NFL Player News

Waddle missed much of the second quarter while being evaluated for a brain injury but came back in the second half and had a couple long gainers. Waddle and Tyreek Hill combined for 18 of the Dolphins’ 37 targets on the day. Waddle should continue running as the team’s 1B option in Week 2 against the Bills.

Russini points out that in March, the Panthers bumped up Thielen’s 2025 salary. The 35-year-old receiver comes with a cap hit just north of $10.108 million this season, per Over the Cap, and the Vikings have already been working to increase their cap flexibility with the trade of Harrison Phillips earlier in the week. Thielen would be a natural fit in the Vikings’ offense if a trade is able to get done, but there’s still plenty to work out here.

The Commanders’ trading Robinson felt like a lock after it was announced last week that the team was shopping the fourth-year back. A day later, Robinson and the Commanders mutually agreed to sit him in the team’s preseason game against the Bengals, and now he’ll be on his way to the Bay Area to help a depleted Niners backfield. Robinson rushed for 799 yards and eight touchdowns in his first season in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, but wasn’t deemed a scheme fit by the season’s end. The selection of Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt, who has impressed in camp, has made Robinson expendable, and a now valuable addition to the Niners. He should immediately slot in as the RB2 behind Christian McCaffrey, but it seems unlikely that he will earn much work if McCaffrey sees his normal workload. Robinson is a solid between-the-tackles grinder who has averaged 4.1 YPC for his career. He could make for a decent handcuff in deeper leagues if McCaffrey were ever to miss time.

It’s worth pointing out that in his latest roster projections, Person has Renfrow making the roster. The former Pro Bowler battled through a hamstring injury during part of camp, but has reportedly impressed in camp. Person believes “others in the organization are higher on Renfrow” than head coach Dave Canales, which could be why the 29-year-old slot receiver remains firmly on the roster bubble even with a strong camp. Renfrow’s chances of making the roster improve if the Panthers were to trade Adam Thielen to the Vikings, a move that has reportedly been discussed between the two teams. Even if he makes the roster, it’s hard to imagine Renfrow having much, if any, fantasy impact in 2025.

Scourton suffered a collapsed lung just over a week ago and has been sidelined ever since. The rookie pass-rusher appears to be trending toward a return and could even be on track to play in Week 1 against the Jaguars if he’s able to log enough practices leading up to game day.

A camp injury to Tyler Goodson (elbow) may be playing a bit of a role in this take, but Holder adds that “Giddens’ skills in the passing game complement Taylor nicely,” and Goodson has just 17 career receptions to his name in 22 games. It’s hard to imagine Giddens seeing enough work behind Taylor to have fantasy relevance as long as Taylor is active, but he could be the back fantasy managers want to stash later in drafts if they’re looking for handcuffs to round out their roster.

We have to take these reports with a grain of salt, but Monangai did handle all of the snaps on the Bears’ first two preseason drives against the Dolphins in the first week of the preseason. The rookie seventh-rounder has been praised for his physicality, and it sounds like he could quickly surpass incumbent backup Roschon Johnson on the depth chart — if he hasn’t already. Johnson averaged an underwhelming 2.7 YPC on 55 rush attempts last season and has done little to impress during his first two years in the league. Monangai is worth remembering for those who are looking for late-round running backs to stash in drafts over the next few weeks.

Taylor was dealing with an ankle injury earlier in camp, but returned to practice on August 12th. The rookie second-rounder was already emerging as a receiving threat early in camp, per Cimini, but now he believes Taylor will be a key player in the offense. According to Cimini, coaches believe Taylor’s blocking is “better than advertised” and that he can serve as a true two-way tight end this season. It’s not often that rookie tight ends make a meaningful fantasy impact, so we wouldn’t pound the table for Taylor this season. With that said, the Jets have a thin receiving corps behind Garrett Wilson, which could create more opportunities for Taylor than expected.

The Browns selected Sampson in the fourth round of this year’s draft, with the expectation being that he would see a split with Ford and fellow rookie Quinshon Judkins this season. Judkins did not participate in training camp and has yet to sign his rookie deal as a result of a domestic arrest from earlier this offseason. Even if he does eventually join the team, it will take a few weeks for him to get up to speed and he’s also at risk of serving a suspension. The possibility of Sampson pushing Ford for touches makes him a strong late-round value in fantasy drafts, as he could eventually emerge as the top back for the Browns if things break right.

It goes without saying that the rookie third-rounder can work his way up the depth chart as the season goes on, but any dynasty leaguers hoping for an early payoff will likely have to wait. Reiss projects Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, and DeMario Douglas to open the season as the Patriots’ top three receiver, leaving Williams on the outside looking in. Williams shouldn’t be on redraft radars at this point.

Jordan Addison is set to serve a three-game suspension, and Jalen Nailor is sidelined with a hand injury. After reports that the Vikings were looking for help at receiver, Thielen becomes an interesting option. The 35-year-old vet spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Vikings, and in 2022, played under head coach Kevin O’Connell, giving the two plenty of familiarity with one another. Thielen is currently a projected starter for the Panthers, but with a younger receiving corps emerging and Hunter Renfrow impressing in camp, the vet may prove expendable if another team comes calling. Should he land in Minnesota, Thielen would likely see a significant snap share for the first three weeks until Addison returns, and could remain a fixture in three receiver sets if he proves himself worthy of playing time over that span. While a deal is far from imminent, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the two sides reunite in the coming days.