WR Cole Beasley is retiring, his agents tell NFL Network. The 33-year-old signed with the Bucs a couple of weeks ago but played just 13 snaps over the last 2 games. Beasley finishes an 11-year NFL career with 554 catches, 5,726 yards and 34 TDs.
Giants WR Kenny Golladay sprained his MCL in Week 4 and is not expected to play vs. the Packers in London on Sunday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Golladay, of course, is well off the fantasy radar. We'll see if the Giants get WRs Kadarius Toney and/or Wan'Dale Robinson back this week.
The Colts still consider RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle, toe) "up in the air" for Thursday night's game vs. the Broncos, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Wednesday morning. Taylor is hoping to play, and it sounds like he'll come down to a game-time decision.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that Broncos QB Russell Wilson is "dealing with a little bit of tendonitis in his throwing shoulder." Wilson has been limited in practice so far this week, ahead of Thursday night's game vs. the Colts. "Doesn't seem like this is a major issue," Rapoport adds. "I'd characterize it as just something to watch."
Broncos OC Justin Outten said Tuesday that RB Melvin Gordon is "going to carry the load obviously" with RB Javonte Williams out. "We’ll have a mix of (Mike) Boone and after that we’ve got to figure out who can spell and who feels best in that position," Outten added. "But we trust Melvin going forward here.” Gordon needs to clean up the ball-security issues that have plagued him early this season, but he has every opportunity to carve out a very fantasy friendly role the rest of the season. Consider him a RB2 for now, with upside for more.
The Cardinals released WR Andy Isabella. Despite plenty of opportunity early this season, the 2019 2nd-rounder caught just 2 of 5 targets over the season's first 4 weeks. We'll see if he lands a job elsewhere, but Isabella looks like a big-time bust.
Colts LB Shaquille Leonard suffered a broken nose in addition to his concussion in Sunday's loss to the Titans. HC Frank Reich said Tuesday that issue might keep Leonard out beyond his concussion recovery but that the team won't know until "significant swelling subsides," according to ESPN's Stephen Holder. We'll see about that return timeline. In the meantime, LB Zaire Franklin continues as a full-timer next to Bobby Okereke.
Rams QB Matt Stafford couldn't overcome the 49ers defense in Week 4, throwing for 254 scoreless yards and 1 INT. He attempted 48 passes but couldn’t solve a strong pass rush that finished with 7 sacks. The veteran passer has now tossed 0 or 1 TD pass in 3 of 4 outings. Making matters worse: Van Jefferson's return from a knee injury isn't imminent. And the upcoming schedule (Cowboys, Panthers, 49ers, Bucs) looks tough.
Rams TE Tyler Higbee lit up the box score in Week 4 with 10 catches for 73 yards. Believe it or not, the catches don't mark a career-high for Higbee, who hit 12 against the Cowboys in 2019. As for Monday night — Higbee's outing made him the PPR TE4 league-wide. Of course, he benefited from 48 Matt Stafford passes, but a target share of 20.8% is still solid. He’s certainly benefiting from the slow start by Allen Robinson, too. Higbee’s now hit 10 PPR points in 3 straight and remains a no-doubt TE1. He’ll look for his first TD of the season Sunday against Dallas.
The Texans released TE Pharaoh Brown. He missed Week 4 with a shoulder injury but led Houston TEs in pass routes in Weeks 2 and 3. The Texans are now down to TE Brevin Jordan, who's missed the last 2 games with an ankle injury, TE O.J. Howard, who is coming off a 65% route rate and 14% target share this past week, and TE Jordan Akins. Howard is worth stashing in deeper fantasy leagues.
Rams WR Allen Robinson mustered only 2 catches for 7 yards in a Week 4 loss to San Francisco. Robinson drew an end zone target, but he was well defended on the incomplete pass. On the night, he saw 6 targets — way behind Cooper Kupp (19) and Tyler Higbee (14). Zooming out, it looks as if Robinson — despite a summer filled with buzz — isn’t consistently getting open in HC Sean McVay's offense. A tough Dallas defense will arrive for Week 5.
