NFL Player News

Smith secured all five of his targets for 18 yards while adding nine rushing yards on two carries during Sunday's 13-6 loss to Cleveland.

Smith has been inconsistent for most of the regular season, but he has topped 20 yards from scrimmage in three consecutive games. Although he was on the field for just 41 percent of the team's offensive snaps in Week 17, his five targets marked his highest total since Week 9 against the Colts. Smith's involvement in the passing game could remain elevated in next week's win-or-go-home matchup against the Ravens since Darnell Washington sustained a broken arm in the first quarter of Sunday's loss to Cleveland, and No. 1 wideout DK Metcalf will remain suspended.

Ruckert caught one of three targets for two yards in Sunday's 42-10 loss to the Patriots.

In the ongoing absence of Mason Taylor (neck), Ruckert has ceded most of the pass-catching opportunities to Stone Smartt. Ruckert has three catches for 16 yards on six targets over the past two games, while Smartt has caught seven of eight targets for 52 yards in that span. Heading into the regular-season finale against the Bills, Ruckert has exceeded two catches only twice this season.

Miller secured three of seven targets for 25 yards during Sunday's 13-6 loss to the Browns.

Miller has had minimal production for most of the season, as he had just one catch over his first 10 appearances, but he logged three receptions for a second consecutive week in Sunday's defeat. He was on the field for 64 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps against Cleveland, and he'll likely continue to see increased playing time in Pittsburgh's win-or-go-home matchup against Baltimore in Week 18 since DK Metcalf will remain suspended.

Ali had two catches for eight yards on three targets Saturday against the Packers.

Ali was shut out of the rushing rotation Saturday as Derrick Henry and Keaton Mitchell took all the carries among running backs. He had three targets, though, which was a respectable share considering Baltimore only threw the ball 20 times. Ali seems to have carved out a role as a pass-catching specialist out of the backfield, but he has just six carries for 24 yards on the season.

Hopkins was held catchless on one target Saturday against the Packers.

Baltimore had a run-heavy game plan Saturday with 53 rush attempts compared to just 20 passes. Hopkins' snap share dipped relative to recent weeks when he'd been playing roughly one-third of the snaps; he played just 25 percent of the snaps against the Packers. Hopkins hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 2 and has just one game with more than two receptions this season. Baltimore seems to have unlocked a new offensive philosophy that leans on Derrick Henry, so targets could be limited again in Week 18 whether it's Lamar Jackson (back) or Tyler Huntley under center.

Bateman had a seven-yard reception on one target in Saturday's win over the Packers.

Bateman continues to see a healthy snap share (53% in Week 17), but his target share remains limited. He has three catches for 30 yards on seven targets in four games since suffering an ankle injury in Week 10 that cost him two weeks. In fairness, Baltimore only asked Tyler Huntley to throw it 20 times in Saturday's win as it leaned heavily on Derrick Henry and the run game. The leading receiver, Zay Flowers, topped out with four catches for 30 yards. If Lamar Jackson (back) remains out or is limited in Week 18, there may not be much passing volume to go around for players like Bateman.

Allen (foot) underwent X-rays after Sunday's 13-12 loss to the Eagles and received negative results, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Allen began Week 17 as a limited participant at practice due to soreness in his right foot, but he upgraded to full reps by Friday and played the entire game Sunday. It's possible that Allen's postgame X-rays were merely precautionary, rather than indicative of a setback. With the Bills already locked into a wild-card spot but having no chance of catching the Patriots for the AFC East title, the star signal-caller could be shut down for the regular-season finale against the Jets in Week 18.

Burden is believed to have suffered a minor quad injury during Sunday night's 42-38 loss to the 49ers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Burden was injured on the final play of Sunday's game and had to be carted off the field, after the rookie second-round pick broke out with a career-high 138 receiving yards and one TD while securing eight of nine targets. He'll undergo further testing Monday, but it's encouraging that the team believes he avoided a serious injury. Chicago has already clinched the NFC North and can't claim the No. 1 seed in the conference and a first-round bye in the playoffs, so Burden could be held out as a precaution for the team's regular-season finale at home against the Lions in Week 18, regardless of the test results.

Corley caught his lone target for four yards in Sunday's 13-6 win over the Steelers in Week 17.

Corley, whose playing time has ticked up the last few weeks, played the third-most snaps at wide receiver for the Browns behind Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman. As has been the case all season however, the offense is not set up to provide value for multiple wideout, and Corley has just four catches for 25 yards over the last three games. He's made a bigger impression as a kickoff returner, but that role went away Sunday, as the Browns tapped Trayveon Williams for those duties.

Bond secured his lone target for 16 yards in Sunday's 13-6 win over Pittsburgh in Week 17.

The reception was just Bond's sixth (16 targets) over the last nine games. His production has varied from week to week, and he's been hampered by inconsistency at quarterback, leading to just 17 catches on 42 targets (40.4 percent catch rate). Despite the erratic production, Bond's flashed enough (19.1 YPR) to be considered a future piece of the puzzle in the Cleveland offense.