August 26, 2025
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver
Darnell Mooney (shoulder) has avoided landing on Injured Reserve to start the 2025 season, even though he has not practiced since the first day of training camp in late July, according to Marc Raimondi of ESPN. It means that the Falcons think Mooney could be available within the team's first four games of the season in September. Still, the 27-year-old can probably be considered more of a long shot to suit up in Week 1 against the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Sept. 7. When healthy, Mooney could serve as the team's No. 2 wideout behind
Drake London in starting three-wide sets, although the uncertainty surrounding his injury makes him no better than a late-round dart throw in fantasy drafts as a WR4/5. In his first year in Atlanta in 2024, Mooney bounced back in a big way with a 64-992-5 line on 106 targets over 16 starts.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Marc Raimondi
August 26, 2025
The New England Patriots announced their 53-man roster on Tuesday, and both rookie
Efton Chism III (ankle, foot) and
Kendrick Bourne (leg) were included despite dealing with injuries during training camp. The 23-year-old Chism was a nice story in training camp after going undrafted out of Eastern Washington. While he turned heads during practices this summer, Chism's most direct path to playing time in 2025 will most likely come on special teams. Bourne, 30, is a surprise addition to the 53-man roster after having not practiced or played since injuring his leg on Aug. 1. He had an outlier season in 2021 with 55 catches for 800 yards and five touchdowns, but since then he's totaled 1,145 yards and six touchdowns in three seasons. Bourne is buried in a crowded New England wideout room and should be avoided in the vast majority of fantasy leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: New England Patriots
August 26, 2025
Cleveland Browns wide receiver
Cedric Tillman (thumb) was back at practice on Tuesday, according to Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. Tillman is back on the field after missing almost a full week with a minor thumb injury. Now that the 25-year-old is back at practice, he should be good to go for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sunday, Sept. 7, against the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals. And with limited help in the receiver room behind
Jerry Jeudy, Tillman figures to operate as Cleveland's WR2 to begin the season. It might not amount to much in terms of consistent weekly production with veteran quarterback
Joe Flacco leading the offense, though, and RotoBaller currently has Tillman ranked as the WR63. Tillman's 2024 was cut short due to injury, and he finished with a 29-339-3 line in 11 games (six starts).
--Keith HernandezSource: The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram - Scott Petrak
August 26, 2025
The current Cleveland Browns' running back room includes only
Jerome Ford and rookie
Dylan Sampson, but it sounds as though the team plans on going into the regular season with more than just Ford and Sampson. "There will be more than two running backs on this team," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. Cleveland cut
Pierre Strong Jr. (concussion) with an injury designation on Tuesday, leaving their backfield very thin right now. However, rookie second-rounder
Quinshon Judkins should eventually be signed to his rookie deal after facing domestic-violence charges this summer. The 21-year-old didn't end up being formally charged, but it doesn't mean he won't face a suspension in 2025 from the league. Despite being away from the team all summer, Judkins is RotoBaller's highest-ranked Browns RB for fantasy purposes at No. 48.
--Keith HernandezSource: WEWS - Camryn Justice
August 26, 2025
The Houston Texans released tight end
Harrison Bryant on Tuesday despite acquiring him from the Philadelphia Eagles as part of last week's trade for wide receiver
John Metchie III, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Bryant will be searching for his third team of the year after signing with the Eagles back in March. The 27-year-old has never been much of a pass-catcher at his position, as he's accumulated only 98 receptions for 877 yards and 10 touchdowns on 140 targets in his five years in the NFL. He was originally drafted in the fourth round (115th overall) by the Cleveland Browns in 2020 out of Florida Atlantic. Bryant spent his first four years in the league with the Browns, catching 89 of 128 targets for 791 yards and 10 touchdowns in 65 games (30 starts). He caught only nine balls for 86 yards and no scores in 13 games (three starts) for the Raiders in 2024.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
August
26,
2025
New
Orleans
Saints
tight
ends
Taysom
Hill
(knee)
and
Foster
Moreau
(knee)
are
both
recovering
from
torn
ACLs
suffered
last
season
and
are
starting
on
the
Reserve/Physically
Unable
to
Perform
list,
read more...
August 26, 2025
Carolina Panthers rookie first-round wide receiver
Tetairoa McMillan (hamstring) returned to practice on Tuesday after missing some time last week with a minor hamstring issue, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. It's great news for the 22-year-old pass-catcher out of Arizona, as he should be just fine to begin his first year in the NFL with a Week 1 meeting against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 7. McMillan appeared to be the real deal during training camp this summer and already seems to have a pretty good connection with quarterback
Bryce Young. The eighth overall pick could easily lead the Panthers receivers in catches, targets and yardage in his first season in the league, especially if Carolina trades veteran
Adam Thielen. If Young continues to improve after a strong second half in 2024, McMillan absolutely could function as a strong WR2 in fantasy.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Joe Person
August 26, 2025
The Green Bay Packers officially placed wide receiver
Christian Watson (knee) on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list on Tuesday, according to Packers.com writer Wes Hodkiewicz. This was always the expectation for Watson after he tore the ACL in his right knee in the Week 18 regular-season finale late last year, and now it's official. The move means that the 26-year-old will miss at least the first four games of the 2025 campaign despite the fact that he was getting glowing reviews during his rehab during training camp this summer. His first chance to make his season debut will come in Week 6 on Oct. 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals -- the Packers have a bye in Week 5. Green Bay is probably going to ease Watson back when he's ready, so fantasy managers in 12-team leagues can probably stay away for now, especially given the crowded nature of the team's receiving room.
