NFL Player News

Though a 21-point performance certainly looks like a three-touchdown day from the Commanders, they did anything but find the end zone in Week 2. Austin Siebert knocked seven field goals through the uprights, three of which came in the red zone. Aside from a quick kneel-down to end the first half, the Commanders scored on every one of their seven real drives while inexplicably failing to find the end zone. Daniels’ pre-draft flaws also became more prevalent in this game. He was sacked five times and took a hard shot to the ribs on a rush attempt in the second quarter. Daniels was visibly in pain and briefly left the field but only missed one play before returning. Despite the injury scare, Daniels seemed unphased by the hit for the remainder of the game. Even after a quiet game, Daniels will still rank as a low-end QB1 for Week 3. He will look to get back in the end zone versus the Bengals next week.

Pederson also said that there have been “no talks” when it comes to the idea of Lawrence having season-ending surgery. Mac Jones would get another comedic effect start against the Lions in Week 11 if Lawrence continues to remain out. Lawrence did practice most of last week in a limited fashion, but it would behoove the Jaguars to not risk their franchise quarterback’s health with the team all but buried for the season.

The decision to open Mailata’s 21-day return window on a short week is an interesting one, but perhaps it’s a sign the Eagles believe Mailata could be ready for Thursday night’s game against the Commanders. The Eagles placed Mailata on injured reserve on October 18th after he suffered a hamstring injury in the team’s Week 6 win over the Browns. Mailata was playing at a high level before going down, boasting a 90.9 PFF pass-blocking grade while allowing just one sack on eight pressures.

He declined to face the Ravens hurt and was replaced at left tackle by Dawand Jones. Wills Jr. has come off the injury report since, but played just two offensive snaps in Week 9. It sure sounds like the Browns are punishing him for not wanting to play through the injury. Wills Jr. will be a free agent this offseason and will probably be a stopgap left tackle option at worst.

The signing of Brightwell presumably ends any chances of Leonard Fournette landing in Cincinnati. Brightwell is a four-year veteran of the league who has a rushing line of 41-164-1. He has also caught 11 passes for 92 yards. Brightwell will start on the Bengals’ practice squad with a chance to be elevated in the coming days/weeks. This signing doesn’t move the needle from a fantasy perspective.

Sure sounds like the upcoming evaluations that Eberflus is still conveniently “in the process” of as of his latest press briefing are going to be coaching-focused. Williams took nine sacks (9 sacks?) in Chicago’s Week 10 loss to the Patriots. Something has got to give. We’d be surprised if Shane Waldron saw more than another sunrise as Bears offensive play caller.

The 33-year-old veteran had played every snap this season for the Jets until injuring his neck against the Cardinals. Olumuyiwa Fashanu, the 11th overall pick, replaced him in the lineup and would seem to be the next man up against the Colts in Week 11 if Smith’s injury is serious.

Estime had 14 touches to Javonte Williams’ three on Sunday. If his role continues to grow, it’s possible that Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin become third-down backs in name with only an occasional series to their name. Payton has been forthcoming about Estime of late, saying that his workload would grow last week before it happened. It sure seems like we should be treating him as the head of the Denver backfield starting in Week 11.

Johnson has appeared in two games for the Ravens since being acquired by them before the trade deadline. Johnson has played on just 22 offensive snaps with the Ravens and has run nine routes. He was targeted twice in Week 10’s win over the Bengals, but the Ravens can’t continue to play him behind guys like Nelson Agholor and Tylan Wallace. We’d expect Johnson to see a bit more action in Week 11 when the Ravens take on the Steelers, but he’ll be hard to trust in fantasy until we see some consistency in his usage.

The Packers will open Lloyd’s 21-day practice window this week, meaning the team can activate the rookie anytime. It’s unlikely he’ll have a lot of room to run behind Josh Jacobs, who has seen a 33.3 percent opportunity share this season, but Lloyd could work in behind Emanuel Wilson once he gets up to speed. Lloyd has had a tough start to his rookie year. He dealt with injuries throughout training camp and has appeared in just one game so far. Whether he’s activated for Week 11 or not will hinge on how involved he is in practice this week.

Highsmith rolled his ankle late in the Steelers’ Week 10 win over the Commanders and needed assistance getting to the sideline. We could safely assume, based on replay, that Highsmith would miss some time with the injury, but now we have a bit of a timeline. With their bye week already passed, a 2-3 week absence would put Highsmith on pace to return in Week 14 or 15. Highsmith has totaled 19 tackles, four TFLs, and three sacks for the Steelers in six this season.