NFL Player News

Mathis had surgery on his left ACL on November 28. “There is still rehabbing to do,” he acknowledged. “I’m ahead of schedule, but there’s still a haul to go. From here, it’s about the trust whoever will have in seeing guys come back from this injury.” Mathis said his preference would be to finish his career in Jacksonville. The injury will bring down his market price.

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 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.

Tua wasn’t spotted during the portion of practice open to the media, so it’s possible he takes the field later in the day. That said, his absence from practice on Friday wouldn’t bode well for his Week 1 availability after he popped up on Thursday’s injury report with an oblique issue. Veteran Cooper Rush took all first-team snaps for the Falcons on Thursday and would be in line to start on Sunday if Tua is unable to go. We should have an updated injury report soon, which will lay out Tagovailoa’s availability heading into the weekend.

Turner popped up on Thursday’s injury report with the hamstring issue, but head coach Zac Taylor said the fourth-year corner will be good to go for Sunday’s game. Turner posted career highs in pass breakups (18) and interceptions (2) last season while earning a PFF coverage grade of 78.1. The Bengals will rely heavily on him in Week 1 to slow down Baker Mayfield and a revamped Buccaneers passing game. While Turner is healthy and good to go, Taylor said DE Shemar Stewart (knee) is doubtful, making him unlikely to play in Week 1.