NFL Player News

This is the first practice of the week for the 49ers, who face the Jets on Monday night. McCaffrey didn’t take a preseason snap due to a calf strain he suffered in early August and is clearly still working through things. Playing through calf and/or Achilles injuries always seems risky, so we’ll see how things go for CMC throughout the week. That he can log a limited session with five days until kick-off is a good sign he’ll be ready for Week 1, but we’ll see how things progress. In the unlikely scenario McCaffrey sits, Jordan Mason would have high-end RB2 upside against the Jets.

Smith lands the deals after an ostensibly solid showing at the Raiders’ rookie minicamp last weekend. Head coach Pete Carroll is known for embracing competition across the roster and the Raiders’ inside linebacker depth chart gets murky behind starter LB Elandon Roberts. Free agent signee LB Devin White is coming off a shaky, two-team 2024 season, and second-year LB Tommy Eichenberg was bothered by a knee injury last year, logging just 79 defensive snaps. It’s a good landing spot for Smith. He may be able to work his way into the lineup after spending a year away from the game.

Over the past six weeks, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Cook would play for the Bills this season, regardless of whether GM Brandon Beane meets his $15 million annual asking price, and Beane notably told reporters that he received no trade inquiries regarding Cook during the 2025 NFL Draft. Beane is evidently holding firm on his request for Cook to prove his value in the upcoming season, and Cook has very little leverage. Even brief preseason holdouts can sometimes negatively impact a player’s in-season performance. This is, unfortunately, a situation for fantasy managers to keep an eye on when the Bills’ organized team activities begin on May 27th.

Per Fisher, the NFL is “closing in” on a deal with YouTube, which would allow users to stream the contest for free worldwide. Setting some sort of streaming record is undoubtedly the intent, as the NFL aggressively pursues its global viewership goals. Lining up a free showdown between Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes is a smart way for the NFL to convert new viewers into eager NFL Game Pass International subscribers. The game is scheduled for Friday, September 5th, so fantasy managers must make note of the kickoff time when announced.

FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz was the first to report the deal. The former third-round pick worked out with the Steelers on a tryout basis during the team’s rookie minicamp and will now have a chance to earn a spot on the 53-man roster this summer. Sermon ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries last season while averaging an underwhelming 2.8 YPC. Sermon will face an uphill battle to make the Steelers’ roster with Cordarrelle Patterson and free agent signee Kenneth Gainwell presumably set to serve as the RB3 and RB4 behind Kaleb Johnson and Jaylen Warren.

Phillips was a third-round pick by the Ravens back in 2020 and has spent the last two seasons with the Giants. The four-year vet is presumably joining the Commanders on a “prove-it” deal and will likely battle for a depth spot in training camp. Phillips has started 28 of the 47 games he appeared in for his career and appeared in only three games last season after joining the Giants’ practice squad in November.

Marks has a chance to serve as Joe Mixon’s change-of-pace back in 2025, but will need to usurp a handful of veterans on the depth chart in camp if he hopes to earn that role. The former USC Trojan ran for 1,133 yards and nine touchdowns in his last and only season at the program, but most notably caught 261 passes for 1,546 yards and five touchdowns over his five-year college career. He possesses a legitimate three-down skillset and could have good value as a handcuff for Mixon should the veteran back miss any time this season.

It’s music to fantasy managers’ ears. Speaking Saturday, Payton said he doesn’t know “how often the running back is built into the passing game” of a college offense, before going on to say the team installed “two or three schemes” that would get Harvey more involved in Denver’s passing game. He also added that Harvey will have a chance to be a three-down back. It doesn’t come as a surprise that Harvey, who was selected 60th overall last month, is expected to see a significant role in his rookie season. The former UCF Knight caught 61 passes over his final three seasons, but averaged an explosive 11.8 YPR while also scoring four times. Boasting a 4.40 40-yard dash time and a solid 8.94 RAS, Harvey has athleticism to spare and is competing for touches in a running back room that massively underwhelmed last season. He should have every chance to become Payton’s every-down back in camp.

The No. 2 overall pick began rookie minicamp by focusing on the offensive side of the ball, with head coach Liam Coen indicating he will begin to see defensive reps next week. The way the team has been bringing him along in practice seems to back up previous reports that the two-way phenom would primarily play on offense while being mixed in to specific packages on defense. Hunter’s fantasy upside remains sky-high while operating in a Coen offense that just ranked fourth in the league in scoring in 2024 while with the Buccaneers.

There continues to be positive news out of Denver regarding the status of recent addition Dre Greenlaw, who enters the 2025 season coming off a significant quad injury sustained in a private workout that initially jeopardized his season. The injury was reported to be a torn quad muscle but the superstar linebacker avoided surgery and appears to be tracking for the start of the team’s offseason preparations. Expect Greenlaw to amplify a Broncos interior that also includes standout linebacker Alex Singleton.

The Saints selected rookie Tyler Shough in the second round of this year’s draft and still have holdovers Jake Heaner and Spencer Rattler on the roster. Both Haener and Rattler received extended looks last season following Carr’s injury, so it would stand to reason that Shough will be given every chance to earn the starting gig under center for the Saints. That said, Moore mentioned today that “there’s a blank slate there,” indicating the team will be patient with their decision and let it play out through OTAs, camp, and the preseason. On if the team would consider adding a veteran quarterback, Moore stated, “we’ll certainly have awareness to it.” Stay tuned.