NFL Player News

He’s not a recommended play against Miami, even in two quarterback leagues. Don’t look for big numbers from Hines Ward or Cedrick Wilson in the opener either.

The Deshaun Watson experiment hasn’t gone as the Browns hoped when they traded for him in 2022 and signed him to a record-setting four-year, $230 million contract. Watson’s performance on the field has been underwhelming, and the torn Achilles he suffered in 2024 kept him on the sidelines for all of 2025. Despite this, the 30-year-old signal-caller is in the midst of a battle with Shedeur Sanders for the Browns’ QB1 job this season, and Berry sounds open to the possibility of Watson not only playing for the team in 2026 but also in the future. Berry didn’t rule out Watson signing a new deal with the team after this year and said, “I think you have to be open-minded and flexible” when it comes to the quarterback position. It’s hard to imagine Watson remaining with the Browns beyond this season, given how things have gone so far, but for an organization that has started over 40 different QBs since 2000, it would seem that all options truly could be on the table. Regardless of who wins the Browns’ QB1 job to start the year, we would expect to see both Watson and Sanders at some point.

Newell said Worthy would have been “the likely winner” of a hypothetical “Team MVP” award for the practices if such a thing existed. This should all be taken with a grain of salt, as Worthy was sporting a no-contact jersey during the sessions while continuing to recover from a torn labrum, but even head coach Andy Reid said Worthy “really had a nice camp” at the conclusion of minicamp on Thursday. Worthy has struggled to live up to the hype that made him the No. 28 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, with injuries, missed throws, and ill-timed drops combining to make for a challenging start. Despite this, the Chiefs and fantasy managers remain hopeful that Worthy can take another step in 2026. Reid said Worthy did well in camp when the team put him “in a lot of primary positions,” which will hopefully lead to an expanded role this season, especially if Rashee Rice is suspended to start the year. Worthy is currently going around the ninth round in fantasy drafts and has averaged 5.5 targets/gm for his career. An increased workload could put him in the discussion as a potential top-36 receiver in PPR leagues.

A week after being arrested for domestic violence and criminal mischief, Cooper again finds himself in trouble. This time, the Broncos’ pass rusher is being charged with misdemeanor harassment, violating a protective order, and a felony charge of second-degree assault has been added to his list of charges from last week. He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court later today. Earlier this week, Cooper pled not guilty to the charges that stemmed from his first arrest and had a jury trial date set for July 22nd. In a statement released by the Broncos, the team said they are “disappointed to learn of Jonathon Cooper’s arrest on Thursday and continue to review the matter.”

While Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy are both expected to enter training camp in competition for the team’s QB1 role, it sounds like O’Connell would prefer to land on a decision sooner rather than later. Murray, by all accounts, appears to be the leader in the clubhouse to open the season as the starter, but McCarthy has received praise from teammates and coaches for his improvement as a passer and his ability to throw with a little more accuracy and touch. Currently going around the late ninth/early tenth round of best ball drafts, Murray could turn out to be a nice value if he wins the job and can return to the player who finished as a top-10 fantasy QB in fantasy points per game from 2020 to 2022 under KOC.

Bowles praised his quarterback on Thursday in a media interview, calling Mayfield “a true pro” and expressing confidence that the two sides can come together on another contract extension. Mayfield is in the final year of a three-year, $100 million extension he signed in 2024 and is in the midst of negotiations for another deal before training camp begins. Mayfield has already gone on record saying he will not continue discussions once training camp starts, giving the two sides a little over a month to hammer out a deal. Bowles and Mayfield are entering their fourth season together and have enjoyed some success, with Mayfield going 27-24 as a starter while also leading the team to two postseason berths. Mayfield said last week that negotiations were “not anywhere close” to the deal he is seeking, suggesting there’s a lot of work to be done before a deal is reached.

Despite some discomfort during his first season in coach Ben Johnson’s offense last year, Williams increased his yards per passing attempt from 6.3 in 2024 to 6.9 in 2025. He is expected to take another step this season. Part of Williams’ increased comfort comes from knowing exactly what’s expected of him in the Bears’ offense, and “what to expect when the team returns for training camp in six weeks.” Williams admits to feeling like he was “drowning” while trying to learn the playcalls and verbiage last summer. That’s all in the past now. Johnson’s run-heavy tactics may lead to a few subpar box scores for Williams, but he remains firmly in the QB1 tier and possesses high-end upside.

Coker entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2024. He missed Weeks 1-6 with a quad injury last year, but closed the regular season strong, scoring touchdowns in three of the final five games. The Panthers tendered Coker as an exclusive rights free agent earlier this offseason. He was set to make just $1.075 million this season. Per Rapoport, Coker can make up to $41 million via incentives. He is on the WR4/FLEX radar.

Running and cutting make up the next phase in Mahomes’ rehab program. The 30-year-old quarterback “would like to get a dress rehearsal run in preseason action, if he can.” Mahomes has participated in 7-on-7 drills, but has not yet progressed to 11-on-11 drills, nor has he been cleared for contact. These are the benchmarks. He seemingly has decent odds of clearing them in time for Week 1.

Maye and Brown have already begun generating highlight plays together against Patriots defenders. Coaches and players from both sides of the ball are highly complimentary of the new receiver, and Brown has taken on a leadership role within the offense. It sounds like things are coming together for Brown and the Patriots. Treat him as a WR2 with upside.

Per Shipley, Koziol “will earn reps” in the regular season if he keeps making plays. The Jaguars drafted Koziol in Round 5 and fellow TE Nate Boerkircher in Round 2 this year, but Shipley believes it’s been a ‘relatively quiet offseason for Boerkircher,” and Boerkircher missed Thursday’s practice for an undisclosed reason. He missed a practice last week as well. Koziol has shown “a real ability to make plays on the ball.” He is unlikely to garner a fantasy-relevant workload playing behind TE1 Brenton Strange, but Koziol is a name to know moving forward.