NFL Player News

Diggs (ribs) is listed as a non-participant on the Friday injury report, with a 'questionable' designation for Sunday's game against the Lions, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Diggs was spotted around the practice field Friday but apparently didn't do enough to warrant a limited designation. It's another hint he's on the wrong side of questionable, a sentiment provided by teammate Aldrick Robinson, who said he and the other Minnesota wideouts are preparing to play more snaps in Diggs' expected absence. It now seems Diggs likely will be on the list when the Vikings release their inactives at approximately 11:30 a.m. EST on Sunday. Robinson and Laquon Treadwell would be positioned to take on most of the vacated snaps, with Adam Thielen and tight end Kyle Rudolph likely doing the heavy lifting in terms of target volume.

Washington said that he earned more reps in practice this week, which could translate to an increased role in the Pittsburgh offense Sunday in Baltimore, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Before any speculation can be made on what Washington's role might look like, the rookie must first earn an active status Sunday, something he wasn't able to do in the Week 8 win over the Browns. The healthy scratch came after Washington had logged double-digit snaps in each of the Steelers' first six contests. Even if Washington steps back in as Pittsburgh's No. 3 or 4 receiver and returns to the workload level he previously had, it's unlikely he'll be a major factor in the passing game while target monsters Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster are both healthy and able. Running back James Conner and tight ends Vance McDonald and Jesse James have also consistently ranked as higher-priority options for Ben Roethlisberger over the 22-year-old wideout.

McKenzie was cut by the Broncos on Friday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports.

McKenzie was cut to make room for fellow wideout River Cracraft on the active roster. The second-year pro will look for a depth role elsewhere in the league and could conceivably find work as a kick returner.

The Broncos signed Cracraft off their practice squad Friday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports.

Cracraft spent time with the Broncos this offseason, working mostly on special teams. The second-year pro has a shot of making his NFL debut against the Texans this Sunday in a Denver wide receiver corps that recently saw the departure of Demaryius Thomas via trade and that will be missing DaeSean Hamilton (knee) in Week 9.

Hopkins (foot) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Broncos.

The Texans listed Hopkins as a limited practice participant all week, but his status for Sunday's contest wasn't really in doubt. The team's wideout corps took a big hit in Week 8 when Will Fuller (knee) suffered a season-ending injury, but Houston quickly replaced him by acquiring Demaryius Thomas from Denver. The addition of Thomas shouldn't change Hopkins' status as the clear top target on offense. Instead, Thomas' presence is more likely to impact the upside of fellow receiver Keke Coutee (hamstring).

Vikings wideout Aldrick Robinson hinted Friday that Diggs (ribs) isn't expected to play in Sunday's game against the Lions, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "With Stefon out, a lot of guys are going to play more," Robinson said after Friday's practice. "Me, [Laquon Treadwell] and [Brandon Zylstra] -- all of us are going to play more."

Diggs reportedly took part in the early portion of Friday's practice, but he left the field early and was then listed as questionable on the final injury report. While major conclusions shouldn't be made on the basis of one comment from a teammate, it's at least interesting to hear Robinson talking as if Diggs won't be available. The final decision should be revealed no later than Sunday at around 11:30 a.m. EST, when the Vikings release their inactive list. Robinson, Treadwell and tight end Kyle Rudolph would be the obvious candidates to take on vacated targets in the event of a Diggs absence, considering Adam Thielen can't go too much higher than his current mark of 12 per game. Diggs ranks seventh in the league with an average of 10.6 per outing.

Patrick appears likely to earn regular snaps in the Broncos' three-receiver sets Sunday against the Texans with DaeSean Hamilton (knee) ruled out for the contest, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports.

For at least one game, Patrick looks set to climb two spots on the depth chart, as the Broncos' decision to rule out Hamilton was preceded by the team dealing Demaryius Thomas to Houston on Tuesday. Those absences leave only Emmanuel Sanders and Courtland Sutton as the team's starting receivers, though Patrick should get plenty of work on obvious passing downs when fullback Andy Janovich is off the field. Patrick likely won't be a major priority in the passing game whenever he's on the field, but the increased opportunity he'll have in Week 9 is worth noting nonetheless.

Coutee (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Broncos.

Coutee was able to practice in a limited fashion all week, but he's still viewed as game-time decision ahead of Sunday's contest, which kicks off at 4:05 p.m. EST, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. If he's able to play this weekend, Coutee would work in a receiving corps that no longer includes Will Fuller (out for season with torn ACL), but was fortified by the trade-deadline acquisition of Demaryius Thomas. Once he's back up to speed, Coutee will retain a key role in the Texans' passing game that still features target-gobbling DeAndre Hopkins, but Thomas' presence could cut into the rookie's weekly target share more than it would if the team had replaced Fuller with a less-established commodity.

Evans (knee) logged a full practice Friday and doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at Carolina, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

There was some concern when Evans was held out of practice Wednesday, but he returned to a limited session Thursday and was unrestricted to close out the week. He'll catch passes this week from Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has been on the throwing end of each of Evans' four touchdowns this season.

Coach Mike Vrabel said Davis (hamstring) was a limited participant in Friday's practice, John Glennon of The Athletic reports.

Davis was also limited Thursday in the Titans' first session of the week. Though Davis would ideally progress to full participation by Saturday, the fact that he's merely maintained his level of involvement in practice is still a positive sign with regards to his status for Monday's game against the Cowboys. Prior to the Titans' bye last week, Davis had delivered a disappointing 30 receptions for 395 yards and one touchdown through the first seven games. A good chunk of that production came in Week 4 against the Eagles, when he posted a 9-161-1 line on 15 targets.