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Falcons place RT Kaleb McGary on season-ending IR

Tue Aug 26 5:40pm ET
Field Level Media

After suffering a lower left leg injury during practice last week, Atlanta Falcons starting right tackle Kaleb McGary was placed on injured reserve Tuesday and will miss the entire 2025 season.

McGary agreed to a two-year, $30 million extension with the Falcons in early August. He's played 93 games and made 92 starts over six seasons in Atlanta, and was expected to be the blindside protector for lefty starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. this season.

It's another blow to the Falcons' offensive line depth as swing tackle Storm Norton also will start the season on the IR with a designated-to-return tag due to an ankle injury which required surgery and will sideline him for six to eight weeks.

The Falcons reportedly made their first move to address these tackle depth issues on Tuesday by trading a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for second-year offensive lineman Michael Jerrell.

Jerrell, who turned 26 on Aug. 18, appeared in 10 games (three starts) as a rookie for the Seahawks, primarily playing right tackle. The Seahawks selected him in the sixth round of the 2024 draft out of Findlay College.

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Player Notes
Marquez Valdes-Scantling Aug 26 6:57pm ET
Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Dynasty | The Seahawks have released wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Dynasty Analysis: Seattle really wanted MVS to be part of things this year but Tory Horton outplayed him and sewed up the WR3 job behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp early in camp. Since he doesn't contribute on special teams, Seattle had to eat about $3 million and cut him loose. MVS should find work elsewhere as a situational deep threat but this was a disappointment.

Dillon Gabriel Aug 26 6:56pm ET
Dillon Gabriel

Dynasty | The Browns have named Dillon Gabriel their QB2. Dynasty Analysis: Gabriel wasn't great this season but the Browns saw enough of him and Shedeur Sanders to apparently feel confident enough to ship Kenny Pickett to the Raiders. Should something happen to Joe Flacco, it seems now set in stone that Gabriel would be the next man up and Sanders may not even be active on game days outside of being an emergency replacement. Gabriel has been the better roster stash all along and this solidifies it, though he really hasn't looked like an NFL quarterback as of yet.

Trey Palmer Aug 26 6:54pm ET
Trey Palmer

Dynasty | The Tampa Bay Bucs have released wide receiver Trey Palmer. Dynasty Analysis: Palmer has had some nice moments but also had no chance at playing time behind Mike Evans, Chris Godwin or Emeka Egbuka when they're all healthy, so this could be a good thing. A deep roster stash in many leagues, Palmer will look to latch on elsewhere later this week. He could still be kept in deep leagues as we see what happens with him in the coming days.

Desmond Ridder Aug 26 6:54pm ET
Desmond Ridder

Dynasty | Quarterback Desmond Ridder was released by the Cincinnati Bengals. Dynasty Analysis: Ridder was a one-time starter in Atlanta but failed to live up to expectations. He was battling Jake Browning to be the backup to Joe Burrow but it didn't work out for him in the end. Ridder should find work elsewhere but he can be dropped in any league, including deep superflex formats.

Jonathan Mingo Aug 26 6:53pm ET
Jonathan Mingo

Dynasty | The Dallas Cowboys have placed wide receiver Jonathan Mingo on IR with a designation to return. Dynasty Analysis: It sounds like he's going to be out 4-6 weeks. While still a bit of a deep league sleeper, Mingo just hasn't looked great over the past two seasons. The Cowboys will go with CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Tolbert and George Pickens to start the year and it's tough to see Mingo making much of a difference after catching just five passes for them after being traded mid-year from the Panthers. Mingo is a tough hold in dynasty leagues, despite being a second round pick not long ago.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire Aug 26 6:53pm ET
Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Dynasty | The Saints have released running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Dynasty Analysis: It's another tough break for the one-time first round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs. CEH has been plagued by injuries, ineffectiveness and an unfortunate battle with PTSD that has simply derailed his career. The Saints could bring him back but he's clearly behind Alvin Kamara, Devin Neal and Kendre Miller, making him value-less in dynasty leagues.

Tommy DeVito Aug 26 6:53pm ET
Tommy DeVito

Dynasty | The Giants have released quarterback Tommy DeVito. Dynasty Analysis: The Giants were always destined to keep Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Jaxson Dart in the end but DeVito gave it his best shot. He's shown some ability through the years but may need to find a practice squad to get a second shot. At this point, he has no business on dynasty rosters.

