NFL Player News

Saints head coach Kellen Moore made the QB switch official on Tuesday, two days after he benched Spencer Rattler in favor of Shough, who was selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Shough last week against the Bucs completed 17 of his 30 attempts 128 yards and one interception. He was the most inaccurate quarterback of Week 8 and had a far lower QB rating than Rattler. Shough starting for the Saints makes the Rams defense an elite fantasy play in Week 9. Chris Olave and the rest of the team’s pass catchers get a significant downgrade with Rattler’s benching. Rattler will likely be back under center in the coming weeks.

Diggs won’t practice Wednesday with an undisclosed injury. He should be fine for Washington’s Week 8 matchup against the Eagles, however. Diggs could see a slightly bigger role in the Commanders offense with Terry McLaurin (knee) done for the year. Diggs drafters should keep an eye on the veteran’s practice status in the coming days. Diggs has been targeted on a team-high 28 percent of his pass routes in 2026.

Downs was cagey when asked on Wednesday morning whether he had officially asked for his ticket out of Indianapolis, but Fowler maintains the wideout has requested the Colts trade him before the NFL’s trade deadline. That could very well happen in the coming days with the miserable Colts in fire sale mode, having dealt Quenton Nelson to Seattle and DeForest Buckner to the Niners. Downs, who has 26 receptions for 307 scoreless yards this season, would make sense as a trade target for the wideout-needy Chiefs, the Steelers, and perhaps the Seahawks.

Apparently Tate picked up the shoulder injury in Week 7’s loss to the Browns, when he caught five passes for 69 scoreless yards. If Tate is unable to practice headed into the weekend, Elic Ayomanor, who last week ran a route on 79 percent of the team’s drop backs and had 44 yards on three catches, would likely be the de factor WR1 for Tennessee. Tate has dominated air yards and targets this season and profiles as a positive regression candidate in the coming weeks.

The Colts this week dealt DeForest Buckner to the 49ers and Quenton Nelson to the Seahawks in what looks like a fire sale ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline. Taylor could be next if the Colts are ready to go all in on a rebuild in 2027 and beyond. A contender would likely have to part with a second round draft pick if they want Taylor in the coming weeks. Teams that could be suitors for Taylor include the Bengals, Vikings, and Seahawks, all of whom have backfield issues.

Jackson surprisingly missed the Ravens’ Week 7 loss to the Bengals with his lingering ankle injury, which has been described as neither high nor low. “If Jackson’s injury history has taught the football world anything, his timeline to return can be complicated and an extended absence can derail the Ravens’ season,” Hensley said. “But ultimately, the only one who truly knows when Jackson will return is Jackson himself.” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said on Tuesday that he expected Jackson to suit up in Week 8 against the Bills. We likely won’t be sure of that until pre-game warmups. Tyler Huntley would continue as Baltimore’s starter if Jackson remains sidelined.

Waddle left Sunday’s game against the Cardinals with the chest injury. It was, according to Rapoport, an “aggravation of his previous chest injury.” Waddle could try to practice later this week, but would appear to be iffy unless he can log a practice session by Friday. If Waddle is sidelined this week against the Chiefs, Courtland Sutton would likely see more targets and become an interesting flex option against a tough KC secondary. Sutton over the past four weeks leads Denver in air yards and has the second most targets behind Waddle.

Tucker will start on the Chiefs practice squad. His signing comes a few days after Harrison Butker missed two field goal attempts against the Seahawks. On the season Butker has missed five of his 16 attempts, and over his past 11 games he’s missed seven kicks. Tucker, who recently competed for the Dolphins kicker job, hasn’t kicked since 2024 in Baltimore, when he missed eight of his 30 field goal tries. The Ravens released Tucker in 2025 after 16 massage therapists accused him of sexual misconduct.

When asked about Parsons’ chances of practicing next week, LaFleur said, “I sure hope so.” He followed that up with, “I’m saying there’s a chance.” Parsons opened the season on the PUP list after an ACL tear late last season. The Packers have a Thursday game for Week 8, leading to a mini-bye where Parsons’ door to practice is at least cracked open.

ESPN’s Rob Demovsky relayed LaFleur’s noncommittal response to questions on Golden’s status. LaFleur said the team hopes Golden plays, but the 23-year-old has been an estimated DNP for the first two practices of the week due to shoulder and foot injuries. With the Packers playing on a short week against the Panthers, Golden’s status will likely rely on the final practice report before a Week 8 Thursday showdown against Carolina.

It’s not the first time they’ve done so this season, so we’re not exactly sure that Demercado is done here. However he was a healthy scratch last night and the Cowboys are looking at activating some players off IR, so it’s possible if Demercado stays it’ll be as part of the practice squad.