NFL Player News

Decker spoke with reporters post-game, breaking the news that he may have played his final down in the NFL. The 31-year-old left tackle expressed a desire to focus on fatherhood after an injury-impacted 10th professional season. Decker played through a shoulder injury for much of the year and is physically unable to play catch with his young son at this time. Decker signed a three-year, $60 million extension in 2024, keeping him under contract through 2027. Were Decker to retire, Lions RT Penei Sewell, 25, would likely move over to the left side of the line. Decker earned Pro Bowl honors in 2024. Sewell is a four-time defending Pro Bowl player and earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2023 and 2024.

Freiermuth ran 27 routes on 38 dropbacks, which was a distant third behind DK Metcalf and Germie Bernard; however, Aaron Rodgers is far more effective when targeting the intermediate and middle areas of the field, which makes Freiermuth a more consistent target than either of the wide receivers. With Michael Pittman (foot) and Roman Wilson (finger) both hurt, Freiermuth could be a fringe TE1 next week against the Bucs.

Raridon, who was out last week, was very much involved in the revived New England passing attack. Hunter Henry, meanwhile, had three grabs for 44 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots have used two tight end sets at a high rate when Raridon is healthy. Unless Henry misses time, Raridon should remain on waiver wires in most 12-team formats. He had been targeted on ten percent of his routes headed into Week 5.

Jefferson didn’t miss a beat after returning from a one-game absence due to an ankle injury. He made several spectacular grabs in this game, the most amazing of which was a toe-tapping catch in the back of the end zone with three defenders covering him. Even at less than full strength, Jefferson is simply one of the best receivers in the league. He will remain near the top of the WR1 ranks when the Vikings face the Colts after their bye week.

Kiner’s seven touches came after TreVeyon Henderson went down with what could be a serious ankle injury in the second quarter. While much of his work came in garbage time, Kiner could work as the Patriots’ No. 2 back behind Rhamondre Stevenson if Henderson is sidelined in Week 6. Kiner is worth a look on waiver wires this week.

Perine was involved heavily against the Dolphins, a surprising development given his lack of touches to open the season. He trailed Chase Brown by just five snaps on the day, getting involved in short-yardage situations and seeing an increase in red zone snaps after Brown’s red zone fumble in the second quarter. He caught a touchdown running a route out of the backfield and finished with 78 total yards. We don’t expect Perine to consistently see this kind of usage, but he is back on the radar as a deep-league FLEX value.

45 snaps, one target. Helm has somehow grown less relevant than his 4/28 Week 1 showing would have even suggested. He can be dropped in most leagues at this point.

This was not the game many expected against a beleaguered Colts defense. Two of Metcalf’s three catches were on screens behind the line of scrimmage, and he was only targeted 10 yards down the field once. Aaron Rodgers is not having much success throwing the ball deep down the field, which means Metcalf is likely going to be a touchdown-dependent WR3 in fantasy next week against the Bucs.

Brown took a surprising backseat to Samaje Perine in the Bengals’ win over the Dolphins. He still led out-snapped Perine 38-to-33, but a red zone fumble hurt his fantasy production while splitting backfield touches 50/50. There were a few snaps where Brown lined up as a receiver with Perine in the backfield; the Bengals used both backs heavily. Brown previously dominated all sorts of touches for the Bengals backfield, so this is a new development. Game script certainly played a factor but Brown’s ceiling as an RB1 may be considerably lessened if Perine’s usage sticks. He is a fantasy RB2 with a Week 7 matchup against the Ravens on the horizon after a Week 6 bye.

Is this doing anything for anybody? Ridley had a 23-yarder to open the game and vanished thereafter. He has not cracked more than two catches or three targets all year and does not need to be in fantasy consideration in the vast, vast majority of leagues.