NFL Player News

Mingo caught two of his five targets for 40 yards and rushed once for three yards during Sunday's 47-10 loss to the Saints.

Mingo's sophomore campaign got off to a rocky start, as the 2023 second-round pick fumbled his first touch on an end-around in the second quarter. He rebounded fairly well, as Mingo caught two passes for 40 yards in the second half, including a 35-yard reception that helped set up Carolina's only touchdown. Despite finishing second on the Panthers in receiving yards, Mingo played just 33 offensive snaps, fewer than Adam Thielen (41), Diontae Johnson (39) and Xavier Legette (35). Even if Mingo takes a step forward in 2024, his ceiling appears limited by a Carolina offense that struggled badly in Week 1.

Boutte didn't record any snaps in the Patriots' 16-10 season-opening win over the Bengals on Sunday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

While DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, Tyquan Thornton and Ja'Lynn Polk each logged between 35 and 40 snaps in Week 1, Boutte didn't see any action versus Cincinnati. He's off the fantasy radar for now, which can also be said for 2024 fourth-rounder Javon Baker, who was a healthy scratch Sunday.

Jefferson secured one of two targets for one yard during Sunday's 18-10 win over Atlanta.

Jefferson was on the field for 72 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps Sunday, which ranked first among the team's wide receivers, but he didn't draw many targets from interim starting quarterback Justin Fields as the passing game struggled to get going. Jefferson appeared in 17 games between the Rams and Falcons last year, securing 20 of 43 targets for 209 yards while rushing once for four yards. He appears to be in line to serve as the Steelers' No. 2 option at wide receiver early in 2024, but the team's passing attack may not be proficient enough to make him a reliable fantasy option.

Thornton, who was on the field for 38 of 65 snaps on offense in the Patriots' 16-10 season-opening win over the Bengals on Sunday, caught two of his three targets for 27 yards, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Thornton was in the Patriots' starting lineup along with DeMario Douglas (39 snaps) and K.J. Osborn (40 snaps), whilerookie second-rounder Ja'Lynn Polk was also out there for 35 snaps in Week 1. Though Thornton appears to be carving out a steady role in the team's passing offense in 2024, he won't be a reliable fantasy lineup option until or unless he sees consistent looks from QB Jacoby Brissett, or 2024 third overall pick Drake Maye once he takes the reins.

Austin secured one of two targets for seven yards during Sunday's 18-10 win over Atlanta.

The Steelers' offense struggled to generate much production during Sunday's low-scoring matchup, but Austin was one of three wide receivers to draw at least one target. Austin impressed during offseason activities, but it's unclear whether he'll develop into a fantasy-relevant option in 2024 after securing 17 of 30 targets for 180 yards and a touchdown while appearing in every game last year.

Polk was on the field for 35 of 65 snaps on offense in the Patriots' 16-10 season-opening win over the Bengals on Sunday, catching his only target for six yards, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

The Patriots opened with DeMario Douglas (39 snaps) , K.J. Osborn (40 snaps) and Tyquan Thornton (38 snaps) as their starting wideouts Sunday, but Polk also saw his share of time on the field in his NFL debut. As the season rolls along, Polk's involvement in the passing game should increase, but for the time being he's purely a speculative play for fantasy purposes.

Turpin failed to catch his only target but produced 130 return yards in Sunday's win over the Browns, including a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown.

It's the first career return TD for the dynamic 28-year-old. Turpin's 96 punt return yards Sunday already exceeds his total from all of 2023, and he took advantage of the NFL's new rules to jet 34 yards on his lone kickoff return. The big performance will likely remind other teams why they stopped kicking the ball to Turpin last year, but as he has shown in his cameos on offense -- four TDs on only 27 career touches -- he's capable of scoring anytime he gets the ball in his hands.

Osborn, who was on the field for 40 of 65 snaps on offense in the Patriots' 16-10 season-opening win over the Bengals on Sunday, caught three of his six targets for 21 yards, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

The former Viking was in the team's starting lineup along with Tyquan Thornton (38 snaps) and DeMario Douglas (39) and saw a nearly identical workload, while 2024 second-rounder Ja'Lynn Polk (35 snaps) was also firmly in the mix. Osborn led the team in targets, however. New England's target distribution could be fluid early on this season as the offense adapts to a flood of new faces, including Osborn, Polk, QB Jacoby Brissett and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. For now, Osborn's fantasy utility seems limited to deeper formats.

Nacua is scheduled to undergo testing Monday after he exited Sunday's 26-20 overtime loss to the Lions with a right knee injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The wideout caught four passes (on seven targets) for 35 yards and added seven yards on one carry before he landed hard on his knee following a second-quarter reception and left the game. After getting evaluated on the sideline, Nacua checked back in for a few plays but eventually headed back to the bench and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest. The upcoming tests should shed more light on the nature of his injury, but Nacua's issue is with the same knee that bothered him in training camp and the preseason, when he was held out of practices for much of August due to what head coach Sean McVay labeled as a bursa sac issue. The Rams are back in action Sunday in Arizona, and a potential Nacua absence would likely mean more volume for Cooper Kupp as the clear No. 1 wideout. Demarcus Robinson, who caught four passes (on seven targets) for 42 yards against the Lions, would likely take on a bigger role as well, while Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington also could get additional opportunities.

Darden returned five punts for 72 yards and four kickoffs for 97 yards in Sunday's 33-17 loss to Dallas in Week 1. He did not play on offense.

Darden, who was signed to the roster Saturday as a replacement for the waived David Bell, became the team's primary returner for all kicks. His addition paid early dividends when his 28-yard punt return in the first quarter led to a field goal, giving Cleveland its only lead of the game. Darden has been with the organization since the Browns claimed him late in the 2022 season but has appeared in only four games. The NFL's rule changes to inject new life into kickoff returns could make Darden a fixture on the game-day roster in 2024, however.