NFL Player News

Pierce (concussion) remained sidelined for Thursday's practice, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Pierce was concussed last Sunday against the Titans and will be facing an uphill battle to clear the league's concussion protocol in time to play this Sunday against the Rams. If Pierce is unable to go, Adonai Mitchell should slide into three-wide sets alongside Michael Pittman and slot man Josh Downs.

McMillan (calf) was present at the media-access portion of Thursday's practice, Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer reports.

After sitting out Wednesday's session due to a calf issue, McMillan was suited up for Thursday's padded practice. The Panthers' second Week 4 injury report will reveal how much activity the rookie wide receiver was able to handle. Through three games to begin his career, McMillan has six catches of 20-plus yards among his 14 receptions on 27 targets.

Johnson (knee) is expected to play Thursday against the Seahawks, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Johnson missed the final three games of last season due to a knee injury and then sat out the Cardinals' Week 3 loss at San Francisco with a knee issue. After being listed as limited on all three Week 4 practice reports, he's slated to be back in action Thursday and likely will retake the starting left tackle job from Kelvin Beachum.

Johnson (toe) returned to practice Thursday, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Johnson was absent from Wednesday's session, but a return to practice in any capacity Thursday would seem to put Johnson on track to play Sunday against the Chargers. Johnson has just six catches for 49 scoreless yards on 10 targets through three games to start the season.

Brown (groin) was not spotted at Thursday's practice, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Brown hasn't practiced since he was injured 14 days ago in the Commanders' Week 2 game against the Packers. If Brown and Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) are unable to go Sunday against the Falcons, Deebo Samuel, Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane and Chris Moore will handle wideout duties for Washington.

McLaurin (quadriceps) was not spotted at Thursday's practice, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

McLaurin was injured in last Sunday's win over the Raiders and has now logged back-to-back DNPs to start the week. He was seeking a second opinion on the quad injury earlier in the week, but the Commanders have yet to provide an update on their star receiver. With Noah Brown (groin) also injured and missing from practice this week, the Commanders could be down to Deebo Samuel, Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane and Chris Moore for Sunday's game against Atlanta.

Coach Brian Daboll said Nabers (back) will practice Thursday, Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic reports.

It remains to be seen whether Nabers will be limited or full, but it's good news nonetheless after the star wideout logged a DNP on Wednesday. Nabers is tied for third in the NFL with 32 targets through three games, and only Puka Nacua (333), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (323) and Ricky Pearsall (281) have more receiving yards than Nabers' 251.

Reynolds (hamstring) is in line to practice Thursday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

After logging a 97 percent snap share and two catches on three targets for 18 yards in Week 1, Reynolds missed the Jets' last two games. The wideout's looming return to practice suggests that he could be available Monday night against the Dolphins, but thus far this season Garrett Wilson has been the team's only WR of note from a fantasy perspective.

49ers GM John Lynch said Thursday that Aiyuk (knee, PUP) is "not close" to returning, David Lombardi of SFStandard.com reports.

Lombardi believes a Week 6 return is not realistic for Aiyuk, as the wide receiver is still working to hit various markers in his recovery. Coach Kyle Shanahan said back in August that Week 6 was a reasonable target for Aiyuk's return to game action, but that is looking increasingly unlikely at this point. The 49ers will continue to work through injuries at the position, but Ricky Pearsall (knee) and Jauan Jennings (ankle) appear poised to lead this wideout room for the foreseeable future.

Brown (shoulder) was present for Thursday's practice, Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union reports.

Brown didn't practice Wednesday, so his presence on the field a day later is a step in the right direction ahead of Sunday's game against the 49ers. The Jaguars' upcoming injury report will provide added context regarding the wideout's Week 4 status by clarifying his official participation level Thursday.