NFL Player News

The exact quote from Schefter was, “In my mind, Diontae Johnson and [Browns LB] Za’Darius Smith are gonna be traded before the deadline.” The NFL trade deadline has been pushed back to November 5th, giving teams an extra week to decide the directions they want to go in, but Johnson (ribs) did not play in the Panthers’ Week 8 loss and could be held out again in Week 9, even if he is healthy enough to play. There are several teams who could benefit from acquiring Johnson, who has caught 30 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns this season in seven games. Is ability to command targets was on full display once Andy Dalton took over under center for the Panthers, and with Johnson unlikely to re-up with the team this offseason, a trade would make the most sense for both sides.

White has been a healthy scratch in each of the Ram’s last three games. The former Bill spent the first month of the season getting cooked by opposing receivers, allowing nine catches for 151 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 targets. A string of brutal injuries has undoubtedly slowed the former All-Pro, who is only 29 years old. He could likely be added for a late Day 3 pick, but his recent string of outings may be enough to keep any potential suitors away.

Helpful update, Zac. Higgins will be worth monitoring ahead of Week 9’s game against the Raiders. Injury reports will have to do the majority of the coloring for us as Taylor hasn’t exactly given much to go with again. Higgins did not play in Week 8 as a game-time decision, though he was reportedly “feeling better” on Saturday night. We’d expect him to see the practice field at some point this week to at least test out the quadriceps.

Raimann reportedly came into team facilities on Monday experiencing concussion symptoms and was later placed in the league’s concussion protocol. Raimann suffered a concussion around this time last year, as well, and missed one game as a result. The third-year tackle has earned a PFF pass-blocking grade of 84.3 this season and has allowed three sacks on 12 pressures. If he’s unable to start in Week 9 against the Vikings, we would likely see Blake Freeland make the start.

Per PFF, Beckham ran a season-high 11 routes in the Dolphins’ Week 8 loss to the Colts. It was two more routes than he ran in Weeks 5 and 7. The veteran receiver has yet to catch a pass in any of his three games as a Dolphin and is looking more like a failed experiment than a savvy veteran signing through the first eight weeks of the season. We won’t dispute the idea that OBJ could see more involvement going forward, but the Dolphins have run the third-fewest pass plays out of 11 personnel per FantasyPoints.com. As long as Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are healthy, there won’t be much left for OBJ in the target order.

Between every former player in the NFL (and some in his locker room) criticizing him for tapping out for a play in Indianapolis’ loss to Houston and a miserable 10-of-32, 175-yard performance, there would seem to be a line of thought for benching Richardson this week. Joe Flacco has looked capable as a backup, but no matter who starts, Minnesota’s defense has been threatening enough to keep them out of a fantasy QB1 conversation. Richardson has completed a league-low 44.4 percent of his passes this year for 958 yards, four touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

The grander context here is that Giants media is convinced that Daniel Jones will eventually lose his job after getting pulled for Drew Lock last week. The players asked about this said things “might be different if Tyrod Taylor were still on the roster.” Ouchtown, Drew. It’s hard to treat Jones as a playable superflex quarterback with the threat of an in-game benching over his head. Hopefully you weren’t relying on him against the Steelers this week anyway. From a 30,000-foot view, the Jones era certainly appears to be winding down in New Jersey.

Carr has missed the last three weeks with the oblique issue, and his return will be a big boost for a flailing Saints outfit that has dropped six in a row. The good news? The Panthers are up next and Carr has already torched them once this season, and New Orleans has generally gotten healthier on offense over the last two weeks. Carr will be a borderline QB1 against a Panthers defense that is one of the worst in the NFL.

Means had one catch for 36 yards in the Saints’ Week 8 loss to the Chargers. The rookie went down late in the game and did not return to the field but was playing his normal backup role with Chris Olave back in the mix. Means caught 5-of-8 targets for 72 yards and a touchdown in Weeks 6 and 7, but saw just one target on Sunday. He’ll likely miss a few games with the injury, but with Olave back, he can be dropped across all leagues.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero added that love will be “day to day” and that Love “has a shot to play” in Week 9 against the Lions. Love will receive treatment for his injury throughout the week and will likely have a light week of practice in hopes of being available come Sunday. If he’s unable to play, we can expect Malik Willis to make the start for the Packers in the NFC North showdown.

DeMeco Ryans didn’t add anything helpful on Diggs status Monday, saying the team is “still evaluating” the injury. It’s highly implausible he’ll play against the Jets in Week 9 on Thursday night. It would be surprising if he wasn’t place on injured reserve based on how the injury looked. If Diggs is out, Robert Woods, John Metchie III, and Xavier Hutchinson would be in line for more work against the Jets on Thursday night. None of them deserve much fantasy attention given the state of the Houston passing game right now.