NFL Player News

Anderson (6'5/315) was a four-star, top-100 overall recruit in the 2017 class who chose to stay in the state of Texas to play for the Red Raiders over offers from all over the country. He flashed immediately, earning Freshman All-American honors, and ultimately became a four-year starter. Anderson’s strength, length, power and predilection to scrap give him an army’s arsenal in the run game. When Anderson plays under control in this phase -- scrappy not possessed -- he tends to move opponents backwards with powerful, indefatigable leg drive. When he doesn’t, he arrives out-of-control, murderous, shoulders angled haphazardly. Anderson has more issues in pass protection due to athletic limitations and playing too high, with inconsistent hand usage. Anderson coughed up three sacks and seven pressures in 459 pass-pro reps last year, worse than you’d like to see for a 22-year-old four-year starter headed to the NFL. Assuming his shoulder is medically cleared from his 2019 season-ending injury, Anderson provides starting tools for a power run scheme.

This is the second season in a row the Vikings have traded for Cam Akers, who has 40 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown this season. This indicates Aaron Jones (hip) may still be feeling the effects of the hip injury he suffered in Week 5, though he was practicing on Monday. Akers adds depth to a backfield with Ty Chandler as the primary backup.

Surtain was estimated as a non-participant for practice for the second day in a row. He exited Week 6 against the Chargers due to a concussion and seems to still be in the protocol. On a short week ahead of a Thursday game against the Saints, it does not look like Surtain is slated to play. The Saints are thin at wide receiver, so Bub Means may be the primary beneficiary here.

Thomas underwent an MRI after the Giants’ Week 6 loss to the Bengals to check on his foot injury. Schwartz reports that Thomas will miss time with the injury and “the fear is it could be a Lisfranc injury.” If it indeed is a Lisfranc, Thomas’ season would be in jeopardy. The Giants’ offensive line will suffer without Thomas, who was expected to be a franchise cornerstone for the team after signing a five-year, $117.5 million deal during the 2023 offseason.

It did not take long for Adams to return from his apparent hamstring injury once he was dealt to the Jets. He missed three games from said injury/trade request and now will return to catch passes from old friend Aaron Rodgers in a primetime Sunday Night matchup against the Steelers for Week 7. The script could not be written better for Adams, who will be a low-end fantasy WR1 as he integrates into the Jets offense. Schefter also added that Adams restructured his contract to lower this season’s cap number to $3.21 million. Two voidable years were added to the deal as Adams’ future in New York will undoubtedly be tied to Rodgers.

That’s back-to-back limited tags for Kamara, who appears to be trending on the right side of questionable ahead of Wednesday’s designations. With Spencer Rattler at quarterback and a ragtag group of receivers, it’s possible that the offense is entirely built on however much Kamara can give the Saints against the Broncos. He’ll be a risky play in season-long leagues due to the general Saints offensive trend — he had just 64 total yards on 18 touches last week.

He seemed to be absent from the portion of the practice open to the media, so Hill appears to be trending towards a questionable status tomorrow. Hill has not played since Week 4 with fractured ribs. If he did play, he’d certainly be an interesting start given the lack of Saints weapons at skill positions this week.

He will almost certainly not clear concussion protocol ahead of Thursday night football. Look elsewhere for wideout help if you need it. Bub Means lead the Saints in targets in Week 6 and will perhaps be their No. 1 receiver on Thursday if Rashid Shaheed also remains out.

Shahid is reportedly getting his knee checked to determine the severity of an injury he suffered in the fourth quarter, per Nick Underhill. He definitely appears to be trending towards being inactive for Thursday night. He may also be an IR candidate. Bub Means was New Orleans’ most-targeted receiver last game and may be a viable PPR scam on Thursday night with both Shaheed and Chris Olave likely out.

That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be active this week, it just opens his 21-day practice window. Kansas City’s backfield seems pretty set at the moment with Kareem Hunt as the lead back, Samaje Perine as the third-down back, and Carson Steele as a fullback/backup. Edwards-Helaire would likely only return as a depth piece initially.

Buffalo’s practice report will be worth monitoring this week, as Cook missed all three days of practice ahead of a questionable tag and then was not able to play. Ray Davis is a worthwhile waiver claim for Cook-focused managers if he’s available. If Cook does play, it will be interesting to see if Davis is able to make real inroads towards making it a committee after his breakout game on Monday night.