Chris Rodriguez Jr. Limited In Tuesday’s Practice
3 hours agoWashington Commanders rookie running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (illness) was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice. Rodriguez, who was drafted by the Commanders in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, missed the team's Week 4 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles with an illness. The rookie hasn't seen many opportunities as the RB3 in Washington behind running backs Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson. He has just three carries for seven yards on six offensive snaps this season. Rodriguez will need to likely practice in full on Wednesday to not carry a designation into Thursday's matchup with the Chicago Bears.Source: CBS Sports
Bradley Roby Signs With The Eagles
8 hours agoThe Philadelphia Eagles have signed veteran cornerback Bradley Roby, according to James Palmer of NFL Network. The 31-year-old corner will help bolster an Eagles' secondary that has been susceptible to the pass over the first four weeks of the season. Palmer noted that Roby has played a significant amount of his career defending the slot, which is a specific area of need for the Eagles. The nine-year veteran has 370 tackles, 85 passes defended, and 11 career interceptions over his stints with the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, and New Orleans Saints. The Saints waived him back in August during their roster cutdown.Source: James Palmer of NFL Network
Von Miller Hopes To Play In Week 5 Against The Jaguars
9 hours agoBuffalo Bills edge rusher Von Miller (knee) wants to play in Week 5 in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Miller was speaking on his podcast, "The Von Cast," and said, "Hopefully I look amazing tomorrow and everybody will give me the green light to go play in the game. If I was a betting man, I'd say you'll see Von Miller in London." The 34-year-old veteran tore his ACL on Thanksgiving during the 2022 season and has not appeared in a game since. It's encouraging to hear that he will practice this week, but he would need to be cleared by the team, regardless of how he feels, before he is able to suit up. The Bills could use another playmaker on the defensive side of the ball after cornerback Tre'Davious White (knee) tore his ACL in Week 4. The Bills D/ST already has a nice matchup against the Jaguars in Week 5, but the potential return of Miller would give them even more of a boost.Source: Matt Parrino of Syracuse.com
Amari Rodgers Joins The Colts' Active Roster
9 hours agoIndianapolis Colts wide receiver Amari Rodgers has been signed off the practice squad to the team's active roster. The third-year wideout is unlikely to make an impact as a receiver behind Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, and Isaiah McKenzie so this appears to be a special teams/depth move for the Colts. The 24-year-old has just 20 catches for 249 yards and one score over 32 career games between the Packers and the Texans.Source: Indianapolis Colts
Jaylon Johnson And Eddie Jackson Both Miss Practice For The Bears
9 hours agoChicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson (hamstring) and safety Eddie Jackson (foot) didn't practice on Tuesday, which puts their status in doubt for Thursday Night Football against the Washington Commanders. Both players missed Week 4 against the Denver Broncos. and the fact they missed Tuesday's practice is not a great sign for their availability on TNF. The Bears' secondary is already short-handed with nickelback Kyler Gordon (hand) on Injured Reserve, so both Johnson and Jackson would need to log a limited session on Wednesday in order to have a chance to play on Thursday. Either way, the arrow is pointing up for Washington quarterback Sam Howell and the Commanders' offense.Source: Dan Wiederer of The Chicago Tribune
Chase Claypool Not Practicing Tuesday, Unlikely To Play On TNF
9 hours agoChicago Bears wide receiver Chase Claypool did not practice on Tuesday, per beat writer Brad Biggs. Claypool was inactive for Sunday's Week 4 loss to the Denver Broncos and was not with the team on Monday, either. A DNP on Tuesday most likely means he won't play on Thursday Night Football for the Bears' Week 5 game against the Washington Commanders. This has been an odd situation, to say the least, and at this point, it feels more than likely that Claypool won't take another snap for the Bears this year. Last season, Chicago traded away what became a first-round pick to the Steelers to acquire Claypool. In 10 total games with the Bears, the 25-year-old wideout has caught just 18 balls for 191 yards and one score.Source: Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune
Broncos Sign Tre'Quan Smith To Their Practice Squad
10 hours agoThe Denver Broncos signed free-agent wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith (groin) to their practice squad on Tuesday and waived cornerback Essang Bassey and released wide receiver Michael Bandy from the practice squad in corresponding moves. Smith began the season on Injured Reserve with the New Orleans Saints due to a groin injury he suffered in training camp, but he's apparently healthy now and will have another opportunity in Denver as he reunites with his former head coach Sean Payton. The 27-year-old remains well off the fantasy radar for now. In his five seasons with the Saints since 2018, Smith has put up 131 receptions (196 targets) for 1,764 yards and 18 touchdowns in 66 games (35 starts). He had just 19 catches for 278 yards and one score in 15 games (six starts) in 2022.Source: Broncos Twitter
Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel Limited Tuesday
