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    Fowler: Bowers (knee) expected to play vs. Saints

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    ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Brock Bowers (knee) is expected to play in Week 3 against the Saints, barring a surprise.

    Bowers will still need to test out his knee during pre-game warmups, but all signs point to him making his 2026 debut later today. The team heavily limited his workload during practice this week and could do so in his first game back from the late offseason meniscus trim. Still, if Bowers is active, fantasy managers have to get him in their lineups.
Warm takes: 2026 is the year of the backup QB
Paul Pabst and Andrew Perloff deliver their warm sports takes on Not So Fast, including highlighting the NFL's backup quarterback boom after standout performances from Case Keenum, Marcus Mariota and more.

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  • LV Tight End #89
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    Bowers showed no ill effects from his Week 1 meniscus trim, lining up all over the formation and dominating Saints defenders from start to finish. Bowers thrived on out routes and crossers, but also played well as a toe-tapping vertical weapon on the sideline. He muscled through contact on a catch-and-run on the Raiders’ third drive and later made a 20-yard catch, tumbling backward as he secured it on the Raiders’ sixth drive. He scored on an out route from the slot on the Raiders’ ninth drive, bringing the game up to six total tight end touchdowns, tying the NFL’s record. Bowers can be treated as the overall TE1 against the Chiefs next week.
  • LV Tight End #89
    Bowers makes his debut in coach Klint Kubiak’s offense against the Saints today. The two-time Pro Bowl player should be started as a high-end TE1, although it might take a game or two for Bowers to get back into form. That said, it might not. He is an exceptionally talented player who should immediately function as his team’s top target earner.
  • LV Tight End #89
    Bowers did not practice today, but head coach Klint Kubiak said that was part of the team’s plan for managing his injury. Bowers had been limited each of the past two days. It seems plausible given how often he’s being managed at practice that he’d be on a snap count if active, but that’s just our speculation. Kubiak added that the team will not be working Bowers out pre-game like they did ahead of Week 2. Bowers-reliant managers are used to having contingency plans at this point and that will remain the case for Week 3.
  • LV Tight End #89
    This is great to see. Bowers has now participated in three consecutive practices, dating back to last week. We do not yet know his participation level. He has been limited in his last two appearances. Bowers is seemingly on track to play in Week 3 against the Saints. Treat him as an elite TE1 if he takes the field on Sunday.
  • LV Tight End #89
    That makes two consecutive limited sessions for Bowers, who resumed practicing on Friday last week. The Raiders’ star tight end and No. 1 pass catcher is on track to play this week against the Saints and can be treated as an elite TE1, as usual, assuming this is the case. It would be great to see Bowers resume practicing in full tomorrow. Stay tuned.
  • LV Tight End #89
    Rapoport wrote that “there is a good chance” Bowers returns this week as the caption for his NFL Network segment. He used stronger language in the actual segment, telling viewers to “expect” Bowers to be on the field when the Raiders travel to New Orleans for a date with the Saints this week. The Raiders’ top pass catcher should be treated as an elite TE1 upon his return.
  • LV Tight End #89
    Bowers returned to the practice field last Friday and logged a limited session. The star tight end will likely have a chance to log multiple practices this week and should have a realistic shot at suiting up against the Saints. Kubiak said on Sunday that Bowers was “very close” to dressing on game day, and a Week 3 return has always felt like the unofficial deadline if his recovery goes well. Bowers’ status will be one to monitor throughout the week, but it sounds like he is trending in the right direction at the start of this week.
  • LV Tight End #89
    Kubiak adds that Bowers “looks great.” The Raiders’ star tight end practiced in a limited capacity on Friday and went through pre-game warmups today to see if he could play, despite being listed as doubtful. Nothing is set in stone, and re-injuries are possible, but Kubiak’s comments are very encouraging. Bowers seemingly has a real chance to make his 2026 debut, playing in Kubiak’s offense for the very first time, in Week 3 against the Saints. He should be treated as an elite TE1 if active.
  • LV Tight End #89
    Bowers returned to practice on Friday but was listed as doubtful. He is eyeing a Week 3 return. Michael Mayer will draw the start again this week. Also inactive for the Raiders are CB Darien Porter, QB Aidan O’Connell, S Tristin McCollum, S Dalton Johnson, G Bryce Cabeldue, and DT JJ Pegues,
  • LV Tight End #89
    Bowers returned to the practice field Friday but apparently needs more time before he returns from his meniscectomy surgery performed less than two weeks ago. Michael Mayer will once again serve as the primary tight end after ranking second on the team in route rate while leading the team in targets (seven) against the Dolphins in Week 1. Continue to start Mayer as a locked-in TE1 for as long as Bowers remains sidelined.

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    Titans placed G Fernando Carmona (ankle) on injured reserve.

    He’ll miss at least the next four weeks. The Titans also placed Jackson Slater, the second-stringer at guard, on injured reserve with a foot injury. Carmona, a fifth-round pick this year who won the job in camp, had a 60.3 PFF blocking grade in 104 snaps. He suffered the injury on the first snap against the Giants in Week 3.
  • CHI Quarterback #11
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    Bears coach Ben Johnson said “we’ll see how it plays out all week” when asked about who would start at quarterback in Week 4.

