NFL Player News

Cooper (6’2/230) arrived in College Station as a four-star recruit during the tumultuous 2020 pandemic campaign and took a redshirt before assuming a more prominent role the following year. His redshirt freshman year started slowly with Cooper recording just six stops and seven missed tackles through the first five games. He flipped the switch down the stretch though, posting 22 stops and just two missed tackles in his last seven contests to garner SEC All-Freshman Team recognition. He slid into a starting role in 2022 and was productive enough to accrue 61 tackles, 8.0 RFL and five PBU for a decent 66th% PFF defensive grade. However, that was just a warm-up act for his terrific 2023 with Cooper accumulating 17.0 TFL, 56 stops (5th in P5) and 27 pressures (7th in P5) while earning First Team All-American accolades for his accomplishments. His 91st percentile PFF defensive grade was the highest mark of any linebacker in the nation, with Cooper emphatically staking his claim as the top linebacker in the SEC. The Covington, LA product dazzled Combine onlookers with a blazing 1.54s 10-yard split (95th%) and 4.51s 40-yard dash (97th%). Cooper’s 34” arms are unnaturally long for off-ball duty, but his 7.20s 3-Cone is a middling 58th% time and he chose not to bench. Cooper Led LBs in sacks thanks to advanced quickness and get-off off which helps to offset his height. Despite verified elite athleticism, he could use another 5-10 pounds to handle the rigors of the NFL game. Very crafty when diagnosing run concepts and works around blocks efficiently, but isn’t going to stun blockers with his power. Born hitter with sideline-to-sideline speed and range who wants to deliver a crushing blow every play. Cooper is one of the premier linebackers in the 2024 group and is well-equipped to be a key cog in the middle of an NFL defense.

We do not yet know how the 49ers’ backfield touches will be distributed but Mason has more than proven himself as a capable contributor. He remains RB4-viable thanks to his rushing talents and the 49ers’ efficient offense. This weekend’s game should provide clarity on the situation moving forward.

Diggs played through the calf issue last week. He was limited in the first two practices of the week before being downgraded to a DNP on Friday. That’s when the illness designation was added to his practice report, so we’ll assume that is what caused him to be held out and not the calf issue. Players tend to play through illnesses, especially when they get Saturday to work through the ailment. Diggs should be no different. Linebacker Eric Kendricks is also questionable. He played through his shoulder issue last week and is likely to do so once again.

The Buccaneers have struggled to slow opposing passing games and Jennings is regularly producing explosive plays when given the opportunity. He is WR3/4-viable here with week-winning upside. Jennings could function as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver with Deebo Samuel Sr. (rib/oblique) playing through injury.

Parsons returned to practice earlier this week but never got in a full session. He has been out with the ankle injury since Week 4. With Dak Prescott on injured reserve, the Cowboys’ season is functionally over, so there’s no reason to hurry the star pass-rusher back into the lineup. Parsons is a true game-time call for Week 10.

Samuel remained limited in all three practices this week and while we expect him to play, he is notably at less than 100.0 percent health. Samuel should play efficiently against a banged-up Buccaneers defense regardless though. He is a WR2 for the occasion.

Lamb went down with a shoulder injury late in the Cowboys’ Week 9 loss to the Falcons. He was listed as questionable to return but did so and caught a two-point conversion near the end of the fourth quarter. The Cowboys gave him a light workload in practice on Wednesday and Thursday. He closed the week with a full session on Friday before being cleared. Lamb’s fantasy outlook is trending down with Dak Prescott out, but he will still dominate the opportunities in a Cooper Rush-led offense. Lamb will hold onto his WR1 status for at least one more week.

McCaffrey was upgraded to a full practice participant on Friday. As long as he remains setback-free through the weekend, McCaffrey should make his 2024 debut. Fantasy managers should start him even without workload-related news thanks to his excellent per-play efficiency.

Williams was limited through three practices this week and could suit up for the first time since Week 1. His presence would provide a small boost to the Cardinals pass protection and run blocking.

Head coach Brian Callahan told reporters earlier today that Spears will test things out Sunday morning before getting the final go-ahead. The fact that he was removed from the injury report entirely suggests his pre-game workout is mostly a formality. Barring a setback, Spears will take the field for the first time since Week 6. Tony Pollard has cemented himself as the team’s top back in Pollard’s absence and that isn’t likely to change this week. Fantasy managers should treat Spears as an RB4 until we get more info on how the touches will shake out.

Conner (147 touches) is tied for the position’s seventh-highest touch count entering Week 10 and fantasy managers can safely expect him to handle his typical high-volume workload. He is an RB1 against the Jets.