NFL Player News

Thielen had two receptions (three targets) for 40 yards in Sunday's 19-17 win over the Lions.

Thielen struggled for the second week in a row, failing to eclipse 50 receiving yards or score a touchdown after racking up four scores over his previous three contests. Kirk Cousins has been looking in Justin Jefferson's direction more often recently, which has hurt his former favorite target's fantasy value. It is unlikely that the 30-year-old's skills have diminished so quickly, so fantasy managers should ride out this minor slump until his volume rises back to a reasonable level. If Thielen remains an afterthought on offense against the Panthers next week, then it may be time to panic.

Coach Mike Tomlin noted after Sunday's 27-19 win over the Broncos that Smith-Schuster was taken to a hospital to have his injured shoulder evaluated, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Smith-Schuster injured his right shoulder with about six minutes left in the second quarter of the contest and was subsequently ruled out by the Steelers. For now, consider Smith-Schuster day-to-day until added information is available, but at this stage his status for next Sunday's game against the Seahawks is unclear.

Moore caught five of seven targets for 42 yards in Sunday's 21-18 loss to the Eagles.

Moore's two unsuccessful looks both resulted in interceptions by opposing cornerback Darius Slay. Although neither was Moore's fault, the wideout still had his worst statistical performance of the campaign thus far, mainly due to quarterback Sam Darnold's struggles. On the bright side, Moore still led the Panthers in receptions once again, and he entered Sunday having topped 75 yards in each of his four games prior. The ascending talent will hope to return to that good form in Week 6's matchup versus the Vikings.

Jefferson had seven receptions (eight targets) for 124 yards in Sunday's 19-17 win over the Lions.

Jefferson was unable to extend his touchdown streak to four games, but he still posted a strong fantasy line while leading the Vikings in total receiving yards. The 22-year-old continues to evolve into a true No. 1 wideout, rewarding fantasy managers who bet on his ascension through five games. Next week's opponent, the Carolina Panthers, will provide a tougher challenge than the Lions, but they also are dealing with injuries to their secondary. Regardless, Jefferson is a must-start asset in any matchup.

Waddle caught two of six targets for 31 yards and added a two-yard run in Sunday's 45-17 loss to Tampa Bay.

Waddle ranked third on the team in targets behind running back Myles Gaskin (10) and tight end Mike Gesicki (seven), with fellow wide receiver DeVante Parker (shoulder) inactive. The rookie first-round pick failed to do much with that volume and had a ball bounce off his hands in the fourth quarter, leading to an interception. Miami makes a concerted effort to get the ball in Waddle's hands often -- he has 36 targets through five games -- and there should be more room to operate against the shaky Jacksonville secondary in Week 6, though it remains to be seen whether Jacoby Brissett or Tua Tagovailoa (ribs) will be under center in London.

Jones caught one of five targets for 25 yards against Tennessee on Sunday.

The Jaguars trailed the vast majority of the 37-19 loss and quarterback Trevor Lawrence attempted 33 passes, but rather than targeting Jones or Laviska Shenault (three targets), most of the usage funneled toward Tavon Austin (five targets) and Jamal Agnew (eight targets). It's not a winning blueprint for the Jaguars offense, and they likely understand that any success as a passing game will need to run through Jones and Shenault in upcoming weeks. Whether they can pull it off is a separate question, but the Jaguars will presumably look to get Jones more involved against Miami in Week 6.

Coach Dan Campbell said after Sunday's 19-17 loss at Minnesota that Cephus has a shoulder or clavicle injury that "doesn't look good," Chris Burke of The Athletic reports.

The Lions will do their due diligence and evaluate Cephus' health concern to figure out the nature of the injury, but a clavicle issue could require surgery and potentially be season-ending. With Tyrell Williams (concussion) already on injured reserve, the team is getting woefully thin at wide receiver. Currently, Kalif Raymond, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Trinity Benson, KhaDarel Hodge and Tom Kennedy are the healthy and available players at the position on the active roster.

Shenault caught one of three targets for 58 yards against Tennessee on Sunday.

In a game during which the Jaguars trailed most of the time and in which quarterback Trevor Lawrence attempted 33 passes, Shenault somehow drew only three targets. It's a puzzling outcome for Shenault after he notched six receptions for 99 yards on seven targets in Week 4, and especially given the absence of DJ Chark (ankle). The Jaguars coaching staff likely understands Shenault's three targets as a policy failure in need of correction before Week 6, when the Jaguars will take on the Dolphins.

Johnson secured both of his targets for 72 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 27-19 win over the Broncos.

Johnson had been targeted at least 10 times in each of his first three appearances of 2021, but he saw fewer looks in Week 5 as the Steelers had a season-low 25 pass attempts. However, the 25-year-old hauled in a 50-yard touchdown early in the first quarter, which was his longest catch of the year. Johnson has brought in 25 of 37 targets for 305 yards and three touchdowns across his first four appearances this season.

Claypool hauled in five of six targets for 130 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 27-19 win over Denver.

Claypool was unavailable in Week 4 due to a hamstring injury that limited him in practice Wednesday and Thursday, but he didn't appear to have any limitations while turning in a season-best performance Sunday. The 2020 second-rounder led the team in targets, and his 59-yard reception in the second quarter was the Steelers' longest play of the game. Across his first four appearances of the season, Claypool has brought in 20 of 35 targets for 341 yards and a touchdown.