NFL Player News

Pitcock was originally considered the favorite to fill the void left by Booger McFarland (torn patella tendon), but fell behind undrafted rookie Ed Johnson, who will start Thursday. Charlie Johnson and Jennings are out with injuries.

Meyers was spotted with some sort of brace on his right hand at Friday’s preseason game against the Panthers, but we have not yet received word on what he’s dealing with. Hopefully we’ll get some answers from Liam Coen the next time he speaks to the media, but between what we saw on Friday and his absence on Sunday, it’s fair to wonder whether the veteran receiver is dealing with something that could cause him to miss some time. Meyers has reportedly had a nice camp in his first offseason with the Jaguars and is vying for WR2 duties this season.

After missing last week due to an undisclosed issue, Washington was back on the field Sunday, participating in drills and working in seven-on-sevens. Whatever he was dealing with doesn’t appear to be anything too serious, which is a good sign for the fourth-year receiver who is looking to build on last year’s breakout campaign.

McCarthy appeared on four for series, playing on 18 snaps while going 5-for-10 passing for 81 yards. According to KOC, he would have preferred to play McCarthy longer, but the third-year QB “was a little hobbled,” which led to the decision to pull him. O’Connell said he expects McCarthy to be fine and will look to provide an update soon, but given some of the hits he took from the Ravens on Saturday, this news doesn’t come as much of a surprise. McCarthy will get one more look this preseason in next week’s game against the Broncos if he’s able to go.

Allen saw action through the first three quarters of play. His 29 snaps were the third-most of any Chiefs receiver, while his 23 routes run were the second-most on the day. All three of his catches came in the short areas of the field, as evidenced by the -1.7 ADOT he averaged on his three receptions, per TruMedia. One of the most hyped players of this training camp season, the rookie fifth-rounder has a 5-27-0 receiving line on 10 targets in his two preseason games thus far.

Simpson sat the entire first half of Saturday’s game and didn’t get on the field until midway through the third quarter, thanks to a long opening drive by the Saints after halftime that ended in a pick-six by the Rams’ defense that immediately gave the ball back to New Orleans. In the 34-0 win, Simpson wasn’t asked to do too much. He dropped back to pass on 14 of his 26 offensive snaps and stuck mostly to short completions, as only three of his attempts on the day traveled 10 or more air yards. Both Simpson and Stetson Bennett, who started this game, will see extensive work in next week’s game against the Chargers before the real games begin in Week 1 with the Rams playing “host” to the 49ers in Australia.

Blue led all Cowboys running backs in snaps, but played on just two snaps on the team’s opening drive of the game compared to Malik Davis’ 10. Davis would see just four snaps the rest of the way compared to Blue’s 24, but the second-year back made the most of his opportunities. Blue’s 75 rushing yards led all Cowboys players, with eight of his carries going for five or more yards. His usage, which extended into the third quarter, suggests Blue is battling with Phil Mafah and Israel Abanikanda for the RB3 role, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise after it was reported last week that Blue was the fourth player up in drills. It was a strong showing for Blue, who will need another convincing outing in the team’s preseason finale next week against the Saints.

It was another tough day at the office for Rattler, who remains in a battle for the Saints’ QB2 job with Zach Wilson. After losing a fumble last week, Rattler drove the Saints all the way down the field to the Rams’ six-yard line this week, only to throw an interception to Alex Cook in the end zone that was returned 100 yards for a touchdown. Rattler tried to force a pass to tight end Treyton Welch through what nearly looked like quadruple coverage, only for Cook to jump the route and run untouched to the end zone. Zach Wilson, who made the start, didn’t fare much better, completing 6-of-12 passes for 55 yards and an interception. Both QBs should see plenty of work in the Saints’ preseason finale next week against the Cowboys.

The starting offense played two series consisting of eight plays before giving way to the second unit, wherein Irving saw a carry on the first three plays from scrimmage before Gainwell entered the game. Gainwell received his lone carry on the following play, with neither back seeing another opportunity before departing. Previous talk surrounding this backfield hinted at more of a “1A-1B” situation than what was seen in their first preseason action, widening the range of outcomes of Irving in a fantasy setting for the coming season. That leaves potential room for upside considering Irving’s No. 55 overall aggregate ADP across all platforms, particularly considering how much the coaching staff has talked up his receiving chops this offseason. Consider Irving an interesting upside bet in the fifth round.

Mayfield played just two series and was without his top four receivers, with only Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell joining him as presumed regular starters. Even so, the offense was hardly able to showcase its upside against backup members of the Kansas City defense. Whether Mayfield and the rest of the starters play in the team’s final preseason game next week remains to be seen, but there appears to be significant room for improvement before they kick off the regular season against the Bengals in three weeks.

James missed almost a month of camp and preseason activity after suffering a fractured rib in late July, with his appearance at practice Saturday marking his first time in pads since 29 July. He returns to a backfield currently missing All-World running back Christian McCaffrey and will join Kaelon Black in a battle for primary backup duties until games begin to count in three weeks.