NFL Player News

Smith is among the options to fill in for the injured Will Fuller (knee) for the remainder of the season, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Smith and Sammie Coates should get an uptick in playing time, although Smith got more snaps earlier in the season when Keke Coutee was sidelined. The wideout picture for Week 9 becomes further unsettled by Coutee's hamstring injury, which could prevent him from playing against Denver. The likeliest scenario to play out is Smith and Coates having a minimal impact, especially since Houston may join the trade market for a wide receiver. Coach Bill O'Brien is expected to feature Houston's resurgent ground game, which has compiled 329 yards the last two weeks, against the Broncos' 27th-ranked run defense.

Jones caught six of eight targets for 55 yards in Monday night's 25-6 loss to the Patriots.

Jones tied LeSean McCoy to lead the Bills in receptions and targets. In doing so, he set a new season high in the former category while tying his best mark in the latter. Nonetheless, his 55 yards evidenced a pretty restricted passing game with quarterback Derek Anderson, who joined rookie Josh Allen (elbow) in being sidelined by the game's end.

The Broncos can activate Taylor (hip) next week, but he's still battling soreness and has lost 15 pounds since his surgeries, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic Denver reports.

Jhabvala relayed that Taylor still feels as though he's a ways away. Even if things were to break in the manner most favorable to Taylor's fantasy prospects -- he regains full health and the Broncos trade away one of their veteran receivers -- Taylor would still be no better than fifth or sixth in the receiver hierarchy behind the likes of first-year players Courtland Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton and Tim Patrick. If Taylor's activated, it'd likely be more for special teams purposes than anything else.

Erickson was held to one catch for five yards on four targets in Sunday's win over the Bucs. He was on the field for 50 offensive snaps.

Erickson picked up a start in place of the injured John Ross, but instead of lining up in the slot he was outside more often, leaving Tyler Boyd to carve up the Bucs from the slot instead.

According to head coach Sean McVay, Kupp (knee) is expected to play Week 9 against the Saints, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Kupp suffered a sprain MCL in Week 6 against the Broncos and has missed the Rams' last two games. The second-year receiver is a key cog in the Rams' explosive pass offense and should return to a productive role should he indeed play against the Saints. Keep an eye on Kupp's practice status throughout the week, but should he suit up, Josh Reynolds likely will head back to a depth role after catching two touchdowns against the Packers in Week 8.

Marshall had no targets and just two offensive snaps in Sunday's 28-14 win over the Lions.

Since having six targets in each of the first three games, Marshall's offensive production has tanked to just two targets in the last three outings. In fact, he's dropped to fifth in the wideout pecking order. Fantasy owners shouldn't lose sleep from dropping the 34-year-old receiver as the Seahawks use young talents such as David Moore.

Perriman failed to haul in his lone target during Sunday's 33-18 loss to the Steelers.

Perriman played just nine offensive snaps, as he continues to be buried on the depth chart. The Browns signed Perriman in order to provide much-needed depth to their receiving corps, but so far it's Damion Ratley who's being utilized. Perriman's role could shrink even smaller if Cleveland lands a wideout before the trade deadline.

Agholor caught three of six targets for 49 yards and gained 14 more yards on his lone carry in Sunday's 24-18 win over the Jaguars.

While the six targets tied Zach Ertz for the team high on the day, Jordan Matthews and Alshon Jeffery each saw five, and only Matthews gained over 50 yards through the air in the contest. The 25-year-old has seen between four and seven looks in each of his last four games, but this performance was his second best over that span in terms of yards. In eight games, however, the USC product is well ahead of his 2017 pace with 41 receptions already this season; he just hasn't gotten in the end zone as he did during the Eagles' Super Bowl run of a season ago.

Butler worked out for the Texans but will not sign with the team, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Butler appeared to be a solid candidate to land in Houston after the team lost Will Fuller to a season-ending injury, but the 28-year-old was unable to come to terms on a deal. The former Cowboys wideout will search for a depth role elsewhere in the league.

Coach Adam Gase expects Parker to remain with the Dolphins beyond the NFL trade deadline Tuesday, Safid Deen of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

The Dolphins reportedly tried to trade Parker a few weeks ago, but they were forced to reconsider after fellow wideouts Albert Wilson (hip) and Kenny Stills (groin) suffered injuries. The 2015 first-round pick responded with six catches for a career-high 134 yards (on nine targets) in Thursday's 42-23 loss to the Texans, perhaps increasing trade interest while also making him a bit more valuable to the Dolphins. With Wilson on injured reserve and Stills no lock to return for Sunday's game against the Jets, it now seems likely the 4-4 Dolphins will hold on to Parker as they attempt to stick around in the playoff race.