NFL Player News

Bond caught two of his three targets for 12 yards in Thursday night's 22-20 preseason loss to the Raiders.

Bond was targeted only three times, but he participated in 47 percent of the Texans' offensive snaps. The sixth-round rookie had a strong performance in OTAs and appears to be getting a healthy dose of preseason snaps to continue to prove himself. With Jayden Higgins (knee) being placed on season-ending injured reserve, Bond may have a chance to see consistent snaps at wide receiver during the regular season.

Waller won't play in Friday's preseason contest at Jacksonville, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Waller officially signed with the Panthers on Monday, at which time coach Dave Canales told Mike Kaye of ESPN.com that the tight end wasn't likely to practice fully at Wednesday's joint session with the Jaguars. Carolina thus is easing the 33-year-old into the mix with his new squad, but once Waller is up to speed he'll join Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans and Ja'Tavion Sanders as the players at the position available to QB Bryce Young.

Klein caught three of four targets for 31 yards in Thursday night's 22-20 preseason loss to the Raiders.

Klein's second career preseason game was similar to his first, as the tight end accumulated exactly 31 receiving yards again. The second-round rookie was targeted three more times than against the Chargers, catching two more passes. Klein logged 31 total snaps, playing 33 percent of the Texans' offensive snaps as well as 35 percent of the special-teams volume as a blocker.

Fairbairn converted both field-goal attempts and both extra-point tries in Thursday night's 22-20 preseason loss to the Raiders.

Fairbairn's longest field goal came in the second quarter, with the 57-yarder propelling the Texans to a 20-3 lead. The kicker's eight-point night should leave Texans fans confident the 32-year-old still has a strong and consistent leg as the team enters yet another year of AFC title contention.

Jones is signing a contract with the Texans after completing a tryout with the team Friday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Jones and Sterling Shepard are joining Houston after the Texans lost Jayden Higgins for the season due to a torn ACL. In eight regular-season contests with the Cardinals in 2025, Jones hauled in 12 of 18 targets for 183 yards and no touchdowns.

Shepard is signing with Houston after trying out with the team Friday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

With Jayden Higgins lost for the season due to a torn ACL, Houston is adding veteran depth at wide receiver in the form of Shepard and Zay Jones. Shepard caught 39 passes for 371 yards and a touchdown across 13 games for the Buccaneers in 2025, but his path to a meaningful role will depend on where he slots into the Texans' receiving mix.

The Texans placed Higgins (knee) on injured reserve Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

It officially ends Higgins' 2026 season before it even got started after he suffered a torn ACL in practice earlier this week. It's a huge blow to the Houston offense, as Higgins was fully expected to handle WR2 duties opposite Nico Collins this season. The Texans will now turn to some combination of Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel (hamstring/finger) and Tank Dell (knee), though they've also checked in on available wideouts around the league, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. Higgins will rehab throughout the season and should be ready well ahead of Week 1 of the 2027 campaign.

The Rams have expanded Ferguson's route tree this summer now that he's more comfortable with the playbook in his second season, Nate Atkins of The Athletic reports.

Ferguson has been one of the biggest playmakers at Rams camp, and with Puka Nacua dealing with a groin injury that has forced him to miss multiple practices, Ferguson is getting more reps and targets with Matthew Stafford. After being used as a part-time field-stretcher at tight end as a rookie, Ferguson has seen reps out wide, in the slot and attached to the line during training camp. With little experienced pass-catching depth behind Nacua and Davante Adams, the Rams are looking for a third piece in the passing offense, and Ferguson appears to be running with the opportunity. He's gaining steam in fantasy football as a late-round option.

Coach Mike Macdonald said Bobo sustained a "serious" knee injury in Friday's joint practice with the Titans, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Bobo will undergo an MRI to confirm the injury, but Macdonald said early indications are it's a long-term injury for the wide receiver. Bobo had just returned from a hamstring injury last week, and it now looks like his 2026 season is in jeopardy. Tory Horton (undisclosed) and sixth-round rookie Emmanuel Henderson will be next up for snaps at wideout behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed and Cooper Kupp.

Kolar and David Njoku both started Thursday's preseason game against San Francisco. Kolar finished with one catch for nine yards on eight snaps.

Njoku played just five snaps without seeing a target. Oronde Gadsden, meanwhile, wasn't spotted until the second quarter. Gadsden might be the team's best receiving threat at the position, but there's a real chance that the Week 1 snap counts reflect a preseason depth chart with Njoku and Kolar listed as co-starters. It doesn't look like an especially friendly situation for fantasy managers, with targets potentially split between three TEs in an offense that also uses a fullback at times. Kolar, in particular, isn't likely to see much playing time in clear passing situations, which makes mainstream fantasy relevance unlikely.