NFL Player News

The son of 11-year NFL veteran and Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Famer, Jeremiah Sr, Trotter (6’0/228) was rated as the fifth-best linebacker from the 2021 recruiting class. The early enrollee only saw 58 snaps as a true freshman, but he was more than up to the task as a sophomore leading the Tigers with 89 tackles, 13.5 TFL and 6.5 sacks to go with an 87th percentile overall grade. He once again led Clemson in tackles, TFL and sacks for a second consecutive season, earning First Team All-ACC recognition for his exemplary play and leadership. He battled a hamstring injury throughout the season and opted to not perform running or jumping drills at the Combine. Trotter Jr. posted a 4.40s shuttle (50th%) and 7.13s 3-Cone (71st%) to go with 21 bench reps that tied for the most among 2024 linebackers. His arms are a bit on the stubby side at 31.5”, which hampers his ability to keep blockers at bay and disengage to make plays on the ball. Trotter Jr. received a first-rate football upbringing from his legendary father who coached him as Jeremiah advanced through the gridiron ranks. Trotter Jr. earned 82nd+ percentile coverage grades in his last two seasons thanks to his high football IQ, but is not an elite athlete which could limit his professional ceiling. Trotter Jr. has been raised from birth to further his family’s NFL legacy and has worked tirelessly to achieve his lofty potential. He will be given the opportunity to earn a starting job as a high-floor middle linebacker in Philly at some point down the road.

Though it shouldn’t cost them Week 3’s game against the Giants, their practice participation will be worth monitoring in the coming days. Through two games, Pollard leads the team with 21 carries while Spears leads the backfield in pass routes and targets. Both backs are borderline options in deeper fantasy leagues in Week 3. The Giants have allowed the second highest rate of rush yards before contact through two weeks.

The extent of Dart’s knee injury was not initially understood, but further testing showed a serious injury to his MCL and PCL. He’ll be sidelined for the rest of the season, effectively ending the Giants’ season. Jameis Winston will likely take over as the team’s starter. It’s a letdown for Dart, who started the year hot against the Cowboys. In relief of Dart in Week 2, Winston was 25 percent below his expected completion rate, the worst mark in the league. Look for the Giants to be a run-heavy, hyper-conservative offense going forward with targets concentrated between Isaiah Likely and Malik Nabers. Winston might be usable in superflex formats for now.

Tagovailoa, fighting injuries for much of the offseason, missed Atlanta’s first two games with an oblique issue. He’ll return just in time to serve as backup to Michael Penix, who’s returning from a 2025 ACL injury. Penix is set to start Thursday night against a Packers defense allowing the ninth lowest adjusted yards per pass attempt.

Carolina is in need of some backfield reinforcements after losing Jonathon Brooks to a core injury that will leave him sidelined for at least six weeks. AJ Dillon is set to fill in for Brooks while Chub Hubbard presumably continues as the team’s lead back. Ekeler, 31, who hasn’t played since injuring his Achilles last September, could be an emergency running back if Hubbard or Dillon go down with injuries in the coming weeks. First he’ll need to make the squad.

Brooks will be sidelined for at least six weeks. It opens the door for Chuba Hubbard to dominate the Carolina backfield for the next month and a half, with AJ Dillon chipping in as a breather back. Through two game Hubbard leads the Panthers backfield with 22 rushes for 102 yards. He’s run a route on 50 percent of the team’s drop backs and have five targets. The Panthers, meanwhile, have the second highest pass rate over expected through Week 2. Hubbard will be a locked-in top-20 option going forward. Dillon can be stashed in case Hubbard gets dinged up while Brooks is recovering.

Campbell spoke in a dejected tone when asked about the Lions’ safety duo returning to practice, particularly when discussing Joseph’s outlook. Campbell said Joseph did not suffer a setback, but stopped short of fully explaining the situation. It sounds like Joseph’s recovery stalled. The training staff was focused on strengthening Joseph’s knee, “but there was a little time there where we weren’t able to do everything we needed to do.” The Lions will not ask Joseph to play until he gets his knee as strong as it can possibly be, “and he feels comfortable.” Branch could return to practice in the coming weeks, but at this point, Joseph’s career status seems like it might be up in the air.

Vacchiano explores myriad trade options that the Giants could explore in a lengthy article, but ultimately determines that rolling with Winston, while QB Jaxson Dart (knee) is sidelined, is the team’s best course of action. According to Vacchiano, the Giants viewed Winston “as a solid veteran who was smart and talented enough to get them through a short stretch if Dart went down” when they signed him to a two-year, $13 million contract extension two weeks ago. “Their faith gets shakier when it’s a long-term proposition they were hoping to avoid,” but alas, this appears to be the situation the team is currently facing. If Winston can return to something resembling his 2019 Buccaneers form, when he posted a 5,109/33/30 passing stat line en route to an overall QB3 finish, he could facilitate usable outings for Giants pass catchers. Betting on that exact outcome is unwise, but Winston could be a QB1 streamer in the right situation.

Rapoport wrote that “there is a good chance” Bowers returns this week as the caption for his NFL Network segment. He used stronger language in the actual segment, telling viewers to “expect” Bowers to be on the field when the Raiders travel to New Orleans for a date with the Saints this week. The Raiders’ top pass catcher should be treated as an elite TE1 upon his return.

Johnson has turned 14 touches into 103 scrimmage yards thus far. Evidently pleased with his fifth-round rookie, Reid wants to keep “allowing Emmett to grow,” in turn taking “a little bit of load off” starting RB Kenneth Walker. Reid notes that Walker wants the ball on every play and is not asking for a lighter workload, but Reid is seeking “a nice balance with those two in there,” which “keeps them even more fresh as the season goes on.” Walker, of course, remains an elite RB1. Johnson, however, should be rostered in all 12-team leagues as a high-upside bench stash that could return standalone value before long.