NFL Player News

Powell (calf) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.

Powell has not seen the field since Week 10, and is still nursing a lingering calf issue. With Kenny Golladay (quadriceps) and Bruce Ellington (back) both managing injuries, Powell could see an uptick in offensive snaps if he's able to get healthy in time to play against the Cardinals on Sunday.

The Broncos claimed Holmes off waivers Wednesday, Zac Stevens of BSNDenver.com reports.

Holmes didn't take long to land elsewhere after the Bills waived him and fellow wideout Kelvin Benjamin a day earlier. The veteran will give the Broncos some added depth and experience in the wake of top receiver Emmanuel Sanders sustaining a torn Achilles' tendon during Wednesday's practice, which will likely spell an end to his season. Beyond Holmes, the team's other healthy options at the position are Courtland Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton, Tim Patrick and River Cracraft.

Shepard (ribs) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

The ability to practice in any capacity at the beginning of the week suggests Shepard has a good chance to play Sunday at Washington. He fought through the rib injury during last weekend's win over the Bears, returning to the game after an X-ray didn't reveal any fractures. Shepard has failed to reach 40 yards in five consecutive games, which included a four-catch, 34-yard showing on eight targets against Washington in Week 8.

Sutton is primed to take over the No. 1 receiver role with teammate Emmanuel Sanders (Achilles) expected to miss the rest of the season, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Sutton only has 11 catches and 22 targets in four games since Demaryius Thomas was shipped to Houston, but the rookie second-round pick is coming off the best outing of his career -- four receptions for 85 yards and a score on seven targets -- in Sunday's 24-10 win over the Bengals. With fellow rookie DaeSean Hamilton and a pair of 2017 undrafted free agents (Tim Patrick and River Cracraft) representing the other options on the Denver roster, Sutton is a good bet to see increased target volume over the final four weeks of the season. He should get more work in the short passing game to complement the downfield work he's already earning (19.9 yards per reception).

The Chargers signed Liggins to their practice squad Wednesday.

Liggins spent time with the Chargers this offseason but was ultimately cut prior to the beginning of the regular season. The 23-year-old has yet to make his NFL debut, but Liggins does have a season of CFL experience under his belt. Liggins faces steep odds to make Los Angeles' 53-man roster and likely would need to carve out a role on special teams to do so.

Smith (knee) was limited at Wednesday's practice, Bryan Strickland of the Panthers' official site reports.

Playing just 22 offensive snaps the last two games without being targeted, Smith has clearly taken a back seat within the Panthers offense. Based on the workloads of fellow wideouts this past Sunday, D.J. Moore (66 of 70 snaps on offense), Curtis Samuel (58), Jarius Wright (39) and Devin Funchess (32) are all ahead of Smith in the pecking order. A lingering knee injury isn't helping Smith's cause, but he appears to be on the outside looking in for reps.

Goodwin (personal) is expected to practice Wednesday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

After missing the last two games due to a personal concern, Goodwin is slated to make his presence felt on the practice field for the first time since Nov. 23. There's no reason to believe he won't be a full participant, but Wednesday's injury report will confirm as much. With Pierre Garcon hobbled by a knee injury, Goodwin should have plenty of targets to work with Sunday versus the Broncos.

Chark (quad) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Tennessee, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

Chark's continued absence leaves Keelan Cole without any competition for the No. 3 wideout role in a struggling passing offense. The rookie usurped Cole in late October and November, albeit with little to show for his victory in the job battle on the stat sheet. Chark may have a shot to make it back for Week 15 against Washington.

Crowder (ankle) played 29 of the Redskins' 45 offensive snaps (64 percent) in Monday's 28-13 loss to the Eagles, hauling in all four of his targets for 36 yards. He also lost five yards on his lone carry.

Making his first appearance since Week 5, Crowder started alongside Josh Doctson and Maurice Harris and finished second on the team in receiving yardage. Crowder's output was still rather uninspiring, which speaks to the weak state of a Washington passing game that is now down to its third-string signal-caller (Mark Sanchez) after starter Colt McCoy suffered a fractured fibula in the contest. With Sanchez directing the offense in Week 14 against the Giants and likely for additional games to follow, the Redskins will likely lean on a run-heavy attack or short-passing game that should limit Crowder's opportunity to post meaningful fantasy production.

Jones should serve as the Bills' clear No. 1 receiver the rest of the season after the team released Kelvin Benjamin and Andre Holmes on Tuesday, The Buffalo News reports.

Jones had probably already clinched that spot with Benjamin being phased out of the offense in recent weeks, but he's now the obvious leader of a very young receiving group. Averaging seven targets over the last three weeks, it'll be interesting to see what Jones can do in tandem with rookie quarterback Josh Allen, who's healthy now and was looking the wideout's way often in the Week 13 loss to Miami. Expect more of the same with Jones being the most proven option left, especially as he's begun to figure out the professional game after struggling for a season and a half.