NFL Player News

Smith caught four of five targets for 31 yards during Thursday's 31-6 loss to Buffalo.

Smith led Saints receivers in snaps but his upside was again capped by the limitations of Trevor Siemian. While things may not get much better if New Orleans moves to Taysom Hill at quarterback, Hill may actually give the offense a chance to consistently get into scoring position before garbage time. Next up is a Week 13 home matchup against Dallas.

Montgomery rushed six times for 14 yards while catching five of seven targets for 31 yards during Thursday's 31-6 loss to the Bills.

Montgomery saw a hike in playing time thanks to the absences of both Alvin Kamara (knee) and Mark Ingram (knee). While Tony Jones led the way on early downs, Montgomery mixed in sporadically while siphoning off a large chunk of the work on passing downs. However, neither back was very effective within an offense led by Trevor Siemian. Even if Kamara and Ingram remain sidelined in Week 13 against Dallas, Montgomery would only be a fringe fantasy consideration in deep PPR formats.

Beasley brought in all five targets for 46 yards in the Bills' 31-6 win over the Saints on Thursday night.

Beasley checked in second behind Stefon Diggs in receptions for the night, bouncing back to an extent from a trio of sub-par games where he'd failed to top 33 yards. Beasley is still capped by his typical short-area role, but the limitations are especially pronounced this season due to a figure of 6.7 yards per target that qualifies as his lowest figure in that category since 2017. His next opportunity to build up his yardage numbers comes in a Week 13 divisional clash with the Patriots on Monday night, Dec. 6.

Diggs brought in seven of nine targets for 74 yards and a touchdown in the Bills' 31-6 win over the Saints on Thursday night.

Diggs paced the Bills in receptions, receiving yards and targets on the night and notched his seventh touchdown of the campaign on a five-yard grab early in the third quarter. The star wideout has posted at least five receptions in five of the last six contests, and with four touchdowns in the last three games, he heads into a Week 13 showdown with the Patriots on Monday night, Dec. 6 with a head of steam.

Grant caught two passes for 25 yards in the Bears' 16-14 win over the Lions on Thursday.

In addition to two kickoff and four punt returns, Grant was fourth on the team with four targets, as the Bears were without Allen Robinson (hamstring) and also lost Marquise Goodwin (foot) in the first half. Grant's fantasy value is highest in leagues that award points for return yardage, though he also can chip in occasionally as a receiver. If the Bears continue to be saddled with wideout injuries, Grant's ability to gain yardage after the catch would give him limited fantasy value as a wide receiver.

Byrd caught four passes for 42 yards in the Bears' 16-14 win over the Lions on Thursday.

With Marquise Goodwin leaving the game early with a foot injury, Byrd served as the second receiver behind Darnell Mooney. Aside from Byrd's solid numbers, he was open for a likely touchdown in the first half, but Andy Dalton didn't put enough air under the pass, resulting in an interception. Should Allen Robinson (hamstring) and/or Goodwin be forced to miss additional time, Byrd could see significant playing time, which could lead to modest fantasy production.

Metcalf (foot) was listed as a non-participant on Thursday's estimated injury report, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

As Metcalf contends with a lingering foot injury, he's typically received one day off per week for maintenance purposes. But even with Russell Wilson back in the fold the past two games, Metcalf has put up back-to-back modest performances, combining for seven catches (on 16 targets) for 57 yards and one touchdown after putting up a 39-580-8 line of 56 targets prior to the Seahawks' Week 9 bye. Assuming he's out there Monday at Washington, Metcalf will have a chance to bounce back against a defense that has allowed the fifth-most TDs (13) and ninth-highest YPT (8.6) to wide receivers this season.

McKenzie (coach's decision) is inactive for Thursday's game against the Saints.

McKenzie played just nine offensive snaps in last week's loss to the Colts, and he wasn't targeted in the contest. Jake Kumerow could see a slight uptick in playing time Thursday.

Toney (quadriceps) was listed as a non-participant on Thursday's injury report.

Toney emerged from the Giants' Week 11 loss at Tampa Bay with a bruised quad, which hasn't allowed him to practice this week. Both he and Sterling Shepard (quadriceps) are in the same boat, but they'll have one more chance to get on the field before week's end.

Shepard (quadriceps) was a non-participant on Thursday's injury report.

Since straining his left quadriceps Nov. 1 at Kansas City, Shepard hasn't practiced and fortunately has missed only two games due to the Giants' bye landing in Week 10. There was a positive development Wednesday when he joined his position mates on the side prior to practice, but he's yet to mix into any drills. Both Shepard and Kadarius Toney (quadriceps) have logged DNPs this week, so Kenny Golladay and Darius Slayton are the healthiest of the team's top four wide receivers at the moment.