August 26, 2025
The San Francisco 49ers are releasing running back
Jeff Wilson Jr., according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The 29-year-old signed with San Francisco just over two weeks ago, but will now be looking for a new home. The 49ers improved their running back depth quite substantially by acquiring
Brian Robinson Jr. from the Washington Commanders on August 21, which likely sealed Wilson Jr.'s fate with the team. The release of Wilson Jr. could also be a positive sign for the health of second-year back
Isaac Guerendo (shoulder), who has been battling a shoulder injury throughout the preseason. Assuming Guerendo is ready for the start of the season, San Francisco has two solid contenders for the RB2 role behind superstar
Christian McCaffrey.
--Will BradySource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
August 26, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver
Jalen Royals (knee) did not practice on Tuesday, per Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports. Royals has now been out for over a week as he battles knee tendinitis. A fourth-round pick out of Utah State, Royals was reportedly turning some heads in training camp before getting injured. He's likely to start the season in a reserve role, but he could eventually be called upon for more if Chiefs wideout
Rashee Rice is hit with a suspension at some point this season. Royals is not worthy of a draft pick in the majority of redraft fantasy leagues, but he's a name to monitor on the waiver wire.
--Will BradySource: A to Z Sports - Charles Goldman
August 26, 2025
Chicago Bears running back
Travis Homer (calf) has been placed on injured reserve with a return designation, per an announcement from the team. The return designation means Homer must miss the first four games of the season, but will have a chance to play in 2025. With or without Homer, the Bears are thin at running back behind
D'Andre Swift. Chicago's top RB2 candidates,
Roschon Johnson (foot) and
Kyle Monangai (undisclosed), are both dealing with injuries of their own. The Bears are a logical candidate to bring in some help at the running back position before the regular season begins. If they do not, Swift could be in line for a heavy workload and may be a value for fantasy managers in the middle rounds of drafts.
--Will BradySource: Chicago Bears
August 26, 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver
Chris Godwin (ankle) has passed his physical, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. That will clear Godwin to be activated from the physically unable to perform list and allow him to begin practicing within the first four weeks of the season. Godwin suffered a dislocated ankle in Week 7 of 2024 and has since undergone two surgeries. The 29-year-old still may not be ready for game action until October, so he's a risky late-round pick in fantasy but one with upside if he can rediscover his form from before he got injured last season. With Godwin sidelined, Buccaneers rookie wide receiver
Emeka Egbuka should be heavily relied upon early in the season.
--Will BradySource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
August 26, 2025
The Los Angeles Chargers have released quarterback
Taylor Heinicke, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Heinicke was outplayed in the preseason by
Trey Lance, who has made the team and will serve as the backup to
Justin Herbert in Los Angeles. The 32-year-old Heinicke has played seven seasons in the NFL and made 29 starts. He's been a capable backup for stretches of his career and should be able to find a new home rather quickly. For fantasy purposes, a Herbert injury would now make Lance a priority waiver-wire addition due to his dual-threat ability at the quarterback position.
--Will BradySource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
August 26, 2025
The Carolina Panthers released veteran wide receiver
Hunter Renfrow on roster cutdown day on Tuesday, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Renfrow's comeback will have to happen elsewhere unless he returns to Carolina on their practice squad. The 29-year-old former Pro Bowler dealt with health issues at the end of his tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders and spent 2024 out of football. Even if Renfrow had made the Panthers' 53-man roster, he would have been buried on the depth chart behind rookie
Tetairoa McMillan,
Xavier Legette,
Adam Thielen and
Jalen Coker. At this point, it's a long shot for Renfrow to regain his Pro Bowl form that saw him catch 103 passes for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns in 17 games in Vegas in 2021.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
August
26,
2025
The
Dallas
Cowboys
placed
wide
receiver
Jonathan
Mingo
(knee)
on
Injured
Reserve
on
Tuesday
but
designated
him
for
a
return,
which
means
that
Mingo
will
be
eligible
to
rejoin
the
active
roster
after
missing
the
read more...
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
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