    It’s worth noting that Brad Biggs quotes Johnson as saying “We’ll have a discussion as a coaching staff and we’ll see where we need to go from here ... But I said it last week, and I’ll say it again, there was a reason why Tyson [Bagent] ended training camp as our No. 2 quarterback” in the post-game scrum. It seems wild that a backup quarterback could play as well as Case Keenum did on Monday Night and not start in Week 4 on account of another backup quarterback, but it does feel like the winds are leaning there as things stand on Tuesday.
  • TEN Quarterback #1
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    Titans coach Robert Saleh said “no” when asked if he’d consider sitting QB Cam Ward.

    Ward’s gotten off to a slow start in 2026, completing 62.5 percent of his passes for a meager 504 yards and two touchdowns in three games. He has improved his sack rate quite a bit, cutting it from 9.2 percent in 2025 to 5.38 percent so far this year. The Titans backup is Mitch Trubisky. It is probably too soon to give up on Ward, but it doesn’t bode well for his future that Saleh is already being asked the question. Ward will be one of the bottom five quarterbacks in the Week 4 fantasy rankings against the Ravens.
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    ESPN’s Adam Schefter said it “sounds like” Jayden Daniels (elbow) is going to need surgery after the season and he’s put it off so he can play with his team now.

    Schefter added that he doesn’t think Daniels will play this week but that he may play “sooner rather than later.” Dan Quinn said Daniels will practice in “some capacity this week,” but they may just be trying to understand where Daniels is at physically in these practices. This update does not augur particularly well for Daniels’ chances of staying active if the Commanders go into a tailspin or if he reaggravates the injury; it seems like he’s simply trying to play through the injury to help his team if he can.
  • HOU Quarterback #7
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    Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said he is open to leaning more into the passing game.

    “The thing for me about offensive football is you have to make sure you move the ball and try to score as many points as possible,” Ryans is quoted as saying by the Houston Chronicle. “How that looks to me, it really doesn’t matter. You can think or want to be a certain thing. But if you’re shown that that’s not the case and it’s not getting done, then you have to adjust. That’s where we are.” The Texans already abandoned the run against the Bengals in Week 2, throwing the ball 55 times. Perhaps Nico Collins’ return this week will raise all ships, but if it was as simple as the Texans needing to throw more, they probably would have scored more than six points against the Bengals. C.J. Stroud has a streamable matchup against the Cowboys this week if it all comes together.
  • FA Wide Receiver #13
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    Giants released Odell Beckham, Jr.

    Beckham’s reuniting with his former team lasted all of three games, during which Beckham was targeted once on 11 pass routes. An afterthought in the New York offense, OBJ will look to land in an offense that might use his diminished skills. NFL insider Jordan Schultz said both the Giants and Beckham “decided a mutual parting was best for everyone.” It’s hard to imagine who would want Beckham at this point in his fading NFL career. He has nine catches since the start of the 2024 regular season.
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    NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports Panthers G Damien Lewis (elbow) will be out “a few weeks.”

    It’s yet another significant loss for the Panthers, who saw Jaycee Horn and Jalen Coker go down with injury in Week 3 against the Browns. Carolina will be without their starting guard for a little while, including this week against the Lions. Through three weeks the Panthers rank 25th in ESPN’s pass blocking win rate and 11th in run block win rate.
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    SNY’s Connor Hughes believes the Giants could start JJ McCarthy in “the near future.”

    New York acquired McCarthy from the Vikings on Monday in exchange for a 2027 fifth round draft pick. Hughes spoke with NFL sources who said “the Giants do not give up a fifth-round pick unless they plan to play McCarthy in the near future.” Head coach John Harbaugh and the team’s coaching staff, per Hughes, see McCarthy as a starting-caliber quarterback despite his immense struggles in Minnesota last season. “The Giants welcomed the chance to add a player they view as a competitor, gritty, mobile, and who has all the tools to be a plus passer in the NFL,” Hughes said. With Jameis Winston playing worse than any QB in recent memory, McCarthy could be just a couple weeks away from taking over as New York’s starter. He would be a mild upgrade for Malik Nabers and the rest of the Giants pass catchers.
  • PIT Running Back #30
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    The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo believes Jaylen Warren will continue as a workhorse back in Week 4.

    Warren operated as an every-down back in Week 3 against the Bengals, running for 127 yards on 17 carries and catching three passes for 49 yards in a victory. DeFabo suggested Warren had established himself as the team’s clear lead back option against the Bengals with Rico Dowdle (toe) sidelined. “I’ve always had respect for him, playing against him, and then being his teammate now for a little more than a season,” Aaron Rodgers said of Warren. “He is one of the toughest guys I’ve ever played with, and I just can’t say enough about his energy and the way he runs the football and the way he cares about his teammates.” Warren’s pass game involvement spiked in Week 3, as he ran a route on 70 percent of Pittsburgh’s drop backs. Dowdle, meanwhile, did not practice Monday ahead of the Steelers’ Thursday game against the Browns. Warren should remain in all lineups this week.
  • Loveland_Colston_800_1080-9a141e0b04eaf38a.jpg

    Colston Loveland

    CHI Tight End #84
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    Colston Loveland caught all four targets for 31 yards in the Bears’ Week 3 win over the Eagles.

    Loveland matched his to-date season total of one reception on the second play from scrimmage and narrowly missed his first touchdown of the young season after replay assist ruled him down inside the one at the start of the second quarter. The offense would turn the ball over on downs four plays later after failing to punch it in, allowing the Eagles to remain in the game for longer than they otherwise should have been. Either way, it’s a step in the right direction for the talented youngster, although the absence of Caleb Williams could further dent his fantasy upside in the immediate future. Loveland continues to be a TE1 in fantasy circles despite the slow start, which holds for when the Bears play host to the Jets in Week 4.