NFL Player News

Croskey-Merritt (groin) will play in Sunday's game against the Eagles, Tashan Reed of The Washington Post reports.

Croskey-Merritt was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday but will apparently be fine for the season opener. He's got a tough matchup on the road in Philadelphia, and he'll will be sharing snaps with Rachaad White in some fashion, regardless of health/durability considerations.

Tagovailoa (oblique) wasn't on the field for the media-access portion of Friday's practice, Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com reports.

Tagovailoa is considered day-to-day after suffering an oblique strain during Thursday's practice. His absence Friday suggests there's serious risk the Falcons will end up starting Cooper Rush this Sunday in Pittsburgh. The team has yet to announce any kind of decision, beyond ruling out Michael Penix (knee) at the start of the week. It won't be surprising if Penix is under center by the end of the month, however.

Meyers (thumb) is practicing without a non-contact jersey Friday, Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union reports.

After logging limited practices Wednesday and Thursday while wearing a non-contact jersey, Meyers may be gearing up to play in the opener. It remains to be seen how the Jaguars list him on their final injury report.

Brooks (groin) was in uniform for Friday's practice, his third straight session, Mike Kaye of ESPN.com reports.

With Brooks having now been present for three consecutive practices, he's trending in the right direction for Sunday's opener against the Bears. Assuming no setbacks, he should split backfield work with Chuba Hubbard, who remains the favorite to start and has been a full practice participant all week.

Tucker (hamstring) is practicing Friday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Tucker returned to practice Thursday as a limited participant. Another appearance Friday gives him a chance to play Sunday at Cincinnati, though it's unclear if he'll be involved on offense or mostly just handling kick returns.

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen confirmed Friday that Washington will be the team's primary punt returner to start the season, Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union reports.

Coen also mentioned wanting to give Travis Hunter a chance in the return game, but it sounds like that's more of a project than a right-now possibility. In the meantime, Washington's ample experience on punt returns makes him the clear best choice for a role that's extremely important on a per-snap basis. It's only a few snaps per game, of course, but they are high-risk plays for injuries, and the fantasy payoff in most leagues is unlikely to be more than a six-point splash once per season. The good news for Washington's fantasy managers is that there's plenty of recent history of full-time starting wideouts also handling punt returns, including Antonio Brown and Tyreek Hill. While obviously in a different category athletically, Washington offers considerable breakout appeal after his huge finish to last season.

Sanders will serve as the Jets' kicker this week, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

Sanders won a job battle against Cade York this summer, but the Jets weren't confident in either kicker and decided to sign Blake Grupe while moving Sanders to the practice squad. It now seems Grupe didn't show enough in practice to win the Week 1 placekicking job, but the Jets may keep him around in case Sanders struggles.

Love (ankle) is expected to play Sunday against the Chargers, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Love managed limited practice participation Wednesday and Thursday, so a full practice Friday would go a long way toward giving his fantasy managers confidence. It's not yet clear if the practice upgrade will happen, but Love apparently is expected to play in any case. It's also not clear how backfield work will be divided between the rookie and Tyler Allgeier.

Samuel brought in six of seven targets for 48 yards and a touchdown, rushed once for 12 yards and returned two kickoffs for 74 yards during the 49ers' 27-7 Week 1 win over the Rams in Melbourne, Australia.

The versatile Samuel made a splash in his return to the 49ers following a one-year stint with the Commanders, tying for the team lead in receptions and for runner-up status in targets as well with new teammate Mike Evans. Samuel's production was boosted by the second-quarter exit of De'Zhaun Stribling due to an ankle injury, and the highlight of the former's performance came when he recorded a 15-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter by mirroring Brock Purdy's movement across the field as the quarterback extended the play. Samuel's Week 1 usage implied he'll fill the same type of diverse role he previously thrived in within head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, and the veteran receiver is likely to remain busy in a Week 2 home matchup against the Dolphins on Sunday, Sept. 20.

Kittle brought in two of five targets for 12 yards during the 49ers' 27-7 Week 1 win over the Rams in Melbourne, Australia.

Kittle headed into the game without an injury designation, making a remarkable recovery from January's Achilles tear to suit up Week 1. The veteran tight end wasn't much of a factor despite the fact San Francisco lost rookie De'Zhaun Stribling in the first half to what may be a serious ankle injury. However, Kittle did help the 49ers' ground attack generate an impressive 5.8 yards per carry, and he's likely to see his participation rate progressively increase in coming weeks. Kittle's position mate Jake Tonges also suffered a potentially significant knee injury, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com, a development that could accelerate Kittle's return to a full complement of snaps.