NFL Player News
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Davante Adams WR | LAR
Raiders' Davante Adams: Won't be disciplined by league
The NFL will not discipline Adams for the 2022 incident in which he shoved a photographer following a loss to Kansas City, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Adams pushed a photographer as he was leaving the field following the 2022 defeat, and the star wideout was originally charged with misdemeanor assault. That charge was later dismissed, but the NFL's investigation into the incident remained open. It now appears that the league's probe has been closed, with a decision to not dole out any discipline to Adams. From a fantasy perspective, that means managers won't have to ponder whether Adams will need to miss any games as a result of the incident, though his 2024 ADP may be due for a drop after he posted his lowest receiving yardage and touchdown totals in four years this season.
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Darius Slayton WR | NYG
Giants' Darius Slayton: Undergoes thumb surgery
Slayton said Thursday that he had surgery on his right thumb after the conclusion of the regular season but should be ready to play "by the time it matters," Tom Rock of Newsday reports.
Slayton posted to his personal X account Jan. 10 implying that he dealt with a right hand injury throughout the campaign, and it appears that his thumb was the source of the issue. Despite the injury, the fifth-year wideout played in every game for the Giants this season, leading the club with 79 targets (of which he caught 60) and 770 receiving yards while hauling in four touchdowns. If his thumb heals as expected, and depending on what changes the Giants make in the offseason, Slayton could head into the 2024 campaign as the team's No. 1 wideout.
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Rashee Rice WR | KC
Chiefs' Rashee Rice: Avoids injury designation
Rice (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's Super Bowl matchup with the 49ers.
The rookie sandwiched full practices Wednesday and Friday around a limited session Thursday. He was initially listed with one ankle injury and now is listed with both, but it seems neither is bad enough to threaten his availability for the big game. Rice has been Kansas City's clear No. 1 WR since mid-season, routinely leading the group in snaps, routes, targets and yards while the other guys mostly have rotated. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Justin Watson are the best bets to get playing time alongside Rice, though neither is a sure thing to handle a typical starter's workload.
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Ronnie Bell WR | NO
49ers' Ronnie Bell: Scores thrice as rookie
Bell finished with six receptions (13 targets) for 68 yards and three touchdowns while appearing in 17 regular-season games for San Francisco in 2023.
Bell product wasn't projected to make the 53-man roster after being selected by a team loaded at receiver, but a strong camp earned him a reserve role out of the gates. The Michigan product didn't get a ton of run with just six catches in 17 games, but he had a nose for the end zone with half of those receptions hitting pay dirt. Bell also helped fill in for an injured Ray-Ray McCloud as the 49ers' punt returner over the team's final five games. With the latter's contract expiring this offseason, Bell could find himself taking over return duties while being mixed in on offense in 2024.
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Chris Conley WR | SF
49ers' Chris Conley: First target comes in Week 18
Conley finished the 2023 campaign with three receptions for 69 yards across eight regular-season games with San Francisco.
Conley spent most of the season on the 49ers' practice squad, sporadically appearing in games for a handful of snaps when needed. It wasn't until his eighth appearance against the Rams in Week 18 that the speedy veteran logged his first catch since signing with San Francisco. At 31 years old, Conley doesn't offer a ton of upside as an impending unrestricted free agent nor as a fantasy asset in 2024.
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Ray-Ray McCloud WR | NYG
49ers' Ray-Ray McCloud: Battles through injury in 2023
McCloud accrued 135 receiving yards and 428 combined return yards across 12 regular-season games with San Francisco in 2023.
McCloud overcame a broken wrist suffered during training camp to suit up as the 49ers' return specialist in Week 1. The 27-year-old still sat out five games over the course of the regular season due to injury, with Deebo Samuel and rookie Ronnie Bell handling return duties in McCloud's absence. The veteran wideout performed up to standards as a return man, chipping in 165 combined yards from scrimmage on offense. This upcoming offseason, the 49ers may opt to have the cheaper Bell take over return duties while letting McCloud walk in free agency to save cap space in 2024.
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Zach Pascal WR | NYG
Cardinals' Zach Pascal: Musters career-worst output
Pascal tallied four catches (on 15 targets) for 19 yards and no touchdowns in 14 games during the 2023 campaign.
In a receiving corps devoid of size outside of rookie third-rounder Michael Wilson (6-foot-2, 213 pounds), the 6-foot-2, 219-pound Pascal had a chance for a decent role in a Cardinals offense otherwise dominated by the diminutive Marquise Brown, Rondale Moore and Greg Dortch. Instead, Pascal surpassed a 30 percent snap share in only two of his 14 appearances and stumbled to the lowest output of his six-year career by a long shot. He's an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, so the 29-year-old may not be much more than camp fodder for any team that inks him to a new deal in the coming months.
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Greg Dortch WR | DET
Cardinals' Greg Dortch: Serves mostly on returns in 2023
Dortch reeled in 24 of 41 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns, had one five-yard carry, recorded 17 kick returns for 360 yards and returned 29 punts for 275 yards in 16 regular-season games in 2023.
Dortch was barely utilized (one target) before Week 9, but with Kyler Murray back from a torn ACL thereafter, the wide receiver was a regular option for the quarterback the rest of the way. Even though a variety of injuries stretched the receiving corps thin during that span, Dortch mustered just a 23-278-2 line on 39 targets over the final eight contests of the campaign. He's an exclusive-rights free agent this offseason, so he likely will be a member of the Cardinals in 2024 assuming they tender him a contract.
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Rashee Rice WR | KC
Chiefs' Rashee Rice: Tending to injured ankles
Rice was a limited practice participant Thursday due to injured ankles.
Until Thursday's practice report, Rice was listed as a full participant with an ankle issue, but the Chiefs expanded that to the plural ankles just three days before Super Bowl LVIII. The rookie wide receiver thus will have one more chance to return to all activity or else potentially be in danger of heading into the weekend with a designation for Sunday's game against the 49ers.
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Britain Covey WR | PHI
Eagles' Britain Covey: Has knee surgery
Covey underwent a procedure on his left knee this offseason, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The punt returner noted it likely contributed to the nagging quad issue he dealt with during the season, per McLane. As a receiver, Covey caught four balls for 42 yards and no touchdowns in 16 games in 2023, though he did averaged the second-most yards per punt return (14.4) in the league. In 17 games in 2022 with the Eagles, Covey did not record a catch.