NFL Player News

Shepard (shoulder/toe) was listed as limited on Wednesday's practice report, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

After sitting out Weeks 3 through 6 due to a turf toe injury, Shepard has played back-to-back games while dealing with a shoulder issue. His production hasn't dipped at all -- 14 catches (on 18 targets) for 133 yards and one touchdown over the last two contests -- so he may be going through the motions before getting cleared by the Giants to suit up Week 9 in Washington. In any case, Shepard's status bears watching as the weekend approaches.

Gage was limited in practice Wednesday due to shoulder and knee injuries, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

Meanwhile, Calvin Ridley was unable to practice due to a mid-foot sprain suffered last Thursday at Carolina, a development that may open up some reps for Gage if the former is forced to miss some time. Since opening the season with 15 catches (on 21 targets) for 160 yards a touchdown between the first two games, Gage has only surpassed 50 receiving yards in four of the last six contests. Assuming he can get past his own health concerns, he'll look to get back on track Sunday against the Broncos.

Patrick (hamstring) was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Patrick wasn't able to suit up for Sunday's 31-30 win over the Chargers, but his return to practice as a limited participant is seemingly an encouraging sign. The Broncos will monitor Patrick during practices Thursday and Friday before making a decision regarding his status for a Week 9 game at Atlanta.

Hinton is signing with the Broncos' practice squad Wednesday, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

The undrafted rookie from Wake Forest will hope to impress on the practice squad and work his way up to the 53-man roster. Hinton fits in nicely with Denver's skill position youth movement on offense.

Sims (toe) appeared to be a full participant in Wednesday's practice, Kyle Stackpole of Washington's official site reports.

Sims currently resides on injured reserve, which means the team won't list him on its daily practice reports this week. Based on Stackpole's report though, Sims appears to at least have a shot at playing in Sunday's game against the Giants. Dontrelle Inman and Isaiah Wright (shoulder) got most of the wideout snaps and targets behind Terry McLaurin over the past month while Sims was out, so there is a clear opening for him to reclaim a top-three role.

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said Godwin (finger) participated fully in Wednesday's walk-through practice, though the receiver didn't catch passes during the session, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports. "We won't know until Friday if he can catch a ball," Arians said of Godwin.

While a player's full participation to begin the week of practice normally bodes well for his chances of gaining clearance for game action, Arians' comments imply that Godwin's status will still need to be monitored heading into the weekend. Godwin, who is looking to return from Oct. 27 surgery to repair a fractured left index finger, has been Tom Brady's favorite target when he's been healthy this season, with the wideout producing 25 receptions for 279 yards and two touchdowns over the four games he's played. The 24-year-old may notice a slight downturn in his opportunities once cleared to play, however, as the Buccaneers will add seven-time Pro Bowler Antonio Brown to their pass-catching group this Sunday against the Saints.

Wims will begin serving a two-game suspension Wednesday after NFL appeals officer James Thrash upheld the receiver's ban, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The wideout will sit out the Bears' Week 9 matchup with the Titans and Week 10 matchup with the Vikings after he was ejected in Sunday's 26-23 overtime loss to the Saints for punching New Orleans' C.J. Gardner-Johnson. With Wims serving his suspension and with Ted Ginn being released earlier Wednesday, Chicago currently has Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney, Anthony Miller and Riley Ridley as the available receivers on its 53-man roster.

Bourne tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

According to Schefter, Bourne's positive test has prompted the 49ers to shut down their facility for the day in order to conduct contact tracing. The 49ers are scheduled to host the Packers on Thursday.

Sims (toe) is slated to practice Wednesday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Sims, who hasn't played since Week 3, remains on injured reserve, but now that he's back at practice, Washington will have up to 21 days to activate the wide receiver. Prior to suffering his injury, the 23-year-old recorded six catches (on eight targets) for 103 yards in three games.

Ridley (foot) won't practice Wednesday, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

On the plus side, interim head coach Raheem Morris relayed that Ridley has received "good news" about the mid-foot sprain he suffered in last week's win over the Panthers. For now, the wideout is viewed as day-to-day in advance of Sunday's game against the Broncos. If Ridley is sidelined for the contest, Morris relayed that Christian Blake would be the most likely candidate to fill in on three-receiver sets, according to Jason Butt of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.