NFL Player News

Both offensive offensive guard Juice Scruggs and wide receiver John Metchie will play after coming into the weekend listed as questionable. Scruggs should slot into the starting lineup for the absent Mason while Metchie should return to a starting role alongside Nico Collins on the perimeter. The Texans look to complete the rare home dog upset in the Wildcard Round against the visiting Chargers.

It looks like it’s just a routine day off, but we’ll check back on Friday. The Indianapolis Star reported that Pierce told reporters before the practice that the plan is “to put him on the field more in Kansas City” in Week 2 after he played just 59 percent of the team’s snaps.

Metcalf caught just 4-of-10 targets in Week 1 and was flagged twice for offensive pass interference while struggling to make contested catches. It wasn’t ideal. But Rodgers’ words should sooth any thought of bumping Metcalf down the ranks just yet. “I’m not worried about DK at all, man,” Rodgers said.

We’re not really seeing anything concerning about Coker’s status for Week 2 after he was spotted in a boot following Week 1’s loss to the Bears. He said he’d play and he’s been on the field for two limited sessions in a row. He’ll be in the WR3 tier for Week 2’s matchup against the Falcons assuming nothing calamitous happens on Friday.

McDaniel was asked why Gadsden only played eight snaps in Week 1. The Chargers’ offensive coordinator said he expected Gadsden to get more involved last week, but the game “didn’t play out” that way. McDaniel closed by saying he expects Gadsden “to be more involved outside of an unforeseen situation where the game and the parameters with which you’re playing change — and therein lies the problem. Gadsden is not a full-time player. Projecting his weekly usage will be challenging. He is currently not worth starting in 12-team leagues, though that could change if McDaniel decides to feature him.

Every once in a while we’ll get a surprise limited session out of one of these, but it sure looks like Bowers is trending towards questionable-at-best on Friday’s final injury report. The star tight end is trying to come back from a meniscus trim. If he does not play, Michael Mayer will likely pick up the majority of the slack at tight end and be a reasonable streamer TE for Week 2 against the Chargers.

Bateman caught 1-of-2 targets in Week 1, but the catch was erased by a penalty. Bateman, 26, has never established himself as a reliable contributor. Ravens WR Zay Flowers (hamstring) is ailing and WR Ja’Kobi Lane (wrist) is on injured reserve. Those factors, coupled with Doyle’s comments, could result in one or two plays designed for Bateman early in the Ravens’ Week 2 game against the Saints, but Bateman’s long, unproductive history suggests he is not about to handle a big-time workload. He is not a recommended FLEX starter in 12-team leagues.

Willis stood in the pocket, holding onto the ball too long when trailing the Raiders in the second half last week. He is currently nursing a toe injury, though scrambling faster, or at least throwing on the run, might help him achieve his new goal. Checking down to explosive RB De’Von Achane would also be smart, but the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s David Furones instead highlighted Willis’ strong connection with rookie WR Caleb Douglas in his article on the subject. Getting the ball out of his hands quickly to either player would be a smart move. Willis’ Dolphins will likely be trailing often in the second half. Developing go-to responses to this situation would help out all involved for fantasy purposes.

This was already apparent, given his full practice participation, but it is nice to hear. The Patriots will have their RB2 on hand for their second game of the season. Starting RB Rhamondre Stevenson will maintain an RB2-worthy workload, but the Patriots need Henderson to deliver chunk gains. Projecting 10 or so touches for Henderson is reasonable. He is a big-play-based FLEX.

Tracy should be good to go for Week 2 sideline duties, though RB Najee Harris could leapfrog him on the depth chart at some point. Tracy does not need to be rostered in 12-team leagues after being benched for a fumble in Week 1.

Tagovailoa seems to be heading toward his second missed game, which probably does not change much for the Falcons’ offense. Falcons QB Michael Penix (knee) is still not ready to play, per a report from earlier this week, though he is splitting first-team reps with QB Cooper Rush (back).