NFL Player News

Shenault didn't catch his only target in Sunday's 24-16 loss to the Steelers.

Shenault suited up despite being listed with a shoulder injury during the week. Ultimately, though, he only featured for 13 offensive snaps, enabling Shi Smith to assume third-wideout duties for the Panthers.

Smith caught one of three targets for 24 yards in Sunday's 24-16 loss to the Steelers.

Smith garnered the third-most snaps of Carolina's receivers, featuring for nearly half of the offensive plays. His lone reception tied for his second longest of the campaign, but as a complementary wideout in an underwhelming passing attack, Smith holds little weekly value.

Rodgers caught two of three targets for 26 yards in Sunday's 30-24 overtime loss to Kansas City.

Rodgers, who caught four passes and his first career touchdown in Week 14, once again benefitted from Brandin Cooks (calf) and Nico Collins (foot) being unavailable. He was third among wideouts in playing time (32 snaps), behind Chris Moore (55) and Phillip Dorsett (54), and he out-targeted Dorsett for a second straight week.

Dorsett did not catch his lone target in Sunday's 30-24 overtime loss to Kansas City.

With Houston's top two wide receivers unavailable due to injury for a second consecutive week, Dorsett once again was given ample playing time, and for a second consecutive week his production was meager. The veteran wideout has four catches on seven targets for 36 yards over his last three games.

Samuel caught three of five targets for 44 yards and rushed five times for one yard in Sunday's 20-12 loss to the Giants.

Samuel's five rushing attempts tied his previous season high, but the one rushing yard was his worst total with an attempt through 14 games. The Giants were able to snuff out the versatile wideout's designed runs, perhaps studying the Commanders' tendencies from their recent matchup two weeks ago. Samuel was effective as a receiver, and he has 107 yards over his last two games after totaling just 28 receiving yards over his previous three. Washington draws a tough matchup against San Francisco on Saturday, so Samuel's fringe fantasy value takes a hit in Week 16.

Hodgins corralled all four of his targets for 37 yards in Sunday's 20-12 win over the Commanders.

Saquon Barkley (120 total yards and a touchdown) did all the heavy lifting for the Giants' offense Sunday, leaving scraps for the rest of the team's position talent. Hodgins still produced numbers resembling what we had been seeing from him of late, but his inability to replicate the scores from his previous two games highlights his low fantasy ceiling. The Oregon State product has carved out a consistent role in New York's offense, so there is a chance he can produce usable numbers in a soft matchup against Minnesota on Saturday.

James (concussion) caught four of five targets for 42 yards in Sunday's 20-12 win over Washington.

James was able to clear the league's concussion protocol ahead of Sunday's tilt, suiting up and leading the Giants in receiving yards. It was a low-output game for New York's passing offense across the board, so there isn't much to take away from this showing. The 27-year-old was coming off of his best fantasy performance of the season last week (7/61/1) while producing three touchdowns over his last four contests. With the Giants hurting at the wide receiver position, James could be a sneaky DFS play Saturday against Minnesota's porous pass defense.

Slayton had five receptions (seven targets) for 23 yards in Sunday's 20-12 win over the Commanders.

Slayton led all New York wideouts in targets and receptions, but his production left much to be desired from a fantasy perspective. This was the veteran wideout's worst yardage output since taking over as the Giants' defacto No. 1 wideout back in Week 7. The 25-year-old had been performing well in the elevated role, so fantasy managers who were relying on the receiver in fantasy prior to Sunday's dud shouldn't abandon ship. There is a good chance Slayton can bounce back against Minnesota's 31st-ranked pass defense Saturday.

Dotson caught four of six targets for 105 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 20-12 loss to the Giants.

Dotson was the unexpected star of Washington's aerial attack Sunday, posting the first 100-yard game of his career under the lights of Sunday Night Football. This standout performance comes on the heels of another strong fantasy line (5/54/1), indicating that the rookie has shaken off the rust after a slow start since returning from injured reserve in Week 10. The 22-year-old is averaging 7.5 targets over his current two-game hot streak. Dotson's improved play of late, combined with his nose for the end zone (he has six TDs in nine games), make him an intriguing play against the 49ers on Saturday.

McLaurin corralled all six of his targets for 70 yards in Sunday's 20-12 loss to the Giants.

McLaurin didn't post gaudy fantasy totals on Sunday Night Football, but the results were strong given the low target total in comparison to his season average (7.5 targets). The 27-year-old eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving plateau for the third consecutive season, and he needs just 104 more yards to set a new career high. McLaurin will have a shot to accomplish that feat against the 49ers on Saturday. San Francisco boasts one of the league's top total defenses -- due in large part to Nick Bosa and the linebacking unit -- but it does not have a corner on the roster who can match McLaurin in raw talent.