Fantasy Football News

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said on Monday that wide receiver Xavier Legette (ankle) will remain in a walking boot until Thursday, according to Steve Reed of The Associated Press. Legette suffered an ankle injury in last Wednesday's joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars and will most likely sit out the preseason finale this Friday against the Houston Texans. It is bad news as the 25-year-old looks to solidify the WR3 role in Carolina behind Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker, but there is not any reason to believe that he will not be ready for the Week 1 regular-season opener in early September. The 25-year-old former first-rounder in 2024 from South Carolina has disappointed in his first two years in the NFL, catching 84 of his 148 targets for 860 yards and seven touchdowns in 31 games (25 starts). Legette regressed in 2025 with a 35-363-3 line after the team took McMillan in the first round of last year's draft. He should still have a role in the Panthers' offense in 2026 if he is healthy, but the volume is unlikely to be enough to make him rosterable in 12-team fantasy leagues.

The Houston Texans are giving Kayshon Boutte a new opportunity. The Texans are acquiring the wide receiver from New England in exchange for safety Jaylen Reed and a draft pick, according to Tom Pelissero. Houston had already called about Boutte while looking for help following Jayden Higgins' season-ending knee injury, and now the deal is getting done. Boutte caught 33 passes for 551 yards and a career-high six touchdowns in 14 games last season, averaging 16.7 yards per reception. His path to playing time had gotten murkier in New England after the additions of A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, especially with Boutte entering the final year of his rookie contract. There should be opportunity in Houston, but nothing is guaranteed. The Texans also added Zay Jones and Sterling Shepard over the weekend, so Boutte will have to earn his place in the rotation. The trade at least gives him a cleaner shot at regular snaps heading into the season.

Both Atlanta Falcons quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. (knee) and Tua Tagovailoa will take reps with the first-team offense on Monday throughout the entire practice, according to Tori McElhaney of the team's official website. Monday will be the first time this summer that Penix has worked in team drills as a full-go. The Falcons have not officially named a starter in the QB battle during training camp, but Tagovailoa is still the overwhelming favorite to start in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers since he got a head start on Penix during camp. The 26-year-old Penix tore his ACL in Week 11 of last season, and it is unclear if he will be cleared to play in the team's final preseason contest this Friday against the Miami Dolphins. Penix remains off the fantasy radar in single-year, single-QB leagues. In his first two seasons in the NFL, he has completed under 60% of his pass attempts for 2,757 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 14 games played (12 starts). In dynasty/keeper leagues, Penix is a hard sell as a buy-low candidate given his lengthy injury history.

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt was limited at Monday's practice with an undisclosed injury, according to Ben Standig. Standig saw Croskey-Merritt pull up at the end of a catch-and-run during Thursday's practice, and the second-year back was held out of Saturday's preseason game against Detroit. He is at least back on the field now, though Washington is keeping his workload down. Croskey-Merritt led the Commanders with 805 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 175 carries as a rookie, adding nine catches for 68 yards. He is also listed first at running back on Washington's current unofficial depth chart. Monday's participation is a positive after he sat out over the weekend, but his workload over the next few practices will be worth watching with Week 1 getting closer.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. has been impressive as a power runner in training camp, according to John Shipley of Sports Illustrated. However, fellow RB Bhayshul Tuten "has done nothing to diminish the early offseason hype." Tuten might be more explosive overall as a runner, but Rodriguez is going to have a key role in Jacksonville's backfield this year, and Shipley also thinks C-Rod might be the team's best pass-blocking RB outside of LeQuint Allen Jr. The 25-year-old is a full-go despite having offseason foot surgery, and the Jags have listed Rodriguez and Tuten as co-starters going into the 2026 regular season. Rodriguez is more of a bruiser between the tackles, which could earn him valuable goal-line touches in his first year in Duvall. But while sharing snaps and touches with Tuten and Allen, Rodriguez's fantasy value looks to be as a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex. If Allen misses any time this year due to injury, Rodriguez could become Jacksonville's preferred third-down back as well. RotoBaller has C-Rod as the RB39, with Tuten coming in at No. 26.

Updating a previous report, New England Patriots second-year running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle, leg) left the team's training camp practice on Monday early with a right-leg/ankle injury, according to Mike Kadlick of Sports Illustrated. It is unclear right now if it is a serious injury for Henderson, but we'll keep close tabs on his progress for the rest of the week and leading up to the team's Week 1 regular-season opener against the Seattle Seahawks in early September. If Henderson is good to go for the start of the season, he is expected to be involved in a 50-50 timeshare with Rhamondre Stevenson in New England's backfield in Year 2. The 23-year-old former second-rounder from Ohio State impressed as a rookie, running for 911 yards and nine touchdowns on 180 carries while adding 35 catches for 221 yards and another TD through the air. Henderson has not really improved his pass-blocking skills, though, and a timeshare with Stevenson will leave his fantasy upside capped as an RB3/flex target in upcoming drafts. If Henderson's injury keeps him out of Week 1, Lan Larison and rookie Jam Miller will be competing for RB2 duties behind Stevenson over the next couple of weeks.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (groin) remained out of practice Monday, according to Sarah Barshop. Nacua was working off to the side with a trainer but has yet to rejoin team drills since leaving the Aug. 11 joint practice with Dallas because of psoas soreness. Sean McVay initially expected him back the following week, but Nacua ended up sitting out both joint practices with New Orleans as well. The Rams later pushed that expectation into this week, so Monday's absence is worth noting even with Nacua doing route work on the side. He is coming off a massive 2025 season, leading the NFL with 129 receptions while piling up 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns in 16 games. There is still time before Week 1, but Nacua has now been away from team practice for nearly two weeks.

Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins (undisclosed) returned to practice Monday, according to Daniel Oyefusi. Judkins missed the final two practices of last week and sat out Saturday's preseason game against Buffalo while dealing with what head coach Todd Monken called "a little something nagging." Monken said it was nothing significant and also made clear that the issue was unrelated to the extra contact Judkins took during Cleveland's Aug. 18 practice. His return Monday backs up that assessment, although his exact participation level wasn't immediately clear. Judkins led the Browns with 827 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 230 carries as a rookie, adding 26 catches for 171 yards. With the regular season still a few weeks away, getting him back on the field after a brief absence is a positive development for Cleveland's backfield.

New York Jets tight end Kenyon Sadiq took another step forward Monday while working his way back from a setback following offseason hernia surgery. Zack Rosenblatt reported that Sadiq was running routes on a side field with trainers throwing to him and appeared to be moving well. The rookie practiced three times at the beginning of training camp before the Jets shut him down again in early August, and he has yet to return to team drills. Week 1 has been the Jets' stated expectation for Sadiq, so getting him through more football-specific work is encouraging with the opener getting closer. The 16th overall pick caught 51 passes for 560 yards and eight touchdowns during his final season at Oregon. Sadiq has missed most of his first NFL training camp, which could make it tougher to carve out a big role immediately. For now, though, his rehab appears to be moving forward.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers did not participate in Monday's practice, according to Sam Cohn. Flowers eventually walked onto the field in sneakers and a T-shirt, with Cohn noting that he appeared to be moving around fine. Baltimore has not given a reason for his absence. The 25-year-old is coming off the best season of his career, finishing 2025 with 86 catches for 1,211 yards and five touchdowns while playing all 17 games. For now, there isn't enough here to treat Monday's absence as anything more than something to monitor. Unless the Ravens provide additional information or Flowers continues to miss practice, there is no reason for fantasy managers to change their outlook on him heading toward Week 1.

New York Jets running back Breece Hall continues to make progress from the groin injury he suffered last week. Antwan V. Staley reports that Hall is moving well, and head coach Aaron Glenn still anticipates having him ready for Week 1 against Tennessee. Hall went down during practice on Aug. 17 and was given a two-to-three-week recovery timetable the following day. So far, nothing has changed that expectation. The 25-year-old is coming off his first 1,000-yard rushing season, finishing 2025 with 243 carries for a career-high 1,065 yards and four touchdowns. He also caught 36 passes for 350 yards and another score. There is still time before the opener, and the Jets don't appear to have any reason to rush him through the final stretch of August. For now, Hall remains on schedule to be available when the games start counting.

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange still has a secure job, but the fantasy case is not quite as clean as it looked a few months ago. Strange caught 46 passes for 540 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games last season, then Jacksonville gave him a three-year extension in June. The Jaguars also spent the 56th overall pick on Nate Boerkircher, and their passing game is crowded with Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, Travis Hunter and Parker Washington. Strange has continued to make plays in camp, including a red-zone touchdown from Trevor Lawrence during the August 19 joint practice with Carolina. Boerkircher scored in the same red-zone period, though, and Jacksonville has talked about using more two- and three-tight-end looks. That should keep Strange involved, but it also makes another big jump in targets tougher to project. RotoBaller has him at TE17 and 146th overall in PPR. Strange is still draftable as a TE2, but the number of mouths to feed makes him harder to trust as a weekly breakout bet.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring) was a full participant Monday for the first time in three weeks, according to John Clark. Smith has been working his way back from a hamstring injury and was still limited during Philadelphia's joint practices with New England last week. Getting through a full practice is his biggest step yet with the regular season approaching. Smith played all 17 games last year and caught 77 passes for 1,008 yards and four touchdowns, giving him his third 1,000-yard season. He has missed a chunk of August, but Monday's workload suggests he's getting back up to speed after the layoff. With Smith now fully practicing again, the hamstring issue appears to be moving firmly in the right direction ahead of Week 1.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Makai Lemon (hamstring) was back to full participation Monday and took first-team reps, according to Dave Zangaro. That's a notable step after the rookie missed most of August with a hamstring injury suffered on Aug. 3. Lemon only returned to practice Thursday and was limited to individual work, so this is the first time he has been back in team drills since the setback. The first-team work itself isn't new. Philadelphia had Lemon running with the starters during OTAs and again when training camp opened before the injury interrupted his summer. The 20th overall pick is coming off a 79-catch, 1,156-yard, 11-touchdown season at USC. He still has some catching up to do after losing nearly three weeks of practice, but Monday puts him back in the mix for the role the Eagles were already giving him before he went down.

