NFL Player News

If Clayton can avoid his hamstring troubles, he should still be able to overtake Clarence Moore at wide receiver before the season starts. Clayton is still our favorite to be the top fantasy rookie wide receiver this season.

Rattler got the entire second half, and it was a mixed bag at best. He completed just-under 53 percent of his attempts, and he didn’t exactly get the ball deep with just a 4.1 YPA in his action against Arizona’s backups. Rattler has reportedly looked good in his practice reps but at least based on Saturday, Jake Haener (9-of-13, 107 yards) was the better quarterback. We’ll see if that changes next Sunday against San Francisco.

Haener played the overwhelming majority of the first half after Derek Carr took the field for the first two series. He didn’t throw for a score nor did he lead a touchdown drive, but he was able to help the Saints to a pair of scoring drives in field goals. The 2023 fourth-round pick clearly outplayed Spencer Rattler in his battle to secure the backup job to Carr to begin the 2024 campaign. He’ll still need to keep his foot on the gas next Sunday against the 49ers.

According to Reid, Brown suffered a sternoclavicular joint dislocation. Reid compared Brown’s injury to the injury that cost Tyreek Hill four games during the 2019 season. Brown went to the hospital for further evaluation, so we’ll likely know more about the length of his absence in the coming days. Brown has been developing a nice rapport with Patrick Mahomes in training camp and was replaced by Skyy Moore after his injury. Moore would presumably take over for Brown if he misses any regular season action, but his absence would primarily boost Rashee Rice and rookie Xavier Worthy’s fantasy stocks.

Shanahan said Thomas will be out for “some time.” We’ll likely get more on the specifics of his absence in the coming days, but the third-year corner saw significant playing time in his first preseason game, with the 49ers sitting most of their starters. Thomas started five of the 13 games he appeared in for the 49ers last season, earning a PFF coverage grade of 70.5 while allowing 39 catches for 347 yards and three touchdowns on 56 targets. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him open the regular season on injured reserve, which would require him to miss at least the first four games of the season.

Second-year running back Chase Brown started and saw all six running back opportunities with the first team, bringing into question the status of the backfield depth chart in the process. We now know why Moss was unavailable for the team’s first preseason game, apparently sick enough to be held out of the contest. Fantasy managers will have to wait until the team’s next preseason contest to gain any further clarity regarding expected snap and opportunity splits in the Cincinnati backfield.

McMillan’s first catch of the game went for a 19-yard gain and a first down. The Buccaneers rookie got the start with several starters sitting out and was targeted twice on the seven routes he ran per PFF. McMillan has been praised throughout camp and is challenging to open the year as the team’s WR3. It will take a lot for McMillan to have any kind of meaningful fantasy upside as a rookie, although he could be worth a late-round dart throw in best ball leagues.

The box score numbers look good until you realize Perry didn’t record a target until the starters departed the contest, catching his passes from Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler. Perry continues to be listed as a starter on the team’s depth chart but playing this deep into a preseason game does not bode well for his chances of earning targets alongside Chris Olave and Rasheed Shahid. The additional playing time could also be attributed to head coach Dennis Allen’s previous comments this offseason that indicated the second-year wide receiver had numerous areas of his game to continue to improve.

Howell started for the Seahawks with most of the established starters resting and did not look comfortable, going for a lowly 4.8 yards per attempt and taking two sacks. The sacks could be a regular occurrence once the starters take to the field as well considering the questionable state of the offensive line in Seattle. Even so, Howell started and played more than half of the game before fellow veteran backup PJ Walker entered the contest, a potential nod to where the depth chart stand at present.

Brown also added one catch for zero yards. The second-year back drew a surprise start for the Bengals in this one, with Zack Moss (illness) an unexpected scratch. It wasn’t a great showing for Brown, who also saw two touches inside the red zone, but he was firmly entrenched as the primary back with the first team. He’ll see more of a split with Moss in the lineup.

Jones got the entire second half after Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Beathard. The former first-round pick’s longest completion was a nice throw on a 28-yarder to Josiah Deguara, and he was accurate and on-time with his throws; most of them of the short variety. Jones is attempting to win the backup signal-caller job from Beathard, and Saturday was a good — if not elite — showing for the 25-year-old. He’ll be back in action Saturday against the Buccaneers.