NFL Player News

Hooper continued to play behind rookie tight end Michael Mayer but neither found much room to maneuver against the suffocating Detroit defense. The Raiders managed just 206 total yards of offense and 126 pass yards on a night they held the football for just 20 minutes and 27 seconds. There isn’t much fantasy meat left on Hooper’s bone without an injury ahead of him.

Hughes will return to play in his 15th NFL season. The veteran pass rusher has spent the last two seasons in Houston, totaling 12 sacks in 34 games. Playing in a reduced role under head coach DeMeco Ryans, Hughes managed just three sacks on 474 snaps, playing on 215 fewer snaps than he did in 2022. He turns 36 in August and will likely be tasked with playing a similar role this season.

Sutton was arrested in March and charged with one count of misdemeanor domestic battery. After further investigation, the league determined that Sutton violated the personal conduct policy, which resulted in his suspension. Sutton signed with the Steelers back in June after spending 2023 with the Lions. The veteran corner started all 17 games he appeared in, totaling 65 tackles, one interception, and six pass breakups. Sutton will not appeal his suspension and is eligible for reinstatement on October 29.

It was announced earlier this month that Gipson would serve a six-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substances policy. The veteran safety released a statement on Monday saying he took a substance on one occasion, which he “thought to be completely safe and well within any of the NFL’s policies.” But also added that he takes “full responsibility” for anything he puts into his body and will accept the suspension. Gipson, who spent the last two seasons with the 49ers, said he looks forward to returning for a 13th season after serving his suspension. Gipson started all 33 games he appeared in with the 49ers and can still provide valuable depth and starting to any secondary in need of help on the back end.

Tafur notes that the Raiders adding a running back would likely push rookie sixth-rounder Dylan Laube to the practice squad before the start of the season. Incumbent Zamir White is expected to remain as the team’s lead back, with free agent signee Alexander Mattison expected to spell him on occasional downs. The Raiders’ running back room is thin behind White. In his first and only season as a full-time starter, Mattison rushed for 700 scoreless yards while averaging 3.9 YPC and averaged just 4.2 yards per touch overall. Laube, in addition to his low draft capital, is a 24-year-old back from FCS New Hampshire who will likely need time to adjust to the competition he’ll see at the NFL level. While there’s a short list of serviceable running backs available on the open market, there are a handful of vets like Dalvin Cook and Jerick McKinnon who could provide valuable depth to the Roster.

Dulin did not participate in OTAs or minicamp, as the sixth-year receiver continues to recover from a torn ACL in training camp last year. In the posted workout video, Dulin appears to be doing plenty of running and cutting, but whether or not he’ll be ready for the start of training camp is to be determined. Dulin has caught 33 passes for 450 yards and three touchdowns in 55 career games and will likely be competing for a spot on the 53-man roster in training camp.

It is assumed that Nix will take over the offense in Denver either this season or next after he was taken with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Whether or not that happens during his rookie season remains to be seen, but reports continue to flood in stating that the first-year quarterback has impressed his new coaching staff as camp nears. Head coach Sean Payton has specifically called out Nix’s composure in the pocket, understanding of the playbook, and quick release. Working against the rookie is the fact that Payton has yet to develop a young quarterback throughout his coaching career, although that trend could change as early as this year. Expect Nix to continue to battle fellow quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson through camp and preseason.

This tragic news was confirmed by Jackson’s agent and former high school coach. Jackson was a fourth-round pick of the Vikings in this year’s draft and went from JUCO to Alabama and eventually Oregon, where he had a breakout campaign in 2023. At one point, Jackson had all but given up on football before enrolling at Fort Scott Community College in 2019 and later moving on to East Mississippi Community College. Jackson, 24, totaled 34 tackles and three interceptions in his lone year at Oregon and was named First-team All-Pac-12 for his efforts. His unconventional path to the draft made him an exciting and inspirational prospect to watch this offseason. Our thoughts are with his loved ones.

Passing comments from HC Zac Taylor in end-of-season exit meetings, prompted Iosivas to seek out the acclaimed Lieberman, whose recent students include Brandon Aiyuk, Evan Engram, Jakobi Meyers and Dontayvion Wicks. Taylor imparted the same message unto Brown, and Iosivas later extended the invitation to join him and Lieberman in Atlanta. The duo spent the first of two months training in Lieberman’s unique catching system before focusing on route running techniques. Both players face in-house competition for their respective receiving opportunities but Dehner’s report is a positive step toward weekly fantasy football relevance.

Speaking with ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, Engram said his “role was underneath being the security blanket for Trevor [Lawrence]” last season, which was evident by his 5.0 ADOT — a career-low for the eighth-year tight end. Now, Engram hopes to earn more opportunities as a field stretcher, which is a role he saw as a rookie in 2017 when he ranked 11th amongst tight ends with a 9.0 ADOT (min. 50 targets) and tied for third in deep targets (15). Engram turned in the most productive year of his career last season, catching 114-of-140 passes for 963 yards — all career-highs, while finding the end zone four times. He finished the season as the TE4 in fantasy points per game (13.9), but an expanded role as a deep threat will almost certainly lead to fewer targets and receptions. The trade-off, should this come to fruition, would be more explosive plays and scores for him in 2024, but his PPR ranking could take a bit of a hit after it spent last season being fueled by short targets and receptions. Engram still profiles as a mid-TE1, but fantasy managers will want to be mindful of his impending usage when drafting him this season.

According to Auman, Godwin’s role will be “the role Cooper Kupp had with the Rams when [offensive coordinator Liam] Coen was there.” Godwin played just 37 percent of his snaps from the slot last season — his lowest total since 2018. From 2021 to 2022, the veteran receiver played 71.7 percent of his snaps from the slot and caught 202 passes over that span. Godwin saw inconsistent usage throughout much of last season but managed to see 42 targets over his final five games. Kupp was only healthy for nine games during Coens’ lone season as the Rams offensive coordinator, but during that span, the Rams ranked eighth in slot targets (102) and third in dropbacks from 11 personnel (311) per FantasyPoints.com. Under Coen, Godwin has a chance to see a bounce-back season after an underwhelming 2023. He’s currently going as a low-end WR3 in PPR leagues but could have high-end WR2 upside if he returns to form in 2024.