NFL Player News

Jones is entering the final year of a three-year deal he snagged in the 2023 offseason and the Seahawks would save $11.57 million in cap space in 2025 by releasing the veteran. The veteran defensive lineman has been a bit of a disappointment for Seattle, finishing with decent PFF pass rush grades of 65.9 and 65.1 over the past two seasons while notching only eight sacks. Dugar writes that Jones “might be the team’s fifth-best pass rusher when everyone is healthy.”

Dotson actually operated as the second receiver for the Falcons in this one, running a route on 20 of the team’s 29 dropbacks. He also played 38 snaps, while Olamide Zaccheaus played just 18. That didn’t amount to much, but it’s something for fantasy managers in deeper leagues to keep in mind when Michael Penix eventually gets back onto the field.

Kincaid was the recipient of many of Josh Allen’s biggest throws of the game, including a 35-yarder to put him over 100 yards on Buffalo’s final non-kneeldown drive. Kincaid played 42-of-57 snaps, a 73 percent rate he never came close to hitting in any game last year. It sure seems like there’s no reason for the Bills to not target him if he can stay healthy; so it will be hard to not recommend him as a TE1 against the Lions on TNF.

Chicago’s offensive line bullied the Carolina front seven from start to finish, creating wide open running lanes for Swift and Kyle Monangai, who had ten carries for 100 yards and a touchdown, as the Bears offense put up 59 points. Swift was the team’s preferred option near the goal line while Monangai had a slight edge in route running out of the Chicago backfield. Swift drafters should be thrilled to see their guy easily lead the Bears backfield, though his relative lack of route running could mean he’s somewhat game script dependent. Swift will be a top-12 option next week against the Vikings.

As expected, the Lions elevated Gibbs to a true workhorse role sans David Montgomery and he never looked back. He ceded a grand total of three touches to backup Sione Vaki. Gibbs logged career highs in touches and carries. Despite this, Gibbs still cruised past 5.4 yards per carry, consistently gashing the Saints for chunk gains. To no one’s surprise, Gibbs is the runaway favorite to be the RB1 overall this year. He will hold that spot in the Week 2 rankings when he takes on Buffalo.

Thomas got off to a fast start, making a toe-tap catch on the Jaguars’ first drive and catching all three of his targets in the first quarter. He hurt his shoulder diving for a fumble and exited the game in the first half. Though Thomas returned in the second half, the Jaguars had a monstrous lead and he saw no targets the rest of the game. Based on first half utilization, Thomas is the team’s No. 2 wide receiver and should get plenty of opportunities in a fantasy-fruitful offense. He is a fantasy WR3 for Week 2 against the Broncos.

Robinson was likely only involved as much as he was because the Falcons ran the ball 31 times, compared to just 22 pass attempts, with Cooper Rush under center. Brian Robinson looked fine and broke some tackles, but he is not a threat to steal meaningful touches from Bijan Robinson.

Moore also added a long 46-yard DPI penalty in the end zone to get the Bills their second touchdown of the game. The catch wasn’t anything fancy, but Texans S Reed Blankenship tried to jump the ball and once Moore caught it there was nobody behind him. It is worth noting that Moore left late in the game to the medical tent, it looked like he was rolled up on during James Cook’s late-game fumble, but he did return to play. We’ll be monitoring for Moore on the early injury reports ahead of Week 2’s TNF showdown with the Lions, but he’s an obvious Week 1 success story as the team’s leading receiver. He’ll be on the WR2/WR3 line if everything is fine, as we suspect it will be.

London also added six yards on one rush as the Falcons looked to do anything to get the ball in the hands of their best receiver. The 25-year-old was an absolute non-factor in this one, largely because Cooper Rush was highly inefficient and ineffective under center. The role is not in question though. London played 60 of the team’s 61 snaps and ran a route on 28 of their 29 dropbacks. However, he will be tough to trust with Cooper Rush (and probably even Tua Tagovailoa) under center. London has a much better matchup next week against the Panthers, but there is some fear that he’s more of a WR2 option until Michael Penix (knee) returns.

Smith “added” six rushes for seven yards. Although it was not a productive day in fantasy football, it was a highly encouraging one in “real life.” At least for one game, the Jets’ blocking was 10x better than what Smith experienced in Las Vegas last season, and he took advantage by taking zero sacks and hitting several down-field passes to his talented skill corps. Three different receivers generated gains of 30-plus yards, but Omar Cooper Jr.'s was more of a catch-and-run. Unfortunately, the rookie injured his ankle in the process. Smith is going to be a “highs and lows” quarterback in even the best of years, but there is now reason to believe 2026 will not be all lows like 2025 was with the Raiders. The Packers will be a tougher opponent for the Jets’ home opener in week 2.

The Bears broke scoring records in their Week 1 demolition of the Panthers but Loveland — leading the team in pass routes — was largely invisible. Caleb Williams missed a wide open Loveland in the middle of the field in the second half and nearly connected with his second-year tight end in the end zone. Cole Kmet, meanwhile, ran about half of the Bears’ routes and turned three targets into two catches for 35 yards and a score. Loveland is almost certain to bounce back in Week 2 against the Vikings.