NFL Player News

Brooks is considered week-to-week while he receives further medical opinions on the groin injury he sustained in Sunday's 34-3 win over the Falcons, Tom Pelissero of Netflix reports.

The Panthers are unlikely to provide a formal update on Brooks' status until he gets checked out by multiple doctors, but the running back appears destined to miss time after tweaking the same groin that he first injured during training camp. Brooks had been operating as the clear No. 2 option out of the backfield behind Chuba Hubbard through the first two weeks of the season, logging 19 and 33 percent snap shares in those contests while carrying nine times for 30 yards and recording two catches for 43 yards on three targets.

Kmet failed to catch his only target in Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Vikings.

While Kmet played 51 of 74 offensive snaps in Week 2, he ran just 13 pass routes and was asked to block 37 times. Kmet plays a bunch in a Chicago offense that likes to use multiple tight ends, but his route participation isn't strong enough to warrant serious fantasy consideration if Colston Loveland is healthy.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Monday that Pierce "aggravated something in the heel he had surgery on" during Sunday's 33-30 overtime loss to the Chiefs and is still being evaluated, Jake Arthur of Roundtable.io reports.

Per James Boyd of The Athletic, Steichen was non-committal when asked if Pierce was a candidate for injured reserve, noting that the Colts are "still gathering information" on the matter. After re-signing with the Colts on a four-year, $114 million contract in March, Pierce underwent surgery on his left ankle a couple weeks later, resulting in him missing nearly all of training camp and the preseason. He took on a somewhat suppressed workload in the Colts' Week 1 loss to the Ravens and was expected to ramp up his snap count in Week 2, but he finished with an 11-yard reception on his lone target over 19 snaps before he exited Sunday's game early in the second quarter after aggravating the heel injury. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, Pierce is seeking a second medical opinion on his heel, and more clarity on a timeline for his return to the field could become available later in the week.

The Falcons announced that Penix (knee) has been named the team's starting quarterback for Thursday's game against the Packers, Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.

Atlanta has determined that Penix is ready to make his 2026 debut, after he was held out for the first two games of the season while ramping back up from surgery last November to address a torn ACL in his left knee. Penix was cleared to resume taking part in 11-on-11 drills in late August, then avoided any setbacks while he was a full participant in practices throughout Weeks 1 and 2. With Penix back in the fold, Cooper Rush -- who started the first two games of the season -- could be inactive for Week 3 if Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) is deemed ready to handle the No. 2 role.

Raymond caught all five targets for 40 yards in Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Vikings.

After leading the Bears in targets (nine) and receiving (8-84-0) in the season-opening win over the Panthers, Raymond remained heavily involved on offense in Sunday's rain-soaked washout against Minnesota. His five targets were two fewer than Luther Burden, but Raymond tied D'Andre Swift for the team lead in catches. Raymond appears to have a tight grip on WR3 duties in Chicago and has posted 13 catches for 124 yards on 14 targets through two games. With Burden and Colston Loveland yet to really get going offensively, Raymond figures to be hurt the most when those two start earning more targets.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Robinson is facing a recovery timeline of 3-to-6 weeks after sustaining a high-ankle sprain in Sunday's 35-13 win over the Dolphins, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Shanahan noted that Robinson will most likely be placed on injured reserve, though the 49ers haven't finalized any decisions since the team can bring back only eight players from IR and already has a lengthy injury list two games into the season. Robinson had been expected to serve as a depth receiver for the 49ers, but injuries to Ricky Pearsall (knee), De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle) and Christian Kirk (calf) had opened up more playing time for the 32-year-old than anticipated through the first two weeks of the season. He produced a 5-84-1 line on six targets between wins over Rams and Dolphins to begin the campaign.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Evans (hip) will "have to be managed this week" leading up to Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Following Sunday's 35-13 win over the Dolphins, Shanahan said that Evans -- who exited in the fourth quarter -- likely would have been able to return if the game had been more competitive. The coach's comments a day later imply a bit more uncertainty about Evans' health, but the expectation remains that the veteran wideout will be ready to go for next Sunday's game against the Cardinals. However, it wouldn't be surprising if Evans had his practice reps capped to some degree as the 49ers look to ensure that he's in optimal health heading into the weekend.

Hockenson caught three of four targets for 29 yards in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Bears.

Hockenson played 69.2 percent of the Vikings' offensive snaps and ran 19 routes to Josh Oliver's four on Carson Wentz's 24 dropbacks. While both tight ends are playing significant snaps for Minnesota, it's clear that Hockenson is the receiving tight end while Oliver focuses on blocking as a traditional in-line player. Through two games, Hockenson has seven catches for 65 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. He'll be in the low-end TE1 conversation most weeks and gets Kyler Murray (concussion) back under center for next Sunday's game against the Bucs.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson said that he doesn't anticipate Williams (hamstring) practicing in Week 3, though Johnson was unwilling to officially rule out the quarterback from playing Monday against the Eagles, Sean Hammond of the Chicago Tribune reports.

While Williams appears to have avoided a significant injury after exiting in the fourth quarter of this past Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Vikings due to a right hamstring strain, Johnson is labeling the third-year signal-caller as week-to-week. The Bears will wait and see how the week unfolds before deciding on Williams' status for the matchup with the Eagles, but unless he defies expectations and practices in some capacity, he appears on track to miss the first game of his career. Tyson Bagent replaced Williams late in the loss to Minnesota and will presumably take all the reps with the first-team offense this week in anticipation of his first start since 2023.

Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said that Bowers (knee) will practice this week and is gearing up to play Sunday against the Saints, Levi Edwards of the team's official site reports.

Bowers missed the Raiders' first two games of the season after undergoing a meniscus trim procedure Sept. 8, but he took a major step forward in his recovery by returning to practice last Friday as a limited participant. The star tight end will aim to get in a full slate of practices during the upcoming week, and if he experiences no setbacks with his left knee in those sessions, he could be cleared to make his 2026 debut Sunday. In Bowers' absence over the previous two weeks, Michael Mayer has stepped in as the Raiders' top tight end and has produced a 9-55-0 line on 11 targets.