| 9/3/2026 3:23:00 PM | Coach Ben Johnson lauded Williams' approach Tuesday as the quarterback enters his third NFL campaign, Larry Mayer of the Bears' official site reports. "He's executing at a much higher clip than he ever has, and I think it's going to continue to grow," Johnson said. "He's going to continue to elevate everyone around him, coaches included." |
| Williams played just one possession during exhibition season, leading the Bears to a Cairo Santos field goal to kick off preseason Week 2 at Cincinnati. The performance (2-for-5 passing for 28 yards, no TDs and no interceptions) was nothing to write home about, but Williams is set to take another step forward in his development in 2026. There are two question marks within Chicago's skill positions as Week 1 approaches: RB Kyle Monangai is attempting to put a hyperextended knee behind him, while WR Luther Burden is continuing his recovery from an early August groin injury. Having said that, Williams still has the healthy trio of RB D'Andre Swift, WR Rome Odunze and TE Colston Loveland at his services, so the QB's first 4,000-yard season through the air may be on the horizon. | |
| 9/3/2026 1:49:00 PM | Coach Mike LaFleur said Thursday that Love (ankle) is "progressing," Howard Balzer of Cards Wire reports. |
| It seems to be the only thing LaFleur is willing to say about his rookie running back's recovery at this point, as the coach has made it his daily ritual to say Love is merely progressing while offering little else in the form of insight. Love has 10 days to try and get ready for Arizona's Week 1 opener against the Chargers. He's going to need to practice in some fashion next week to have a chance to play Sunday, Sept. 13, and even then Love is still likely to split carries with Tyler Allgeier versus Los Angeles. | |
| 9/2/2026 2:42:00 PM | Brown is looking forward to an elevated role in the Bengals offense in 2026, Landon Belote of SI.com reports. |
| In particular, Brown cited the scheme's efficiency while running the ball under center and also how much he's been lining up in the slot in the passing game during training camp. After earning just 58 touches as a fifth-round rookie in 2023, his usage increased to 283 touches in 2024 and 301 touches last season. In 17 regular-games in 2025, he matched or set career highs across the board, tallying 1,456 yards from scrimmage and 11 total TDs. Considering Brown was one of seven RBs with at least 50 receptions last year (69, to be exact), his stature in fantasy has never been higher. | |
| 9/2/2026 2:18:00 PM | Pickens didn't suit up for any of the Cowboys' three preseason games. |
| After surpassing the 1,000-yard receiving threshold just one time in his first three seasons with the Steelers, Pickens broke out with a 93-1,429-9 line on 137 targets in 17 regular-season games in 2025 in his first campaign as a Cowboy. He was helped by the fact fellow WR CeeDee Lamb missed three contests due to injury, but Pickens still exhibited a tremendous rapport with QB Dak Prescott. Dallas extended the franchise tag to Pickens this offseason, and he signed it in April without reaching an extension before the deadline in mid-July, meaning he again will be in the midst of a contract year in 2026. | |
| 9/2/2026 1:23:00 PM | Coach Dave Canales said Wednesday he's "very optimistic" Brooks (soreness) will be available for Week 1 against the Bears, Sheena Quick of Fox Sports Radio 1340 reports. |
| It's unclear if Brooks' soreness is in his surgically-repaired knee or elsewhere, but he's worked off to the side with trainers at practice each of the last two days. While Brooks has drawn a substantial amount of summer hype, Chuba Hubbard (hamstring) is expected to maintain a large role in the Carolina backfield. Neither running back may be a reliable fantasy bet out of the gates against Chicago. | |
| 9/2/2026 11:00:00 AM | St. Brown was a standout performer during the Lions' final practice of training camp Thursday, recording several receptions during team drills, Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News reports. |
| St. Brown was particularly impressive on the Lions' second-to-last series of the day, when he had gains of 14, seven and four yards on receptions before beating cornerback Rock Ya-Sin on a post route for a 16-yard score to end the drive. He nearly added another touchdown to his ledger on the final drive, as he corralled a jump ball over Ya-Sin in the end zone before he was ruled to have bobbled the ball prior to stepping out of bounds. The performance marked an impressive end to what Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site labeled a "really strong camp" for St. Brown, who is once again ticketed for a high-volume role in the Detroit passing game and profiles as a strong first-round pick in fantasy drafts. | |
| 8/31/2026 9:09:00 PM | Head coach Sean McVay said Monday that Garrett (knee) is making "really good progress" in the edge rusher's recovery, with the goal of playing in Week 1 against the 49ers, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports. |
| Garrett, whom the Rams acquired in an offseason trade with Cleveland, didn't play in the preseason and has been unable to practice for most of August while dealing with swelling in his knee. The Rams remain hopeful that Garrett will recover by the time the team kicks off regular-season play against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, Sept. 10. Los Angeles added more star power to its defensive line Sunday by signing defensive tackle Aaron Donald to a one-year, $20 million contract. | |
