NFL Player News

Snead recorded a team-high 62 receptions for 651 yards and a touchdown on 91 targets in his first season with the Ravens in 2018.

The former Saint was a consistent contributor in Baltimore's low-volume passing attack this past season. He saw at least five targets in 13 games and caught 64.4 percent of his looks while accounting for 18.5 percent of the team's air yards. Snead's reliable presence over the middle and as a downfield blocker make it likely that he'll be back for the second year of his two-year deal in Baltimore in 2019.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday on his weekly radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan Dallas that he's "very positive" about Beasley's (ankle) chances of playing Saturday's divisional-round matchup with the Rams, Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Beasley sprained his ankle during the Cowboys' wild-card victory over the Seahawks this past weekend and was limited to just 31 offensive snaps, his second-lowest total of the season. There's a good chance that he'll receive some maintenance during the Cowboys' upcoming practices as a result, but Jones' comments suggest Beasley's status for Saturday isn't in much peril. Assuming he endures no setbacks in the coming days, he should reclaim his usual role as the Cowboys' top option out of the slot.

Smith, who caught three passes for 30 yards and a touchdown in the meaningless season finale, finished the season with 28 receptions on 44 targets for 427 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games in 2018.

At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Smith's intriguing combination of speed and size led to him being drafted by the Saints in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Playing behind Ted Ginn Jr. to begin the season, the rookie receiver was quiet the first few games. But, after Ginn succumbed to a knee injury, Smith broke out on the national stage in Week 5, scoring twice on Monday Night Football as quarterback Drew Brees became the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards. With Ginn on injured reserve, Smith started most of the games thereafter, but only once had more than three catches in a game -- the exception being a 10-catch, 157-yard outburst Week 11. With Ginn again healthy, Smith likely will see his role reduced in the playoffs, but despite his up-and-down season, Smith is expected to be a huge part of the Saints' future receiving corps.

Kirkwood had 13 catches on 21 targets for 209 yards and two touchdowns in eight games in 2018.

An undrafted free agent from Temple, Kirkwood impressed the Saints coaching staff during training camp but was unable to crack the team's active roster. The rookie receiver spent the first half of the season on the Saints' practice squad, but upon being first activated in Week 10, Kirkwood immediately took over as the team's primary slot receiver. While his final statistics were nothing special, Kirkwood has good size at 6-foot-3 and the trust of Drew Brees and the Saints coaches, as he averaged 36 snaps per game in Weeks 15 and 16. With the team limiting his playing time in the meaningless Week 17 finale, it's clear that the Saints view him as an important piece to their title hopes and perhaps a key cog in their 2019 receiving corps.

Beasley suffered a sprained right ankle during Saturday's wild-card game against the Seahawks, Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News reports. "It's sore, man," Beasley said. "But I think I'll be alright. We'll just see how it progresses through the week. Hopefully, it feels a lot better than it does right now. I think I just need some time for it to calm down and I'll be good."

Beasley appeared to injure his ankle on the first series of the game after making a 14-yard catch. The slot man tried to play through the injury, but he left the field with an apparent limp on multiple occasions. While Beasley's optimism is encouraging, it's not necessarily a guarantee that he'll be able to suit up for the Dallas' upcoming divisional playoff game against the Rams on Saturday. The Cowboys' first injury report of the week should help clarify matters.

Robinson caught 10 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown in Chicago's 16-15 playoff loss to the Eagles.

Robinson caught mostly short passes in the first half before the Chicago coaching staff realized they had a significant mismatch by using its star receiver as a downfield weapon against an overmatched secondary. His 143 yards represented his biggest yardage total of the season and only the second time he exceeded 85 yards in his first year with the Bears. After finishing the season with 55 receptions for 754 yards and four touchdowns, he'll enter the second year of his three-year deal, and he should be the primary receiving option who could see a major uptick in production in 2019.

Snead brought in three of six targets for 50 yards in the Ravens' 23-17 wild-card loss to the Chargers on Sunday.

Snead ended up co-leading the team in receptions on the afternoon alongside Kenneth Dixon, and he came just three yards short of matching the latter's team-high tally in that category. The fourth-year wideout thus put together a solid conclusion to what was a bounce-back campaign, following a forgettable 2017 in New Orleans in which he managed just eight receptions for 92 yards over 11 games. Conversely, Snead generated a 62-651-1 line for the Ravens in 2018, encouragingly posting a trio of five-catch efforts with Jackson under center during the regular season. Looking ahead to 2019, Snead will look to further his rapport with the young quarterback during what will be a contract year for the 26-year-old wideout.

Allen brought in four of six targets for 37 yards in the Chargers' 23-17 wild-card win over the Ravens on Sunday.

Allen was largely kept in check by the stingy Ravens defense throughout the afternoon, and he essentially did his damage relatively close to the line of scrimmage. As his regular-season numbers (97-1,196-6) corroborate, the veteran pass catcher remains Philip Rivers' most trusted target. Consequently, he's likely to see a larger workload during what shapes up as a slightly less intimidating matchup in next Sunday's divisional-round clash with the Patriots.

Williams brought in two of five targets for 42 yards and also caught a two-point conversion pass in the Chargers' 23-17 wild-card win over the Ravens on Sunday.

Williams ended up pacing the Chargers in receiving yardage with his modest total, and he logged the longest catch of the day for the team with a 28-yard grab in the second half. He then found himself wide-open in the left corner of the end zone on a two-point conversion play after Melvin Gordon's early fourth-quarter one-yard run. The second-year wideout finished the regular season on a strong note with three touchdowns over the last three games, as well 76- and 65-yard efforts in Weeks 15 and 17, respectively. Now having gotten a taste of some postseason success, Williams will look to take his contributions up a notch versus the Patriots in next Sunday's divisional-round matchup.

Crabtree brought in two of four targets for 38 yards and two touchdowns in the Ravens' 23-17 wild-card loss to the Chargers on Sunday.

Crabtree's numbers took a notable hit once Lamar Jackson took over under center during the latter portion of the season, but he reemerged in significant fashion during the Ravens' furious fourth-quarter comeback Sunday. The veteran possession man gained some rare separation down the right sideline on a 31-yard touchdown reception with 6:31 remaining, and he then came back to secure a seven-yard scoring dart from Lamar Jackson with just under two minutes left, bringing Baltimore within six points. Although they'd ultimately fall short in their bid to overtake the Chargers, it was an encouraging finish to the season for Crabtree, who'll look to develop further chemistry with his young quarterback during the coming offseason.