NFL Player News

Brown (ankle) remained sidelined at Thursday's practice, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Previous reports suggested that Brown's ankle issue is nothing serious, but now that he's logged back-to-back missed sessions, the speedy wideout's status for Sunday's game against the Bengals figures to hinge on what he's able to do at practice Friday.

Thielen was absent from Thursday's practice due to an illness, Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Thielen wasn't listed on the Vikings' first Week 6 injury report, but according to Craig's source, the wide receiver began to feel sick Wednesday and is "legitimately" under the weather. Consequently, Thielen's status will be one to monitor as the weekend draws closer. If he's not 100 percent or held out Sunday against the Eagles, Bisi Johnson and Laquon Treadwell would experience an uptick in snaps alongside starter Stefon Diggs.

James was not targeted in Monday's 31-3 win over the Browns.

James saw his usage fall off the map, as he was on the field for just eight percent of the 49ers' offensive snaps after receiving at least 35 percent in each of the previous three contests. There wasn't a wideout returning from injury to explain the sudden drop in playing time, so coach Kyle Shanahan simply decided to rely more heavily on his starting trio of Marquise Goodwin, Dante Pettis and Deebo Samuel. James wasn't providing much fantasy value prior to Monday's dud (four catches for 68 yards and a touchdown through four games), and a reduced role further buries the receiver's appeal heading into a Week 6 matchup against the Rams.

Beckham was listed as a full participant at Wednesday's practice with a hip injury.

Beckham, who missed significant time during preseason due to a hip injury, should be ready to play Week 6 against the Seahawks. Health is not on the mind of fantasy owners when it comes to Beckham; it is the four catches on 13 targets over the last two weeks. The real concern is why the Browns can't get the ball in his hands more often.

Byrd (hamstring) was limited in practice Wednesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

After missing two games with a hamstring injury, Byrd returned to the practice field for the first time in nearly three weeks. It's a decent enough sign that he's trending toward active status Sunday versus the Falcons, but Friday's practice report will have the final word.

Kirk (ankle) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

A week removed from not practicing at all due to a right ankle injury, Kirk is easing into Week 6 preparations. He doesn't necessary need to progress to full participant Thursday and/or Friday in order to suit up Sunday against the Falcons, but he would help his cause if he does so.

Cooks (concussion) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports.

Cooks suffered a head injury during last Thursday's loss to the Seahawks, for which he was placed in the NFL's concussion protocol. His limited participation in practice to begin the week is a step in the right direction, but it's worth keeping in mind that in order to suit up Week 6 against the undefeated 49ers, Cooks would need to fully clear the league's five-step protocol. His final task will be to receive medical clearance from an independent neurologist. If Cooks were forced to miss any time, the Rams would rely on Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Gerald Everett to lead the aerial attack.

The Buccaneers waived Brent (undisclosed) from their injured reserve list Wednesday per the NFL's official transaction page.

Brent had resided on IR since Sept. 6, and it's still unclear what sort of injury he's dealing with. Once the Wake Forest product gets healthy, he'll be able to work out and sign with another team elsewhere around the league.

Sutton (lower leg) was among the nine players the Broncos listed as limited at Wednesday's practice, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports.

The same applies to Emmanuel Sanders (knee), but at this stage there's been nothing to suggest that either of Denver's top two wideouts might miss Sunday's game against the Titans. Over his last two games, Sutton has caught 10 of his 16 targets for 154 yards and three TDs, while his 401 receiving yards place him 10th in the league to date.

Bellamy (shoulder) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

Bellamy has battled the shoulder injury since mid-September, though he has yet to miss any game action. The 30-year-old is seeing limited offensive opportunities as the team's No. 4 wide receiver.