NFL Player News

Rypien will serve as the team’s emergency quarterback as the Vikings look to keep pace with the Lions in the competitive NFC North. They head into Week 9 as one of the healthier teams in the league as they get back tight end T.J. Hockenson for the first time this season.

Black picked up 14 carries while Christian McCaffrey dealt with cramps in Week 1. Now it’s Black who is banged up, meaning we might get more CMC versus Miami this week. Black was added to the injury report midweek and logged two limited practices before receiving the questionable designation. He is in the RB4 range for Week 2, making him a middling FLEX play.

Olave left Thursday’s practice as a precaution and was limited again on Friday. The team listed him as questionable heading into the weekend. It seems like the Thursday departure truly was a precaution, and Olave is good to go for a potential shootout with Baltimore. With plenty of passing volume to go around in the Saints’ offense, Olave sits at the end of the WR1 mix for Week 2.

The team pulled the plug on Flowers’ potential to play in Week 2 after the veteran receiver departed the team’s Week 1 win with a hamstring injury. No word yet on how long the injury is expected to sideline Flowers, who appears to have a good shot at suiting up when the team faces off against the Cowboys on the road in Week 3. Tight end Mark Andrews could see a slight uptick in volume in the interim.

The Texans received relatively good news from initial testing, which revealed a Grade 1 hamstring injury. Even so, word around the team is that they are preparing to be without their star receiver for two games, which makes sense considering his lengthy soft tissue injury history. Fantasy managers will want to make alternate plans after losing one of their top selections off the board.

Also listed questionable is LB Micah McFadden, while CB Greg Newsome, T Andrew Thomas, DL Chauncey Golston, and OL Francis Mauigoa were removed from the injury report and will play. While Banks’ status is of particular concern against the high-flying Rams aerial attack, their opponent could be without All-Pro wide receiver Puka Nacua, who is listed as questionable with a groin injury.

Nacua did not practice for the second consecutive day Saturday, prompting the questionable designation for Monday Night Football. The issue is now being called a groin ailment and is reportedly unrelated to the psoas injury he dealt with during the offseason. Fantasy managers will want to start making alternate plans for their first-round pick considering the Rams don’t play until the final game of the week. Jordan Whittington is listed as doubtful with a quad injury.

Davis was unable to practice all week with a neck injury and will ultimately be held out of the team’s Week 2 game against the Steelers. Pittsburgh will be without starting wide receiver Michael Pittman, so it will be interesting how the Patriots choose to deploy Christian Gonzalez. Gonzalez could find himself in shadow coverage of opposing alpha DK Metcalf.

Pittman was unable to get on the practice field this week and will now miss Week 2 as a result of a foot injury. DK Metcalf enters the WR2 discussion in a difficult matchup on paper after ranking in the top five in expected fantasy points in Week 1, for an offense near the top of the league in pass rate over expectation in their first game. Third-year receiver Roman Wilson and rookie Germie Bernard see an uptick in value, although both are difficult starts outside the deepest of leagues. Tight end pat Freiermuth can be started as a back-end TE1 in a pinch.

The news was first reported by NFL Insider Ian Rapoport. Cooper is going on injured reserve for an ankle sprain. He’ll be sidelined for at least four games with a designation to return. Rapoport mentions that Cooper should be back “shortly.” Cooper could still make an impact in the second half of his rookie season, but he isn’t worth holding in most fantasy formats at this point.

Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show Friday, Breer was quick to point out the Lions’ defensive struggles. Detroit has allowed 917 yards and 71 points in two games. Breer noted that while the Lions are dealing with injuries in the secondary, that doesn’t excuse their problems in the running game. Detroit has allowed 294 rushing yards, 4.8 yards per carry and four rushing touchdowns this year. While it’s still early in the season, Breer says the Lions defensive performance isn’t a “one-off” and that it’s been “messy” for a while. It was a stark contrast from NFL Insider Ian Rapoport’s take on the Pat McAfee show earlier this week where he said, “My guess is the Lions are going to be fine.” Lions HC Dan Campbell has pulled the plug on his offensive coordinator midseason twice in five years, but has afforded his defensive coordinators a longer leash. Sheppard was promoted from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator after Aaron Glenn was hired by the Jets prior to the 2025 season.