NFL Player News
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DJ Moore WR | CHI
Bears' DJ Moore: Remains No. 1 receiver Sunday
Moore will remain the Bears' No. 1 receiver in Sunday's Week 18 matchup against the Lions due to Rome Odunze (foot) being ruled inactive for the contest.
Moore has had his moments during the four games Odunze has missed before Sunday, posting a 9-166-3 line on 12 targets in Weeks 15-16. The veteran wideout saw a significant downturn in the Week 17 loss to the 49ers with a one-catch, seven-yard effort while battling an illness, but Moore should be back to full health Sunday as Chicago looks to clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a win.
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Jaylen Waddle WR | MIA
Dolphins' Jaylen Waddle: Not playing in season finale
Waddle (ribs) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Patriots.
Waddle had been listed as questionable for the season finale after he managed just two limited practices this week while tending to the injury to his ribs, and with little at stake in Sunday's contest, the Dolphins will err on the side of caution and hold the receiver out. He'll conclude his fifth NFL season with a 64-910-6 receiving line on 100 targets to go along with 28 rushing yards over 16 games. Miami will have Malik Washington, Cedrick Wilson, Theo Wease, Tahj Washington and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as its available options at receiver for Week 18.
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Xavier Worthy WR | KC
Chiefs' Xavier Worthy: Inactive as expected Sunday
Worthy (illness) is inactive for Sunday's Week 18 matchup against the Raiders, Matt McMullen of the team's official site reports.
The second-year speedster was already carrying a doubtful tag into the weekend, so his inactive status is of little surprise. In Worthy's absence versus Las Vegas, veterans Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster are set to operate as the top two wide-receiver targets for starting quarterback Chris Oladokun.
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Brandin Cooks WR | BUF
Bills' Brandin Cooks: Inactive Sunday
Cooks is inactive for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Jets.
With Cooks being rested Sunday, Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer, Tyrell Shavers, Gabe Davis and Keon Coleman are the Bills' available WRs in Week 18. Cooks' next chance to see game action is thus slated to arrive in the team's postseason opener.
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Rome Odunze WR | CHI
Bears' Rome Odunze: Inactive for Week 18
Odunze (foot) is inactive for Sunday's Week 18 game against the Lions.
Odunze will thus close out the regular season with five consecutive absences due to his lingering foot injury. The second-year wideout was able to return to practice -- albeit on a limited basis -- Friday, but the Bears will continue to err on the side of caution in the hopes of having Odunze as healthy as possible for the postseason. Odunze will turn his attention toward upping his activity level in practice during the coming week ahead of the start of the playoffs next weekend, while DJ Moore and Luther Burden should serve as Caleb Williams' top two wide receivers versus Detroit.
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Davante Adams WR | LAR
Rams' Davante Adams: Inactive in Week 18, as expected
Adams (hamstring) is listed as inactive Sunday against the Cardinals, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.
Coach Sean McVay asserted during Week 18 prep that the Rams expected to play their healthy starters, per Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com, but Adams isn't among those names for the team's regular-season finale as he tends to a lingering hamstring injury. However, Adams was listed as limited both Thursday and Friday, displaying some progress ahead of the playoffs. He'll aim to put an end to a three-game absence in the wild-card round.
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Amon-Ra St. Brown WR | DET
Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown: Active in Week 18
St. Brown (knee) is active for Sunday's Week 18 matchup against the Bears.
St. Brown carried a questionable tag into Sunday due to a knee injury that led to him logging just a pair of limited practices during Week 18 prep. However, head coach Dan Campbell said Friday his star wideout was trending in the right direction for active status, and St. Brown's availability for the regular-season finale is now confirmed. St. Brown has already exceeded the 100-catch threshold for the fourth straight season, but he has a chance to set a new career high in touchdown receptions with a pair of scoring grabs against his division rival Sunday.
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Keon Coleman WR | BUF
Bills' Keon Coleman: Active for Week 18
Coleman is active for Sunday's game against the Jets.
Coleman has been a healthy scratch in each of the Bills' last two games (and four times this season), but the second-year wideout will be available for Sunday's regular-season finale. He did not record a target in his last outing against the Patriots in Week 15, though he could see some involvement in the offense in the absence of Brandin Cooks (coach's decision), and if the Bills opt to sit their regular starters as the game unfolds. Coleman has caught 36 passes (on 55 targets) for 355 yards and four touchdowns across 12 regular-season games.
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Kendrick Bourne WR | SF
49ers' Kendrick Bourne: Non-factor in Saturday's loss
Bourne failed to catch his only target in Saturday's 13-3 loss to the Seahawks.
WR Ricky Pearsall (knee/ankle) was back on the sidelines for Week 18, but it was Demarcus Robinson (3-24-0) who filled in for the oft-injured starter this time around. Bourne had been elevated ahead of Robinson in similar scenarios earlier this season, but head coach Kyle Shanahan shuffled his veteran backups in the receiver pecking order Saturday. This development, coupled with the potential for Pearsall to return for the wild-card round, severely limits Bourne's upside for the start of the playoffs.
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Demarcus Robinson WR | SF
49ers' Demarcus Robinson: Draws start in Week 18
Robinson had three receptions on four targets for 24 yards in Saturday's 13-3 loss to the Seahawks.
Robinson earned a rare start filling in for Ricky Pearsall (knee/ankle) and received the most playing time (88 percent) in a game this season. The 30-year-old Robinson couldn't parlay the larger role into notable fantasy production after finishing the loss with a pedestrian stat line. Pearsall's status for the wild-card round of the playoffs is still in question, but Robinson's minimal involvement on offense limits his fantasy upside even in games he is asked to start.