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FFL: Preseason | NFL: Week 1

Bengals WR Tee Higgins won't sign extension by deadline

Sun Jul 14 1:45pm ET
Field Level Media

Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Tee Higgins will not agree to a contract extension by Monday's deadline, meaning he will be a highly coveted free agent next offseason, NFL Network reported Sunday.

Higgins, 25, signed a $21.8 million franchise tag on June 17 and will play the 2024 season on that deal.

Of the eight NFL players hit with the franchise tag this offseason, Higgins is the only one not to sign an extension.

Higgins hasn't taken part in any offseason activities with the Bengals, including a three-day mandatory minicamp in June. He reportedly requested a trade in March.

Higgins was limited by hamstring and rib injuries in 2023, forcing him to miss five games. Still, he caught 42 passes for 656 yards and scored five touchdowns.

A second-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Clemson, Higgins has appeared in 58 regular-season games (53 starts) and caught 257 passes for 3,684 and 24 touchdowns.

He has added 31 receptions for 457 yards and three scores in seven playoff games.

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Player Notes
Chuba Hubbard Aug 25 2:20am ET
Chuba Hubbard

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard carried the ball three times for 15 yards in the team's preseason win against the Buffalo Bills. Hubbard saw his first preseason action along with all of Carolina's starters, indicating that he has likely locked up the RB1 role for the Panthers this season. While he will serve as the main back to begin this season, Carolina's backfield remains split between him, Miles Sanders and rookie Jonathan Brooks (knee) who is working his way back from injury. A split backfield in what was a below-average rushing attack last season isn't the most ideal for fantasy purposes, and Hubbard can be viewed as a RB3/4 accordingly.

From RotoBaller

Jordan Matthews Aug 25 2:20am ET
Jordan Matthews

Carolina Panthers tight end Jordan Matthews caught all three of his targets for 21 yards and a touchdown in the team's preseason win over the Buffalo Bills. The 32-year-old started the game with all of Carolina's starters and saw two targets on the initial drive, one of which being an eight-yard touchdown from Bryce Young. While it may be the case that Matthews is the starting tight end, he will continue to compete with Tommy Tremble, Ian Thomas, and rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders for snaps and touches at the position. The makeup of this tight end room will be worth monitoring for fantasy managers, as whoever the starter is may become a streaming option throughout the season.

From RotoBaller

Bryce Young Aug 25 2:13am ET
Bryce Young

Dynasty | Panthers quarterback Bryce Young completed 6-of-8 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown in Carolina's final preseason game. Dynasty Analysis: Young received a lot of praise from the coaching staff after this one and it seems he's ready to go for year two. It's going to be a critical season for last year's #1 pick as he really struggled last season and was severely outplayed by CJ Stroud. While his sample size is still very small, Young will need to show everyone a lot more to stay in the good graces of our dynasty rankings. At this point, he's a hold but one that should make you pretty nervous, despite a good final performance.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Frank Gore Jr. Aug 25 2:13am ET
Frank Gore Jr.

Dynasty | Bills rookie running back Frank Gore Jr rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown in Buffalo's preseason finale. Dynasty Analysis: We'll see if this is enough to secure Gore a roster spot but he certainly did all he could in this one. Gore averaged 5.6 yards per carry on the game and was one of the more impressive players in the contest. Unfortunately, being showcased in week three of the preseason isn't always the greatest thing and Gore was playing against backups. He'd be worthy of a deep dynasty league roster spot should he make the team. Stay tuned.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Justin Fields Aug 25 2:13am ET
Justin Fields

Dynasty | Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson played one series, completing 2-of-2 passes for 26 yards in Pittsburgh's final preseason game. Dynasty Analysis: What was even more telling was the fact Wilson and the rest of the starters hit the bench after one series. Justin Fields competed 3-of-4 passes for 40 yards in his place but the tea leaves are clearly pointing to Wilson starting the year under center, especially given the fact Fields had yet another fumbled snap in this one. This will be a situation to watch but it would be a surprise to see Wilson not under center in week one. He remains a QB2 this year and Fields remains a potential "buy low" at the moment.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Cam Akers Aug 25 2:13am ET
Cam Akers

Dynasty | Texans running back Cam Akers had 53 yards on seven carries in Houston's preseason finale. Dynasty Analysis: The story here may not be the fact Akers did this on only seven carries - it may be that Akers played in the game at all. Running backs with roster spots sewn up don't typically play this week and that may not bode well for him in the end. It seems the injury sustained a couple of years ago has really deprived Akers of his potential. He belongs on the waiver wire at the moment until we see how Houston manages their depth chart.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Cooper Rush Aug 25 2:13am ET
Cooper Rush

