NFL Player News

Picking Michael Johnson up in the third round allows the Bengals to give up on Henderson, who Marvin Lewis once called his next Adalius Thomas.

Bourne earned his first target on the Cardinals’ fourth drive. The throw was a tad late, and Bourne’s hesitated while running his route, so the pass glanced off his hands in the flats. He caught the next two, but barely cleared double-digit yardage. Bourne does not need to be rostered in 12-team leagues.

Thomas had a couple drops in the one and once again seemed not to be on the same page as Trevor Lawrence. Parker Washington led the Jaguars with a dozen targets and was clearly Lawrence’s preferred target. The highlight of Thomas’ day came on a 22-yard grab. BTJ’s downfield role in the Jacksonville offense means he will be a high variance weekly play in 12-team leagues. He some some flex appeal for Week 3 against a tough New England secondary.

Wilson had a brutal day. The Seahawks prevented two receptions by committing defensive pass interference, and QB Jacoby Brissett prevented at least two more with a pair of overthrows. One led to an interception. The other led to a dropped interception. Wilson remains WR3/FLEX-viable against the 49ers in Week 3, coming off consecutive seven-target games. He is stuck in a tough situation, but the opportunities to score fantasy points should be there next week.

Franklin’s lone grab came on a nice sideline throw from Bo Nix. He only ran 10 pass routes on 36 Nix drop backs, however, making him unreliable in fantasy leagues. Franklin should be on waiver wires until or unless Denver struggles with wideout injuries.

Hurst was overthrown by Baker Mayfield a few times in the second half. It could have been a big day for the speedy rookie if his quarterback weren’t struggling so mightily with deep throws. Hurst had a solid role though, running a route on 29 of the team’s 37 drop backs. He will be a high-variance flex play for Week 3 against the Vikings if Mayfield can find a little accuracy.

Playing through a cracked rib, McConkey was largely tasked with decoy duties in this game. He ran 71 percent of the total routes but was targeted on just 14 percent of his routes. For reference, McConkey was targeted on 39 percent of his routes in Week 1. McConkey still made the most of his limited targets in this contest, converting a pair of third-and-long plays when the offense desperately needed someone to step up. He should earn more targets and run more routes in a potential shootout with the Bills in Week 3. McConkey will be in the WR2 mix for that game.

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.

Fannin showed signs of life as Deshaun Watson played much better than he did in the season opener against the Jaguars. Running a pass route on 28 of the Browns’ 36 drop backs, Fannin was tied for second in targets among Cleveland pass catchers. Watson’s check-down tendencies — he had a 3.6 aDOT against Tampa — could keep Fannin alive for PPR purposes in Week 3 against the Panthers. He likely won’t be a top-12 option though.

It was an uneven day for Nix, who missed some routine throws and threw a bad pick in the end zone while targeting Courtland Sutton. He targeted Jaylen Waddle heavily and connected with Waddle for a 49-yard gain in the first half, regularly attacking the Jaguars secondary downfield. After taking far too many sacks in Week 1 against the Chiefs, Nix was not sacked against a solid Jaguars pass rush on Sunday. Nix’s lack of early-season rushing success has dinged his fantasy prospects a bit. He’s a fine superflex option for Week 3 against the Rams, however.

Harris broke free for a 53-yard strike early in the second half. He nearly took it to the house but was pushed out of bounds at the five-yard line, setting up an eventual Oronde Gadsden touchdown. Harris wasn’t heavily involved in the Bolts’ passing attack despite Ladd McConkey being hampered by a rib injury. With McConkey presumably getting healthier for Week 3, Harris is deep in the WR6/7 range for his upcoming matchup with Buffalo.