We have the latest NFL injury updates on wide receivers listed on the injury report heading into Week 9. Who’s in, who’s out, and what’s the status of those who are game-time decisions? Let’s take a look across the league.
Are you looking for other positions? Check out our final Week 9 injury report, which covers every skill player at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end.
Amari Cooper | Buffalo Bills
Amari Cooper suffered a wrist injury in the Buffalo Bills’ Week 8 win against the Seattle Seahawks and was limited for the club’s first two practices ahead of Week 9.
Head coach Sean McDermott said Cooper is “taking it one day at a time” ahead of the Bills’ AFC East matchup against the Miami Dolphins. On Friday, McDermott officially labeled Cooper as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Cooper hauled in four catches for 66 yards and a touchdown in his Week 7 Buffalo debut before being held to one reception for three yards on Sunday.
Even if Copper suits up, his injury may continue to repress his snap count (43% through two games with Buffalo). If Cooper can’t suit up or is limited against Miami, Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman will see their opportunities expand.
Gabe Davis | Jacksonville Jaguars
Gabe Davis went down with a shoulder injury in the first half of the Jaguars’ loss to the Packers and never returned. He was officially limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday and wore a non-contact vest for both sessions.
On Friday, head coach Doug Pederson said Davis will be a game-time decision for Week 9. Fellow wideout Brian Thomas Jr. is also a GTD, while Christian Kirk is on IR with a broken collarbone. Parker Washington and Tim Jones could be Trevor Lawrence’s top two wideouts against the Eagles on Sunday.
Davis was listed with a shoulder issue on Jacksonville’s injury report in Week 4 but had more recently been dealing with a knee problem. He’s been listed on the Jags’ practice report as limited for almost every session since Week 5.
Davis didn’t receive a target before departing on Sunday. He entered Week 8 with 19 catches for 217 yards and two scores.
Stefon Diggs | Houston Texans
Week 9 status: IR
Stefon Diggs exited Week 8’s game after suffering a non-contact knee injury during the third quarter. While the veteran wideout was able to leave the field under his own power, Diggs’ injury was clearly concerning.
Unfortunately, an MRI confirmed that Diggs tore his ACL in Week 8, and he will miss the remainder of the 2024 campaign.
Here is the non-contact knee injury suffered by Stefon Diggs pic.twitter.com/GSTvg1BqPd
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) October 27, 2024
Diggs, whom the Texans acquired from the Bills in March, posted five catches for 81 yards prior to his exit on Sunday and has a 47-496-3 line in his first Houston campaign. He will be a free agent next offseason.
Fellow Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (hamstring) is on injured reserve but is eligible to play in Week 10.
Josh Downs | Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts have been giving Josh Downs rest days since he injured his toe in Week 5. He hasn’t practiced on Wednesdays in either of the last two weeks. Now also battling a groin injury, Downs continued with that pattern ahead of Week 8.
Unsurprisingly, he did not participate in Wednesday’s practice leading up to Week 9. Downs returned for a full practice on Thursday and Friday and has no injury designation for Sunday’s game. The Colts seem intent on keeping Downs healthy by limiting his reps early in the week.
Downs missed the first two games of this season with a high ankle sprain. After returning, he was a top-20 fantasy WR in three straight games while catching passes from Joe Flacco.
Downs scored on a busted coverage with the more erratic Anthony Richardson under center in Week 8 but had mostly been rendered fantasy-irrelevant with the younger QB throwing passes. Flacco’s return to Indy’s starting lineup on Sunday should get Downs back in good fantasy graces.
Mike Evans | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans exited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Week 7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens after three drives with a right hamstring injury. At the time, reports suggested he would be out through Tampa Bay’s Week 11 bye, meaning at least three games missed.
Thus, it’s no surprise to see Evans log a DNP to start the Bucs’ practice week ahead of their Monday night game vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. This continued throughout the week, and he was officially listed as out in Week 10.
