NFL Player News

Smith is expected to take on an enhanced role in the Saints' future game plans after fellow wideout Ted Ginn (knee) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, Rod Walker of The New Orleans Advocate reports. "[Wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson] has always been prepping me for this moment," Smith said. "He always tells me to be ready because you're coming up soon. I didn't know it was going to be this soon. But honestly, I'm ready for the opportunity."

Rather than needing any sort of reconstructive surgery for the knee injury, Ginn merely required an arthroscopic procedure to address inflammation buildup, leaving the Saints optimistic the veteran will return from IR in the minimum eight weeks. The lengthy absence still creates an extended opportunity for Smith, whose speed makes him the best candidate to replace Ginn as the team's top downfield threat. The rookie enters Sunday's game against the Ravens coming off the best outing of his young career in the Saints' Week 5 win over the Redskins, during which Smith caught three passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bills signed Foster to their practice squad Friday, Chris Brown of the team's official site reports.

Foster was cut earlier in the week after producing only two receptions for 30 yards through the Bills' first six games. The team liked what Foster did in the summer and he has ties to offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, so the Bills will keep him in the mix by stashing him on the practice squad.

Taylor (back) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Rams, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Taylor was listed as doubtful with the injury ahead of the 49ers' Week 6 matchup with the Packers before ultimately being inactive for the contest, so the fact that he's considered questionable for Week 7 suggests he's taken a step forward in his recovery from the back injury. If cleared to suit up Sunday, Taylor would likely retain his usual duties in the slot, where he forged a quality connection with quarterback C.J. Beathard his last time out. In the 49ers' Week 5 loss to the Cardinals, Taylor set season highs across the board with seven catches for 61 yards and a touchdown on eight targets.

Coutee (hamstring) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Jaguars.

Even if he had been listed as questionable heading into the weekend, Coutee was never in any real jeopardy of sitting out after playing heavy snaps in each of the Texans' last three games without any reported setbacks to the hamstring injury that sidelined him through Week 3. Coutee never upgraded beyond limited practice participation this week, but it appears his restrictions were mainly precautionary. He should handle another hefty snap count in Week 7 and could benefit from increased targets if All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey shadows top wideout DeAndre Hopkins for most of the afternoon.

Ridley (ankle) returned to practice Friday as a limited participant, Jason Butt of The Athletic reports. Prior to the session, Ridley told Butt that he was "feeling good" about the health of his ankle.

Ridley seems to be a step ahead of Mohamed Sanu (hip), who was held out of practice entirely for a second straight day. The rookie suffered a bone bruise in his left ankle during last week's 34-29 win over the Buccaneers, rendering him unable to play throughout the second half. Justin Hardy will be next in line for snaps if the Falcons are missing Ridley and/or Sanu in Monday's game against the Giants.

Pettis (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Rams, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Pettis returned to practice Wednesday as a limited participant but was then held out of Thursday's session. He'll sit out for a third straight game, perhaps targeting a return Week 8 in Arizona.

Hopkins (foot) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Jaguars after logging a limited practice Friday.

Keke Coutee (hamstring) and Will Fuller (hip) are also free of Week 7 injury designations, meaning that the Texans will have their top three pass catchers available Sunday. Hopkins is thus set to maintain his key role in the team's passing attack, a context that has yielded a team-high 44 catches to go with 657 receiving yards and three touchdowns through six contests.

Davis (concussion) was unable to practice Friday.

Davis and the Giants have an extra day of rest as they play Monday night. If the 23-year-old is forced to miss time, Sterling Shepard or Odell Beckham could see extra work on special teams and Bennie Fowler could see more time on offense.

Updating a previous report, Robinson (groin) returned to practice Friday as a limited participant and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Patriots.

The limited practice is a good sign after Robinson was held out entirely Thursday. He might still come down to a game-time decision ahead of Sunday's 1 p.m. EDT kickoff, but the prognosis is much better than it would have been if he hadn't practiced in any capacity during the week. Should Robinson ultimately be ruled out, Anthony Miller and Kevin White would be the top candidates to handle the vacated snaps, with Taylor Gabriel, Trey Burton and Tarik Cohen all in the mix for added targets.

Parker (quadriceps) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Lions, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Parker was a full participant in all three of the Dolphins' practices this week, but the team evidently still has some level of concern about his health. Coach Adam Gase characterized Parker's quad injury as a nagging issue earlier in the week, so there's reason to suspect that the wideout's snaps may be restricted Sunday even if he's able to suit up. Parker returned from a two-game absence to play in the Week 6 overtime win over the Bears, but failed to haul in his lone target while playing just four offensive snaps.