NFL Player News

This news comes as a surprise to nobody. While it’s worth noting that nothing has been made official at this time, Burks’ time with the Titans has been filled with disappointing production across 27 games (53-699-1) and injuries. Burks is still rehabbing a torn ACL he suffered in Week 5 last season. The former No. 18 overall pick is entering a legitimate prove-it year, but may struggled to see the field even if healthy. In addition to competing with Calvin Ridley, Burks will also be going up against veteran Van Jefferson and rookie receivers Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor, who the Titans used fourth-round picks on last weekend.

After engaging in unsuccessful trade talks involving Mayer three-plus months ago, the Raiders have seemingly worked things out with their No. 2 tight end. Raiders head coach Pete Carroll told Bonsignore that Mayer “had a great camp” after embracing “the challenge” offered to him, when he and Carroll had a “heart to heart” conversation some time to go. Bonsignore previously reported that Mayer showed up in “tremendous shape and has been a standout” at voluntary organized team activities. Brock Bowers serves as a TE1-road block for Mayer in fantasy, but given Mayer’s reported progress, he can be considered as a contrarian, late-round best ball option at this time. He has a chance to operate as the Raiders’ No. 4 pass catcher behind Bowers, Jakobi Meyers and Ashton Jeanty.

Hairston has been dealing with a hamstring injury that has sidelined him for mandatory minicamp, but GM Brandon Beane said he expects Hairston to be good to go come training camp. The rookie corner is expected to play a key role early in his career in what looks to be a much-improved Bills secondary this season. Hairston’s deal is worth a guaranteed $15.2 million.

According to Bien-Aime, Higgins has been impressive in minicamp, connecting with C.J. Stroud on multiple plays while also hauling in some one-handed catches. It wouldn’t be completely surprising to see Higgins win a prominent role out of camp. With Tank Dell (leg) sidelined for the foreseeable future and John Metchie posting a career line of 40-412-1 through the first 29 games of his career, it’s safe to assume the WR2 role is wide open in Houston.

Cook is currently seeking an extension from the Bills, but reported for mandatory minicamp on time after sitting out OTAs. His decision to report to minicamp gives the appearance of goodwill between player and team, but the fact he was a full participant should serve as a good sign for his 2025 outlook. Cook added that he is planning to report to training camp, but didn’t specify what his involvement would be without a new deal, and GM Brandon Beane hinted that negotations are ongoing but would be kept between Cook and the team. Last season, Cook finished as the RB16 in PPR points per game and was the RB19 in per game scoring in 2023. Assuming he’s available for a full slate of games, he should once again profile as a strong RB2 candidate for fantasy players.

Perhaps more notable is that McFadden also adds that rookie fourth-rounder Dont’e Thornton “has spent a good amount of time with the first-team offense.” Bech was drafted 58th overall by the Raiders this offseason after finally breaking out in his fourth collegiate season, and second with TCU. Thornton, who was selected 108th overall, brings tremendous size (6-foot-5) to the offense, and per McFadden, is expected “to provide vertical juice to the offense.” It’s only minicamp, but Thornton playing ahead of Bech is still notable given the draft capital between the two. While Bech could eventually earn more first team reps, his late college breakout that was precluded by three forgettable seasons may have foreshadowed a player who will need some time to acclimate to the pro game.

We wouldn’t read too much into this just yet. While Carroll appears open to using multiple backs in his offense, it’s worth pointing out that during his two years coaching Kenneth Walker in Seattle (2022-2023), Walker enjoyed a 31 percent opportunity share while handling 61 percent of the team’s rush attempts — which ranked fifth-highest among running backs over that span. Jeanty is a legitimate three-down back sharing the field with 33-year-old Raheem Mostert and the underperforming duo of Zamir White and Sincere McCormick. While other backs will undoubtedly see work behind Jeanty, the rookie has appeared to live up to the hype in OTAs and mandatory minicamp, and should be in line for a high-end RB1 role as far as fantasy is concerned.

Rapoport notes that “the belief is (Jackson) will play in 2025,” but this is clearly something that will sideline him for some time. This news adds further context to the team’s decision to sign D.J. Humphries to a one-year deal earlier in the week, as he’ll presumably serve as Jackson’s replacement in the weeks/months ahead. Jackson also dealt with blood clots in 2022 and was placed on season-ending injured reserve as a result. Jackson signed a three-year, $57 million contract extension this offseason after turning in a strong 2024 season. We’ll likely know more about his injury before training camp, but an extended absence does not appear out of the question at this time.

The charge is in relation to a shooting that took place at a celebrity boxing event. Brown was briefly detained after the event and later took to social media to say that he had been “jumped.” A physical altercation between Brown and another man reportedly took place, which escalated when Brown “appeared to grab a security guard’s gun and fire two shots.” Per a reading of the arrest warrant, the man said a bullet grazed him in the neck.

Reports suggesting Hall could be forced into a three-player backfield this year have swirled for some time, but the Jets’ pass-catching corps is extremely thin behind Garrett Wilson. Hall’s career 1.56 yards per route run trails only Alvin Kamara’s 1.71 (min. 100 targets) during that span. Although Hall could lose some work to Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis, Hall would seem to have the strongest resume of the three on third downs. It seems likely that Hall mans the high-value passing-down role, and a top-15 workload could also be well within reach.

Betting on Wilson to break Brandon Marshall’s franchise records (173 targets and 109 receptions) is imprudent. Fantasy managers can, however, note the continued messaging from Jets-oriented media: Wilson will again command a dominant target share this season. The only question is whether the Jets’ expectedly run-heavy play calling prevents him from reaching the 139-163-target range he’s operated in through three NFL seasons. He seems like a safe bet to return high-end WR2 value, and a WR1 season is within his range of outcomes.