NFL Player News

Samuel caught four of eight targets for 35 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-16 loss to the Packers.

Samuel opened the scoring with a two-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter, now giving him four end-zone trips over his last four games. The wideout also has posted two of his three best yardage totals of the campaign over that same span, boosting his value at an important time in the season. Next up for Samuel is a home date against the Falcons, whose defense has widely underwhelmed despite playing surprisingly well Week 10 versus the Saints.

Dortch was waived by the Panthers on Monday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Dortch was only active for one game over three weeks with Carolina and he only saw touches on special teams. Needing room to sign running back Mike Davis, the Panthers are parting ways with the speedy Wake Forest product.

Offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said Erickson's snaps were limited during Sunday's loss to Baltimore due to an undisclosed injury, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Erickson failed to bring in either of the two targets he saw over 38 snaps before leaving the game. Rookie Stanley Morgan saw a career high in playing time as a result of Erickson's absence, but he was only able to catch one of four targets for nine yards on an identical 38 offensive snaps. Erickson's participation in practice this week will be telling for his availability for Sunday's game in Oakland. If he's unable to go, Morgan again figures to take on an expanded role.

Cain cleared waivers and has signed with the Colts' practice squad, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

It was first a surprise that the promising 23-year-old was waived last week, and it's even more suspicious that he wasn't claimed by any of the 31 other NFL teams. Regardless, Cain is now back with the Colts, though it's possible another team could sign him off the practice squad.

Reynolds caught three of five targets for 49 yards during Sunday's 17-12 loss to Pittsburgh.

Reynolds has a respectable six receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown over the past two games. His role in the passing attack has grown with Brandin Cooks (concussion) out of the lineup, and the third-year receiver projects to remain a considerable piece of the offense for the duration of Cooks' absence. Just note that Los Angeles no longer offers the cushy fantasy setup it did in the first half of last season.

McKenzie suited up for the second straight week Sunday against the Browns, bringing in two of four targets for 19 yards while seeing action on 54 percent of the team's offensive plays.

McKenzie and Robert Foster were made active for the second straight week while Duke Williams was a healthy inactive, a situation that could remain fluid for the rest of the season. McKenzie is the team's best jet-sweep option, something the Bills have incorporated into their offense for much more than an occasional change-up play. The problem is, McKenzie is often the decoy on these plays and has no more than four touches in a game all season. He was also used more as a return man last season, but this year, the Bills have one of the league's best in free-agent signee Andre Roberts. McKenzie may keep suiting up if only for his versatility, but at the moment, his main fantasy impact stems from him stealing the occasional touch from other players and keeping a more traditional receiver in Williams off the field.

Treadwell had one reception for ten yards on his only target in Sunday's win at Dallas.

After getting five targets and playing 19 snaps in the prior week's loss at Kansas City, Treadwell had a more limited role with just 12 snaps on offense. Bisi Johnson (52 snaps) is clearly the No. 2 receiver with Adam Thielen sidelined with a hamstring injury, leaving Treadwell to a more limited role where he's mostly blocking (he blocked on six snaps) despite his surprise output in Week 9.

Grant caught both targets for 15 yards during Sunday's 16-12 win over the Colts.

Grant appeared to have a shot at an expanded role in Miami's offense with Preston Williams (knee) on injured reserve, but he concluded Sunday's win with another mundane receiving line. In leagues that don't reward fantasy points for return yards, Grant doesn't warrant roster consideration.

Coach Pat Shurmur said Monday that Shepard (concussion) will resume practicing while the Giants are on bye in Week 11, Tom Rock of Newsday reports.

While Shepard's ability to practice is encouraging, it's likely he'll still be barred from taking contact since he remains in the NFL's concussion protocol. The bye week should aid Shepard's chances of making it back to action for the Giants' next game Nov. 24 versus the Bears, but clearing the five-step protocol for head injuries still looms as a major obstacle for the wideout. Shepard already has been diagnosed with two concussions this season. He appeared on tap to return ahead of the Giants' Week 9 loss to the Cowboys, only to suffer a setback shortly before the contest.

Lazard was targeted six times and caught three passes for 27 yards in Sunday's victory over the Panthers.

Lazard's six targets trailed only Davante Adams among Packers skill players, but he was unable to do much for fantasy players, finishing with his fewest yards in a game since bursting onto the scene in Week 7. Lazard has averaged just under five targets per game since that same Week 7 contest, but he has steadily lost playing time, as his snap-count percentage fell Sunday for the third straight game. Lazard and the Packers will be on bye in Week 11 before returning to action in Week 12 in a tough away matchup against the 49ers.