NFL Player News

A former seventh-round pick from the 2022 draft class, Hardy has played on 853 special teams snaps since entering the league and was named as a Pro Bowl alternate last season. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports Hardy can earn up to $6 million on his new contract, which will keep him with the team through 2027.

Waddle left practice early and did not return. Given his lengthy injury history, the news gave fantasy managers a few hours of anxiety before Payton downplayed the issue. Waddle may get a few days of limited practice, but fantasy managers can keep drafting him as a high-ceiling WR2.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter later added that the deal is worth “up to” $12 million over one year. Diggs has been tied to the Commanders by local and national reporters for weeks. After seeing their lack of receiving weapons in training camp for a few days, GM Adam Peters finally pulled the trigger. Diggs will immediately slot in as the team’s No. 2 receiver, ahead of Antonio Williams and a cast of uninteresting veterans. The Pats limited Diggs to a 68 percent route rate last year, but he still managed to hit 1,000 yards via impressive efficiency marks. With Terry McLaurin operating as the Commanders’ No. 1 receiver, Diggs is unlikely to hit four digits again, but he should still offer fantasy managers usable FLEX numbers on a weekly basis.

The team also signed defensive lineman Ogbo Okoronkwo. Kevin Givens and Cameron Sample were waived in corresponding moves. Hodge caught three passes for 31 yards in Atlanta last year. The 49ers simply needed another body at receiver with all four of their top wideouts banged up to start training camp.

Grupe is competing with Spencer Schrader for the Colts’ starting gig, and through a week of training camp, Grupe has been more accurate. Brown said the team is evaluating other factors as well, including ball flight and pre-practice kicks from Grupe and Schrader. The Colts in 2025 tied for tenth in team field goal attempts. That sort of opportunity will make Grupe or Schrader fantasy viable in 2026 as long as Daniel Jones is healthy.

The second-year linebacker will be sidelined for the entirety of the 2026 campaign after suffering an ACL tear in training camp this week. Walker was carted off the practice field and later diagnosed with the torn ACL. The 15th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Walker last year had 36 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. His absence will be a blow to an otherwise solid Atlanta defense.

It will likely be a limited session for Dell, coming off a catastrophic 2024 knee injury that wiped out his entire 2025 campaign. Texans general manager Nick Caserio said in late July that Dell would be limited in practice for a few weeks as he works his way back from the career-threatening injury. Even if Dell avoids setbacks in the coming weeks, he’s a long shot to be anything more than Houston’s third or fourth pass-catching option to begin the season.

Rogers said Smith in a recent camp practice challenged the Jets secondary downfield enough to open up short-area opportunities for his pass catchers. “He wants to push the ball down the field to the WRs and hopefully that opens up the quick underneath throws,” Rogers said, adding that the Jets tight ends and rookie WR Omar Cooper were functioning as the main short-area pass catchers. Coming off a disastrous 2025 campaign in Vegas, Geno will look to bounce back with the Jets this season. During his run with the Seahawks, Geno was among the league’s most accurate passers.

Brown, according to Dehner, is “being used all over the formation, similar to the way Ja’Marr Chase has been deployed in recent years. Brown lines up in the slot and runs a slant one play, then takes a jet sweep the next. He’s part of 20 personnel with two running backs, motions into the backfield, behind a fullback and almost any other spot imaginable.” The Bengals are preparing to use motion at a much higher rate than they have during the Joe Burrow era, especially when Burrow is under center. It’s led to some early camp struggles, per Dehner. “We all got to prepare a little bit more, at least I do, a lot for the motions and playing F and wherever they are putting me takes a little extra study time because I haven’t really done that before,” Brown said. “It’s cool they trust me doing that and believe in my skill set enough. It’s been fun.” Dehner said the team’s “pre-snap eye candy and under-center emphasis have helped establish a refreshed run game” ahead of the 2026 season. Brown’s pass game involvement should give him every chance to be a top-5 back in PPR formats.

Johnson left practice early Tuesday to get treatment for an apparent strain. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said the 24-year-old wideout is dealing with a groin injury. The severity of the injury is unclear as Bowles said it’s too early to tell if any of the team’s top four wide receivers would miss next week’s joint practices with the Jets. Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, and Jalen McMillan also missed practice out of maintenance and precaution. With Johnson and David Sills also exiting practice, rookie Ted Hurst saw a boost in practice reps.

Ertz tore his ACL in Week 14 last season with the Commanders. Schefter reports the 35-year-old is ready for football activities and was catching passes from Andrew Luck at Stanford on Tuesday. He caught 50 passes for 504 yards and four touchdowns last season, seeing at least 70 targets in each of the last two seasons with the Commanders. Ertz has expressed a desire to continue playing and Schefter reports the veteran is “expected to be ready to sign in mid-August.” His top-15 fantasy tight end days are behind him, but Ertz can certainly offer some help in the tight end landscape this season, pending his landing spot.