NFL Player News

Valdes-Scantling "checked out well" Monday after leaving Sunday's Week 17 loss to the Raiders due to a back injury in the fourth quarter, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Valdes-Scantling had dealt with a chest issue in practice recently, which may have precipitated the Saints' decision to pull him after he took a hard hit late in Sunday's loss. However, it appears the veteran wideout avoided a significant injury and isn't in danger of missing Sunday's season finale against Tampa Bay. The Saints have been eliminated from playoff contention, but Valdes-Scantling does have some financial motivation to suit up against the Buccaneers, as he can earn a $250,000 bonus with one touchdown and another $250,000 with nine receptions.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel expressed optimism about Waddle (knee) returning to action Sunday versus the Jets, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Waddle didn't play in a win over Cleveland this past Sunday, as McDaniel said the team was worried about the wideout's risk of aggravating the knee issue. However, Waddle did log a pair of limited practices to end the week and appears to have a real chance of returning for the Dolphins' regular-season finale in a game they must win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Tyler Huntley could be the team's starting quarterback for a second straight week with Tua Tagovailoa still dealing with a hip injury.

Head coach Mike Tomlin relayed Monday that Skowronek and Joey Porter are both "scheduled to make it back" for Pittsburgh's regular-season finale against Cincinnati on Saturday, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.

Skowronek was unable to play against the Chiefs on Christmas Day due to a hip injury that he suffered in Week 16 against the Ravens. He caught five passes on as many targets for 69 yards in the six games prior to his injury, and his return for Week 18 would bolster the Steelers' depth at wide receiver.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Monday that there's no return plan for Moore (abdomen) in the postseason, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.

Moore has been on IR since late October due to a core-muscle injury. While Reid said Monday that fellow wideout Mecole Hardman (knee) has a chance of returning at some point in the playoffs, that doesn't appear to be the case for Moore. As such, it's likely that the third-year wideout's campaign will come to an end with Moore having logged no catches on three targets over six games.

Hardman (knee) has a chance of returning to action sometime during the playoffs, according to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Hardman landed on IR due to a knee injury Dec. 7 and will be eligible to return for Week 18 against Denver. While Reid's comments imply that the veteran wideout won't play against the Broncos -- the Chiefs are locked into the No. 1 seed in the AFC, so they'd have little reason to deploy Hardman even if he were healthy enough to return -- there's a chance he could be activated at some point during the postseason. Reid didn't indicate how far Kansas City would need to advance in order for Hardman to be ready to suit up.

Davis caught both of his targets for 29 yards and a touchdown in the 40-7 win over the Patriots on Saturday. He also lost three yards on his only carry of the contest.

Davis opened the scoring on the afternoon with an impressive diving 27-yard catch on a beautifully thrown ball by Justin Herbert. It was Davis' second touchdown in as many weeks and comes despite the second-year wideout tallying 22 offensive snaps total over that stretch. The Chargers still have plenty to play for Week 18 in terms of playoff seeding, but it's possible Davis could see more playing time if the score gets out of hand against the lowly Raiders.

Corley sustained an elbow injury during Sunday's game at Buffalo, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Corley was forced out of Sunday's contest early, and he was unable to log any offensive snaps in Week 17. The Jets' first official practice report of the week Wednesday should provide some insight into his potential availability for Week 18 versus the Dolphins.

Gipson returned one kickoff for 25 yards and added two punt returns for 25 yards in Sunday's 40-14 loss to the Bills.

Gipson played nine snaps on offense but didn't touch the ball. He has gone four games without a target or carry, and the second-year pro's only multi-catch performance of the season came back in Week 3. Gipson's a fantasy non-factor heading into the season finale against the Dolphins, outside of formats that reward return yards.

Lazard caught one of three targets for nine yards in Sunday's 40-14 loss to the Bills.

Lazard didn't do a good job of working back to the ball on Aaron Rodgers' second interception, so the two former Packers each shoulder some of the blame for that turnover. The drop-prone wide receiver has caught only 34 of 57 targets this season, and Lazard hasn't scored since Week 6. A Week 18 tilt against the Dolphins will likely be his last game with the Jets -- there's an out in the four-year, $44 million overpay of a contract he signed prior to the 2023 season.

Bourne caught two of his four targets for 22 yards in Saturday's 40-7 loss to the Chargers.

Bourne, who was on the field for 38 of the Patriots' 53 snaps on offense Saturday, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, has caught two passes (for a total of 40 yards) in each of his last two contests. With that in mind, the veteran wideout brings modest fantasy upside into this Sunday's home game against the Bills, who are locked into the AFC's No. 2 playoff seed.