49ers WR Deebo Samuel tallied 6 catches for 115 yards and 1 score in Week 4. He was nearly shutout on the ground (2 carries, 2 yards) but made his night with a 57-yard TD where he broke several tackles. Going back to 2021, Samuel’s now scored 5 TDs of 40+ yards. Next up is a road matchup with Carolina.
Colts HC Frank Reich isn't ruling RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle) out for Thursday night's game vs. the Broncos just yet. Taylor is hoping to go through pregame warmups before making the final call. "You want to use as much time as possible to see," Taylor said. "On a short week you have to use all the time that you have." We'll see how Indianapolis lists him on tomorrow's final injury report.
49ers TE George Kittle managed only 24 yards on 2 catches in a Week 4 win over the Rams. His 4 targets tied for 2nd on the team and represented a lackluster 14.8% share. Kittle nearly scored, but he couldn’t quite get his 2nd foot down in bounds. So, we’re looking at 2 duds in 2 appearances for the veteran. He at least ran a route on ~86% of Jimmy Garoppolo’s dropbacks — but clearly, we’re headed for volatility with the run-heavy 49ers.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones admitted Tuesday that QB Dak Prescott (thumb) still can't grip the football well enough to play. That sure doesn't sound like a guy who will be ready to start an NFL game on Sunday. Look for QB Cooper Rush to be under center again vs. the Rams. We'll see if Prescott can make it back for Week 6
Broncos QB Russell Wilson showed some signs of life in Sunday's loss to Vegas, tossing 2 TDs and completing 17-of-25 passes for 237 yards. Obviously, the pass volume (and yardage) isn’t ideal. But the boosted efficiency is nice, and it’s encouraging to see him hitting top targets Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy for scores. Wilson was Pro Football Focus’ 23rd graded QB over the first 3 weeks but jumped up to 4th in Week 4. The loss of Javonte Williams (torn ACL) could push this unit more towards the pass going forward — especially if their run defense doesn’t improve. Wilson belongs in the QB1 conversation for a Thursday night home game vs. Indianapolis.
Broncos EDGE Randy Gregory is having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to trim the meniscus. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports he'll miss "anywhere from two to six weeks." That will be a significant loss for the Denver pass rush. Baron Browning figures to benefit the most. He played a season-high 43 snaps in Sunday's loss to the Raiders and also saw elevated snap share back in Week 1, when Gregory had his playing time limited coming off a different injury. Browning doesn't have a QB hit yet this year.
Niners DL Arik Armstead left Monday night's game against the Rams with a foot injury. He has been dealing with plantar fasciitis. We'll see about his status for Week 5.
Buccaneers rookie RB Rachaad White saw season highs in total snaps (24) and snap share (38%) in Sunday night's loss to the Chiefs. That marked a big jump over his 15 combined snaps in the previous 2 games. White's Week 1 checked in closer only because he played most of the 4th quarter after Tampa got out to a big lead in Dallas and pulled Leonard Fournette. Game flow might have played a part. White got his 1st touch early in the 2nd quarter, but K.C. already had a 21-3 lead by then. He matched Fournette's 3 carries for the game, which saw the Bucs run on just 17.2% of offensive plays. White ran for a 1-yard TD but watched Fournette claim the 4th-quarter TD reception. We'll see whether White's increased playing time continues.
Buccaneers QB Tom Brady racked up 385 yards and 3 TDs on 39-of-52 passing in Sunday night's loss to the Chiefs. He hit WR Mike Evans for a pair of scores, in the wideout's return from a 1-game suspension. His other TD went to RB Leonard Fournette from 5 yards out. Brady dropped back on 82.8 of the team's offensive snaps, as Tampa ran the ball only 6 times. Don't expect too many more pass-run splits like that, regardless of game script.
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