NFL Player News

Shepard (concussion) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Shepard also logged a trio of limited practices last week, so his activity Wednesday doesn't necessarily represent a step forward in the concussion protocol. On a more positive note, Shepard said Tuesday that he's free of concussion symptoms, per Tom Rock of Newsday. Since he's recovering from his second concussion of the season, Shepard will probably need to resume taking contact in practice by the end of the week in addition to receiving clearance from an independent neurologist before he can be expected to play Sunday against the Lions.

The Vikings promoted Davis to the 53-man roster Wednesday, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports.

Adam Thielen (hamstring) isn't expected to be ready for Thursday's game against the Redskins, opening the door for Davis to make his NFL debut. The undrafted rookie out of Sam Houston State posted 40 total touchdowns over his final three collegiate seasons, and he is in line to serve as the No. 4 wideout if Thielen is in fact inactive.

Gage has elevated up the Falcons' depth chart at wide receiver following the Tuesday morning trade of Mohamed Sanu, Kelsey Conway of the team's official site reports.

The second-year wideout tallied his fourth reception of 2019 during Sunday's loss to the Rams, but his muffed punt proved costly as it resulted in a fumble recovery touchdown for Darious WIlliams and the Rams. Gage has played between 14 and 22 percent of Atlanta's offensive snaps in every game thus far this season but likely will see an uptick in offensive involvement now that Mohamed Sanu and his six targets per game are no longer in the mix.

Winfree could see more snaps following the trade of Emmanuel Sanders, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

Winfree has played only 10 offensive snaps this season and is without a catch, but Sanders being sent to San Francisco may open some chances in the offense. The 23-year-old should compete with Fred Brown for work as Denver's No. 3 wide receiver behind Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton.

Sutton is now locked in as the Broncos' No. 1 receiver after Denver traded Emmanuel Sanders to San Francisco on Tuesday, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

A strong argument could be made that Sutton was a bonafide WR1 even before the trade, as his 80.6 yards per game rank 11th in the league. Sutton has often looked like Joe Flacco's favorite target this season, but having Sanders on the other side of the field kept defenses honest. Now, with Denver very green at receiver, defenses are likely to key on Sutton -- a challenge the sophomore struggled with down the stretch last season after Sanders was placed on injured reserve.

Hollins was unable to bring in his only target of Sunday's 37-10 loss to Dallas.

Hollins has now been held catchless in three consecutive games, and it hasn't been as if he's gone totally without opportunities. Though his snap count isn't as high as it was earlier in the season when Philadelphia was even more depleted at receiver, Hollins has still managed to log 100 offensive snaps during his catchless streak to go along with four targets. The team has found itself in a bit of a rut, and Hollins' struggles seem to be a byproduct of that. It'll be a tough turnaround Sunday against Buffalo's fourth-ranked pass defense.

Moore caught his lone target, a gain of three yards, during Sunday's 30-16 win over Seattle.

After being silent to start the season, Moore has logged at least 30 offensive snaps in each of the last two games to go along with four total targets. He's trending upward but is still far from worthy of fantasy consideration. After the bye, Moore and the Ravens take on New England's defensive juggernaut, which has confounded opposing passing attacks this season.

Miller signed with the Panthers' practice squad, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

Miller spent training camp with the Eagles and Browns, but ultimately was waived by both teams. He will now look to make an impression with the Panthers' practice unit.

Sims (toe) logged limited practice during Tuesday's session.

Sims was estimated to be a non-participant for Monday's session but, as evidenced by this news, seems to be progressing nicely from injury. The 22-year-old is coming off three receptions for five yards last week and still has a chance to suit up in Thursday's clash against Minnesota. If he can't go, Wendell Smallwood would likely take over kick return duties, and Kelvin Harmon would bump up the depth chart at receiver.

McKenzie caught two of three targets for 11 total yards during Sunday's 31-21 win over Miami.

The three targets and 21 offensive snaps represented season highs for McKenzie in Buffalo's first game since Zay Jones was traded to Oakland. If this is the extent of McKenzie's expanded role with Jones out of town, the future doesn't look promising. Depending on Duke Williams' (shoulder) status for Sunday, McKenzie may have an even larger role against the Eagles' 27th-ranked pass defense, but if he couldn't do much against the winless Dolphins, a big day against Philadelphia seems unlikely.