NFL Player News

Slay limped off the field in the third quarter of the Eagles’ Week 8 game against the Bengals, heading into the locker room. The Eagles listed him as questionable to return, though he was subsequently ruled out. Isaiah Rodgers, Cooper DeJean, and Quinyon Mitchell are the corners rotating into the game for the Eagles with the tall task of covering Ja’Marr Chase on the table. Rodgers deflected a Joe Burrow pass to Chase for a Chauncey Gardner-Johnson interception in relief of Slay.

Van Lanen suffered a serious knee injury in Week 18 last year and missed most of the offseason program. He practiced on Wednesday, though the team is still going to use the rest of the week to figure out if he’s ready for Week 1. Walker Little would likely take his spot in the lineup if he can’t go.

Rosenhaus gushed about Hill’s recovery and how he looks right now. He also mentioned that multiple teams asked him when Hill would be available to sign. We’ll take these with a few grains of salt, given Rosenhaus’s financial ties to his client. Hill is still working his way back from the catastrophic knee injury he suffered in Week 4 of the 2025 season. Fantasy managers can leave Hill on the waiver wire for now.

Wright was a UDFA this year. He signed with the Eagles, was cut, then joined the Browns. After Cleveland released him, Wright intended to rejoin LSU, becoming the first NFL player to return to college football. The SEC then passed a rule banning NFL players from returning. The NFL followed that up with a memo banning players who return to college football from signing in the NFL once again in the same year. As Schefter notes, Wright never officially signed with LSU, so he may be eligible to stay in the NFL after all. Wright is unfortunately caught in the middle of a legal nightmare brought on by the NCAA. It will likely prevent him from playing football anytime soon.

Higgins has been dealing with a heel contusion recently, but the issue never seemed serious. He has still been able to practice in a limited capacity over the past week. He may ultimately be limited on the team’s first injury report of the season, but there’s almost no chance Higgins misses Week 1 versus the Bucs. He will be a boom/bust WR2 barring a setback.

He said the same about Tee Higgins, who is dealing with a heel issue. Chase suffered a serious-looking knee injury late in camp, briefly giving Bengals fans and fantasy managers nightmares of him missing extended time. He was ultimately fine and should be good to go for Week 1, even if his participation in practice is limited. Per usual, Chase is in the WR1-overall mix versus the Bengals this week.

“We believe those guys deserve to start, and we’re gonna start them,” was Hafley’s matter-of-fact Wednesday statement. His words come after the ‘Fins officially listed the third-round rookies as starters on Tuesday. His “pitch count” comments pertain to Bell’s summer stint on the NFI list as he completed his recovery from torn ACL suffered last season at Louisville. Starting a pair of Day 2 receivers in Week 1 is far from ideal for anybody, but no less so than trotting out Jalen Tolbert. The Dolphins are fully committed to their rebuild, and rookies like Bell, Douglas and Kevin Coleman are the biggest potential beneficiaries. Bell and Douglas belong on 12-team league watch lists, with Coleman worth a dynasty stash.

After undergoing surgery on his injured thumb, Smith will miss at least the first four weeks of the regular season. An All-Pro left guard, Smith started all 16 games he appeared in last season and proved to be a critical part of the Dallas offensive line. Fourth-year guard T.J. Bass is expected to start for the Cowboys while Smith recovers.

Egbuka was seen practicing Wednesday ahead of the Bucs’ season opener against the Bengals and Stroud said there were no signs of injury for the second-year receiver, who has battled a toe injury in recent weeks. Barring any sort of setback, Egbuka should be in all fantasy lineups this week against the Bengals in what could be a high-scoring back-and-forth affair with Joe Burrow and company.

Taylor reportedly functioned as the Jets’ top tight end throughout training camp with Kenyon Sadiq (hernia) sidelined. Taylor, whose blocking ability recently drew praise from head coach Aaron Glenn, worked with Geno Smith two or three times a week in the offseason, developing chemistry with the veteran journeyman. Last year Taylor saw a target on 20 percent of his routes and logged a lowly 1.11 yards per route run in the low-octane New York offense. He’ll be a sneaky deep league option in Week 1 against the Titans.

Dobbins will once again start the season as Denver’s presumed lead back, though he’s unlikely to see much pass-game involvement. That should belong (for now) to RJ Harvey, who’s listed as the team’s RB2. Harvey last year was targeted on a strong 27 percent of his pass routes and ended the season with 47 receptions for 365 yards and six receiving scores. Rookie RB Jonah Coleman will start the year as the Broncos’ RB3. He profiles as a sneaky stash option in 12 and 14-team formats.