NFL Player News

Tennessee needed depth behind starters Zach Brown and Avery Williamson. Johnson should serve mostly in a special teams role.

Jackson dealt with a shoulder injury during training camp and reaggravated it in the Rams’ Week 2 loss to the Cardinals. He started Week 1 at center but was moved to left guard mid-game after Steve Avila went down with an injury of his own. That’s now three LA offensive linemen who have landed on injured reserve in the first two weeks of the season. Down 60 percent of their starting line and both of their superstar receivers, things are already looking bleak for the Rams.

The two touches come after the veteran change of pace back saw just one touch in Week 1, clearly indicating a workhorse situation for offseason acquisition Saquon Barkley. Gainwell likely requires an injury to Barkley to return any fantasy value moving forward.

Most were expecting the recent addition to see more usage in the absence of A.J. Brown. Ultimately, the team elected to move DeVonta Smith into a heavier perimeter snap rate while playing Britain Covey in the slot. Dotson has a long way to go to regain any semblance of fantasy value after joining the Eagles just before the start of the 2024 regular season.

Covey stepped into a secondary role in the absence of alpha wide receiver A.J. Brown. Brown’s absence shifted DeVonta Smith into heavier perimeter snaps, which paved the way for Covey to see the field in a slot wide receiver role. His fantasy value likely remains low considering a low aDOT and modest snap rate, meaning Brown managers can do better to make up for his lost production in the immediate future.

That now makes just nine total targets for the veteran tight end through two games, with fantasy managers likely looking for more production in a Week 2 game played without their alpha wide receiver in A.J. Brown. It will be tough for a tight end with a minimal red zone role to return consistent production, particularly if he’s not seeing enough volume between the 20s.

Smith’s 10 targets handily led the team on a night alpha wide receiver A.J. Brown was held out due to a hamstring injury. Sideline reporting indicated that Brown could miss multiple games with the ailment, putting Smith in a solid position to rack up volume through the air for the next game or two. He was able to fight through tough coverage from A.J. Terrell for most of the night, another good sign for his fantasy value in the immediate future.

Barkley was having a solid game as he commanded the backfield opportunities for the Eagles. That is, until a costly drop on a routine pass to the flat on third down with under two minutes remaining in the game. The Eagles would have been able to take a knee to end the game while up three points. Instead, they settled for a field goal before giving the ball back to Kirk Cousins with no timeouts. Cousins drove the field in just over a minute and tossed the go-ahead touchdown to Drake London with 34 seconds remaining. Even with the game changing drop, Barkley saw 27 of 29 running back opportunities, ceding just two carries on the opening drive to backup Kenneth Walker. His fantasy value remains high heading into a Week 3 matchup with the 2-0 Saints.

Hurts and the Eagles seemed to be in control of the game late but a dropped pass from running back Saquon Barkley on third down with under two minutes to play gave the ball back to the Falcons with Philadelphia up by six points. Had Barkley come down with a routine reception for the first down, the Eagles would have been able to ice the game as the Falcons were out of timeouts. The Eagles fall to 1-1 on the season after a shootout win over the Packers in Week 1. The big story of this one was the return of the tush push and the rushing upside for Hurts after a relatively modest 33 yards on the ground to open the season. Up next for the Eagles is a road matchup against one of the more surprising teams to start the year in the Saints.

McCloud continued to be integral to the offensive game plan for the Falcons after leading the team in receiving in Week 1. Fantasy managers that are in a bind due to mounting injuries could do worse than scooping McCloud from waivers heading into Week 3.

Pitts has now seen just seven targets through two weeks of play and appears to routinely be second or third in quarterback Kirk Cousins’ progressions, largely unable to generate much separation at the top of routes. Fantasy managers that invested solid draft capital in the young tight end are surely left clamoring for more, something that could come to fruition in Week 3 when the Falcons play host to the outside-in, zone-heavy defense of the Chiefs.