We got our first glimpse at the new-look Bucs offense in Week 8. Tight end Cade Otton was the fulcrum of the passing game, leading the team in targets (10), receptions (nine), receiving yards (81), and receiving touchdowns (two).
The rest of the passing game distribution was relatively even, with five players receiving between five and seven targets. Jalen McMillan (four receptions on seven targets for 35 yards) is probably the wide receiver to roster in Evans’ absence, but the running backs and Otton will carry this unit for the most part.
Tee Higgins | Cincinnati Bengals
Tee Higgins missed Week 8 with a quadricep injury and is unlikely to return in Week 9.
On Wednesday, head coach Zac Taylor labeled Higgins day to day. He was officially a DNP on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday; he’s almost certain to miss Sunday’s game against the Raiders
The Cincinnati Bengals’ WR2 was a late addition to the club’s injury report in Week 8, only popping up after injuring his quad at Friday’s practice. He was considered questionable for Sunday’s game against the Eagles but did not play.
Higgins missed the first two weeks of the 2024 season after suffering a hamstring injury during practice. The Bengals struggled without him, posting just 224 yards and 10 points in a Week 1 upset loss to the Patriots before losing a tight game to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2. Cincinnati scored only 17 points in their Week 9 loss to Philadelphia.
Tyreek Hill | Miami Dolphins
Tyreek Hill is off the Miami Dolphins’ injury report and will face the Bills in a critical AFC East matchup on Sunday.
Hill was listed as a limited participant in Thursday’s practice due to a foot injury. On the Dolphins’ first Week 9 injury report issued Wednesday, Hill’s absence from practice was attributed to rest. A day later, the team cited a lingering foot injury as the reason behind the wideout’s reps being capped.
Fortunately, Hill returned for a full practice on Friday.
Jerry Jeudy | Cleveland Browns
Jerry Jeudy was a full participant on Wednesday but then was downgraded to a limited participant on Thursday after picking up a knee injury. Fortunately, he practiced on Friday and was removed from the Cleveland Browns’ injury report.
Christian Kirk | Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 9 status: IR
Christian Kirk may have played his final down with the Jaguars. The veteran WR broke his collarbone against the Packers on Sunday and will miss the rest of the season.
Kirk was poised to be among the most attractive wide receivers remaining on the trade block after Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins, and Cooper changed teams. Now that he’s out for the year, Jacksonville won’t have the option to exchange Kirk for draft capital before the trade deadline.
Kirk posted 84 catches for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns for Jacksonville in 2022 and was on a similar pace in 2023 before suffering a season-ending groin injury in Week 13. He entered Week 8 with 25 catches on 45 targets for 320 yards and one touchdown.
The 27-year-old inked a four-year, $72 million free agent deal with the Jaguars in 2022 after spending four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. Kirk is due a $15.5 million, non-guaranteed base salary in 2025. Jacksonville could release him next offseason while clearing $10.7 million in salary cap space.
Xavier Legette | Carolina Panthers
The rookie first-rounder was added to the Panthers’ injury report with a toe injury on Thursday. Xavier Legette was listed as a limited participant on Thursday and Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Legette should occupy a steady starting role in the Panthers’ offense. Although Adam Thielen is nearing a return from a hamstring injury that has kept him out since Week 3, Diontae Johnson is no longer part of the team after being traded to the Baltimore Ravens earlier this week.
Legette has a touchdown every other game for the last five weeks but encouragingly received seven targets last game. That should be closer to his norm for the rest of the season, as he’s also played 74% of the snaps in the last three weeks after logging 58% of the snaps from Weeks 1-5.
DK Metcalf | Seattle Seahawks
DK Metcalf missed Week 8 with a knee injury and will not be ready to return for the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9. The veteran wide receiver never practiced this week and was officially ruled out on Friday.
Head coach Mike Macdonald said on Monday that it was “looking optimistic” that Metcalf would play this week, although Seattle needed to see him practice first. Macdonald remained confident that Metcalf would face the division-rival Los Angeles Rams after he missed practice on Wednesday.
