NFL Player News

Bourne had four catches (five targets) for 73 yards in Sunday's 14-9 loss to Chicago.

Starting wideout Dante Pettis (knee) left the game in the first half, opening the door for Bourne to post his highest yardage total this season. Pettis is already expected to miss Week 17's matchup with the Rams, and if Marquise Goodwin (Achilles) also misses the contest, then Bourne would rocket up to first on the receiving depth chart and receive a healthy boost in fantasy value.

Godwin brought in three of six targets for 39 yards in the Buccaneers' 27-20 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday.

Godwin's final line was nothing to write home about, but it actually served as a considerable improvement over his production over the last two games. Godwin had brought in just one of 13 targets in his last pair of contests, making it his worst multi-game stretch as a pro. He was back to sharing the No. 3 receiver role with Adam Humphries against Dallas following DeSean Jackson's return from a thumb injury, and he'll look to up his numbers in that capacity in the Week 17 matchup against the Falcons.

Washington failed to catch either of his two targets during Sunday's 31-28 loss to New Orleans.

This was the sixth of 13 games in which Washington was held without a reception and he has caught just 13 of 35 targets for an abysmal 37 percent catch rate. The Steelers needing a win and help to get in to the postseason, but there are much better receiving options than Washington in Week 17, despite facing a Cincinnati defense that ranks 30th in the league against the pass.

Rogers caught his lone target for two yards during Sunday's 31-28 loss to New Orleans.

This was only Rogers' second game this season and he has just five receptions for 22 yards heading into Week 17. The Steelers need to win against the Bengals and have the Browns defeat the Ravens to get in to the postseason. Expect Ben Roethlisberger to continue to focus on Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, making Rogers and most other Pittsburgh receivers poor fantasy options.

Conley hauled in three of his five targets for 54 yards in Sunday's 38-31 loss to the Seahawks.

Conley hauled in two big passes in the first half -- they were 18 and 23 yards respectively -- though he fumbled the latter, ending a scoring threat for the Chiefs. While he remains the second wide receiver on the depth chart with Sammy Watkins (foot) sidelined, Conley has had to fight for targets with the likes of Damien Williams, Travis Kelce, and Tyreek Hill. As a result, he has failed to surpass five targets in each of the past three games and cannot be counted on for a consistent role in the offense. However, he still possesses plenty of upside so long as Sammy Watkins cannot take the field, thanks to having Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback.

Hill caught four of his nine targets for 74 yards in Sunday's 38-31 loss to the Seahawks. He also added two carries for 17 yards.

Hill was quiet early on, recording only 17 rushing yards and one catch for 15 yards in the first half. He did come on in a bit in the second half, which was highlighted by a 32-yard reception. However, there was cause for concern when he remained on the ground after the play with an apparent ankle injury. Though he re-entered the game, he was targeted only once afterwards and was not able to record a reception. With the Chiefs still fighting for the AFC West title, Hill will certainly be on the field for the regular-season finale so long as his health allows, although his elite speed could be limited by the injury.

Lockett caught four of five targets for 99 yards and zero touchdowns in Sunday's win over the Chiefs.

Lockett posted his second-most receiving yards of the season but failed to reach the end zone for the third straight game despite scoring in nine of the first 12 contests. He's clearly playing second fiddle again to Doug Baldwin, who made seven catches on 12 targets for 126 yards and a score in this outing. Nevertheless, Lockett is within reach of his first 1,000-yard season if he can pile up over 101 yards in Week 17 versus the Cardinals.

McKenzie caught one of eight targets for an eight-yard gain during Sunday's 24-12 loss to New England.

McKenzie had caught at least four passes in three straight games coming into Sunday. He and Josh Allen just couldn't get on the same page Sunday. McKenzie fell out of favor last season in Denver with mental errors and fumbles, and he has fumbled twice -- losing one -- in six games with the Bills. Still, he's prominent part of a youth movement at receiver in Buffalo and figures to get a fair amount of action in the season finale against the Dolphins, a team he caught four passes against for 46 yards in Week 13.

Kirkwood hauled in two of his four targets to total 35 yards in Sunday's 31-28 win over the Steelers.

Despite the return of Ted Ginn, Kirkwood continued to see his snap total climb as he took the field on a season-best 38 offensive plays. That led to four targets, his highest mark since Week 11 -- his second NFL game. With the Saints clinching the number one seed in the NFC, playmakers such as Michael Thomas may see a limited role in Week 17 against the Panthers, opening up the possibility of an increased target share for Kirkwood.

Smith caught his lone target to total 11 yards in Sunday's 31-28 win over the Steelers.

Smith's disappointing second half continued as he commanded only one target for the third time in four weeks. The return of Ted Ginn only loosens Smith's hold on his role in the offense, making it likely he concludes his rookie campaign in a disappointing manner. That said, he showed plenty of potential thought the season, with his performance spiking in Weeks 5 and 11 when he topped 100 yards and also found the end zone. Now that the Saints have locked up the top seed in the NFC, Smith's potential in Week 17 will likely be reliant on his role as well as the usage of target-hog Michael Thomas.