NFL Player News

The Packers placed Kraft (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday.

Kraft's move to IR was merely a formality after head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed Monday that the third-year tight end sustained a season-ending ACL tear in Sunday's 16-13 loss to the Panthers. Luke Musgrave will serve as the Packers' top pass-catching option at TE.

The Commanders placed McCaffrey (collarbone) on injured reserve Tuesday.

McCaffrey will be sidelined for at least four games due to a fractured collarbone, though Tashan Reed and Tom Schad of The Washington Post relay that the injury will most likely keep the wideout out for the remainder of the season. If that's the case, McCaffrey will wrap up his second NFL campaign with 11 catches for 203 yards and three touchdowns on 15 targets over nine games. The 24-year-old had also established himself as one of the NFL's top kickoff returners, ranking third in the league with an average of 29.6 yards per runback.

The Chargers acquired Penning from the Saints on Tuesday in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round draft pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

A 2022 first-round selection of the Saints, Penning began his career as an offensive tackle, but he had been serving primarily as New Orleans' starting left guard in 2025. After acquiring Penning, the Chargers could revisit using him at tackle, where the team has lost both of its projected starters -- Rashawn Slater (kneecap) and Joe Alt (ankle) -- to season-ending injuries. Penning is in the final season of his rookie deal and is set to become a free agent this spring.

Smith-Schuster hauled in his only target for two yards during Sunday's 28-21 defeat against the Bills.

Smith-Schuster logged a season-low 28 percent offensive snap share in Sunday's tilt, logging just 15 total snaps in the contest. It marked just the second time this season the veteran wideout managed fewer than two receptions in a game, but Smith-Schuster has seen a steep decline in his workload since Rashee Rice returned in Week 7. Nothing is particularly enticing about Smith-Schuster's fantasy outlook as long as the starting wideouts remain healthy.

Gray couldn't retrieve his lone target during Sunday's 28-21 loss to the Bills.

Gray saw a steep decline in usage during Sunday's tilt, likely due to the Chiefs trailing most of the game and utilizing a more pass-centric approach than usual. Gray's 37 percent snap share marked his lowest snap share of the season, and his 22 offensive snaps were a season-low mark. Gray doesn't possess much fantasy appeal as a backup tight end to Travis Kelce but could move on to the radar should Kelce miss any time in the future.

Thornton failed to reel in his lone target during Sunday's 28-21 loss against the Bills.

Thornton got off to a hot start in 2025, registering 13 catches for 272 yards and three touchdowns through the first five games, but there's been an about-face in production since then. Over the past four contests, Thornton has tallied just one catch for 39 yards on three total targets and has logged fewer than 30 snaps in each contest (fewer than 20 in three of four). Assuming the wideout room remains healthy, it's tough to see Thornton boasting enough of a role on offense to warrant fantasy consideration in most formats.

The Cowboys traded Smith, a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick to the Jets for DT Quinnen Williams on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

A 2023 first-round pick, Smith wasn't able to live up to the billing, finishing his two-plus-year tenure in Dallas with 57 tackles, including 2.0 sacks, in 39 regular-season games. He'll join a rotation at defensive tackle in New York that includes Harrison Phillips, Jay Tufele (knee) and Jowon Briggs.

The Cowboys acquired Williams from the Jets on Tuesday in exchange for defensive tackle Mazi Smith, a 2026 second-round draft pick and a 2027 first-round draft pick, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

After moving two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner (concussion) to the Colts earlier Tuesday, the Jets shipped out another longtime anchor of their defense in Williams, a three-time Pro Bowl selection. Williams has seen his production slip a bit since registering a career-high 12.0 sacks in 2022, but the 27-year-old still profiles as a difference maker along the defensive line. In Dallas, he'll team up with Kenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa at defensive tackle to bolster the Cowboys' pass rush and run defense.

The Browns traded Tryon-Shoyinka and a seventh-round pick to the Bears for a sixth-round pick Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

A 2021 first-round pick, Tryon-Shoyinka joined forces with Cleveland in free agency in the offseason, but he found it difficult to break into a deep D-line, logging just 31 defensive snaps (and nine tackles) in eight appearances with the team. Chicago lost Dayo Odeyingbo to a torn Achilles in Week 9, so the addition of Tryon-Shoyinka is a step to help fortify its pass rush. Tryon-Shoyinka has 15.0 sacks across 74 career regular-season games between the Buccaneers and Browns.

The Colts traded Mitchell and two first-round picks to the Jets for CB Sauce Gardner on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Indianapolis invested a second-round pick in Mitchell in the 2024 Draft, but he wasn't able to make much of an impact, as the wide receiver totaled 32 catches on 71 targets for 464 yards and no touchdowns in 25 games through one-and-a-half seasons. In the move to New York, he'll join a receiving corps that lacks depth behind Garrett Wilson (knee), giving Mitchell a second chance to justify the draft capital used on him. If Wilson is still limited coming out of the Jets' Week 9 bye, Mitchell could get an opportunity to contribute right away.