NFL Player News

Johnson was in line for lead-blocking duties in Todd Haley’s new offense. Undrafted West Virginia rookie Will Johnson is the only other fullback on the roster, so the Steelers will be forced to add another lead blocker next week. Johnson will go under the knife on August 15.

In other words, the Packers might avoid placing Jacobs on injured reserve with his surgically-repaired finger. While he’s sidelined — including in Week 10 against the Vikings — some combination of Pierre Strong, Chris Brooks, Kaleb Johnson, and MarShawn Lloyd will handle backfield duties for the pass-heavy Packers. Johnson served as the nominal lead back in Week 9 against the Patriots, while Brooks is returning from injury and should slot in as the team’s pass-catching back. Johnson can be played as a touchdown-dependent RB3 option this week against a Minnesota defense that has shown recent vulnerabilities to the run.

Burks, according to Quinn, did not practice Wednesday in preparation for Thursday night’s game against the Giants. He missed Week 9 against the Rams with a foot injury. The Commanders’ best downfield threat with Terry McLaurin sidelined, Burks profiles as a high-variance WR4 option this week. The Giants have faced deep passes at the league’s 16th highest rate this season.

Hafley told reporters on Wednesday that Willis would seek second opinions on the groin injury that landed him on injured reserve. It sounds like season-ending surgery is a possibility for Willis, who would end his 2026 campaign. Through Week 9, Willis ranks 26th in passing yardage and 29th in passing touchdowns. He’s dead last in EPA per pass attempt and ranks 28th out of 38 qualifying QBs in EPA per drop back. Kyle McCord will get a chance at quarterback for the Dolphins in Week 10 against the Colts.

Pierce, who signed a massive new deal with the Colts last offseason, has been on injured reserve since Week 3. The Colts have little reason to rush him back in another lost season. “We’ll see. Like I said last week, he’s still in that rehab process, and I’m not going to put a timetable on return,” Steichen said Wednesday when asked about Pierce’s availability. Steichen mentioned Deion Burks and Anthony Gould as receivers who will see more playing time after the Colts traded Josh Downs and Keenan Allen this week.

It’s a little concerning considering the Titans are coming off their bye week. Tate suffered the shoulder injury three weeks ago, and unless he can log a practice tomorrow or Friday, he’s likely to miss this week’s game aginst the Jaguars. His absence would make Wan’Dale Robinson viable in PPR formats, along with Chimere Dike, who led the Titans in receiving against the Bengals in Week 8.

Cooper is dealing with an ankle issue he suffered in Week 9, but he should be OK for Week 10 against the Bills if he’s able to log a practice on Thursday and/or Friday. Cooper last week against Kansas City led the Jets in targets (11) with Garrett Wilson (concussion) sidelined. Wilson is expected back for Week 10. Cooper remains a viable flex play in a game that will likely see the Jets play from behind in a potentially pass-heavy game script. Buffalo’s defense has seen the tenth highest pass rate over expected in 2026.

Wilson was sidelined in last week’s loss to Kansas City with the head injury he sustained in Week 8. Omar Cooper, Jr. functioned as the team’s top receiver with Wilson sidelined while Adonai Mitchell couldn’t reel in any of his seven targets from Geno Smith. Wilson would be a top-24 option in Week 10 against Buffalo if he can return to action. The Bills secondary allows the 13th highest fantasy points per target to boundary wideouts this season.

The rookie wideout, who has run a route on 16 percent of the Colts’ drop backs through Week 9, should see a big jump in routes with Josh Downs traded to the Chiefs. In his limited playing time this season, Burks has been targeted on a fairly strong 18 percent of his routes with a high 17.5 average depth of target. Burks and Laquon Treadwell should be the team’s primary downfield wideouts for now. Burks should only be rostered in deep leagues with multiple flex spots.

With Downs shipped out, the slot role will go to Gould, who has four receptions for 45 yards over three seasons with the Colts. Downs had accounted for 18 percent of the team’s targets and 24 percent of the team’s air yards through Week 9. The Colts use three wideout sets on 59 percent of their offensive plays, the 12th highest rate in the NFL. They rank 29th in EPA per pas attempt with three receivers on the field. Gould should be rostered in deeper formats based on route volume alone.

Graziano said there’s an outside chance the Rams won’t put Nacua on injured reserve ahead of Week 10. Rams sources “were very adamant that Nacua’s injury isn’t season-ending and that they hope to get him back around that Week 14, Week 15 time.” With Davante Adams (hamstring) also sidelined, look for the Rams offense to be unusually run heavy in the coming weeks. That should mean more work for Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson could see an uptick in targets too. If Terrance Ferguson (hamstring) is ever able to return to game action, he could profile as the team’s top target. Nacua had seen 44 percent of the Rams’ first-read targets this season, the highest rate in the NFL.