NFL Player News

Brown drew comparisons to Wes Welker from WRs coach Jerry Sullivan during offseason drills. Stanback is the latest tight-end conversion project after the Jags failed to develop Maurice Stovall and Ernest Wilford in the role. PR Quan Cosby and FB Will Ta’ufo’ou were waived in corresponding moves.

Jacobs’ trial was initially slated to take place on November 17th. That date was recently moved up to today, signaling that Jacobs wanted to wrap up his legal proceedings quickly. He has been on the Commissioner’s Exempt List since the end of training camp. Roger Goodell could have kept him on the list indefinitely, especially with the trial previously scheduled multiple months into the season. With the legal matter now settled, Jacobs will likely serve a minor suspension as a result of the charges. MarShawn Lloyd is expected to handle the bulk of the carries until he returns.

Graziano mentioned Bryant’s strong offseason as a reason to believe he could see more work in his second season. Bryant appeared to be gaining traction late in his rookie campaign before injuries brought his season to an underwhelming end. He finished the year with 31 grabs for 378 yards and one score. Bryant will top out as the Broncos’ No. 3 receiver to start the year, but he could push Courtland Sutton for targets and routes as the season progresses. His usage in Week 1 will be an important storyline for fantasy managers to monitor.

Fowler notes that the Cardinals likely want to see what they have in Carson Beck before the season ends. Of course, if the Cardinals are winning games, they will stick with what is working. Brissett put up strong counting stats last year, throwing for 281 yards per game across his 12 starts. That, however, did not result in any success for the Cardinals, who went 1-11 with Brissett under center. A similar season would make the veteran a viable backup or injury fill-in at that trade deadline.

Garafolo added, “MRI today after X-rays were negative.” That’s a good sign, but there is currently no timeline for Brown’s return. It will ultimately be a multi-week injury that could linger well into the season. Demario Douglas led the Pats with seven targets last night, though his looks are generally low-value check-downs. Mack Hollins and Romeo Doubs will serve as the team’s primary outside receivers until Brown is healthy. Hollins led the Pats in receiving yards at a modest 51. Hollins is worth adding in deeper leagues, but it’s hard to imagine him putting up anything more than WR4 numbers while Brown is sidelined. Doubs should improve in Week 2 after failing to catch any of his three targets versus the Seahawks. He will get another shot at WR3 numbers against Pittsburgh next week.

Romeo Doubs said to reporters after the game that Brown told teammates, “Everything was going to be alright.” He added that Brown was doing really well. Brown had his ankle rolled on while going to the ground in the third quarter of last night’s game. He immediately grabbed his ankle in pain and eventually limped off the field. New England ruled him out after a trip to the locker room. It sounds like a high-ankle sprain, which would sideline Brown for at least a few weeks. Mack Hollins and Romeo Doubs will both play more in his absence. Demario Douglas, who led the team with seven targets in Week 1, will also see more work.

Kittle has made a remarkably quick recovery from the Achilles tear he suffered in the Wild Card Round. He is good to go just eight months later, and all reports out of training camp said he still looks as explosive as ever. We will need to see what he looks like in live action to confirm that, but it’s an impressive recovery nonetheless. Kittle could be on a snap count this week as the 49ers ramp him up to full speed, dropping him lower in the fantasy rankings than normal. He is a low-end TE1 for the 49ers’ Australia showdown with the Rams.

Barner also had a tush push attempt that was called back by a penalty. With Jaxon Smith-Njigba soaking up 11 targets on just 24 team pass attempts, there wasn’t much volume to go around for the rest of the Seattle pass-catchers. Barner only topped four catches in 20 combined regular and postseason appearances last year. If Week 1 is any indication, he won’t be putting up big box scores very often this season either. He will barely crack the TE2 ranks when Seattle takes on Arizona next week.

Shaheed caught multiple passes in 4-of-12 games as a Seahawk last year. He stayed the course in Week 1 with another single-catch outing. Shaheed simply can’t earn targets in an offense that revolves around getting Jaxon Smith-Njigba the ball at all levels. His versatility and elite skills on both punt and kick returns are valuable for the Seahawks in real life, but they don’t put fantasy points on the table. He is not on the FLEX menu headed into Week 2.

Kupp had one of the highlights of the night with a leaping, one-handed snag late in the third quarter. The 24-yard catch eventually resulted in a field goal and Seattle’s first points of the night. Kupp can still come up with the occasional clutch play, but his ability to earn targets is all but gone. With Drew Lock likely filling in for an injured Sam Darnold next week, Kupp is not on the fantasy radar ahead of Week 2.

Holani forced a true committee with first-round rookie Jadarian Price, only seeing two fewer carries than him. Emanuel Wilson also mixed in for a pair of rushes. Holani served as the team’s primary back on third and fourth downs, but he was only targeted once and ultimately ran fewer routes than Price. With a much more favorable matchup versus Arizona on tap, Holani will have some low-end FLEX appeal next week.