Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker (groin) was limited in practice for the second straight day on Thursday. Parker should be available this weekend against the Dolphins, but he will likely be facing off against Rams shutdown cornerback Jalen Ramsey on Sunday and will have a rookie quarterback throwing him passes. There’s a lot of uncertainty for Parker with Tua Tagovailoa now under center, making

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has 435 receiving yards in five games this season, and nearly half of those yards (215) have come on gains made after the catch. Fifty nine of that yards-after-the-catch total have come with Kittle exceeding expectations. He registers yards-after-the-catch success on 68.8 percent of his catches, putting him in the top 15 in that category. Not only is

Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Tee Higgins has steadily seen his role in the offense increase as the season has gone on, with rookie quarterback Joe Burrow looking his way more often recently. Higgins caught all five of his looks last week for 71 yards and a touchdown against the Browns. Half of his 22 total yards after the catch last Sunday came on his

The Pittsburgh Steelers Defense has been one of the best units in the NFL through the first seven weeks of the season. Pittsburgh’s defense ranks No. 2 overall in DVOA and has proven to be a tough matchup for opposing offenses. That being said, they will face a stiff test in Week 8 in a road game against an explosive Baltimore Ravens offense. While the

Updating a previous report, New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (knee) underwent a precautionary standard procedure on his knee on Thursday, according to a source. He’s expected to be out for “some period of time,” including the Week 8 game against the division-rival Bills. The good news is that he’s not expected to miss the rest of the year, but it means that those

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones has played in only five games this year due to injury, but he’s been crucial in three of those games. Jones is averaging 11.2 air yards per target while also facing press coverage on nearly one-third of his 31 catches on the season. Quarterback Matt Ryan has a 131.5 passer rating when targeting the All-Pro wideout. The 31-year-old always

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (knee) isn’t at practice on Thursday and is expected to miss some game action, according to a source. Edelman has been bothered by a knee injury, which could require surgery, although he’s not expected to miss the rest of the season. It could be why the veteran just hasn’t been himself this year, even though Tom Brady is

New York Jets wide receiver Jamison Crowder has somehow been productive in New York’s otherwise atrocious offense in 2020. In only four games played, Crowder has racked up 194 yards after the catch. He’s made plays with the ball in his hands as the team’s top playmaker, gaining more than half of his total receiving yards after he’s caught the ball. Crowder has taken what

Washington Football Team wide receiver Terry McLaurin is second in the NFL through seven weeks with 309 yards after the catch, trailing only Alvin Kamara. The second-year receiver is averaging a full 10 air yards per target as well, meaning he’s not just catching short passes and racking up the yards after the catch. McLaurin hasn’t been over the top in gaining yards after the

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Eric Ebron has been productive over the last month of the season, catching at least five passes in three of his last four games. He could struggle to keep it going in Week 8 as he will face off against a tough Baltimore Ravens team. Baltimore’s pass defense ranks seventh in DVOA and is allowing the 16th-most fantasy points per game

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool disappointed in Week 7, finishing with just one catch on his lone target. The slow outing by Claypool coincided with the return to action by No. 1 wideout Diontae Johnson, who caught two touchdowns in the game. Claypool appears to have a tough matchup on tap for Week 8 as he will go up against the Baltimore Ravens, a

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster finally showed some signs of life in Week 7, setting season highs with nine catches and 85 yards in a win over the Tennessee Titans. While his big performance helped to ease concerns about his slow start to the season, Smith-Schuster could struggle to produce against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8. Baltimore’s defense is tough against the pass,

Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown had 2.9 receiving yards per route run in his rookie year in 2019, which trailed only Julio Jones, A.J. Green, Michael Thomas and Antonio Brown since 2016. Brown has played in only four games this year due to injury, but he’s still been a yards-after-the-catch monster despite only accounting for 20.5 percent of the team’s total receiving output. He

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson (toe) is coming off a two-touchdown outing in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans. Johnson’s big day was evidence that he is still the No. 1 wide receiver in Pittsburgh, despite the emergence of rookie Chase Claypool. Johnson is a bit banged up, however, as he missed practice on Wednesday with a toe injury. This is a situation worth

Minnesota Vikings rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson has 28 catches for 537 receiving yards so far this year, and 36.3 percent of those yards have come after the catch. Jefferson has proved to be extremely difficult to cover and tackle for opponents, and his contributions have helped overcome the departure of Stefon Diggs. At the rate he’s currently on, Jefferson will finish his first year

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton (concussion) took part in the quarterback meeting on Thursday, showing that he’s making some progress in the league’s concussion protocol. However, he will not practice again on Thursday, according to head coach Mike McCarthy. Rookie Ben DiNucci will continue to see first-team repetitions in practice and looks increasingly likely to see his first career NFL start in Week 8 against

X-rays this week showed that Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II (thumb) has multiple fractures and a strained ligament in his right thumb, according to sources. Minshew has been dealing with pain in his thumb since Oct. 11 against the Texans, but the team didn’t know about his injury until this week. The Jags are on bye this week, but it’s unclear if he’ll be

The Los Angeles Chargers had a player test positive for COVID-19, and that player and all of his close contacts have been told to stay home and isolate, according to sources. The Chargers were informed of this on Wednesday night. The facility is open on Thursday, but all meetings will be virtual. The Chargers are scheduled to face the Broncos in Denver on Sunday in

The New York Giants are placing left guard Will Hernandez on the COVID-19 list on Thursday, according to sources. Hernandez and all of his close contacts are being quarantined while the rest of the team is proceeding as normal for practice. They have quarantined all but four of their offensive lineman after one of them tested positive for COVID-19. New York is scheduled to play

Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones (calf), who did not practice on Wednesday, is itching to get back onto the field after sitting out in Week 7. Jones thinks he can play in Week 8 against the Vikings and wants to play, but the Packers medical staff continues to be very conservative, especially with Green Bay having a short turnaround in Week 9 against