NFL Player News

Morgan (hamstring) is inactive for Saturday's wild-card matchup against the Raiders, Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals' official site reports.

Although Morgan returned to practice in a limited capacity Wednesday and Thursday, he'll be unable to suit up in the postseason opener. His absence shouldn't significantly impact the Bengals' distribution in the passing game. Running back Trayveon Williams will be active Saturday to take Morgan's place on special teams.

Smith-Schuster (shoulder) was activated off injured reserve Saturday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Smith-Schuster tweeted on his personal account saying he'd play in Sunday's playoff matchup against the Chiefs, setting the stage for the star wide receiver to make his return after missing the past 13 games. Even prior to the injury, it was clear Diontae Johnson had usurped Smith-Schuster as Ben Roethlisberger's favorite target, but the fifth-year wide receiver should act as a capable underneath option alongside Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth.

Ridley, who did not play after Week 7 to focus on his mental health, has not contacted members of the Falcons' front office regarding plans for next season, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

There's still very little information regarding Ridley's abrupt leave of absence from the Falcons and it doesn't seem as if the franchise or player has any intentions of accelerating the issue anytime soon. Garafolo even went on to say it's possible both sides could mutually seek a trade this offseason, though that's by no means something that has been confirmed by either party. The 2018 first-round pick had his $11.12 million fifth-year option exercised this past offseason, though it remains to be seen if that compensation would be fully guaranteed given that distinction is normally reserved for injury only. The 27-year-old finished the 2021 season with 31 receptions for 281 yards and two touchdowns across five games.

Proche finished the season with 16 catches for 202 yards on 20 targets.

The second-year wideout moved into a larger role within the offense after playing a mere 25 offensive snaps as a rookie and recording one reception. Proche showed the skills that made him effective in college, running sharp routes and demonstrating good hands by catching 80 percent of his targets and dropping zero passes. Baltimore will likely go into next season with Marquise Brown, Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay as its top three receivers and Proche will have a chance to slot in as the No.4. However, 2021 draft pick Tylan Wallace could improve and Baltimore could opt to mine for more receiving depth through free agency and the draft.

Duvernay finished the season with 33 catches for 272 yards and two touchdowns on 47 targets. He was also was voted to the first-team All-Pro team as a punt returner, Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The second-year player out of Texas made his biggest impact in the return game as he finished second in the league in punt return yards and led the NFL in punt returns of 20-or-more yards with six. In terms of his role on offense, Duvernay consistently played over a third of the snaps but never played more than 50 percent of the snaps in any game. Baltimore deployed Duvernay on short routes for the most part, as evidenced by his 6.2 aDOT. He was efficient with those looks, catching 70 percent of his targets and finishing the year with zero drops. He projects to be the No.3 receiver in the offense in 2022 as the primary slot alongside Marquise Brown and Rashod Bateman.

Kemp finished out the 2021 regular season with two catches for 24 yards on five targets.

Kemp played only 72 offensive snaps all season compared to 311 on special teams. He's still buried on the depth chart heading into the playoffs and doesn't figure to contribute unless things get bad in terms of wide receiver absences. Kemp will be a restricted free agent in the offseason, so there is a decent chance he will be back in Kansas City next year.

Jefferson was listed as a limited participant in Friday's practice with a shoulder injury, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.

Jefferson appeared on the Rams' initial weekly injury report Thursday with the same issue, though he was a full participant for the team's first practice session. The Rams haven't revealed whether Jefferson's limitations Friday was part of a pre-planned maintenance regimen or the result of a setback, but Saturday's injury report should shed light on the matter. If cleared to play in Monday's wild-card game against the Cardinals, Jefferson should maintain his usual role alongside Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham in three-receiver sets. Kupp remains the clear No. 1 target for Matthew Stafford by a landslide, while Jefferson appeared to have slipped behind Beckham in the pass-catching hierarchy over the final quarter of the regular season.

Moore (ankle) was listed as a limited participant in Friday's practice, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Moore wasn't spotted on the field during the portion of Friday's practice that was open to the media, but he apparently did enough behind the scenes to maintain a limited listing for the second day in a row. Since the rookie wideout missed the final three games of the regular season with the ankle injury, he'll most likely need to upgrade to full activity in Saturday's practice if he's to avoid taking an injury designation into Monday's wild-card matchup with the Rams. Moore concluded the regular season with 54 catches for 435 yards and a touchdown on 64 targets to go with 18 carries for 76 yards in 14 contests.

The Patriots elevated Wilkerson to their active roster in advance of Saturday's playoff opener against the Bills.

With Nelson Agholor out with a concussion Week 17, Wilkerson stepped into an expanded role in the Patriots' blowout win over the Jaguars, catching four of his eight targets for 42 yards and two touchdowns. Agholor returned to action for the team's regular-season finale, so Wilkerson wasn't activated ahead of that contest. Heading into playoffs, Wilkerson gives the team added wideout depth behind Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and Agholor, a context that makes him a speculative fantasy option this weekend.

Hill (heel) doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's wild-card game against the Steelers.

Hill was limited at practice Thursday, but his full participation in Friday's session sets the stage for the play-making wideout to be available for the team's postseason opener. As a result, Hill and tight end Travis Kelce will continue to profile as quarterback Patrick Mahomes' top passing targets this weekend. Through 17 regular season outings, Hill recorded a fantasy-friendly 111-1,239-9 receiving line on 159 targets to go with nine carries for 96 yards.