10 hours agoWashington Commanders wide receivers Jahan Dotson (ankle) and Curtis Samuel (quadriceps) were both listed as limited practice participants on the team's estimated practice report for Tuesday. The team didn't officially practice. Dotson is listed as limited for the second straight practice, while Samuel was upgraded after being a DNP on Monday. Both wideouts are worth monitoring before Thursday's game against the Chicago Bears, but as long as neither have a setback on Wednesday, they figure to have a good shot at playing. Neither Dotson nor Samuel have done much in the first four games, but they both found the end zone in the Week 4 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and have a great matchup in Week 5 against Chicago. Dotson is the more attractive fantasy play as the No. 2 behind Terry McLaurin.Source: Commanders PR
Jameson Williams Says He's "Ready To Go"
10 hours agoDetroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (hamstring) said his hamstring is good after the time off and he feels like he can make his 2023 debut in Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers. "I'm ready to go," Williams said. The second-year wideout was suspended for gambling for the first four games of the season but is now eligible to return and is expected to be active this Sunday for the first time in 2023. While the former first-rounder has intriguing big-play abilities, he played in just six games in his rookie campaign due to a knee injury and is going to begin in a supporting role in the Lions passing attack until he gets up to speed this year. Williams deserves to be rostered pretty much everywhere, but inserting him into your starting lineups in Week 5 is pretty risky.Source: The Athletic - Colton Pouncy
Justin Pugh Reuniting With Giants
13 hours agoVeteran offensive lineman Justin Pugh is signing with the New York Giants on Tuesday. The 33-year-old was a first-round pick by the Giants in 2013 and spent five seasons with the organization before joining the Arizona Cardinals in 2018. Pugh suffered a torn ACL in Week 6 of last season and is fully healthy for the 2023 campaign. He will start on the team's practice squad, but his 119 NFL starts should give him a chance to compete for a starting spot on the Giants' offensive line, which just allowed 11 sacks against the Seattle Seahawks.Source: Ari Meirov -- 33rd Team
Denzel Mims Signing With Steelers
13 hours agoFree-agent wide receiver Denzel Mims is signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad on Tuesday. The 25-year-old was traded from the New York Jets to the Detroit Lions on July 20 but was released by Detroit just two months later. Given Mims' track record since being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft, there's a low probability he'll make a significant impact on the struggling Steelers' offense, even if he makes his way onto the active roster. He has just 42 receptions for 676 yards and zero touchdowns after three years in the NFL.Source: Mike Garafolo
Luke Musgrave Back At Practice
14 hours agoGreen Bay Packers rookie tight end Luke Musgrave (concussion) was back on the practice field on Tuesday. It's good news for Musgrave as he and the team prepare for their Monday night contest against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5, but the rookie tight end will still need to clear the NFL's concussion protocol to get the green light to play after suffering a concussion in last Thursday's loss to the Detroit Lions. The Packers won't release their first official injury report of the week until Thursday, so we won't know more on Musgrave until then. The 23-year-old second-rounder has been involved in the offense through his first four games with 12 catches for 125 yards on 16 targets, but he has yet to score his first NFL touchdown.Source: ESPN.com - Rob Demovsky
Pat Freiermuth "Doubtful" To Play In Week 5
14 hours agoPittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that tight end Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) is "very doubtful" to play in Week 5 against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens this Sunday after he hurt his hamstring in the Week 4 loss to the Houston Texans. We'll have a better idea of whether Freiermuth will be able to play this weekend based on his practice status this week, but fantasy managers that have been starting him through the first four weeks of the season should already be looking for a backup plan if they don't have one already. Rookie Darnell Washington could serve as Pittsburgh's top pass-catching tight end if Freiermuth is inactive, while Connor Heyward could also be in the mix for a larger role in Week 5.Source: The Athletic - Mike DeFabo
Kenny Pickett Scheduled To Practice Wednesday
14 hours agoPittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that quarterback Kenny Pickett (knee) is dealing with a bone bruise in his left knee and is scheduled to participate in practice on Wednesday as the team continues to evaluate him. "The more comfortable and functional is, the more work he'll get," Tomlin said. Pickett will most likely be limited, and his status for the Week 5 contest against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens is still up in the air after he was hurt in the Week 4 loss to the Houston Texans. Even if the 25-year-old gets the green light to play this Sunday, he'll be a low-upside QB2 for fantasy managers. Backup Mitch Trubisky would make his first start of the year under center if Pickett is eventually ruled out this weekend.Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Joe Rutter
Another Quiet Game For Isaiah Hodgins
15 hours agoNew York Giants wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins and the rest of the offense floundered in Monday's 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Hodgins had another quiet game to close out Week 4 with three catches on three targets for 24 yards. Quarterback Daniel Jones was sacked a staggering 11 times and didn't have much time to throw at all behind an injured and ineffective offensive line. Hodgins also played a season-low 37 percent of the offensive snaps, although he was at least able to show up in the box score this week after putting up a donut in last week's loss to the San Francisco 49ers. It's impossible to trust Hodgins as a starting lineup option in fantasy right now. Through the first four weeks, he's registered eight catches for 88 yards and one touchdown on 12 targets.Source: ESPN.com