NFL Player News

Alexander made a start in the playoffs last season and finished with 11 tackles and a sack but wasn’t reliable at stopping the run. The Patriots don’t appear willing to gamble too much by putting a lot on his plate this season.

Raiders coach Klint Kubiak was asked about the backfield’s status with Washington coming off top-tier preseason play while RB Ashton Jeanty (ankle) rehabs his recent injury. Kubiak said he is “not making any promises on percentages of play time,” but he thinks both backs “will prepare to play a lot of football and as these games unfold, you react to the game.” McFadden used the term “1-2 punch” to sum up Kubiak’s potential running back usage. McFadden also notes that “in May, Kubiak talked about using Jeanty as a bell cow running back,” and reports of that nature continued rolling in through early August. Washington has wowed as of late, though, and may be able to generate FLEX-worthy stat lines alongside Jeanty this season.

Second-year Buccaneers RB Josh Williams has played extensively, and even ahead of RB Sean Tucker, in the preseason thus far. Coach Todd Bowles has avoided answering questions about Tucker’s status directly, instead saying Williams is playing well and the staff wanted to see Williams play against better defenders early in preseason games. While this might not seem like a big deal, it could be for RB Bucky Irving. Tucker has been discussed as the team’s short-yardage and goal-line specialist this season. He is also set to make the second-highest salary in the backfield this year, yet none of it is guaranteed. Releasing him would save the team cash and potentially free up red zone duties for Irving to reclaim. Keep an eye on this position battle tonight.

Shipley estimates that Hunter has logged fewer than 10 reps at wide receiver in team drills during that span. Shipley said, “it seems like” the Jaguars are treating Hunter like their CB1. He also still thinks “there will be games where he logs 50 percent of the offensive snaps,” though. The biggest takeaway is that Hunter has an extremely wide range of potential outcomes, and he cannot be counted on to be FLEX-viable at this time.

The Browns also waived CB Jeremiah McClendon. NBC Houston’s Aaron Wilson believes Muhammad had a nice showing in training camp, and McClendon had strong showings in preseason games. Perhaps they will land elsewhere in the NFL.

This is good to hear. New Titans OC Brian Daboll brought Robinson with him from the Giants to serve as a reliable go-to option for QB Cam Ward, particularly on third down. Robinson has a chance to lead the Titans in targets this season, though questions about the offense’s overall effectiveness could keep him stuck in FLEX spots, rather than the WR3 tier.

We still don’t know what Thornton is dealing with, but the second-year receiver hasn’t practiced since August 7th. Kubiak said earlier this month that he expected Thornton to return sometime during the preseason, but that didn’t come to fruition. Even if he’s able to make it back on the practice field ahead of Week 1, Thornton is unlikely to make any major contributions to the offense at this time.

Funny enough, it’s the same line Kubiak provided to reporters on Tuesday when asked about the health of his RB1. Kubiak did say that the Raiders were “counting on (Jeanty)” for Week 1, but that’s hardly a sign that the Raiders expect him to suit up. With teams not being required to release official injury reports until the week leading up to the first game of the season, it’s possible that we won’t have a clear answer regarding Jeanty and his availability until the Raiders begin preparing for Week 1’s game against the Dolphins. In the event Jeanty can’t go, rookie Mike Washington is expected to see a substantial role after a solid preseason in which he rushed 23 times for 168 yards while averaging an impressive 7.3 YPC. Washington is worth a draft pick in all formats right now, especially with Jeanty’s status up in the air.

Pierce said the Colts have been doing a good job of preparing him to play even while sidelined, and with 16 days to go before the Colts host the Ravens in Week 1, it’s not inconceivable that he could be ready in time for the season opener. The Colts will continue to ramp Pierce up in the coming weeks, making his status one to monitor, especially when teams begin releasing official injury reports ahead of game day. If he is able to play, fantasy managers should view Pierce as anything more than a boom/bust WR3 until we see how he looks on the field.

Legwold writes that the fourth-round rookie is “squarely in the backfield rotation” for the Broncos. Coleman possesses a three-down skill set that could open the door for him to eat into both J.K. Dobbins’ and RJ Harvey’s roles, but fantasy managers shouldn’t rush to put him in their lineups at this time. Dobbins is still considered the favorite to lead the Broncos in early-down touches to start the season, with most of Harvey’s looks coming on third down and in passing situations. That said, Coleman is one of the higher upside stashes at his position who could prove to have top-24 upside or better at some point this season.

This will be the first look we get at Harris since he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 3 last season. The 28-year-old vet signed a deal with the Giants less than two weeks ago, but could end up being a “significant contributor” to the Giants’ backfield, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Whether or not Harris has any fantasy value as a standalone option with Cam Skattebo healthy is to be determined, but he could be the leader in the clubhouse to be the next man up should Skattebo ever miss time, making him an intriguing late-round pick in fantasy drafts.