NFL Player News

“We have been working on extending Mike’s career with the Bucs for over a year, and we want the fans to know this is not a tactic and the ball is in the owner’s court,” Evans’ agent said Friday. “That said, we are giving the Bucs until the start of the regular season to make him a Buc for Life, and if that cannot happen, 100 percent of Mike’s focus will be on football and his future and where he can continue to make an impact.” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini said Evans has not requested a trade while Tampa brass has not approached the veteran with an extension offer. Evans, 30, could be a trade candidate this fall for a Bucs team inching toward rebuild mode. Evans landing on a better offense with a better quarterback could put him into the WR2 conversation in fantasy.

Tolbert, who got some beat writer hype this summer, was barely involved in the Dallas offense. He’s clearly the WR3 behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks for now. Tolbert ran a route on 26 of the Cowboys’ 38 drop backs against Cleveland.

Njoku will undergo tests, and presumably an MRI, on Monday to confirm the extent of the damage, but he’ll likely miss multiple weeks if the injury is confirmed. Njoku led the Browns with 44 receiving yards in Sunday’s loss and was poised for a big season after last year’s 81-882-6 performance. Backup Jordan Akins would likely become the starter in Njoku’s absence, but he wouldn’t carry much fantasy upside in Week 2 against the Jaguars.

The Cowboys were intent on force feeding Lamb in the first half, even designing three carries for the explosive wideout. Lamb was a victim of game script in the second half. A dominant special teams and defensive performance by Dallas left the offense without any urgency to score in the final two frames. Lamb will once again be an elite option in Week 2 against New Orleans.

Dowdle functioned as the team’s RB2 behins Ezekiel Elliott, who had ten rushes, including a goal line touchdown. Dowdle saw half of his carries with the game out of hand in the fourth quarter. Dowdle looks to be on the wrong side of a 60-40 split in the Dallas backfield.

Cooks got loose in the Browns secondary in the first quarter and Dak Prescott found him for a short score in what would become a blowout victory for Dallas. Only CeeDee Lamb drew more targets than Cook, who ran a full complement of routes as the Cowboys’ WR2. Cooks will face his former team, the Saints, in what could be a Week 2 shootout.

Nacua tested his knee at the half and was eventually carted to the locker room before being ruled out for the remainder of the game. It is a bit concerning that the injury appears to be an aggravation of the existing knee inury, which could result in some missed time for the second-year pass-catcher. Nacua caught all four targets for 35 yards and added seven yards on his lone carry prior to departing.

It was a quiet, game-managing performance for Prescott. Dallas cruised to victory on the strength of a dominant defensive and special teams performance against the lowly Browns. The Cowboys mostly ran out of the clock in the fourth quarter with a three-score lead. His only touchdown came on a short throw to Brandin Cooks in the first quarter. Dak should have much more upside in Week 2 against the apparently high-octane Saints.

Nacua remained on the field following a short reception over the middle of the field in the second quarter. He struggled to the sideline before spending over 10 minutes with trainers in the blue medical tent. He reportedly got his knee re-wrapped before running on the sideline to test the knee. Nacua was present on the team’s injury report all week with the same knee injury. He managed to catch all four targets for 35 yards and added seven yards on his lone carry prior to departing.

It’s a tough blow for Hall, who was placed in an air cast and carted off the field. The broadcast team described it as a pretty gruesome injury and smartly opted not to replay it for the masses. Hall signed a one-year contract with the Buccaneers this offseason after spending the first four years of his career with the jets. Hall has dealt with injuries throughout his career and has played in just 14 games over the last two seasons. He’ll be placed on injured reserve in the coming days and is likely to miss most if not all of the season.

In his Cleveland debut, Jeudy caught Deshaun Watson’s lone touchdown toss after the game had gotten out of hand. Jeudy was second on the team in targets, trailing only Amari Cooper (9). Jeudy should at least have volume on his side in a Browns offense that regularly ranks among the league leaders in offensive snaps per week. Maybe a change at quarterback will make Jeudy more interesting for fantasy purposes.