Fantasy Football News

We covered earlier this week how Jets rookie Omar Cooper Jr. might be in danger of Isaiah Williams passing him on the depth chart. Friday's preseason opener turned that into reality. Cooper played zero snaps with the starting offense, while Williams played seven of the 11 and ran five routes. That put him narrowly behind top-two WRs Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell. They each played all 11 snaps and ran seven routes.

The Broncos played their preseason opener Friday night without WR Jaylen Waddle (calf strain) and WR Marvin Mims, who left Friday's practice with an apparent injury. So we didn't get a full look at the WR depth chart. But we did see Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant appear to operate as the top two. Bryant running ahead of Troy Franklin is what matters here.

The Falcons started Drake London and Jahan Dotson at WR in Friday night's preseason opener against the Broncos. London played just two snaps before ending his night, while Dotson played all eight of starting QB Tua Tagovailoa's snaps before they left. Interestingly, those two possessions found the QB seemingly only looking for TE Kyle Pitts.

Commanders backup QB Marcus Mariota suffered an apparent knee injury in Friday’s preseason win over Miami. Mariota took a hard hit, then appeared to be in discomfort after executing a handoff on the following play. Sam Hartman, Washington's QB3, replaced him against the Dolphins. We should have an update on Mariota's status within a couple of days.

Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka has been diagnosed with a sprained toe, The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud reports. The team is "very optimistic" that Egbuka will be back for the start of the season, Stroud adds.

After getting drafted in the second round as the eighth wide receiver off the board, Germie Bernard caught four passes for 51 yards in his preseason debut. His performance included a 25-yard reception where he broke multiple tackles and had 22 yards after the catch.

What was hoped to be a dynamic start to Cam Ward’s second preseason fell a bit short. Ward completed five of 12 pass attempts for just 57 passing yards and no TDs.

De’Zhaun Stribling hauled in 6 catches for 67 yards in his first half of preseason action. It included an over-the-shoulder grab that went for 32 yards on a 49ers third-and-five.

The league has suspended Falcons Edge James Pearce Jr. for the first eight games for his offseason domestic-violence case. Assuming there's no adjustment to the ban, that would make Pearce ineligible to play until Nov. 8 against the Bengals.

Saints head coach Kellen Moore said rookie WR Jordyn Tyson will miss time with a right hamstring issue, per ESPN's Katherine Terrell. Moore wouldn’t give a timetable, but he did mention that “it could” potentially linger into Week 1 of the regular season.

Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic writes that Commanders QB Jayden Daniels "looks as good as he's ever been."

Per The Athletic’s Zac Jackson, Browns RB Dylan Sampson was “heavily involved in the pass game in the just-completed week of camp.” Jackson still calls Quinshon Judkins the “clear lead back,” as expected, but adds that Sampson “seems set for a pass-game role.”

Steelers QB Drew Allar shone in his preseason debut, completing 10 of 13 passes for 153 yards and 2 TDs. He also ran for an additional TD. The rookie third-round pick was selected based on his physical traits and showcased a strong arm against the Packers last night. He will likely spend his rookie season as the No. 3 QB on the roster behind Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph, but Allar could put together enough impressive moments to compete for the starting job in 2027.

Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza was sharp in his preseason debut vs. the Cardinals on Thursday night, completing 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards, 1 TD, and 0 INTs. But QB Kirk Cousins got the start and is still the favorite to open the regular season as Vegas' starter, HC Klint Kubiak confirmed after the game.

RB Jeremiyah Love got his first preseason action Thursday night in the Cardinals' second exhibition, and they worked him like a lead back against the Raiders. The third overall pick racked up 14 first-half touches: 11 carries for 58 yards (5.3 per rush) and 3 receptions for 14 yards on three targets. Love also came away from the game with a minor ankle injury, but it appears we don't need to worry about that.

Rams HC Sean McVay expects WR Puka Nacua back at practice next week "ready to go," according to ESPN's Sarah Barshop. Nacua suffered what McVay revealed as a psoas injury on Tuesday. (The psoas is a deep core muscle connecting the lower spine and pelvis to the thigh bone.) Nacua worked off to the side of practice on Thursday, per Barshop.

Chigoziem Okonkwo was commended for the standout training camp he’s had by Commanders Senior Writer Zach Selby in a recent article, but Selby noted that “...the tight ends were not used much in the passing game during the offensive periods that I watched (team red zone, third-down emphasis, and two-minute).”

Carson Beck won’t play in tonight's preseason game after suffering a rib injury in last week’s Hall of Fame game, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. It’s not considered serious, and Beck practiced throughout the week before being held out as a precaution.

The Eagles star running-back appeared to tweak his ankle during practice. Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports that “During the last period Saquon Barkley was getting his left ankle checked out by a trainer. He never went to the tent but still has his cleat off.”

Trey McBride is coming off a season in which he finished as the highest-scoring fantasy TE, but new HC Mike LaFleur thinks he can do more, per Cardinals beat reporter Theo Mackie. “I think he can have maybe a deeper intermediate route tree.” LaFleur said of McBride.