However, Metcalf was sidelined again on Thursday, indicating that the rookie head coach may have hopped too far on the Jump to Conclusions mat with his optimism. On Friday, Macdonald sounded less confident about Metcalf’s Week 9 status.
“Unfortunately, it’s still a little bit cloudy on what’s going on on that front,” Macdonald said. “I know he’s trying like heck to get out there as soon as he can, but we’re still taking it day by day.”
Metcalf was carted off the field at the end of Week 7 and later diagnosed with a Grade 1 MCL sprain. He never practiced last week and was considered doubtful to play against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Despite sitting out Week 8, Metcalf still leads the Seahawks with 568 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
With Metcalf out, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba will work as Geno Smith’s top wideouts. Jake Bobo will replace Metcalf in three-WR personnel.
Jakobi Meyers | Las Vegas Raiders
Jakobi Meyers is the Las Vegas Raiders’ top wide receiver, so quarterback Gardner Minshew II was pleased to see him return in Week 8 from a two-game absence.
Fresh off an ankle injury, Meyers led the Raiders in targets (seven) and catches (six) while posting 52 receiving yards and a touchdown. That was enough to finish as the WR20 in PPR leagues last week.
Meyers was limited on Wednesday, but Las Vegas was likely trying to keep its best receiver healthy. He returned for full practices on Thursday and Friday and won’t have an injury designation for Week 9.
Assuming he’s not traded before next week’s deadline, Meyers should team with TE Brock Bowers to dominate targets for the Raiders.
Jalen McMillan | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jalen McMillan showed up on the injury report on Saturday with a hamstring injury. He was not listed on Thursday and Friday, so this appears to have been sustained late in the week. His status for Monday night is questionable.
Puka Nacua | Los Angeles Rams
Puka Nacua just returned from a knee injury after a five-game absence. The Los Angeles Rams held their collective breath when Nacua left Thursday’s practice with another knee issue.
While NFL Network reported that the second-year wideout isn’t dealing with a severe injury, Nacua is officially questionable for Week 9. He did not participate in Friday’s practice. However, on Saturday, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that Nacua is expected to play on Sunday.
Rams head coach Sean McVay said Nacua “banged his knee” on Thursday but added he would not bet against the 2023 fifth-round pick suiting up against the Seahawks on Sunday. McVay also noted that there’s nothing structurally wrong with Nacua’s knee.
While Nacua continues to battle knee issues, McVay doesn’t think the Rams will have to manage his injury throughout the season. Instead, L.A.’s head coach hopes Nacua’s injury was more of a “scare.”
Nacua returned last week to catch seven passes on nine targets for 106 yards. He finished as the WR14 in PPR leagues in Week 8. If Nacua can’t play this week, Cooper Kupp could secure one of the largest target shares of any WR this season.
Michael Pittman Jr. | Indianapolis Colts
Michael Pittman Jr. is still battling the back injury that the Colts initially thought would send him to injured reserve in Week 6. Pittman miraculously played that week and suited up again in Week 7.
Indy has been managing his practice reps since. Pittman has gone DNP-Full-DNP the last two weeks, and it appears he’s on track to repeat that again ahead of Week 9. After not participating in Wednesday’s practice, Pittman was a full participant on Thursday.
Pittman was limited on Friday but was then sequentially removed from the Colts’ injury report. He has no injury designation for Sunday night’s game against the Vikings.
Pittman was a top-30 fantasy WR in all three games with Flacco as Indianapolis’ primary quarterback. Meanwhile, his WR37 finish in Week 8 was his best output with Richardson as his starting QB. Flacco’s insertion into Indy’s lineup should be a boon for all the club’s pass catchers.
Calvin Ridley | Tennessee Titans
Calvin Ridley, who’d been battling a foot injury in recent weeks, is now dealing with a shoulder problem. Fresh off his best game with Tennessee, Ridley failed to participate in Wednesday’s practice.
The good news is he returned to full practice on Thursday and Friday. Ridley is no longer listed on the Titans; injury report and will play against the Patriots in Week 9.
