NFL Player News

Thornton was unable to haul in either of his two targets in Sunday's 25-24 loss to the Bears.

Thornton posted a zero in the fantasy scoring column, while quarterback Geno Smith struggled to get much of anything going through the air, completing 14 of 21 pass attempts for just 117 yards. On a more positive note for Thornton, he continues to retain the WR3 role behind Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker, with fellow rookie Jack Bech logging only five offensive snaps Sunday.

Laube returned three kickoffs for 94 yards in Sunday's 25-24 loss to the Bears.

Laube did not take a single offensive snap in the Raiders' Week 4 defeat, despite fellow running back Zamir White's healthy scratch designation. Instead, it was 33-year-old veteran Raheem Mostert toting the rock behind starter Ashton Jeanty, and this backfield pairing combined for 200 rushing yards on just 25 total carries. Laube figures to remain stuck primarily in a special teams role against the Colts in Week 5.

Mixon (foot) is not ready to be activated off the reserve/non-football injury list this week, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The veteran back can be activated as soon as Week 5, but Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was asked twice during Monday's session with reporters and declined to provide any kind of estimated return date for Mixon, per Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle. While there's no official word, it doesn't appear he is close to returning. In the meantime, Woody Marks, fresh off a breakout performance in Week 4, and Nick Chubb will continue to share the bulk of the backfield work.

Mostert rushed four times for 62 yards and caught his only target for 11 yards in Sunday's 25-24 loss to the Bears. He also returned four kickoffs for 96 yards.

Mostert's 2025 debut with the Raiders was highlighted by a 37-yard carry in the fourth quarter, though he ultimately played just eight offensive snaps. Meanwhile, rookie Ashton Jeanty erupted for a 21-138-1 rushing line to go along with a pair of receiving touchdowns on as many targets. Zamir White was a healthy scratch, and Mostert likely flashed enough productivity in his audition to retain the RB2 role ahead of a Week 5 clash against the Colts.

Westbrook-Ikhine hauled in his lone target for a one-yard gain in Monday's 27-21 win over the Jets.

Westbrook-Ikhine's 47 percent snap share placed him behind fellow wideouts Jaylen Waddle (90 percent) and Malik Washington (48 percent), but the workloads for both Westbrook-Ikhine and Washington should rise with Tyreek Hill having suffered a season-ending knee injury during the contest. While Westbrook-Ikhine had nine touchdowns in 17 games with the Titans in 2024, the scoring output came on just 32 catches and 60 targets, making it tough to rely on him repeating that sort of production even if his snaps increase dramatically in the weeks to come. Waddle, Washington, running back De'Von Achane and tight end Darren Waller are all likely to be higher priorities in the passing game than Westbrook-Ikhine, who has earned plaudits mainly for his blocking rather than his receiving abilities through his first six NFL seasons.

Autry (knee) is expected to be activated this week, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Week 5 is the first week that Autry is eligible to come off the physically unable to perform list. Once the club makes his activation official, Autry's 21-day window will begin. The veteran defensive end recorded 13 tackles and 3.0 sacks over 10 games as a backup in 2024. Autry missed six contests last season in violation of the league's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Reed (ankle) is expected to be activated from the injured reserve list this week, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

This is the first week that Reed is eligible to return, after he opened the season on the IR with a designation to return. If the Texans eventually make it official, Reed's 21-day window will kick in. Once Reed is ready to return to the field, the 2025 sixth-round draft pick is expected to be a backup on defense and serve as a regular on special teams. Reed was initially hurt in training camp during a special teams portion of practice.

Stroud's pre-snap reads were instrumental to the 24-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Higgins in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 26-0 win over the Titans in Week 4, Sam Warren of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Warren gets into the weeds, outlining the pre-snap reads, adjustments and execution of the play, but the main point is that Stroud may have found his groove in the new offense. That offense, put in place by new offensive coordinator Nick Caley, involves Stroud taking more control. It may have taken three-and-a-half games to click in, as the quarterback completed 11 of 13 attempts (eight different targets) for 144 yards while directing touchdown drives on successive possessions from late in the third quarter and into the fourth. Following an ugly 0-3 start and head coach DeMeco Ryans' defense of Caley, Stroud's intuition and execution of the offense may extend forward to Week 5 on the road against the Ravens.

Washington reeled in two of three targets for 13 yards and added eight yards on two carries in Monday's 27-21 win over the Jets.

Washington started and was on the field for 28 of the Dolphins' 58 offensive plays (48 percent), but his snap share appears destined to rise in the upcoming weeks after star wideout Tyreek Hill sustained a season-ending knee injury during Monday's contest. Jaylen Waddle is expected to settle in as the clear No. 1 target for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sans Hill, but fellow receivers Washington and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as well as running back De'Von Achane and tight end Darren Waller could all see their profiles in the passing game expand to varying degrees.

Hickman recorded nine tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage, in Sunday's 34-10 loss to the Lions in Week 4.

That was a career-high number of tackles for Hickman who topped the Browns and has 22 stops through the first four weeks. The 2023 undrafted free agent is poised to blow past the 45 tackles he recorded last season. Hickman has played every defensive snap in 2025 while also working on special teams and should reach new playing-time levels by midseason if healthy.