NFL Player News

Mertz (6’3/212) began his career at Wisconsin as a member of their 2019 recruiting class. He redshirted his true freshman season after seeing limited action, but made seven starts in 2020, throwing for 1,238-9-5 while completing 61.1 percent of his passes. He entered the transfer portal at the end of the 2022 season and went on to play two seasons for the Gators, but saw his 2024 season cut short due to a torn ACL he suffered in October. Before his injury, Mertz was off to a strong start, throwing for 791-6-2 while completing 76.6 percent of his passes and also averaging a career-high 8.4 YPA. Mertz struggled with avoiding sacks for much of his career, and has two seasons with 10-plus turnovers on his resumé. Long thought of as a game manager who improved over time, Mertz brings a wealth of college experience (48 career starts, 50 career games) to the pro ranks, but he’s an unspectacular prospect who never threw for more than 2,903 yards in any of his six seasons. He was on a 12-game pace throw for 1,898 yards last season. He has serviceable arm strength and works well off of play action, which should give him a chance to compete for a backup spot in camp if he is cleared to participate.

Bell disclosed to Buscaglia on Thursday that he suffered the injury during the team’s first practice at Highmark Stadium on August 8th. Bell hasn’t been on the practice field since then, but on Thursday he was seen running drills with the training staff after practice and hopes to play in the Bills’ final preseason game against the Steelers on August 27th. Bell hasn’t had as strong a camp as some had hoped for after the Bills drafted him in the fourth round in this year’s draft. The rookie already wasn’t expected to make an immediate impact this season, but this extended time away could further delay him getting on the field in a meaningful way. Bell can be left off the fantasy radar in redraft leagues for the time being.

Tate reportedly took a hard hit during Monday’s practice and missed a few days of practice as a result. The rookie receiver is now back on the field and should have a chance to suit up for the Titans’ second preseason game, which is set for Sunday against the Seahawks. Tate did not catch any of his three targets in last week’s preseason outing against the 49ers.

It’s worth noting that Cam Skattebo continues to be the first running back up in practice, but it sounds like the Giants could have a vision for Harris, who signed with the team on a one-year, minimum-salary deal, per Raanan. Harris is returning from a torn Achilles that ended his 2025 season in Week 3, but there’s plenty of room for him to earn snaps behind Skattebo once he gets up to speed. A blown pass-blocking assignment by Tyrone Tracy in the team’s first preseason game against the Vikings raised immediate questions about whether or not the Giants will trust Tracy in pass-blocking situations this season, and Harris has proven to be a capable pass-blocker in the past. At this point, it’s hard to imagine Harris having any standalone fantasy value in a healthy Giants backfield, but he could be worth a handcuff to Skattebo in deeper leagues based on these latest reports.

Newell writes that the way the Chiefs have been getting the ball to Walker has been “one of the most striking parts of camp,” while adding that Walker has been the primary target in the screen game and in the red zone. It’s about as encouraging a report as fantasy managers could hope for if they’re eyeing Walker in drafts this season. The 25-year-old back signed a three-year, $40.05 million contract with the Chiefs this offseason and could operate as the true bell cow in Andy Reid’s offense this season. Newell also noted that the Chiefs don’t appear to be alternating backs on every other series as they have in recent years, which would only raise Walker’s fantasy ceiling for this upcoming season. Walker already figures to be in the running for a top-12 fantasy season at his position, but he could be in line for a career year if his reported camp usage holds up in the regular season.

Washington missed this week due to an undisclosed injury, but it doesn’t sound like this is anything to be too concerned about at this point. The fourth-year receiver is expected to make his return to the field next week and should be in position to be ready for the start of the season. Washington is coming off a breakout year in which he totaled 58 receptions for 847 yards and five touchdowns, and it was reported recently that the Jaguars seem “reluctant” to take him off the field, with some believing Washington has established himself as the WR1 for the Jags. He’s sounding more and more like a reliable WR2/WR3 as we enter prime fantasy draft season.

Kirk Cousins didn’t play a snap in Thursday night’s game, but despite the decision not to dress his veteran QB, Kubiak opted not to commit to a starter just yet. Rookie Fernando Mendoza played the entire first half of yesterday’s game, completing 8-of-15 passes for 86 yards, with one of his incompletions resulting in an 80-yard pick-six. It’s long been believed that the Raiders’ plan entering this season was to go with Cousins as the starter before eventually making the move to Mendoza later in the year. While that may still end up being how things unfold, Kubiak’s decision not to name a starter on a night when several starters sat has raised questions ahead of the team’s third and final preseason game next week against the 49ers.

Mitchell’s box score would have looked a lot better if his 21-yard reception on a route out of the backfield had not been called back due to a penalty. Chargers starting RB Omarion Hampton played all three snaps on the opening drive before giving way to Mitchell, who played 10-of-10 snaps on the second and third drives. Fellow backup RB Kimani Vidal took the field as the Chargers’ kick returner to begin the game. He made his first appearance on offense on the Chargers’ fourth drive. Mitchell could return standalone FLEX value with big-play upside in this role. He reportedly visited the blue medical tent, but was allowed to return to the sideline. Hopefully, this is a non-issue.

Kolar earned QB Justin Herbert’s first target of the night on a short out route to the left. Kolar secured the pass but stumbled and was brought down just shy of the first-down marker. PFF’s Nathan Jahnke notes that Kolar shared the field with TE David Njoku on two of the first three plays, but Kolar remained on the field for the Chargers’ first 11 personnel package. Kolar looks like the Chargers’ No. 1 tight end. He was a talented prospect but has contributed sparingly as a receiver in the NFL to this point, making him a coin-toss TE1/2 for fantasy.

Stribling starred on the 49ers’ first two drives. He caught three passes on the first drive, nabbing an eight-yard gain on a curl route, high-pointing a pass beyond the sticks and making a kneeling catch for a first down via a slant route from the perimeter. 49ers QB Brock Purdy beautifully threaded the needle to him on a post route downfield, sneaking the ball right past two defenders. Stribling nearly hauled in a 30-plus-yard pass down the left sideline, just a few yards from the end zone, but he couldn’t complete the catch. The result of that play might keep his ADP from inflating too much. The rookie wide receiver might warrant WR3 treatment right out of the gate.

Thompson stopped by the blue medical tent before being taken to the locker room. This is a bummer. The speedy wide receiver played all three first-team reps with QB Justin Herbert. Herbert hung up his cleats for the night after that drive, but Thompson remained on the field, earning two targets from QB Trey Lance. The first yielded a seven-yard gain on a comeback route. The second was thrown 50-plus yards downfield. Thompson dove for it, but a defender likely got away with a DPI no-call, and Lance slightly overthrew the pass anyway. Hopefully, Thompson is only dealing with a minor injury and can continue his encouraging development soon. Chargers WRs Quentin Johnston and Tre’ Harris appear to be inactive.