NFL Player News

The Bills placed Davis (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday.

Davis' move to IR was merely a formality after head coach Sean McDermott confirmed Monday that the wide receiver suffered an ACL tear to his left knee in the wild-card round this past weekend. Given the timing of his injury, Davis likely won't be back to 100 percent to begin the 2026 season, which could result in him struggling to find a landing spot in free agency this offseason. The wideout appeared in six games for the Bills during the regular season and produced a 12-129-1 receiving line on 18 targets.

General manager Dan Morgan announced Tuesday that Carolina plans to exercise the 2027 team option on Young's contract this offseason, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Young's fifth-year option is projected to come in at around $26.5 million and will be fully guaranteed. While the Panthers' willingness to pick up the option represents some level of commitment to the 24-year-old signal-caller, Young may need to make more dramatic strides in 2026 in order to land a long-term extension. He showed some modest improvement in Year 3, leading an 8-9 Panthers squad to its first NFC South title in a decade while directing six game-winning drives. Young completed 304 of 478 pass attempts for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions to go with 216 yards and two scores on 54 carries over 16 starts during the regular season. A respectable showing against the heavily favored Rams in the wild-card round this past weekend will also be a confidence booster for the QB heading into 2026.

Wester finished the season with 246 kick return yards and 198 punt return yards. He did not draw a target on 58 offensive snaps.

The rookie was used almost exclusively on special teams. He never played more than nine snaps on offense in any game. Wester established himself as an effective punt returner and finished in the top 20 in punt return yards with 198. While his fantasy output was disappointing, it's too early to give up on Wester being a factor in that regard. Baltimore had a veteran-laden group of pass-catchers in 2025, but it's far from a guarantee that the depth chart will look the same next season. DeAndre Hopkins and Tylan Wallace are expected to hit free agency, and the offense itself will look different under a new coaching staff. Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman are established starters, and Devontez Walker has shown some flashes. That said, Wester has a chance to climb the depth chart depending on how Baltimore approaches the offseason.

Bullock recorded three tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown in Monday's 30-6 wild-card playoff round win over the Steelers.

On a night when Houston's offense struggled, its defense stole the show with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. After Sheldon Rankins returned a fumble for a score, Bullock put the final touch on the victory with a 50-yard return. It was the fifth pick of the year for Bullock.

Rankins had two tackles, including 1.5 sacks, and returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown in Monday's 30-6 wild-card playoff round win over Pittsburgh.

Houston's defense played a significant role in the win, and Rankins was involved in the key play of the contest early in the fourth quarter. He and Will Anderson collapsed the pocket and sacked Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who fumbled. As the ball lay on the ground under several bodies, Rankins scooped it and ran 33 yards for a touchdown that gave the visitors a 17-6 lead. The way the Texans' defense played, the two-score lead was plenty. Rankins, who plays on the interior of the defensive line, was an unheralded part of the defense during the regular season but did contribute 35 tackles (15 solo) and 3.0 sacks over 17 contests.

Chubb rushed 10 times for 48 yards and was not targeted as a receiver in Monday's 30-6 wild-card win over the Steelers.

Chubb took a back seat to rookie starter Woody Marks (19-112-1) as he had been doing in the second half of the regular season. It was the veteran backup's first game with double-digit carries since Week 9 of the regular season. Six of his 10 carries against Pittsburgh came in garbage time late in the fourth quarter, so DFS players should not expect this kind of workload from Chubb against the Patriots in the divisional round.

Higgins had three receptions (on four targets) for 39 yards in Monday's 30-6 wild-card win over Pittsburgh.

Higgins finished second in receiving yardage for Houston after teammate Nico Collins suffered a concussion early in the second half and did not return. It was Texans slot receiver Christian Kirk (8-144-1) who benefited the most from Collins' late exit in the dominating wild-card round victory over the Steelers. That said, if Collins is unable to clear the league's concussion protocol ahead of Sunday's road playoff tilt against the Patriots, then Higgins would likely absorb some of his star teammate's targets in the divisional-round matchup.

Stroud completed 21 of 32 pass attempts for 250 yards, one touchdown and one interception while recording a pair of lost fumbles in Monday's 30-6 wild-card win over the Steelers.

Stroud struggled with ball security against Pittsburgh after losing possession of two of his four fumbles in the first half of Houston's wild-card matchup. The Ohio State product tacked on an interception in the third quarter and another fumble that he recovered on the fourth quarter, but the Steelers were only able to generate three points off of the signal-caller's three turnovers Monday. Stroud would settle down behind a dominant performance from his defense (including two defensive TDs) and comfortably guide the Texans to victory in the second half. The 23-year-old will have to clean up those mistakes in the divisional round in order to put his team in position to advance past the Patriots on Sunday.

Austin brought in three of six targets for eight yards and returned one punt for 14 yards in the Steelers' 30-6 wild-card loss to the Texans on Monday night.

Austin's receiving line underscores how suffocating the Texans defense was overall, on a night when Aaron Rodgers was sacked four times and threw for only 146 yards. Austin recorded 31 receptions for 372 yards and three touchdowns on 55 targets across 14 regular-season games in 2025, adding 15 punt returns for 101 yards. The 2022 fourth-round pick is slated to hit unrestricted free agency at the start of the new league year, and given his unremarkable body of work over his first four seasons, it's likely the Steelers allow him to explore the open market.

Metcalf (suspension) brought in two of five targets for 42 yards in the Steelers' 30-6 wild-card loss to the Texans on Monday night.

Metcalf returned from a two-game ban to close out the regular season and contributed 25- and 17-yard gains on his pair of grabs. His yardage total was a team-high figure, and he tied for second in targets as well. Ultimately, the Texans defense put the clamps on the Steelers offense as a whole, leading to a quiet finish to Metcalf's debut campaign in Pittsburgh. The veteran wideout posted a 59-850-6 line on 99 targets while adding two rushes for 12 yards across 15 regular-season games while working with Aaron Rodgers for the first time. Metcalf is in line to reprise his role as Pittsburgh's No. 1 receiver in 2026, but he may be working with a new quarterback for the second straight season.