NFL Player News

At 6-5 with 4.4 speed, Watkins would be an imposing nickel DB. Dallas may use Ken Hamlin at strong safety and Watkins at the free on passing downs.

Baringer has been on injured reserve all season while dealing with a lower-body injury, but the 27-year-old punter is now healthy and available for work after his release. A former sixth-round pick of the Patriots back in 2023, Baringer has played in 51 games in his career while averaging 41.0 net yards per punt. He is now free to sign with any team.

Jones’ status will be one to watch this week as the Vikings prepare for their Week 8 matchup against the Lions. While the team calling him day-to-day is encouraging, Jones was already dealing with a knee injury entering Week 7, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Vikings opted to sit him this week to give him some additional time to recover. Jordan Mason, who rushed 15 times for 68 yards in Sunday’s win over the Colts could be in line for a busy day against the Lions if Jones is unable to go.

Skattebo appeared to have tweaked his hammy on a 42-yard run in overtime that had a chance to be the game-winning run for the Giants. Despite the scare, Skattebo said he expects to be okay, especially with the Giants set to enter their Week 8 bye. His status will be one to monitor when the Giants resume practicing ahead of Week 9’s game against the Eagles, but for now, it doesn’t sound like there’s too much to be worried about here. Skattebo rushed 17 times for 124 yards and a touchdown last week after failing to see a touch in Week 6 following his costly Week 5 fumble against the Commanders.

Rhyan exited in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Lions after he had his leg rolled up on during the Packers’ fourth offensive play of the game. The 26-year-old lineman did not return to the game and is now looking at a potential four-to-six-week absence. Rhyan has started every game at center for the Packers this season, allowing three sacks and 10 pressures on 394 snaps. He was replaced by John Williams, a tackle, who could be in line to make the start next week given the multiple injuries along the Packers’ offensive line.

Franklin missed Week 7’s game due to the injury after accidentally getting kicked in practice. While Franklin is expected to miss some time, Rapoport reports the team is not planning to place him on injured reserve and believes he will miss “minimal games.” Franklin has totaled 41 tackles and one forced fumble this season.

Garafolo pointed out that Barkley isn’t a guarantee to play on Monday, but said “everything is looking good” for Barkley to make his return. Barkley was updated to a full participant in practice on Saturday but still carries a questionable tag into Monday night’s game against the Cowboys. While it’s always good to have a backup plan in case Barkley can’t go, we would be surprised if he doesn’t suit up, given his practice status all week and this latest report from Garafolo.

Kubiak was asked about the possibility of switching from Kirk Cousins to rookie No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, and said the team is considering “everything” while also making it sound like their struggles were more of a team issue. Cousins struggled in the early part of Sunday’s loss to the Rams, but managed some late touchdowns in garbage time to save his stat line. If the Raiders are considering a switch, it’s possible we’ll learn their decision by Wednesday, when they begin preparing for their Week 8 game against the Jets.

Kupp saw sparse usage as Jaxon Smith-Njigba went off in the first half and the team transitioned to a run-heavy approach while playing with a lead after the break. Fellow receiver Rashid Shaheed departed with a knee injury following a collision with Smith-Njigba in the end zone at the end of the second quarter, which is something managers will will want to monitor ahead of a Week 8 meeting with the Bears on Monday Night Football. Kupp could work his way into the FLEX discussion if Shaheed misses time.

All three carries for Barner were tush push plays that resulted in first downs in key situations, while his five targets tied his second most of the young season. Even so, that was not enough to return a usable fantasy week outside of tight end premium leagues, keeping Barner best left on the bench or returned to the waiver wire, regardless of the severity of Rashid Shaheed’s injury.

Is there anyone in the league doing it better than Smith-Njigba at the moment? The reigning receiving leader put on an absolute show in this one, making two nearly identical bread basket catches down the left sideline in the second quarter, the first of which he snuck inside the pylon for his touchdown. He was forced out at the two on the second, resulting in an end zone interception from Sam Darnold two plays later. Those two long receptions before the break helped push Smith-Njigba to 126 yards and a touchdown before halftime, and he added an additional 24 yards on three more receptions in the final two frames as the Seahawks transitioned to a more ground-heavy attack while playing with the lead. Fantasy’s early-season cheat code has now gone over 100 yards in six of seven games while notching a league-leading eight receiving touchdowns. It goes without saying, but Smith-Njigba remains the overall WR1 in a solid matchup against the Bears in Week 8.