NFL Player News

It appears Hubbard has officially taken over the Carolina backfield. In Week 8, he had 15 of the Panthers’ 20 running back rush attempts while Miles Sanders mustered just two snaps. Though Hubbard split pass-catching duties with Raheem Blackshear last week, he should be a lock in 12-team leagues this week against a soft Colts front seven. Sanders can be held as a bench stash for now.

Earlier today, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that “the NFL can expedite its disciplinary process and Rice is likely to receive a multi-game suspension.” Maske’s source suggests otherwise. We have no way of knowing which source to rely upon but Schefter’s report could cause Rice’s ADP to dip in an advantageous manner. Regardless, were Rice to be suspended, it would likely only be an issue for fantasy managers early in the year. Should Rice be suspended and return in Weeks 4-6, he would arrive in time to boost lineups as the bye weeks begin.

The Bears have now signed two of their three second-round picks, having kicked things off by signing DT Shemar Turner earlier today. Only WR Luther Burden remains as the Bears’ lone, unsigned second-round pick. Trapilo will compete with incumbent OT Braxton Jones for the starting left tackle job. Jones has been recovering from ankle surgery and is expected to participate in the Bears’ training camp.

This is a welcome development for Harvey and fantasy managers alike. Broncos rookies reported to the team facility yesterday, as the team prepares to begin training camp next week. Head coach Sean Payton recently indicated that he “expects the depth chart to automatically reveal itself” during training camp, where Harvey will jockey for position against the recently signed J.K. Dobbins. While Dobbins’ pass-protection skills perhaps give him an advantage over Harvey in the competition for the third-down role, Harvey proved himself as a dual-threat playmaker at UCF. This is a training camp battle worth following closely.

The Chargers drafted Williams with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He spent his first seven seasons with the team before being released during the 2024 offseason. He had torn an ACL six months earlier, in September 2023. Williams spent the 2024 season playing for the Jets and later the Steelers, before ultimately finding his way back to the Chargers this offseason. He retires having caught 330-of-524 targets for 5,104 yards and 32 touchdowns. Williams was known as one of the NFL’s premier jump-ball wide receivers in his prime.

The Colts’ first training camp practice takes place on July 23rd. Fox 59’s Mike Chappell reports it remains to be seen whether Richardson will be “ready for a normal workload” next Wednesday, noting that head coach Shane Steichen previously indicated that Richardson will be eased into throwing. ESPN’s Stephen Holder adds that Richardson “has been in Florida for weeks working with his personal coaches throwing the ball with velocity.” The Colts are hoping Richardson will be able to compete for the starting job sooner rather than later. As things currently stand, Daniel Jones appears to be the safer bet to start in Week 1, but this is an important first step for Richardson.

Addison’s guilty plea is an informal term known as “wet reckless.” Per Cornell Law School, wet reckless varies state to state and is used when an individual charged with a DUI offense pleads down to a reckless driving offense. The plea removes alcohol-related charges while acknowledging that they were initially present. Per Younger, “Addison will pay a standard fine and complete two online courses after which we expect that his probation will be terminated early in six months.” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert outlines the next step for Addison, writing, “now we will see how the NFL reacts.” A 2025 suspension is still possible.

Chargers GM Joe Hortiz said he expected this to happen, but the news is now official. Per head coach Jim Harbaugh, Harris is at the team facilities this week. Harris can be activated whenever, so this move doesn’t necessarily mean he will miss any time during the season. Harris suffered an eye injury in a fireworks incident over July 4th weekend. It was initially reported to be “superficial”, but the fact that he is being held out of practice to start training camp is at least slightly concerning. While he is out, first-round rookie Omarion Hampton will get the bulk of the first-team reps, giving him the chance to leave Harris in the dust as the clear starter before the season even begins.

As Schefter notes, the NFL can now ramp up its disciplinary process for Rice. That is all but guaranteed to result in a multi-game suspension, though the exact length is unclear. The legal issue appeared to be one for Rice to deal with in 2026, but the suspension is likely going to come down in the 2025 season at this point, hamstringing Rice’s fantasy value as he looks to return from the season-ending knee injury he suffered last year. That will also give Xavier Worthy a path to cement himself as the team’s primary underneath option while Rice is sidelined. Worthy struggled as a deep threat in 2024 but made progress over the second half of the season as the Chiefs transitioned him to a YAC-focused role. Travis Kelce should also see an uptick in targets as long as Rice is out. Kelce averaged 23 yards per game in Rice’s three full appearances last year. He upped that to 58 yards over his final 13 regular season games.

The second-round rookies have largely been holding out as a group this year in search of fully guaranteed contracts. It’s unclear if Turner’s deal is fully guaranteed, but his signing, along with a few other contracts getting ironed out, should pave the way for more dominoes to fall. Chicago drafted Turner to be a versatile interior defender for their ascending defense. Turner totaled 10 sacks and three forced fumbles in four seasons at Texas A&M.

The details of the contract haven’t been leaked yet, but a two-year deal suggests Mims is now the favorite for the RB3 job in Tennessee. Mims entered the league as a UDFA with the Bills in 2023 but was cut at the end of training camp. He landed on the Saints’ practice squad and has been called up as a depth piece several times over the past two years. Mims rushed 20 times for 70 yards and added 12 catches for 71 yards in 11 appearances last season. He will likely see most of his work on special teams with the Titans unless something happens to Tony Pollard or Tyjae Spears.