NFL Player News

With Young sitting out and Andy Dalton injured, the Panthers will likely feature a heavy dose of Jack Plummer and Jake Luton to kick off the preseason. Plummer spent his final collegiate season with the Louisville Cardinals and has impressed Canales this offseason with his preparation and attention to detail. It’s possible we’ll see Young at some point in the preseason, even if it’s in the final tune-up before Week 1, but at the very least, we know he’s out this week.

Gesicki was once again a big beneficiary of Tee Higgins’ absence in Week 9. He was second on the team in targets, tied for second in catches, and led the team in yards. An 11-yard touchdown was Gesicki’s first of the day in the third quarter, but his day was punctuated with a 47-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter where the Raiders left him wide open on an all-out blitz. Gesicki is a low-end TE1 against the Ravens for Week 10.

It was a low-volume affair for the Ravens’ passing attack as they dismantled the Broncos. Likely’s total of 47 yards in Week 8 was easily a high-water mark since he erupted for 111 yards in Week 1. He also topped three receptions for the first time since his breakout. Likely’s role has diminished with every passing week and bottomed out versus Denver. He is deep in the TE2 ranks for Week 10 versus Cincinnati.

Mooney took an uncovered wheel route to the house and was a constant Atlanta third-down target despite being tightly-covered for most of the rest of the game. It’s clear he is Kirk Cousins’ most-trusted receiver outside of Drake London, who left early. In the scope of London’s first-quarter injury, it’s actually a little disappointing that Mooney didn’t find even more yardage. If London remains out, Mooney will upgrade to a WR2 against the flailing Saints next week.

McConkey once again led the Chargers in targets but was overshadowed by Quentin Johnston’s 118 yards and a touchdown, including a 66-yard score in the first half. McConkey, with 20 receptions over the past four games, has been a primary beneficiary of an increasingly pass heavy LA offense but mostly works underneath, limiting his weekly upside. McConkey should be viewed as a WR4 option in Week 10 against the Titans.

With Tee Higgins out, the Bengals offense did not stretch the field much, nor did they need to. Joe Burrow threw five touchdowns, but Ja’Marr Chase was not on the receiving end of any of them. Chase led the team with 11 targets and his usage consisted of many screen and swing passes behind the line of scrimmage. He was tackled at the one-yard line in the first half, just shy of a score, ultimately ending with about six yards per reception. Despite a dud, Chase is the top Bengals receiver and will be a WR1 against a breakable Ravens defense in Week 10.

He had the final score against the Cowboys, bulldozing over their beleaguered defense for a six-yard score on third-and-1. He also had a 16-yarder taken away by a holding penalty. Allgeier has taken a major seat to Bijan Robinson over the last three weeks, but might be an interesting FLEX play against the Saints next week in a game the Falcons should be expected to win handily.

It was an eventual day for the young wideout, whose “missed connection” was in reality a drop that turned into a Josh Allen “interception” at the goal line. It would have been a touchdown with a clean catch. He then appeared to injure his right arm/wrist late, missing the final few plays. Coleman’s quiet day came with Amari Cooper out of the lineup with a wrist issue. Mack Hollins seemed to be getting open with greater frequency, though Coleman was seeing Jalen Ramsey with greater frequency. Despite today’s disappointment, Coleman will still be in the low-end WR3 mix if he can get cleared for Week 10 vs. the Colts’ shaky defense.