NFL Player News

Brown (undisclosed) wasn't spotted at practice Thursday, Erik Bacharach of The Tennessean reports.

Bacharach points out that the wideout missed last Thursday's practice with a listed knee issue before returning to a full session Friday and playing this past Sunday. It's quite possible that pattern could be repeated in advance of this weekend's game against the Bengals.

Lazard (core) participated in Thursday's padded practice, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

One day removed from the Packers opening his 21-day window to be activated from IR, Lazard took part in individual drills. He underwent core muscle surgery on Oct. 1, after which he was given a recovery timetable of "a month or a little bit more," per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Considering the Packers next play Sunday, Nov. 1 against the Vikings, Lazard seemingly has a chance to return this weekend. Still, Green Bay has been cautious with other key skill-position players (Davante Adams and Aaron Jones) this season, so Lazard may have a better chance to suit up Week 9 at San Francisco.

Patrick (hamstring) will be listed as a non-participant on Thursday's practice report, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com notes that Patrick was able to work out on side field with the Broncos' other rehabbing players, but his absence from the main group for the second day in a row doesn't bode well for his odds of gaining clearance for Sunday's game against the Chargers. Before a ruling on Patrick's status for the weekend is made, the Broncos will see what he's able to do in the team's final Week 8 practice Friday. Should Patrick be inactive against Los Angeles, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler and DaeSean Hamilton would likely serve as the Broncos' starting wideout trio.

Harry (concussion) missed practice again Thursday, Andrew Callahan of Boston Herald reports.

With Harry looking iffy for Sunday's game against the Bills and Julian Edelman possibly in line to miss time with a knee issue, the Patriots' healthiest options at wide receiver are currently Damiere Byrd, Gunner Olszewski and Jakobi Meyers.

Crowder (groin) will return to a limited practice Thursday, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports.

That's a step in the right direction for Crowder, who last suited up in Week 6. Meanwhile, fellow starting wide receiver Breshad Perriman remains in concussion protocol and won't practice Thursday. Crowder was downgraded to doubtful by the Jets in advance of Week 7 action before being made inactive this past Sunday against the Bills. However, his return to practice Thursday after missing Wednesday's session offers hope that he may be able to resume action this weekend against the Chiefs.

Perriman (concussion) won't take part in Thursday's practice, Andy Vasquez of The Bergen Record reports.

With back-to-back absences at practice to begin the week, Perriman has made no tangible progress through the NFL's concussion protocol since suffering the head injury in Sunday's loss to the Bills. Unless Perriman gets back on the field in some capacity at Friday's practice, he'll likely be sidelined for this weekend's matchup with the Chiefs. With slot man Jamison Crowder (groin) also iffy for the contest, the Jets could be forced to rely on Denzel Mims, Braxton Berrios and Jeff Smith as their main weapons in the passing game.

Johnson (ankle) told Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he intends to take the practice field Thursday.

Johnson is coming off one of his best fantasy performances of the season with two touchdowns Week 7 against Tennessee, but the injury bug bit again and he was forced to leave the contest early. The second-year wideout proceeded to begin the week with a missed practice session, but it seems he intends to be back out there Thursday, which would only increase his chances of getting to suit up for a key divisional matchup Week 8 in Baltimore.

Peoples-Jones will remain the Browns' primary returner on punts and kicks while preparing for an expanded offensive role Week 8 against Las Vegas, George M. Thomas and Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal report.

Peoples-Jones has handled the return duties the last four weeks while having little involvement on offense, but that changed this past week when Odell Beckham (knee) sustained a season-ending injury. With KhaDarel Hodge (hamstring) slated to return this week, Peoples-Jones may be no better than fourth on the depth chart, but he proved himself last week with a pair of catches on the team's game-winning drive, including a touchdown catch.

Hodge (hamstring) practiced Wednesday and will be active Week 8 against the Raiders, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Hodge should step back into a familiar role as Cleveland's No. 3 wide receiver, after the Browns placed Odell Beckham (knee) on injured reserve this week. He missed the last three weeks and has been designated to return from injured reserve.

Osborn (hamstring) wasn't listed on Minnesota's injury report Wednesday, Craig Peters of the team's official site reports.

The 23-year-old missed the previous two games heading into the Week 7 bye, but he's practicing with no limitations after receiving the extra recovery time. Osborn should reclaim returning duties for the Vikings now that he's healthy.