NFL Player News

Mayfield (knee) was a full practice participant Thursday.

One day removed from being limited at Wednesday's walkthrough, Mayfield bumped all the way back to full, ensuring that he'll be under center for the Buccaneers on Sunday at New Orleans. Who will be joining him remains to be seen with WR Mike Evans (concussion/collarbone) out for most of the rest of the season and RB Bucky Irving (foot/shoulder) and WR Chris Godwin (fibula) ruled out for Week 8. On a positive note, rookie standout WR Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) followed up Wednesday's absence with a limited session Thursday, meaning he's trending in a positive direction to be among Mayfield's top targets this weekend.

Waddle (hamstring/rest) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Waddle is dealing with issues in both hamstrings and receiving some rest at practice as a result, per Furones, which lends optimism to the notion that No. 1 wideout will still manage to suit up on the road versus Atlanta on Sunday. Still, unless he's able to upgrade to full practice activity Friday, it seems like Waddle may be assigned an injury designation for Week 8. With Tyreek Hill (knee - ACL) already out for the season and Darren Waller (hamstring) to miss at least four games after having been placed on IR on Wednesday, Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins' passing game can scarcely afford for Waddle to miss any time.

Egbuka (hamstring) was limited at Thursday's practice.

Egbuka currently is the Buccaneers' top available wide receiver with Mike Evans (concussion) set to miss most of the rest of the campaign due to a broken collarbone and Chris Godwin (fibula) effectively ruled out for Sunday's game at New Orleans. Having said that, Egbuka continues to deal with the hamstring injury that has inhibited him since getting hurt Week 6 against the 49ers. After sitting out Wednesday's walkthrough, he has made progress with some on-field work one day later, but Friday's practice report will unveil whether or not he enters the weekend with a designation ahead of Week 8 action.

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said Thursday that Henderson's reduced workload in the Patriots' Week 7 win over the Titans was "circumstantial," and the running back could see his snap count return to normal this Sunday against the Browns, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports. "Runners get into a rhythm," McDaniels said, acknowledging that starter Rhamondre Stevenson's hot start in Sunday's game contributed to him garnering a larger share of the rushing load. "And sometimes that happens. I know TreVeyon has led us in carries in other games, and certainly Rhamondre did last week. So, there's nothing specific."

After a promising preseason, Henderson looked well on his way to being a major factor out of the New England backfield right away, if not unseating Stevenson as the team's top option. Instead, the rookie second-round pick's role had remained relatively static through the first six weeks, with Henderson's snap share ranging between 30 and 50 percent while he produced a 41-148-1 rushing line and 16-99-0 receiving line over that stretch. He then saw his playing time plunge significantly in Week 7, with Henderson's nine snaps representing a season-low total. In addition to averaging just 3.6 yards per carry, Henderson has drawn criticism for his pass blocking, but McDaniels suggested that the Patriots aren't yet ready to limit the rookie's opportunities on a more permanent basis. That said, with Stevenson representing the Patriots' clear No. 1 option at the moment, Henderson will be difficult to deploy with much confidence in weekly fantasy lineups until his touch counts pick up.

Jeudy (knee) was a limited participant at Thursday's practice, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Jeudy's limited participation is a step in the right direction after he didn't practice Wednesday. The underperforming wide receiver will have one more opportunity to upgrade to full practice participation Friday, which could help him avoid an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Patriots.

Hall (knee) remained a limited participant at practice Thursday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

A pair of limited sessions to begin Week 8 prep puts the focus on what Hall is able to do at Friday's practice with regard to his standing ahead of Sunday's game against the Bengals. If Hall ends up having his snaps managed or sits out entirely versus Cincinnati, Isaiah Davis would be the next man up in the New York backfield.

Watson (knee) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

In his third week of on-field work since the Packers designated him for return from the reserve/PUP list, Watson has yet to log more than a limited session as he completes his recovery from the torn ACL that he sustained in his right knee Week 18 of last season. He told Schneidman on Wednesday, "My goal and my plan is to play this week." Assuming the Packers list Watson as anything other than 'Out' on Friday's injury report, the team then will need to activate him from the PUP list on Saturday afternoon for him to have a chance to suit up Sunday at Pittsburgh.

Njoku (knee) was limited in practice Thursday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Njoku has now logged back-to-back limited practices to open Week 8 preparation, with head coach Kevin Stefanski having called the veteran tight end both "day-to-day" and "hopeful" to suit up Sunday on the road against New England. Unless Njoku is able to upgrade full practice activity Friday it sounds as though he'll carry an injury designation into the weekend. He sat out Cleveland's win over the Dolphins in Week 7 due to a knee injury sustained during the team's loss to Pittsburgh in Week 6.

Taylor (knee) was a limited participant at practice Thursday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Taylor said he took a helmet to the knee in this past Sunday's loss to the Panthers. He replaced the ineffective Justin Fields at halftime of that game. Taylor and Fields have subsequently split reps in practice. The Jets have yet to announce which quarterback will start Sunday in Cincinnati, but Taylor will first need to show that he's healthy enough to suit up in order to remain in starting consideration.

Gano (groin) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Though Gano remains on injured reserve for the time being, all signs point to the Giants activating him this weekend in advance of Sunday's game in Philadelphia. After the Giants cut fill-in kicker Jude McAtamney on Tuesday before re-signing him to the practice squad two days later, Gano has kicked off Week 8 prep with a pair of full practices. Per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com, special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial said that Gano did a "nice job kicking" in Wednesday's session, but the 38-year-old will still need to steer clear of any setbacks with his groin during Friday's practice before getting the green light to play Sunday.