NFL Player News

Mahomes has relied on short-to-intermediate passing over the last three years, culminating in a career-low 6.9-yard aDOT in 2023. The team refocused on the downfield passing game this offseason by adding speed to the wide receiver corps and featuring deep-ball passing in OTAs. Mahomes is reportedly honing his connection with free agent signee Marquise Brown. According to The Athletic’s Nate Taylor, nearly half of Mahomes’ Wednesday passing attempts traveled 20-plus yards downfield.

Koonce was injured one day before the 2024 season kicked off, though no official word had been given as to whether he could return this year. Koonce’s 52 quarterback pressures and 8.0 NFL sacks in 2023 trailed only Maxx Crosby among Raiders defenders. It delivers a significant blow to the Raiders 2024 season.

The Bengals’ pushover run defense is now dealing with a pair of injuries on their interior defensive line. Both Hill and Sheldon Rankins (hamstring) have failed to practice thus far this week. The Commanders will likely attempt to impose their will on the ground if both players are inactive.

Wiggins has not suited up since a promising 17-snap showing in Week 1. He progressed to consecutive Limited Participation designations on Thursday and Friday, which at least bodes positively for his Week 4 availability, if not Week 3.

Pruitt serves as the team’s No. 2 tight end, operating primarily as a run-blocking specialist so his absence will not drastically alter the target distribution. The Steelers’ abnormally deep tight end room should be able to pickup the run-game slack as well.

Gay suffered a quad injury in Week 2 that he told reporters was related to the hernia surgery he recently underwent. He is good to go for Week 3, but the Colts may call up Spencer Shrader from the practice squad as a precaution. Fantasy managers should avoid this headache entirely.

Downs missed the first two weeks of the season while recovering from the high-ankle sprain he suffered in training camp. He logged three full practices this week before being cleared from the report. Downs may be eased into the lineup and Anthony Richardson’s accuracy on short throws has been suspect through two games. Downs is a risky WR5 for his first game, though that could quickly change if he sees a full complement of routes versus Chicago.

Hill left the Saints’ Week 2 win over the Cowboys with the chest injury and did not return. He got in a pair of limited sessions this week before drawing the questionable tag. Hill has a history of playing through injuries, but fantasy managers should avoid this situation even if he’s active on Sunday.

Durant closed the week by practicing in a limited capacity on both Thursday and Friday, giving him decent odds of suiting up. The Rams’ crumbling secondary cannot afford to lose another player.

Lattimore missed Week 2 because of the hamstring issue. He was limited in practice to open the week but got in a full session on Friday. Avoiding a questionable tag entirely is a good sign that he’s close to full strength.

Brown appeared on the Thursday injury report, recording consecutive Limited Participant designations to close the week. The banged-up Rams defense needs all hands on deck, including the budding defensive line role player.