NFL Player News

C.J. Gardner-Johnson is set to miss time with a knee injury he suffered in camp, and Jimmie Ward is battling a foot injury while also working through offseason legal issues. With the Texans thin at safety, Mills, 31, brings an added veteran presence and plenty of starting experience. The former seventh-round pick has started 91 of the 115 games he has appeared in during his career, and started eight games for the Jets last season. He totaled 44 tackles, six pass breakups, and one interception in nine games and should have plenty to offer a secondary that’s in need of help with less than a month to go before the start of the season.

The most notable aspect to come from Allen’s modest performance was the fact that he really didn’t see an increase in emphasis in the offense following the departure of Alec Pierce at the end of the first quarter. Pierce’s initial X-rays came back negative on the same heel he had surgery on this offseason, but will get further testing Monday to diagnose the severity of the injury. Either way, Allen can safely be returned to the waiver wire in most fantasy formats.

The seven targets and a score look nice in the box scores, but it is hard to overlook just how reliant Warren is on screens and leak concepts in this offense, almost all of which are built behind play action. That’s good news for fantasy managers when the ground game is cooking, as it was against the Chiefs, but we’ve also seen how ineffective it can be when the Colts aren’t able to control games as they did to start the 2025 season. Losers of nine straight games dating back to last season, Warren could struggle to return enough yardage to truly emerge as a locked-in TE1 until this team starts winning some games. His performance against the Chiefs now marks consecutive games with 21 yards or fewer, although a touchdown in each contest has kept his fantasy value afloat. He’ll be a difficult start against the lockdown Houston defense in Week 3.

Downs operated as the unquestioned top dog through the air following the first quarter departure of Alec Pierce, the latter of whom left with a heel injury on the same foot as his offseason surgery. That setup appears likely to continue should Pierce miss time, although the short-area nature of Downs’ role all but requires significant volume to return scores beyond WR3 production. Even so, Downs should mostly avoid the lockdown perimeter corners of the Texans in Week 3, where he will be an upside WR3 in fantasy circles.

Taylor’s one-cut rushing ability was on full display against the Chiefs while gashing Kansas City’s defense on outside zone runs. Both of his touchdown scampers came on such carries, the second of which knotted the game at 27 to eventually force overtime. Unfortunately for Taylor and the Colts, the two carries that mattered the most were stuffed for a combined negative-three yards following a 48-yard Laquon Treadwell reception in overtime, eventually forcing the Colts to kick a game-tying field goal. Mahomes would send Indianapolis to an 0-2 record on the following possession. Taylor gets a difficult matchup against one of the top defenses in the league in Week 3, where he will remain a locked-in RB1 against the Texans.

Jones lost one of his top receivers at the end of the first quarter when Alec Pierce departed with a heel injury, largely unable to attack downfield following his departure. That would all change on the team’s lone possession of overtime when Jones hit Laquon Treadwell for a 48-yard shot on the first play following a Chiefs field goal, but the team would be unable to punch their ticket to a win while settling for a field goal of their own. They would not see the ball again and would ultimately fall to 0-2 on a chip-shot Harrison Butker field goal as time in overtime expired. The team could be forced to play possession ball moving forward considering the short-area nature of the remaining pass-catchers, pending the status of Pierce. That spells trouble against the vaunted Houston defense in Week 3, where Jones will be a fringe QB2 while potentially down his field stretching option.

That’s good to hear, especially with Johnson having suffered a neck injury. The Cardinals are already without slot CB Garrett Williams, who has not yet returned from last season’s Achilles tendon rupture. Johnson and Melton start on the perimeter. Losing one or both could be consequential against the 49ers next week. Stay tuned.

Although Robinson will apparently undergo more testing, the “initial diagnosis” aspect seems like a formality at this point. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said he is “sure” the team will have to sign a wide receiver, “whether it’s a practice squad or to the roster.” For those curious, Shanahan was asked whether there was any chance of bringing back WR Brandon Aiyuk. Per Wagoner, Shanahan responded simply, “No.” That’s that. Expect Robinson to miss time, likely increasing WR Deebo Samuel’s involvement. No. 1 WR Mike Evans suffered a hip injury, though Shanahan did not seem to think it was serious.

Pierce evidently avoided suffering a fracture, which is nice to hear. He will undergo more testing tomorrow to determine the remaining specifics and the injury’s severity. Hopefully, the Colts’ field-stretching wide receiver is not sidelined for long, if at all. Pierce underwent surgery on his ankle/heel this offseason and spent almost the entire spring and summer rehabbing.

Allgeier failed to generate more than five yards on a touch all night. Rookie RB Jeremiyah Love fared slightly better, but the Seahawks’ defense simply bottled up the Cardinals’ backfield. Allgeier is a capable back but needs help from his offensive environment to generate usable fantasy stat lines. He can only be viewed as a likely touchdown-dependent FLEX against the 49ers next week, although he remains a worthwhile bench stash.

On Friday, Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur said Love and RB Tyler Allgeier are “gonna rotate” this season. Ultimately, they did in Week 2, but Love was in for the first series, running the ball on three of the Cardinals’ first six plays. The rookie running back looks spry and explosive, yet there was simply no room to run against the Seahawks’ elite defense. Although Love is still splitting snaps with RB Tyler Allgeier, Love out-touched him 12-7 this week. Love can be viewed as a low-end RB2/FLEX next week against the 49ers.