NFL Player News

The Cardinals signed Brooks to the active roster Tuesday, Zach Gershman of the team's official site reports.

Brooks had one more practice squad elevation before he needed to be signed to the active roster, but the Cardinals chose to ink a deal before that was necessary. The receiver played 47 offensive snaps in Week 15, accumulating one catch for 19 yards on three targets. He also racked up 132 yards in five kick returns. Brooks was likely deemed valuable enough to sign due to the persistent injuries to fellow receivers Marvin Harrison (heel), Xavier Weaver (hamstring) and Andre Baccellia (neck).

Smith-Schuster didn't haul in his lone target during Sunday's 16-13 loss to the Chargers.

Smith-Schuster saw an increase in his snap share Sunday, with Hollywood Brown (personal) out of commission and Tyquan Thornton leaving with a possible concussion. Even so, the veteran wideout wasn't a factor in the offense, and now starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes is done for the year due to a torn ACL. There's little to like about Smith-Schuster's fantasy profile the rest of the way in 2025.

Mumpfield failed to haul in his lone target while playing 32 of the Rams' 72 snaps on offense in Sunday's 41-34 win over the Lions.

Mumpfield's 44 percent snap share placed him third among Rams wideouts behind Puka Nacua (56 percent) and Davante Adams (46 percent). Nacua's snap count was suppressed due to a mid-game bout with cramps, while Adams aggravated a hamstring strain during the contest. With Adams' availability for Thursday's game against the Seahawks seemingly in jeopardy, Mumpfield would likely stand to be one of the main beneficiaries from a playing-time standpoint if the six-time Pro Bowler is unable to play. However, the Rams are also likely to lean heavily on two, or even three, tight-end packages like they did this past Sunday, when Colby Parkinson, Terrance Ferguson and Davis Allen all handled snap shares exceeding 70 percent. With that in mind, Mumpfield may not shape up as an especially enticing fantasy option.

Westbrook-Ikhine failed to secure his only target during Monday's 28-15 loss to Pittsburgh.

Westbrook-Ikhine has now gone four straight games without recording a target, with Monday's loss accounting for his only target in that span. He remains off the fantasy radar even heading into a favorable Week 17 home game against the Bengals.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Tuesday that he's "not quite sure" about Watson's (chest/shoulder) status for Saturday's game at Chicago, Ryan Wood of USA Today reports. "Every one of these guys is going to be fighting to make it by game time," LaFleur said of Watson and the Packers' other injured players.

Watson was forced out in the second half of Sunday's 34-26 loss to the Broncos after he landed hard while attempting to reel in a deep ball that was intercepted by Patrick Surtain. While LaFleur didn't offer exact details on the nature or severity of Watson's injury, the wideout was cleared to return to Green Bay following a brief stay in a Denver-area hospital. Even so, Watson could still be challenged to make it back for Week 16's key divisional contest, with LaFleur noting that functionality and pain tolerance will be the biggest factors, per Zach Jacobson of 247Sports.com. A potential Watson absence in Week 16 would free up more routes and snaps for Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden and Dontayvion Wicks.

Washington secured his only target for 10 yards during Miami's 28-15 loss to the Steelers on Monday night.

Washington turned in his lowest single-game target total of the season in Week 15, as all of Darren Waller, De'Von Achane, Greg Dulcich, Jaylen Waddle and Julian Hill saw more involvement in the receiving game. Monday's loss was also just the third time this season that Washington didn't field any kickoff returns, though he did return two punts for 14 yards. Washington will face a more favorable matchup at home against the Bengals on Sunday.

Vele (shoulder) is believed to have avoided a major injury but is considered week-to-week, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

The timing of the injury could make it tricky for Vele to return this season, Underhill added. Vele was injured in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 20-17 win over the Panthers after he secured five of six targets for 69 yards prior to his departure. If Vele is unable to play this upcoming Sunday against the Jets, Mason Tipton, Kevin Austin and Dante Pettis would appear to be next in line for snaps behind No. 1 wideout Chris Olave.

Valdes-Scantling secured his lone target for a 19-yard touchdown during Monday's 28-15 win over the Dolphins.

Valdes-Scantling made his second appearance with the Steelers after being signed to the active roster earlier in the day. He was on the field for 52 percent of the team's offensive snaps and reached the end zone early in the third quarter to give Pittsburgh a two-possession lead. Valdes-Scantling's fantasy upside is limited however, after being targeted just once in each of his first two appearances with the team.

Thielen secured his lone target for seven yards during Monday's 28-15 win over Miami.

Thielen ranked second among Pittsburgh's wide receivers Monday by playing 58 percent of the team's offensive snaps, but he wasn't heavily involved in the passing game. The 35-year-old has seen an uptick in playing time since being waived by Minnesota and subsequently claimed by Pittsburgh, but he's been targeted just once in each of his first two appearances with his new team. Despite his increased snap counts, Thielen's fantasy potential remains limited late in the regular season.

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said Tuesday that he doesn't anticipate McCaffrey (collarbone) returning from injured reserve this season, Tom Schad of The Washington Post reports.

With the 4-10 Commanders having been eliminated from playoff contention, Quinn suggested that the team won't look to bring McCaffrey or any other players back from IR with little at stake over the final three weeks of the season. Before suffering a fractured collarbone Nov. 2, McCaffrey recorded 11 catches for 203 yards and three touchdowns on 15 targets while also averaging 29.6 yards on 26 kickoff returns over nine appearances. The 24-year-old should be back to full health in advance of the Commanders' offseason program.