| 8/29/2026 9:39:00 PM | Bagent completed 16 of 17 passes for 208 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed twice for 21 yards in the Bears' 24-15 preseason win over the Titans on Saturday. He also lost a fumble. |
| Bagent wasted no time setting the tone for what would be a prolific night, hitting rookie Zavion Thomas for a 97-yard catch-and-run touchdown on Chicago's first play from scrimmage. Bagent subsequently showed some nice touch on a fourth-down scoring strike to Maurice Alexander with just under five minutes remaining in the second quarter, and the only blemish on his night besides his sole incompletion was a lost fumble on a snap just inside Titans territory late in the first quarter. Bagent had a stellar two-game preseason, completing 29 of 39 pass attempts for 377 yards with a 3:1 TD:INT while adding three carries for 28 yards. However, veteran Case Keenum also was effective across three exhibitions and certainly has the experience edge, so it remains to be seen who'll garner the No. 2 quarterback job behind Caleb Williams to open the season. | |
| 8/29/2026 2:51:00 AM | Fairbairn converted both his field-goal attempts and his only PAT during Friday's 16-13 preseason loss to the Panthers. |
| The 32-year-old kicker heads into the regular season having not missed a kick in either of the two preseason contests in which he saw action. Fairbairn has become one of the most reliable placekickers in the league with Houston, converting better than 90 percent of his FGs in three of the last four seasons and finishing in the top five in the NFL in points each of the last two campaigns. | |
| 8/28/2026 8:57:00 PM | Moore didn't play against the Steelers in Thursday's exhibition victory. |
| Buffalo elected to rest the bulk of its projected regular-season starters, including Moore, for the team's final preseason game. The veteran wideout saw action in one exhibition contest, catching three of four targets for 61 yards. Moore left that game early due to an ankle injury but has since returned to practice, so he should be good to go as the Bills' top wideout Week 1 of the regular season versus a tough Texans defense. | |
| 8/28/2026 8:52:00 PM | Stevenson didn't play in a preseason loss to the Browns on Thursday. |
| The Patriots rested their projected regular-season starters Thursday, so Stevenson's absence was par for the course. He didn't see any game action during the preseason slate but appears back to full health after dealing with a minor undisclosed injury in late July. Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, who is dealing with an ankle injury but is expected to be ready for Week 1, are slated to share backfield duties for New England during the upcoming campaign. | |
| 8/26/2026 6:17:00 PM | Brooks (undisclosed) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports. |
| Brooks is set to miss Friday's preseason finale against the Falcons but is all ready to go for Week 1 against the Raiders. The starting middle linebacker seems to have worked past his unknown injury and is being kept out for precautionary reasons. | |
| 3/9/2026 4:39:00 PM | Keenum is re-signing with the Bears on a two-year contract Monday, Chris Emma of The Score reports. |
| Keenum served as the third-string quarterback behind Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent in 2025. That role isn't expected to change in 2026, but Chicago values the 38-year-old Keenum's experience and will keep Keenum aboard as a mentor to Williams. | |
| 2/14/2026 12:38:00 AM | Spillane notched 97 tackles, including 1.0 sacks, five defensed passes (including two interceptions) and a forced fumble over 13 regular-season games (all starts) during the 2025 campaign. |
| Spillane signed with the Patriots last March after a two-year run with Las Vegas during which he averaged 153 stops per season. While Spillane couldn't quite reach those numbers in his debut campaign in New England, he made an immediate impact as the Pats' leading tackler despite missing the final four games of the regular season due to an ankle injury. Spillane returned for the playoffs and posted 18 stops during New England's run to the Super Bowl in spite of missing most of the AFC Championship Game versus Denver as a result of reinjuring his ankle. Spillane is under contract through 2027 and figures to be a central figure in New England's defense again next year. | |
| 2/9/2026 9:23:00 PM | Jones made 11 tackles (10 solo) in Sunday's 29-13 win over the Patriots in the Super Bowl. |
| The Seahawks shut down the Patriots' running backs to the tune of just 42 yards on 13 carries (3.1 YPC). Jones was instrumental in that effort, as he was all season. The 2021 third-round pick rung up 151 tackles (80 solo), 0.5 sacks, eight pass breakups and six interceptions through 18 games, including the postseason. Jones has two years left on his contract and will carry a team-friendly $11.0 million cap hit in 2026 as the Seahawks look to defend their title. | |
| 1/8/2026 2:09:00 PM | Smith tallied 130 total tackles (76 solo) and three passes defensed across 15 regular-season games in 2025. |
| Despite missing two contests during Baltimore's 2025 campaign, the 28-year-old led the team in total tackles for the third consecutive season. That said, Smith posted fewer total tackles (154 to 130), sacks (1.5 to zero), passes defensed (four to three), interceptions (one to zero) and forced fumbles (one to zero) than he did in 2024, all while playing 15 more defensive snaps this year. The All-Pro linebacker remains under contract through the 2027 season, so he's expected to operate as the Ravens' defensive signal-caller again in 2026. | |