NFL Player News

Thielen had two receptions for 11 yards on two targets in Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh in Dublin.

Thielen played on just 12 of the offense's 76 snaps as he moved to a distant No. 4 receiver with the return of Jordan Addison from a three-game suspension. Jalen Nailor played 48 snaps on offense and had four targets (one reception for a touchdown). Thielen is likely to have a small role in the offense unless there's an injury among the top three receivers.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Monday that the 49ers are hopeful Mustapha (knee) can practice following the team's Week 6 matchup against the Buccaneers, David Lombardi of SFStandard.com reports.

The second-year pro from Wake Forest has been sidelined all season after being placed on the 49ers' reserve/PUP list in late August due to a knee injury, but Shanahan's comments Monday suggest he may return to practice soon. Mustapha had a great rookie campaign for San Francisco, recording 72 total tackles and five passes defended, including one interception, across 16 regular-season games. He's expected to assume the team's top free safety spot once he returns from injury.

Bellinger caught his only target for 13 yards Sunday in a 21-18 win over the Chargers in Week 4.

There wasn't much of a change production-wise for Bellinger with Jaxson Dart making his first start at quarterback for the Giants, as the fourth-year TE saw exactly one target -- and made the catch -- for the third time through four weeks this season. Bellinger (24 offensive snaps) remained well behind Theo Johnson (53 offensive snaps) in the TE pecking order, and that doesn't figure to change after Johnson hauled in Dart's only TD pass Sunday. Bellinger is unlikely to have much fantasy value as long as he remains the second TE option in what has been a mostly tepid New York offense to this point.

Guerendo logged 14 snaps on special teams and was not used on offense in Sunday's 26-21 loss to the Jaguars.

Guerendo couldn't even make an appearance in the box score as a return man after WR Skyy Moore handled all punt and kick returns Sunday. The 25-year-old Guerendo has logged zero snaps on offense through four games this season, leaving no room for fantasy utility as we encroach the quarter point of the season. Managers should have no concerns leaving Guerendo in the free-agent pool for Thursday's tilt against the Rams.

Whittington secured his only target for seven yards and returned two kicks for 49 yards during Sunday's 27-20 victory against the Colts.

There was a noticeable jump in snap counts for the second-year wideout, as Whittington was on the field for 60 snaps on offense, just two less than Puka Nacua and one less than Davante Adams. Despite the boost in usage, it didn't translate to fantasy success with just a single catch on the day. Tutu Atwell, Whittington's primary competition on the depth chart, burned through blown coverage for an game-winning 88-yard touchdown but also was on the field for just 21 snaps on offense. A short week before a Thursday Night Football showdown against a depleted 49ers roster is up next Week 5, and the snap counts of Whittington and Atwell will be telling as to whether the latter has reclaimed some ground on the No. 3 wideout role for the Rams.

Walker's wrist injury sustained in Sunday's 26-21 win over the 49ers is not considered season-ending, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Walker played just 12 defensive snaps and recorded two total tackles prior to his injury in Week 4. The 2022 first overall pick is set to visit a specialist regarding his wrist in the near future, though the injury isn't considered to be season-ending. He's already tallied 2.0 sacks through Jacksonville's first four games, making his loss impactful. Walker's practice participation throughout the week will likely provide the best indication of whether he can play in the Jags' Week 5 matchup against the Chiefs.

Panthers coach Dave Canales said Monday that Legette (hamstring) is day-to-day, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Legette has missed back-to-back games and was unable to practice in any capacity en route to being ruled out for Week 4, but it appears he has a better chance to return Week 5 to take on the Dolphins on Sunday, Oct. 5. Across two regular-season appearances so far, the 2024 first-round pick has secured just four of 15 targets for eight yards.

Adebawore had three total tackles, including 0.5 sacks, and two QB hits in Sunday's loss at the Rams.

Adebawore played on just 22 of the defense's 75 snaps as he's working in a reserve role. However, he's shown improvement this year, which may result in a larger role later in the season.

Hyatt did not get targeted during Sunday's 21-18 Week 4 victory over the Chargers.

In Jaxson Dart's first start for New York, Hyatt logged a 38 percent offensive snap share but did not have a ball thrown his way. The third-year wideout has not gotten a target through four weeks this season, though it's worth noting that he didn't see the field in Weeks 1 or 2 and logged just six offensive snaps in Week 3. Hyatt could be in for a significantly larger role for the remainder of the campaign after Malik Nabers tore his ACL on Sunday, as only Wan'Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton are clearly ahead of him on the wideout depth chart. With that being said, Hyatt has struggled to produce so far in the NFL even when given opportunities, so fantasy managers may want to take a wait-and-see approach when determining whether he's worth even a dart throw off the waiver wire.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Monday that Carter (knee) will miss "weeks," Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports.

Cleveland's top kick and punt returner sustained a knee injury in the Browns' 34-10 loss to the Lions on Sunday and will now be sidelined for the coming weeks. Carter had already tallied 274 kick-return and 56 punt-return yards over just four games, so this could be a huge loss to the Browns' special-teams unit. Jerome Ford will likely be the primary kickoff returner in Carter's absence, while wideouts Isaiah Bond and Kaden Davis, currently on the practice squad, could also see increased duties on special teams.