NFL Player News

Johnson (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's Week 1 tilt against the Saints, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

The rookie fifth-round pick missed time early in camp due to injury and therefore is still behind the curve on learning the offense. With Mike Evans (hamstring) also managing to garner active status Sunday, Johnson's chances of suiting up fell even further. The Buccaneers opted to keep the more experienced Jaydon Mickens, who can also help on special teams, active as the No. 5 receiver versus New Orleans.

Gage (head) was cleared to return to Sunday's game versus the Seahawks, William McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

Gage left briefly to be examined after a hard hit from Jamal Adams in the first half, but the receiver apparently cleared concussion protocol and returned to the game.

Aiyuk (hamstring) is listed as inactive Sunday versus the Cardinals, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Aiyuk will be sidelined for his first potential NFL action due to a mild hamstring strain that has plagued him since Aug. 23 and held him to a DNP/LP/LP practice regimen in advance of the season opener. With Aiyuk out and Deebo Samuel (foot) on injured reserve, the 49ers will be shorthanded at wide receiver. Kendrick Bourne, Trent Taylor, Dante Pettis and Richie James will be the options available to Jimmy Garoppolo.

Evans (hamstring) is active for Sunday's Week 1 tilt against the Saints, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Evans has been trending in the right direction since Saturday, when he was upgraded from doubtful to questionable following a limited practice Friday. The seventh-year wideout followed it up with a pregame workout that reportedly included several full-speed sprints, cementing his active status for this season-opening divisional showdown. With no reported limitations in terms of a snap count, there's cautious optimism Evans will fill his usual role as one of the top targets in an aggressive Buccaneers offense now helmed by future Hall of Famer Tom Brady.

Parker (hamstring) was forced out of Sunday's game versus the Patriots.

Parker battled a hamstring injury throughout the practice week, and he tried to play through it Sunday. However, it seemed to flare up on the 27-year-old wideout in the first half, and it seems unlikely he returns. Preston Williams will be the de facto No. 1 receiver while Parker is on the sidelines.

Gage left Sunday's game against the Seahawks to be evaluated for a head injury, Kelsey Conway of the Falcons' official site reports.

Late in the first half, Gage was banged-up and made a visit to the sideline tent, per Jason Butt of The Athletic. Considering a head injury was noted, Gage may be going through the concussion protocol to determine whether a return is possible. If he's unable to reenter the game, he'll finish Week 1 with five catches for 54 yards.

Williams (shoulder) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

It remains to be seen how close to a full workload Williams will see in Week 1, but he'll tough it out through his shoulder issue Sunday and is thus slated to work alongside PPR-ace Keenan Allen versus the Bengals.

The Buccaneers "liked what they saw" during Evans' (hamstring) pre-game workout Sunday, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports.

Per Glazer, "unless something changes," Evans will give it a go Sunday against the Saints. Confirmation of the wideout's Week 1 status, either way, will arrive when the Bucs release their inactives in advance of Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.

Taylor is expected to receive extended reps out of the slot in Sunday's season opener versus the Cardinals, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

San Francisco will take a banged-up receiving corps into Week 1, as four players are on injured reserve -- including top option Deebo Samuel (foot) -- while rookie first-round pick Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring) is questionable for the contest and is expected to have a limited role if he does suit up. That should pave the way for Taylor to have a regular spot in three-wideout sets, potentially making the 26-year-old a decent DFS punt play in a game that has one of the highest projected over/unders of Week 1.

Patmon (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Jaguars.

The sixth-round rookie out of Washington State did enough in training camp to secure his spot on the Colts' 53-man roster, but the coaching staff apparently didn't view him as being ready to handle a role on offense or special teams. The Colts will keep Michael Pittman and Ashton Dulin active as backups behind the starting receiver trio of T.Y. Hilton, Parris Campbell and Zach Pascal.