NFL Player News

Samuel logged two catches on as many targets for 26 yards and one touchdown during Buffalo's 23-20 loss to New England on Sunday. He also turned three kickoff returns into 84 yards.

Samuel helped give the Bills a 10-6 lead early in the third quarter after hauling in a six-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen. Samuel was on the field for 33 of the Bills' 68 offensive snaps (48.6 percent), which was fourth most among Buffalo wide receivers behind Khalil Shakir (43), Keon Coleman (42) and Joshua Palmer (35). Samuel has played in each of the Bills' last two games after being a healthy scratch for the first three games, though most of his contributions will come on special teams as a kick returner rather than on offense unless there's an injury in Buffalo's wide-receiver corps.

Palmer caught two passes on as many targets for 36 yards during the Bills' 23-20 loss to the Patriots on Sunday.

Palmer was held to a 23-yard catch in the the second quarter for much of the game before hauling in a 13-yard grab on the last play of regulation. He was on the field for 35 of 68 offensive snaps (51.5 percent), which was third most among Bills wide receivers behind Khalil Shakir (43) and Keon Coleman (42). Palmer saw nine targets in his Bills debut Week 1 against the Ravens, but he has seen three looks or less from Josh Allen in each of the four games since. The lack of targets makes Palmer hard to count on from a fantasy perspective heading into Buffalo's Week 6 road contest against Atlanta on Monday, Oct. 13.

Worthy (shoulder/ankle) is listed as active Monday at Jacksonville, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Worthy put an end to a two-game absence Week 4 against the Ravens after recovering from the dislocated right shoulder that he suffered in the season opener. Overall, he played 59 percent of the snaps en route to five catches (on eight targets) for 83 yards and two carries for 38 yards. Worthy proceeded to be listed as a full participant during Week 5 prep, but his status was changed to questionable after his ankle swelled up on the Chiefs' flight to Jacksonville. However, now that his status is confirmed for Monday's contest, Worthy will slot in as Kansas City's No. 1 wide receiver.

Thielen did not have a target or carry in Sunday's win over Cleveland in London. He played on 14 of the offense's 65 snaps.

Thielen has become a distant No. 4 receiver the past two games with the return of Jordan Addison from a suspension. He's unlikely to have a larger role in the offense unless one of the top three receivers is injured.

Nailor had three receptions for 27 yards on four targets and one carry for 15 yards in Sunday's win over Cleveland in London.

Nailor started opposite Justin Jefferson with Jordan Addison benched for the first quarter for disciplinary reasons. It didn't result in a significant increase in playing time, as Nailor played on 42 of the offense's 65 snaps, about the same percentage as last week. Nailor will continue to operate as the No. 3 receiver when the Vikings face the Eagles in Week 7 after a bye.

Coach Dan Quinn said Monday the Commanders are optimistic about McLaurin (quadriceps) having a chance to play in next Monday night's game against the Bears, Tashan Reed of The Washington Post reports.

McLaurin has missed the Commanders' past two games and hasn't even returned to practice yet, but Quinn's optimism suggests the star wideout could be on the practice field at some point this week. With McLaurin and Noah Brown (groin/knee) missing the past two contests, Washington has leaned on Deebo Samuel as the unquestioned WR1 while cycling through Luke McCaffrey, Chris Moore, Jaylin Lane and Tay Martin behind Samuel.

Slayton (hamstring) was estimated as a non-participant on Monday's practice report, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Slayton pulled up lame in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Saints, and now the Giants have a short week ahead of Thursday night's game against the Eagles. If Slayton is unable to play Week 6, Jalin Hyatt and Beaux Collins figure to see every-down snaps alongside slot man Wan'Dale Robinson, though the Giants could use more two-tight end sets featuring Daniel Bellinger.

Westbrook-Ikhine was not targeted during Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Panthers.

With Tyreek Hill (knee) out for the remainder of the season, Westbrook-Ikhine has stepped into the role of Miami's No. 3 wide receiver. The veteran from West Alabama played 39 offensive snaps but failed to draw a target, with the majority of the offense going through Jaylen Waddle (6-110-1) and Darren Waller (5-78-1) in Week 5. Westbrook-Ikhine is likely to play another depth role in the Dolphins' wide-receiver corps in the Week 6 matchup against the Chargers.

Collins caught one of three targets for seven yards in Sunday's loss to New Orleans.

For the first three weeks of the campaign, Collins was deployed primarily in a special-teams role, but he got more of a look on offense in Week 4 after Malik Nabers went down with a season-ending knee injury. Collins then saw his role expand further in Week 5, as he tallied a season-high 28 offensive snaps -- fourth most among New York wideouts, and only slightly behind presumed No. 3 WR Jalin Hyatt (34). Collins came away with his first three targets and his first catch of the campaign, though he also made a key mistake by stopping mid-route on a pass thrown his way in the fourth quarter that led to a Jaxson Dart interception. How that play affects Collins' opportunities moving forward remains to be seen, but given the current state of New York's wideout corps -- Darius Slayton, Wan'Dale Robinson and Hyatt aren't threatening for Pro Bowl status -- Collins could continue to see more looks moving forward.

Hyatt did not catch any of his three targets in Sunday's loss to the Saints in Week 5.

With Malik Nabers (knee) out for the season, Hyatt logged a season-high 34 offensive snaps, third-most among Giants wideouts. However, the increase in opportunity did not lead to an increase in production. Hyatt did draw his first three targets of the campaign, but he didn't haul any of them in. Meanwhile, UDFA wideout Beaux Collins was right behind Hyatt with 28 offensive snaps, though he was only slightly more productive with one catch (on three targets) for seven yards. The Giants' passing attack as a whole has struggled so far this season, and with Collins potentially continuing to challenge Hyatt for targets behind Wan'Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton, Hyatt's outlook for a Week 6 Thursday night matchup against Philadelphia is bleak, at best.