--Keith HernandezSource: Packers.com - Wes Hodkiewicz
August 26, 2025
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver
Jauan Jennings (calf) has not practiced with the team since July 27 due to a calf injury, but as expected, he remained on the active roster during cutdown day on Tuesday, according to NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco. However, there is really no clarity with Jennings, and there's no immediate word of any kind of contract resolution as he seeks a contract extension as he enters the second season of a two-year, $15.3 million deal. Maiocco writes that Jennings' status for Week 1 against the division-rival Seattle Seahawks remains "murky." It's unclear if Jennings has sat out of practices because of his contract situation or his injury, but either way, his lack of activity this summer has made him more of a risky WR4/5 fantasy pick. Meanwhile,
Ricky Pearsall is gaining steam as a potential breakout candidate at the cost of a WR4/flex.
--Keith HernandezSource: NBC Sports Bay Area - Matt Maiocco
August 26, 2025
Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed on Tuesday that rookie third-round quarterback
Dillon Gabriel will begin the season as the team's No. 2 QB behind veteran starter
Joe Flacco, according to Zac Jackson of The Athletic. Gabriel was ahead of fifth-round rookie signal-caller
Shedeur Sanders on the team's QB depth chart for all of training camp and the preseason, and he'll now be the primary backup to Flacco to begin his first NFL season after Cleveland traded
Kenny Pickett (hamstring) to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday. Gabriel, 24, dealt with a hamstring injury of his own during camp but was able to play in the final two preseason games and edge out Sanders for the backup role. He went 25-for-37 for 272 yards, one touchdown and a pick in two preseason games. The Browns might be in serious trouble if Gabriel or Sanders make any starts in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Zac Jackson
August 26, 2025
The Miami Dolphins placed kicker
Jason Sanders (hip) on the Injured Reserve on Tuesday due to a hip injury, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. It means that Sanders will be forced to miss at least the first four games of the 2025 season. It was announced on Monday that Sanders would miss four to five weeks, so his placement on the short-term IR isn't a huge surprise. Fantasy managers should obviously be avoiding the 29-year-old kicker in all leagues to begin the season. It's unclear who will kick for the Dolphins in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Sept. 7, but whoever it is will merely be a deep-league streaming option in fantasy. Miami did work out kicker
Eddy Pineiro on Tuesday. Sanders has spent all seven of his NFL seasons with the Dolphins and has made 84.6% of his 221 field-goal attempts over 116 games played.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
August
26,
2025
Green
Bay
Packers
running
back
MarShawn
Lloyd
(hamstring)
was
placed
on
Injured
Reserve
on
Tuesday
and
has
been
designated
to
return,
according
to
Matt
Schneidman
of
The
Athletic.
It
means
that
Lloyd
can
return
after
missing
read more...
August
26,
2025
The
San
Francisco
49ers
officially
placed
wide
receiver
Brandon
Aiyuk
(knee)
on
the
Reserve/Physically
Unable
to
Perform
list
to
begin
the
2025
season,
which
means
he
will
miss
at
least
the
first
four
contests.
Head
coach
read more...
August 26, 2025
Miami Dolphins wide receiver
Tyreek Hill (oblique) remained sidelined during Tuesday's practice session, according to Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post. The 31-year-old wideout has been dealing with a lingering oblique injury throughout most of August. Fantasy managers should continue to keep a close eye on his status, as he could be in danger of missing the start of the season. However, the Dolphins may be closely monitoring his workload, which is why he has been sidelined for most of the month. If Hill were to miss time, No. 2 wideout
Jaylen Waddle would likely be given a large target share, serving as the clear alpha in the room. Last season, Hill had a down year by his standards as he caught just 81 passes for 959 yards, a stark drop from the 1,799 yards he tallied the previous season. When healthy, Hill profiles as a risky WR2, given his age and recent injury history.
--Andy SmithSource: Joe Schad
August 26, 2025
According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Los Angeles Chargers are moving running back
Najee Harris (eye) to the active roster from the non-football injury list. The former Steeler has been sidelined due to the facial injuries he suffered following a fireworks incident earlier in the offseason. During training camp, Harris was given a limited workload. However, seeing that he was able to join the active roster before their season opener is a great sign and suggests he should be cleared to participate in their season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. In the offseason, the Chargers signed Harris to a one-year deal, but they also selected top running back prospect
Omarion Hampton in the first round. When active, fantasy managers should expect Harris and Hampton to share the Los Angeles backfield. As a result, they could limit each other's cielings, especially if they operate as a committee.
--Andy SmithSource: Ian Rapoport
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