Legwold writes that the fourth-round rookie is “squarely in the backfield rotation” for the Broncos. Coleman possesses a three-down skill set that could open the door for him to eat into both J.K. Dobbins’ and RJ Harvey’s roles, but fantasy managers shouldn’t rush to put him in their lineups at this time. Dobbins is still considered the favorite to lead the Broncos in early-down touches to start the season, with most of Harvey’s looks coming on third down and in passing situations. That said, Coleman is one of the higher upside stashes at his position who could prove to have top-24 upside or better at some point this season.
Pierce said the Colts have been doing a good job of preparing him to play even while sidelined, and with 16 days to go before the Colts host the Ravens in Week 1, it’s not inconceivable that he could be ready in time for the season opener. The Colts will continue to ramp Pierce up in the coming weeks, making his status one to monitor, especially when teams begin releasing official injury reports ahead of game day. If he is able to play, fantasy managers should view Pierce as anything more than a boom/bust WR3 until we see how he looks on the field.
In fairness to Monken, it’s not often we see teams keep four QBs on a roster. With Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders already locked into their roles, the question becomes whether or not both Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green make the 53-man roster or if one could be cut/traded. Gabriel turned in a solid outing in the Browns’ final preseason game, throwing for 186 yards and three touchdowns in one half of play, while Green threw for 27 scoreless yards but also rushed for 88 yards on six carries and helped orchestrate a 98-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. With roster cutdown day set for Sunday, Monken and GM Andrew Berry still have a few days to decide the makeup of their QB room before Week 1’s game against the Jaguars.
This will be the first look we get at Harris since he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 3 last season. The 28-year-old vet signed a deal with the Giants less than two weeks ago, but could end up being a “significant contributor” to the Giants’ backfield, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Whether or not Harris has any fantasy value as a standalone option with Cam Skattebo healthy is to be determined, but he could be the leader in the clubhouse to be the next man up should Skattebo ever miss time, making him an intriguing late-round pick in fantasy drafts.
This isn’t the first time Raanan has suggested Fields could have the inside edge as the Giants’ WR2. Earlier this month, he said the rookie third-rounder was making an “early claim” for the role, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise given the thin receiving corps the Giants are currently working with. The 6-foot-4, 220-plus-pound receiver has an excellent catch radius and made a name for himself with his ability to haul in contested targets during his days at Virginia and Notre Dame. It seems highly unlikely that Fields would make enough of an impact to be considered a reliable fantasy contributor, but he could be worth a late-round/stash in drafts to see how things unfold for him in the weeks to come.
Playing early is one thing. Pulling targets from Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, and Chig Okonkwo is another. Williams has reportedly had a strong camp and will likely see most of his snaps come from the slot in his rookie season. The former Clemson Tiger caught 130 passes over his final two seasons, but it’s hard to imagine him offering much fantasy production, especially in the early part of the season.
After getting through the third and final dress rehearsal before the Rams kick off Week 1 in Australia, McVay said he won’t be “pigeon-holding” himself into any decision just yet. Rookie Ty Simpson and fourth-year vet Stetson Bennett have both performed well for the Rams this preseason, with Bennett sitting out Thursday’s game against the Chargers. The decision to sit Bennett on Thursday, coupled with the 62 snaps he saw in the preseason to Simpson’s 111, could be a signal as to which way McVay is leaning at this point, although he is on record saying we shouldn’t read too much into that. Regardless, the good news for McVay and Rams fans is that Matthew Stafford is healthy and will hopefully be under center for all 17 of the Rams’ games this season as he looks to defend his crown as the reigning league MVP.
That’s three straight weeks that Kubiak has declined to name his Week 1 starter despite the widely held belief that it will be Kirk Cousins getting the start in Week 1 against the Dolphins. Cousins has received the majority of first-team reps throughout the offseason and limited action in the preseason, while Fernando Mendoza has worked mostly with backups and played extensively in every preseason game. We’ll see just how long Kubiak is willing to stretch this decision out, but it would come as a surprise to almost everyone if Mendoza got the nod over Cousins in Week 1.
The only QB who truly felt like he was on the roster bubble this offseason was Will Howard. The former sixth-round pick immediately found himself in competition for a roster spot after the Steelers used the No. 76 pick in this year’s draft to select Penn State’s Drew Allar, but it would appear that Howard’s spot on the roster is safe for now. Speaking after the team’s preseason finale against the Bills, McCarthy said that he feels good about the team’s quarterback room and suggested that we can expect both players, along with Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph, to all be on the roster after cutdown day. Howard threw for 229 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions this preseason, while Allar threw for 351-2-0 but completed just 55.6 percent of his passes. We wouldn’t expect either QB to see the field in the regular season.
A groin injury sidelined Bell for most of August. The coaching staff evidently wanted to get him up to speed. He played into the fourth quarter this evening. The Bills’ fourth-round rookie ran fantasy-friendly crossing routes against the Steelers this, hauling in a 16-yard pass on one such play. Tonight’s starting QB Shane Buechele badly overthrew him on another, but the two continued honing their connection all night. Bell scored a 28-yard touchdown on an end-around, speeding past defenders en route to the end zone. Bell does not need to be rostered in 12-team leagues, but the intriguing prospect could end up being a worthwhile waiver wire add in-season.
