NFL Player News

McLaurin recorded three receptions on four targets for 53 yards in Saturday's 29-18 loss to the Eagles.

McLaurin looked to be in for a solid game, logging each of his receptions and all of his yardage by halftime. His biggest impact came on a 40-yard catch deep down the left sideline, when he beat Adoree' Jackson midway through the second quarter. The Commanders' entire passing game became limited after Marcus Mariota (hand) was forced to exit early in the third quarter, which led to a muted stat line for McLaurin. He would be a very risky fantasy option in Week 17 against the Cowboys if Josh Johnson is the starter.

Smith recorded six receptions on eight targets for 42 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 29-18 win over the Commanders.

Smith got off to a fast start, logging three receptions for 27 yards and a touchdown in the first 13 minutes of game time. He found the end zone from five yards away to tally his first score since Week 10. A.J. Brown was otherwise the primary driver of the Eagles' passing game, and Smith has now been held to 50 receiving yards or fewer in five of his last six games.

Brown recorded nine catches on 12 targets for 95 yards in Saturday's 29-18 win over the Commanders.

Brown bounced back after seeing only two targets in Philadelphia's Week 15 win, serving as Jalen Hurts' favorite target throughout Saturday's win over the Commanders. He didn't break one particularly long gain, but he did log receptions of 24, 16 and 15 yards. After a volatile start to the year, Brown has double-digit targets in five of his last six games and has at least 95 receiving yards or a touchdown in all but one game in that span.

Wicks (ankle) is listed as active Saturday in Chicago, Mike Spofford of the Packers' official site reports.

Wicks followed up no activity at Tuesday's walkthrough with back-to-back limited practices to end Week 16 prep as he continues to deal with an ankle injury. Now that his status has been clarified for Saturday's game, he'll be among the wide receivers available to the Packers offense along with Christian Watson (chest/shoulder), Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Bo Melton and Savion Williams.

Watson (chest/shoulder) is active for Saturday's game at Chicago, Mike Spofford of the Packers' official site reports.

Watson seemed destined to miss time after he suffered a chest injury last Sunday against the Broncos that forced a visit to a Denver-area hospital. Having said that, he followed up no activity at Tuesday's walkthrough with back-to-back limited practices, leaving the door open for him to play this weekend. Coach Matt LaFleur told Zach Kruse of USA Today on Thursday that Wednesday's session was "encouraging" for Watson, but that his availability was "going to come down to a medical decision and where he's at Saturday." With his status now confirmed for Week 16, Watson will join Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Dontayvion Wicks (ankle), Bo Melton and Savion Williams as the wide receivers available to QB Jordan Love.

Lane (ankle) has been downgraded to out for Saturday's game against the Eagles.

Lane will miss the remainder of Saturday's divisional matchup due to an ankle injury suffered in the first quarter. In his stead, Deebo Samuel will operate as Washington's top kick returner, while Treylon Burks and Chris Moore will stand to benefit from increased offensive snaps.

Pierce (Achilles) does not carry an injury designation for Monday's game against the 49ers.

Pierce was limited to open Week 16 prep due to an Achilles injury, but he's been cleared to play Monday after logging back-to-back full practices to end the week. Pierce was held to just one catch (on as many targets) for 16 yards during the Colts' Week 15 loss to the Seahawks, and his fantasy floor figures to be lower for the rest of the regular season with Philip Rivers under center.

Lane (ankle) is questionable to return to Saturday's game against the Eagles.

Lane was forced off the field due to an ankle injury midway through the first quarter Saturday. As long as he remains sidelined, Treylon Burks and Chris Moorewill stand to see a slight uptick in reserve opportunities behind Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel.

Bourne is poised to take on a larger role against the Colts on Monday after Ricky Pearsall (knee/ankle) was officially ruled out, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Bourne has seen his usage on offense fluctuate over the course of the regular season, but his most productive stints came when Pearsall was sidelined for six games due to a separate knee injury. That included back-to-back games in which Bourne recorded 142 receiving yards in Weeks 5 and 6, though he hasn't accumulated more than 50 yards in any of his other 11 regular-season games. He sits at 499 receiving yards through 13 regular-season games, and he needs just one more yard to earn a $500,000 bonus, per Vic Tafur of The Athletic.

Watson (calf) has not been activated from injured reserve Saturday and is ruled out for Sunday's game against the Raiders.

Watson will remain on IR despite having been a full participant at practice throughout Week 16. His next chance to retake the field is in Week 17 on the road against the Chargers.