NFL Player News

Johnson caught his only target for a 14-yard gain during Sunday's 27-20 win against the Colts.

The rookie wideout from Texas was one of the many beneficiaries to Gardner Minshew's uber-efficient afternoon, as he was among 10 Jaguars players to catch at least one pass while Minshew completed 19-of-20 attempts. Johnson saw under 20 percent of the offensive snaps in his debut, as Keelan Cole, DJ Chark and fellow rookie Laviska Shenault were the only Jaguars receivers to attract more than one target. Heading into a Week 2 matchup against the Titans, Johnson is expected to remain a depth wide receiver option for the so far run-heavy Jaguars offense.

Parker (hamstring) avoided a major setback and could play in Sunday's game versus the Bills, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

Parker aggravated an existing hamstring injury during the season opener against the Patriots, and he was initially slated to miss some time. However, the 27-year-old receiver is apparantely doing better than expected. The team's top priority is likely to ensure this injury doesn't linger all season, so he'll be closely monitored during the upcoming practice week. We should have a better grasp on Parker's status when the Dolphins release their official practice report Wednesday.

Erickson collected 29 yards on two punt return attempts during Sunday's 16-13 loss to the Chargers.

The special-teams ace received four snaps for the Bengals' offense without registering a target, but he made his presence felt in the return game. Erickson was able to take back a Ty Long punt for a 22-yard return at the 7:53 mark of the third quarter, helping to set up Randy Bullock with a 43-yard field goal that put Cincinnati ahead by seven points for the time being. Though Erickson boasts strong averages for his career -- 24.8 yards per kick return and 7.6 yards per punt return -- he remains without a special-teams touchdown on 219 attempts.

Broncos head coach Vic Fangio said Tuesday that he hopes Sutton (shoulder) can do more work in practice by the end of the week, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

While Fangio didn't specify what exactly Sutton's practice activity will look like while he tends to an AC joint sprain his right shoulder, the coach's comments suggest the receiver likely won't be in line for anything more than limited participation in the team's first session of the week Wednesday. Sutton sat out the Broncos' 16-14 loss to the Titans on Monday, which left Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick and DaeSean Hamilton as the team's starting receivers. Jeudy emerged as quarterback Drew Lock's top target while Sutton was inactive, posting four receptions for 56 yards on eight looks.

Sims reverted to Washington's practice squad.

Sims suited up in the season-opening win over the Eagles, but he only played on special teams. The 24-year-old receiver has played nine NFL games over three seasons, recording two receptions for 27 yards.

Higgins was not targeted during Sunday's 16-13 loss to the Chargers.

Though the rookie second-rounder was largely uninvolved in the passing game during his regular-season debut, he did garner 15 offensive snaps for the afternoon. It's evident the Bengals have plans to deploy Higgins as part of the offense -- not only based the fact that he was the No. 33 overall pick in April's draft, but also because he fielded zero special-teams snaps against Los Angeles. With a strong trio of veteran receivers on the depth chart in front of him in A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, and John Ross, the Bengals were afforded the luxury of easing Higgins into action after he was sidelined with a hamstring injury for much of training camp. The rookie's involvement may increase over the course of the season as he builds chemistry with quarterback Joe Burrow, and develops an enhanced understanding of the offensive scheme.

Westbrook-Ikhine has reverted to the Titans' practice squad, per the NFL's official transaction report.

An undrafted rookie out of Indiana, Westbrook-Ikhine was brought up to the active roster for the Titans' season opener, though he served as a healthy scratch. The 23-year-old will work on the scout team for now while he awaits his next opportunity.

Patrick caught four of five targets for 29 yards during Monday's 16-14 loss to Tennessee.

Patrick was the elder statesman on the field Monday night as Courtland Sutton (shoulder) was held out. Patrick came up with a big 15-yard grab on second and long to set up Denver's fourth-quarter touchdown, but it was an otherwise quiet night, and things shouldn't get much louder once Sutton returns to the lineup. While young and inexperienced, Denver has a lot of skill players to try to get the ball to, and Patrick is probably no better than the fifth or sixth option in Drew Lock's arsenal.

Thomas is expected to miss several weeks after tests revealed that his high-ankle sprain is worse than expected, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

There were rumbles that Thomas may play through this injury, but those rumors have essentially been put to rest. If his injury is indeed serious enough to keep him out for multiple games, Thomas could be placed on IR, which would keep him out for at least three games. Emmanuel Sanders should be considered the Saints' No. 1 WR for the duration of Thomas' absence, and Tre'Quan Smith should enjoy an increase in usage as well.

Mickens returned one punt for no gain in the Buccaneers' 34-23 loss to the Saints on Sunday.

The 26-year-old also served as the No. 5 receiver in the Week 1 loss, although his primary function on the active roster was to serve as the punt returner and coverage units. While Mickens ultimately failed to make the stat sheet under any capacity, it's likely he continues to enjoy active status, at least early in the season, while rookie fifth-round pick Tyler Johnson continues to get up to speed on the playbook.