NFL Player News

Cooper caught six of 10 targets for 64 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 23-17 loss to the 49ers in the wild-card round.

He got the Cowboys on the board with a 20-yard TD catch in the second quarter, but it was the team's only points of the first half, as the Cowboys were in a hole they couldn't climb out of despite a frantic fourth-quarter push. Cooper had a somewhat disappointing regular season despite seeing over 100 targets for the third straight campaign, managing 68 catches for 865 yards and eight TDs in 15 games -- his worst production yet since joining Dallas in 2019. The Cowboys could part ways with Cooper in the offseason without incurring a big dead cap hit, but most likely he'll return in 2022 and be a key part of a potent passing game with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.

Aiyuk caught five of six targets for 66 yards in Sunday's 23-17 win over the Cowboys in the wild-card round.

The second-year wideout was Jimmy Garoppolo's favorite target on the afternoon, leading the 49ers in catches, targets and receiving yards as the team mostly kept the ball on the ground. With Garoppolo still nursing a thumb injury, that formula isn't likely to change next weekend in the divisional round against the Packers, so Aiyuk will likely need to score to make a big fantasy splash.

Samuel carried the ball 10 times for 72 yards and a touchdown and caught all three of his targets for 38 yards in Sunday's 23-17 win over the Cowboys in the wild-card round.

It was another big performance for the hybrid wideout/running back, who picked up where he left off at the end of the regular season. Samuel scored the Niners' final points of the game, gliding into the end zone on a 26-yard run in the third quarter. He didn't see much use as a receiver, but that's due more to the thumb injury Jimmy Garoppolo continues to play through than his own skill set. Samuel should be a focal point of the offense again next weekend in the divisional round against the Packers.

Humphrey caught 13 of 18 targets for 249 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games during the 2021 season.

Humphrey missed seven games between injuries, coach's decisions and COVID protocols, but he was a regular part of the rotation over the second half of the season despite Tre'Quan Smith's return to the lineup. However, the 6-foot-4 only saw more than two targets twice and only once was he targeted in the red zone. While Humphrey's status as an exclusive-rights free agent almost guarantees that he'll be back in New Orleans in 2022, each of Michael Thomas, Marquez Callaway and Deonte Harris will probably be back as well, and it's possible other talents are added to the mix.

Smith recorded four receptions on 11 targets for 60 yards in Sunday's 31-15 wild-card round loss to the Buccaneers.

Smith finished second on the team with 11 targets, but he averaged only 5.5 yards per look on his way to a disappointing performance. Though his final line was uninspiring, Smith did turn in a strong second half, as he had only one reception on two targets through the first two quarters. Though it came in garbage time, Smith picked up chunk gains of 31 and 19 yards in the fourth quarter to account for the majority of his production. He'll now look toward his second season as a pro after a solid rookie campaign that was highlighted by 61 catches, 916 yards and five touchdowns across 17 games.

Evans secured nine of 10 targets for 117 yards and a touchdown during the Buccaneers' 31-15 win over the Eagles in an NFC wild-card matchup Sunday.

Evans comfortably paced the Buccaneers in receptions, receiving yardage and targets on an afternoon in which Tom Brady unsurprisingly honed in on him more than any other member of the team's depleted pass-catching corps. The highlight of the veteran's day came on an impressive 36-yard touchdown grab in the latter portion of the third quarter immediately following a Tampa Bay interception. Evans' first opportunity to build on a fruitful postseason-opening effort will come next weekend in a divisional-round battle against either the Rams or Cardinals.

Ward (back) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's wild-card matchup against the Buccaneers.

Ward was limited during Wednesday's practice due to a back issue, and it appears he aggravated it during Sunday's game. He wasn't targeted in the passing attack, so his absence is unlikely to change the Eagles' offensive game plan.

Callaway caught 46 of 84 targets for 698 yards and six touchdowns over 17 games in 2021.

With Michael Thomas (ankle) on the shelf all season, Callaway consistently handled heavy snap counts for New Orleans both before and after Tre'Quan Smith made his season debut in Week 7. However, the 6-foot-2 receiver only ran a route on 53 percent of his snaps and he was only targeted on 19.5 percent of his routes - less than each of Deonte Harris, Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, Ty Montgomery and Adam Trautman. While Callaway still put together a couple of nice games this year, this underwhelming usage led to inconsistent stat lines that made him hard to trust in fantasy lineups. Unless the Saints get a dramatic upgrade at quarterback in the offseason, things could get worse for Callaway in 2022 with Thomas set to reprise his role as the team's undisputed top option at receiver.

Meyers recorded six receptions on nine targets for 40 yards in Saturday's 47-17 wild-card round loss to Buffalo.

Meyers led the team with nine targets, though he was out-produced by Kendrick Bourne. The majority of Meyers' work came with the game well out of reach, though he did tally a 19-yard reception to set up a field goal for New England just before halftime. He was otherwise limited to short gains. Meyers will enter the offseason as a restricted free agent, though after commanding 126 targets and tallying 83 receptions in 2021, it's likely that the Patriots will look to retain him for 2022 and beyond.

Bourne recorded seven receptions on eight targets for 77 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's 47-17 wild-card round loss to Buffalo.

Bourne finished second on the team in targets, but he was by far the most productive receiver for New England. Nearly all of his production came in the second half with the game out of reach, but he tallied a long gain of 43 yards and found the end zone from three and four yards away, respectively. Bourne remains under contract in New England for the 2022 season, though the team could release him with him little penalty in terms of dead cap space. Should he return to the Patriots, Bourne would likely work behind at least Jakobi Meyers and potentially Nelson Agholor as well as any other offseason upgrades at the position.