NFL Player News

Samuel (shoulder) was listed as a limited participant during Wednesday's walk-through practice.

Samuel injured his shoulder during Sunday's 48-42 win over Detroit and made an early exit in the fourth quarter. He took on a 27.8 percent snap share and 28.6 percent route share through the first three quarters, dropping back to the No. 5 receiver role with Keon Coleman returning from an elbow injury. An absence against the Patriots this Sunday wouldn't have much of a fantasy impact, apart from slightly boosting playing-time projections for Buffalo's other wide receivers.

Agholor (concussion) isn't practicing Wednesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Agholor will face an uphill battle to play Saturday against the Steelers, having entered concussion protocol in the wake of Sunday's 35-14 win over the Giants. With Diontae Johnson excused from team activities, Tylan Wallace and Devontez Walker are the candidates to replace Agholor as the No. 3 receiver if he doesn't play Saturday.

Pickens (hamstring) was spotted taking part in some position drills in the media-access portion of Wednesday's practice, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Pickens was also spotted Tuesday doing individual drills, but the Steelers then listed him as a non-participant in their walk-through practice. It's unclear at this point if he has a real shot to play Saturday against the Ravens, after missing the previous two games with a Grade 2 hamstring strain.

Waddle (knee) won't practice Wednesday, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site reports.

Head coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that the knee injury Waddle sustained in the Week 15 loss to the Texans is "not major, not surgery-related," and McDaniel referred to the wideout as day-to-day Wednesday. The coach added that he's hopeful Waddle could be available this weekend, but the receiver's status for Sunday's game against the 49ers is still undetermined at this juncture. If Waddle ends up sidelined in Week 16, Malik Washington would step into an expanded role behind No. 1 receiver Tyreek Hill.

New England signed Erickson to its practice squad Wednesday, Mark Daniels of MassLive.com reports.

Erickson appeared in eight games with the Chargers in 2023, but he's spent the whole of the 2024 season so far in free agency. The Patriots have, arguably, the most shallow group of wide receivers in the league, so it's not out of the question that he could find his way onto the field before the year ends.

McCaffrey reeled in his lone target for no gain and played 12 of the Commanders' 78 snaps on offense in Sunday's 20-19 win over the Saints.

Coming out of a Week 14 bye, the Commanders placed No. 2 wideout Noah Brown (kidney) on injured reserve, but his absence didn't open up any more opportunities for McCaffrey. In fact, McCaffrey saw his snap count on offense get cut in half from the Commanders' previous game, when he logged 22 snaps in a Week 13 win over the Titans. Though the Commanders lost Brown to IR, Jamison Crowder (calf) was activated prior to Sunday's game and ended up leapfrogging McCaffrey in the pecking order at receiver, finishing fourth in snaps behind fellow wideouts Terry McLaurin, Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus. The 2024 third-round pick out of Rice has struggled to find his footing during his rookie season, recording just 17 receptions for 155 yards on 21 targets through 14 games.

Crowder (calf) played 21 of the Commanders' 78 snaps on offense and recorded three receptions for 27 yards on three targets in Sunday's 20-19 win over the Saints.

Crowder made his return from injured reserve in Week 15, after he had missed the Commanders' previous 10 games with a calf injury. Prior to getting hurt, Crowder didn't have much of a role on offense over Washington's first two games of the season, but the loss of Noah Brown (kidney) opened up some opportunities in the slot for the veteran. Crowder still finished fourth among Commanders receivers in snaps, and he could drop down another spot in the pecking order once waiver pickup K.J. Osborn gets up to speed with the offense.

Conley went without a target while playing three of the 49ers' 54 snaps on offense in Thursday's 12-6 loss to the Rams.

Conley has suited up for each of the 49ers' last five games but has drawn just one target over that stretch. Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall are entrenched as the 49ers' preferred three-receiver set, and rookie Jacob Cowing (four snaps on offense in Week 15) could be threatening Conley for the No. 4 spot on the depth chart.

Pierce (concussion) won't practice Wednesday, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 News Indianapolis reports.

Pierce, who sustained a concussion during Sunday's loss to the Broncos, will have two more chances to practice this week before the Colts face off against the Titans. If Pierce is unable to play this weekend, Adonai Mitchell would be in line to see added opportunities alongside fellow wide receivers Michael Pittman and Josh Downs.

Cowing returned five punts for 51 yards and went without a target while playing four of the 49ers' 54 snaps on offense in Thursday's 12-6 loss to the Rams.

The rookie fourth-round pick out of Arizona has been serving as the 49ers' top punt returner throughout the season, but he's struggled to find a role on offense even while Brandon Aiyuk (knee), Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall have missed multiple games due to injuries. Though Aiyuk is out for the season, Jennings and Pearsall have been healthy for several weeks now and, along with Deebo Samuel, are continuing to work comfortably ahead of Cowing at receiver. Cowing has recorded just two catches for 50 yards on four targets while playing just 39 snaps on offense all season.