NFL Player News

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that the team's initial belief is that Pearsall (knee) is dealing with a "minor PCL" injury, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Shanahan said Pearsall's injury "hopefully [...] won't be too bad" after the wideout was forced out of Sunday's loss to the Jaguars early, but he also mentioned that the short week of preparation ahead of Thursday's matchup against the Rams is "a totally different element," per David Lombardi of SFStandard.com. While there appears to be cause for optimism that Pearsall has avoided a severe injury, at this stage his status for Week 5 appears truly uncertain. With George Kittle (hamstring) still on IR until at least Week 6, the 49ers will have to rely on Kendrick Bourne, Demarcus Robinson, Skyy Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling as key receiving threats behind Jauan Jennings (undisclosed) on Thursday Night Football if Pearsall isn't cleared to play.

Samuel caught one of two targets for nine yards in Sunday's 31-19 win over the Saints.

The 29-year-old wideout was a healthy scratch in all of the Bills' games prior to the Week 4 win. He logged 20 offensive snaps and played ahead of Elijah Moore (18 snaps), who had previously been serving as Buffalo's No. 4 wide receiver. Additionally, Samuel added 82 kick-return yards on just three attempts. He'll likely play a similar role in the Week 5 matchup against the Patriots, contributing both offensively and on special teams.

Skowronek failed to secure his lone target in Sunday's 24-21 win over the Vikings.

Skowronek caught a 22-yard touchdown during the Steelers' regular-season opener, but Sunday's overseas matchup was the first time he was targeted since then. Calvin Austin exited Sunday's game due to a shoulder injury, and it's not yet clear whether he'll be available following the Steelers' Week 5 bye. However, even if Austin misses time, Skowronek would likely be forced to compete for a role with Scotty Miller and Roman Wilson, and it's unlikely that any of them would have much fantasy upside behind DK Metcalf.

Moore rushed once for no yards during Sunday's 31-19 win over the Saints.

The 2021 second-round pick from Ole Miss has now tallied 25 rushing yards on the season, receiving a carry in all of Buffalo's games. However, the 25-year-old played fewer offensive snaps (18) than Curtis Samuel (20), who caught one of two targets for nine yards in Week 4. Moore is now likely serving as the Bills' No. 5 wideout and will continue to play a depth role in a Week 5 matchup against the Patriots.

Wilson wasn't targeted during Sunday's 24-21 win over the Vikings.

Wilson played double-digit offensive snaps in each of the Steelers' first two games of the season, but he's been held to single-digit snaps in his last two appearances. Although Calvin Austin sustained a shoulder injury during Sunday's overseas victory, he'll have time to recover during the Steelers' Week 5 bye, and Wilson seems unlikely to handle a fantasy-relevant role, especially if Austin is available against the Brown in Week 6.

Douglas was on the field for eight of a possible 49 snaps on offense in Sunday's 42-13 win over the Panthers, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.

In the process, the slot receiver didn't record a target, with Reiss noting that Douglas' dip in playing time corresponded with Stefon Diggs' snap share increasing Sunday. Though there will be weeks where Douglas is more involved in the offense, be it via game plan or game flow, his 5-13-1 line on 13 targets through four games has him off the fantasy lineup radar for now.

Hollins, who logged 24 of a possible 49 snaps on offense in Sunday's 42-13 win over the Panthers, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, caught his only target in the contest for a four-yard TD.

Hollins has scored in two of his last three games, but with an overall 7-42-2 line on nine targets through Week 4, he profiles as TD-dependent option in deeper fantasy formats as this weekend's game against the Bills approaches.

Boutte, who was on the field for 34 of a possible 49 snaps on offense in Sunday's 42-13 win over the Panthers, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, caught one of his three targets in the contest for 18 yards.

Since opening the season with a six-catch, 103-yard effort Week 1, Boutte has just four catches (on seven targets) for 62 yards and a TD in three games since then. At that rate of production, he's a hit-or-miss fantasy lineup option ahead of this coming weekend's game against the Bills.

Palmer caught two of three targets for 25 yards in the Bills' 31-19 win over the Saints on Sunday.

Palmer's playing time has dwindled in recent weeks. After playing over 62 percent of the offensive snaps in Week 1 against the Ravens, Palmer's workload has dipped in each game since, landing at just 25 percent against New Orleans. In a Buffalo offense that likes to cycle through its receivers and tight ends throughout the course of a game, Palmer holds minimal fantasy value unless injuries crop up ahead of him on the depth chart.

Shakir secured all five of his targets for 69 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 31-19 win over the Saints.

Most of Shakir's production came on a 43-yard touchdown in the first quarter, as he put his YAC ability on full display and broke multiple tackles on a reception initially made behind the line of scrimmage. He played a season-low 29 offensive snaps versus New Orleans, but game script may have been a factor in his reduced workload. Shakir has scored in back-to-back weeks and is one of the top targets for Josh Allen in a Bills offense that has piled up 30-plus points in all four regular-season games so far. He'll look to keep up his momentum at home against the division-rival Patriots in Week 5 on Sunday, Oct. 5.