NFL Player News

Thomas (hamstring/ankle) missed practice again Friday, putting his status in serious doubt for Sunday's game against the Panthers, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com reports.

After missing three games with a high-ankle sprain and one game for disciplinary reasons, Thomas looks bound for another absence, this time because of a hamstring injury suffered in Wednesday's practice. Even though he missed the Saints' final two practices of the week, Thomas could still be listed as questionable on the final injury report, which will be released later Friday.

Ridley (elbow) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against Detroit, William McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

Ridley never appeared to be in serious danger of missing the game, logging limited practices Wednesday and Thursday. He should be fine to handle his usual workload, averaging 9.5 targets and 91 receiving yards per game this year. The Lions have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to wide receivers, including 186.2 yards and 1.2 TDs per game.

Beckham's outlook for Sunday's game against the Bengals may have improved after the Bengals ruled top cornerback William Jackson (concussion) out for the Week 7 matchup, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Though he didn't shadow Beckham exclusively in the Bengals' Week 2 loss to the Browns, Jackson was still expected to cover the wideout on a majority of his routes Sunday before being ruled out with the head injury. With Mackensie Alexander slated to match up with a banged-up Jarvis Landry (rib) in the slot, Beckham should now run mainly against perimeter corners LeShaun Sims and Darius Phillips, both of whom represent major downgrades from Jackson in coverage, per Pro Football Focus. Beckham's team context remains less than ideal with the Browns having leaned heavily on the running game this season in part due to quarterback Baker Mayfield's poor efficiency, but the plus matchup with Cincinnati in addition to the absence of top tight end Austin Hooper (appendix) should help the wideout bounce back to some extent after he logged a season-low four targets in the team's Week 6 loss to Pittsburgh.

Samuel (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in New Orleans.

Samuel missed the Panthers' Week 6 game against Chicago after logging three straight limited practices. He followed the same routine in practice this week, so it's best to treat him as truly questionable ahead of Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff. Keith Kirkwood filled in as Carolina's No. 3 receiver last week, playing 51 percent of snaps and catching one of two targets for 13 yards.

Brown (knee) returned to practice Friday, John Glennon of The Athletic reports.

It remains to be seen if he'll be listed as a full or limited participant, but Brown's return to the field Friday -- in any capacity -- after missing Thursday's practice, bodes well for his chances of playing Sunday against the Steelers.

Slayton caught two of four targets for 23 yards Thursday in the Giants' 22-21 loss to the Eagles.

Slayton's practice activity heading into the contest was limited to due a foot issue, but being shadowed by top Eagles corner Darius Slay for most of the night likely hindered the wideout's production more than the injury. In addition, the return of Sterling Shepard (toe) from a four-game layoff left fewer looks available for Slayton, who had averaged 7.2 targets per game during the former's absence. Slayton's fantasy outlook won't be any rosier in the Giants' next game on Nov. 2, when he'll be facing off against a Buccaneers defense that has graded out as the NFL's toughest versus receivers this season, per Pro Football Focus.

Hopkins (ankle) returned to practice Friday, Kyle Odegard of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Hopkins missed practice Wednesday and Thursday, but there hasn't been any other indication his ankle injury is significant. He handled a full workload in Monday's 38-10 win over Dallas, catching two of eight targets for 73 yards. The Cardinals should have Hopkins available Sunday night against the Seahawks.

Coach Adam Gase said Crowder (groin) will be a limited practice participant Friday, Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports.

The 27-year-old was unable to participate in practice Thursday, so it's a good sign to see him returning to the field for Friday's session, even in a limited capacity. However, Gase also said the wideout would be limited prior to Thursday's practice before he ultimately sat out. More information on Crowder's availability for Sunday's game against the Bills will be available when the team releases its official injury report later in the day.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Thursday that Peoples-Jones "more than likely" will remain the team's primary kickoff returner, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Peoples-Jones has been the primary returner on punts and kickoffs the last two weeks, although the coaching staff is looking for improvement from the rookie out of Michigan. In Pittsburgh last week, the Browns also deployed Dontrell Hilliard as a returner.

Hightower secured one of two targets for 59 yards in the Eagles' 22-21 win over the Giants on Thursday night.

As was the case in Week 6 against the Ravens, Hightower's one reception covered plenty of ground, and in Thursday's case, it came at a critical juncture of the contest. The rookie got loose down the right sideline for his 59-yard grab with Philadelphia down by 11 and 6:05 remaining, setting up the Eagles at the Giants' 14-yard line ahead of what would be one of two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Hightower has lived by the big play in the last two games, but he's still been unable to fully capitalize on the plethora of injuries to the Eagles' pass-catching corps. He'll look to offer his downfield dimension once again versus the Cowboys in a Week 8 battle on Sun., Nov. 1.