Blake Watson Aug 26 6:52pm ET
Blake Watson

Dynasty | The Broncos have released running back Blake Watson. Dynasty Analysis: A dynasty rookie darling at this time a year ago, Watson couldn't unseat Jaleel McLaughlin or Tyler Badie (at least at the moment) to crack the roster of the Broncos. He seems like a player who could resurface on another roster, especially as it seemed there was some teams rumored to be interested in trading for him prior to him spraining his knee this week. Dynasty managers should keep their eye on him but he's no longer a priority on rosters.

Kenny Pickett Aug 26 6:52pm ET
Kenny Pickett

Dynasty | The Browns have traded quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Raiders. Dynasty Analysis: We pretty much called this one in our player news updates over the last 24 hours after Aidan O'Connell fractured his wrist. The Raiders needed a backup quarterback, the Browns really didn't need four signal callers and it just made too much sense. Pickett has been banged up over the off-season and Cleveland apparently saw enough from Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel to feel comfortable having a fifth round pick instead. Pickett's dynasty value will fall now that he has no chance of starting without a Geno Smith injury and those who took a chance on Gabriel or Sanders could be rewarded.

Royce Freeman Aug 26 6:52pm ET
Royce Freeman

Dynasty | The Bears have released running back Royce Freeman. Dynasty Analysis: It looks like Chicago is going to go with Kyle Monangai to back up D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson this year. As for Freeman, he's starting to run out of chances. After spending time with Denver, Carolina, Houston and the Rams without ever really showing much in long stretches, Freeman has no business being on dynasty rosters. Such is life for running backs, even those who were once thought of very highly in dynasty circles.

Bailey Zappe Aug 26 6:52pm ET
Bailey Zappe

Dynasty | The Chiefs have released quarterback Bailey Zappe. Dynasty Analysis: Zappe just hasn't been able to recapture the magic he once had in a stretch with New England years ago. After spending time with Cleveland last year, he failed to beat out Gardner Minshew for the backup job to Patrick Mahomes this year. Zappe should land on his feet somewhere as a developmental backup-type but his dynasty value has cratered.

Amari Cooper Aug 26 6:51pm ET
Amari Cooper

Dynasty | The Raiders have signed wide receiver Amari Cooper. Dynasty Analysis: It's a fun reunion of sorts for Cooper, who started his career with the Raiders back in 2015. After spending his first three and half years in Silver and Black, Cooper has spent time with the Cowboys, Browns, and Bills over the past few seasons. He isn't the same player he once was, but Cooper is an interesting addition to a depth chart with Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, and not much else proven for Geno Smith. While tight end Brock Bowers should remain the top target in the offense, Cooper has a real chance to provide some value in dynasty leagues this year and his ADP will rise yet again with the move.

Harrison Bryant Aug 26 6:40pm ET
Harrison Bryant

The Houston Texans released tight end Harrison Bryant on Tuesday despite acquiring him from the Philadelphia Eagles as part of last week's trade for wide receiver John Metchie III, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Bryant will be searching for his third team of the year after signing with the Eagles back in March. The 27-year-old has never been much of a pass-catcher at his position, as he's accumulated only 98 receptions for 877 yards and 10 touchdowns on 140 targets in his five years in the NFL. He was originally drafted in the fourth round (115th overall) by the Cleveland Browns in 2020 out of Florida Atlantic. Bryant spent his first four years in the league with the Browns, catching 89 of 128 targets for 791 yards and 10 touchdowns in 65 games (30 starts). He caught only nine balls for 86 yards and no scores in 13 games (three starts) for the Raiders in 2024.

From RotoBaller

Tetairoa McMillan Aug 26 6:20pm ET
Tetairoa McMillan

Carolina Panthers rookie first-round wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (hamstring) returned to practice on Tuesday after missing some time last week with a minor hamstring issue, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. It's great news for the 22-year-old pass-catcher out of Arizona, as he should be just fine to begin his first year in the NFL with a Week 1 meeting against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 7. McMillan appeared to be the real deal during training camp this summer and already seems to have a pretty good connection with quarterback Bryce Young. The eighth overall pick could easily lead the Panthers receivers in catches, targets and yardage in his first season in the league, especially if Carolina trades veteran Adam Thielen. If Young continues to improve after a strong second half in 2024, McMillan absolutely could function as a strong WR2 in fantasy.

