NFL Player News

Thielen caught three of four targets for 49 yards in Sunday's 47-10 rout at the hands of the Saints.

The veteran wideout didn't post particularly impressive numbers, but he still led the Panthers in receiving yards, with most of the real estate coming on a 32-yard reception in garbage time during the fourth quarter. Thielen topped 1,000 yards in his first year with Carolina, but he'll likely need Bryce Young to take a big step forward in his development to reach that mark again in 2024, something that there was little evidence of Sunday. Thielen and the Panthers passing game will try to shake off this performance in Week 2 against the Chargers.

McCaffrey caught all three of his targets for 18 yards in Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Buccaneers.

McCaffrey actually led all Washington wideouts in receiving yards in his NFL debut, besting Terry McLaurin by one yard. The rookie third-round pick's total was fourth on the team overall behind running backs Austin Ekeler (52) and Brian Robinson (48), as well as tight end Zach Ertz (28), as quarterback Jayden Daniels spent all game either checking the ball down or scrambling. The rookie quarterback-receiver combo has a chance to develop a strong connection down the line, but both Daniels and McCaffrey are still raw heading into Week 2 against the Giants, which was illustrated by McCaffrey's inability to get his feet inbounds after getting open on a two-point conversion attempt late in the loss to Tampa Bay.

McLaurin caught two of four targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Buccaneers.

No Commanders wide receiver had more than 18 yards, as Washington went with a run-heavy approach, and quarterback Jayden Daniels checked the ball down underneath when asked to throw it. Daniels flashed a big arm at LSU prior to being drafted second overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, so perhaps McLaurin will be a bigger part of the game plan Week 2 against the beatable Giants secondary.

Palmer caught two of four targets for 15 yards in Sunday's 22-10 win over the Raiders.

Palmer at least had the aura of a No. 1 target as the Raiders seemed to deliberately take away the fourth-year wide receiver during the few times Justin Herbert dropped back to pass in the first half. Both Ladd McConkey (seven) and Quentin Johnston (five) drew more targets than Palmer, but both had schemed looks scattered in throughout a game that saw the teams combine for nearly 50 rushing attempts. A Week 2 matchup against a Panthers defense that allowed 47 points in the season opener could reveal more information on the target hierarchy in 2024.

Johnston tallied three receptions on five targets for 38 yards in Sunday's 22-10 win over the Raiders.

Johnston was actually the team's leading receiver heading into the fourth quarter, but two of his catches were first-read looks for minimal yards and his longest, a 16-yard reception, came on a shallow crossing route with the defense stationed way back to prevent a third-and-long conversion. It's at least encouraging that quarterback Justin Herbert trusted Johnston on the designed looks given the second-year receiver's struggles in his rookie year, but it'll be interesting to see if Joshua Palmer and Ladd McConkey continue to generate more opportunities as the season progresses.

Pickens recorded six receptions on seven targets for 85 yards in Sunday's 18-10 win over the Falcons.

The Steelers were extremely run-heavy with Justin Fields under center, as they recorded 41 rushes as a team compared to just 23 pass attempts. That resulted in limited volume for most of the team's pass catchers, with Pickens being the only exception. He did the majority of his damage on two long receptions that went for 40 and 33 yards. Pickens' big-play ability will help him put up big production on limited volume in the Pittsburgh offense, but he's still likely to be inconsistent as the season progresses.

Metcalf finished with three receptions on four targets for 29 yards in Sunday's 26-20 win over the Broncos.

Metcalf fell victim to a run-heavy game script that featured teammate Kenneth Walker (abdominal) breaking the century mark in rushing yards and scoring one of two touchdowns by Seattle running backs on the day. The star wideout will have better games ahead, especially if Walker is unable to suit up against the Patriots next Sunday. For reference, Metcalf had just three receptions in Week 1 of the 2023 season before finishing the campaign with 1,114 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

McConkey caught five of his seven targets for 39 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 22-10 win over the Raiders.

It's worth noting McConkey's touchdown came in the waning moments of the game as the weary Raiders defense sold out to stop the run, allowing the rookie to get wide open on a short crossing route. He easily juked two defenders en route to the end zone. Regardless of how it happened, it's hard to call Sunday's effort anything but a resounding debut considering he led the team in receiving yards and targets despite most coming near the line of scrimmage. The run-centric offensive attack likely won't change in Week 2 when the Chargers travel to take on a Panthers defense that allowed 47 points Sunday.

Mitchell caught one of five targets for two yards in Sunday's 29-27 loss to the Texans.

The rookie wideout didn't make an impact in his NFL debut, but Mitchell had opportunities to do so and got overthrown by Anthony Richardson -- including on what would have been a wide-open touchdown in the second quarter. Mitchell finished second on the Colts in targets, but it's not clear how big a role he'll have when Josh Downs (ankle) gets healthy. Mitchell will try to establish more chemistry with his QB in Week 2 against the Packers.

Pittman caught four of eight targets for 31 yards in Sunday's 29-27 loss to the Texans.

The fifth-year wideout led the Colts in catches and targets, but Pittman wasn't able to do much with the volume as his longest reception went for only 13 yards. Anthony Richardson and the Colts' passing game struggled to sustain drives in the team's opener, but Pittman's role is encouraging for his future production. He'll look to do more damage in Week 2 against the Packers.