NFL Player News

Swift dominated the backfield attempts this week, out-carrying Roschon Johnson 13-2. That’s phenomenal until a closer inspection reveals that both of Johnson’s attempts came at the goal line. He punched the second one in for a touchdown. It was the second week in a row that Johnson stole goal line work and cashed in for a touchdown. A date with Detroit in Week 13 will put Swift behind the game script eight ball in his next outing. That combined with his diminishing goal line role with send him to the RB2/3 border next week.

Fowler uses the Cowboys’ 1989 Herschel Walker trade with the Vikings as an example. The Vikings gave the Cowboys five players attached to conditional draft picks, plus six more future draft picks, to acquire the star running back. Fowler adds that the Cowboys have received “multiple trade inquiries” for Parsons, but the team is currently “not entertaining” them. Fowler’s Cowboys sources “remain optimistic” about signing Parsons to an extension, but “on the players’ side, not so much optimism.” Fowler also said that the Packers, Cardinals, Ravens and “even some teams in Dallas’ own division,” make sense as potential trade partners.

The Steelers also released LB Kenny Willekes and LS Jake McQuaide and waived RB Evan Hull, CB Kam Alexander, S Quindell Johnson, DB Kyler McMichael, DB Mikey Victor, OG Doug Nester, OT Julian Pearl and TE Kevin Foelsch. The two biggest names here are Woodside and Hull. Both players will likely be offered tryouts and/or practice squad spots at some point.

Pascal is again looking for work after being a part of the Giants’ initial cutdown to 53 players. The 30-year-old receiver has bounced between three different teams since 2022 and didn’t catch a pass in 17 games with the Cardinals last season. In addition to Pascal, the Giants also cut WR Jordan Bly, LB K.J. Cloyd, CB O’Donnell Fortune, LB Dyontae Johnson, C Jimmy Morrissey, WR Montrell Washington, and OL Jaison Williams.

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.