NFL Player News
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Jacoby Brissett QB | ARI
Cardinals' Jacoby Brissett: Career year in Arizona
Brissett completed 22 of 31 pass attempts for 243 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while gaining 19 yards and losing a fumble on three carries in Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Rams.
Brissett rallied Arizona in the second half with touchdown passes to WR Michael Wilson and TE Josiah Deguara to give his club a 20-16 lead. That woke up Matthew Stafford and the Rams' offense, who then responded with three touchdowns to hand the Cardinals their ninth straight loss to end the year. Brissett was one of the few bright spots for Arizona in a forgettable 2025 campaign. The journeyman backup took over for an injured and struggling Kyler Murray back in Week 6 and played so well that head coach Jonathan Gannon named Brissett the starter for the rest of the year. The 32-year-old Brissett became a hot fantasy add while posting career highs in passing yards (3,367) and touchdown passes (23) across 12 starts. Both Murray and Brissett are under contract with the Cardinals for the 2026 season, so it will be interesting to see how the franchise handles its QB situation this upcoming offseason.
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Ronnie Bell WR | NO
Saints' Ronnie Bell: Catches TD in Week 18 loss
Bell posted two receptions (on four targets) for 23 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 19-17 loss to Atlanta.
Bell hauled in the lone passing touchdown from Tyler Shough, connecting for a 16-yard touchdown that pulled the score to 19-17 with just over one minute remaining. The third-year wideout filled in for the Saints' depleted receiving corps, as Chris Olave (illness) was inactive while five other wideouts were on IR. Bell still finished with fewer targets than wide receivers Kevin Austin (nine) and Dante Pettis (five) as well as tight end Juwan Johnson (five) and running back Audric Estime (five). In 28 career regular-season appearances, Bell has now accumulated 10 catches for 113 yards and four touchdowns. He joined the Saints' practice squad in early October before signing with the active roster this past Friday.
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Elic Ayomanor WR | TEN
Titans' Elic Ayomanor: Makes little of 10 targets
Ayomanor recorded three receptions on 10 targets for 50 yards in Sunday's 41-7 loss to the Jaguars.
Ayomanor showed early rapport with Cam Ward (shoulder), making a nice catch-and-run for a 39-yard gain on the team's first possession. However, Ward then exited the game, and Brandon Allen struggled to move the Tennessee offense, which led to Ayomanor's inefficient line. Ayomanor ends his rookie season with 515 receiving yards and four touchdowns across 16 games, though he could be less of a priority in the offense in 2026 if the Titans can make much-needed improvements to their wide receiver room.
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Luther Burden III WR | CHI
Bears' Luther Burden: Three catches in loss
Burden caught three of four targets for 35 yards and rushed once for 10 yards in Sunday's 19-16 loss to Detroit.
Burden went without a catch in the first half before reeling in three passes after the break. The wide receiver was unable to build off of his recent momentum, recording his fewest catches since Week 12 and his lowest yardage total in four weeks. Burden will finish his rookie campaign having caught 47 of 60 targets for 652 yards and two touchdowns while also turning six carries into 37 yards over 15 regular-season contests, and he'll now make his postseason debut in the wild-card round against the Packers next weekend.
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Troy Franklin WR | DEN
Broncos' Troy Franklin: Blanked in Week 18 win
Franklin failed to catch his only target in the Broncos' win over the Chargers on Sunday.
Bo Nix completed 14 of 23 passes for 141 scoreless yards in the victory, but only one of his throws went to Franklin, whose playing time has been dialed back over the past month-plus. Pat Bryant has been seeing more action alongside Courtland Sutton. Franklin will be a boom-or-bust fantasy bet in the divisional round following Denver's first-round bye.
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Evan Hull RB | NO
Saints' Evan Hull: Logs two carries Week 18
Hull totaled two rushes for 11 yards during Sunday's 19-17 defeat against the Falcons.
Hull once again played second fiddle behind Audric Estime, who tallied 21 carries for 63 yards. The Saints were without their top three running backs over the final three weeks of the regular season, as Alvin Kamara (knee) remained inactive, while Kendre Miller (knee) and Devin Neal (hamstring) finished the year on IR. Hull tallied just nine carries over this span, finishing the 2025 campaign with 19 rushing attempts for 48 yards over six appearances. He joined the Saints' practice squad in late October before signing to the active roster Nov. 25.
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Jayden Higgins WR | HOU
Texans' Jayden Higgins: Catches two passes in Week 18 win
Higgins caught two of five targets for 23 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 38-30 win over the Colts.
Higgins caught both of his passes in the first half and had another long catch down the sideline called back on a penalty. The Texans then took a handful of starters out of the game in the second half after Nico Collins (rest) wasn't even active for the Week 18 contest. Higgins figures to operate as the Texans' WR2 in next weekend's wild-card date with the Steelers or Ravens.
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Kyle Monangai RB | CHI
Bears' Kyle Monangai: Limited production in Week 18
Monangai rushed six times for 14 yards and caught his only target for 15 yards in Sunday's 19-16 loss to the Lions.
Monangai was bottled up for the most part in Week 18, producing his lowest yardage total on the ground since Week 1. On the bright side, the running back has now corralled at least one pass in three straight games after having caught just one pass over the previous four contests combined. Monangai will complete his rookie campaign having turned 169 carries into 783 yards and five touchdowns while catching 18 of 30 targets for 164 yards over 17 regular-season contests. The Bears will now square off with the Packers in the wild-card round next weekend, and Monangai combined to record 107 rushing yards on 23 carries in the team's previous two matchups with Green Bay this year.
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Brian Thomas Jr. WR | JAC
Jaguars' Brian Thomas: Modest production in Week 18
Thomas recorded three receptions on five targets for 49 yards in Sunday's 41-7 win over the Titans.
Thomas was involved in the game early, earning three targets on the team's first four offensive possessions. However, he then exited the game to be evaluated for a concussion and missed nearly the entire second quarter. Jacksonville then pulled its starters early in the fourth quarter, meaning Thomas played only around half of the game. While that would explain his limited output, this was one of Thomas' more productive performances of late, marking only the third time in his last six matchups that he's topped 40 receiving yards. It was a very disappointing sophomore campaign for Thomas, as he ended the regular season with 707 receiving yards and only two touchdowns across 14 games.
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Kevin Austin Jr. WR | NO
Saints' Kevin Austin: Top target in Week 18 loss
Austin compiled four receptions (on nine targets) for 37 yards during Sunday's 19-17 defeat versus the Falcons.
Austin led the Saints in targets with No. 1 wide receiver Chris Olave (illness) inactive. The second-year wideout tallied four more than the next closest trio of pass-catchers in Dante Pettis, Audric Estime and Juwan Johnson. This caps off a solid close to the season for Austin, as he stepped up in an injury-riddled wide receiver room, totaling 13 catches (on 22 targets) for 140 yards and one touchdown. After two seasons spent between New Orleans' practice squad and active roster, Austin has now accumulated 291 receiving yards in 16 career regular-season appearances.