NFL Player News

It was Nix’s first 300-yard outing of his NFL career as the rookie averaged nearly ten yard per attempt against a Falcons defense that has struggled against the pass of late. Nix, who came into Week 11 with just ten touchdown passes, picked apart the Atlanta secondary on underneath passes and in the intermediate areas. Nix’s accuracy on short passes has improved immensely over Denver’s past couple games as his rushing attempts have dropped. Nix will be a top-12 fantasy option in Week 12 against a vulnerable Raiders defense. He had 206 yards and two touchdowns against Vegas in Week 4.

Johnson caught 29 passes for 331 yards and one touchdown last season, but saw his rookie campaign come to an end due to a foot injury. Now healthy and ready to get back to work, the second-year tight end is hopeful he can continue where he left off before his injury, when he went for 26-293-1 over an eight-game stretch. It’s far from elite production, but Johnson posted an impressive 9.93 RAS during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine and averaged a solid 12.2 YPR during his four years at Penn State. He won’t be on the fantasy radar to start the season, but Johnson could have some upside if he emerges as a primary receiving threat this season.

Burden has been sidelined for most of the offseason while dealing with an undisclosed injury. The rookie second-rounder also remains unsigned. While it’s been a slow start to Burden’s pro career, a return by training camp should give him plenty of time to get up to speed before the start of the season. Even when Burden acclimates himself to the offense, he’ll likely slot in as the team’s No. 3 receiver with Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore expected to serve as the primary options in two receiver sets. Burden makes for an intriguing late-round pick in deeper leagues, but is unlikely to enter the season with much fantasy upside.

Fowler adds that the Commanders have “a couple of weeks here to make progress” before training camp begins on July 22. McLaurin has skipped all offseason workouts thus far, so it stands to reason he could continue the absentee strategy later this month. Training camp is a critical time for NFL teams, allowing players to safely ramp up ahead of preseason play, not to mention the regular season. McLaurin profiles as a fantasy football WR2 this year.

Per ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, Lawrence and Brown clicked quickly. The veteran quarterback specifically praised Brown for picking up the system quickly, saying, Brown has “gotten the ball a lot because it seems like he’s always in the right spot.” Coen, meanwhile, believes Brown has validated the team’s $9.5 million investment by improving his play on “those intermediate in-breakers, curls, maybe outcuts,” an area where Coen claims the Commanders didn’t use Brown much in. Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter will reliably command larger target shares than Brown, but if Brown can develop into more than a field stretcher and part-time screen weapon, he should yield flex value this season.

Gardner has just three career interceptions and, as ESPN’s Rich Cimini notes, Gardner will play a more man-heavy scheme this year. Serving as the Lions’ defensive coordinator last year, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn used zone and man coverage at a near even split, which qualifies as being extremely man-heavy given the NFL’s current zone coverage rates. Gardner has been an IDP non-factor because New York’s opponents simply don’t pick on him, but creating more turnovers would make him at least more interesting in that format. Glenn is also notably mentoring Gardner in both on- and off-field leadership qualities, telling Gardner to let his “influence do all the talking” rather than taking on a phony “rah-rah guy” persona.

According to Collin County court records, the Cowboys’ wide receiver and special teams ace was arrested early Sunday on misdemeanor charges for marijuana and unlawfully carrying a weapon. We don’t know much more about his arrest at this time other than his bond was listed at $500. The 28-year-old receiver could face disciplinary action from the league once the legal process plays out, but for now, things remain wait-and-see. Turpin caught 31 passes for 420 yards and two touchdowns last season and also led the league with 904 kick return yards and an average of 33.5 yards per return.

In a social media post, the 26-year-old receiver explains that he “tore a ligament and tendon” in his second toe on his left foot and has “been rehabbing, working out, and recovering everyday for the past year.” This explains his extended absence. Following the injury, Claypool was briefly placed on injured reserve in August 2024 before being released with an injury settlement. He is “back to being the strongest and fastest” he’s ever been and is “excited to step back out on the field.”

Per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, “Pierre-Paul still believes he can help a team, that he can be a veteran closer.” The 36-year-old has continued training to remain NFL-ready despite failing to find a suitor for the 2024 season. He logged 22 defensive snaps, playing for both the Saints and Dolphins in 2023. His last sack occurred as a Raven, in a Wild Card Weekend loss to the Bengals in the prior season. Sitting at 94.5 career sacks, Pierre-Paul hopes to reach 100 as a part-time player in 2025.

There’s zero indication that Sanders is in contact with the Argonauts and we do not expect Sanders to leave the NFL for the CFL at this time. Every year in early July, just before training camps begin, the CFL allows its teams to claim NFL players’ negotiating rights, on the off chance that the player is released or waived by his team and decides to pursue a career in Canada. Per the CFL’s Marshall Ferguson, “the CFL began releasing a few names here and there periodically, but now the full list is available for all to see from each of the nine teams.” Fans can rest assured that their high-profile, fifth-round rookie remains a Cleveland Brown.

The 34-year-old veteran visited the Cowboys pre-draft but left without a contract. Gilmore is no longer an above-average starter, but he did force eight incompletions and record one interception last year. A playoff contender could benefit from signing Gilmore as an experienced option, but teams tend to not have high valuations on older cornerbacks.