NFL Player News

Kirk caught two passes for 43 yards on three targets against Seattle on Sunday.

Kirk had a good on-paper matchup against the Seahawks and he was efficient with his three targets, but this is still a disappointing outcome in a game during which the Cardinals made every effort to win but still struggled on offense. It's a microcosm of Kirk's broader 2021 season -- he was almost automatic in terms of efficiency, catching 74.8 percent of his targets at 9.5 yards per target, but a limited snap count and modest target rate held him to just 77 receptions for 982 yards and five touchdowns despite the blistering efficiency. Kirk will likely need to produce better in the playoffs if the Cardinals are going to get where they want to go.

Samuel caught four of six targets for 95 yards, rushed eight times for 45 yards and a touchdown and completed his lone pass attempt for a 24-yard touchdown in Sunday's 27-24 win over the Rams.

Samuel drew tough coverage from Jalen Ramsey whenever he lined up on the outside, but offensive guru Kyle Shanahan got creative with his star wideout, resulting in a unique fantasy line. The 25-year-old finishes the regular season with 79 receptions for 1,405 receiving yards and six touchdowns while adding a rushing line of 59-365-8 to go with Sunday's 24-yard touchdown pass. Samuel not only bounced back from an injury-marred 2020 season, he emerged as a true fantasy superstar as well. Expect the versatile talent to remain heavily involved in more ways than one heading into the wild-card round.

Kupp corralled all seven of his targets for 118 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 18 yards on his lone carry in Sunday's 27-24 overtime loss to the 49ers.

Kupp tied his season-low mark of seven targets that was set a week prior, but the talented wideout was still able to turn in a monster fantasy day. The 28-year-old finishes the regular season with 145 receptions, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, placing himself firmly in the league's MVP discussion. Kupp's recent lowered target rate (by his gaudy standards) may have been tied to the Rams locking up a playoff spot two weeks ago and not wanting to burn out its star player. That said, it would make sense to see Kupp featured heavily in the first round of the NFC wild-card round.

Evans brought in six of seven targets for 89 yards and two touchdowns in the Buccaneers' 41-17 win over the Panthers on Sunday.

The Bucs' undisputed top receiver played like it Sunday, hauling in touchdown tosses of three and 20 yards in fourth quarter to help ice the game for Tampa Bay and surpass his own single-season franchise record in that category in the process. Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports Evans went down with what appeared to be an arm injury on the reception that gave him 1,000 yards for the eighth straight season, but he was quickly back in the contest without any further signs of limitation. Assuming full health, Evans will naturally have a major role in the passing attack in next weekend's wild-card matchup against the Eagles.

Metcalf caught five passes for 58 yards on 11 targets against Arizona on Sunday.

Metcalf generally struggled against the Cardinals the last two years while fellow wideout Tyler Lockett posted big numbers in that same span, so it seems safe to say that there's something in Arizona's defensive approach that makes things more difficult for Metcalf. The entire 2021 season has been more difficult for Metcalf, who played a bit nicked up at several points and otherwise dealt with both injury and general dysfunction at quarterback this year. He finishes with 75 receptions for 967 yards and 12 touchdowns on 129 targets, which is a catch rate of 58.1 percent at 7.5 yards per target -- a huge dropoff from his 2020 season, when he caught 64.3 percent of his targets at 10.1 yards per target. Despite the difficulties of 2021, Metcalf is still clearly a unique talent capable of elite fantasy production. Whether he's in a good spot to do so in 2022 will depend on what Seattle does with its quarterback and coaching situations. It probably wouldn't be good for Metcalf if Russell Wilson left Seattle, but a coaching change could bring a more favorable system to the offense. Metcalf's situation is an interesting one to watch.

Byrd caught five passes for 47 yards in the Bears' 31-17 Week 18 loss to the Vikings, and he ended the season with 26 receptions for 329 yards and a touchdown.

Once he saw increased usage starting in Week 12, Byrd showed that he can post modest production when given the opportunity. However, going into his age-29 season, it seems likely that he'll continue to serve as a rotational player, and he'll be a depth option for fantasy managers in deeper leagues. He'll be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Goodwin caught two passes for 13 yards in the Bears' 31-17 Week 18 loss to the Vikings, and he ended the season with 21 receptions for 313 yards and a touchdown.

When the Bears were dealing with injuries at wide receiver, Goodwin had a two-game stretch in which he totaled 104 yards and a touchdown, but otherwise, he averaged less than 20 yards per game over the rest of the campaign. In each year since 2017, he's failed to post 400 receiving yards, and the 31-year-old will likely remain a rotational player going forward. It's unlikely he'll be a consistent fantasy option unless his situation changes drastically. He'll be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Anderson caught seven of eight targets for 50 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 41-17 loss to the Buccaneers.

Anderson matched his season high in receptions, with his signature contribution coming on a superb, over-the-shoulder touchdown catch from 19 yards on a fourth-down play during the fourth quarter. Despite his commendable performance Sunday, Anderson's season overall didn't go as planned, as uneven quarterback play, primarily from Sam Darnold, inhibited Carolina's offense over the course of the campaign. While playing all 17 games, Anderson managed just 53 catches on 110 targets for 519 yards and five scores, representing a significant decline from his 95-catch, 1,000-yard campaign in 2020. Having signed an extension prior to the season, though, Anderson is slated to return to the Panthers in 2022, when as things stand he'll again figure to complement DJ Moore in the starting lineup.

Lockett caught five passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns on five targets against Arizona on Sunday.

Lockett has had a lot of success against Arizona the last two years, so it might not be so surprising that he posted another strong box score against the Cardinals in this game, even with Russell Wilson attempting only 26 passes. Lockett's fantasy value beyond 2021 is pending the status of Wilson and Seattle coach Pete Carroll, but in the meantime it seems safe to say that Lockett is still almost automatic when working with Wilson. Lockett finishes the year with 73 receptions for 1,175 yards and eight touchdowns on 107 targets in 16 games

Robinson caught two passes for 22 yards in the Bears' 31-17 Week 18 loss to the Vikings, and he ended the season with 38 receptions for 410 yards and one touchdown in 13 games.

Despite playing in bad situations that often included poor quarterback play throughout his career, Robinson had, by far, the worst season of his career. On just one occasion did he post more than four receptions in a game, and he failed to reach 70 yards in any contest. It's impossible to know if his play simply dropped off, or if his situation on the Bears was too much to overcome. Look for him to be a polarizing player in 2022 fantasy drafts. After playing the year on the franchise tag, he'll enter his age-29 season as an unrestricted free agent.