NFL Player News

Head coach Shane Steichen noted Friday that Pierce (concussion) won't play Sunday against the Titans, Amanda Foster of the Colts' official site reports.

Pierce, who sustained a concussion during Week 15 action, didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday but participated in Friday's session, wearing a non-contact jersey, per Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star. However, with the wideout having been ruled out and targeting a potential return to action Sunday, Dec. 29 at the Giants, Adonai Mitchell figures to see added opportunities this weekend alongside fellow WRs Michael Pittman and Josh Downs.

With both Jaylen Waddle (knee) and Dee Eskridge (knee) listed as doubtful and Tyreek Hill (wrist/personal) questionable for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Washington is likely to see an expanded role on offense, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site reports.

Washington and River Cracraft are the Dolphins' lone healthy wide receivers currently on the 53-man roster. Miami does have a trio of wideouts on the practice squad, which includes Erik Ezukanma, Tarik Black and Isaiah McKenzie. After Waddle got hurt last week versus Houston, Washington stepped in and played a season-high 59 percent of the offensive snaps while leading the team in receiving with a 5-52-0 line on six targets.

Head coach Mike McDaniel relayed Friday that Waddle (knee) will be listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site reports.

With Waddle trending toward being unavailable for Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, it appears as though Malik Washington is poised to see an expanded workload alongside top wideout Tyreek Hill (wrist/personal, questionable) in Week 16. Waddle was forced out of the Dolphins' loss to the Texans last Sunday after logging 26 snaps and zero catches on two targets.

Eskridge (knee) will be listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site reports.

Eskridge injured his knee Week 14 against the Jets, and he hasn't seen the practice field since. The return specialist likely will miss his second straight matchup after being inactive for last week's loss to the Texans. The final decision for the 27-year-old's status probably will be decided on Sunday before kickoff.

Waddle (knee) wasn't spotted during the brief media-access portion of Friday's practice, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Waddle didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday, so at this stage his status for Sunday's game against the 49ers is cloudy. If Waddle is unavailable Week 16, Malik Washington would be in line to see an expanded role in Miami's passing offense alongside top WR Tyreek Hill.

Agholor (concussion) was downgraded to out for Saturday's game against the Steelers.

Agholor initially was listed as questionable to play versus Pittsburgh, but his next chance to suit up will be next Wednesday against the Texans on Christmas Day. Rashod Bateman (foot) remains questionable for Baltimore's Saturday contest. Tylan Wallace and fourth-round rookie Devontez Walker are next in line for snaps behind Zay Flowers. Meanwhile, Diontae Johnson was waived Friday following a tumultuous two months in Baltimore.

Head coach Sean McDermott noted that Samuel (rib) will be limited in Friday's practice and listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Patriots, Alec White of the Bills' official site reports.

Samuel also was deemed limited in Wednesday's walkthrough and Thursday's practice as he manages a rib issue. In any case, now that Keon Coleman is back in action after missing time with a wrist injury, Samuel looks like a hit-or-miss fantasy option in a Buffalo wideout corps that also includes Amari Cooper, Khalil Shakir and Mack Hollins. In 13 games this season, Samuel has posted a 24-201-1 line on 38 targets, while adding five carries for 14 yards.

Mims caught three of five targets for 62 yards and rushed once for three yards in Thursday's 34-27 loss to the Chargers.

Mims played 47 percent of the Broncos' offensive snaps, a season high for the speedy wideout. The second-year receiver's five targets matched a season high, as well, pointing toward an effort to get the Oklahoma product more involved in Denver's offense. As rookie quarterback Bo Nix has developed this season, the Broncos have found more success moving the ball through the air and spreading targets around to several pass catchers each week. Mims should continue to benefit from more dynamic play calling, but he'll also continue to be difficult to trust for consistent production while competing for targets with fellow wideouts Courtland Sutton, Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin. Next up for the Broncos is a Week 17 matchup against the Bengals.

Vele brought in two of three targets for 21 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos' 34-27 loss to the Chargers on Thursday night.

Vele would have had a very disappointing fantasy night overall if not for his six-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter. The score was certainly encouraging, but the 14-185-1 line on 18 targets Vele posted in Weeks 10-12 seems like an increasingly distant memory considering he's contributed just three receptions for 37 yards on eight targets in the last three contests. The rookie will have a favorable matchup with which to potentially bounce back during Week 17, however, as the Broncos will face the porous Bengals defense on the road Saturday, Dec. 28.

Sutton brought in five of six targets for 50 yards in the Broncos' 34-27 loss to the Chargers on Thursday night.

Sutton finished second across the board in receptions, receiving yards and targets for the Broncos on the night. The veteran wideout saw a highly productive six-game stretch with at least six catches and 70 receiving yards in each contest snapped Week 15 against the Colts, and although he saw a slight uptick Thursday, he still delivered relatively modest numbers for fantasy managers relying on him in playoff matchups. Sutton should have a good chance of bouncing back in a Week 17 road matchup against the vulnerable Bengals defense on Saturday, Dec. 28.