September 17, 2025
Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Jayden Reed (foot, collarbone) underwent successful surgeries on both his shoulder and foot on Tuesday. Reed broke his clavicle in Week 2 while also playing through a Jones fracture, and with surgery already needed for his shoulder, he opted to address both issues at once. The second-year wideout is expected to return before the end of the season, but his fantasy outlook is murky.
Matthew Golden might begin to emerge,
Christian Watson (knee) is nearing a full return, and Green Bay could explore a trade before the deadline. For now, Reed is best stashed on injured reserve in fantasy leagues, with no guarantee he regains a significant role down the stretch.
--Nathan HarveySource: Adam Schefter - ESPN
September 17, 2025
Buffalo Bills running back
Ray Davis could see an increased role on Thursday night against the Miami Dolphins. Through the first two weeks, Davis has logged just 10 carries for 26 yards, while starter
James Cook has dominated the backfield touches. However, with a quick turnaround on a short week, the Bills may look to lighten Cook's workload. Historically, Cook hasn't handled a heavy rushing volume in Thursday games, recording just 42 carries across five career appearances. While Cook remains a locked-in fantasy starter and Davis isn't on the fantasy radar yet, he could make a sneaky impact for Buffalo in this divisional matchup.
--Nathan HarveySource: Pro Football Reference
September 17, 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver
Jalen McMillan (neck) is currently on the Injured Reserve and eligible to return on Oct. 5, when the Buccaneers will travel to take on the Seattle Seahawks. McMillan left Tampa Bay's exhibition in Pittsburgh on August 16 with what eventually was termed a strained neck. This injury has opened the door for rookie wide receiver
Emeka Egbuka to be involved early on in the season, and he has not disappointed, hauling in three touchdowns in his first two career NFL games. McMillan had a nice rookie campaign in 2024, hauling in 37 of his 58 targets for 461 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Before the draft, McMillan was lined up to be in the WR2 spot on the Bucs offense with
Chris Godwin (foot) recovering from his injury. At this time, McMillan remains a dynasty stash and can be picked up off the waivers in leagues with deeper benches once he returns.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
September 17, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs running back
Brashard Smith logged his first NFL carry on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles and turned that into two yards. He also saw a target in the pass game, although he didn't come down with it. Smith is currently listed as the No. 3 running back on the depth chart; however, with
Isiah Pacheco (3.13 YPC) and
Kareem Hunt (3.62 YPC) both struggling to break out, it stands to reason that the Chiefs may give the rookie out of SMU a chance for some more carries in the coming weeks. At this time, Smith remains a decent dynasty stash and someone to keep an eye on in leagues with deeper bench spots. Until then, Smith will likely serve primarily as a returner on special teams and try to make his impact that way.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
September 17, 2025
The Los Angeles Rams' second-round rookie tight end,
Terrance Ferguson, played a few snaps on Sunday and was not targeted against the Tennessee Titans after not seeing the field in Week 1 against the Houston Texans. Ferguson is listed second on the depth chart behind
Tyler Higbee, with
Colby Parkinson (shoulder) dealing with an injury. At this time, it's unclear what Ferguson's role will be in the offense, as he has not gotten many opportunities in the offense to this point. In his career with the Oregon Ducks, he had 134 receptions, 16 receiving touchdowns, and 1,537 career receiving yards. In his senior year in 2024, he recorded 43 catches for 591 yards and three touchdowns. He set school records for tight ends in career receptions and receiving touchdowns.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
September 17, 2025
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday that the Washington Commanders have signed veteran edge rusher Preston Smith, sources tell The Insiders. Smith was a second-round pick in 2015 and spent four seasons in Washington before landing a big free agent deal in Green Bay. Now he's back and looking to add to his 70.5 career sacks. Smith is known for his durability and ability to help stop the run, which is a substantial addition to the Commanders' defense that currently ranks middle of the pack against the run. With the offense dealing with significant injuries to
Austin Ekeler (Achilles) for the season and
Jayden Daniels (knee), who is currently day-to-day, the Commanders went out and improved their defense. This signing for the Commanders provides an uptick in value for this defense.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: Tom Pelissero
September 17, 2025
Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reported on Wednesday that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback
Aaron Rodgers spoke highly of running back