Dynasty | Cowboys quarterback Trey Lance completed 33-of-49 passes for 323 yards with one touchdown, adding 90 rushing yards and another score in the Cowboys preseason finale. Dynasty Analysis: He also threw five interceptions. Yep. FIVE. This was as mixed a bag as you can find with a quarterback line and it matches his performance. Lance made great plays in both the run and pass game but a lot of it was wasted by mistakes. It's clear he has immense talent and also evident he's still reckless at times. Dallas has a decision to make but at this point it seems his roster spot is safe. It's hard to make a case for Lance on a dynasty roster if he gets beat out by Cooper Rush.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Bryce Young Aug 25 2:10am ET
Bryce Young

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young completed six of his eight throws for 70 yards and a touchdown in the team's preseason win over the Buffalo Bills. Young played just the initial drive, distributing the ball around to five different receivers before eventually finding Jordan Matthews for an eight-yard touchdown to cap it off. This was Young's first and only preseason action, as the Panthers have relied primarily on QBs Jack Plummer and Jake Luton in their previous games. While it's an encouraging performance from Young, his fantasy relevance will be seen mainly in 2QB/Superflex leagues, barring a vast improvement from last season's performances to be considered a QB1 in fantasy.

From RotoBaller

Malachi Corley Aug 24 11:50pm ET
Malachi Corley

New York Jets wide receiver Malachi Corley was held to one catch on three targets for five yards in Saturday night's preseason win over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Corley hardly played in two-receiver sets with the Jets' backups on Saturday against the Giants, but it's also possible that means the team already has an eye toward fairly significant snaps for him in the regular season, as most of the team's starters were inactive altogether in this one. As it stands, the 22-year-old rookie third-rounder is in line to share snaps in the slot in Year 1 with the likes of Xavier Gipson and perhaps Allen Lazard on occasions New York opts for a power slot weapon. Corley has a long way to go to carve out fantasy relevance in most leagues, as he projects to be quarterback Aaron Rodgers' No. 4 or No. 5 target the majority of the time.

From RotoBaller

Jason Brownlee Aug 24 11:40pm ET
Jason Brownlee

New York Jets wide receiver Jason Brownlee caught three of his five passes for 29 yards in Saturday night's preseason win over the New York Giants in the Meadowlands. Brownlee produced a long gain of 16 yards through the air in Saturday's victory over the Giants. The 25-year-old former Southern Mississippi standout hardly played for the Jets in his rookie season in 2023, coming down with five of his eight passes for 56 yards and a touchdown in seven appearances, and Brownlee will likely be buried on New York's depth chart once again if he makes the roster in 2024.

From RotoBaller

Xazavian Valladay Aug 24 11:30pm ET
Xazavian Valladay

New York Jets running back Xazavian Valladay soaked up plenty of reps in Saturday night's preseason win over the New York Giants in East Rutherford, rushing a team-high 14 times for 28 yards and collecting six of his eight targets for a team-leading 62 yards. Valladay hauled in plenty of checkdowns on Saturday against the Giants, totaling 90 yards on a substantial 20 touches. It was more or less window dressing for the 25-year-old Arizona State product, who is unlikely to be a part of New York's 53-man roster when the regular season begins in what has become a loaded Jets RB room.

From RotoBaller

Denzel Ward Aug 24 11:20pm ET
Denzel Ward

Cleveland Browns defensive back Denzel Ward (concussion) plans to continue playing football despite suffering the fifth concussion of his career earlier this month in training camp. Ward picked up the injury on Aug. 12 during a 1-on-1 drill after hitting his head on the ground, completing an attempted tackle on wide receiver Elijah Moore. The 27-year-old -- who remains in concussion protocol -- was wearing a protective guardian cap during the drill. If he gets cleared for the Browns' home opener against the Dallas Cowboys in two weeks, it will have been nearly a month on the shelf for him. The veteran cornerback is not taking his injury lightly, nor has he with any of his concussions. "I have looked into a few helmets," Ward said. "I'm going to look into it more. I've been talking to the equipment staff...so definitely got to see about getting sized for one and see if I like it, how I feel out there on the field." Ward's return would be a big boost for a Cleveland defensive unit that is also down starting defensive back Greg Newsome II after he underwent hamstring surgery a week before training camp.

From RotoBaller

Israel Abanikanda Aug 24 11:20pm ET
Israel Abanikanda

New York Jets running back Israel Abanikanda picked up 83 yards with a touchdown in Saturday night's preseason win over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, doing so on only nine carries in the victory. He added a six-yard reception. Abanikanda shed multiple tackles on his way to the end zone in the second quarter, rushing 45 yards down the field for the score. The 21-year-old former fifth-round pick may have locked down a spot on New York's final 53-man roster ahead of the regular season with Saturday's performance against the Giants, but he'll likely slot in as the Jets' No. 4 option in the backfield behind workhorse starter Breece Hall, considering rookies Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis were held out of action in this one.

