NFL Player News

Barnes went down with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter and was unable to walk off under his own power. Barnes entered the NFL as a UDFA in 2020. He notched 81 tackles as a rotational player last year.

Today was the Panthers’ final day to bring him off the NFI list. He practiced in full last week and was a full-go today as well. All signs point toward the rookie making his NFL debut in Week 10 versus the Giants, though don’t have to make him active if they think he needs more time to recover. Fantasy managers should take a wait-and-see approach with this backfield. In his first game off the ACL tear he suffered in college, Brooks will almost certainly play a backup role to Chuba Hubbard. Brooks will spend a week in the RB5 ranks while Hubbard is no longer a locked-in RB2.

Young took over for an injured Andy Dalton two weeks ago and has fared better in his second stint as the Panthers’ starting quarterback this season. He has three touchdowns with as many interceptions and got his first win of the year with an upset over the Saints on Sunday. Dalton may still be the better starter in a vacuum, but Young has done enough to get a third nod in a row as the Panthers wade through the second half of yet another lost season. Fantasy managers can ignore Young as a streaming option versus the Giants this week.

Billings will be placed on injured reserve this week. He suffered the injury in Chicago’s Week 9 loss to the Commanders. Billings has one sack and two TFLs in eight starts this year.

The team signed Jalen Reagor to their active roster in a corresponding move. Reagor and DJ Chark will serve as depth options in the Chargers’ receiving rotation. Chark was activated from injured reserve last week but did not suit up on Sunday.

Cooper sat out of the Bills’ Week 9 game against Miami because of the wrist injury. Head coach Sean McDermott called him “day to day” on Monday. It looks like fantasy managers can tentatively plan to have Cooper back in their lineups this week. With Keon Coleman likely out because of a wrist injury of his own, Cooper may be forced into a full-time role in his first game back.

Goedert went down with a hamstring injury in Week 6 and has not played since. He did not practice at all last week before being ruled out on Friday. A return to practice is a step in the right direction for the veteran tight end. The Eagles win need to see how he progresses throughout the week before we get a better idea of his Week 10 availability. If Goedert is cleared to play against the Cowboys, he will straddle the TE1/2 border.

We’ll assume it’s a limited session until the Eagles’ final injury report drops. Either way, this is good news for Brown and his fantasy backers. The stud receiver went down with a knee injury on Sunday and did not return. An MRI didn’t reveal any major issues and he is currently considered day to day. Barring a setback, Brown is on track to suit up as a fantasy WR1 versus the Cowboys.

The Texans used J.J. Taylor and Dare Ogunbowale to give Joe Mixon a breather last week. The two backs combined for just four touches. Mixon will remain a workhorse back and an RB1 for Week 10 against the Lions.

The Texans will not open his practice window today. Collins is on injured reserve and Houston needs to designate him to return before he can officially practice. Not doing so on Wednesday is a strong indicator that the team plans to hold him out for at least one more week as he works his way back from the hamstring injury. If he doesn’t suit up on Sunday, Tank Dell will be C.J. Stroud’s top option against the Lions.

Thielen was designated to return from injured reserve two weeks ago. He has been practicing in a limited capacity twice a week while getting Fridays off. A DNP on Wednesday could mean things are not progressing as expected, or it could just be a slight change in his practice regimen. Either way, the veteran receiver looks likely to be out this week. Xavier Legette will remain the Panthers’ top wideout for Week 10, keeping him on the edge of the WR3 ranks.