Jaylen Warren, saying that "We might have to keep giving (Warren) him more opportunities in the pass game, because every time he touches it, something good happens." Warren has always been a solid fantasy asset in the passing game in his career, with 133 receptions in four NFL seasons; however, last Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, he was very productive through the air, hauling in all four of his targets for 86 yards, for a total of 134 all-purpose yards on 18 touches (14 on the ground and four through the air), This is an excellent sign for Warren fantasy owners, as rookie third round pick,
Kaleb Johnson, does not appear to be getting any opportunities of the backfield. His only other competition for opportunities is
Kenneth Gainwell, who went from a 54% snap share in Week 1 to a 42% snap share in Week 2. Warren should be considered a solid RB2 heading into Week 3 against the New England Patriots.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: Mike DeFabo
September 17, 2025
Washington Commanders rookie running back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt is listed as the team's starting running back, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. Throughout the first two weeks of the season, Croskey-Merritt has had a sizeable role in the offense, but he has typically been deployed as the No. 2 option, behind
Austin Ekeler. However, with Ekeler suffering a torn Achilles during their Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers, it appears the rookie will see an uptick in workload. In Week 1, the first-round rookie made an immediate impact, totaling 82 yards and a score on 10 attempts. However, in the second week, he took a step back, earning just four attempts for 17 yards. However, fantasy managers should expect the Arizona product to see double-digit attempts weekly, given his new placement on the depth chart. Croskey-Merritt carries low-end RB2 value heading into a Week 3 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
--Andy SmithSource: Nicki Jhabvala
September 17, 2025
Washington Commanders tight end
Ben Sinnott looks primed for more playing time in Week 3 against the Raiders with
John Bates (groin) unlikely to play, according to head coach Dan Quinn. Bates is Washington's primary blocking tight end and is pivotal to what they do in the run game. Sinnott played only three snaps in the Thursday night loss against Green Bay, but did catch one ball for seven yards. Sinnott has played some in three tight end sets as a move blocker and isn't quite a direct replacement for Bates. Bates is an incredibly stout point of attack blocker for a tight end and is roughly 15 pounds heavier than Sinnott. The 2024 second-round pick is an elite athlete with some intriguing upside as a receiver, but has mostly been used as a move blocker with Washington. We will learn a good bit about how the coaching staff views Sinnott after this week's game.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
September 17, 2025
Washington Commanders running back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt could be set for plenty of work in Week 3 after
Austin Ekeler's unfortunate injury. Croskey-Merritt received only four carries and one target in Week 2's loss at Green Bay after a really strong NFL debut. He was effective on his limited touches, gaining over four yards per carry. With how often the Packers' pass rush was winning up front and hitting
Jayden Daniels, it would have benefited them to run the ball more. Head coach Dan Quinn touched on this in his press conference on Monday, saying that he wanted more of a balance in terms of play calling. Washington dropped back to pass 52 times compared to 12 running back carries against the Packers. The rookie seventh-rounder should see an uptick in snaps with Ekeler out for the season, and the expectation is that he will be the starter. His role on passing downs is to be determined, as
Jeremy McNichols is highly trusted in pass protection, and
Chris Rodriguez Jr. will be back in the mix for touches. But he should get the opportunity to handle a career high in carries against the Raiders.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
September 17, 2025
Washington Commanders wide receiver
Jaylin Lane is likely set for an increased number of routes against the Raiders with
Noah Brown (groin) injured and likely to miss Week 3, according to head coach Dan Quinn. Brown got banged up in Thursday night's 27-18 loss at Green Bay, where Lane caught just one of four targets for two yards. The fourth-round rookie ran the fourth most routes on the team behind
Terry McLaurin,
Deebo Samuel Sr., and
Zach Ertz in that game. The team is thin at wide receiver, and Lane will have a chance to emerge in Brown's absence. He is likely best suited in the slot, which is also Samuel's best position. How offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury sorts that out, along with potentially managing the offense without quarterback
Jayden Daniels, will be huge. There's a chance we see Kingsbury get Lane involved with some designed touches or use his speed to take a deep shot in an offense that needs more explosive plays. Lane is a name to watch on the waiver wire for the upcoming weeks.
