Fantasy Sports

Kirk was set to play in both two- and three-wide receiver sets, as the Texans’ No. 2 wide receiver. The WR pecking order is murky behind Kirk. Day 3 rookies, WR Jayden Higgins and WR Jaylin Noel, won the Nos. 3 and 4 WR roles in camp, but late-August reports suggest Higgins could split time with WR Xavier Hutchinson. None of the backups offer a reliable floor, though Higgins is likely the best bet to return moderate FLEX value. New OC Nick Caley, a former Rams passing game coordinator, is expected to use three WRs frequently.

The Giants rolled out a disastrous offense with Daboll calling the plays in 2024 and finished 31st in the league in points per game. They were far better off with Kafka calling plays in 2023, when they finished... 30th in points per game. Kafka called plays for the G-Men during the preseason this year, foreshadowing his return to the role. Quarterback talent has ultimately been the issue on offense, regardless of who has been calling the shots over the past couple of seasons. The Giants are hoping to solve that issue with Russell Wilson under center. If Wilson stumbles, the turn to rookie Jaxson Dart could be quicker than expected.

Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Lucas can also earn more money via incentives. He was set for a contract year before inking the long-term deal. The former third-round pick had a solid rookie season but has since seen his career bogged down by injuries. Lucas has appeared in just 13 games over the past two seasons after taking the field for 16 starts in 2022. Lucas’s deal is relatively affordable for a starting tackle, with the incentives likely giving Lucas a chance to improve both his play and his salary over the next few seasons.

He also noted that 2025 is the final year of his current contract. Kelce is still a top-end tight end, but his play has been on the decline in recent seasons, leaving him well outside of the elite tier he used to rule over. Between his engagement to Taylor Swift and his blossoming media presence, Kelce also has plenty of ventures to keep him occupied outside of football if he chooses to hang up the cleats. Whether or not he retires will likely come down to how the season ends for Kansas City. Kelce is a three-time Super Bowl champion with two additional losses, the most recent of which was handed to him by Philadelphia last season. Another win could send him out on the ultimate high note. For now, Kelce is on to Week 1 for a date with the Chargers on Friday. He remains a volume-based TE1, especially with Rashee Rice serving a six-game suspension to begin the season.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is worth “up to” $120 million, with $70 million fully guaranteed. Bonitto is now the highest-paid non-quarterback in franchise history for Denver. A former second-round pick, Bonitto has gotten better every year of his career, culminating in a breakout 2024 headlined by 13.5 sacks. He added a pair of forced fumbles, one fumble recovery for a touchdown, and a pick-six to his ledger as well. Bonitto is one of several high-impact defenders that make the Broncos’ defense one of the best in the league. They get to tee off on rookie quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward for the 2025 opener this week.

Hubbard was a workhorse for the Panthers last year, running for 1,195 yards on 250 attempts. He also totaled 43 receptions for another 171 yards, bringing him over 275 touches for the second season in a row. The team rewarded him for his efforts with a four-year extension midseason, but that doesn’t mean they are going to load him up with touches once again. The Panthers brought in Rico Dowdle in free agency and spent a fourth-round pick on Trevor Etienne. Dowdle split snaps with Hubbard during the preseason, alluding to a possible role for him on passing downs. Hubbard remains the only back with stand-alone fantasy value in Carolina, but he may struggle to live up to his lofty ADP if Dowdle or Etienne are more involved than expected.

This confirms what both Schefter and the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport had been reporting for the past day. AVT suffered the tricep injury during Tuesday’s practice and has been undergoing various tests to confirm the need for surgery ever since. Vera-Tucker was set to play 2025 on his fifth-year option but will now head to free agency after spending the entire season on injured reserve. Vera-Tucker has ended three of the past four seasons on injured reserve and has appeared in just 43-of-85 possible games since entering the league in 2021. Even with a checkered injury history, his play should earn him a healthy contract on the open market.

Diggs suffered a season-ending knee injury and was at risk of missing multiple games to start the 2025 season. However, his recovery went better than expected and he was cleared to play in Week 1 on the Cowboys’ final injury report. As Rapoport notes, he won’t be getting his full complement of snaps, though expect to see the star corner out there for nearly every high-leverage play. Even with Diggs active, a Micah Parsons-less Dallas defense should scare fantasy managers off of starting any of the big names for Philly.

Parsons was ultimately traded to Green Bay for a pair of first-round picks and DT Kenny Clark. Try as they might, Philly was never going to pry Parsons from Jerry Jones and the Cowboys. As Schefter points out, the Cowboys were not going to trade him within the division, let alone to the reigning Super Bowl champions. While they were unable to land Parsons, the Eagles could be in the market for a premier EDGE when the trade deadline rolls around.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Jennings can earn up to $10.5 million this season, instead of the previous $7.5 million. Jennings had been in a contract dispute with the 49ers for much of the preseason while also dealing with a calf injury. He returned to practice this week and now gets a contract bump in the form of play-time incentives. The 28-year-old caught 77-of-113 targets for 975 yards and six touchdowns last season. With Brandon Aiyuk still working his way back from a torn ACL and other wide receiver injuries, Jennings is in line for a large workload beside Ricky Pearsall this season. Jennings is a fantasy WR4 heading into the season.