NFL Player News

Montgomery rushed four times for 14 yards and caught his only target for 13 yards in the Saints' 30-20 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday.

Montgomery saw some extended work out of the backfield with both Latavius Murray (quadriceps) and Taysom Hill (knee) out of action, but he was unable to turn his opportunities into meaningful production. The hybrid running back/receiver is slated for free agency in 2021, and his future with the Saints is unclear. Even if he returns, he'll likely play behind Murray and Alvin Kamara.

Peoples-Jones caught his lone target for 23 yards over 46 snaps in Sunday's 22-17 playoff loss to the Chiefs.

Even with the return of KhaDarel Hodge, who played eight snaps, Peoples-Jones was the clear third wideout behind Jarvis Landry and Rashard Higgins. That's telling as the Browns head into the offseason. The rookie out of Michigan was on the inactive list the first three games of 2020 but eventually earned a greater role when given an opportunity to play. Initially, he was used as the primary returner and fill-in on offense, then gained the confidence of the coaching staff and replaced Hodge. Peoples-Jones finished the regular season with 14 catches, 20 targets, 304 yards and two touchdowns. With Hodge becoming a restricted free agent and Higgins set to be unrestricted in the coming months, Peoples-Jones is poised to be the full-time No. 3 behind Landry and Odell Beckham (knee) when 2021 kicks off.

Hodge was not targeted over eight offensive snaps in Sunday's 22-17 playoff loss to the Chiefs.

Hodge was activated off the COVID-19 list but was used more on special teams (12 snaps) than on offense. He opened the season as the clear No. 3 wideout, but his usage lagged significantly behind Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry. Then, as rookie Donovan Peoples-Jones showed promise when given a chance, Hodge fell further behind on the depth chart. Hodge becomes a restricted free agent during the offseason and is looking at a similar role, in which he's used heavily on special teams, if the Browns bring him back.

Smith (ankle) caught all three of his targets for 85 yards and two touchdowns Sunday in the Saints' 30-20 divisional-round loss to the Buccaneers.

Smith had missed the Saints' previous four contests with a bad ankle, and while his team took the loss, the downfield threat produced his best statistical performance of the season upon his return. Michael Thomas (zero catches) was keyed in on by the Buccaneers' defense, allowing Smith to take advantage of single coverage when he was called upon. The majority of his damage was done on a trick play in which backup quarterback Jameis Winston took the top off of the secondary and connected with the speedy wideout on a 50-yard bomb. Drew Brees simply doesn't have the arm strength at his advanced age to generate big plays like that for Smith, so it will actually hurt the receiver's fantasy value if the Hall of Famer decides to continue playing next year. However, If New Orleans has a new quarterback under center in 2021, and said signal caller can stretch the field the way we saw Winston do Sunday, then Smith could begin to gain traction as a fantasy asset, as he consistently sits atop the team's yards-per-reception rankings, finishing with a mark of 13.2 this regular season even with a declining Brees starting for most of the season.

Thomas was targeted four times and did not record a reception in Sunday's season-ending 30-20 loss to the Buccaneers.

In a shocking turn of events, last season's receptions leader was held without a catch for a full game as a starter for the first time in his career. Drew Brees and the Saints' coaching staff clearly wanted to focus on shorter dropbacks and quicker throws to combat Tampa Bay's aggressive blitzing defense, but that still doesn't excuse the lack of involvement Thomas received, as he is an elite route runner at all three levels. Perhaps the 27-year-old was still being hampered by the high-ankle sprain that cost him four games at the end of the regular season; whatever the case, it was a disappointing end to a rough 2020 campaign for the All-Pro wideout. Thomas was limited to seven contests during the regular season due to injuries and off-field conduct, finishing with career lows in receptions (40), yards (438) and touchdowns (zero). Unlike his fellow playmaking star, Alvin Kamara, Thomas could benefit from Drew Brees' potential retirement this offseason, as the legendary quarterback saw his arm strength and deep accuracy fall off a cliff this year. If the Saints are forced to look for a new starting quarterback in 2021, we could see a different version of Thomas who sacrifices reception volume for a big boost in yards per reception.

Evans brought in one of three targets for a three-yard touchdown in the Buccaneers' 30-20 divisional-round win over the Saints on Sunday.

On an evening when the Buccaneers passing game cooled off significantly, Evans tied a season-low figure in receptions while just exceeding his low-water mark in yards. However, the multi-time Pro Bowler at least made his one reception count, as it allowed Tampa Bay to overcome a 6-3 second-quarter deficit. Evans didn't appear to show any limitations with respect to the hyperextended knee he suffered back in Week 17, and he'll look to bounce back with a much more productive environment in what may be challenging weather at Lambeau Field during next Sunday's NFC Championship Game.

Godwin brought in four of seven targets for 34 yards in the Buccaneers' 30-20 divisional-round win over the Saints on Sunday.

It was a relatively quiet day for the Buccaneers' air attack, which had been hitting on all cylinders in the latter stages of the regular season and in last week's wild-card win over Washington. Therefore, Godwin's catch total actually tied for second highest on the evening for Tampa Bay, but his yardage tally served as his lowest since Week 14 and his second lowest of the regular season and postseason overall. Godwin will hope to bounce back in next Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Packers at Lambeau Field, though weather conditions could certainly make it an uphill battle for the passing game.

Harris (neck) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Larry Holder of The Athletic reports.

Harris made a major impact in the return game before suffering the injury, gaining 54 yards on his first punt return to set up a field goal and having a would-be touchdown called back due to a penalty on his second punt return. He wasn't much of a factor on offense in the regular season but led the Saints in catches and receiving yards in the wild-card round, so Harris will be missed in multiple phases of the game if he's unable to return.

Hill caught eight of 10 targets for 110 yards and added nine yards on three rushing attempts in Sunday's 22-17 win over the Browns in the AFC divisional round.

Hill had 78 receiving yards before Patrick Mahomes' (concussion) third-quarter departure, then made a circus 23-yard catch on a Chad Henne pass in the fourth, pressing the ball against his thigh to secure possession as he went to the ground. Hill saved his most important play for last, coming open for a five-yard catch to pick up 4th-and-inches and allow Kansas City to run out the clock. While Hill's stock would take a hit if Mahomes is unable to play in next week's AFC Championship Game against the Bills, the speedster still has the big-play ability to make a major impact, even without his starting quarterback.

Bourne finished the 202 season with 49 receptions (74 targets) for 667 yards and two touchdowns over 15 contests.

The 49ers had high hopes for their trio of high-round picks entering the 2020 season, but just like most things last calendar year, nothing went as planned. Deebo Samuel (second round in 2019) suffered a foot injury during training camp and Dante Pettis (second round in 2018) squandered yet another opportunity and wound up being released in October. Brandon Aiyuk (first round in 2020) had the best season of the high-pedigree trio -- despite missing games due to injury himself -- and Bourne consistently stepped in as a reliable starting option for head coach Kyle Shanahan. The undrafted wideout posted the highest reception average (13.6 YPR) of any qualified San Francisco starter while accounting for 13.1 percent of the team's targets. The 49ers' run-heavy gameplan and mediocre quarterback play kept Bourne from ever cracking lineups in standard fantasy formats. The 25-year-old doesn't possess tremendous upside, but his soft hands and consistent play could shine brighter if he lands with a more pass-friendly offense as he enters free agency this upcoming offseason.