From RotoBaller

Trey Lance Aug 24 11:00pm ET
Trey Lance

The Dallas Cowboys wrapped up their preseason Saturday evening 1-2 with a 26-19 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Quarterback Trey Lance played the entire game and was the subject of a post-game interview with Jerry Jones. "I saw some good, and I saw some things you'd like to have back," Jones said of the former third-overall pick. "Certainly, we're planning on him being on our roster for sure." The Cowboys' owner also noted that he does not regret spending a fourth-round pick to acquire the 24-year-old last August from the San Francisco 49ers. Lance finishes his preseason by completing 73-of-113 passes for 662 yards, two touchdowns, and five interceptions. He also racked up 168 yards rushing and an additional two scores on 24 carries. He'll open the year as Dallas' QB3, as the Cowboys will be one of the only teams to roster a third option. For now, he's a nice stash in dynasty formats but offers little value elsewhere.

From RotoBaller

Devontez Walker Aug 24 10:40pm ET
Devontez Walker

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Devontez Walker capped off the preseason in a lackluster way just like the rest of his training camp and preseason has gone. The rookie out of North Carolina caught one of his two targets for four yards against the Packers on Saturday which left him with a total of the exact same for the entire preseason. He was only targeted one other time and didn't catch that one. Walker has been dealing with a lot of injury issues through camp, so he was on and off the field for a lot of it. As it stands currently, he doesn't seem to be in line for a prominent role right away while Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor are still the top three on the depth chart. Walker will need to battle Deonte Harty and Tylan Wallace for snaps after the starting trio.

From RotoBaller

Darnell Mooney Aug 24 10:30pm ET
Darnell Mooney

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney impressed during training camp and is the team's clear WR2 heading into the 2024 season. Matt Urben of Falcons Wire said that Mooney and tight end Kyle Pitts "continued to make plays as they have throughout training camp" during the final scrimmage at Wednesday's open practice. The fifth-year wideout did not get a lick of preseason action yet finds himself as the clear-cut second option in the Falcons' wide receiver corps. He'll still have Bijan Robinson and Drake London to vie against for targets, as well as Pitts. However, Mooney holds a bit of appeal despite potentially being the fourth option in his offense. A fully healthy Kirk Cousins will be a big boost to the entire unit, and Mooney is far and away the cheapest option of this group in fantasy drafts. He's Yahoo!'s WR70 in ADP and a strong target in best ball drafts.

From RotoBaller

Mike Tomlin Aug 24 10:20pm ET
Mike Tomlin

The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to announce their starting quarterback at the end of the upcoming work week, head coach Mike Tomlin said following the team's final preseason game Saturday. Rather than make the decision now, Tomlin wants to let Russell Wilson and Justin Fields showcase themselves during intrateam competition over the next few days. "We've got three days of Steelers versus Steelers work and why not do it then?" Tomlin said when justifying his choice. "It kind of minimizes the Steelers versus Steelers work when we start making decisions prior to the completion of that." While a final decision may truly still be up in the air, it should be noted that Wilson started the final preseason game, going 2-for-2 with 26 passing yards. Fields relieved him, completing three of four passes for 40 yards through the air. Both quarterbacks led scoring drives in the effort. As of now, Wilson seems to have an edge on the competition, but there's still plenty of opportunity for Fields to win the job (over the next few days or during the regular season).

From RotoBaller

Darius Robinson Aug 24 10:20pm ET
Darius Robinson

Arizona Cardinals defensive end Darius Robinson (calf) could miss multiple weeks after injuring himself during practice on Thursday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. There's a real chance that Robinson, a rookie, could be placed on injured reserve. Such a transaction would leave Robinson off the field for the first four weeks of the regular season. That's a crushing blow for the first-round lineman who recently drew the praise of head coach Jonathan Gannon and was expected to be a major contributor on defense this season. Robinson tallied 43 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks during his final season at Missouri last year.

From RotoBaller

Tylan Wallace Aug 24 10:10pm ET
Tylan Wallace

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Tylan Wallace found the end zone in the team's preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. The Oklahoma State product caught his lone target of the day for a 48-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the second quarter's opening drive. Wallace has flashed some big play ability a couple of times on the professional stage like his game-winning punt return for a touchdown last season. With Odell Beckham Jr. gone, Wallace may see a little more time on the field behind the starting trio, but he's still competing with rookie Devontez Walker and former Buffalo Bill Deonte Harty. Wallace may even have to compete with Harty for punt returning opportunities, so his fantasy relevance isn't too high heading into the new season.

From RotoBaller

Taysom Hill Aug 24 10:00pm ET
Taysom Hill

New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill is expected to have a considerable role in the team's red zone rushing game plan, as per Luke Johnson of NOLA.com. "Game speed is obviously different than practice speed, but the Saints' improved run game looks like it's applied to the red zone as well...and though we didn't see it Friday, Hill should continue to have a huge role in that area of the field." Hill is one of the more versatile NFL athletes in recent history and though he is listed as a tight end, it appears he aims to take a good deal of work from the backfield this season. It will be interesting to see exactly how Klint Kubiak will deploy him in 2024, but as he is a member of the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, it wouldn't be surprising to see Hill used innovatively. He is Yahoo!'s TE19 in drafts and could provide great value if he has a rushing load like last year. The 34-year-old would become a more intriguing fantasy asset should he garner positional eligibility at running back.

From RotoBaller