NFL Player News

Gallup (knee) has yet to ramp things up to full speed, but Thursday's practice should be a good indicator as to whether he can play Week 5 against the Packers, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.

While the fact Gallup has been unable to run at full speed just a few days before the scheduled game appears concerning, the receiver believes that much of the issue is mental. He can perform cuts and has the full backing of the Dallas medical staff, but Gallup still needs to get a taste of something close to live game experience before he'll be mentally ready. That makes deploying the wideout in Week 5 a bit of a risky proposition, as Gallup will not only be facing a defense giving up the fourth-least fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers in standard formats, but there may be questions about his workload as well.

Isabella is expected to serve as an outside receiver with Christian Kirk (ankle) and Damiere Byrd (hamstring) trending toward inactive status Sunday at Cincinnati, Kyle Odegard of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Since he was drafted in the second round back in April, Isabella has spent most of his time in the slot, but injuries are forcing the Cardinals' coaching staff to alter the roles of the remaining wide receivers. Along with Trent Sherfield and KeeSean Johnson, Isabella will get work on the outside. Meanwhile, Larry Fitzgerald and recent signee Pharoh Cooper will handle routes out of the slot. Isabella displayed explosiveness at the combine, namely a 4.31 mark in the 40-yard dash, so even if targets are hard to come by Sunday, just one could be enough for the rookie to make an impact.

Johnson is the top candidate to receive his first career start Sunday in Cincinnati with Christian Kirk (ankle) and Damiere Byrd (hamstring) unlikely to suit up, Kyle Odegard of the Cardinals' official site reports.

If both Kirk and Byrd are among the Cardinals' Week 5 inactives, the remaining outside receivers will be Trent Sherfield, Johnson and Andy Isabella, with Larry Fitzgerald and Pharoh Cooper manning the two slot positions. On the season, Johnson has consistently been the fourth wide receiver in the pecking order, earning 55.4 percent of the offensive snaps. With Kirk (93 percent) and Byrd (71.8) sidelined, Johnson could become the second-most-utilized WR behind Fitzgerald.

Williams (back) was limited at practice Wednesday.

Coach Anthony Lynn noted earlier Wednesday that Williams' back was feeling better, and the wideout's return to practice, albeit in a limited capacity, suggests that he has a decent chance to rejoin the Chargers' lineup Sunday against the Broncos.

Byrd (hamstring) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice, Scott Bordow of The Athletic reports.

The Cardinals expect to be without Byrd and Christian Kirk (ankle) this Sunday at Cincinnati, and both are heading in that direction with DNPs to kick off Week 5 prep. In the event Byrd is ruled out for a second straight game, the team's remaining outside receivers will be Trent Sherfield, KeeSean Johnson and Andy Isabella. On the first occasion this past Sunday against the Seahawks, Sherfield experienced a significant uptick in usage, turning 84 percent of the snaps on offense into one catch (on three targets) for 15 yards.

Kirk (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday, Scott Bordow of The Athletic reports.

Prior to Wednesday's session, coach Kliff Kingsbury told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com that Kirk would be a limited participant. However, that didn't come to pass, which is more in line with Kingsbury's thoughts -- "not likely," per Bordow -- about Kirk's availability Sunday at Cincinnati. In addition to Kirk, Damiere Byrd (hamstring) isn't expected to play, either. Such a scenario would leave Pharoh Cooper as the lone slot receiver aside from Larry Fitzgerald in Week 5, according to Kyle Odegard of the Cardinals' official site.

The Redskins signed Sims to the active roster Wednesday, Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post reports.

Sims suited up for one game with the Redskins last year and played one snap on special teams. He'll add depth to the wideout corps with Terry McLaurin (hamstring) limited in Wednesday's practice, but he's not expected to have an immediate impact on offense Sunday versus the Patriots.

Perriman (hamstring) didn't participate in Wednesday's practice, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Perriman was forced out of this past Sunday's win over the Rams with a hamstring injury and didn't return. Being sidelined for the first injury report of the week isn't a favorable sign for his chances of playing Sunday versus the Saints. The Buccaneers could be thin at receiver if Perriman can't go since Chris Godwin (hip) also missed Wednesday's practice, but both will have two more days to get back onto the field.

Hill (shoulder) was officially limited at practice Wednesday.

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Hill "got a good report on his most recent shoulder checkup," so the Chiefs elected to see how he looked at practice Wednesday. Schefter adds that the team "will not rush (Hill) back," so the wideout's Week 5 status remains cloudy, but Hill obviously has taken a big step in his recovery, and the playmaker's return to game action doesn't seem far off.

Bellamy (shoulder) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.

Bellamy has dealt with a lingering shoulder injury since mid-September, and he wasn't able to get fully healthy during the Jets' bye week. He's consistently played through the injury thus far, which may indicate that his status for Sunday's tilt against the Eagles isn't in jeopardy. In any case, Bellamy has only been targeted three times this season, and if he were to miss any time, New York's offense would emerge largely unscathed.