NFL Player News

While ARSB is cemented in as the Lions’ No. 1 pass-catcher, things are wide open behind him. Jameson Williams will start the season with a six-game suspension, and veteran receivers Marvin Jones and Josh Reynolds have never been target hogs. This likely leaves LaPorta and rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs to fight it out for the No. 2 pass-catching role in the offense — at least for the first six weeks. Things could shift a bit once Williams returns, but that’s a long time for Goff to build chemistry with his young group of playmakers. LaPorta is a worthy late-round dart throw in drafts and could have some solid upside at a position that often lacks high-end fantasy producers.

Parkinson was in and out of the game with various injuries, picking up a new ailment on seemingly every reception. Parkinson logged 16 pass routes while Tyler Higbee led the team’s tight ends with 18 routes. Davis Allen, meanwhile, ran a route on 12 of the Rams’ drop backs and caught two touchdowns from Matthew Stafford. Parkinson should be a viable desperation option in deeper formats next week against the Chargers if the Rams keep using three tight end sets at a high rate. He has ten receptions over his past two outings.

Nacua, dealing with a calf injury, didn’t appear to be 100 percent but still got by just fine against a beatable Vegas secondary. He caught one of Matthew Stafford’s three touchdowns and led the Rams offense with ten targets. Nacua has a good chance of leading the NFL in targets for the remainder of the season with Davante Adams (hamstring) out indefinitely. His role in the LA offense makes Nacua one of the most dangerous fantasy options in the game. He gets the Chargers secondary in Week 8.

Brooks’ only catch of the day saw him dragged down by the ankle at the one-yard line. Jacoby Brissett tried to get him going with a few deep shots, but the two failed to connect on all but one of their tries. In three games without Marvin Harrison Jr. in the lineup, Brooks has five catches for 81 scoreless yards. He is not on the fantasy radar for Week 8 versus Dallas.

After complaining about the team’s backfield split last week, Williams was out-carried by Blake Corum, 17 to 16, with Corum scoring a touchdown and having two TDs called back on penalties. Though Williams lost a fumble in the second half, the Rams leaned on him late in the fourth quarter following a short-lived Vegas comeback. He ran 18 pass routes to eight routes for Corum — a season long trend that makes Williams less sensitive to game script than Corum. Williams will be a locked-in top-15 running back option next week against the Chargers.

The Rams in Week 7 resorted to a heavy dose of three tight end sets with Davante Adams sidelined with a long-term hamstring injury. That led to 12 pass routes for Allen, fewer than both Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee. He caught two red zone touchdowns from Matthew Stafford, however, seeing a look on 33 percent of his routes. Allen will be tough to trust as a fantasy option unless or until his snaps and routes increase. He could be a deep league option in Week 8 against the Chargers, however.

Nailor ran a route on 42 of the team’s 49 drop backs but wasn’t all that involved. Tre Tucker remains the Raiders’ top wideout, leaving Nailor without much in the way of air yards or targets. He should remain on waiver wires ahead of the Raiders’ Week 8 game against the Jets.

Mayer benefited from a pass-heavy second half for the Raiders as they once again faced a big deficit. He ran a pass route on 38 of the Raiders’ 49 drop backs. With four games of at least five targets, Mayer profiles as a desperation play in tight end premium games and a 12-team option if Brock Bowers misses time.

Engram popped up with four catches for 43 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. He has one game with more than two catches for 17 yards since. This week was no different. Engram isn’t even in the TE2 mix for Week 8 versus the Chiefs.

Mims also added three rushing yards on his lone carry. Troy Franklin and Mims split the WR3 role in this game, but the former failed to reel in either of his two targets. Mims, on the other hand, picked up 47 yards on a catch-and-run that saw him juke an Arizona defender out of his cleats. With Jaylen Waddle banged up, the WR2 role might be up for grabs next week. That would put both Mims and Franklin in the FLEX mix versus Kansas City, though we would look to aim higher on the waiver wire.

Golden’s 12 targets led all Packers receivers, but the speedster was unable to convert them into anything meaningful. Of the 12 targets Golden saw, four came on passes of 20-plus air yards. He managed to secure one of those passes for a 22-yard gain, but that was all he could manage in what ended up being a relatively low-scoring game despite the two teams combining for over 700 offensive yards. The 39 yards Golden posted on Sunday were good for his second-lowest total of the season, but he’s an air-yards king who is seeing the kind of volume we expect of a true WR1. He’s primed for a bounce-back in next week’s game against the Panthers.