Washington could end up returning standalone FLEX value this season. He looks good. The fourth-round rookie does not go down easily, regularly powering through first contact, and he possesses the requisite speed to get to the edge and turn upfield quickly. He took a hard hit to the left side of his body while jumping for a pass, but showed no ill effects from it. With RB1 Ashton Jeanty (ankle) rehabbing, there is a chance Washington gets the start in Week 1 against the rebuilding Dolphins. Washington could warrant a top-15 positional ranking in this case. Target him in drafts.
Bernard started alongside other Steelers backups this evening, indicating he has not yet earned a starting role in three-wide receiver sets. That said, he looked good. Bernard found the end zone via a screen pass on the Steelers’ second drive, shaking a defender immediately after the catch before muscling past another as he crossed the plane. He nearly scored again on the following drive, but QB Will Howard overthrew him in the end zone. The Steelers’ top-two WRs, DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman, are just getting over injuries, and No. 3 WR Roman Wilson should not be considered insurmountable in-house competition. Bernard could work his way into the lineup early in the year.
Black had a nice run to the right side of the field before subbing out, which ultimately required him to spin over the top of the camera stand positioned awkwardly on the sideline. He seemingly escaped without injury and, most importantly, took 12-of-12 possible snaps on the first three drives. Black is the 49ers’ running back to stash on fantasy benches. Fellow RB Jordan James has recovered from the fractured rib he suffered late in July, but the time he missed in August has him behind Black on the depth chart.
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak declined to name a starting quarterback last week, but Cousins certainly received starter treatment this evening. He played two series, along with the Raiders’ other starters, before being subbed out for QB Fernando Mendoza. The rookie quarterback is playing well. He shares fault with WR Jalen Nailor for the interception. The throw was late, and Nailor tipped it to a 49ers defender. The 49ers’ pass rush also got home a few times against Mendoza as well. Cousins looks like the early-season starter at this time, but stashing Mendoza on benches in superflex leagues could eventually pay off.
This is the performance Williams needed to have following WR Kayshon Boutte’s trade to the Texans. The Patriots still have a crowded wide receiver room, but at least one competitor has been removed from the equation. Williams delivered a 10-yard catch on a curl route on the Patriots’ third play from scrimmage. Three plays later, he shook his defender at the line of scrimmage and took off down the left sideline. He hauled in the pass from QB Tommy DeVito in stride and waltzed into the end zone for a 45-yard score. Williams does not yet need to be drafted in 12-team leagues, vying for the third wide receiver spot on the Patriots’ depth chart. He could be a worthwhile waiver wire add early on, though.
LaPorta’s hip issue no longer appears to be a concern. The 25-year-old has continued practicing as the week progresses. He was out there catching passes from QB Jared Goff during Friday’s scrimmage. LaPorta is a locked-in TE1, playing in what should be one of the NFL’s highest-scoring offenses this season.
This is unfortunate. Turner missed the 2025 season with a ribs injury. Now, a back injury ends his season prematurely. The Lions correspondingly signed CB Eric Scott.
Schefter notes that Porter remains on the physically unable to perform list with a back injury, yet adds that “backs are often confused with contract-itis.” He stopped short of saying that Porter is on the trade block, but reminded Pat McAfee Show viewers that the NFL’s cut-down deadline is this weekend, and that “a lot of trades” occur around this time of year. Stay tuned.
The Steelers’ front office spent a third-round pick on Johnson in the 2025 NFL Draft. He has drastically underperformed since then, and could probably do with a change of scenery. DeFabo also thinks that RB/WR Eli Heidenreich “is a good candidate for the practice squad.”
According to Price, a league source indicated Henderson “avoided a serious right ankle injury when he slipped on the turf at practice earlier in the week.” Henderson is still trying to unseat RB Rhamondre Stevenson as the team’s starter and will likely continue competing for the gig in-season. Henderson, 23, possesses intriguing, explosive dual-threat traits. Drafting him may require patience early on, but the payoff could be worth it.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid and QB Patrick Mahomes believe last season’s run game failed to make defenses respect their play-action run fakes. With Walker now on board, the Chiefs believe both the run game and play-action game will improve. The staff has catered to Walker by installing more plays from under center, which Walker prefers to shotgun. “One way Walker can help transform the offense,” per Taylor, “is by becoming a true dual-threat player.” Reid believes Walker’s “receiving skills and ability to make defenders miss” will allow Reid to incorporate “one of his favorite passing concepts: the variety of plays where a play-action fake to the running back is executed before a short screen pass is thrown back to the same running back.” Walker should be expected to handle a high-end, dual-threat workload. He is a locked-in RB1 with immense upside.
Daniels adds that third-round rookie TE Eli Raridon “looks the part,” but he believes Henry is “by far the team’s best tight end and once again will be a security blanket” for QB Drake Maye. Henry posted a 6/768/7 receiving line in 2025 and a 66/674/ receiving line in 2024. A similar stat line this year would be unsurprising.
Blackmon, 27, broke up two passes and intercepted two more last season, while also totaling 59 tackles, one quarterback pressure and one sack last season. He adds depth to the Browns’ secondary and could start, if need be.
Gonzalez employs the same agent as Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon, who recently reset the positional market at $33 million per year. According to Schefter, the Patriots have never come close to that number. The Patriots exercised Gonzalez’s fifth-year option in April, so Gonzalez has two seasons remaining on his contract. Schefter believes that if the two sides fail to agree on a new deal early in the year, it “opens up a whole range of options” next offseason, like a potential trade.
Sanchez has played for the Colts since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He averaged 48.8 yards per punt last season, marking the second-longest average of his career.