NFL Player News

Higgins doesn't appear to be practicing Wednesday, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.

Higgins dealt with a concussion, toe injury and an ankle sprain in the first half of the season and a hamstring injury for the first three weeks of December. The Bengals' practice report Wednesday should reveal if Higgins' absence is due to an aggravation of the hamstring injury or something else.

Berrios wasn't targeted in Sunday's season finale against the Dolphins.

Berrios took a major step back as a receiver in 2022 after totaling 825 yards and five touchdowns over the previous two seasons. He finished the campaign with just 18 catches for 145 yards on 32 targets, though he was able to find the end zone twice as a rusher while gathering 91 total yards on the ground. He also threw a two-yard touchdown pass and contributed 840 yards as a return man. The 27-year-old receiver has one more year left on his contract with the Jets and should reprise his role as a return man and part-time player on offense in 2023.

The Bills designated Crowder (ankle) for return from injured reserve Wednesday.

Crowder is thus cleared to resume practicing, just over three months after he suffered a fractured ankle in the Bills' Week 4 win over the Ravens. According to Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com, Crowder won't be added to the 53-man roster in advance of Sunday's wild-card game against the Dolphins, but he could be a candidate for activation ahead of the divisional round or AFC Championship Game, should the Bills advance that far. Crowder recorded six receptions for 60 yards on 13 targets through Buffalo's first four games before being sidelined with the injury.

Texans general manager Nick Caserio said Wednesday that Metchie (illness) could be ready to participate in the offseason program, Daniel Gotera of KHOU 11 Houston reports.

Metchie spent his entire rookie season on the reserve/non-football illness list after being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia back in July, but he looks like he may be cleared to return to football activities as early as the start of offseason workouts. The 2022 second-round pick entered the NFL recovering from an ACL tear, but his knee injury wasn't expected to be an issue for last summer's training camp.

Fountain signed a reserve/future contract with the Bears on Tuesday.

Fountain joined the Bears' practice squad in late October and failed to appear in a game down the stretch, but he'll get another shot with the team in 2023 and look to carve out a role for himself on the active roster. The wide receiver has produced two catches for 23 yards in eight career games between the Colts and Chiefs over five professional seasons.

Johnson signed a reserve/future contract with the Texans on Tuesday.

After spending his rookie season on the Texans' practice squad, Johnson will now return to Houston in 2023 and look to carve out a more significant role. The wide receiver appeared in the team's Week 18 win over the Colts, but he failed to garner a target over nine offensive snaps.

Woods caught his only target for 15 yards in a 28-14 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Woods was a bit player for much of his rookie season, sitting out on several occasions early in the campaign as a healthy inactive before seeing an uptick in playing time down the stretch while David Bell and Anthony Schwartz missed time with injuries. All of the Browns' primary wide receivers are under contract for 2023, so Woods' fantasy outlook may not improve much during his second season. He finished the 2022 season with five catches for 45 yards on 10 targets.

McKenzie caught two of three targets for 19 yards in Sunday's 35-23 win over the Patriots.

McKenzie continued to operate as the Bills' No. 3 receiver Sunday, playing 33 of Buffalo's 59 offensive snaps. However, the veteran was unable make a major imprint in the box score, which has become a recurring trend. He didn't find the end zone in any of the final five games of the regular season, nor did he top 50 total yards on any occasion.

Boyd caught five of seven targets for 51 yards in Sunday's 27-16 win over the Ravens.

Boyd continued to operate as the Bengals' No. 3 wideout Sunday, playing 48 of Cincinnati's 66 offensive snaps. So long as Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are healthy, Boyd will remain a secondary target, but his ceiling is higher than most No. 3 receivers around the league as a member of Cincinnati's high-volume passing attack. He finished the regular season with 58 catches for 762 yards and five touchdowns over his 16 appearances.

Robinson caught two of nine targets for 24 yards in Sunday's 27-16 loss to the Bengals.

Robinson saw more playing time than any other Ravens wideout, playing 49 of Baltimore's 78 offensive snaps. The 28-year-old was a popular pickup off the waiver wire after he caught nine balls for 128 yards Week 11 against Carolina, but he followed that up with an unremarkable 23-178-1 receiving line on 37 targets over Baltimore's final seven games of the regular season. With Rashod Bateman (foot) and Devin Duvernay (foot) on injured reserve and with DeSean Jackson having been released ahead of Week 18, Robinson looks as though he'll head into Sunday's wild-card game in Baltimore as the nominal No. 1 wideout, but that distinction doesn't mean much for fantasy purposes. The Baltimore offense is expected to remain a run-heavy one regardless of whether Lamar Jackson (knee), Tyler Huntley (shoulder) or Anthony Brown starts at quarterback this weekend, and tight end Mark Andrews will be the top target when the Ravens do choose to pass.