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Christian Watson WR | GB
Packers' Christian Watson: Strong finish to rookie campaign
Watson (hip) corralled five of six targets for 104 yards and rushed twice for 12 yards in Sunday's 20-16 loss to the Lions.
Watson's rookie year got off to a nightmarish start when he dropped a potential huge touchdown out of the gates that led to confidence issues and early struggles. The second-round pick got things rolling midseason when he ripped off eight touchdowns over a four-game span, and he didn't surrender the No. 1 wideout role from that point forward. Watson's strong finish to the season should have fantasy managers looking for a big sophomore leap from the explosive wideout in 2023.
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Jahan Dotson WR | ATL
Commanders' Jahan Dotson: Solid numbers to wrap up season
Dotson caught three of four targets for 72 yards in Sunday's 26-6 win over the Cowboys.
Sam Howell was making his first career start at quarterback and attempted only 19 passes, but Dotson was still able to flash his big-play ability. The 2022 first-round pick completes his first NFL season with 35 catches on 61 targets for 523 yards and seven TDs, and while Dotson took a back seat to Terry McLaurin in 2022, the duo could be on more equal footing in the Washington passing game next year -- whether Howell, or a veteran import, is slinging balls their way.
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Terry McLaurin WR | WAS
Commanders' Terry McLaurin: Hauls in TD against Cowboys
McLaurin caught three of six targets for 74 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 26-6 win over Dallas.
The fourth-year wideout was on the other end of rookie Sam Howell's first career passing TD, hauling in a 16-yard score in the first quarter. McLaurin finishes the season with a career-high 1,191 receiving yards on 77 catches with five touchdowns, his third straight campaign with over 1,000 yards, and no matter who's under center for Washington next year, he'll be a key part of the passing game.
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CeeDee Lamb WR | DAL
Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb: Salvages day with TD
Lamb caught five of seven targets for 52 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 26-6 loss to the Commanders.
The third-year wideout was the lone bright spot for the Dallas offense as it put together maybe its worst performance of the year. Lamb wraps up the regular season with career highs in catches (107), targets (156), receiving yards (1,359) and TDs (nine), and he'll likely need to come up big on the road in the wild-card round if the Cowboys are going to advance past the Buccaneers.
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Josh Palmer WR | BUF
Chargers' Joshua Palmer: Four catches in Week 18
Palmer secured four of six targets for 39 yards in the Chargers' 31-28 loss to the Broncos on Sunday.
Palmer's modest performance was underwhelming within a Week 18 context, but it doesn't sully what was a career-best regular season that saw the second-year wideout post a 72-769-3 line across 16 games. Additionally, Palmer could be primed for a substantial role in Saturday's wild-card road matchup versus the Jaguars, considering Mike Williams exited Sunday's game with a back injury and could therefore be sidelined or limited against Jacksonville.
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Courtland Sutton WR | DEN
Broncos' Courtland Sutton: Breaks scoring drought in finale
Sutton secured three of seven targets for 33 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos' 31-28 win over the Chargers on Sunday.
Sutton was able to cross the goal line for the first time since Week 4 on a 20-yard scoring grab early in the fourth quarter. The 2018 second-round pick missed two games with injuries and also was naturally affected by Russell Wilson's significant growing pains in his first Broncos campaign, but Sutton still finished with a solid 64-829-2 line on 109 targets across 15 contests in 2022. The fifth-year pro should be a critical factor in any improvement Wilson displays in 2023, potentially under the purview of a marquee head coach with significant offensive pedigree such as Sean Payton.
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DeVonta Smith WR | PHI
Eagles' DeVonta Smith: Seven grabs in Sunday's win
Smith caught seven of eight targets for 67 yards in Sunday's 22-16 win over the Giants.
The second-year wideout led the Eagles in receptions in Jalen Hurts' return from a shoulder strain, as the team locked up the top seed in the NFC and a first-round bye. Smith finishes the regular season with 95 catches on 136 targets for 1,196 yards and seven touchdowns, and with Hurts getting another week to heal up, he and A.J. Brown could be headed for very big postseasons.
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A.J. Brown WR | NE
Eagles' A.J. Brown: Leading receiver in win
Brown caught four of 10 targets for 95 yards in Sunday's 22-16 win over the Giants.
Even with Jalen Hurts being held back in his return from a shoulder strain, Brown still nearly recorded his sixth 100-yard game of the season. The 25-year-old wideout wraps up his first regular season in Philadelphia with 88 catches on 145 targets for 1,496 yards, all career highs, and 11 touchdowns (tying the mark he hit in 2020), and he and Hurts will now get a week to rest with the Eagles having secured the top seed in the NFC and a first-round bye.
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Deebo Samuel WR | SF
49ers' Deebo Samuel: Eased back in with three touches
Samuel (ankle/knee) caught two of three targets for 20 yards and rushed once for four yards in Sunday's 38-13 win over the Cardinals.
Samuel returned from a three-game absence due to injury, and he was understandably eased back into action with just three combined touches in a comfortable win. The dual-threat superstar finishes the regular season with 864 combined yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns across 13 games. Samuel should be in line for his usual workload for the upcoming playoff schedule after shaking off the rust in Week 18.
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Brandon Aiyuk WR | SF
49ers' Brandon Aiyuk: Leads team with 59 yards
Aiyuk had four receptions (five targets) for 59 yards in Sunday's 38-13 win over Arizona.
Aiyuk was the leading receiver for San Francisco on a low-volume passing day, but it was his teammates George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey who cashed in on Brock Purdy's three touchdown throws. The 24-year-old finishes the regular season with career highs in receptions (78), receiving yards (1,015) and touchdowns (eight) across 17 games. Aiyuk welcomed back fellow starting wideout Deebo Samuel (ankle/knee) Sunday, giving the 49ers a full complement of playmakers who could go off in the playoffs.