NFL Player News

The move comes out of the blue, as Middleton practiced Thursday before being listed as out on Friday with a hamstring injury. It’s a huge loss for the Jags, who were forced to insert Middleton into the starting lineup after losing both Rashean Mathis and Derek Cox for the season in November. What had been a stout pass defense will now be forced to start some combination of Drew Coleman, Kevin Rutland, Ashton Youboty and David Jones at corner. Middleton had previously never missed a game with injury during his three-year career.

Gray suffered a concussion over the weekend after being involved in an accident while driving an ultra-terrain vehicle. Gray is expected to be back on the field after he clears concussion protocol, but his absence creates a glaring hole in the middle of the Titans’ defense. Gray totaled 164 tackles and one sack last season. His absence could lead to an increased role for rookie Anthony Hill Jr. on Sunday.

We’ll have a better sense of Brooks’ Week 1 availability in a few hours when the Panthers release their final injury report for the week, but the third-year back logged limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday and is trending in the right direction for Sunday’s game against the Bears. If he’s active, Brooks is expected to split touches with Chuba Hubbard, which could put a hard cap on both players’ upside in the season-opener.

Coen also noted that Washington is “the guy right now,” suggesting that his role as the returner could change at some point in the year. Washington returned 25 punts for the Jaguars last season and racked up 341 return yards and two touchdowns on those returns. Coen said the Jaguars will hope to get Travis Hunter involved as the punt returner at some point, but Washington will start the season in the role. Washington profiles as a solid WR2 to start the fantasy season after going for 58-847-5 last year.

Humphries’ release comes just a few weeks after the Commanders signed him to bolster an offensive line that had recently lost Laremy Tunsil. The veteran tackle apparently failed to make much of an impression in his brief stint with the Commanders, although it’s possible this is a roster management decision, and at some point he re-signs with Washington’s practice squad with a chance to be elevated in future weeks.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jones will receive $3.5 million in base salary with a chance to earn up to $6 million on his deal. The 34-year-old vet started in all 12 games he appeared in for the Bills last season, totaling 22 tackles, three TFLs, and three sacks while also forcing a fumble. Jones played under head coach Mike Vrabel from 2018 to 2020 and should provide immediate help up front for the Pats’ d-line.

The Jets have not released their final injury report, but this news comes from head coach Aaron Glenn, who spoke with the media Friday morning. Ponds was a limited participant in each of the team’s first two practices this week, but the belief is he hasn’t had enough time to be ready for the season opener. It doesn’t sound like the second-round rookie has suffered any setbacks in his recovery, so hopefully he’ll be on track to make his debut in Week 2 against the Packers. Glenn also said RB Kene Nwangwu (back) is doubtful while EDGE Joseph Ossai (foot) and WR Tim Patrick (groin) will be held out of Sunday’s game.

This is notable because Sanders is currently on the Jets’ practice squad while veteran kicker Blake Grupe is on the 53-man roster. Fantasy managers expecting Grupe to contribute to their Week 1 lineups will want to make sure they find a replacement. Sanders certainly makes for a viable option after he converted 37-of-41 field goal attempts last season while going 12-of-14 from distances of 50-plus yards.

Weinfuss received this information from a source familiar with the situation, but this news isn’t all that surprising. Love has logged back-to-back limited practices to start the week, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Thursday that “it looks like” Love will suit up in Week 1. The first-round rookie is expected to split touches with Tyler Allgeier, who was listed as the RB1 on the Cardinals’ unofficial depth chart earlier this week, but we would still expect Love to see enough touches to warrant starting as a mid- to low-end RB2 in his regular-season debut.

Flournoy is now under contract through the 2027 season. The 26-year-old receiver caught 40 passes for 475 yards and four touchdowns last season, while finishing third among Cowboys receivers in routes run (273) and fourth on the team in targets. It was reported earlier this summer that he was seeing more snaps in the slot, but it’s hard to imagine Flournoy making enough of an impact to be fantasy-relevant as long as CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Jake Ferguson are healthy.

Coming off an underwhelming debut in which he failed to even record a tackle in Week 1’s loss against the 49ers, Garrett said he was “the worst version” of himself in Thursday’s game. The star pass rusher was dealing with a knee injury in the days leading up to the game, but was ultimately removed from the injury report on Wednesday. Speaking after the game, he said his knee didn’t feel 100 percent, but Garrett still managed to play on 40 snaps, per PFF. Unfortunately, he generated only three pressures and failed to get a hit on the quarterback. Hopefully, some extended time off before next Monday’s game against the Giants will be enough for Garrett to get right in the Rams’ official 2026 home debut.