NFL Player News

Shepard (concussion) appears unlikely to return to practice this week, as Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports there will be "no activity" for the wideout.

Shepard has been sidelined for four consecutive weeks now, and with another recent occurrence of concussion symptoms, the team won't be taking any risks. Despite an uphill battle ahead, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports that the team hasn't yet considered injured reserve, and intends for Shephard to return this season. In the meantime, look for Golden Tate and Darius Slayton to continue to have active roles in the passing game, especially with Evan Engram (foot) ruled out for the Week 10 matchup against the Jets.

Cooper (knee/ankle) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, David Helman of the Cowboys' official site reports.

Per Todd Archer of ESPN.com, Cooper jammed his knee during Monday's win over the Giants, but he stayed in the game and finished the night with four catches for a team-high 80 yards and one touchdown. It's encouraging that the No. 1 receiver wasn't held out of Wednesday's jog-through practice entirely, and there's not yet any reason to suspect that Cooper is in danger of missing time. He'll have two more chances to upgrade to a full participant ahead of Sunday's tilt with the Vikings.

The Dolphins claimed Jennings off waivers Wednesday, Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post reports.

After being cut loose by Seattle a day earlier, Jennings now latches on with a Dolphins squad which recently lost wideout Preston Williams (knee) for the season. The rookie fourth-round pick was a healthy scratch in all nine games with Seattle, but he'll have a better chance at finding playing time in a Dolphins receiving corps that includes only four players (DeVante Parker, Albert Wilson, Jakeem Grant and Allen Hurns) ahead of him on the depth chart. That said, the remainder of Jennings' rookie campaign will likely be mostly developmental in nature, as the Dolphins will more realistically hope he can make an impact in 2020 after having some time to adapt to a new playbook.

Thielen (hamstring) didn't participate in practice Wednesday.

Thielen attempted to return from a one-game absence this past Sunday in Kansas City but lasted just seven offensive snaps before being removed from the contest for good. On Wednesday, coach Mike Zimmer told Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he doesn't consider Thielen's right hamstring injury to be a long-term concern. Having said that, the Vikings don't expect Thielen to suit up Sunday night at Dallas, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. With a bye on the docket Week 12, there's a distinct possibility the team holds out Thielen the nest two games to ensure he's healthy for the stretch run of the campaign.

Valdes-Scantling (ankle/knee) was limited at Wednesday's practice.

In Sunday's loss to the Chargers, Valdes-Scantling failed to record a reception for the first time since Week 3 of the 2018 season. Granted, Davante Adams (toe) was back in action, and the Packers mustered just 184 yards of offense, but the output was disappointing, to say the least. Before Valdes-Scantling gets another chance to make an impression on the box score, he'll look to put in a full practice before the end of the week.

Smith (ankle) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Smith didn't practice in any capacity leading up to New Orleans' bye week, but he now appears back to full health. After a promising rookie season, Smith has had an injury-plagued 2019 campaign, appearing in just three contests while hauling in all five of his targets for 75 yards and one touchdown. The second-year pro will look to get on track against the Falcons' struggling defense in Week 10.

Adams (toe) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

Adams returned from a four-game absence this past Sunday against the Chargers, logging 83 percent of the offensive snaps en route to collecting seven catches (on 11 targets) for 41 yards. Afterward, coach Matt LaFleur relayed Adams didn't suffer any setbacks with his toe injury in the process, but the Packers aren't taking any chances to kick off Week 10 prep. Adams has two more sessions to upgrade to "full" in advance of this weekend's contest against the Panthers.

Reynolds is expected to have a regular role in three-receiver sets Sunday against the Steelers with teammate Brandin Cooks (concussion) ruled out, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM Radio reports.

Reynolds filled in admirably for Cooks during the Week 8 win over the Bengals, catching three of eight targets for 73 yards and a touchdown. While expectations for Reynolds should be tempered against Pittsburgh's stingy secondary, the fact that he'll start on the outside gives him a high ceiling in Los Angeles' aerial attack. The 2017 fourth-round pick warrants fantasy consideration as long as Cooks is unable to go,

Moore was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice due to a thumb injury.

Moore likely picked up the injury in the Ravens' win over the Patriots on Sunday, when he failed to draw a target on either of his two offensive snaps. The 26-year-old appears in little danger of missing his team's Week 10 matchup with Cincinnati, but his availability likely won't be confirmed until he resumes practicing fully Thursday and/or Friday.

Cooks (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's contest against the Steelers, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

Cooks will fly with the Rams to Pittsburgh, but he'll spend part of the trip meeting with medical specialists as he looks for further opinion on the fifth diagnosed concussion of his NFL career. The 2014 first-round pick previously met with a specialist while the Rams were on bye in Week 9. The Rams hope Cooks will manage to clear the five-step concussion protocol without missing much time beyond Sunday, but given the tricky nature of head injuries, the possibility of a multi-game absence can't be ruled out. Josh Reynolds will likely serve as the team's No. 3 wide receiver as long as Cooks is unable to go.