NFL Player News

Smith-Schuster logged a route on 37 of Patrick Mahomes’ 44 dropbacks and caught one of Mahomes’ four touchdowns in the easy win over a beat-up Baltimore defense. Smith-Schuster caught his touchdown — the first of his 2025 season — between two defenders from four yards out. An every-down player in the pass-heavy KC offense, Smith-Schuster — with 14 catches through Week 4 — should be rostered in deep fantasy leagues. He gets the Jaguars in Week 5.

Cornerback Taron Johnson (groin) will also be questionable after being limited in back-to-back practices to close out the week. Jones was also limited on Thursday and Friday after being a DNP on Wednesday, and appears to have a chance to play after missing last week’s game. With DE A.J. Epenesa (concussion) and LB Shaq Thompson (hamstring) already ruled out for Sunday’s game, the Bills will hopefully get some good news on Jones and Johnson when inactives are announced before kickoff.

Palmer has been limited in practice throughout the week but has a chance to suit up for his first game since Week 6. Palmer hasn’t offered much to the Bills when on the field, seeing just 20 targets on the season, with nine of those coming in Week 1. Any value he may have is in the real-world sense, as fantasy managers shouldn’t be looking to him in Week 10, even if active.

It’s a brutal blow to a Cardinals defense that will also be without starting cornerback Max Melton (concussion). The Cardinals will need to make due with backups Kei’Trel Clark and Elijah Jones against a Seahawks offense that is fresh off a dominant performance against the Commanders in which Sam Darnold threw for 330-4-1 while completing 70.4 percent of his passes. In addition to Johnson and Melton being out, the Cardinals will also keep LB BJ Ojulari (knee) sidelined for at least one more week after he was limited in every practice.

Lindstrom was a DNP on Wednesday but logged limited sessions on Thursday and Friday. The veteran guard has appeared in all eight games for the Falcons this season, earning a PFF grade of 74.1 while appearing on 508 offensive snaps. His limited practices to close out the week are a good sign for his availability, but if he’s unable to go, backup Kyle Hinton would likely draw the start in his absence.

Bergeron and pass rusher Leonard Floyd (hamstring) will both be sidelined for Sunday’s game against the Colts in Germany. The Falcons will be down at least two starers along the OL with Bergeron out and RT Kaleb McGary being sidelined since training camp due to a season-ending knee injury. Andrew Steuber is listed behind Bergeron on the team’s depth chart and will likely draw the start against the Colts.

It feels a bit premature to lock in Winston as the Giants’ backup for the 2026 season, but he did sign a two-year deal last offseason, and rookie Jaxson Dart has been singing praises about what Winston has meant to the QB room this season. Winston, 31, did not request to be moved at this year’s trade deadline despite spending all season as the Giants’ QB3, and has embraced his role as the “coach on the field [and] in the film room,” per Dart. It’s not hyperbolic to say that Winston’s days as a starter are likely over, but any value he can bring to a team as a backup, both with his play and knowledge of the game, could keep him on rosters for the next several seasons.

The Commanders and their fans are breathing a big sigh of relief after learning that Daniels avoided the worst-case scenario. Despite the grotesque nature of his injury, Daniels is expected to avoid being placed on the injured reserve list, for now, but the team will re-evaluate his injury during their Week 12 bye. We already knew Daniels would miss Week 10’s game against the Lions, but we now know he will also miss Week 12’s game against the Dolphins, which will be played in Spain. Regardless of when he returns to the field, this was the absolute best news Daniels and the Commanders could have asked for, as a return could still be possible this season. Whether or not Dan Quinn will opt to rush his franchise quarterback back in what is effectively turning into a lost season for the Commanders is to be determined, but this is good news for everyone entering the weekend.

Powers-Johnson was carted off the field in Thursday night’s loss against the Broncos after having his ankle rolled up on. The second-year guard will now miss multiple weeks as a result of his injury and could be a candidate to land on injured reserve if the team believes he will miss four or more weeks. Veteran Alex Cappa took over in Powers-Johnson’s absence and will presumably be the starting right guard going forward.

The quad bruise was clearly affecting Smith’s ability to maneuver against the Denver pass rush, but the good news for the veteran quarterback is that there doesn’t appear to be any structural damage. If Smith was unable to go next week it would be Kenny Pickett under center, but it seems more than likely that the 34-year-old will be ready to roll against Dallas in Week 11 in a Monday Night Football showdown.

It’s worth noting that Mayer had more targets and receptions than Brock Bowers, but that’s more of an insult to Bowers’ production (one catch for 31 yards) than compliment to Mayer’s. The 24-year-old is likely to be involved in the passing game if only because of the dearth of options for Las Vegas, but he’s still a low-end TE2 at best.