NFL Player News

The Utes have been among the more active programs during Thursday’s leg of the early signing period, having gained a DB flip from OSU (Clark Phillips) and lost a LB pledge to Texas (Jaylan Ford). Carlton (6'7/262) joining the fray, now. The Draper, Utah, native opted in with HC Kyle Whittingham and staff over fellow finalists Ohio State and Washington. At this juncture in his development, Carlton’s game is more predicated on quickness than power or technique. He lands on the 247Sports composite board as the No. 299 overall prospect in the 2020 class.

This probably isn’t a major cause for concern — if you’ve ever drafted Kenneth Walker before, you know he misses plenty of practice time — the Chiefs are likely just taking it easy on the man expected to be their bellcow back this season. But the more practice he misses, the more serious we’ll take it. Stay tuned.

Rarely do you see a national reporter talk about a quarterback in these kinds of black-and-white terms as far as how well they’re playing, so it’s an alarming sign for Tagovailoa’s fantasy value. “Not just in the preseason game, but it sounds like practice as well,” Rapoport says while adding that this is “Michael Penix’s job for the taking.” Superflex fantasy managers wishing to speculate on the Falcons quarterback job would probably be best served pivoting to Penix at the moment.

What does Isiah Pacheco have to do to get rid of this guy? Stay healthy and actually produce? Pacheco and Sione Vaki currently qualify as the backups for Jahmyr Gibbs. Hunt would probably at least push Pacheco for the RB2 role if signed.

A nice scrapheap find by the Cardinals, Froholdt bounced around the NFL playing 14 games for the Patriots and Browns in 2020 and 2021 before becoming a full-time starter in Arizona in 2023. He’s started every game since. This isn’t exactly a contract extension that sets a market — no agent bragging is coming here — but it’s a reasonable decision for a player who has bounced around the league and hasn’t had a major contract yet entering his age-30 season.

Coen, per Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley, “indicated they willplay it safe with BTJ,” meaning the team could be without Thomas and Jakobi Meyers (hand) for tomorrow’s joint practice. The Jags have dealt with a string of wideout injuries over the past couple weeks, including Parker Washington dealing with an undisclosed injury. If Thomas is 100 percent healthy for Week 1 against the Browns, he should profile as a high-variance WR3 option in 12-team formats.

Giddens has been sidelined for weeks with a severe hamstring injury. His return comes a few weeks ahead of the Colts’ regular season opener against the Ravens. Giddens as a rookie in 2025 had 96 yards on 26 carries, appearing in nine games for the Colts. He’ll battle Seth McGowan for RB2 duties this season behind Jonathan Taylor.

Pierce, who’s been sidelined since undergoing ankle surgery in the spring following the signing of his contract extension with the Colts, will practice this week barring any setbacks, Steichen said. It’s good news for Pierce’s Week 1 availability after the team’s de facto WR1 missed training camp while recovering from the ankle issue. Pierce is expected to see more intermediate targets this season after operating strictly as a field stretcher over the past few seasons. Piece in 2025 led the league in air yards per game; his 44 percent air yards share ranked fourth among receivers. Pierce profiles as a somewhat sneaky fantasy selection after his ADP has steadily sunk over the past month.

That leaves former Dolphins K Jason Sanders as the only kicker on the New York roster. Sanders and York competed for the starting gig throughout training camp, with both struggling at times. York missed his only preseason field goal try while Sanders has made both of his preseason attempts. Sanders would appear to be the team’s Week 1 starter, though the Jets could bring in more competition if Sanders — who missed 2025 with a hip injury — proves unreliable.

Three weeks ahead of the opening of the regular season, Stefanski seems no closer to naming a starting QB than he was at the start of training camp. Michael Penix, recovering from a 2025 ACL injury, made his return to 11-on-11 practice Monday while Tua Tagovailoa continued to struggled. “I can’t speculate on those types of things,” Stefanski said. “I want to really stay in today with Mike and see how he does in practice. I really have to stay in the moment with this one. Let’s see how he feels after today.” Penix on Monday completed four of his eight pass attempts in 11-on-11 drills while facing “simulated pressure.” Two of his passes came up “noticeably short,” per The Athletic’s Josh Kendall.

Cam Ward’s preseason has been as bad or even worse than his rookie campaign. Ward in last week’s preseason game against Seattle completed eight of his 12 attempts for 69 yards. His average depth of target on completed passes this preseason sits at a meager 1.2. Carnell Tate, meanwhile, has been targeted five times on his 23 preseason routes and does not have a reception to show for it. Daboll has been somewhat defensive this month when asked about Ward’s immense struggles after working on basic fundamentals with the second-year QB in the offseason. Ward, one of the most inaccurate passers in recent NFL history, is unlikely to support more than one fantasy-viable pass catcher in 2026.