NFL Player News

Brooks wasn't targeted during Sunday's 37-14 defeat in Cincinnati.

Brooks has garnered offensive snaps in four straight games for the Cardinals, but his shares have ranged from five to 71 percent on a weekly basis. He rang in at 30 percent Sunday behind Michael Wilson (86 percent), Xavier Weaver (67 percent) and Marvin Harrison (33 percent). Because Harrison's status for the regular-season finale at the Rams is up in the air after emerging from Week 17 with a foot injury, Brooks could be poised for more snaps this weekend, but his output so far in Arizona (3-51-0 on six targets) isn't appealing for fantasy purposes.

Kiner took his only carry for two yards during Sunday's 37-14 loss in Cincinnati.

One week removed from earning a career-high six rushes that he turned into 32 yards, the undrafted rookie logged just two offensive snaps in Week 17, with the aforementioned carry occurring in the middle of the second quarter. Kiner ranked third in the RB pecking order for the Cardinals behind Emari Demercado's 30 snaps and seven touches and Michael Carter's 23 and nine, respectively. Such a breakdown likely will continue in Arizona's regular-season finale Sunday at the Rams.

Weaver recorded two catches (on three targets) for 24 yards during Sunday's 37-14 defeat at Cincinnati.

Weaver ranked second among Cardinals wide receivers in offensive snap share (67 percent) behind Michael Wilson (86 percent), which was somewhat aided by Marvin Harrison's (33 percent) early exit in the fourth quarter after he suffered what eventually was called a foot injury (as opposed to his lingering heel issue). The workload was Weaver's third highest of the campaign, and the second-year pro actually set a career high in receiving yards Sunday. Even if Harrison is inhibited or sidelined Week 18 at the Rams, Weaver is an unlikely candidate to produce in that contest considering Wilson and TE Trey McBride have been absorbing most of the targets down the stretch of the current campaign.

Higgins didn't haul in his only target during Sunday's 37-14 loss at Cincinnati.

After racking up a career-best 7-91-0 line on eight targets Week 16 against the Falcons, Higgins fell back to earth this past Sunday, notching no catches for the third time in 16 games this season. Because he routinely is a distant second to Trey McBride in the TE pecking order in Arizona, Higgins doesn't hold much sway in an offense that also has seen WR Michael Wilson emerge as one of QB Jacoby Brissett's favorite targets over the last seven games -- Wilson has 80 targets to McBride's 73 during that span. Higgins' recent eight-target performance aside, he has only nine total targets in the other six contests in that stretch, keeping him firmly out of fantasy consideration heading into Sunday's road matchup with the Rams.

Whittington returned three kicks for 80 yards during Monday's 27-24 loss to the Falcons.

For the third time in the last five games, Whittington failed to draw a target on offense. Konata Mumpfield and Xavier Smith have taken over as the primary backups behind Puka Nacua with Davante Adams (hamstring) still nursing an injury, and Whittington tied with Tutu Atwell with just 13 snaps on offense. It's likely that Whittington's primary role for the Rams will continue to be as a kick returner again in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the Cardinals.

Atwell failed to secure his only target during Monday's 27-24 loss to the Falcons.

The only target that Atwell managed to earn during his 13 snaps on offense came late in the fourth quarter on a deep ball from Matthew Stafford that bounced off of Atwell's outstretched hands. In his three games back from injury, Atwell has recorded a total of just 25 snaps on offense and only one catch for nine yards, keeping him well off the fantasy radar with the regular-season finale against the Cardinals up next in Week 18.

Ferguson secured two of four targets for 54 yards and a touchdown during Monday's 27-24 loss to the Falcons.

Midway through the third quarter, Ferguson was able to get wide open in the end zone and secure a 27-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford, starting a series of 21 unanswered points for the Rams. Colby Parkinson had significantly more snaps compared to Ferguson (51 to 32), and turned them into a respectable seven targets and six catches for 53 yards, but it's clear that Ferguson possesses a big-play ability that has helped him earn touchdowns in the past two contests. Davis Allen failed to record a target and Tyler Higbee (ankle) is still on injured reserve, but Parkinson's presence limits the upside of the upward-trending Ferguson heading into the regular season finale against the Cardinals in Week 18.

Allen failed to draw a target during Monday's 27-24 loss to the Falcons.

Monday's contest felt like a shift in the dynamic of the tight end grouping for the Rams, with Colby Parkinson leading the group with seven targets and six catches for 53 yards, while Terrance Ferguson broke through with two big catches, including a 27-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter. Allen's 27 snaps on offense were the lowest he's recorded since Week 13 against Carolina, and Parkinson's 51 snaps marked the first truly significant separation in snap share for the trio of tight ends since Tyler Higbee (ankle) went on injured reserve. Given Parkinson's emergence and Ferguson's big-play ability starting to emerge in the past two weeks, Allen's arrow seems to be trending down heading into the regular-season finale against the Cardinals in Week 18.

Wharton (hamstring) was seen participating in Tuesday's walk-through practice, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Wharton has missed three consecutive games for the Panthers due to his hamstring injury. The participation in Tuesday's walk-through practice is a positive sign for the defensive end's chances of suiting up for Saturday's game against the Buccaneers, which could decide the division. If Wharton can practice enough to draw an active status, Bobby Brown, Cam Jackson and LaBryan Ray are likely all set to see a diminished defensive snap count in Saturday's contest.

Mumpfield secured two of five targets for 10 yards during Monday's 27-24 loss to the Falcons.

For the second straight week, Mumpfield brought in less than half of his targets from Matthew Stafford, including an overthrown pass in the second quarter that Jessie Bates intercepted and returned 34 yards for a touchdown. Mumpfield has gotten an extended look in the last six weeks, with at least 20 snaps played on offense during each contest, but an 8-80-0 receiving line on 17 targets over that span doesn't inspire much confidence for fantasy purposes. Week 18 against the Cardinals still has meaning for the Rams in terms of playoff seeding, but even with Davante Adams (hamstring) still recovering from injury, Mumpfield's production seems unlikely to deviate much from his recent trends.