NFL Player News

Bourne had three receptions (five targets) for 34 yards in Sunday's 23-20 win over the Rams.

Deebo Samuel (hamstring) made his long-awaited return following the team's bye week, but with Brandon Aiyuk (reserve/COVID-19) out of action, Bourne stuck at third on the depth chart and logged 57 percent of the snaps. The veteran wideout finished ahead of second-string starter Richie James Jr. (88 percent of snaps for one reception for 29 yards) in terms of fantasy production, but that should be considered an anomaly if their snap counts remain consistent going forward. Expect Bourne to fill a similar slot role against the Bills on Monday if Aiyuk is forced to miss another game.

Grant secured both of his targets for 15 yards during Sunday's 20-3 win over the Jets.

Miami's passing gameplan marginalized every player not not named DeVante Parker, who had a whopping 14 targets while no other wide receiver had more than three. Ryan Fitzpatrick is prone to locking in on his top option, which doesn't bode well for Grant's fantasy prospects even though he's working as Miami's No. 2 receiver with Preston Williams (knee) still on IR. Tua Tagovailoa (thumb) appeared more willing to spread the ball around and give Grant targets, but it remains to be seen which signal-caller will start against the Bengals in Week 13.

Coach Mike Zimmer said Monday that he expects Thielen (undisclosed) to be available for Sunday's game against Jacksonville, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Thielen missed last weekend's narrow win over the Panthers due to his placement on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and he's still awaiting clearance to rejoin teammates. The veteran wideout returned a positive COVID test seven days ago, though his subsequent results have come back negative. If Thielen is indeed cleared to return in time to face Jacksonville, he'll resume lining up as part of a lethal WR tandem across from Justin Jefferson.

Byrd caught three of his team-high seven targets for 33 yards in Sunday's 20-17 win over the Cardinals.

While Byrd, who was on the field 45 of a possible 53 snaps on offense Sunday, matched his target total from last week, his production took a dip in a game in which QB Cam Newton completed just nine of his 18 pass attempts for 84 yards. Though his 6-132-1 stat line Week 11 looks like an outlier, Byrd's steady playing time does at least give him an opportunity each week to help out those in deeper fantasy formats. Overall, he's logged 35 catches (on 55 targets) for 502 yards and a TD in 11 contests.

Gage corralled three of his five targets for 34 receiving yards during Sunday's 43-6 win against the Raiders.

Gage earned his fourth start of the 2020 campaign while Julio Jones (hamstring) missed Atlanta's Week 12 matchup because of injury. The third-year wideout from LSU finished tied for third on the team in targets behind Calvin Ridley (nine) and Hayden Hurst (eight), but he was held under 35 receiving yards for the third time in his past four outings. If Jones is able to make it back for a Week 13 matchup against the Saints, Gage would slide down to the No. 3 position in the receiving corps. He reeled in seven of a season-high 12 targets for 58 receiving yards when the Falcons and Saints last met Nov. 22.

Watson did not see a target on his one snap during the Buccaneers' 27-24 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday, but he did return one kickoff for six yards.

Watson has been buried on the depth chart in recent weeks with Tampa Bay's top duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin healthy and Antonio Brown sliding into the No. 3 role. Watson hasn't recorded a reception since Week 4 and has logged a total of 10 snaps from scrimmage over the last four contests, leaving him a complete fantasy non-factor in all formats for the time being.

Miller failed to bring in his only target in the Buccaneers' 27-24 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday.

He continued to find action hard to come by in Sunday's loss, which marked his fourth straight game with one or zero catches. Miller logged just 10 snaps overall, and his modest level of involvement isn't likely to increase coming out of the Bucs' Week 13 bye as long as the top three members of the receiving corps remain healthy.

Johnson failed to bring in his only target in the Buccaneers' 27-24 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday.

The rookie came up empty for the third straight game, not necessarily a surprising development considering the wealth of healthy pass-catching talent in front of him. Johnson logged just five snaps overall, and that level of involvement figures to remain the norm unless multiple injuries strike the Buccaneers' receiving corps.

St. Brown caught both his targets for 39 yards in Sunday's victory over the Bears.

It took St. Brown a few weeks to get into the swing of things after he made his season debut in Week 6, but he is starting to make some plays, catching three passes of at least 15 yards over the last two games. He's still behind three other players on the depth chart at wide receiver, but with the Packers' No. 5 and No. 6 receivers playing a combined four snaps to St. Brown's 38 in Week 12, he seems to have ensured he will not drop any further than that.

Valdes-Scantling did not record a target in Sunday's victory over the Bears.

Valdes-Scantling was on the field for a shade under 80 percent of the plays the Packers ran in Week 12, but he was limited primarily to blocking and decoy duties and was held without a catch for the second time this season. His production has declined since Allen Lazard returned to action in Week 11, and with the Packers' offense just about at full speed, Valdes-Scantling figures to continue playing a complementary role.