PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE NFL : Elway Is Back: Where Are Receivers?

Able to throw without pain for the first time in a month, John Elway will return to the Denver Bronco lineup on Sunday. Now, if he could only round up a few healthy bodies to play with him.

Sidelined since he suffered a bruised throwing shoulder against the New York Giants on Nov. 15, Elway resumed a rigorous throwing regimen this week and pronounced himself fit for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.

“I was concerned about throwing too much,” he said after practice this week. “But it turned out I didn’t have to worry, because we don’t have any receivers to throw to.”

Wide receiver Vance Johnson has a hamstring injury and is not expected to play; his spot in the lineup will be taken by rookie Cedric Tillman. Rookie Arthur Marshall, the only backup receiver, has been bothered by a nerve problem in his leg that affects his ability to cut.

Slotback Shannon Sharpe might have been able to fill in at wide receiver, but now he is needed at tight end because Clarence Kay has a strained groin muscle.

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Philadelphia Eagle free safety Wes Hopkins said he will not play against the Washington Redskins because of a knee injury that will require arthroscopic surgery.

Coach Rich Kotite said John Booty would replace Hopkins.

Hopkins played despite a sore knee in 1986, ignoring pain until the joint blew out. He underwent surgery and sat out most of the next two seasons. “I don’t want another 1986,” he said.