NFL Player News

The Patriots signed Nixon to a reserve/future contract Monday.

Nixon joined the Patriots' practice squad at the beginning of September after failing to land a spot on their 53-man roster. He didn't join the active roster during the 2021 campaign but will remain with the organization heading into the offseason.

Watkins caught two of seven targets for 35 yards during Sunday's 31-15 loss to the Buccaneers.

Watkins drew seven targets during the Eagles' Week 18 loss to the Cowboys, and he matched that total during the postseason opener. The 23-year-old saw an inconsistent workload during the 2021 campaign and secured 43 of 62 targets for 647 yards and a touchdown while rushing once for three yards across 17 regular-season appearances. He showed some improvement during his second professional campaign and could enter the 2022 season as Philadelphia's No. 2 option at wide receiver.

Reagor caught one of three targets for two yards in Sunday's 31-15 loss to the Buccaneers.

Reagor had at least five targets in four of the first five games of the regular season, but his workload diminished later in the year. He topped five targets just once in the final 12 contests during the regular season and caught just 33 of 57 targets for 299 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 10 times for 32 yards across 17 appearances. The 23-year-old was Philadelphia's first-round pick during the 2020 NFL Draft, but he's failed to carve out much of a role across his first two professional seasons.

Johnson corralled two of three targets for 30 yards Sunday in the Buccaneers' 31-15 win over the Eagles in the wild-card round.

Johnson should be locked into a regular role in three-receiver sets for the rest of the postseason, but the second-year wideout is a clear tertiary option in the passing game behind Mike Evans and Rob Gronkowski at this stage. If Cyril Grayson (hamstring) is able to make it back for the divisional round, Johnson's path to consistent targets could become more blocked.

Claypool had three receptions on seven targets for 25 yards in Sunday's 42-21 loss to Kansas City.

JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) returned from injured reserve for Ben Roethlisberger's swan song, but Claypool still saw his usual target volume. He played poorly given the opportunities presented to him, but Roethlisberger's inaccuracy did not help any of his receiving options in his final game before retirement. That was also the story of Claypool's sophomore campaign, as he finished with 59 receptions for 860 yards and two touchdowns across 15 contests on 105 targets, giving him a mediocre 56 percent catch rate. Perhaps the large-framed wideout can rediscover his rookie magic with a new quarterback under center in 2022.

Smith-Schuster finished with five receptions on eight targets for 26 yards in Sunday's 42-21 loss to Kansas City.

The 24-year-old was able to return from a lengthy stay on injured reserve to suit up alongside Ben Roethlisberger one last time. Smith-Schuster experienced the last wave of Big Ben's prime, but prior to an injury-plagued 2021 campaign his last big fantasy season came back in 2018. The Steelers will enter a new era under a new quarterback next season, but Smith-Schuster may not be around to see it as he's an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Johnson had five receptions on 10 targets for 34 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 42-21 loss to the Steelers.

The 24-year-old finished first among all Pittsburgh receiving options in targets even with JuJu Smith-Schuster returning for Ben Roethlisberger's swan song. Johnson finished the regular season with team highs in receptions (107) and receiving yardage (1,161) while cashing in eight scores. He's established as the Steelers' No. 1 wideout, but the team's quarterback situation in 2022 will determine how much fantasy value Johnson will carry next season.

Hill caught all five of his targets for 57 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 42-21 win over the Steelers.

Travis Kelce was the featured offensive weapon for Kansas City in this decisive victory -- as has been the case over the final stretch of the regular season -- but Hill still managed to produce a solid fantasy line despite failing to "go off." The speedy wideout has been a little more boom-or-bust than he has in previous seasons, likely due to defenses running tons of deep, two-safety formations and forcing the Chiefs' playmakers to work more underneath routes. Hill still possesses the ability to break off a huge touchdown on any given play, which will likely result in a DFS salary slightly higher than his recent play appears to be worth against the Bills next week.

Higgins had only one catch for 10 yards on four targets in Saturday's win over the Raiders.

Teammates Ja'Marr Chase and C.J. Uzomah did most of the Bengals' damage in the win. That's the one drag on Higgins' value -- the Bengals have multiple options in the passing game, so he's not guaranteed a heavy volume each week.

Lamb caught one of five targets for 21 yards in Sunday's 23-17 loss to the 49ers in the wild-card round. He also gained five yards on his only carry.

It was a disappointing ending to the season for Lamb and for the Cowboys, and the second-year wideout failed to find the end zone or reach 90 receiving yards in his final eight games between the regular season and the playoffs. Lamb's overall numbers still took a step forward, as he set career highs across the board with 79 catches for 1,102 yards and six TDs on 120 targets over 16 games, and he should head into 2022 as a key part of a potent passing game alongside Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper.