NFL Player News

Hopkins has seen 11 targets in his last three games and remains an easy fade for fantasy. He broke free in the end zone in the fourth quarter for what would have been an easy touchdown were it not for Lamar Jackson throwing the ball out of play, but it was another forgettable day for Hopkins, who will enter Week 13 sitting on 999 career receptions.

Smith practiced on the second of the three practice days ahead of last Monday night in a limited fashion, but it’s hard to determine how worried we should be as the Eagles may simply be trying to give him more rest ahead of this Sunday’s game against the Rams. He’s missed both of the first two practices of the week this time around. Friday’s report will be very instructive.

Coker is currently going through drills, catching passes from Bryce Young. Yesterday, Panthers coach Dave Canales labeled Coker day-to-day. Today’s participation confirms that. The Panthers’ No. 2 wide receiver seemingly has a shot at playing in Week 4 against the Lions. We expect to see him listed as limited today, but we will circle back to provide an update if he ends up practicing in full.

We expect to see Douglas listed with a second DNP next to his name today, putting him on the wrong side of questionable for Week 4 against the Vikings. Were he indeed to miss this week’s game, WRs Chris Bell (knee) and Malik Washington would benefit. Washington’s target volume is somewhat intriguing, but Bell looks like the far more talented player.

The Giants’ RB3 is seemingly on track to be active for Week 4 against the Cardinals. Unfortunately, Giants LT Andrew Thomas (groin) was not seen practicing during the portion of practice open to the media. He did not practice yesterday either and should currently be considered questionable to play.

The Buccaneers are 0-3, so if trailing game scripts aren’t the ideal setup for a receiving specialist, we aren’t sure what is. Robinson said he would like to get Gainwell more involved, but also added that Gainwell has to earn those reps by being more productive. Robinson said he also wants to get RB3 Sean Tucker more involved during the same presser. It sounds like this backfield still belongs to starting RB Bucky Irving, who is dealing with a glute injury, but changes are at least being considered.

Robinson described Tucker as being “special with the ball in his hands,” and said that it’s on the coaching staff to find spots to mix him in. Whether this impacts starting RB Bucky Irving basically comes down to how and when — and if — the Buccaneers get Tucker involved. Taking a few snaps away from RB2 Kenneth Gainwell would be no big deal. Utilizing Tucker in the red zone would be consequential for Irving. Hopefully, Robinson provides more insight before his team’s Week 4 game against the Packers. Stay tuned.

Per Duggan, Burns is “scheduled to undergo surgery to repair both injuries” today. His “repair” terminology is unfortunate because it indicates that the meniscus tear was significant enough that a trim would be insufficient. Burns, 28, could face a longer recovery timeline than initially expected, but players are recovering from serious injuries fairly quickly these days. Burns suffered these injuries on September 27th. His teammate, Malik Nabers, suffered similar injuries on September 28th last year, yet was ready for the 2026 season opener.

Charbonnet will return to practice this week. The team now has 21 days to officially activate him from the injured reserve. It’s unclear how much of that window they will use to get him up to full speed. He has to miss at least one more game while on the PUP list. Charbonnet tore his ACL in Seattle’s first playoff game last year. The team talked about his quick recovery throughout the offseason and that will be the case, even if he uses all three weeks of his practice window. Once he returns, Charbonnet will at least take over the roles of George Holani and Emanuel Wilson, who have been splitting the backfield with Jadarian Price so far. He could even work himself into the starting job if Price continues to struggle with fumbles.

It will likely go down as a limited session for the veteran wideout, but Godwin should be on track to play in Week 4. The bad news is that he will do so with UDFA rookie Jalon Daniels as his quarterback. Godwin was already off to a slow start, and things aren’t likely to improve with a backup quarterback under center. He is low-wattage FLEX play for Week 4.

Evans took a shot to the midsection in Week 3 and had to be carted to the locker room. He did not practice on Wednesday, but Evans is the type of player who can miss all three practices and still suit up. If he does, the 49ers will likely put him on a pitch count. If he can’t go, expect the passing attack to run through George Kittle and Deebo Samuel, with plenty of check-downs for Christian McCaffrey as well.