NFL Player News

Claypool brought in eight of nine targets for 93 yards and rushed once for two yards in the Steelers' 36-28 loss to the Vikings on Thursday night.

Claypool's reception and receiving yardage totals paced the Steelers on the night, and he was behind only Diontae Johnson in targets. The second-year wideout has now cleared the 80-yard mark in three of the last four games, and his nine targets Thursday represented a major boost from the season-low three he'd logged against the Ravens in Week 13. Claypool's next opportunity to keep the favorable stretch of play going comes in a Week 15 battle against the Titans a week from Sunday.

Jefferson brought in seven of 15 targets for 79 yards and lost four yards on one rush in the Vikings' 36-28 win over the Steelers on Thursday night.

Jefferson logged a team-high amount of targets with Adam Thielen (ankle) unavailable, and although he wasn't at his most efficient with them, he still found a way to make a sizable fantasy impact. The second-year wideout's 14-yard touchdown grab late in the first quarter pushed his season total to eight, a new career high. Jefferson has also now logged double-digit targets in four of the last five games, supporting the notion that Thursday's heavy workload wasn't strictly due to Thielen's absence. Jefferson should once again have a prominent role in a Week 15 Monday night clash against the Bears on Dec. 20.

Cobb underwent core muscle surgery last week with the hope he'll recover in time for the postseason, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Cobb exited the Packers' last game Week 12 against the Rams with what was termed a groin issue. With the benefit of a bye, the Packers weren't required to disclose any details of the injury until this week, but coach Matt LaFleur touched on Cobb on Thursday, stating the veteran wide receiver "is going to be out for awhile. He had a pretty significant injury." Cobb seems poised to land on injured reserve in due time, but the team may wait to make the transaction official until he's well into his rehab, considering the 21-day practice window aspect once the team designates him for return.

Collins (thigh) practiced fully Thursday.

Dealing with an injury to a fourth different body part this season, Collins has followed up Wednesday's capped session with every rep one day later. He's thus ready to take on a Seahawks defense Sunday that has allowed just 7.2 yards per target (sixth fewest in the NFL) and seven touchdowns (third least) to wide receivers in 2021.

Samuel (groin) didn't practice Thursday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

After relaying Samuel wouldn't practice Wednesday, coach Kyle Shanahan stated his hope that the wide receiver would get back into drills Thursday. Samuel seemed to be poised to do so when he was seen in uniform with his helmet on a side field during the media-access portion of the session, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. Instead, Samuel logged another absence. Friday's practice report will be key to helping his case to miss just one game as a result of a groin strain.

Metcalf (foot) missed Thursday's practice with an illness, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Metcalf already has logged one DNP this week due to the foot injury that has followed him for much of the campaign, which typically is the extent of his weekly practice limitations. With an illness in tow, he fortunately has time to put it behind him in advance of Sunday's game at Houston, but his status should continue to be watched to get a sense of his availability for Week 14.

Taylor (abdomen) logged a full practice Thursday.

Taylor was coming off a limited practice Wednesday, so this is a positive development toward his potential availability for Sunday's game against Chicago. The wideout is an asset on special teams due to his role as a returner, but his offensive contributions have been limited with just two catches for 14 yards across eight contests.

Higgins (ankle) returned to a limited practice Thursday, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.

After missing Wednesday's session, Higgins' return to the field Thursday has him trending in the right direction in advance of Sunday's game against the 49ers. That said, the wideout probably will need to practice fully Friday in order to avoid carrying an official injury designation into the weekend.

Goodwin (foot) was absent from Thursday's practice.

The wide receiver was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice prior to taking a step back Thursday, putting his availability for Week 14 in question. Goodwin has only practiced once since suffering the foot injury on Thanksgiving, and if he is forced to miss a second straight contest Sunday, Damiere Byrd and Jakeem Grant will once again step into larger roles.

Robinson (hamstring) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday.

With back-to-back capped sessions behind him this week, Robinson appears to be getting closer to his first game action since Week 9. After Thursday's session, he told Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times that "everything is trending in the right direction" to return Sunday in Green Bay. Meanwhile, Marquise Goodwin (foot) actually downgraded from limited Wednesday to no activity Thursday. Friday's injury report will reveal which of the Bears' top three wide receivers (also, Darnell Mooney) have a chance to play this weekend.