NFL Player News

Smith-Njigba caught four of seven targets for 25 yards in Sunday's 28-16 loss to the 49ers.

Smith-Njigba looked like he was starting to heat up ahead of Week 14. However, Drew Lock got the starting nod in place of Geno Smith (groin), and Smith-Njigba only caught short passes as a result. Smith-Njigba's longest catch of the day was for 11 yards against this fierce divisional foe. He'll continue to work as the No. 3 wideout in this rotation, but the rookie's upside has been limited all year. He has yet to surpass 63 receiving yards in a game, and he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 8.

Coach Jonathan Gannon noted Monday that all signs point to Brown (heel) being able to practice this week, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Brown exited the Cardinals' Week 13 win over the Steelers due to a heel injury, but the wideout appears to have benefited from the team's subsequent bye week. Assuming Brown is indeed able to practice without issue in the coming days, he'll have a chance to suit up Sunday against the 49ers, who sit atop the NFC West standings with a 10-3 record.

Palmer (knee) was listed as a full participant on Monday's practice estimate.

The Chargers didn't actually take the practice field Monday, but if they had, Palmer would have been in line for his first uncapped practice since having his 21-day practice window opened this past Wednesday. Palmer will need to be activated from injured reserve in order to play Thursday against the Raiders, but he seems to be trending in the right direction for a banged-up Chargers offense that's likely to be without quarterback Justin Herbert (finger) for at least Thursday's game and listed wide receiver Keenan Allen (foot) as a non-participant Monday.

Bateman caught two of four targets for 24 yards Sunday in the Ravens' 37-31 overtime win over the Rams.

Bateman was out-snapped and out-targeted by Nelson Agholor and once again was held under 30 receiving yards. He has a mere 11 percent target share on the season and is drawing targets on only 17 percent of his routes, the latter of which ranks in the 42nd percentile among receivers. To compound the volume issues, Bateman is catching just 55 percent of his targets. His usage has ticked up slightly since Baltimore had to reconfigure the target distribution in Mark Andrews' (ankle) absence, and the bulk of the passing game is centered on the trio of Zay Flowers, Odell Beckham and Isaiah Likely.

Agholor caught all five of his targets for 32 yards in Sunday's 37-31 overtime victory over the Rams.

This marks Agholor's busiest day in terms of targets since Week 5, when he also drew five targets against the Steelers. The veteran wasn't overly explosive with his opportunities, but he was efficient, reeling in every pass thrown his way. The Ravens had interesting usage with its receiving corps Sunday: Zay Flowers led the group with a 97 percent snap share, which is the norm, but Agholor was next in line among receivers with 60 percent. Odell Beckham and Rashod Bateman also each played over 45 percent of the snaps, respectively, meaning that the Ravens were comfortable giving high snap volumes to four different wideouts. Agholor generally vacillates between 35 percent to 50 percent of the snaps, so Sunday was potentially an outlier both in terms of snap and target shares. Baltimore's receiver usage will be an interesting detail to monitor in the upcoming game against the Jaguars on Sunday.

Allen (heel) was listed as a non-participant on Monday's practice estimate.

Allen caught six passes in Sunday's 24-7 loss to the Broncos, setting a new personal best and franchise record with 108 receptions on the season, but he emerged from the game nursing a heel injury. The veteran wide receiver still could rejoin his teammates when they begin holding actual practices Tuesday, but Allen's status bears monitoring on a short week before Thursday's road game in Las Vegas. Quarterback Justin Herbert (finger) was unsurprisingly listed as a non-participant as well Monday and is expected to miss Thursday's game due to a fractured finger on his throwing hand, so if Allen is able to play Thursday, he'll likely be catching passes from backup Easton Stick.

Flowers caught six of 10 targets for 60 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 37-31 overtime win over the Rams. He added a two-point conversion.

The rookie was on his way to a somewhat disappointing outing before reeling in the go-ahead 21-yard touchdown from Lamar Jackson with 1:16 remaining. Jones then punctuated that possession by catching the two-point conversion to give the Ravens a three-point lead. Flowers has now drawn 18 targets in two games since Mark Andrews went down with an ankle injury that will likely end his season. Only Odell Beckham has double-digit targets among Baltimore receivers since Andrews' injury, and Flowers now holds a sturdy 24 percent target share on the season. The Ravens head to Jacksonville for Sunday Night Football in Week 15.

Jennings failed to haul in his lone target in Sunday's 28-16 win over Seattle.

Jennings followed up his best fantasy line of the season (3-44-1) with a bagel against the Seahawks. San Francisco unleashed all four of its offensive stars against the divisional foe Sunday, leaving little work for a role player such as Jennings. The 49ers' slot man has been an afterthought in both games against Seattle this season, generating just one reception for seven yards across both contests. Jennings remains only an option for those in deep leagues when the 49ers visit the Cardinals next Sunday.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell labeled Jefferson (chest) as day-to-day Monday, adding that Jefferson has a "good chance" to play Saturday against the Bengals, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports.

Jefferson's participation in practice this week will bear monitoring, but O'Connell's comments are the latest bit of encouraging news regarding the chest injury the wideout suffered in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Raiders. Though Jefferson was taken to the hospital as a precaution, he traveled home with the team and may avoid missing any further action. O'Connell didn't name a starting quarterback for Saturday's game, so if Jefferson plays, it remains to be seen whether Nick Mullens or Joshua Dobbs will be throwing him the ball.

Duvernay could miss a week or more after suffering a back injury Sunday against the Rams, according to head coach John Harbaugh, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Duvernay was dealing with back spasms during the game, which kept the fourth-year pro sidelined. Any time missed moving forward will affect the Ravens' special-teams unit, and to a lesser extent, their depth at wide receiver. Tylan Wallace, who recorded a game-winning punt return for a touchdown in overtime, will likely continue to handle return duties in Duvernay's absence.