NFL Player News

After just one year into a three-year, $25.5 million contract, Smith-Schuster and the Patriots are headed for a split. The veteran receiver made little impact in his lone season with the team, catching 29 passes for 260 yards and one touchdown in 11 games while averaging 9.0 YPR — the second-lowest mark of his career. Smith-Schuster was reported “100 percent healthy” entering OTAs after dealing with a nagging knee injury for the last several years but was listed behind DeMario Douglas on the team’s unofficial depth chart. Rookie receiver Ja’Lynn Polk was also threatening Smith-Schuster for playing time, likely leaving him on the outside looking in for playing time. Cutting him will cost the Patriots just over $9 million in dead cap space this season, but this move doesn’t come as much of a surprise with the new regime now in place. At 28 years old, Smith-Schuster will likely catch on with another team in the coming days but will be hard to rely on for fantasy purposes in most landing spots.

Corum is firmly on the wrong side of questionable at this point and the Rams have already secured a playoff spot. Starting RB Kyren Williams (ankle) is nursing an ankle injury. If both players are declared inactive, rookie RB Jarquez Hunter could get the start.

Williams’ backup, RB Blake Corum (ankle), has not yet practiced this week and the Rams are already headed to the playoffs. Rams rookie RB Jarquez Hunter could see live action this week against the Cardinals, if the coaching staff opts to preserve Williams’ health for the postseason.

This “is not a permanent role” for Aikman. He is expected to continue providing insights for ESPN. Per Schefter, the Dolphins’ ownership wants “an outside respected perspective from someone who had strong relationships across the league.” That latter part could be key. Aikman is undoubtedly plugged into multiple front offices and may be able to help the Dolphins identify an up-and-comer from another personnel department.

Cross was unable to resume practicing this week, theoretically leaving OL Josh Jones (knee/ankle) as the team’s fill-in starter. Unfortunately, Jones is questionable to play this week, though he reportedly “just got banged up” in Week 17 and is expected to play.

The 37-year-old Williams suffered his first career hamstring injury, running 17.6 miles per hour on the 49ers’ first play from scrimmage last week. He was entirely unable to practice, but we expect him to give it a go in pre-game warmups.

Pearsall is on track after logging three consecutive limited practice sessions this week. He played through the pain last week, meeting with team trainers at times along the sideline. Despite the injuries, he caught 5-of-8 targets for 85 yards. Pearsall is a WR3 with big-play upside against the Seahawks’ top-tier defense this week.

Shaheed suffered a concussion in Week 17, but kicked off Week 18 practices with a limited session on Tuesday. He upgraded to full on Wednesday and continued practicing fully today. The Seahawks’ speedy receiver and return specialist could rip off a few long gains this week against the 49ers’ fantasy-friendly defense.

Kittle remained limited throughout all three practices this week. We expect him to play through the ankle injury in a winner-take-all matchup against the Seahawks. While both teams are playoff-bound, the winner claims the NFC West title and the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed. Kittle is an elite TE1.

Ferguson aggravated his old calf injury during his team’s Week 17 game and was unable to practice yesterday. He now has a chance to play in Week 18. Whether the Cowboys allow him to play is a separate issue. The 26-year-old tight end is under contract through 2029.

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters early on Wednesday that both Williams and RB Malik Davis (calf/eye) would be limited. Instead, the team listed both players with DNPs yesterday and today. Rookie RB Jaydon Blue could see a fantasy-friendly workload this week against the Giants.