the Titans. Assuming Lazard is cleared to suit up this weekend, he'll be looking to build on a strong showing in the Packers' win over the Panthers in Week 15. He handled his biggest snap share (77 percent) since Week 3 in that contest, finishing the day with five receptions for 56 yards on six targets.

Robinson (hamstring) didn't practice Thursday.

After turning in a full session Wednesday, Robinson's downturn in activity may be maintenance-related. That said, his listed hamstring injury is a new health concern, so his status bears watching as the weekend approaches.

The Saints elevated Humphrey from their practice squad Thursday, Larry Holder of The Athletic reports.

After Michael Thomas (ankle) was moved to injured reserve and Tre'Quan Smith (ankle) exited early in last week's loss to the Chiefs, Humphrey ended up finishing the contest as the team's No. 3 receiver behind Emmanuel Sanders and Juwan Johnson. Humphrey was able to make an impact while playing 49 percent of the offensive snaps, hauling in two of four targets for 29 yards and a touchdown. Smith has since been moved to IR, but the Saints activated Marquez Callaway (knee) in a corresponding move, so Humphrey could be bumped down to the No. 4 role in New Orleans' Christmas Day matchup with the Vikings.

Brown missed practice Thursday with a knee injury, Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Brown was added to the Ravens' Week 16 injury report Thursday, so his status for Sunday's game against the Giants will now need to be monitored. A return to practice in any fashion Friday would bode well for his chance of suiting up this weekend, but if Brown ends up out or limited, Miles Boykin, Dez Bryant and perhaps Devin Duvernay would be in line for added looks Sunday.

The Saints activated Callaway (knee) from injured reserve Thursday, Larry Holder of The Athletic reports.

After he was cleared to resume practicing Tuesday, Callaway apparently fared well enough in his workouts over the past three days for the Saints to sign off on his return to the 53-man roster. He'll be taking the spot of fellow wideout Tre'Quan Smith (ankle), who was placed on IR in a corresponding move. With Smith joining Michael Thomas (ankle) and Deonte Harris (neck) on IR, the Saints will turn to veteran Emmanuel Sanders and a trio of relatively unproven options -- Callaway, Juwan Johnson and Lil'Jordan Humphrey -- as their main receivers for Friday's game against the Vikings.

The Saints placed Smith (ankle) on injured reserve Thursday, Larry Holder of The Athletic reports.

While the Saints haven't commented on the severity of the right ankle injury Smith sustained Week 15 against the Chiefs, his placement on IR confirms that he'll require a multi-week recovery. Per Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune, Smith posted a photograph on his social media Wednesday featuring himself in what appeared to be a doctor's office with his ankle heavily bandaged, suggesting that the wideout may have needed surgery. In any case, with Smith officially shut down for the final two games of the regular season, he'll finish his third NFL campaign with 34 receptions for 448 yards and four touchdowns over his 14 appearances.

The Saints ruled Smith (ankle) out for Friday's game against the Vikings.

Smith wasn't able to practice Tuesday through Thursday after injuring his right ankle in last weekend's loss to the Chiefs, making it an easy decision for the Saints to rule him out for the Week 16 game. According to Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune, Smith posted a photograph on social media Wednesday featuring his ankle heavily taped up, which could point toward a multi-game absence. For now, the Saints haven't commented on Smith's status beyond ruling him out for the Christmas Day game.