White Sox Name Tony La Russa Their New Manager

The Chicago White Sox named Tony La Russa, a three-time World Series champion, as their new manager on Thursday. The 76-year-old hasn't served as a big league manager since ending his 16-year run with the Cardinals in 2011, a season that ended in his third championship. La Russa has a 2,728-2,365 managerial record and began […]

Brad Hand Placed On Outright Waivers

The Cleveland Indians placed left-handed reliever Brad Hand on outright waivers on Thursday, according to a source. Hand has a $10 million team option for the 2021 season that the Indians plan on declining if he goes unclaimed. If another team claims the southpaw, Cleveland would be off the hook for the $1 million buyout […]

Astros Put Roberto Osuna On Outright Waivers

The Houston Astros placed relief pitcher Roberto Osuna (elbow) on outright waivers on Thursday. Osuna pitched in only four games for the team in 2020 before he was shut down with elbow soreness at the start of August. The right-hander's initial diagnoses recommended Tommy John surgery, but it was later changed to a forearm strain […]

George Kittle Tough To Bring Down

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has 435 receiving yards in five games this season, and nearly half of those yards (215) have come on gains made after the catch. Fifty nine of that yards-after-the-catch total have come with Kittle exceeding expectations. He registers yards-after-the-catch success on 68.8 percent of his catches, putting him […]

Tee Higgins Becoming A Bigger Part Of The Offense

Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Tee Higgins has steadily seen his role in the offense increase as the season has gone on, with rookie quarterback Joe Burrow looking his way more often recently. Higgins caught all five of his looks last week for 71 yards and a touchdown against the Browns. Half of his 22 […]

Julian Edelman Has Procedure On Knee

Updating a previous report, New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (knee) underwent a precautionary standard procedure on his knee on Thursday, according to a source. He's expected to be out for "some period of time," including the Week 8 game against the division-rival Bills. The good news is that he's not expected to miss […]

Julio Jones Remains The Go-To Guy In Atlanta

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones has played in only five games this year due to injury, but he's been crucial in three of those games. Jones is averaging 11.2 air yards per target while also facing press coverage on nearly one-third of his 31 catches on the season. Quarterback Matt Ryan has a 131.5 […]

Julian Edelman Expected To Miss Time

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (knee) isn't at practice on Thursday and is expected to miss some game action, according to a source. Edelman has been bothered by a knee injury, which could require surgery, although he's not expected to miss the rest of the season. It could be why the veteran just […]

Jamison Crowder The Lone Bright Spot In Jets Offense

New York Jets wide receiver Jamison Crowder has somehow been productive in New York's otherwise atrocious offense in 2020. In only four games played, Crowder has racked up 194 yards after the catch. He's made plays with the ball in his hands as the team's top playmaker, gaining more than half of his total receiving […]

Terry McLaurin Hasn't Been Affected By QB Issues

Washington Football Team wide receiver Terry McLaurin is second in the NFL through seven weeks with 309 yards after the catch, trailing only Alvin Kamara. The second-year receiver is averaging a full 10 air yards per target as well, meaning he's not just catching short passes and racking up the yards after the catch. McLaurin […]

A.J. Brown Continues To Be Efficient

Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown had 2.9 receiving yards per route run in his rookie year in 2019, which trailed only Julio Jones, A.J. Green, Michael Thomas and Antonio Brown since 2016. Brown has played in only four games this year due to injury, but he's still been a yards-after-the-catch monster despite only accounting […]

Justin Jefferson Makes A Living After The Catch

Minnesota Vikings rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson has 28 catches for 537 receiving yards so far this year, and 36.3 percent of those yards have come after the catch. Jefferson has proved to be extremely difficult to cover and tackle for opponents, and his contributions have helped overcome the departure of Stefon Diggs. At the […]

White Sox Close To Hiring Tony La Russa?

The Chicago White Sox could officially name Tony La Russa as their new manager as early as Thursday. La Russa got his start in the big leagues in 1979 with the White Sox, and rumors have been swirling for more than a week that he'd land there. The 76-year-old won three straight American League pennants […]

Andy Dalton Won't Practice Thursday

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton (concussion) took part in the quarterback meeting on Thursday, showing that he's making some progress in the league's concussion protocol. However, he will not practice again on Thursday, according to head coach Mike McCarthy. Rookie Ben DiNucci will continue to see first-team repetitions in practice and looks increasingly likely to […]

Gardner Minshew II Has Fractured Thumb

X-rays this week showed that Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II (thumb) has multiple fractures and a strained ligament in his right thumb, according to sources. Minshew has been dealing with pain in his thumb since Oct. 11 against the Texans, but the team didn't know about his injury until this week. The Jags are […]

