NFL Player News

Freeman last week fell back into a backfield split with Latavius Murray. Wildly negative game script in this one led to a meager 11 rushing attempts for Baltimore’s running backs. Freeman got the goal line plunge this week after losing out to Murray at the goal line in recent weeks. He’ll be a shaky flex play in Week 17 against the Rams.

Wash will take over for the now-departed Ejiro Evero, who was dismissed shortly after the Panthers’ Week 8 loss to the Packers. Wash, who has been with the Panthers since 2023, spent five seasons as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator (2016 to 2020), with his defense finishing top five in both yards and points allowed in 2017 and 2018. Wash’s first task will be finding ways to improve a run defense that ranks among the worst in the league through the first half of the season, but given that his fingerprints are all over the defensive line, it’s hard to imagine a noticeable improvement is on the way over the final 10 weeks of the season.

This will be the third straight limited practice for Hall, which is an encouraging sign as he looks to return to action since last playing in Week 3 against the Lions. If he’s active, Hall will likely find himself in a bit more of a timeshare with Braelon Allen, who has rushed for 357 yards and a touchdown on 72 carries in Hall’s absence while averaging a solid 5.0 YPC. We will provide an update on Hall’s Week 8 availability when the team announces it, but at worst, we would expect him to carry a questionable tag entering the weekend.

Just hours after a 27-19 loss to the Packers that saw the Panthers fall below .500 for the first time this season, the team has decided to part ways with Evero after nearly four full seasons with the team. Evero was a holdover from Frank Reich’s 2023 staff and drew a handful of head coaching interviews during the last hiring cycle after his defense finished 15th in points allowed and 16th in yards allowed. The Panthers’ best defensive performances of the season came in games where Cooper Rush and Tanner McKee made starts, but they’ve allowed 35.2 points per game when facing opposing teams’ QB1s this season. From 2022 to 2023, Evero’s defenses ranked seventh and fourth in yards allowed per game, but his units have struggled in more recent seasons. They have particularly struggled on the ground and rank near the bottom of the league in rushing yards allowed and YPC allowed, while allowing a league-high 12 rushing touchdowns. He’ll likely get another job in a coaching role next offseason, in hopes of earning another coordinator job over the next few seasons.

Young declined to get into details about his knee injury after Thursday night’s loss to the Packers, saying, “Everyone’s dealing with something; it’s no excuse,” when speaking with the media after the game. Canales didn’t seem overly concerned about Young’s injury after the game, but did acknowledge that he didn’t appear to have the “quick, make you miss” aspect to his game against the Packers. Young was listed on the Panthers’ injury report throughout the week, but was also a full participant in practice. Young’s knee could be partly to blame for the six sacks he took in Thursday’s loss, and his health will be one to monitor in the weeks ahead, especially with the team already past its Week 5 bye. Assuming he’s good to go in Week 9, Young will face an uphill battle against a stout Broncos defense.

Kraft was able to bring in a score between a pair of defenders to give the Pack a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. That’s back-to-back games for the tight end with a score, and three in the first half of 2026. Kraft has seen a similar amount of involvement throughout the campaign, and he’ll likely put up a similar statline — hopefully with a touchdown for fantasy managers who roster him — in Week 9 versus the Patriots.

The fact that Watson was able to even play in the second half was incredible, as the 27-year-old was forced to be examined at the hospital following a chest injury. He didn’t do much after putting up 100 yards in the first half, but again, that’s not really the story here. Watson told reporters after the game that he was coughing up blood and suffered a fractured rib before returning. Assuming no setbacks, he’s a WR1 candidate for Week 9 against the Patriots, but keep in mind Christian Gonzalez — on top of this injury — can make things difficult.

Golden is rarely boring, that’s for sure. He dropped two passes, and one of those was a wide-open touchdown in the second quarter. The good news for Golden, Jordan Love and fantasy managers was that he was wide open again on the next play, and he was able to bring that pass in. Golden’s athleticism and ability to get down field is unquestionable, but to say the efficiency isn’t there is an understatement. He’ll be back at it in Week 9 against the Patriots.

Coker’s fumble came on the last play of the game as the Panthers played pitchy woo woo in their attempt to tie the game. The 24-year-old didn’t have a catch in the first half, but salvaged his fantasy day — to a point, anyway — with a 26-yard touchdown from Bryce Young. The 24-year-old has just three catches over the last two games, and he’ll try and get things going against the Broncos in Week 9.

McMillan had a long gain of just 14 yards, as Bryce Young just didn’t have time to get the ball down the field and wasn’t particularly accurate on the rare times he did. The wideout was targeted early and often, but it was an inefficient effort for the 23-year-old, at best. Even as the clear top option in this passing attack — all due respect to Jalen Coker — there’s a ton of volatility in McMillan’s fantasy profile, and that won’t change for Week 9 against the Broncos.

Hubbard was easily the most effective offensive player for the Panthers, but that’s at least partially an insult to everyone else as much as it was compliment to him. The tailback was able to make the most of the limited rushing room, and with Bryce Young having zero time to throw the football, he was a frequent target of Young’s checkdowns. Trevor Etienne received just one carry for one yard, meanwhile. Hubbard’s usage makes him a high-end RB2 for Week 9 against the Broncos, even if it’s more floor than ceiling.