NFL Player News

Hardman should make significant improvements on the offensive side of the ball in 2020, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.

Hardman's 2019 rookie campaign started fairly strong, with the rookie notching a pair of touchdowns and logging hefty snap counts through the first four weeks. Unfortunately, his role dwindled down the stretch, and he finished out the year with 26 catches for 538 yards and six touchdowns. Another offseason -- albeit an unusual one -- in the Chiefs' system should give Hardman an opportunity to improve on some weaknesses, namely as a run blocker. Given Sammy Watkins' rather lackluster campaign and Hardman's efficiency as a wideout last year when he was on the field, it wouldn't be surprising to see Hardman work his way into some two-receiver sets in 2020 in addition to likely swiping away some of Demarcus Robinson's work as the third wideout.

Though the Raiders added a pair of wide receivers in the 2020 draft, Tashan Reed of the Athletic believes that Renfrow still will man the slot in the team's offense this season.

The Raiders selected Henry Ruggs the first round and Bryan Edwards in Round 3 of this past April's draft with an eye toward adding offensive playmakers to complement returnees like Renfrow, Tyrell Williams and Zay Jones, as well as free-agent addition Nelson Agholor. Renfrow, who finished the 2019 season with 49 catches for 605 yards and four TDs in 13 games, will have plenty of competition for targets this year, but as long as he's the team's preferred slot option, he should be able to retain a decent floor in PPR formats.

Smith will undergo surgery Tuesday to address a core-muscle injury, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports. He's expected to be sidelined for 5-to-8 weeks.

Before sustaining the injury over the weekend, Smith had been competing with rookie Denzel Mims for the Jets' No. 3 receiver job. With Smith's recovery from surgery set to extend into the regular season and Mims having yet to practice due to a hamstring issue, newly signed veteran Chris Hogan now is well positioned to contend for a regular spot in three-receiver sets alongside Breshad Perriman and Jamison Crowder.

Chris Mason of masslive.com noted Monday that Harry "looks to have slimmed down from his rookie season."

As Mason points out, the wideout -- who is officially listed at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds -- has "always been in very good shape, but may be training differently for his sophomore year." Harry's initial NFL campaign was stalled by an ankle injury, and the No. 32 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft recorded just 12 catches for 105 yards and two TDs in seven regular-season games. Now healthy and fit, he's poised to be in the mix for plenty of snaps this season, along with top pass-catching option Julian Edelman and veteran bounce-back candidate Mohamed Sanu. With long-time franchise signal-caller Tom Brady no longer in the mix, Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham are competing for the team's No. 1 QB job, and Harry's fantasy upside in 2020 largely will hinge on the chemistry he develops with Brady's successor.

Jefferson has caught coach Sean McVay's eye thus far in training camp, Cameron DeSilva of USA Today reports.

In particular, McVay noted the rookie's separation skills, body control, work ethic and attention to detail in meetings. The praise shouldn't be surprising, though. Jefferson's father was a 13-year pro and now is wide receivers coach for the Jets, and the Florida alum's route running was a highlighted strength leading into the 2020 NFL Draft. Additionally, Jefferson appears to be fully recovered from the foot surgery he underwent this past March. Still, with an unprecedented offseason and no preseason games, it's difficult to project the rookie's fantasy outlook. As it stands, Jefferson should carve out a role over the course of the season while battling fourth-year receiver Josh Reynolds for playing time as the No. 3 wideout on the depth chart behind Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods.

Coach Kliff Kingsbury relayed Monday that he expects Hopkins (hamstring) to return to practice soon, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

Hopkins has now missed two straight practices due to a sore hamstring, but the Cardinals are downplaying the star wideout's issue and don't expect it to linger. Once he's back on the field, Hopkins will look to continue building his rapport with QB Kyler Murray in advance of Week 1.

Evans and new quarterback Tom Brady have repeatedly connected on impressive completions during early training camp practices, Carmen Vitali of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

The arrival of Brady was naturally expected to be a boon for Evans' fantasy prospects, but the confirmation provided in practice is certainly welcome. Evans has made several difficult catches look easy in the first few throwing sessions of camp, and the Pro-Bowl receiver has worked open on multiple occasions when Brady's initial reads haven't been there. Vitali separately reports Evans also impressed with a one-handed catch from Brady on Sunday, lending credence to the notion the work the two put in during informal workouts at Berkeley Preparatory School in June is paying dividends.

Miller's speed and hands have already stood out over multiple training camp practices, Carmen Vitali of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

The second-year wideout is in the thick of the No. 3 receiver job battle with the likes of Justin Watson and rookie fifth-round pick Tyler Johnson, and he's making a strong early case for himself. Vitali noted Miller caught a perfect pass from Tom Brady in stride and also exploded up the field after taking a lateral from the legendary quarterback in Friday's practice. Meanwhile, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports Miller -- as opposed to other Buccaneers pass-catching luminaries such as Mike Evans, Chris Godwin or Rob Gronkowski -- was the recipient of Brady's first pass against the defense in the opening padded practice of camp Monday, with the two connecting on a deep throw. The competition for the third wideout job will likely last through training camp in the absence of preseason games, but Miller appears to be delivering an early message he'll be a force to be reckoned with.

Mims (hamstring) missed another practice Monday morning, Connor Hughes of The Athletic reports.

While the rookie second-round pick is falling behind, Mims' top competition for a starting job (Vyncint Smith) also is dealing with an injury. Smith is visiting a specialist Monday to evaluate his core muscle injury, and the Jets have signed 32-year-old Chris Hogan to provide depth in the meantime. Mims could still be in the mix for a Week 1 start if he makes it back on the practice field by the end of the month.

Davis (toe) passed a physical Monday morning and was removed from the PUP list, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

There hasn't been any suggestion of Davis not being ready for Week 1, but that doesn't mean he'll step right in as a full participant on his first day of practice. He's coming back from offseason toe surgery as he enters the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, presumably locked in for a starting job but without any assurance of steady target volume. The Titans declined the fifth-year option on his contract, following a 2019 campaign in which he was targeted only 69 times in 15 games. Davis did have career highs for catch rate (62.3 percent), yards per catch (14.0) and yards per target (8.7), but he was mostly an afterthought in the Tennessee offense once A.J. Brown broke through.