NFL Player News

Crowder (groin) has been downgraded to doubtful for Sunday's contest against the Bills.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to read the tea leaves on this one as the Jets activated 2020 second-round pick Denzel Mims (hamstrings) off injured reserve Saturday and almost immediately followed up with the Crowder downgrade designation. There of course remains a chance the talented slot receiver could end up taking the field, but if not expect Braxton Berrios and Jeff Smith to operate in the slot with Mims and Breshad Perriman split out on either side. Both Berrios and Smith had their best games of the season during Crowder's two-game absence over the course of Weeks 3 and 4.

Backman reverted to the Giants' practice squad Friday, per the NFL's official transaction log.

Bachman made his NFL debut Thursday against the Eagles but played just one snap. He'll drop back to the practice squad for now, but he could be brought back up for the Week 8 matchup against the Buccaneers if C.J. Board (concussion) remains out.

St. Brown (knee) will play in Sunday's game versus the Texans.

St. Brown was limited in practice all week as a precaution, and he's been given the green light for a second straight week. The third-year receiver out of Notre Dame had a tough 2020 debut, failing to reel in either of his two targets and logging just 11 offensive snaps. Malik Taylor is pushing him for the No. 3 wideout role, so St. Brown will look to have a big game against a Texans secondary that has let up 246.5 passing yards per game -- 20th in the league.

Smith should be a big part of the New Orleans passing game Sunday against the Panthers, as fellow wideouts Michael Thomas (hamstring) and Emmanuel Sanders (reserve/COVID-19) won't be able to play, ESPN's Mike Triplett reports.

With Thomas out of the lineup for the past four games, Smith averaged 3.8 catches for 47.5 yards and 0.5 TDs on 5.0 targets. That's not exactly prolific, but Sanders saw 7.8 targets per game over the same stretch, accounting for 22 percent of the team total. Smith now finds himself in a good position to pile up targets, though RB Alvin Kamara and TE Jared Cook also figure to see plenty of work.

Davis is expected to claim a regular spot in three-wide sets in Sunday's game against the Jets with the Bills ruling out John Brown (knee) for the contest.

When Brown sat out the Bills' Week 5 loss to the Titans, it was Davis who stepped up in his stead. The rookie played all 72 of the Bills' offensive snaps in that contest, parlaying nine targets into five receptions for 58 yards. Davis should see elevated usage again Sunday sans Brown, though with the Bills being one of the heaviest favorites on the Week 7 slate, the run game may become more of a priority if Buffalo establishes an early lead.

Woods was held out of Friday's practice with a groin injury, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.

A late addition to the injury report is always somewhat worrisome, but coach Sean McVay said he expects Woods to be ready for Monday's game against the Bears. The end-of-week kickoff could put fantasy managers in a bind, depending on how the Rams list Woods on their final injury report Saturday.

Crowder (groin) returned to practice Friday and is questionable for Sunday's game against Buffalo, Andy Vasquez of USA Today Sports reports.

Crowder logged a limited session Friday after failing to practice Thursday. The shifty slot receiver has been fed double-digit targets in all four of his games played this season, so Crowder should be busy if he's able to play through the groin injury he sustained in practice this week.

Edwards (ankle/foot) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers.

Edwards will miss his third straight game due to lingering foot and ankle injures, despite the fact that he's had the benefit of a bye week to get additional rest. With the rookie third-round pick out, the Raiders will roll with Henry Ruggs, Hunter Renfrow and Nelson Agholor in three-receiver sets.

Hopkins (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Seattle, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Given his history of playing through nagging injuries, Hopkins' return to the practice field Friday -- albeit as a limited participant -- would seem to put him on track for the Sunday night battle between NFC West playoff contenders. An 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff is suboptimal for fantasy purposes, as there's some chance Hopkins' status could remain up in the air until the Cardinals release their inactive list around 6:50 p.m. ET. In the event of a Hopkins absence, KeeSean Johnson and Andy Isabella presumably would take over the vacated snaps, while it would be more of a team-wide effort to replace the 31.8 percent target share.

The Saints ruled out Thomas (hamstring/ankle) for Sunday's game against the Panthers.

Thomas started the week as a limited participant but was then held out of practice Thursday and Friday. The lack of activity the past two days isn't a great sign for his Week 8 status, though the Saints haven't determined anything beyond Sunday. With Emmanuel Sanders landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday, Tre'Quan Smith is set up as the team's No. 1 receiver for Week 7, while Deonte Harris and Marquez Callaway also could see a few targets. The team likely will call up a wide receiver from the practice squad, with Austin Carr being the favorite.