NFL Player News

Watson did not see any targets but returned one kickoff for 13 yards and had a key onside-kick recovery in the Buccaneers' 25-23 win over the Giants on Monday night.

Watson rather surprisingly played just five snaps from scrimmage despite the absence of Chris Godwin (finger) and Antonio Brown's (suspension) unavailability, but he put in a robust 18 snaps on special teams. Watson made a notable contribution on his final play in that capacity, as he recovered Graham Gano's onside-kick attempt at the Giants' 44-yard line with 28 seconds left after New York had closed to within two points. Watson's fantasy outlook for the second half of the season appears bleak absent a rash of multiple injuries at receiver for Tampa Bay, as Brown will knock all receivers on the latter portion of the positional depth chart down a notch when he makes his expected Week 9 debut.

Guyton caught one of four targets for three yards in Sunday's 31-30 loss against the Broncos.

Guyton finally saw more than three targets in a game, but unfortunately only registered one catch in the third quarter for a mere three yards. He now has nine receptions for 261 yards, while the Chargers' top two receivers, Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, have both seen more than double the yards and receptions. The 23-year-old Guyton has continued to maintain a role as a deep threat and that most likely won't change next week against Las Vegas.

Johnson brought in both his targets for 35 yards in the Buccaneers' 25-23 win over the Giants on Monday night.

Johnson took a formidable hit from the Giants' Logan Ryan on his second and final catch of the night, a 20-yard grab that took the ball down to New York's 42-yard line on a drive that would culminate in a go-ahead touchdown grab by Mike Evans. The rookie played on exactly 50.0 percent of the snaps overall and was able to post his third multi-reception tally of the last four games in the process. However, the 2020 fifth-round pick could well be in for a notable decline in opportunity beginning Week 9, when Antonio Brown's expected debut projects to knock the receivers on the latter half of the depth chart down another notch.

Miller secured three of six targets for 35 yards and rushed once for seven yards in the Buccaneers' 25-23 win over the Giants on Monday night.

He somewhat surprisingly played a secondary role with Chris Godwin (finger) out and Antonio Brown (suspension) not yet available. checking in third in targets and receptions behind Mike Evans and Jaydon Mickens. Miller did log a solid 53 snaps (76.0 percent), trailing only Evans among Tampa Bay's wideouts. Miller was coming off a 109-yard tally versus the Raiders in Week 7, and the downturn could foretell the overall hit that may be in store beginning Week 9 when Brown's expected debut projects to knock him down a notch on the depth chart.

Mickens brought in five of eight targets for 36 yards and returned three kickoffs for 79 yards in the Buccaneers' 25-23 win over the Giants on Monday night.

Mickens surprisingly logged 44 snaps from scrimmage on the way to season bests in receptions, receiving yards and targets. The third-year receiver's boost in opportunity was the byproduct of Chris Godwin's (finger) absence, as well as the fact Antonio Brown (suspension) wasn't yet eligible to suit up. Despite having shared the team lead in receptions with Mike Evans and setting the pace in targets Monday night, Mickens will likely have a difficult time reprising that level of involvement moving forward. Brown is eligible to play beginning Week 9 against the Saints, and Godwin has what's been termed a "50-50 chance" to return for that contest as well.

Agholor was unable to haul in either of his two targets in Sunday's 16-6 win over the Browns.

Agholor earned another start on the outside after racking up five catches for 107 yards and a score in a Week 7 loss to the Buccaneers, but Sunday's windy conditions severely capped his production as the Raiders ran for just over 200 yards on 45 carries. Rookie Bryan Edwards (ankle) could return in Week 9, impacting Agholor's usage, but the latter has proven worthy of playing time while collecting three touchdowns and four catches of 20-plus yards over the team's last four contests.

Hodge is expected to be the deep threat replacement for the injured Odell Beckham (knee), Ellis L. Williams of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Without Beckham, the Browns have Hodge and Rashard Higgins as the next men up. Both receivers had a similar snap count in Sunday's loss to the Raiders -- Higgins had 35 snaps while Hodge played 34. Hodge has greater speed than Higgins, making him the ideal replacement as a field stretcher. Defenses may not feel the need to immediately send a safety over the top to help on Hodge, as they do for Beckham, but the Browns may want to take some shots deep to see if he can become a credible threat. If Hodge develops as a legit outside-the-numbers option, that could take the pressure off Jarvis Landry, who should see multiple defenders on most routes without Beckham in the lineup.

Hightower did not catch any of his three targets in Sunday's 23-9 win over the Cowboys.

After catching a couple bombs over his past two games, Hightower got yet another deep target early in the contest but was unable to corral it this time. The last pass thrown his way was intercepted, so he had little chance to make an impact. Most importantly, the rookie fifth-rounder was only on the field for 10 snaps, a trend that will likely continue now that Jalen Reagor is healthy again.

Beasley caught both of his targets for 24 yards in Sunday's win over the Patriots.

One might think Beasley -- a short-area specialist -- would have been the beneficiary of a rainy, windy day that prevented much deep throwing for either team, but the Bills had the lead most of the game and ended up throwing only 18 times. Beasley certainly has better games in store, and his 41-494-2 line is nothing to sniff at for a No. 3 receiver, though the only sure thing in the Buffalo offense at RB/WR/TE remains Stefon Diggs. Everyone else simply has to pick their spots.

Slayton caught five of nine targets for 56 yards in Monday night's 25-23 loss to the Buccaneers.

Slayton made a great fourth-down reception to extend New York's final offensive drive, but his night was otherwise marred by failed deep connections with Daniel Jones. The speedster never got on the same page as his quarterback, missing a few big-play opportunities in the process. Despite those disappointments, Slayton still trailed only Sterling Shepard in receptions while nearly hitting double digits in targets. That involvement bodes well ahead of Week 9's matchup against Washington.