NFL Player News

The Raiders have bet big on their chances of getting Ben Johnson, with an interview with former Lions executive Lance Newmark the latest sign that they are hoping to create a coalition around what Johnson wants. It appears the Ben Johnson silly season will come to a close soon with the Bears and Jaguars also circling. However, Reed writes that the big question that remains is “whether Johnson would take the job,” as the Raiders lack talent compared to the other two squads, especially at quarterback. Carroll would be a strong rebound hire despite his advanced age. He had a strong 14-year run with the Seahawks and would likely bring some semblance of stability to an organization that has had trouble instilling that.

As a right-handed quarterback, Shough should be fine despite his surprise appearance on the injury report. Even in a blowout loss on Monday, the second-year passer racked up 286 yards and a touchdown on 48 attempts. As long as the volume is there, Shough is good for low-end QB1 numbers. He will remain inside the top 12 at his position for Week 5 against Minnesota.

It is unclear when Dell will take the field on game day, but he is officially participating in his 21-day practice window. His range of potential outcomes is quite wide. Stashing him on fantasy benches is a reasonable move at this time, though he is not guaranteed to be a fantasy contributor.

Love will presumably have his practice reps monitored, but he isn’t at risk of missing Week 5. He went down with a new ankle injury late in the second quarter of Week 4. Love played sparingly in the second half but denied getting injured at all after the game. It sounds like it’s not a major issue, but it’s hard to feel confident in him handling a heavy workload after how things unfolded last week. He is tumbling back into the RB3 ranks for his upcoming game against the Lions.

Bateman and WR Chris Moore (ankle) were both limited to begin the week. Neither player will be fantasy-relevant if backup QB Tyler Huntley gets the start in Week 5 against the Falcons though.

Andrews practiced in full with the hand injury last week before posting a 5/27/1 receiving line. He should be good to go again this week, though he is a low-end TE1, with backup QB Tyler Huntley likely starting in Week 5.

Jon Gaines will take his spot at right guard. Gaines drew the start in Week 1 while Adams was sidelined with a knee injury, so it’s not a major shakeup for the Cardinals.

Flowers was not present during the portion of practice open to the media earlier today, though it was assumed that this was a maintenance issue relating to his multi-week hamstring strain. It turns out Flowers is dealing with a new injury. It is unclear when the injury occurred. If it was an in-game issue last week, then beginning Week 5 with a limited practice is a great sign for his availability. Stay tuned.

Jenkins missed Week 4 while in the league’s concussion protocol. A full practice today means he is in the final stages and should be cleared by the end of the week. He will draw the start at center this week.

Coming off a Monday night win over the Saints, the Falcons only held a walkthrough today. Matthews’ DNP status is an estimate from the team. We will get more info on tomorrow’s injury report. If he can’t suit up for Week 5, Michael Jerrell would likely take his spot at left tackle.

This is a big deal for fantasy purposes. The Lions signed Mays to a three-year, $25 million contract this offseason, shoring up their center position with a reliable prime-age starter. Mays injured his wrist early in August, so he has not yet taken the field on game day with his new team. The Lions’ permissive defense continues to put the offense into pass-heavy game scripts. Getting Mays back on the field will fortify Jared Goff’s protection. He was limited on Wednesday.