NFL Player News

Smith-Marsette recorded three catches on three targets for 103 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-17 win over the Bears.

Smith-Marsette has had the chance for more consistent snaps in the last few games with Adam Thielen (ankle) sidelined. He did not record a target or reception in Week 17 but exploded for huge gains of 44, 40 and 19 yards to record the first 100-yard game of his career in Sunday's win. Even with the explosive effort, Smith-Marsette figures to enter the 2022 campaign buried on the wide receiver depth chart behind at least Justin Jefferson, Thielen and K.J. Osborn.

Jennings had six receptions (seven targets) for 94 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 27-24 win over the Rams.

Jennings saved his best game for the regular-season finale, as his two-touchdown performance helped propel the 49ers to an upset victory than landed his team in the playoffs. The 23-year-old hadn't topped three receptions, 46 yards or one touchdown in any of his previous 15 appearances this season, but he crushed each of those categories in one fell swoop against the Rams. Jennings has shown soft hands to complement his large frame (6-foot-3, 212 pounds), but it would be surprising if he managed to produce anything close to this monster performance in next week's playoff tilt against the Cowboys in his current role as the No. 3 wideout in San Francisco.

Perriman brought in five of six targets for 44 yards in the Buccaneers' 41-17 win over the Panthers on Sunday.

Perriman tied for second in receptions among the team's wideout group, putting together a solid performance ahead of the start of the postseason. The journeyman has been a serviceable part of the air attack in recent weeks as the pass-catching corps has endured notable attrition, but Sunday's outing was his best yet in terms of number of receptions. Given his experience, Perriman could slot in as the No. 2 wideout for next Sunday's wild-card matchup against the Eagles.

Collins recorded three receptions on eight targets for 67 yards in Sunday's 28-25 loss to the Titans.

Collins stepped into an expanded role due to the absence of Chris Conley (knee) and an early departure for Brandin Cooks (knee). He wasn't particularly efficient in terms of his catch rate, though he still managed 8.4 yards per target. Each of Collins' receptions was impressive, as he showed the ability to beat the Titans' secondary deep over the middle, deep down the sideline and also in contested situations. Though his rookie season didn't end with gaudy totals, Collins ended the season having recorded multiple receptions in each of his last five games. With Conley and Danny Amendola set to hit free agency, Collins could be in for a second-year jump in production.

Shenault recorded five receptions on seven targets for 62 yards in Sunday's 26-11 win over the Colts.

Shenault finished second on the team in targets, receptions and yards, and he was out-produced on the team by only Marvin Jones. As could be expected, Shenault worked primarily in the short areas of the field and relied heavily on yardage after the catch for his production. The end result was Shenault's best performance since Week 4. Despite the campaign ending on a positive note, there's no denying that this season was a big disappointment for Shenault, as he failed to find the end zone and had minimal improvement over his rookie campaign from a statistical standpoint.

Smith recorded five receptions on seven targets for 76 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 30-20 win over the Falcons.

Smith returned from a one-game absence to lead the Saints' receiving corps in receptions and yards. His longest gain of the day went for 34 yards on a slant over the middle of the field, which he then turned up the field for a big play. Later in the contest, Smith hauled in an acrobatic grab in the end zone from 13 yards away to tally his third touchdown of the campaign. Smith battled injuries throughout the season, which limited him to 11 games during which he produced 32 receptions, 377 yards and three touchdowns.

Aiyuk caught six of seven targets for 107 yards in Sunday's 27-24 win over the Rams.

Aiyuk played a key role in the passing game for the 49ers, delivering on a couple of big plays at the end of the first half and also in overtime to help San Francisco secure a playoff berth. The 23-year-old began his sophomore campaign in the doghouse, but he finished strong with 68.5 receiving yards per game and four touchdowns over the last 10 games of the season. Aiyuk didn't deliver on his sleeper status in 2021, but he may get another chance come draft season following his strong finish to the regular season. As for the remainder of this season, Aiyuk will play an integral role in the passing attack when the 49ers face the Cowboys next week.

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.