NFL Player News

Playing the toughest defense he’s faced in 2023, Smith had by far his best start of the year. The three-score effort through the air was first of the season, while the rushing touchdown was also his first. Although constantly pressured, especially in the second half, Smith took zero sacks. He seemed focused on getting the ball out faster than he has been for much of the year. The main story was his connection with DK Metcalf, whom he found for 6/134/3 despite Metcalf frequently being matched up with DROY contender DaRon Bland’s coverage. Smith also found each of Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba for at least five grabs, and even hooked up with Noah Fant for a few big plays. He deserved a better fate than a loss, but Dak Prescott was somehow even better on the other side of the ball. Tonight’s pop-up effort will almost certainly be a one-off, as Smith must now rematch with a 49ers defense that bottled him up for a scoreless 180 yards on Thanksgiving.

Kaye thinks Hubbard “will probably take the lion’s share of the touches out of the backfield early on.” Where his workload goes from there is likely dependent upon RB Jonathon Brooks’ (knee) health. The Panthers spent a second-round pick on Brooks in 2024. They would undoubtedly like to begin getting meaningful contributions from him this season. That said, Hubbard led the backfield in touches in 2023 and 2024, and has been a steady contributor for them. Hubbard may be a smarter pick in re-draft than he is in best ball, because managers can move on from him if need be. The backfield’s rotation in training camp could help clarify things.

If things go well for Brooks this summer, Kaye believes Brooks “will probably be used similarly to Rico Dowdle in the first two weeks of last season.” Dowdle played on 29.9 percent of the backfield snaps, totaling nine carries and four targets during that span. If Brooks “proves that he can stay durable and handle a consistent workload during the first month of the season,” the team could adjust the rotation after the Week 5 bye. Kaye opines that Brooks should not just be limited to passing downs and thinks it would “be fair to expect Brooks to even up his looks” with RB Chuba Hubbard eventually. Banking on a productive season from Brooks, 22, is not without risk, but his current ADP also looks like a decent buy-low opportunity.

Responding to readers on social media this week, Kelly said he believes Coleman is the Dolphins’ best rookie wide receiver, and linked to an article of his from May 8th. In the piece, Kelly argues that Coleman should be the team’s front-runner for the starting slot role. If Coleman can pull it off, he may only get on the field when the Dolphins are in three-wide receiver sets, so he may only end up being a WR5/matchup-based FLEX. Still, Coleman is worth keeping an eye on in training camp next month.

Speaking to reporters after practice last week, Bieniemy said that he wants Walker to understand “that we just have to become a better player when the ball is not in our hand.” That means Walker has to do “a great job protecting the quarterback” and be a “great” route runner on the perimeter. Bieniemy complimented Walker’s abilities as a rusher and said Walker is “doing a heck of a job” in practice, but Walker’s ticket to an elite season likely requires passing game participation. As a Seahawk last year, Walker ceded passing down snaps to RB Zach Charbonnet. The Chiefs already had RB Brashard Smith in-house and bolstered the backfield by adding more running backs with intriguing receiving skillsets. They signed RB Emari Demercado, “one of the better third-down backs in the NFL over the past couple of years,” and drafted RB Emmett Johnson in the fifth round. Walker has the highest upside of the bunch, but a run-centric workload could keep him in the RB2 ranks this season.

With former Buccaneers WR Mike Evans now a 49er, Godwin is the veteran leader in Tampa Bay’s wide receiver corps. Godwin was leading the NFL with 50 receptions when he fractured his fibula and dislocated his ankle in 2024. It was a significant, season-ending injury that required an intense offseason rehab program, and his lower leg remained an issue for much of 2025. This year, however, Godwin’s offseason has been spent training, not recovering. According to Godwin, this understandably makes “a huge difference.” A solid bounce-back season is within his range of potential outcomes. Godwin is currently the WR40 by PPR ADP. While he may lack the high-end upside he once possessed, that ADP sure looks like decent value.

Astute readers might notice that Evans did not put the Broncos’ longtime WR1, Courtland Sutton, on that list. The cost to acquire Waddle from the Dolphins was not cheap, so anointing Waddle as the WR1 makes sense. The former Dolphin spent his career in Miami playing sidekick to WR Tyreek Hill, so it was fair to wonder if he might be slated for a WR2 role in Denver as well. If anything, this could be a 1A/1B situation, with Waddle operating as the 1A. Regardless, Sutton appears unbothered by Waddle’s presence, saying the Broncos’ offense is comprised of “guys that are willing to put their pride aside,” and celebrated the importance of selflessness. Waddle profiles as a WR2 while Sutton is perhaps best viewed in the WR3/FLEX tier.

Wilson began today’s report by recounting a successful fade route Higgins ran from the slot at organized team activities. Per Higgins, the Texans view him as a versatile receiver and plan to deploy him at multiple spots this year. Per PFF, Higgins ran 79.2 percent of his routes from the perimeter and 20.4 percent from the slot. If Higgins can secure the WR2 role and gain frequent slot usage from 11 personnel, that would go a long way toward reliable fantasy productivity. In addition to improving his fitness, Higgins has focused on the game’s “intellectual” aspect as well this offseason. Wilson adds that Higgins has been a standout among the receivers thus far and has “shown upgraded timing and chemistry” with QB C.J. Stroud. He has a chance to return value as a WR3 or better this season.

Lohner did not play at all in his 2025 rookie season. He began his football career in 2024 at Utah, after playing basketball at BYU (2020-21) and Baylor (2023-24). He is unlikely to be on the fantasy football radar for the 2026 season. 9NEWS’ Mike Klis notes that head coach Sean Payton “singled out Lohner for his impressive second-year development” earlier this spring.

Thomas’ phrasing suggests he underwent multiple clean-up procedures over the past few months, in an effort to get “as close to 100 percent as possible.” It also sounds like he played through quite a lot of pain last year. He dealt with wrist, shoulder and ankle injuries while adjusting to head coach Liam Coen’s new offense in 2025. Thomas is already drawing positive reviews at organized team activities. If he can sustain good health throughout training camp, he has a chance to deliver a big-time bounce-back season in 2026.

He suffered a torn meniscus in Week 2 against the Texans. “Right away I’m just trying to get used to playing with a knee brace again, but I was talking to Ben today and it’s like, it already feels…you’re not thinking about the knee brace. It feels back to normal. It was a great day. I wasn’t worried about the knee one bit, so that’s good,” Mauch told reporters. We’re expecting Mauch to be ready to go for training camp based on this update.