NFL Player News

Graziano suggests the Panthers “might be one of the teams willing to spend big to lure defensive tackle Milton Williams away from the Super Bowl champion Eagles.” The Panthers will also attempt to bolster their edge rush and Graziano lists Saints defensive end Chase Young as an “intriguing option.” Adding Williams and Young to a defensive line featuring Derrick Brown and Jadeveon Clowney could help turn around Carolina’s dire 2024 defense. Safeties Jevon Holland and Camryn Bynum are also reportedly on the Panthers’ short list of preferred defenders.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last week that Ferguson’s return was still going to take “some time.” That doesn’t make it sound like he’s awfully close to getting back on the field. Tyler Higbee leads the Rams’ tight end room in routes since Ferguson went down, but his production has vanished over the past two weeks. Colby Parkinson scored in Week 6 and Davis Allen found the end zone twice last week. Higbee remains the best fantasy option of the bunch, but he’s nothing more than a low-end TE2 for Week 8.

There was hope within the organization late last week that Garrett could get back on the practice field today. That will have to wait at least one more week. Garrett hasn’t played since Week 1 because of a knee issue that required surgery. His absence will make life for Jayden Daniels substantially easier in Week 8.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters on Monday that St. Brown would likely miss today’s practice, so this isn’t much of a surprise. Campbell also told reporters that St. Brown “should be good” for Week 8, so we’re not panicking just yet. St. Brown is one of the few players who can suit up after missing an entire week of practice. Even a DNP tomorrow wouldn’t be the end of the world. For now, fantasy managers can treat St. Brown as a WR1, but a backup plan should be in place. Jameson Williams would vault into the WR1 ranks if St. Brown misses Week 8 versus the Vikings.

Setting Brown’s drops aside, Brown still looked like he was working his way back from his high-ankle sprain last week against the Bears. He was laboring through his routes at times, particularly downfield. Targets should continue flowing his way, but Brown is perhaps best viewed as a volume-driven WR2 against the Dolphins in Week 8.

Davis and both of the Patriots’ top perimeter backups, CB Channing Canada (hamstring) and CB Karon Prunty (hamstring) are practicing in full this week. This is very good news. The trio has been sidelined for some time, weakening the Patriots’ secondary.

A DNP to open the week would normally be concerning, but Dan Campbell told reporters earlier today that he was going to get a lot of players “off their feet” during today’s practice. Gibbs appeared to injure his leg while awkwardly sliding to the ground on his final carry of Week 7. The fact that he isn’t listed with a leg injury on today’s report is also a good sign. Sione Vaki is the next man up if Gibbs can’t play this week, but we aren’t overly concerned quite yet. Tomorrow’s injury report will be more telling.

Wright is a mediocre bench stash at this point, with Ollie Gordon playing well in the lead role. Wright does not need to be rostered in 12-team formats, though he may be able to slightly improve his efficiency if his health continues to improve.

Washington has cooled off in recent weeks. Although his knee injury is unlikely to keep him out of the Dolphins’ Week 8 matchup against the Patriots, he is barely a WR5 in fantasy football. Washington does not need to be rostered in 12-team leagues.

The Dolphins’ tight end finally had a decent game, only to tweak an ankle along the way. He should be fine for Week 8 against the Patriots, but he is barely in the TE2 ranks.

Seattle cut the former third-round pick earlier this week after trading for Quenton Nelson. Haynes made five starts at right guard this year. Ravens rookie guard Vega Ioane is the latest in a long line of banged-up interior linemen for Baltimore. Haynes will give the team some extra depth.