Chargers Player Tests Positive For COVID-19

The Los Angeles Chargers had a player test positive for COVID-19, and that player and all of his close contacts have been told to stay home and isolate, according to sources. The Chargers were informed of this on Wednesday night. The facility is open on Thursday, but all meetings will be virtual. The Chargers are […]

Giants Putting Will Hernandez On COVID-19 List

The New York Giants are placing left guard Will Hernandez on the COVID-19 list on Thursday, according to sources. Hernandez and all of his close contacts are being quarantined while the rest of the team is proceeding as normal for practice. They have quarantined all but four of their offensive lineman after one of them […]

Packers Being Cautious With Aaron Jones

Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones (calf), who did not practice on Wednesday, is itching to get back onto the field after sitting out in Week 7. Jones thinks he can play in Week 8 against the Vikings and wants to play, but the Packers medical staff continues to be very conservative, especially with […]

Chase Claypool Has Become Pittsburgh's Deep Threat

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool has been successful on the traditional go route in the team's offense in the last few weeks. Entering Week 6, Claypool was targeted at the third-highest rate among wideouts on go routes -- six catches on 20 targets for a 30 percent rate. His percentage has dropped to […]

Christian McCaffrey Has A Chance To Play Thursday

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (ankle) arrived to practice on Tuesday with a red non-contact jersey on, but he then took it off and put on a regular jersey. It signals that he at least got in a limited practice on Thursday, which could put him on track to return from Injured Reserve and […]

Tevin Coleman, Jordan Reed Return To Practice

The San Francisco 49ers opened their 21-day practice window for running back Tevin Coleman (knee) and tight end Jordan Reed (knee) on Wednesday. Both players are still on the team's Injured Reserve, so they're not listed on the official injury report leading up to Week 8 against the Seahawks. If they make it through the […]

Deebo Samuel A Short-Area Weapon For San Francisco

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel is averaging just 2.3 air yards per target this year. In comparison, tight end George Kittle averages over six air yards per target, while rookie wideout Brandon Aiyuk is averaging over 11 air yards per target as the team's preferred downfield weapon. Samuel makes his money by catching […]

Alvin Kamara A Yards-After-The Catch Beast

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara has become the focal point of the team's passing offense with wide receiver Michael Thomas (ankle, hamstring) out since Week 1. Emmanuel Sanders also missed the Week 7 game after going on the COVID-19 list. Kamara leads the league in target rate (35.6 percent) on his 149 total […]

No Practice For Phillip Lindsay Wednesday

Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay (concussion) remains in the concussion protocol and did not practice on Wednesday. An independent neurologist is expected to determine whether Lindsay will be able to play in Week 8 against the Chargers. As of now, consider him questionable to face the Bolts on Sunday, making him an extremely risky […]

Joe Mixon Held Out Of Practice Wednesday

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon (foot) did not take part in practice on Wednesday. The Bengals continue to say that Mixon is day-to-day, but everything else points to him being week-to-week and highly questionable for Sunday's matchup with the Titans. As of now, there's a good chance that Mixon will be questionable for Week […]

Mark Ingram II Misses Practice Wednesday

Baltimore Ravens running back Mark Ingram II (ankle) did not participate in practice on Wednesday. Ingram injured his ankle in Week 6 and had the Week 7 bye to heal up, but he's still in danger of missing his second straight game. A questionable tag could be coming this weekend against the Steelers, a team […]

Sergio Romo's 2021 Option Not Picked Up

The Minnesota Twins declined relief pitcher Sergio Romo's $5 million 2021 option on Wednesday, making him a free agent, according to sources. The Twins will give Romo a $250,000 buyout. The 37-year-old veteran was a key late-inning contributor for Minnesota for a Twins bullpen that was among the best in the American League in 2019 […]

Paul Goldschmidt Has Surgery On Right Elbow

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (elbow) had a bone spur removed from his right elbow, and general manager John Mozeliak said that Goldschmidt is progressing well. The right-handed power bat played 58 of a possible 60 games during the 2020 regular season and batted .304 with an .883 OPS, so his elbow clearly […]

Cardinals Decline Kolten Wong's 2021 Option

The St. Louis Cardinals declined second baseman Kolten Wong's $12.5 million option on Wednesday, making him a free agent. The 30-year-old will receive a $1 million buyout. The first-round pick in 2011 made his major league debut in 2013 and has been with the Cardinals for eight seasons. The left-handed hitter batted .265 with a […]

Rockies Buy Out Daniel Murphy

The Colorado Rockies declined infielder Daniel Murphy's $12 million option on Wednesday, ending his two-year stint with the organization and making him a free agent. The 35-year-old will receive a $6 million buyout. Murphy hit a disappointing .269 with 16 home runs and 94 RBI in 172 games with the Rockies the last two seasons […]