NFL Player News

With the snow swirling in Foxborough, boundary man Parker had zero shot at a big day with Bailey Zappe’s pop-gun arm under center. Two weeks shy of his 31st birthday, Parker battled through injury to make 12 2023 appearances, though his 32 receptions were another sign of decline. They were also a sign of Mac Jones and Zappe playing quarterback, but the quarterbacks and coach Bill Belichick are all primed to be gone for 2024. Somehow guaranteed $3.19 million for next season, Parker will probably be retained by the Patriots’ new brain trust, but it’s possible he simply isn’t good enough to make the team out of training camp. Parker isn’t much of a hold in Dynasty leagues.

Romeo Doubs said to reporters after the game that Brown told teammates, “Everything was going to be alright.” He added that Brown was doing really well. Brown had his ankle rolled on while going to the ground in the third quarter of last night’s game. He immediately grabbed his ankle in pain and eventually limped off the field. New England ruled him out after a trip to the locker room. It sounds like a high-ankle sprain, which would sideline Brown for at least a few weeks. Mack Hollins and Romeo Doubs will both play more in his absence. Demario Douglas, who led the team with seven targets in Week 1, will also see more work.

Kittle has made a remarkably quick recovery from the Achilles tear he suffered in the Wild Card Round. He is good to go just eight months later, and all reports out of training camp said he still looks as explosive as ever. We will need to see what he looks like in live action to confirm that, but it’s an impressive recovery nonetheless. Kittle could be on a snap count this week as the 49ers ramp him up to full speed, dropping him lower in the fantasy rankings than normal. He is a low-end TE1 for the 49ers’ Australia showdown with the Rams.

Barner also had a tush push attempt that was called back by a penalty. With Jaxon Smith-Njigba soaking up 11 targets on just 24 team pass attempts, there wasn’t much volume to go around for the rest of the Seattle pass-catchers. Barner only topped four catches in 20 combined regular and postseason appearances last year. If Week 1 is any indication, he won’t be putting up big box scores very often this season either. He will barely crack the TE2 ranks when Seattle takes on Arizona next week.

Shaheed caught multiple passes in 4-of-12 games as a Seahawk last year. He stayed the course in Week 1 with another single-catch outing. Shaheed simply can’t earn targets in an offense that revolves around getting Jaxon Smith-Njigba the ball at all levels. His versatility and elite skills on both punt and kick returns are valuable for the Seahawks in real life, but they don’t put fantasy points on the table. He is not on the FLEX menu headed into Week 2.

Kupp had one of the highlights of the night with a leaping, one-handed snag late in the third quarter. The 24-yard catch eventually resulted in a field goal and Seattle’s first points of the night. Kupp can still come up with the occasional clutch play, but his ability to earn targets is all but gone. With Drew Lock likely filling in for an injured Sam Darnold next week, Kupp is not on the fantasy radar ahead of Week 2.

Holani forced a true committee with first-round rookie Jadarian Price, only seeing two fewer carries than him. Emanuel Wilson also mixed in for a pair of rushes. Holani served as the team’s primary back on third and fourth downs, but he was only targeted once and ultimately ran fewer routes than Price. With a much more favorable matchup versus Arizona on tap, Holani will have some low-end FLEX appeal next week.

Price looked the part of a first-round running back, turning his first career carry into a 13-yard gain. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry compared to just 3.6 for George Holani. The bad news is that Holani saw eight carries and was the team’s trusted option in several key situations. Price did not play on a single third or fourth down. He saw just one of the Seahawks’ three short-yardage carries. Price is going to struggle to put up solid fantasy numbers if he can’t earn high-value touches. There’s plenty of time for that to change over the course of his rookie season, but he will be stuck in the RB3 ranks for his Week 2 date with the Cardinals.

Raridon caught the first touchdown of the 2026 season on a goal line toss from Drake Maye. The Pats showed a lot of 12-personnel looks early in the game, but that faded in the second half, especially once A.J. Brown left the game with an ankle injury. Raridon isn’t on the fantasy radar yet, but his minor role could prove costly for Hunter Henry, who was held to three targets today.

Henry was quiet in this contest, though the same can be said of basically every member of New England’s passing attack. Despite losing A.J. Brown to an ankle injury, Henry’s role didn’t change. He earned a measly nine percent target share and ceded a handful of routes to rookie tight end Eli Raridon, who scored on his only target of the day. Henry will remain in the TE2 ranks for Week 2, but another quiet day will raise red flags for fantasy managers.

Seattle shut down the Patriots’ deep passing game, forcing Drake Maye to pepper Douglas with low-value check-downs. Douglas wound up leading the Pats in targets and catches. He finished fifth in receiving yards. With A.J. Brown banged up, Douglas could be in line for another smattering of targets next week versus the Steelers. Even with Brown out, Douglas would barely register as a PPR WR5.