The Titans took it easy with Ridley entering last week’s game. He didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday before returning for a full session on Friday. The club seemingly followed a similar pattern this week.
Calvin Ridley balled tf out in Week 8
slot and stacked alignments allowed him to easily attack the Lions secondary pic.twitter.com/EaEmdY6xoV
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) October 29, 2024
Ridley finished as fantasy’s WR4 last week after grabbing 10 receptions on 15 targets for 143 yards. He was the overall WR6 in Week 4 but hasn’t been a top-50 option in any other game.
The Titans traded Hopkins last week, while Tyler Boyd (shoulder) is questionable for Week 9. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and sixth-round rookie Jha’Quan Jackson are the only other wide receivers on the club’s active roster.
Deebo Samuel Sr. | San Francisco 49ers
Week 9 status: BYE
Deebo Samuel Sr., already banged up coming into Week 8, suffered a rib injury late on Sunday Night Football. While the 49ers labeled him questionable to return, Samuel never re-entered the game, finishing with eight touches for 86 scoreless yards. He appeared to score a long second-quarter touchdown, but it was called back due to offensive holding.
Samuel was active for Week 7 but played just four snaps while battling a wrist injury and pneumonia. Fellow 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL in that game, leaving Samuel as Brock Purdy’s clear WR1 for the remainder of the season.
San Francisco has a bye in Week 9, allowing Samuel to recover from his various maladies.
JuJu Smith-Schuster | Kansas City Chiefs
JuJu Smith-Schuster was quickly ruled out of last week’s game vs. the Las Vegas Raiders after aggravating his hamstring injury in Week 7 vs. the San Francisco 49ers. The eighth-year vet didn’t practice all of last week and started Week 9 with another DNP. He also did not participate in practice on Friday and Saturday and has been officially ruled out.
Given the nature of hamstring injuries, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Smith-Schuster miss another game or two. It’s good news that Kansas City hasn’t placed him on injured reserve yet, suggesting that he could return for the team’s most important remaining game of the regular season.
Adam Thielen | Carolina Panthers
Head coach Dave Canales told reporters on Friday that Adam Thielen is not expected to play on Sunday. He started Week 9 with a pair of limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday.
Thielen has been out since hurting his hamstring in Week 3. Last week, though, the Panthers officially designated the 34-year-old to return from injured reserve. Thielen managed limited practices last Wednesday and Thursday before sitting out Friday and not playing in Week 8.
Once he’s healthy, Thielen should be in line for more Bryce Young targets now that the Panthers have traded fellow WR Diontae Johnson.
However, Thielen may not be long for Carolina, either. NFL Network mentioned Thielen as a potential trade candidate ahead of next week’s NFL deadline.
Brian Thomas Jr. | Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence is officially running out of wide receivers.
On Friday, head coach Doug Pederson said first-round rookie Brian Thomas Jr. will be a game-time decision for Week 9. Gabe Davis is also a GTD, while Christian Kirk is on IR with a broken collarbone. Parker Washington and Tim Jones could be Trevor Lawrence’s top two wideouts against the Eagles on Sunday.
Thomas has a contusion on the left side of his chest. His MRI didn’t reveal a more significant injury, Pederson told reporters this week. While one report indicated he could miss 2-4 weeks after suffering a chest/rib injury in Week 8, Pederson labeled Thomas day to day.
The LSU product was limited during practice on both Wednesday and Thursday, wearing a non-contact vest throughout both sessions. Given that the Jaguars elevated two WRs from the practice squad on Saturday afternoon, all signs point to the rookie sitting out this week’s contest.
Thomas may have been injured on his third-quarter touchdown catch when he hit the turf hard after hauling in a score. After that play, he remained on Jacksonville’s sideline and did not re-enter the game.
Thomas ranks first among rookie receivers in yards (573), receiving touchdowns (five), and yards per route run (2.68); he’s second to Malik Nabers in receptions (33).