NFL Player News

As the coming season approaches, Gesicki profiles as the main receiving option in a Bengals tight end corps that also features Drew Sample, who makes most of his impact as an inline blocker, John Sheeran of A to Z Sports reports.

Also competing for TE slotting are Erick All (knee), Tanner Hudson, Jack Endries, Cam Grandy and Josh Kattus. Gesicki saw his production drop last season to 28 catches (on 42 targets) for 307 yards and two TDs in 13 regular-season games, down from the 65-665-2 line he posted in 2024, his first year with Cincinnati. Four missed games of his own, along with injuries limiting star QB Joe Burrow to eight regular-season appearances in 2025, didn't help Gesicki's cause, but with Noah Fant (34 catches on 41 targets) no longer in the mix, Gesicki has a chance to rebound as a secondary target with some streaming utility in a 2026 passing attack that will continue to lean heavily on WRs Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, as well as RB Chase Brown.

Heidenreich, who is currently listed as both a running back and wide receiver on the Steelers' official website, "overwhelmingly lined up in the backfield" in team drills and worked mostly with the running backs for individual drills during OTAs, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.

Heidenreich excelled as both a wideout and running back in college with Navy, and Steelers running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung Sr. has fittingly referred to the rookie as a "Swiss Navy knife." That seemingly boosts Heidenreich's chances of making the opening 53-man roster, but DeFabo still sees the seventh-round draft pick as more likely to begin his NFL career on the practice squad. Still, Heidenreich is an intriguing young player due to his unique skill set, which also includes the ability to return kicks. Should Pittsburgh decide to open up the playbook more, Heidenreich could fit in as a change-of-pace weapon, though he's probably going to need to prove capable in pass protection -- something he was rarely asked to do while at Navy.

Washington could be the next Jaguars players to receive an extension, Paul Bretlof Jaguars Wire reports.

Bretl cites ESPN's Michael DiRocco, who speculates that Washington is "next in line" to be extended by Jacksonville. DiRocco has also noted that the Jaguars and Washington had "preliminary discussions" about an extension shortly after the end of the 2025 season, so getting a deal done seems to already be on the minds of both the player and the team. Washington was quiet over his first two NFL campaigns before breaking out last year, when he posted career-high marks with 58 catches, 96 targets, 847 receiving yards and five touchdowns while also returning two punts for scores. Washington is expected to remain Jacksonville's top punt returner during the upcoming campaign, and he's slated to be part of a potentially potent wide-receiver trio alongside Brian Thomas and Jakobi Meyers.

Houston's offseason acquisition of Montgomery should help the team have a more punishing running game and improve in the red zone as well as in play action, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 reports.

The Texans struggled on the ground last season, ranking fourth-worst in the league with an average of 3.9 YPC and tying for second-worst with just nine rushing TDs. The team brought in Montgomery via a trade with Detroit in early March to add power to the position while cutting Joe Mixon (foot) and presumably parting ways with Nick Chubb, who remains a free agent. Montgomery is thus set to lead the team's RB corps alongside Woody Marks, who took hold of the top job as a rookie last season but is slated to work in more of a pass-catching role in 2026. Offensive coordinator Nick Caley has stated that he's also interested in having Montgomery and Marks on the field together in split-back sets at times, per Wilson.

Bernard, who showed "confident hands and good body control" during OTAs and minicamp, per Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, figures to compete with Roman Wilson this summer for work behind DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman in three-receiver sets.

DeFabo notes that Wilson got almost all of the first-team reps in such sets this spring, but the competition between the 2024 third-rounder and Bernard should heat up during training camp. Of the two, Bernard -- who the Steelers took 47th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft -- brings more fantasy upside down the road, but it remains to be seen how much work he'll see out of the gate in the team's Aaron Rodgers-helmed offense. With that in mind, DeFabo suggests that while the 6-foot-1, 206-pound Alabama product has the versatility to line up everywhere, he "probably will carve out his niche as a big slot" as a rookie.

