NFL Player News

Thielen (lower back/calf) isn't listed on the Vikings' final injury report ahead of Sunday's game in Chicago.

Coming out of a bye week, Thielen never seemed to be in any real danger of missing this crucial contest. He gets an interesting Week 11 matchup against a Chicago defense that has given up the eighth-most receiving yards per game to wideouts (177.6) this season, despite the fact the unit is playing at a high level as a whole.

Crowder (ankle) isn't taking part in practice Friday, Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post reports.

All signs point toward a sixth consecutive absence after an MRI earlier this week revealed lingering issues with Crowder's ankle. It's fair to begin wondering if Crowder might need surgery to correct the problem. With Crowder likely out of the mix Sunday against the Texans, Josh Doctson and Maurice Harris appear set to head the Washington wideout group.

Smith (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game in Detroit, Max Henson of the Panthers' official site reports.

Listed as a non-participant throughout the week, Smith will sit out for a fourth straight game. Smith was able to resume running a few days ago, perhaps giving him a chance for a return Week 12 against Seattle. With Smith sidelined for at least one more contest, D.J. Moore will likely earn another starting assignment, while Curtis Samuel and Jarius Wright may also benefit from a few extra snaps.

St. Brown started and caught one of four targets for 16 yards in Thursday's 27-24 loss to the Seahawks.

St. Brown was on the field for a season-high 87.8 percent of the Packers' offensive snaps, but struggled to make an impact for the second straight week while filling in for the injured Randall Cobb (hamstring) as the team's No. 3 receiver. The rookie's snap count has increased each of the last three weeks, but if Cobb is able to return to action in Week 12 in Minnesota, St. Brown's opportunities will likely take a hit.

Jones (knee) isn't present for the open portion of Friday's practice, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Absent from the practice field for a third straight day, Jones doesn't seem likely to play in Sunday's game against the Panthers. Another update on Jones will come within the next few hours when the Lions release their final Week 11 injury report.

Coach Bill O'Brien said Friday that Coutee (hamstring) will be a game-time decision for Sunday's contest against the Redskins, but he thinks the wideout "has a chance to play," Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Coutee hasn't taken the field since Week 7, but it appears he's progressed enough on some level coming off the Texans' Week 10 bye to have a realistic shot at playing Sunday. Unless he's officially ruled out -- which would be a surprise -- when the Texans' final injury report of the week comes out later Friday, it appears Coutee's availability for Week 11 won't be known until the Texans release their gameday inactives approximately 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 1 p.m. EST kickoff.

Godwin (ankle) took part in practice drills Friday, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

It won't be clear until after practice how much Godwin was able to do, but it's a good sign that he was able to get some work in after sitting out the previous two days. His status for the Week 11 matchup with the Giants will be revealed when the Buccaneers' final injury report of the week is released later Friday.

Moore hauled in four of eight targets for 57 yards in Thursday's 27-24 win over the Packers.

A majority of Moore's production came on a disputable 27-yard catch down the left sideline that he eventually fumbled out of bounds. Regardless, his eight targets were a career-high and represented the second-most on the team Thursday. He hasn't found the end zone in three weeks and will look to reverse that trend in Week 12 against the Panthers, who have allowed 22 passing scores this year.

Lockett caught all five targets for 71 yards in Thursday's 27-24 win over the Packers.

Lockett caught two passes (combining for 34 yards) for first downs on the Seahawks' game-winning drive, but he failed to find the end zone for the second time in four weeks. Although Lockett led the team in receiving yards, teammate Doug Baldwin is getting healthier (logging 10 targets in this matchup) and could cut into Lockett's production moving forward. Looking ahead to Week 12, Lockett will face the Panthers, who have allowed 22 passing scores this year.

Valdes-Scantling brought in one of three targets for eight yards in the Packers' 27-24 loss to the Seahawks on Thursday.

Considering Randall Cobb missed the contest with a hamstring injury, MVS' final line was considerably disappointing. That includes the target share, which ranked ahead of only Robert Tonyan, Lance Kendricks and Jimmy Graham, the latter which exited the game for good in the first half. Valdes-Scantling had been emerging in the offense over the prior five contests, so Thursday's downturn could simply be a one-game outlier. He'll look to bounce back in a key divisional battle versus the Vikings in Week 12, but with 10 days before that contest, it's also possible Cobb is ready to return by that point.