NFL Player News

Smith-Schuster hauled in 11 of 15 targets, amassing 115 receiving yards during Sunday's 31-28 loss to the Saints.

Smith-Schuster delivered on his promise to fantasy owners, powering through a groin injury suffered in Thursday's practice to provide his fourth 100-yard outing over the past six weeks. (He also has three touchdowns during that span.) With Pittsburgh remaining on the outside looking in but maintaining a chance of reaching the postseason, Smith-Schuster is certain to put forth an impassioned effort against Cincinnati's bottom-three pass defense (275.7 YPG allowed). The second-year wideout amassed seven receptions for 111 yards the last time these two teams met in Week 6.

Shepard caught six of seven passes for 113 yards and lost three yards on a carry during Sunday's 28-27 loss to the Colts.

With the game tied at seven late in the first quarter, Eli Manning uncorked a 55-yard bomb to Shepard, setting up a Scott Simonson touchdown. With Odell Beckham Jr. (quad) inactive, Shepard snapped a seven-game streak in which he was held under 40 total yards. If New York sits Beckham again, Shepard will get another opportunity to be the No. 1 target against a Dallas defense that held Shepard to 24 yards in Week 2 but likely will be resting plenty of defensive starters for at least a big part of the contest.

Reynolds hauled in both of his targets for 44 yards in the Rams' 31-9 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.

Reynolds served in his usual role as a complementary option alongside Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks, shaking loose downfield for gains of 18 and 26 yards. The 23-year-old has been solid in place of Cooper Kupp (knee), as he's totaled 18 catches over the last five games. He'll look to head into the postseason with some momentum against the 49ers in Week 17, a game the Rams will need to win to secure the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.

Powell caught one of two targets for nine yards during Sunday's 27-9 loss to the Vikings.

Powell earned multiple targets for a second consecutive week in Bruce Ellington's (hamstring) absence. However, both Andy Jones and TJ Jones saw significantly more targets and snaps than Powell behind entrenched No. 1 wideout Kenny Golladay, making Powell a risky fantasy options even in the deepest of leagues when the Lions reconvene for the team's Week 17 season finale against the Packers.

Robinson caught six passes for 85 yards along with one rushing attempt for an additional nine yards in the Bears' 14-9 victory over the 49ers.

Robinson not only led Chicago with eight targets, but he was also the only receiver to catch a downfield pass, one that he turned into a 43-yard gain, which accounted for more than half of his yardage. He almost cost the Bears the game when he fumbled the ball away in the last few minutes, allowing San Francisco a chance to pull off the upset. Overall, his performance represented his second-highest yardage total of the season, and his inconsistent usage will make him difficult to trust in a tough Week 17 matchup against the Vikings.

Smith caught one of his two targets for a 19-yard gain during Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Falcons.

Smith missed a month of the season with a knee injury, but still went three straight games without a catch before Sunday's 19-yarder. The Panthers' attack is hard to read now with Taylor Heinicke taking over for Cam Newton, who has been shut down for the season. Heinicke actually managed to put up 274 passing yards in his first start, 93 of them on quick passes to the backs, but he, Smith, and the rest of Carolina's attack have a tougher test next Sunday against a hot Saints defense that held the Panthers to nine points in Week 15.

Thomas corralled 11 of 13 targets, compiling 109 receiving yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 31-28 win against the Steelers.

Prior to Sunday's breakout performance, Thomas hadn't been quite the downfield threat he was during the first half of the regular season -- failing to exceed 100 yards and averaging 64.5 YPG between Weeks 10 and 15, compared to three 100-yard outings and 110 YPG over the first eight games of the year. The 25-year-old Thomas snapped a four-game scoreless streak with his clutch, go-ahead 2-yard touchdown catch with 1:25 to go in regulation against Pittsburgh. Now that New Orleans has the NFC's No. 1 seed locked up, Thomas may rest against a Carolina defense that's allowed the fourth-most receiving yards (2,632) and the sixth-most touchdowns (19) to opposing WRs this season.

Sherfield brought in all six of his targets for 62 yards in the Cardinals' 31-9 loss to the Rams on Sunday.

The rookie paced the Cardinals in receiving yards and shared the lead in receptions with Larry Fitzgerald in what was another strong late-season effort. Sherfield also generated 5-77 line in Week 14, and he scored his first NFL touchdown in Week 15 versus the Falcons. The Vanderbilt product will look to continue surging and enter the offseason with some momentum when Arizona closes out the season against the Seahawks in Week 17.

Moore caught two of seven targets for 19 yards during Sunday's 24-10 loss to Atlanta.

Sunday was Moore's first game without at least 25 total yards since Week 3. With Cam Newton shut down for the season and Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen in at quarterback, the Panthers leaned heavily on do-it-all back Christian McCaffrey. The seven targets show that the Panthers tried to get the ball to their rookie first-round pick, but it's fair to assume that Heinicke and Moore haven't practiced much together this season. They'll have to develop that chemistry and quickly as Week 17's opponent, the Saints, held Moore to two catches in Week 15.

Cooks brought in all three of his targets for 35 yards and rushed three times for 27 yards in the Rams' 31-9 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.

Cooks didn't make much of an impact through the air, but the sum of his efforts was solid overall. The speedster also took an early seat once the Rams had the game in hand in the fourth quarter, and Cooks has now failed to top 62 receiving yards over his last four contests following a three-game streak of 100-yard efforts from Weeks 9-11, a matter he'll look to rectify when he tries to help the Rams secure the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in Week 17 against the 49ers.