NFL Player News

Tillman is on track to miss the team’s Week 15 game against the Bears, and does not need to be rostered in re-draft formats. The 25-year-old wide receiver has appeared in nine games this season. He has failed to produce even 55 receiving yards in a single one.

Maiocco’s exact phrasing is a bit wordy, but he says, “it’s reasonable, rational, logical, for the 49ers to not expect Ricky Pearsall to make any contribution in 2026.” Pearsall is dealing with the same PCL tear that plagued him last year. The team reportedly believed it would heal this offseason. It apparently did not. The team is trying to determine whether he must undergo surgery to correct the issue. If so, he will miss the 2026 season. For those wondering why he did not undergo surgery earlier this offseason, Maiocco says the required recovery timeline would “probably” have caused him to miss the 2026 season anyway. If they delay the surgery this time around, his 2027 season could be impacted. Regardless of which path they choose, we hope Pearsall enjoys a swift, successful recovery. He should probably be avoided in fantasy drafts at this time.

According to Atkins, Nacua made some off-field changes this spring after spending time at a holistic care facility. Although the “best shape of his life” storylines are often overplayed, Nacua’s improved offseason workout and diet habits reportedly have him “gliding faster downfield than he has before.” Nacua will remain a “rugged” centerfield dominator as he contends for the overall WR1 finish in fantasy, but it sounds like the Rams may also be honing his downfield route running, entering his age-25 season. Being a more complete receiver is only a good thing for his fantasy-scoring outlook.

Brazzell was initially expected to avoid surgery and instead rehab the “moderate LCL tear in his left knee.” After getting a second opinion, the player and team decided surgery was the “best option” for the rookie’s long-term health. According to Person, Brazzell was expected to challenge WR Xavier Legette for the No. 3 role, while also potentially allowing WR Tetairoa McMillan to line up in the slot more often. The latter storyline is worth tracking. Hopefully, the plan remains in place and Brazzell makes a full recovery ahead of the 2027 season. We expect him to be placed on injured reserve soon.

Rodrigue listed WR Konata Mumpfield and WR Jordan Whittington as candidates for the gig, notably excluding rookie WR CJ Daniels. Daniels was viewed as the potential WR3 due to his blocking ability earlier this year. Rodrigue says it is instead Whittington who could serve as the “3B” blocker. Mumpfield reportedly “looks the part” as the “3A” receiving component. Will he return fantasy value reliably? Probably not. Earlier this month, Rodrigue’s colleague, Nate Atkins, said Mumpfield could be the next man up on the perimeter if WRs Puka Nacua or Davante Adams miss time. Rodrigue’s comments seemingly confirm this.

That timeline his far more ambiguous than we had previously thought, even though Rodriguez is currently participating in individual drills at training camp. Head coach Liam Coen later added, “We’re trying to get him back without any sort of hiccups or bumps.” It sounds like workload management more so than any risk of Rodriguez actually missing the Jags’ opener. Still, needing your training camps managed because of an offseason foot procedure isn’t ideal. With some lingering concerns around this foot issue, Bhayshul Tuten is pulling away as the clear favorite to lead the Jags in carries this year.

The Raiders are reportedly rotating five different wide receivers through team drills, including Tre Tucker, Jack Bech, Jalen Nailor and Dont’e Thornton. Tucker is the most proven player of the bunch and should be expected to secure a starting role. Things are fluid beyond that. McFadden named Benson, a sixth-round rookie, his “biggest surprise” of spring practices. He reportedly fostered a strong connection with QB Fernando Mendoza. Given his draft capital, Benson is likely a long shot to earn a starting role, but he also possesses intriguing upside as a field stretcher. Don’t bank on a breakout, but keeping an eye on him this summer is worthwhile.

Stewart was able to limp off the field but eventually rode the cart to the locker room, causing some concern that he suffered a major injury. He will undergo treatment for the issue but, according to Rapoport, avoided any ligament damage. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said he would miss “several weeks.” That’s not ideal for a second-year player, but it doesn’t sound like he is at risk of missing any time during the regular season.

Ryans used that phrase to describe Higgins and Woody Marks. Ryans also talked about needing a true No. 2 receiver outside of Nico Collins and said, “Jayden can be that guy.” Collins was banged up for some of 2025 and the team did not have Tank Dell at any point, so Higgins was asked to play more than most Day Two rookies. He popped for the occasional big play and scored six touchdowns but ultimately finished the year just six catches ahead of Xavier Hutchinson. It sounds like he is pulling away from Hutchinson this offseason, giving him a much higher floor heading into 2026.

Ryans said the same of Jayden Higgins. He talked about Marks looking faster and making better decisions. In other words, the game is slowing down for Marks as he enters his second NFL season. Houston had no choice but to load Marks up with touches as a rookie. He struggled to make much of the workload, turning 196 carries into 706 yards and just two touchdowns. The team then traded for David Montgomery in the offseason. Montgomery is locked in as the starter, but the comments about Marks could point toward more of a committee than fantasy managers have been expecting.

Mayfield added that he was looking to make $50 million per year and the Bucs’ offer was “pretty far” from that figure. Based on Mayfield’s comments, the Bucs wanted to offer him nearly the same contract as Daniel Jones. Though Mayfield is coming off a down year, his track record in Tampa Bay is far better than Jones’ in Indy, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he declined their proposal. Now he is heading into a contract year, with the potential to make a fortune in free agency if he has a rebound season.