NFL Player News

Vea (foot) returned to practice Friday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Vea didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday but was in attendance Friday. Head coach Todd Bowles said Vea is "trending in the right direction" regarding the defensive tackle's potential availability for Sunday's regular-season opener against the Falcons, per Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site. Vea's practice participation level will be clarified on Friday's injury report, which will also reveal whether he carries an injury designation into Tampa Bay's Week 1 contest.

Shorter was signed to the Raiders' active roster from the practice squad Friday, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports.

Shorter played wide receiver in college at Florida but attempted to convert to tight end in the NFL. The 2024 fifth-round pick of the Bills played in 10 regular-season games with Buffalo last season but saw action almost exclusively on special teams. Now back at wide receiver, the 6-foot-5 Shorter will provide depth for the Raiders following Thursday's announcement from Amari Cooper that the veteran wideout is retiring.

Sanders rushed four times for 53 yards, caught his only target for minus-3 yards and lost a fumble in Thursday's 24-20 loss to the Eagles.

Sanders worked in a change-of-pace role behind Javonte Williams, who established himself as the top option in Dallas' remade backfield by rushing 15 times for 54 yards and two touchdowns. Sanders ripped off a 49-yard run in the third quarter but fumbled later on the same drive. Dak Prescott made a touchdown-saving tackle to bail Sanders out to an extent, but that red-zone fumble still proved costly in the four-point loss. Rookie fifth-round pick Jaydon Blue was a healthy scratch Thursday, but any further ball security issues from Sanders could open the door for Blue to usurp the veteran as Williams' backup.

Dillon rushed three times for 10 yards and wasn't targeted in Thursday's 24-20 win over the Cowboys.

Dillon didn't register a touch until the second half. He opened the game as the No. 3 running back behind Saquon Barkley and Will Shipley, but Shipley left the game due to a rib injury late in the first half, allowing Dillon to climb a rung on the depth chart. Dillon could hold on to a change-of-pace role against the Chiefs in Week 2 if Shipley doesn't play, but Barkley should continue to get the vast majority of touches among Philadelphia's running backs regardless.

Dotson caught all three of his targets for 59 yards in Thursday's 24-20 win over the Cowboys.

Most of Dotson's production came on a 51-yard catch in the second quarter, which was enough to make him the team's leading receiver in the Eagles' run-heavy Week 1 win. DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown combined for just 24 yards on four targets. Those two likely will be more involved moving forward at Dotson's expense, but at least Dotson seems to have a firm grasp on the third spot on the wide receiver depth chart over trade acquisition John Metchie, who wasn't targeted Thursday.

Elliott made a 58-yard field-goal attempt and all three PAT tries in Thursday's 24-20 win over the Cowboys.

Elliott missed eight field-goal attempts and didn't connect on a kick longer than 50 yards in the 2024 regular season, but he could be in the early stages of a bounce-back campaign, as his lone field goal Thursday came from three yards shy of his career long. Philadelphia's short-yardage success and aggressiveness led to more PAT tries than field-goal attempts for Elliott, but he can provide fantasy utility if he regains the accuracy that helped him miss three or fewer field-goal attempts in each of the 2021, 2022 and 2023 regular seasons.

Godwin (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game in Atlanta, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Godwin didn't practice this week and seems highly unlikely to play Week 2. Auman and other reporters have said that Godwin is on the active roster so he can practice with teammates later this month, not because the Buccaneers expect him to play in games before October. Neither team nor player have been willing to say as much, with the official word for now simply being that Godwin remains absent from practice and won't play Week 1.

Aubrey made both of his field-goal attempts and a pair of PATs in Thursday's 24-20 loss to the Eagles.

The Cowboys started hot on offense, scoring touchdowns on their first two drives before setting Aubrey up for field goals of 41 and 53 yards. After making the latter kick to close out the first half, Aubrey didn't get another chance to add to his total as Philadelphia's defense stepped up in the second half. Aubrey's mix of power and accuracy is elite, so he should remain one of the top kickers in fantasy as long as Dallas' offense moves the ball at a decent clip.

Likely (foot) isn't practicing Friday, Jonas Shaffer of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

That said, Shaffer notes that Likely appears to be ramping things up, with the tight end spotted doing some on-field work Friday with trainers that included light running but not much hard cutting. Look for Likely to be ruled out for Week 1 action later Friday, but in that scenario the tight end's absence may not linger too long beyond the Ravens' regular-season opener against the Bills.

Bass (left hip/groin) won't practice Friday, Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.

Per coach Sean McDermott, the Bills have yet to rule anyone out (including Bass) for Sunday's season opener against the Ravens, but at this stage it looks like veteran kicker Matt Prater, who is on Buffalo's practice squad, may be filling in for the team this weekend.