NFL Player News

Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that he felt good about having both players available this week and after five full practices between them, both will be back in the fold. Porter has not played since Week 1, while Highsmith has been out since Week 2. The Steelers defense looks to be at almost full strength on Sunday against the Browns.

This comes almost a month after Rosenblatt said he believed Mitchell felt “pretty locked into the No. 2 receiver role.” The 23-year-old receiver spent part of last season with the Jets after being traded from the Colts at last year’s deadline. Mitchell saw 58 targets come his way in eight games with the Jets last season and posted a 24-301-2 line while going for 50-plus yards in two of those games. The upgrade from Brady Cook to Geno Smith should work wonders for Mitchell as far as target quality is concerned, and he’s reportedly shown good chemistry with Smith during OTAs. Currently going as a late-round draft pick in best ball leagues, Mitchell has the chance to be a nice value in deeper fantasy leagues if he can earn a meaningful role opposite Garrett Wilson.

Wolfe continues to beat the drum for Sanders, despite recent reports indicating QB Deshaun Watson was pulling ahead in the competition. Wolfe also believes that Sanders’ play is forcing head coach Todd Monken to postpone making a decision to name a starting quarterback. The battle may continue into training camp. Sanders has reportedly improved his downfield passing and processing, and has an “aura” about him that some in the building find compelling. Wolfe closes the segment by wondering aloud whether one of these quarterbacks can convince the front office to forego drafting a quarterback next year. We’ll believe it when we see it, but for now, it sounds like Sanders has pulled even with Watson.

Over the course of his career, Brown has openly discussed the maintenance his knees require. He underwent cleanup procedures in both knees in 2021. Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf recently acknowledged that Brown has managed a degenerative knee condition in one of his knees since entering the league in 2019. Despite receiving treatment regularly, Brown has been a 1,000-yard receiver in six of his seven NFL seasons. We expect him to continue playing at a high level, but he could fall into the WR1/2 range this summer. Regardless, he is the Patriots’ clear-cut WR1.

Kupp operated as the Seahawks’ WR2 last season, though The Athletic’s Mike Dugar reported in March that WR Rashid Shaheed’s new deal “suggests a demotion” could be on the way for Kupp. Regardless, Kupp loves “playing this game too much” to slow down now. If Kupp can retain his WR2 role on the Seahawks, he will likely only be a matchup-based FLEX option.

Barner was listed with calf, elbow and hip injuries last season. We don’t know which ailments required surgery. Barner said he is “definitely feeling better,” but he still has a few hurdles to clear before he can back out there. Barner finished as the PPR TE14 last season, operating as a big-bodied target for QB Sam Darnold and as the Seahawks’ tush push specialist in short-yardage situations.

Boerkircher sat out on Monday, but we do not yet know why. Koziol looks “smooth in space” and took the advantage of his opportunities. His stand out showings as a pass-catcher have “helped him make some real progress at the start of OTAs.” Kozial was a bit of a dynasty darling in this season’s rookie draft cycle. We do not expect him to be relevant in re-draft this season, but these reports are encouraging for his long-term outlook.

Rodriguez has now been out for more than a week. When asked for comment previously, coach Liam Coen simply said, “the injury report will come out at some point here.” The team is headed for a short break before mandatory minicamp begins next week, which run from June 9-11. Since OTAs are voluntary, allowing Rodriguez to rehab makes sense. Hopefully, he returns next week. Until then, RB Bhayshul Tuten gets to operate as the clear-cut top back.

Good for him. Do we expect Williams to contribute meaningfully in re-draft formats this year? No. But, the No. 203 overall pick in this year’s draft seemingly has strong odds of securing a spot on the final roster. Williams is a name to know for dynasty, and currently profiles as the Jaguars’ WR5 for 2026.

Slowik is a big fan of his QB2. He told us so in February, and apparently Ewers’ play continues to draw Slowik’s favor. Slowik complimented Ewers’ newfound conviction, adding that when he just “reacts” to how the play is unfolding in front of him, “he does some really cool stuff.” That said, we fully expect QB Malik Willis to be the Dolphins’ starter in Week 1. Consider Ewers a worthwhile stash in dynasty formats, just in case.

Arnold had a rough time in 2025. He injured his shoulder in Week 5 and sat out in Weeks 6-8. He returned for Weeks 9-10, but then suffered a concussion. He cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol in Week 13, but managed to aggravate his shoulder injury in-game and was shut down for the rest of the year. He participated in walkthroughs for 30 minutes today, marking his first official practice participation this offseason. His reps are still being managed but this is a good first step.