NFL Player News

Watson (knee) is active for Sunday's game against the Bears, Mike Spofford of the Packers' official site reports.

After Watson logged a second DNP in a row Thursday, coach Matt LaFleur told Bill Huber of SI.com that the wide receiver's availability for Week 18 likely would come down to Friday's practice. Watson ended up a limited participant in that session, which was enough for him to put an end to a one-game absence. Meanwhile, fellow WR Romeo Doubs was added to the injury report Saturday due to an illness, which left him questionable and eventually inactive for Sunday's contest. As a result, Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks will be the Packers' primary receivers in the regular-season finale, while Bo Melton and Malik Heath also should mix in.

Shepard (hamstring) is active for Sunday's Week 18 matchup against the Saints, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

Shepard was limited in practice throughout the week after sitting out the Week 17 game against the Panthers, and he apparently corroborated his health sufficiently to garner active status for Tampa Bay's must-win regular-season finale. Shepard's return to the No. 3 receiver spot Sunday will thrust Ryan Miller back into a No. 4 role versus New Orleans.

Mooney (shoulder) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Panthers, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Mooney landed on the injury report Thursday as a limited participant due to a shoulder injury and sat out Friday's session. He was given a questionable tag, and head coach Raheem Morris said the wideout would be a game-time decision. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Saturday night that Mooney was a longshot to play Sunday, so this update comes as no surprise. Ray-Ray McCloud and KhaDarel Hodge are candidates for increased snaps behind Drake London, while Kyle Pitts could also see a few more targets after catching rookie QB Michael Penix's first career TD pass against the Commanders to send last week's game into OT.

Thrash did not catch his lone target and played a season-high 32 snaps on offense in Saturday's 35-10 loss to the Ravens in Week 18.

Thrash was elevated to third on the depth chart at wide receiver with Michael Woods (knee) inactive for the regular-season finale. Thrash, whom the Browns drafted in the fifth round of the 2024 draft, never made an impact during his rookie season. He finished with three catches on seven targets for 22 yards. Cleveland's offense is expected to undergo a renovation during the offseason, which could result in Thrash having a more meaningful role.

Proche returned one kickoff for 19 yards and was not targeted in Saturday's 35-10 loss to the Ravens in Week 18.

Proche filled the return role on punts, much like he's done whenever the Browns added him to the active roster this season, and had his first kickoff return. He finished the season with 19 punt returns for 172 yards and three receptions (three targets) for 21 yards.

Davis returned three kickoffs for 107 yards and was untargeted in Saturday's 35-10 loss to Baltimore in Week 18.

Davis was signed to the active roster ahead of the season finale and made his NFL debut. He played 15 snaps on offense but made his biggest impact on special teams. In his one active game, Davis did enough to rank fourth on the team in kickoff-return yards. There are many unknowns as the organization turns its attention to what is expected to be an roster makeover during the offseason. Davis could sign a reserve/future contract and be on the radar for a role in 2025.

Higgins disclosed after exiting in the second half of Saturday's 19-17 win over the Steelers that he is tending to a left high-ankle sprain, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.

Higgins has taken questionable tags into the Bengals' past two games with both ankle and knee injury, though it's the former issue that has been the greater concern. Despite managing the high-ankle sprain, Higgins produced a monstrous 11-131-3 line on 12 targets in a Week 17 overtime win over Denver, but he was limited to four catches for 53 yards on five targets while playing 50 of 74 offensive snaps Saturday before seemingly aggravating the injury late in the contest and not returning. Higgins said after Saturday's game that he plans to play through the ankle injury if Cincinnati clinches a spot on the postseason, with the Bengals needing a Broncos loss to the Chiefs plus a Dolphins loss or tie against the Jets on Sunday to secure a wild-card berth.

Iosivas brought in two of three targets for 12 yards in the Bengals' 19-17 win over the Steelers on Saturday night.

Iosivas remained in a modest role despite the early exit of Tee Higgins due to an ankle injury, posting his second-lowest reception total since Week 11 and his fewest receiving yards since Week 9. Iosivas did finish the regular season with a career-best 36-479-6 line on 61 targets, and if the Bengals do make the postseason by virtue of a Broncos loss and Dolphins loss or tie Sunday, the second-year wideout could be due for a bump in opportunity in the wild-card round if Higgins is sidelined.

Pickens recorded one catch on six targets for zero yards in Saturday's 19-17 loss to the Bengals.

Pickens was uninvolved for much of the first half as Russell Wilson took to the air only eight times. However, even with more extensive looks in the final two quarters, Pickens failed to deliver. He had three drops and was also not on the same page with Wilson late in the fourth quarter when he was streaking down the right sideline after beating his defender to set up a potential game-winning field goal or touchdown. Pickens will remain a focal point of the Pittsburgh offense in the postseason, but both he and the entire unit had a lackluster effort in Saturday's loss.

Chase secured 10 of 14 targets for 96 yards and a touchdown in the Bengals' 19-17 win over the Steelers on Saturday night.

Chase led the Bengals in receptions, receiving yards and targets on the night, although he worked for everything he got while averaging just 9.6 yards per grab. The star wideout also recorded his career-high 17th touchdown reception of the season on a 12-yard grab that capped the opening possession of the game, and his involvement also was boosted by the early exit of Tee Higgins (ankle). The Bengals still need a Broncos loss and Dolphins loss or tie Sunday in order to qualify for the postseason, but irrespective of whether or not Cincinnati earns a playoff spot, Chase made an airtight case for his long sought-after extension by posting a career-best 127-1,708-17 line over 17 regular-season games.