Coach Brian Schottenheimer singled out Flournoy as someone who stood out during spring practices, Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News reports.

"You saw him take that step, I'd say in the middle of the season last year and he came back, man, with just a really strong intent for what he wanted to get done," Schottenheimer said. "He looks great. He's moving great. His routes, I think have gotten better. Here's a guy from a small school that's come in and really adapted to the way we teach route breaks and releases and speed terms and power cuts and things like that. I really think the sky's the limit for him and he's definitely a guy we see finding ways to get him the ball." Flournoy is locked into the Cowboys' third receiver spot behind CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, and he's one of the best bench stashes at the wideout spot in fantasy. If either Lamb or Pickens were to get injured, Flournoy would assume an every-down role in a high-octane passing attack. With Lamb out for three games last regular season, Flournoy produced one of his two 100-yard receiving games and was targeted 17 times across those three contests.

Coach Mike Vrabel indicated the Patriots plan to add to a tight-end corps led by Henry before training camp in the wake of the season-ending injury Julian Hill (knee) sustained during OTAs, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

With Hill on IR and Austin Hooper now with the Falcons, 2026 third-rounder Eli Raridon is next up behind Henry on the depth chart, with CJ Dippre, Tanner Arkin and FB/TE Jack Westover also currently in the mix. Henry -- who is heading into the final season of the three-year deal he signed with New England in March 2024 -- put up a 60/768/7 receiving line on 87 targets in 17 regular-season games in 2025. He's slated to remain a key target for rising young QB Drake Maye in 2026, a context that gives Henry a stable weekly floor from a fantasy perspective.

Iosivas remains in line to work as the Bengals' No. 3 wide receiver this coming season, John Sheeran of A to Z Sports reports.

As Sheeran notes, Iosivas does most of his work out of the slot while working alongside the team's top WR duo, Ja'Marr Chaseand Tee Higgins. In that context during the 2025 regular season, Iosivas recorded 33 catches for 435 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games. Assuming Chase and Higgins stay healthy, Iosivas has modest fantasy appeal out of the gate in 2026, but if injuries hit, he could enter the weekly lineup equation in Cincinnati's Joe Burrow-led passing attack.

As the 2026 season approaches, Metcalf is set to remain featured in a Pittsburgh WR corps that also includes trade acquisition Michael Pittman and 2026 second-rounder Germie Bernard, Mark Kaboly of 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh reports.

Beyond the aforementioned trio, Roman Wilson, Ben Skowronek and Kaden Wetjen are in line to compete for depth-chart slotting this summer, while Kaboly suggests it's still possible the Steelers could add a veteran WR at some point during training camp. In any case, on the heels of a 2025 regular season in which he recorded 59 catches for 850 yards and six touchdowns on 99 targets to go with two carries for 12 yards and another score in 15 contests, Metcalf will continue to be a key target for returning QB Aaron Rodgers, who will be reunited with head coach Mike McCarthy, in the wake of Mike Tomlin's decision to step away from the team in January. With added competition for targets on board, however, Metcalf's fantasy ceiling in 2026 hinges largely on how Pittsburgh's passing game, still helmed by its 42-year-old signal caller, progresses under the guidance of McCarthy.

Ahead of training camp, Sampson is in line to reprise his role in a Cleveland backfield that will be led by Quinshon Judkins and also includes Raheim Sanders and Ahmani Marshall, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Easterling projects that all four backs will make the Browns' initial 53-man roster ahead of Week 1. While Judkins (230 carries in 14 regular season contests last season) is the clear-cut starter provided he can stay healthy, Sampson, who rushed 65 times for 175 yards and caught 33 passes (on 40 targets) for 271 yards and three receiving scores in 15 games as a rookie last year, could see enough pass-catching volume in 2026 to merit attention in deeper fantasy PPR formats.