NFL Player News

The news comes from Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office, and notes that “the fan did not appear to be injured, nor did he seek medical attention at the game.” Metcalf already served a two-game suspension issued by the league, and the Steelers did not void Metcalf’s financial guarantees, so there is no reason to expect further punishment from the NFL. The fan in question still has a $100 million civil suit against Metcalf, which remains ongoing, but we see no reason to believe that it will impact his fantasy stock negatively at this time.

A hamstring injury impacted Ferguson’s productivity late last season. The Rams’ “13-personnel revolution is here to stay,” which means Ferguson should see a solid snap total if he can win the starting role. Still, it is tough to predict whether a TE1 finish is realistically within his potential range of outcomes right now, given the Rams’ overall deep receiving corps.

The statement comes with positives and negatives. On the one hand, Atkins believes the sixth-round rookie is the favorite to start in three-wide receiver sets. On the other hand, Daniels’ fit is due partially to his blocking ability. Getting on the field is the first step toward fantasy-relevance, though. Daniels is a player to watch closely in the coming months.

Rams veteran RB Kyren Williams is expected to be the “primary third-down back and between-the-tackles runner,” which could get him most of the high-value touches. Atkins did not address whether Corum will get a chance to compete for the two-minute drill role, though. That would be big for him. If Corum does manage to take on half of the backfield touches, though, that should be enough to keep him in the low-end RB2, thanks in part to the Rams’ high-scoring offense.

Atkins still expects Williams to be the starter. Playing on third down and in the two-minute drill gives running backs an edge in PPR formats. Atkins did not specify which back will play in the latter scenario, but we imagine Williams will get the first crack at the gig. If Williams is also set to be the interior runner, it likely means he gets the first chance in the red zone. He out-snapped No. 2 RB Blake Corum in the red zone, 26-6, during the playoffs last year. That said, losing touches to the point of a 50-50 split hurts his upside.

Smith spent five seasons in college, including three at Stanford and two at Texas A&M. Smith (6'/208) rushed 44 times for 205 yards and four touchdowns in his final college season, and caught 4-of-5 targets for 18 yards. Former Cowboys star RB Emmitt Smith is EJ’s father.

Gaye entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Texans back in 2023. He was eventually waived and spent the last two seasons with the Titans and notched his lone career sack against the Texans in 2024. He has five career quarterback pressures.

Banks’ fifth-year option would have netted him $12.633 million in 2027. Instead, this season, he will fight for “playing time with second-round pick Colton Hood and free-agent signing Greg Newsome in his way.” Banks broke up just one pass last season and allowed an 83.1 percent catch rate.

Free agent RB Elijah Mitchell attended as well. Herbert appeared in three games with the Jets last year, rushing 16 times for 52 yards and earned three targets. Mitchell logged zero touches and earned one target, playing for the Patriots. The Eagles already have five running backs on the roster, so both players face uphill battles to snag a roster spot.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is currently rehabbing a season-ending knee injury, and although he has a chance to return in time for Week 1, it takes time for players to return to full strength. Enter new Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker, who Veach reminds us was the Super Bowl LX MVP. He adds that the team feels “real good” about the offensive line. Veach also indicates that the team intends to pass the ball more often as the season progresses, but if the run game is working, who’s to say they take the proverbial foot off the pedal? Walker warrants low-end RB1 treatment at this time. He is backed up by veteran RBs Brashard Smith and Emari Demercado, and fifth-round rookie RB Emmett Johnson. The depth chart order behind Walker will become clear in training camp.

Mahomes has a chance to return in time for Week 1 after suffering season-ending ACL and LCL tears last year. It sounds like the plan is to rely on the run game and the defense for the first half of the season, as Mahomes “is working back from that injury.” For those concerned that the Chiefs might stick with that game plan all year, Veach adds that he hopes by “mid-season [or] late season, Pat’s in that groove and we have this thing cooking.” We believe he’s saying that the Chiefs intend to increase their passing frequency as the season progresses and we will continue to monitor Mahomes’ offseason participation. For now, RB Kenneth Walker looks like a safe bet to handle a hefty workload this year.