NFL Player News

With Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright on IR, Firkser and Shane Zylstra continued to split the TE1 duties in Detroit. Firkser led the way in all receiving categories. Zylstra still managed three grabs for 20 yards. Firkser could be worth a look in DFS tournaments when the Lions take on Minnesota on Christmas, but he isn’t on the redraft radar.

Arroyo will have multiple injured reserve stints on his NFL record by the time his third season begins next year. Arroyo has caught 16-of-26 targets for 196 yards and one touchdown in regular season play thus far in his career. The talented receiving tight end fell in the 2025 NFL Draft due to knee-related health concerns. Hopefully, a strong offseason propels him to career-best figures in 2027.

Charbonnet underwent ACL reconstruction after suffering his season-ending knee injury in the Seahawks’ Divisional Round win over the 49ers. He will make his 2026 debut in Week 7 against the Chiefs, facing his former teammate, Kenneth Walker. Charbonnet’s expected workload is unknown, though he could handle enough touches to be FLEX-viable. As long as he stays healthy, Charbonnet should advance to the RB2 ranks in the coming weeks.

Mayfield has played through injuries regularly over the years. We expect him to be out there for the Buccaneers’ Week 7 game against the division rival Panthers. He is a QB2 for his first game back. A run-heavy game plan could be in the works as they ease him in. If his thumb really is good to go, though, this game could turn into a shootout.

Thomas, the team’s left tackle, RT Jermaine Eluemunor (calf) and backup OT Marcus Mbow (knee) are “all on the practice field participating to some degree in position drills during the media viewing period,” per USA Today’s Art Stapleton. This is good news for the Giants’ offense as a whole.

Like we said yesterday, Montgomery is still seemingly in the week-to-week camp. Woody Marks and Dare Ogunbowale will likely split backfield touches this week. The Texans used both Marks and Jawhar Jordan last week, but Jordan suffered an injured reserve-worthy injury. Marks should be in starting lineups, but he may be more of a FLEX than a reliable RB2. Ogunbowale is a low-floor PPR dart throw.

The Chiefs made head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder available to the media to explain the 2026 Simmons Saga today. On August 17th, the young left tackle reported calf discomfort in the same leg that he underwent a patellar tendon repair in 2024. Chiefs trainers discovered that a bulging, herniated disc in his lumbar spine was causing the lower-leg issue. According to Burkholder, offensive linemen occasionally deal with this type of disc issue, but Simmons’ issue was complicated because it was abnormally high up in the lumbar spine. Simmons consulted with a well-regarded spine specialist, who recommended rehabilitation instead of surgery. Imaging taken early in the rehab process showed improvement, so they stayed the course, but unfortunately, Simmons’ recovery has recently plateaued, leading to the injured reserve placement. Simmons will be eligible to return for the Chiefs’ Week 11 game against the Cardinals.

Love didn’t practice on Wednesday after missing Week 6. It doesn’t sound like he will practice at all this week. Tyler Allgeier and Bam Knight will split the backfield again this week. Allgeier out-carried Knight 18-15 last week, but Knight was far more effective, running for 80 yards in total. Allgeier posted just 38 yards. He still figures to be the lead runner this week, but Allgeier shine as a plug-and-play RB2 is waning headed into Week 7.

Love got checked out by the team’s chiropractor after the game and was listed as limited for yesterday’s practice. LaFleur told reporters they haven’t determined whether he will be limited for today’s session. Either way, he said yesterday that there is no chance Love misses Week 7, so the practice reports are a moot point. Love is a top-half QB1 for his date with Detroit this week.

The same is true of Matthew Golden, who is dealing with a shoulder issue. Both players were estimated as limited participants for Wednesday’s walkthrough. It doesn’t look like either wideout is at risk of missing the Packers’ upcoming shootout with Detroit. Watson is currently fifth in the league in receiving yards at 538. Golden is sixth at 501. Both players hold a spot in the WR1 ranks heading into Week 7.

Barkley will unfortunately return to a team without Jalen Hurts, but the Eagles’ offense is otherwise getting healthier ahead of a must-win matchup with the Cowboys. Barkley has been out since Week 4 because of the hamstring issue. Even in his first game back, we would expect Barkley to get the lion’s share of the backfield touches against a Dallas defense that is giving up the 10th-most fantasy points to running backs. Barkley would be, at worst, an RB2 for his Week 7 return.