NFL Player News

Parker (finger) was a full participant at Wednesday's practice, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

This shouldn't come as any surprise after Dolphins head coach Adam Gase said Parker could have played in Sunday's 20-12 win over the Jets. While there's still some question about the extent of his involvement on offense, Parker should at least be back in uniform when the Dolphins host the Raiders on Sunday. He's part of a deep wideout group that includes Kenny Stills, Danny Amendola, Albert Wilson and Jakeem Grant.

Samuel (chest) was cleared to participate in limited workouts Wednesday, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Samuel will remain listed as a non-participant in practice, but it might not be long before he's deemed ready for limited sessions. Still recovering from a procedure to address an irregular heartbeat, Samuel is likely trending toward a third consecutive absence Sunday against the Bengals. Once Samuel is ready to make his season debut, he'll likely fill a minor role in the offense as a depth receiver and gadget player.

Goodwin (quadriceps) will return to practice Wednesday as a limited participant, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Goodwin is taking a step in the right direction after missing every practice last week while recovering from an injury that's been described as a deep thigh bruise. It doesn't sound like the type of issue which would require a lengthy absence, but there will still be some cause for concern if Goodwin doesn't make it back to full participation Thursday or Friday. His absence freed up snaps for Dante Pettis in Sunday's 30-27 win over the Lions, with the rookie drawing just two targets on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's 26 pass attempts. The San Francisco passing attack should get back to its usual volume and then some Sunday in Kansas City.

Saints head coach Sean Payton believes Smith is ready for a larger role offensively, Christopher Dabe of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. "He's playing well," Payton said Wednesday. "What I mean by that, at practice, training camp...we just to go find ways to get him more touches. He's handling our installation. He knows what we're doing game-plan wise. I think he's ready to prove that."

The rookie third-round pick logged played 12 offensive snaps Week 1 and 22 in Week 2, catching one of two targets for 18 yards while operating as the Saints' No. 4 wide receiver. Payton seems to be hinting at Smith eventually surpassing Austin Carr for the No. 3 role, but the possibility of offseason pickup Cameron Meredith working his way into the equation also needs to be considered. It's still difficult to tell how playing time and targets will be divided behind Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn on a game-by-game basis.

The Broncos signed Cracraft to their practice squad Wednesday, Ryan O'Halloran of The Denver Post reports.

Cracraft has spent on-and-off time with Denver's practice squad since 2017, but has yet to make his NFL debut. The second-year wideout worked primarily on special teams this offseason, including as a kick returner. Cracraft's clearest path to eventually cracking the 53-man roster is to impress on special teams, especially considering the Broncos' solid wideout depth.

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday that Montgomery and Jamaal Williams "will be in the first slot" among the team's running-back group this week, despite Aaron Jones' (suspension) reinstatement to the active roster, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

After averaging 5.5 yards per clip on 81 carries as a rookie in 2017, Jones proved to be the Packers' most dynamic threat out of the backfield and was expected to challenge for the top spot on the depth chart after completing his two-game suspension to begin the season. While Jones could still ascend to the No. 1 gig in time, it appears that for at least the Week 3 matchup with the Redskins, Williams and Montgomery will rank as the team's preferred backfield options. Williams has operated as the Packers' clear lead runner with 31 carries to Montgomery's seven this season, but the latter has seen equal involvement as a pass catcher while handling 20-plus offensive snaps in both of the team's games. It doesn't appear that Montgomery's role will decline much immediately with Jones in the fold, but it will still be difficult for Montgomery to make much of a fantasy impact while Williams outpaces him for touches by a fair margin.

Patrick caught one of two targets for a 26-yard gain during Sunday's 20-19 win over Oakland.

Patrick saw the field for just four offensive snaps but made the most of them. After narrowly missing a touchdown reception earlier in the game, Patrick hauled in a short pass during Denver's final drive. Once he secured the ball, Patrick cut away from cornerback Gareon Conley, then sprinted up field for a big gain to set up the game-winning field goal. It was the Utah product's first career catch. Patrick's contributions in Denver are likely to be focused on special teams with two established veterans and two touted rookies ahead of him on the depth chart, but his size (6-foot-5, 210 pounds) makes him an intriguing option in the red zone.

Sutton hauled in one of six targets for nine yards during Sunday's 20-19 win over Oakland.

The celebration was on, but Sutton's would-be first career touchdown was called back after officials opined that his foot scraped the white prior to establishing possession. There should be more opportunities forthcoming: Sutton ended the game with 54 offensive snaps, the same amount as Emmanuel Sanders. Sutton is not only the established No. 3 in Denver, but with nine targets in two weeks, he's logging starter-level snaps.

Gallup was targeted twice and came away with a five-yard reception during Sunday's 20-13 win over the Giants.

That makes two games and just two catches for the rookie third-round pick. He and Dak Prescott just missed each other in downfield moments before halftime, but he has otherwise been limited to few underneath completions. The Cowboys still seem to be sorting things out with their passing game, but until strides are made from what is currently the league's 31st-ranked passing attack, interest in a bottom-of-the-depth-chart target like Gallup should be kept to a minimum.

Beasley nabbed two of three targets for 13 yards during Sunday's 20-13 win over the Giants.

Following a 64-yard early touchdown to Tavon Austin, Dallas failed to top 100 passing yards for the rest of the game. Despite not getting much action on primetime, Beasley still leads the team in targets, catches and yards. That loses some of its luster when you consider that Dallas' passing offense ranks 31st in the league. A tough matchup awaits against a Seattle defense that ranks 10th in opponent passer rating.