NFL Player News

The silver lining in the Rams’ ridiculous string of secondary injuries is that they may have unearthed a keeper acquired off waivers in early September. Pro Football Focus still rates Gordy as well below average in coverage and run support.

Despite being a limited participant in practice all week, the Ravens will continue to exercise caution with Madubuike, who is attempting to return from what was once believed to be a career-ending neck injury. The 28-year-old lineman has had an encouraging offseason and training camp and could find himself on the field soon, but the Ravens will give him at least one more week to prepare. We’ll see if he’s able to suit up for Week 2 when the Ravens play host to the Saints.

Branch was limited by the hamstring issue for the first two practices of the week. He got up to a full practice on Friday and was cleared for Week 1. Branch will likely see a few designed touches in his NFL debut, but fantasy managers will want to wait until he overtakes Olamide Zaccheaus on the depth chart before getting him into their lineups.

With two days left to go until the Falcons kick off the 2026 season, head coach Kevin Stefanski already finds himself on his third-string quarterback. With Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) and Michael Penix Jr. (knee) both banged up, Rush will draw the start on the road against the Steelers. This was already shaping up to be a tough matchup for the Falcons’ offense, but with Rush under center, it’s fair to say everybody in that offense will receive a slight downgrade as far as fantasy production is concerned. Rush completed 65.4 percent of his passes while throwing for 303 yards, no touchdowns, and four interceptions last year with the Ravens.

Brooks missed time late in camp with “general soreness” that was later revealed to be a minor groin issue. He was limited in practice this week, but that seems like nothing more than maintenance for a player who has barely played football over the past two seasons. Dave Canales is understandably keeping his workload light, even in practice. Brooks is expected to split carries with Chuba Hubbard in Week 1. He will be a high-risk FLEX play before we know what his role looks like.

The oblique injury Tua suffered on Thursday will be enough to sideline him for the season opener. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Tagovailoa will be week-to-week with the injury, so his status will be one to monitor when next week’s injury report is released. An up-and-down offseason for the 28-year-old quarterback that started with a back injury and an underwhelming training camp has now snowballed into him missing Week 1 after he was handed the start in large because Michael Penix (knee) wasn’t deemed ready to go just yet. Given the circumstances that led to him being named the starter, it’s safe to say Tua was already on a short leash entering the season. If Penix is able to go in Week 2 against the Panthers, it’s possible Tua’s 2026 debut will be further delayed regardless of his health.

The Commanders will also have Daron Payne (knee) and K’Lavon Chaisson (knee) on the field for Sunday when they travel to Philly to take on the Eagles. Washington made several defensive additions this offseason in hopes of improving a unit that ranked among the league’s worst last season in its second year under Dan Quinn.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise after it was reported on Thursday that Brown could miss at least the next four games. Now that he finds himself on injured reserve, the star receiver won’t be able to return until at least Week 6 when the Patriots play host to the Jets. Brown caught just three passes for 26 yards in his debut with the Patriots before exiting the game. After running just four routes in the first half of Wednesday’s game, Mack Hollins ran 22 routes in the second half and should see an increase in snaps in the coming weeks. Brown’s absence should also pave the way for Romeo Doubs to see more looks in the passing game after he saw just three targets in Week 1.

In addition to McMillan, the Buccaneers are also listing RB Sean Tucker (hamstring) as doubtful, putting both players on the wrong side of being active for Week 1. McMillan was able to log a limited week of practice, so hopefully he’ll have a chance to suit up in Week 2 when the Buccaneers take on the Browns. Rookie WR Ted Hurst should make for an interesting dart throw in DFS as he looks to be in line for more work with McMillan sidelined.

Egbuka has been trending in the right direction all week after logging full practices on both Wednesday and Thursday. The second-year receiver gets a juicy Week 1 matchup against a Bengals team that was among the worst against the pass last season. While Cincinnati hopes some additions they’ve made on the defensive side of the ball should help turn things around this season, Egbuka will be a solid WR2 this week in what should be a high-scoring game.

Croskey-Merritt was a limited participant in practice all week but is good to go for Sunday’s opener against the Eagles. “Bill” is expected to handle the majority of the backfield rush attempts on Sunday, but how he factors into the passing game will be worth monitoring. The second-year back has reportedly worked to improve in the passing game this year and could turn into a decent three-down contributor if the Commanders trust him enough in passing-down situations. Until we see how his usage unfolds, Croskey-Merritt shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than an RB3/FLEX option against the Eagles.