Beat: Hunter Henry ‘will be important’ this year

A groin injury sidelined Bell for most of August. The coaching staff evidently wanted to get him up to speed. He played into the fourth quarter this evening. The Bills’ fourth-round rookie ran fantasy-friendly crossing routes against the Steelers this, hauling in a 16-yard pass on one such play. Tonight’s starting QB Shane Buechele badly overthrew him on another, but the two continued honing their connection all night. Bell scored a 28-yard touchdown on an end-around, speeding past defenders en route to the end zone. Bell does not need to be rostered in 12-team leagues, but the intriguing prospect could end up being a worthwhile waiver wire add in-season.

This is the performance Williams needed to have following WR Kayshon Boutte’s trade to the Texans. The Patriots still have a crowded wide receiver room, but at least one competitor has been removed from the equation. Williams delivered a 10-yard catch on a curl route on the Patriots’ third play from scrimmage. Three plays later, he shook his defender at the line of scrimmage and took off down the left sideline. He hauled in the pass from QB Tommy DeVito in stride and waltzed into the end zone for a 45-yard score. Williams does not yet need to be drafted in 12-team leagues, vying for the third wide receiver spot on the Patriots’ depth chart. He could be a worthwhile waiver wire add early on, though.

Raiders coach Klint Kubiak declined to name a starting quarterback last week (and again this evening), but Cousins certainly received starter treatment this evening. He played two series, along with the Raiders’ other starters, before being subbed out for QB Fernando Mendoza. The rookie quarterback is playing well. He shares fault with WR Jalen Nailor for the interception. The throw was late, and Nailor tipped it to a 49ers defender. The 49ers’ pass rush also got home a few times against Mendoza as well. Cousins looks like the early-season starter at this time, but stashing Mendoza on benches in superflex leagues could eventually pay off.

Black had a nice run to the right side of the field before subbing out, which ultimately required him to spin over the top of the camera stand positioned awkwardly on the sideline. He seemingly escaped without injury and, most importantly, took 12-of-12 possible snaps on the first three drives. Black is the 49ers’ running back to stash on fantasy benches. Fellow RB Jordan James has recovered from the fractured rib he suffered late in July, but the time he missed in August has him behind Black on the depth chart.

Bernard started alongside other Steelers backups this evening, indicating he has not yet earned a starting role in three-wide receiver sets. That said, he looked good. Bernard found the end zone via a screen pass on the Steelers’ second drive, shaking a defender immediately after the catch before muscling past another as he crossed the plane. He nearly scored again on the following drive, but QB Will Howard overthrew him in the end zone. The Steelers’ top-two WRs, DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman, are just getting over injuries, and No. 3 WR Roman Wilson should not be considered insurmountable in-house competition. Bernard could work his way into the lineup early in the year.

Washington could end up returning standalone FLEX value this season. He looks good. The fourth-round rookie does not go down easily, regularly powering through first contact, and he possesses the requisite speed to get to the edge and turn upfield quickly. He took a hard hit to the left side of his body while jumping for a pass, but showed no ill effects from it. With RB1 Ashton Jeanty (ankle) rehabbing, there is a chance Washington gets the start in Week 1 against the rebuilding Dolphins. Washington could warrant a top-15 positional ranking in this case. Target him in drafts.

LaPorta’s hip issue no longer appears to be a concern. The 25-year-old has continued practicing as the week progresses. He was out there catching passes from QB Jared Goff during Friday’s scrimmage. LaPorta is a locked-in TE1, playing in what should be one of the NFL’s highest-scoring offenses this season.

This is unfortunate. Turner missed the 2025 season with a ribs injury. Now, a back injury ends his season prematurely. The Lions correspondingly signed CB Eric Scott.

Daniels adds that third-round rookie TE Eli Raridon “looks the part,” but he believes Henry is “by far the team’s best tight end and once again will be a security blanket” for QB Drake Maye. Henry posted a 6/768/7 receiving line in 2025 and a 66/674/ receiving line in 2024. A similar stat line this year would be unsurprising.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid and QB Patrick Mahomes believe last season’s run game failed to make defenses respect their play-action run fakes. With Walker now on board, the Chiefs believe both the run game and play-action game will improve. The staff has catered to Walker by installing more plays from under center, which Walker prefers to shotgun. “One way Walker can help transform the offense,” per Taylor, “is by becoming a true dual-threat player.” Reid believes Walker’s “receiving skills and ability to make defenders miss” will allow Reid to incorporate “one of his favorite passing concepts: the variety of plays where a play-action fake to the running back is executed before a short screen pass is thrown back to the same running back.” Walker should be expected to handle a high-end, dual-threat workload. He is a locked-in RB1 with immense upside.