NFL Player News

Blue carried the ball seven times for 29 yards and caught his only target for five yards in Sunday's 44-22 win over the Commanders.

The rookie running back saw a career-high touch volume, although most of his work came on the Cowboys' final drive when the game was out of reach. Blue remains firmly behind Javonte Williams (116 yards and a TD on 16 carries) in the Dallas backfield, and his only real fantasy value is as an insurance policy for the former Bronco, who's already dealt with one serious knee injury in his NFL career.

Rodriguez rushed three times for 12 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 44-22 loss to the Cowboys.

The 25-year-old from Kentucky played a depth role in the Commanders' backfield again in the Week 7 loss, playing behind rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt (13 carries for 33 yards) and Jeremy McNichols (two carries for 22 yards). However, Rodriguez was the only running back to find the end zone, receiving a goal-line carry in the third quarter. He's now rushed 26 times for 117 yards and one touchdown through five appearances this season. Expect Rodriguez to play a reserve role in Washington's backfield again in Week 8, when the team travels to Kansas City.

Young suffered a high-ankle sprain in Sunday's win over the Jets and is expected to miss at least a Week 8 contest against the Bills, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Pelissero added that Young's sprain typically requires a recovery timeline of 2-to-4 weeks, and Andy Dalton is expected to start against Buffalo. Young was injured on a third-quarter sack Sunday, though X-rays did come back negative. Young being sidelined shouldn't significantly impact the fantasy outlook of the Panthers' pass catchers, as Dalton is a reliable veteran backup.

Dalton is expected to start Sunday's game against the Bills, and potentially longer, after Bryce Young suffered a high-ankle sprain Week 7, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Dalton closed out Carolina's 13-6 win over the Jets after Young's fourth-quarter departure, completing four of seven pass attempts for 60 yards. The veteran also rushed twice for minus-2 yards. Last season, Dalton logged a five-game stretch under center from Weeks 3 through 7, a span in which he completed 66.7 percent of his pass attempts for 989 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions. The presence of new No. 1 receiver Tetairoa McMillan alongside second-year pro Xavier Legette could allow Dalton to improve upon those numbers during his 2025 starting stint. Pelissero reports that the Panthers are optimistic Young could miss as little as one contest, though high-ankle sprains typically carry a 2-to-4-week recovery timeline.

Hooper caught both his targets for 11 yards and a TD in Sunday's 31-13 win over the Titans.

Overall, Hooper has compiled a 10-116-1 receiving line on 11 targets through seven games, a rate of production that keeps the veteran tight end off the fantasy radar as long as Hunter Henry remains healthy.

Douglas caught all three of his targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 31-13 win over the Titans.

On the heels of his most productive game of the season, a 3/71/1 effort in Week 6, Douglas was on the field for 15 of a possible 65 snaps on offense in the contest, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. With Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte and Mack Hollins out-snapping him once again Sunday, Douglas looks like a hit-or-miss option in deeper fantasy formats as this weekend's game against the Browns approaches.

Hollins, who was on the field for 43 of 65 snaps on offense in Sunday's 31-13 win over the Titans per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, caught both his targets for 49 yards.

Hollins, who also logged his first carry of the season for four yards, heads into Week 8 action with an 11-119-2 receiving line on 14 targets. Given his modest volume, Hollins is only a fantasy option in deep formats while he's working behind Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte in the New England WR corps.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said Monday that he has not yet decided whether Fields or Tyrod Taylor will draw the start at quarterback Sunday in Cincinnati.

Fields has turned in two straight disastrous performances under center for New York, culminating in his being benched after halftime this past Sunday during the team's 13-6 loss to the Panthers. Prior to being replaced by Taylor, Fields completed six of 12 passes for just 46 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions, adding 22 yards on four carries. While part of Fields' struggles versus Carolina can be attributed to top target Garrett Wilson (knee) being inactive, he had performed even worse in a Week 6 loss to Denver in London, where he completed just nine of 17 pass attempts for 45 yards with zero touchdowns or interceptions while taking nine sacks. The Jets will continue to evaluate the quarterback position before announcing a Week 8 starter, but at this stage, even with his rushing upside, Fields will be difficult to trust for fantasy purposes if he remains in the lineup.

Ruckert didn't catch his only target in Sunday's 13-6 loss to the Panthers.

Ruckert seemingly had an opportunity to step up, as the Jets were without top wide receiver Garrett Wilson (knee) and the Panthers entered Week 7 having allowed the most yards in the league to tight ends. Instead, Ruckert was blanked completely while Mason Taylor also came up short of expectations with three catches for 31 yards on five targets. Taylor has clearly surpassed Ruckert in the passing game heading into a Week 8 trip to Cincinnati.

Conner secured one of three targets for 28 yards during Miami's ' 31-6 loss to the Browns on Sunday.

Conner and Julian Hill (one catch for one yard on two targets) both saw increased usage due to Darren Waller (pectoral) being forced off the field early versus Cleveland. With Tyreek Hill (IR, knee) already done for the year, both Conner and Hill will attain limited fantasy value in deeper leagues that require multiple starting tight ends if Waller remains sidelined for Miami's road matchup at Atlanta in Week 8.