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that if running back Chuba Hubbard (hamstring) is good to go for the start of the 2026 regular season, it will be a running back committee also involving Jonathon Brooks, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. Per Steve Reed of The Associated Press, Hubbard was a full participant in Monday's training camp practice after dealing with a hamstring injury in recent weeks, so he should be ready to roll for Week 1, barring a setback. Brooks' fantasy value has skyrocketed in recent weeks with Hubbard banged up. In fact, Brooks is currently ranked as the No. 33 RB at RotoBaller, with Hubbard coming in at No. 37. A full-on timeshare between both backs will cap their upside for fantasy managers as RB3/flex options. Brooks has more momentum, but he has also played in only three NFL games since being drafted in the second round in 2024 due to multiple ACL tears in his knee. Hubbard had a career-high 1,195 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs in 2024, but he fell to 511 yards and one rushing touchdown in 15 games with the Panthers last year.

FOX Sports' Greg Auman writes that Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker could be a salary-cap casualty. The Bucs played Josh Williams ahead of Tucker in their second preseason game on Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs, and there is a chance they are lukewarm to paying Tucker $3.52 million to be their RB3 or RB4 in 2026. Auman adds that it was surprising when Tampa gave Tucker a full restricted free-agent tender back in March instead of trying to bring him back on a lesser deal. He could be cut next weekend, with the Bucs either moving on entirely or trying to bring him back for less money. Williams, an undrafted rookie last year who served a six-game suspension, would be in line for RB3 duties if Tucker is cut entirely and not re-signed. The 24-year-old Tucker has had his moments in his three seasons with the Bucs, including scoring a career-high seven rushing touchdowns on 86 rushing attempts in 17 games last year. Getting cut and landing with a new organization might be Tucker's best path to fantasy relevance in 2026 and beyond.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (hamstring), who had not practiced since Aug. 8 due to a hamstring injury, returned to training camp practice on Monday and was seen stretching in pads, according to Chris Ward of Steelers Now. In addition to Pittman, the Steelers got top wideout DK Metcalf back from an undisclosed injury that kept him out since Aug. 8 as well. Barring setbacks, both Pittman and Metcalf should be ready for the Week 1 regular-season opener in early September. After being acquired by Pittsburgh in an offseason trade with the Indianapolis Colts, he will help add much-needed WR depth behind Metcalf for quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2026. But in an offense that could remain ground-based under new head coach Mike McCarthy and with an aging QB, Pittman will not suddenly have newfound fantasy football upside in the Steel City. The 28-year-old pass-catcher had a career-high seven touchdowns in 17 games in 2025 in his final year in Indy, but he also went for just 784 yards, which were his fewest since his rookie campaign in 2020. RotoBaller has Pittman ranked as the WR43 going into his first year with the Steelers.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. caught one pass for 24 yards in Seattle's preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. The game marked the second straight in which Foster was the leader among wide receivers for Seattle. Foster is fighting for a roster spot after living on the practice squad in 2025. He is making a name for himself as he looks to secure a spot in a crowded wide receiver room. Foster would likely profile as a special teamer, but Seattle seems to have a knack for finding late-round and undrafted gems at the position. It will be worth following Foster's performance in the final preseason game to see if he makes any noise. He is certainly not on the fantasy radar, but it is always good to know who each team's skill players are as you head into the season.

Seattle Seahawks running back Jacardia Wright led the team's backfield in carries and yards in Sunday's preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans. Wright gained 81 yards on just eight carries, including a score. It was a nice outing for a player fighting for a roster spot, whether it be with the Seahawks or somewhere else. However, Wright is nowhere near the fantasy radar. He is not even listed in the top four running backs on Seattle's depth chart. If he makes the team, he will simply be a special teams player. Either way, it was good to see Wright be effective in a running system that could be slightly different in 2026 under new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf (undisclosed) was in pads as he returned to training camp practice on Monday, according to Chris Ward of Steelers Now. Metcalf is returning for the first time since suffering an undisclosed injury in practice back on Aug. 8. The veteran wideout said last week that he felt fine and that he is 100% healthy. He said he would be available if it were the regular season. Along with Metcalf, new pass-catcher Michael Pittman Jr. (hamstring) also returned to practice on Monday as the team gears up for the Week 1 regular-season opener in a few weeks. The Steelers were playing it safe the last couple of weeks with their top two WRs, but they should both be ready for the season opener as quarterback Aaron Rodgers' top targets. The 28-year-old Metcalf caught 59 passes for 850 yards and six touchdowns in 15 regular-season starts in 2025 in his first year in the Steel City. Fantasy managers shouldn't necessarily bank on a bounce-back to the 1,000-yard mark for Metcalf in his eighth year in the league with an aging QB in his final season and after the addition of Pittman, who Rodgers could lean on heavily as a short-area target.