From RotoBaller

Foster Moreau Aug 26 6:20pm ET
Foster Moreau

New Orleans Saints tight ends Taysom Hill (knee) and Foster Moreau (knee) are both recovering from torn ACLs suffered last season and are starting on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list, according to Ross Jackson of Locked On Saints. Both Hill and Moreau will be required to at least miss the first four games of the 2025 season, and based on a recent report from the team, they both might not be ready to make their season debuts when Week 5 rolls around on Oct. 5 against the New York Giants. The 35-year-old Hill can do it all for the Saints offense, but it's unclear exactly how he'll be used when he finally returns under new head coach Kellen Moore. Hill suffered his torn ACL in Week 13 of last year and can be ignored in fantasy drafts in 12-team leagues. Juwan Johnson will be the team's top pass-catching TE to open the year, but he won't draw much fantasy attention given the team's weak QB situation.

From RotoBaller

Brandon Aiyuk Aug 26 6:13pm ET
Brandon Aiyuk

Dynasty | The 49ers have placed wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk on the PUP list. Dynasty Analysis: As a result, Aiyuk will be ineligible to play the first month of the season. This was expected all along but leaves San Francisco woefully thin at the position. Aiyuk should bring back WR2 value the back-end of the season but his ADP isn't rising again until we see him come back to pre-injury form at some point.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Christian Watson Aug 26 6:10pm ET
Christian Watson

The Green Bay Packers officially placed wide receiver Christian Watson (knee) on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list on Tuesday, according to Packers.com writer Wes Hodkiewicz. This was always the expectation for Watson after he tore the ACL in his right knee in the Week 18 regular-season finale late last year, and now it's official. The move means that the 26-year-old will miss at least the first four games of the 2025 campaign despite the fact that he was getting glowing reviews during his rehab during training camp this summer. His first chance to make his season debut will come in Week 6 on Oct. 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals -- the Packers have a bye in Week 5. Green Bay is probably going to ease Watson back when he's ready, so fantasy managers in 12-team leagues can probably stay away for now, especially given the crowded nature of the team's receiving room.

From RotoBaller

Jauan Jennings Aug 26 6:00pm ET
Jauan Jennings

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (calf) has not practiced with the team since July 27 due to a calf injury, but as expected, he remained on the active roster during cutdown day on Tuesday, according to NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco. However, there is really no clarity with Jennings, and there's no immediate word of any kind of contract resolution as he seeks a contract extension as he enters the second season of a two-year, $15.3 million deal. Maiocco writes that Jennings' status for Week 1 against the division-rival Seattle Seahawks remains "murky." It's unclear if Jennings has sat out of practices because of his contract situation or his injury, but either way, his lack of activity this summer has made him more of a risky WR4/5 fantasy pick. Meanwhile, Ricky Pearsall is gaining steam as a potential breakout candidate at the cost of a WR4/flex.

From RotoBaller

Bilal Nichols Aug 26 5:43pm ET
Bilal Nichols

Arizona Cardinals OL Hayden Conner (knee), OL Christian Jones (knee) and LB J.J. Russell (head, neck) were placed on the Reserve/Injured list on Tuesday, Aug. 26. Conner and Jones have already been designated for return, however. In addition, the team also placed DL Bilal Nichols (neck), DL Walter Nolen III (calf) and LB B.J. Ojulari (knee) on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list. OL Will Hernandez was also activated from the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list.

From TheHuddle

Dillon Gabriel Aug 26 5:40pm ET
Dillon Gabriel

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed on Tuesday that rookie third-round quarterback Dillon Gabriel will begin the season as the team's No. 2 QB behind veteran starter Joe Flacco, according to Zac Jackson of The Athletic. Gabriel was ahead of fifth-round rookie signal-caller Shedeur Sanders on the team's QB depth chart for all of training camp and the preseason, and he'll now be the primary backup to Flacco to begin his first NFL season after Cleveland traded Kenny Pickett (hamstring) to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday. Gabriel, 24, dealt with a hamstring injury of his own during camp but was able to play in the final two preseason games and edge out Sanders for the backup role. He went 25-for-37 for 272 yards, one touchdown and a pick in two preseason games. The Browns might be in serious trouble if Gabriel or Sanders make any starts in 2025.

From RotoBaller