NFL Player News

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that he's "pretty confident" Aiyuk (knee) will play at some point this season, David Lombardi of SFStandard.com reports.

That's probably not what fantasy managers want to hear, though it was already made clear Monday that Aiyuk isn't exactly close to a return. He's still on injured reserve with no designation to return to practice this week, and then he's presumably looking at a multi-week ramp-up whenever he does begin practicing. A game appearance before December would be surprising.

Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday that Thornton will be active for Thursday's road matchup against the Broncos, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.

Thornton was a healthy scratch Week 9, but he now rejoins Raiders' the wide receiver rotation following the team's decision to trade Jakobi Meyers to Jacksonville. The rookie fourth-round pick hasn't logged a catch across his last four regular-season appearances despite having drawn seven targets in that span. Across seven career games, Thornton has secured five of 19 targets for 94 yards.

Burden (concussion) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice.

Burden appears to be near gaining clearance from the NFL's concussion protocol, the last step of which involves consultation with an independent neurologist. The rookie second-round pick was unable to suit up Week 9 versus the Bengals due to his injury. Meanwhile, both DJ Moore (hip/groin) and Rome Odunze (ankle/heel) missed Wednesday's practice, though both managed to play through their injuries versus Cincinnati.

Moore (hip/groin) did not practice Wednesday.

Moore and Rome Odunze (ankle/heel) both began Week 9 as non-participants at practice before being cleared for Chicago's upset win over the Bengals, so both wideouts could simply be set to again have their reps capped approaching Sunday's contest against the Giants. He managed to score twice versus Cincinnati, albeit in unorthodox fashion, with one passing touchdown (a connection to Caleb Williams) and one rushing score. Luther Burden (concussion) managed to practice in full Wednesday.

Pittman (glute) didn't practice Wednesday.

Pittman was on the field for 88 percent of the Colts' snaps on offense in the team's Week 9 loss to the Steelers, a game in which he caught nine of his 12 targets for a season-high 115 yards. Thursday's injury report will provide added context with regard to his status for Sunday's game against the Falcons, but it Pittman is hindered at all this weekend, Ashton Dulin would be a candidate for an uptick in snaps alongside Alec Pierce and Josh Downs.

Odunze (ankle/heel) did not practice Wednesday.

Odunze logged a DNP/LP/FP practice slate prior to being cleared to suit up for Chicago's narrow win over the Bengals in Week 9, so as long as he's able to put forth similar activity ahead of Sunday's game against the Giants he should be able to take the field. Versus Cincinnati, Odunze failed to haul in any of his three targets. DJ Moore (hip/groin) also missed practice Wednesday while Luther Burden (concussion) was a full participant.

Vele should get more playing time after the Saints dealt Rashid Shaheed to the Seahawks on Tuesday, Nola.com's Luke Johnson reports.

Vele has merely been the No. 4 receiver in New Orleans even though the Saints gave up a fourth-round pick to acquire him from Denver in August. He now figures to get more playing time alongside Chris Olave and Brandin Cooks instead of coming off the bench to spell them from time to time. The Saints also have WR Mason Tipton, who took just two snaps in Sunday's loss at the Rams. Vele played 12 snaps (29 percent) and also finished without a catch or target, leaving him with just five catches for 36 yards (on 10 targets) across 152 snaps this season.

Wilson (knee) is practicing Wednesday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Wilson didn't practice or play in Week 8, but he seems to be doing much better after a Week 9 bye. The Jets will face a tough Cleveland defense at the Meadowlands this Sunday, with Justin Fields likely starting at quarterback, though head coach Aaron Glenn has thus far declined to name his starter. QB Tyrod Taylor (knee) is also expected to practice this week.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Wednesday that Davis is "getting close" to suiting up for game action but that the team is still not putting a timeline on his return, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

Davis inked with Buffalo's practice squad early September but spent most of the season to date sidelined with a knee injury. However, he came off the practice-squad injured list in late October and is now ramping up his activity level. While the veteran wideout will likely remain sidelined Sunday versus Miami, expect Davis to contribute on offense for Buffalo at some stage this season.

Boutte (hamstring) won't practice Wednesday, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

With a DNP to start the week, Boutte's status for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers remains cloudy. If he ends up limited or out in Week 10, Kyle Williams would likely see added snaps, with Stefon Diggs, DeMario Douglas and Mack Hollins available to handle targets that might otherwise go to Boutte.