NFL Player News

Smith-Schuster will undergo season-ending surgery Wednesday for the right shoulder injury he sustained in Sunday's win over Denver, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Coach Mike Tomlin indicated that Smith-Schuster will be placed on injured reserve, though that transaction may not become official until later in the week. With the wideout done for the season, James Washington (groin) -- who sat out against Denver but is expected to return to practice this week -- is expected to step into a regular role in three-receiver sets alongside Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool.

Washington (groin) is expected to get some practice work in early this week, potentially putting the receiver on track to play Sunday against the Seahawks, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Washington was a mid-week addition to the injury report Week 5, as he was limited by a groin injury Thursday before sitting out Friday's practice and then getting ruled out ahead of Sunday's win over the Broncos. Based on comments from coach Mike Tomlin, Washington sounds like he'll be able to get back on the field in some capacity Wednesday, when the Steelers hold their first practice of the week. If Washington is ultimately cleared to play this weekend, he should be in store for a regular role in three-receiver sets after JuJu Smith-Schuster sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in the win over Denver.

St. Brown reverted back to the Packers' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.

St. Brown was elevated to the active roster for the second straight week with Marquez Valdes-Scantling (hamstring) on injured reserve. The 25-year-old wideout played 12 offensive snaps against the Bengals and didn't record a target, but he did register an assisted tackle on Green Bay's kickoff unit.

Broncos head coach Vic Fangio said Monday that Jeudy is making progress in his recovery from a right high-ankle sprain, but a firm target date for his return hasn't been established. "In the last 10 days to two weeks, he's made good progress," Fangio said. "His return is not right around the corner, but it's getting closer."

Fangio previously said Oct. 6 that Jeudy was eyeing a return at the front end of a 6-8 week timeline for the injury he suffered in the Broncos' Sept. 12 season-opening win over the Giants. The coach's comments Monday don't seem to suggest that Jeudy's potential timeline has changed for the worse or the better, so fantasy managers should expect the wideout to remain on injured reserve for at least one more week. In Week 7, the Broncos will travel to Cleveland for a Thursday night game, so it could make sense for the team to wait until a Week 8 matchup with Washington to bring Jeudy back, granting him extra time to get comfortable in practice.

Cleveland reverted back to the Broncos' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.

Cleveland joined the active roster for the first time this season, as Courtland Sutton (ankle) and Diontae Spencer (chest) were questionable heading into Sunday's contest. The 24-year-old played five offense snaps, but his only contribution to the stat column was a tackle he made on Denver's kickoff unit.

Watkins caught all three of his targets for 48 yards in Sunday's 21-18 win over the Panthers.

The 23-year-old continues to outproduce Jalen Reagor and even out-snapped him for the first time this season 52-43. Watkins has also seen a red-zone target in each of the past two weeks, while Reagor has none at all this year. Watkins is still tough to rely on, however, because he has only one game all season with more than three targets.

Reagor caught three of his five targets for 24 yards in Sunday's 21-18 win over the Panthers.

For the first time this season, Reagor played fewer snaps than Quez Watkins, who has been more consistently productive on a game-to-game basis in terms of both catches and yards while also adding the occasional splash play. The good news for the TCU product is it was only a nine-snap difference (52-43), and he has seen more targets in every game but one this season. Nevertheless, Jalen Hurts is spreading the ball around too much to count on any pass catcher in this offense outside of DeVonta Smith for the time being.

Johnson brought in all three of his targets for 42 yards in the Buccaneers' 45-17 win over the Dolphins on Sunday.

The second-year wideout got blanked in Week 4 after an encouraging 3-63 line in Week 3 against the Rams while Antonio Brown was on the reserve-COVID-19 list, so it was encouraging to see him reemerge to an extent Sunday. Johnson has seven receptions for 110 yards through five games this season after logging 12 receptions across 14 contests as a rookie, and he should continue seeing sporadic complementary opportunities as the No. 4 wideout while Scotty Miller (toe) remains sidelined.

Campbell caught four of six targets for 56 yards in Monday night's 31-25 overtime loss to the Ravens.

Campbell started well, securing a couple gains for first downs early in the game. Although the speedster subsequently had a drop just before halftime, Campbell overall turned in his best showing of the season, with only fellow wideout Michael Pittman being targeted more often. Despite it coming in a losing effort, Campbell will strive to continue his progress in Week 6 versus the Texans.

Pittman caught six of seven targets for 89 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's 31-25 overtime loss to the Ravens.

Pittman didn't get his first touch until the second quarter but kept his momentum going afterward. He set up a field goal with a nice gain prior to halftime and was utilized on some quick screens in the second half. However, his night was definitely highlighted by his superb, 42-yard touchdown to begin the third quarter. That catch came as Pittman was forced to come back to a floating deep pass and tower over the opposing defensive back before carrying on through contact into the end zone. It was quite the way for the second-year pro to score his first touchdown of the season, and considering Pittman has now caught at least six passes in four straight games while topping 85 yards twice, he enters the Week 6 favorable matchup against the Texans with his stock on the rise.