NFL Player News

The former No. 1 overall pick will call it quits after 16 seasons in the NFL -- seven years with the 49ers, five with the Chiefs, and three with Washington. Against all odds, Smith’s recovery from a tragic 2018 leg injury culminated in 2020 with his emergence as the Football Team’s starting QB. “Two years ago I was stuck in a wheelchair, staring down at my mangled leg, wondering if I would ever be able to go on a walk again or play with my kids in the yard,” Smith said in a recorded statement posted to Instagram. “On a routine play, I almost lost everything. But football wouldn’t let me give up. Because, no, this isn’t just a game. It’s not just what happens between those white lines on a Sunday afternoon. It’s about the challenges and the commitment they require. It’s about how hard and how far you can push yourself.” Smith’s best fantasy season came in 2017, when he eclipsed 4,000 yards for the only time in his career and threw 26 touchdowns to five interceptions for Kansas City. The streaming QB mainstay also ran for 355 yards and a score. Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer, who coached Smith at Utah, had tried to lure the veteran to Jacksonville as a mentor for incoming rookie Trevor Lawrence. With no shot at starting in 2021 and nothing left to prove following his horrific injury, Smith chose retirement.

London was unable to finish the team’s Week 9 game after suffering a hip injury in the first half, but proved enough during the week to warrant an active status for Sunday. There has been no reports suggesting his snap rate will be influenced by the injury, although it is always possible he suffers a setback during the game. Fantasy managers can likely role out the veteran alpha wide receiver with confidence.

Parsons has missed the previous four games after suffering an ankle injury in the team’s Week 4 game against the Giants, boosting a Dallas pass rush that has maintained a high pressure rate in his absence. Parsons logged a week of limited sessions with his repetitions capped, meaning he might not immediately see a similar snap rate to the one he left behind prior to injury.

Gano has missed the previous seven games but will kick for the Giants in Week 10 in Munich after the team activated him from injured reserve. The Giants rank 10th in the league with 1.8 field goals per game, meaning Gano could carry fantasy value for those that continue to compete in leagues that require a starting kicker.

Hill was added to the team’s injury report on Friday with a wrist injury, maintaining that stats the following day which prompted the questionable status. Head coach Mike McDaniel was noncommittal in either direction when asked about the alpha wide receiver’s Week 10 status on Saturday, telling the media “we’ll see.” Fantasy managers are now placed in a precarious situation considering the Dolphins play on Monday night, meaning alternate plans are likely in order.

Collins missed the minimum four games after suffering a hamstring injury on a long touchdown early in the team’s Week 4 game. Expect the alpha wide receiver to immediately return to the top role in an offense sorely missing his services, now also without wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

Seibert suffered a hip injury in Week 9 and was ultimately unable to progress enough to kick against the Steelers. The team signed Zane Gonzalez to the practice squad before elevating him for Week 10.

This was a distinct possibility given the severity of his hamstring injury, with initial testing suggesting a partial avulsion of his hamstring tendon, meaning it was partially torn off the bone. Prescott will visit one final specialist for a final opinion on the matter better likely electing surgery to address the issue. Surgery would end the veteran quarterback’s season, leaving the Cowboys to ride off into the sunset in a lost year with Cooper Rush under center. Schefter’s report comes less than 10 minutes after the team elected not to place Prescott on injured reserve, which raised so questions regarding his situation. Now we know why as the timing likely was immaterial.

Considering the nature of his injury, this is likelier to mean that Prescott will miss more than four games rather than having a significant chance of returning in the next month of play. Even so, the fact the team did not place him on injured reserve widens the potential outcomes with an injury considered to be significant, with the decision to hold off on placing him on injured reserve likely at the request of the quarterback, who has been reported to be seeking additional opinions. Fantasy managers will want to keep a close eye on the happenings in Dallas in the coming week to determine if they can expect the franchise quarterback back prior to fantasy playoffs.

It’s no surprise that Hill wasn’t spotted at practice after Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said “we’ll see” in regards to his availability this week. Hill also missed practice on Friday, but is doing everything he can to suit up against the Rams on Monday Night Football. McDaniel also described Hill’s wrist injury as “heating up.” It’s not what you want to hear this late in the week even with the team playing on Monday.

Dell was added to the injury report on Friday, but still got in a limited practice. Wilson notes that Nico Collins’ status with his hamstring is still to be determined and the Texans are prepared to play with Dell as the WR1 again this week if Collins can’t go.