NFL Player News

HC Tom Coughlin said at his Monday press conference that Nicks is dealing with “some type of injury.” An ominous sounding statement, but far from an indication Nicks’ injury is serious. He does appear to be a question mark for Week 2, however, after his knee swelled up on Monday. If Nicks doesn’t go against the Rams, Mario Manningham can be treated as a WR1.

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but in case there was any doubt, Raanan said the Giants and their receivers view Wilson as the leader at the position right now. Wan’Dale Robinson said as much when asked about Wilson earlier, while Raanan also went on to point out the various throwing workouts Wilson scheduled with the team after signing with them. It’s worth noting that rookie Jaxson Dart also worked more with the second team offense this week, per Raanan, but the team will likely continue to bring him along slowly as they prepare to eventually hand him the keys. While it’s highly unlikely Wilson will start all 17 games this season, even if healthy, he sounds like a lock to open Week 1 as the starter, even with training camp still to come.

Whether he likes it or not, Lazard remains tied to Rodgers and his journey from one team to another. The 29-year-old vet has enjoyed his most productive seasons when playing alongside Rodgers, which makes a potential trade to the Steelers a very real option, especially when you consider the Steelers’ lack of receiver talent behind DK Metcalf. That said, Florio reports a source “with knowledge of Lazard’s thinking” believes Lazard “sees a very real potential benefit to proving his ability to function at an acceptable level without Rodgers as his quarterback.” This doesn’t mean the Steelers won’t attempt to facilitate a trade for Lazard, who gave up $8.5 million in guaranteed money to play with the Jets, but if the Jets give him any say in the matter, he may opt to stay with Gang Green over continuing his tour with Rodgers.

Speaking on Good Morning Football, Rapoport noted that Rodgers once said he would play this season for $10 million. While the exact terms of Rodgers’ deal are not yet known, Rapoport believes his deal will closely resemble the $10 million figure, with Rodgers having the opportunity to earn more through incentives. Rodgers isn’t coming to the Steelers to cash in on one last payday, but rather compete for what he hopes is another championship. Whether or not that comes with the Steelers is to be determined, but the future Hall of Famer is clearly willing to take a pay cut to find out, and the Steelers are just as desperate to see what he can offer over the likes of Mason Rudolph and rookie Will Howard.

The team itself used the “agreed to terms” lingo, stressing the deal was contingent on a physical. Nevertheless, the Steelers know what they are getting into. The 41-year-old will pass his examination and get to work replacing last year’s Justin Fields/Russell Wilson combination. Rodgers appeared in physical free-fall last season, but he still remained more middle of the pack in most advanced metrics. Rodgers did struggle over the middle of the field, though that is not where the Steelers’ primary weapons roam. Rodgers will obviously struggle for top-20 fantasy value himself. The question is if he can keep DK Metcalf in the top 18 at receiver, or perhaps make Pat Freiermuth a more consistent option. We are not holding our breath.

Brown had previously been mentioned in the same breath as incumbent receiver Parker Washington, but here, Oehser lists Brown among “the Jaguars’ top receivers” along with Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. Oehser describes all three as being “fast and fluid” while noting “Brown in particular continues to show easy speed. Technically, stretching the field while Thomas and Hunter rack up targets could qualify as playing a “huge role in the offense” for Brown, so June drafters should take a measured approach in responding to Oehser’s commentary. Still, locking up the No. 3 role in what is expected to be a fantasy-friendly aerial attack is noteworthy. Brown should be on late-round radars.

Franklin has generated a number of explosive plays thus far, leading Payton to celebrate Franklin’s ability to run after the catch. The report comes from The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider, who adds that Franklin “has looked impressive” through two organized team activities and is “playing faster than he was at this time last year.” Franklin must sustain high-quality play over the next three months in order for these comments to matter. A big offseason could vault Franklin ahead in the pecking order behind Courtland Sutton, but Denver doesn’t seem likely to rely on any of their non-Sutton receivers in a fantasy-interesting way this year.

Campbell acknowledged that this is a conservative projection, giving Rodriguez at least some chance to return sooner. The Lions’ defense was hit hard by injuries last season, so the front office added a bevy of defenders via both the draft and free agency. Hopefully, Rodriguez returns in full force in time for a playoff push.

Per Chappell, Pittman “bumped knees” while running a route and is “sore but ok.” It sounds like Pittman is just dealing with a contusion of some sort, and he should be good to go in a week or so. Assuming you can stomach the risk of what increasingly looks likely to be Daniel Jones at quarterback, Pittman should be okay to select in best ball for now.

In April, Coen made clear that improving Lawrence’s footwork was his first order of business. Now two months removed from those comments, Coen is promisingly praising Lawrence’s progress in this regard while highlighting the critical role footwork plays in progressing through reads and maintaining the play design’s timing. Coen’s methods helped Baker Mayfield complete the second-most first-read passes (225) of the 2024 regular season while serving as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator. Coen adds that while his focus has largely been on Lawrence’s footwork, he is also pleased with how well Lawrence is “running the show.”

LaFleur compared the two receivers’ release tactics by saying Nacua “loves the physicality” of the game, whereas Adams employs more “elusive” methods. Nacua will surely continue bullying smaller cornerbacks with physical play, but adding tools that help him deal with more physically-imposing players could allow him to have an even larger impact on the game. Nacua is now operating as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver. Adams has also notably assumed a respected leadership role with the organization as a whole.