NFL Player News

Hightower (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's Week 16 tilt against the Cowboys, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

The rookie wideout has been a healthy scratch for three consecutive games, a status that was seemingly even more of a certainty this week with DeSean Jackson (ankle) being activated from injured reserve Saturday.

McLaurin (ankle) is inactive for Sunday's contest against the Panthers, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Washington will be without its top wide receiver for the first time this season due to the ankle issue that has hindered McLaurin since late November. He averages 9.5 targets per game, which now will filter down to the likes of Logan Thomas, J.D. McKissic and Cam Sims.

Bowden secured two of three targets for eight yards during Saturday's 26-25 win over the Raiders. He also carried the ball once for eight yards.

Bowden worked behind all of Jakeem Grant, Mack Hollins and Isaiah Ford in Miami's wide receiver corps Saturday, even with DeVante Parker (hamstring) sidelined. The rookie third-round pick has flashed real pass-catching ability, but he's not yet involved on offense with enough consistency to warrant fantasy consideration outside of deep formats.

Allen (hamstring) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Broncos.

With Allen out Sunday, look for Jalen Guyton, Tyron Johnson and KJ Hill to see added opportunities in the Chargers' Week 16 passing game alongside starting wideout Mike Williams.

Erickson is expected to start in place of Tyler Boyd (concussion) Sunday against the Texans, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Tee Higgins and A.J. Green are also in the team's wide receiver mix Sunday, so Erickson -- who's caught five passes for 43 yards in 14 games to date -- still represents a speculative fantasy option in Week 16 lineups.

Coulter (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Bengals.

The fifth-round rookie from Rhode Island made his NFL debut Week 14 against the Bears, however, he went without a target on a limited workload of six offensive snaps. Coulter was active last Sunday against the Colts, but he did not reach the field. Brandin Cooks stands as the Texans' clear No. 1 wideout, while Keke Coutee and Chad Hansen slot into prominent WR roles for Week 16.

Proche (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Giants.

The rookie sixth-rounder will sit out for the first time this season with Chris Moore (hand) back in the lineup. Through 14 games, Proche has mainly contributed in the return game. Either Marquise Brown or Willie Snead will fill in on punt returns in Proche's place.

Brown (knee) is active for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Brown missed practice Thursday due to the knee issue, but he returned to full activity Friday to take a questionable designation into the weekend. With Brown experiencing no setbacks heading into Sunday, he should be able to take on a normal snap load as the Ravens' No. 1 receiver. Brown has reached the end zone in three of his last four outings while racking up 17 receptions for 272 yards over that stretch.

Robinson (hamstring) is officially active for Sunday's game against the Jaguars.

Robinson was considered questionable for Sunday's contest, though his availability never truly appeared in doubt. The 27-year-old has 27 receptions for 355 yards and three touchdowns in four games since Chicago's Week 11 bye and will look to continue his strong run of play at Jacksonville.

Hill (hamstring) is listed as active for Sunday's game against the Falcons, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.

This was the expected outcome, though ESPN's Adam Schefter previously noted that Kansas City plans to "monitor Hill" during Sunday's game and "be smart with him as well." Assuming no in-game setbacks, however, Hill should remain a key playmaker in his team's Week 16 offense, which will take aim at an Atlanta defense that has allowed an average of 287.7 passing yards per game to date. Only Seattle (293.0) has allowed more.