NFL Player News

Pickens plays just 57 percent of the team’s snaps in last week’s loss to the Cowboys and ran a pass route on 20 of the Steelers’ 31 drop backs. Pickens had three catches for 26 yards and appeared disinterested throughout. Tomlin is almost certainly providing cover for the Steelers’ mercurial No. 1 receiver. Pickens will look to get back on track against an exploitable Raiders secondary in Week 6. Pickens has a 28 percent target share and the 19th most air yards among wideouts on the season.

A third unnamed Jets player said that Hackett “doesn’t take charge,” and that “half the time he tries to put it on Aaron [Rodgers], and Aaron will get frustrated.” While The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported earlier that the Jets aren’t planning on firing Hackett, Hughes says “that [Owner Woody] Johnson has been critical of Hackett in recent weeks.” Robert Saleh may be gone, but the vibes on this offense remain bad.

Stafford was hit 10 times and the Packers recorded three sacks against him in Week 5’s loss. “He took some shots [Sunday], he’s taken some shots this year and throughout the course of his career. ... It’s something that we want to monitor,” McVay told reporters on Monday. This doesn’t look like anything to be worried about in the short-term, but it is as McVay says, something to monitor. The Rams, 1-4, may not have a lot to play for down the stretch if they don’t turn things around in a hurry. Stafford’s offensive line has been dinged up all season. These are some concerning signs for his rest of season outlook in fantasy football.

Mims was let go by the Jaguars at last cuts. The 2020 second-rounder did not play an NFL game in 2023, though he was on the Steelers practice squad. Dallas is in need of wideout reinforcements with Brandin Cooks dealing with a foot injury, though it’s probably safe to assume Mims would start on their practice squad if signed.

O’Connell did note that it “looks like we’ve avoided a long-term injury.” Minnesota is on bye in Week 6, but Ty Chandler could be in line for a starter’s load in Week 7 against the Lions. Jones left early in Week 5 with the hip injury and did not return. Chandler would be on the RB2/FLEX line in Week 7 if he drew the start.

Houston let Quitoriano go at last cuts with an injury settlement, so now that he’s healthy it’s not a surprise to see the two sides link up again. He was a 2022 fifth-round pick for Houston and played 481 snaps his first two seasons. He’ll mostly be a blocking tight end for Houston.

With Jake Moody dealing with a high-ankle sprain, it’s possible that Wright will be a multi-week replacement for San Francisco. Wright missed his only field-goal attempt in 2023 with the Panthers, but has bounced around over four seasons. He reportedly won a competition at camp for the job on Monday.

Warren is likely to be sidelined once again as he recovers from a knee injury he suffered in Week 3. It could still be a few weeks before Warren returns to the lineup, and even then, his workload could be limited. Najee Harris will continue operating as the lead back in the massively run heavy Pittsburgh offense.

Patterson being ruled out on a Tuesday probably means he’s not close to returning to the field. Patterson suffered the ankle injury two weeks ago and did not suit up in Week 5 against Dallas. Najee Harris will continue seeing a big workload with Patterson and Jaylen Warren (knee) sidelined.

Wilson is expected to be a full participant in practice this week after dealing with a calf injury for almost two months. Tomlin will likely play rhetorical games about Wilson’s status throughout the week, following a miserable performance from Justin Fields in Week 5 against a poor Dallas defense missing their two best defensive linemen. Fields is likely to get another start in Week 6, though nothing is guaranteed beyond that.

Nwosu sustained the injury last week against the Giants and did not return to the game. He’ll miss at least the next four games after missing most of the 2023 season with a pec injury. It’s a blow to a Seattle defense that has struggled of late.