NFL Player News

Boutte logged 16 snaps in Thursday's preseason opener against the Colts.

Boutte wasn't targeted in the contest. However, what's more notable is that he suited up while A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and slot man DeMario Douglas, who are listed as first-teamers on New England's unofficial depth chart, were held held out of the game along with a number of other skill players, while Boutte, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism all saw action in the contest. As long as Boutte -- who has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate -- stays with the Patriots, his path to targets looks murky, at least as long as Brown and Doubs are healthy.

Coach Kellen Moore acknowledged that Tyson's right hamstring injury "could" linger into the start of the regular season, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

"We've just got to let these experts evaluate this and then we'll put together a plan," Moore said. "Not going to jump to conclusions. I don't have a doctor in front of my name, so I'm not going to jump to put together a timeline on it." Tyson -- who is reportedly seeking multiple opinions, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network -- was injured in practice Thursday and has dealt with hamstring issues in the past. If he's unable to play Week 1 against the Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13, the Saints would need to lean more on Devaughn Vele and rookie Bryce Lance behind Chris Olave.

Samuel did not play in Thursday night's preseason opener against the Titans.

Samuel joined Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey (undisclosed), Mike Evans (quadriceps) and a host of other injured Niners in street clothes against Tennessee. Samuel is 30 years old and just signed with the team two weeks ago. He's expected to push Christian Kirk (calf) and rookie De'Zhaun Stribling for targets alongside Evans this season.

Coach Kellen Moore confirmed Friday that Tyson is dealing with a right hamstring injury, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Tyson missed time over the spring with an injury but was cleared for the start of training camp last month. He has an injury history with the hamstring, but Moore indicated the new injury isn't related to the one Tyson dealt with prior to the 2026 Draft. The Saints are gathering more information, with Moore noting that the team "will know more in the next few days," but it sounds like Tyson could be dealing with a multi-week injury as Week 1 approaches. New Orleans kicks off its regular season with a road game against the Lions on Sept. 13.

Williams did not play in Thursday night's preseason opener against the Bengals.

The Lions rested their key starters, including Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta. Aside from trading David Montgomery, not much has changed in terms of offensive personnel for Detroit in 2026, though the team does have a new play caller in OC Drew Petzing. After posting a 65-1,117-7 line across 17 regular-season games last season, Williams will remain a focal point of the pass offense.

Douglas was among the Patriots' key skill players who didn't play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Colts, Mark Daniels of masslive.com reports.

Also in that category were the team's top two WRs, A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, while Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams all saw action in the contest. Douglas is listed as a first-teamer along with Brown and Doubs on New England's unofficial depth chart, and it looks like he could be poised for an uptick in snaps/targets out of the slot this coming season after seeing his catch total in 2025 drop to 31 following a 66-catch effort in 2024. In that scenario, the 2023 sixth-rounder has a chance to resurface as a fantasy option in deeper PPR-friendly formats.

Brown was among the Patriots' key skill players who didn't see action in Thursday's preseason opener against the Colts, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.

Also in that category were QB Drake Maye, fellow WRs Romeo Doubs and DeMario Douglas, RBs Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, along with TE Hunter Henry. As the coming season approaches, Brown and Doubs are slated to be the team's top two WR options, while Douglas figures to work out of the slot in a wide-receiver corps that also includes Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams, who all saw action Thursday. In his new locale, Brown is on track to log steady volume as Maye's top target, positioning him for weekly fantasy utility in 2026.

Hollins caught two of four targets for 24 yards in Thursday's 13-13 preseason tie with the Colts.

The Patriots held their offensive starters out of the contest, including QB Drake Maye, allowing Hollins to get the start and play most of the first quarter. The veteran wideout will have a tough time carving out a significant role in 2026 as long as New England's receiving corps stays healthy, with A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and DeMario Douglas all ahead of him on the team's unofficial depth chart and Kayshon Boutte, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism also competing for WR slotting.

Bernard caught four of five targets for 51 yards in Thursday's 28-9 preseason win over the Packers.

'The rookie wideout tied tight end Robert Tonyan for the Steelers' lead in receptions, but that production came with Mason Rudolph under center as Aaron Rodgers got the night off, and the team's top two wideouts DK Metcalf (undisclosed) and Michael Pittman (leg) sidelined. While it's encouraging that Bernard took advantage of his opportunity, and he did out-produce his main competition for the WR3 role in Roman Wilson, he still has a lot to prove to land on the fantasy radar in most formats.

Golden failed to see a target in Thursday's 28-9 preseason loss to the Steelers.

The Packers began the game with most of their offensive starters on the field, including QB Jordan Love, but they all made quick exits. Golden, the 23rd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is coming off a disappointing rookie campaign in which he failed to find the end zone in 14 regular-season contests. He'll battle Christian Watson and Jayden Reed for looks from Love, but as in years past in coach Matt LaFleur's offense, who the actual top option is could change from week to week.