NFL Player News

Rice caught four receptions for 35 yards on five targets in Saturday's preseason game against Detroit.

Just as he did in his highly successful 2023 rookie season, Rice primarily operated from the slot and on short routes Saturday. Rice's rare short-area burst allows him to be productive on such looks, and he was close to automatic for the Chiefs on Saturday. It would help Rice's fantasy upside if he could draw some targets downfield as well, but his proficiency at racking up yards after the catch could keep him in a slot role frequently.

Worthy caught three passes for 63 yards and one touchdown on six targets in Saturday's preseason game against Detroit. He also rushed once for 11 yards.

Worthy played extensively with the first-team offense, drawing five of Patrick Mahomes' 14 passes and catching two receptions for 40 yards before catching his only Carson Wentz target for a 22-yard touchdown, a play on which he impressively got open with ease. The 21-year-old rookie still needs plenty of seasoning, and at just 5-foot-11, 165 pounds, he's also in need of further physical development. However, the Chiefs are clearly making it a priority to get Worthy involved quickly, and that should accelerate once the regular season begins.

Hill and Jaylen Waddle (undisclosed) aren't on the field for pregame warmups ahead of Saturday's preseason game against Washington, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Coach Mike McDaniel suggested most starters would play, but Waddle is banged up and Hill is a sensible exception. Few non-QBs are more important to their teams, and no player was targeted on a higher percentage of his routes in 2022 or 2023 than Hill.

Legette is not expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Jets, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

The Panthers are opting to keep the majority of their starters out of the preseason contest, including the first-round rookie. Expect Jonathan Mingo and Terrace Marshall to get a bit of playing time until roster bubble wideouts such as Ihmir Smith-Marsette, David Moore and Mike Strachan get their fair share of opportunities.

Godwin and most other starters aren't expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against Jacksonville, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Coach Todd Bowles didn't specifically name Godwin, but Bowles did say QB Baker Mayfield won't play and suggested the approach will be similar to that from Tampa's preseason opener (in which Mayfield, Godwin and many others were held out). Bowles told Stroud last week that he's leaning toward playing more starters in the third and final preseason game.

Thielen isn't expected to play in Saturday's preseason contest versus the Jets, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Thielen will be joined by fellow wideouts Diontae Johnson (groin) and Xavier Legette in street clothes this weekend, meaning Terrace Marshall, Jonathan Mingo and Ihmir Smith-Marsette, among others, will man the position. At this point in his career, Thielen, a 10-year pro, doesn't necessarily require any reps before Week 1, when he'll begin his quest to replicate his 103-1,014-4 line on 137 targets in 17 regular-season contests in 2023.

Johnson (groin) isn't slated to play in Saturday's preseason contest against the Jets, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Johnson sat out the last two practices ahead of this contest due to a strained groin, so it's no surprise that he'll remain on the sideline Saturday. He'll be joined by fellow wide receivers Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette, which leaves Jonathan Mingo, Terrace Marshall and Ihmir Smith-Marsette, among others, to get reps at the position. Johnson is ramping up for his first season in Carolina after managing between 717 and 1,161 receiving yards over the last four campaigns.

Wilson is one of the 31 Jets not expected to dress for Saturday's preseason game at Carolina, Randy Lange of NYJets.com reports.

The Jets will hold out most of their veteran starters and top backups, allowing rookies and roster-bubble players to handle most of the snaps. The list of players not expected to be in uniform includes QBs Aaron Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor, RB Breece Hall, WRs Xavier Gipson, Allen Lazard and Malik Taylor and TEs Tyler Conklin and Jeremy Ruckert. The team also held Wilson out of its first preseason game and may not play him until Week 1.

Pettis caught each of his three targets for 53 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-3 preseason win over the Bengals on Saturday.

A 2018 second-round pick, Pettis was the Bears' No. 3 receiver as recently as 2022 but didn't play in 2023 after suffering a back injury last August. He's now battling for one of the final roster spots, having caught each of his three passes Saturday in the third quarter after starting QB Caleb Williams was pulled from the game.

Burton caught his lone target for a 19-yard gain in Saturday's 27-3 preseason loss to Chicago.

Burton started and got a lot of playing time early, while Ja'Marr Chase (contract), Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas and Trenton Irwin all were rested. Higgins, Iosivas and Irwin all worked ahead of Burton in the previous preseason game, but Burton came on strong in the second half to finish with a 3-82-1 receiving line on four targets in a loss to the Bucs. While he had a quieter game Saturday against Chicago and may enter Week 1 as a backup, Burton has at least done enough to remind the Bengals why they took him in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Starting the season lower on the depth chart doesn't mean he'll stay there all year.