NFL Player News

Bowers started Thursday's preseason opener against Arizona and came out of the game after one snap.

The Raiders' other starters, including QB Kirk Cousins and RB Ashton Jeanty, continued to play throughout the opening drive. Not that this needed reinforcement, but the early exit is yet another sign of Bowers' massive importance to the Las Vegas offense. We may not see him again until Week 1 against Miami.

Brown was among the Patriots' key skill players who didn't see action in Thursday's preseason opener against the Colts, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.

Also in that category were QB Drake Maye, fellow WRs Romeo Doubs and DeMario Douglas, RBs Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, along with TE Hunter Henry. As the coming season approaches, Brown and Doubs are slated to be the team's top two WR options, while Douglas figures to work out of the slot in a wide-receiver corps that also includes Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams, who all saw action Thursday. In his new locale, Brown is on track to log steady volume as Maye's top target, positioning him for weekly fantasy utility in 2026.

McBride played one snap in Thursday's 27-14 preseason win over the Raiders.

QB Jacoby Brissett, WR Marvin Harrison and the five starting offensive linemen played all 11 snaps on Arizona's opening drive. It was only McBride who got superstar treatment, as WR Michael Wilson and RB Jeremiyah Love also took most of the snaps on the lone series for Arizona's first-team offense. McBride has far more competition for the ball this year, but he'll still be prioritized in the passing game and remains a clear favorite to lead the team in targets.

Smack made three field goals in Thursday's 28-9 preseason loss to the Steelers.

Smack -- per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel -- was a bit wayward early in training camp, but the rookie was true on all three of his attempts, including one from 58 yards away, in his first exhibition appearance. Smack was already the clear favorite to open the season as Green Bay's kicker, and Thursday's showing all but locks him in.

Gibbs was held out of Thursday's preseason opener against the Bengals.

The star running back was among a number of key skill players rested by the Lions on Thursday, a group that also included QB Jared Goff, WRs Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, as well as TE Sam LaPorta. Since he signed a lucrative three-year contract extension with the team last week, Gibbs -- who had previously reportedly been dealing with a minor back issue -- has been practicing, and is thus slated to reprise his role as the clear-cut top option in Detroit's backfield, and in turn maintain his standing as an elite fantasy option ahead of the 2026 regular season.

The Texans believe that Mertz tore his ACL during Thursday's preseason opener against the Chargers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Per Schefter, there is expected to be additional testing to confirm Mertz's injury, but at this stage it doesn't look good for the 2025 sixth-rounder. As a result, look for Houston to bring in added QB depth behind C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills in short order.

Miller carried the ball 14 times for 55 yards and failed to catch his only target in Thursday's 13-13 preseason tie with the Colts.

Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson both sat out the Patriots' preseason opener, allowing Miller to get the start and handle the bulk of the work on the ground -- the rest of the RBs in the lineup combined for 27 yards on 17 carries. The 2026 seventh-round is battling Lan Larison, Hassan Haskins and JaMycal Hasty for the RB3 role to open the season, and Miller may have improved his chances of claiming it with Thursday's effort.

Larison gained just one yard on seven carries in Thursday's 13-13 preseason tie with the Colts, but he caught six of eight targets for 38 yards.

The undrafted running back out of UC Davis couldn't get anything going on the ground, but Larison's pass-catching chops stood out -- no other Patriot had more than three receptions on the night. His opportunities came with both TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson getting the night off, but the performance may have boosted Larison's chances of beginning the season in the RB3 role. He has yet to make his NFL debut after spending his rookie season in 2025 on the IR due to foot surgery.

Hollins caught two of four targets for 24 yards in Thursday's 13-13 preseason tie with the Colts.

The Patriots held their offensive starters out of the contest, including QB Drake Maye, allowing Hollins to get the start and play most of the first quarter. The veteran wideout will have a tough time carving out a significant role in 2026 as long as New England's receiving corps stays healthy, with A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and DeMario Douglas all ahead of him on the team's unofficial depth chart and Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism also competing for WR slotting.

Maye did not play in the Patriots' 13-13 preseason tie with the Colts on Thursday.

As expected, the star quarterback got the night off for the exhibition opener while Tommy DeVito and Behren Morton split snaps under center. Maye's next chance to build chemistry with new wideouts A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs will come next Saturday against Brown's former team, the Eagles.