NFL Player News

Titans head coach Brian Callahan said Tuesday that Dowell (knee) won't be activated from the PUP list in advance of Sunday's game in Jacksonville, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site.

Dowell has spent the entire season on the reserve/PUP list after tearing the ACL and meniscus in his right knee in Week 17 of the 2023 campaign and undergoing surgery. The wideout was cleared to resume practicing Dec. 16, but he was a limited participant throughout the past week. Callahan said that Dowell still has an outside chance of playing in Week 18 against the Texans, but the 22-year-old will almost certainly need to resume practicing in full before being activated.

Jones (groin) was a limited participant in the Bengals' practice Tuesday, Jay Morrison of SI.com reports.

Jones hasn't played since the team's Week 8 loss versus the Eagles but is now closer to making his return. If the 26-year-old ends up being able to play Saturday versus the Broncos, he will likely resume his role as the team's top return specialist.

Higgins was listed as a limited participant for Tuesday's practice due to ankle and knee injuries.

Higgins previously appeared on the Week 16 injury report with the knee issue, but he entered this past Sunday's 24-6 win over the Browns without a designation and finished with eight receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. He's now managing an ankle injury is addition to the lingering knee concern in Week 17, but the fact that he was on the field in some capacity Tuesday is a good sign he'll be ready to go for Saturday's game against the Broncos.

The Texans elevated Wayne from the practice squad to the active roster Tuesday.

Wayne will be elevated for a second straight week and the third time this season. He played eight offensive snaps during the Texans' Week 16 loss to the Chiefs. However, Wayne could see more snaps on offense Wednesday due to Tank Dell being out for the rest of 2024 due to a torn ACL and dislocated kneecap.

The Ravens elevated Miller from the practice squad to the active roster Tuesday.

Miller was elevated for the Ravens' Week 16 win over the Steelers, though he played just one snap on offense. However, he could see more offensive snaps Wednesday due to Nelson Agholor (concussion) being ruled out, and Miller would be in line for even more playing time if Zay Flowers (shoulder) is not cleared to play.

Agholor (concussion) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Texans.

Agholor will miss his second straight contest due to the concussion, after he was placed in the NFL's five-step protocol following the Ravens' Dec. 15 win over the Giants. He wasn't able to log any practice activity this week before being ruled out, but Agholor should be helped by the lengthier turnaround for the Ravens' regular-season finale Jan. 5 versus the Browns. Agholor's absence for Wednesday's contest will likely pave the way for Tylan Wallace to earn more snaps as the team's No. 3 receiver, assuming Zay Flowers (shoulder) -- who is listed as questionable -- is able to play.

Flowers (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Texans.

After being listed as a non-participant on the Ravens' first two Week 17 practice reports, Flowers upgraded to limited activity Tuesday but will still carry a designation into the Christmas Day contest. Fortunately, the Ravens and Texans are playing in the second game of the Week 17 slate, giving fantasy managers who are planning on deploying Flowers in lineups plenty of alternatives in the event he can't suit up for the first time all season. Official word on Flowers' status will arrive when Baltimore posts its inactive list 90 minutes prior to Wednesday's 4:30 p.m. ET kickoff.

Skowronek (hip) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Chiefs, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Skowronek suffered a hip injury during Pittsburgh's Week 16 loss to Baltimore this past Saturday. While he was able to return to that contest, the injury prevented him from participating in Monday's walkthrough and Tuesday's practice, and the 2021 seventh-round pick will be sidelined for Christmas Day. Skowronek's next opportunity to play will be in the Steelers' regular-season finale against the Bengals on Sunday, Jan. 5.

Pickens (hamstring) was a full participant in practice Tuesday and does not have an injury designation for Wednesday's matchup against Kansas City, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Pickens sat out each of Pittsburgh's past three games due to a hamstring injury, but he showed significant improvement in practice this week, as he was deemed a full participant in Monday's walkthrough before participating in full in Tuesday's standard practice session. As such, the star wideout is set to return for the Christmas Day home matchup against the Chiefs. Pickens is 150 yards away from reaching the 1,000-yard mark on the campaign and should immediately resume his role as Pittsburgh's biggest offensive weapon in the passing game, while Calvin Austin will return to working as the team's No. 2 wideout after tallying 65 receiving yards both of the past two games in Pickens' absence.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Tuesday that Watson's left knee injury is "just a bruise" and suggested that the wideout's status for Sunday's game against the Vikings will be determined by his practice participation this week, Wes Hodkiewicz of the team's official site reports.

Watson had a scare during Monday's 34-0 win over New Orleans when a defender fell on the receiver following his 14-yard second-quarter carry. The wideout initially returned to the contest but was then removed in the third quarter and didn't return. LaFleur's update suggests that Watson could be able to suit up this weekend in Minnesota, though the 25-year-old may need to put in a full practice by Friday to avoid taking a designation into Sunday.