NFL Player News

ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime reports Ryans has no plans to move off of offensive coordinator Nick Caley, despite the team’s offensive struggles. The Texans are coming off a 27-19 Monday night loss to the Seahawks and have crossed 20 points only in games against the weak Titans and Ravens defenses. C.J. Stroud and company have not found the same success as his 2023 rookie season and despite the issues, Ryans is not making changes yet. He said, “It all starts with me...We got to play better. We got to execute better on game day.” The Texans head into a Week 8 matchup against a 49ers defense that ranks No. 7 in scoring and may be missing WR Nico Collins (concussion) for the game.

According to Glenn, the Jets’ backup QB reported knee soreness on Wednesday and will now be ruled out. Rookie UDFA Brady Cook will be elevated from the practice squad this weekend and serve as Tyrod Taylor’s backup.

McDermott said he would need to see Kincaid look “functional” to play. It’s hard to know what that means, given Kincaid’s limited status in practice over the last two weeks, but it sounds like the third-year tight end will be truly questionable ahead of Week 14’s game against the Bengals. If he’s not ruled out before Sunday, fantasy managers will want to check Kincaid’s status when inactives are released 90 minutes before kickoff. Dawson Knox would again see the majority of snaps if Kincaid is unable to go, but he shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a boom-or-bust TE2. In addition to Kincaid, McDermott also said RT Spencer Brown (shoulder) would be listed as questionable.

Dawkins was out of the non-contact jersey on Thursday and is now on track to play on Sunday against the Bengals. While Dawkins will be back in action after one game away, head coach Sean McDermott said EDGE Joey Bosa and LB Terrel Bernard would be out in Week 14, while WR Joshua Palmer will be listed as doubtful.

This was expected after Lamb exited Week 14’s game against the Lions with a concussion. Lamb came down hard on his head in the second quarter of Thursday’s game and was ruled out shortly after being evaluated on the sideline. With the injury occurring on a Thursday, Lamb will have some additional time to clear protocol before playing next Sunday night against the Vikings. If he’s unable to go, Ryan Flournoy, who went for 9-115-1 against the Lions, would have some viability as a FLEX play.

The worst was confirmed on Friday, just hours after earlier reports said that the Lions feared an Achilles injury for Branch. The third-year safety will now miss the remainder of the season as he looks to undergo surgery and rehab to be ready in time for the start of next season. Branch appeared in 12 games for the Lions this season, totaling 75 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and nine pass breakups. He will enter 2026 in the final year of his rookie contract.

Pelissero didn’t speculate on the severity of Branch’s Achilles injury, but said the star safety “will have further tests this morning.” We tend to know where things go from here, but we’ll let them play out and hope for the best. Branch was injured in the fourth quarter on a play that took place in the end zone and remained down for several minutes while being tended to by the training staff. He eventually made his way to the sideline with help and was later carted to the locker room. Branch has started all 12 games he’s appeared in this season for the Lions, totaling 75 tackles. 2.5 sacks, and nine pass breakups. Veteran Avonte Maddox is in line to replace Branch while for however long he is out.

The only constants in life are death, taxes, and Aubrey knocked down field goals from 50-plus yards. The Cowboys’ kicker will have single-handedly propelled multiple fantasy teams to victory this week when all is said and done thanks in part to his five field goal, which included three makes from 50 or more yards. Aubrey’s longest kick came on a 63-yard try late in the third quarter, which marked his third field goal from 60-plus this season. He remains a weekly must-start for fantasy managers heading into Week 15 against the Vikings.

It was a rough night for Ferguson, who was flagged for multiple penalties on the day and also lost a fumble in the second quarter. Ferguson did come up with a key two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to cut the Lions’ lead to a field goal, but the Lions would counter with a touchdown of their own five plays later. Ferguson has seen five or more targets in each of his last five games but has just one touchdown over that span. He’ll be a fringe TE1/TE2 in Week 15 when the Cowboys face the Vikings.