--Kyle McCarthySource: RotoBaller
September 16, 2025
Atlanta Falcons tight end
Kyle Pitts Sr. reeled in four of his five targets in Sunday's 22-6 victory over the Vikings. Those catches produced just 37 yards, however, his involvement is encouraging thus far after underwhelming from 2022 through 2024. The former fourth-overall draft pick owns a 20.6 percent target share through the team's first two contests, a stark contrast to his 13.7 percent share from 2024. There was some thought that his seven-catch performance in Week 1 should be at least partly attributed to the absence of
Darnell Mooney, but with Mooney back on the field in Week 2, the 24-year-old garnered 23.8 percent target share, which was more than Mooney and even more than No. 1 receiver
Drake London. We've seen this movie before, though, where the 6-foot-6 tight end looks good for a couple of weeks and then fades into obscurity for a few weeks, so we'll see if it lasts. Week 3 brings a favorable matchup with Carolina, who just allowed eight catches for 123 yards to the Arizona TEs, so it should be a good test to see if Pitts' uptick in target share is for real or not.
--Jarod RuppSource: ESPN
September 16, 2025
Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver
Pat Bryant played just four offensive snaps in Week 1, but he logged two catches for 18 yards on three targets in Week 2. 10 different Broncos players recorded a reception in Week 2, so this could be a difficult group of pass-catchers for fantasy managers to evaluate outside of clear WR1
Courtland Sutton. A third-round pick out of Illinois, Bryant earned some preseason buzz for his performance in training camp. The 22-year-old looks like the WR4 in Denver behind Sutton,
Troy Franklin, and
Marvin Mims Jr. for now, and likely isn't worth rostering in redraft leagues in the immediate. However, Bryant is a name to monitor and could be worth stashing in the very deepest of league formats.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
September 16, 2025
Heading into Week 2, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver
Marquise Brown was a popular waiver-wire target following his 16-target, 10-catch performance in Week 1. Even with top Chiefs wideouts
Xavier Worthy (shoulder) and
Rashee Rice (suspension) sidelined in Week 2, Brown was not nearly as prolific against the Philadelphia Eagles, finishing with five receptions for 30 yards. Early indications are that Worthy could return for Kansas City's Week 3 matchup against the New York Giants, which could limit Brown's target volume even further. Still, the 28-year-old looks like the Chiefs' clear WR2 until Rice is eligible to return in Week 7. Brown profiles as a WR4/low-end flex option in Week 3, although his outlook would improve if Worthy misses another game.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
September 16, 2025
Tennessee Titans running back
Tyjae Spears (ankle) suffered a high ankle sprain in preseason action and was placed on Injured Reserve before the start of the regular season. Given the nature of Spears' injury, he may be able to return as soon as he is eligible in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals. The Titans have been a one-man show at running back so far this season, with
Tony Pollard having logged 38 of the team's 40 rush attempts by running backs through the team's first two games. However, this was not the case down the stretch of 2024, when Spears logged double-digit touches in each of the final three games he played. Spears finished the 2024 season with 536 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns across 12 games and should have a consistent role in the Titans' offense once healthy in 2025. In fantasy leagues where he is available, Spears is a worthy stash in an IR spot ahead of his impending return.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
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