NFL Player News

Smith had just 155 yards on 37 carries in 2023 after rushing for 366 yards on 68 carries the year prior, including just 10 rushing first downs after amassing 24 in 2022. “Last year, really midway through the season, I felt I could have used my legs a little bit more,” Smith told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “That’s something I want to continue to do. I’m still very athletic. I play within the pocket, that’s the base of my game, but I think I can add an extra element to what defenses have to account for if I get a couple extra first downs or a couple extra touchdowns.”

The veteran special teams ace last played for the Panthers and was signed following the injury to Gunner Olszewski. Smith-Marsette shouldn’t be counted on for many, if any, offensive snaps at wide receiver at this point in his career, meaning he can be left on the waiver wire in fantasy leagues.

The civil suit alleges sexual misconduct, assault, and battery and was filed in Houston on Monday. The NFL has no comment on the new lawsuit but is surely tracking its proceedings. The filings claim the misconduct occurred in 2020 while Watson was a member of the Texans.

Toney also took a visit with the Seahawks but ultimately inked a deal with the Browns ahead of Week 2. It is unclear what kind of workload to expect from Toney in Cleveland considering their current depth chart, with the enigmatic receiver likely entering the kick return discussion as well as unique packages on offense. He can safely remain on the waiver wire in fantasy leagues.

Winfield was one of four defensive backs to get inured in Week 1, leaving the team with innumerable question marks on the back end for the immediate future. That’s not exactly the best news with a road matchup with the Lions on tap in Week 2, particularly considering the Week 1 breakout of Jameson Williams.

Williams will be active for Week 1 and is reportedly set to see a normal allotment of snaps, which can’t be said for fellow contract hold-in Brandon Aiyuk. The fact that Williams will return to his normal workload is good news against the vaunted pass rush of the Jets under the big light on Monday Night Football.

The electric rookie receiver missed Week 1 after appearing to suffer a setback with his quadricep. He logged limited sessions on Wednesday and Thursday last week before being downgraded on Friday. It now appears as if the ailment is more serious than initially reported, meaning his professional debut could have to wait another week with the Dolphins on a short week for Week 2.

Nacua will miss a minimum of four games. It means that even in the best-case scenario, Nacua will not return before Week 7 since the Rams’ bye falls in Week 6. It’s a brutal, brutal blow for fantasy managers, one the Rams will tend to with increased DeMarcus Robinson targets and apparently Tyler Johnson snaps. Rookie Jordan Whittington and Tutu Atwell will also be in the mix. That’s reasonably good depth, but everyone knows the true result will be as many targets as Cooper Kupp can handle. TE Colby Parkinson’s arrow is also pointing upward. For Nacua, it’s just the latest issue in an increasingly-lengthy injury history.

It’s just an estimation since the Dolphins did not actually practice ahead of Thursday Night Football. Mostert “played through” the injury on Sunday, but was highly ineffective in doing so. Now he must contend with the adrenaline wearing off on a short week. De’Von Achane (ankle) is also banged up. Jeff Wilson would be Mostert’s replacement on early downs. We ultimately expect Mostert to go, with Achane probably being a little more of a question mark.

As was Raheem Mostert (chest). It’s just an estimation since the Dolphins didn’t actually practice ahead of Thursday Night Football, but it’s obviously not ideal. The one worry with under-sized Achane has been his elevated risk for nicks and bruises. Achane did finish Sunday’s game, and doesn’t seem to be dealing with a high-ankle sprain. It’s just a very quick turnaround. Stay tuned. Jeff Wilson and rookie Jaylen Wright are the next backs up, with Wilson the between-the-tackles fill-in and Wright the change of pace.

Love is expected to miss about three weeks according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, and at least for Week 2 against the Colts it will be Willis under center and not Sean Clifford. Green Bay made the trade for Willis just before the start of the year, and the speedy 25-year-old will have one of the better group of weapons to throw the football to. Willis also hasn’t shown in the preseason and his limited action in actual games that he may not be the guy to get those players the football. The ability to run makes Willis interesting on top of those receiving corps, but there’s a ton of volatility in using Willis as a fantasy fill-in.