Roster Cuts
With NFL teams trimming down to their 53-man rosters for the start of the season, we will breakdown some of the more notable moves today.
Mike Gillislee , as I stated last week, was an expected cut by the Patriots and that came to fruition today. I don’t think it will take long for Gillislee to land a job on a new team and if he finds the right home he could be fantasy relevant at some point this season. The Pats decided to roll with Jeremy Hill as their short yardage back.
Martavis Bryant ’s messy career continued today as he was let go by the Raiders. He has been a huge disappointment and fantasy owners hoping to hit big on a last round flier may need to look elsewhere. It would not be surprising to see him find a new team, but don’t expect much out of him.
Breshad Perriman , a former first round pick by the Ravens, was let go today by the team. He has not been impressive in his career and there is not any reason to think that will change even if he finds a new team.
Dan Bailey was a surprise cut by the Cowboys as they decided to move forward with Brett Maher . Bailey has an 88.2% field goal conversion rate for his career and it should not take him long to find work. Someone is going to pick him up and make him their starting kicker.
Corey Coleman was let go by the Bills after a disappointing camp. He has flashed some talent in his career, but hasn’t shown the ability to stay healthy or consistently come down with some passes that he should. Someone is going to pick him up, but he is unlikely to make an immediate impact.
Thomas Rawls career spiral since an impressive rookie year continued today as he was unable to crack the Jets roster. This was an expected move and one that could mean the end for Rawls. If he is able to find a job somewhere it will be at the end of the depth chart. Rawls has been unable to stay on the field and it has really derailed his career.
Braxton Miller was a surprise cut by the Texans yesterday. This was good news for Bruce Ellington who now has a clear role as the number three option in Houston’s passing attack. Miller should be able to find a spot on someone’s roster but is not a very promising player for fantasy this year.
De’Angelo Henderson was unable to beat out rookie Phillip Lindsay for the number three role in the Broncos backfield and as a result, he was let go by the team. Henderson has looked good at times in the preseason and should find a job quickly. However, he is not fantasy relevant regardless of where he lands.
Roberto Aguayo lost the Chargers kicking battle despite a strong preseason. The team chose to go with veteran Caleb Sturgis as expected. Now that Sturgis has officially won the job, he makes for a very interesting late round or wire grab in fantasy as the Chargers offense is a good one and Sturgis has already shown us a strong fantasy campaign back in 2016 with the Eagles.
Bo Scarbrough was let go by the Cowboys after a weak preseason. He finished the preseason with 69 yards on 24 carries (2.88 YPC) and did not impress Dallas enough for them to keep their 7th round selection in this year’s draft. He will end up on a practice squad.
Dominate Your Draft: 60% OFF the Draft Guide
Backup QB News
Robert Griffin III performed well in preseason and earned a spot on the Ravens as the 3rd string QB. They may still look to trade him, but for now he is on the team.
Jeff Driskel will be the Bengals backup QB. He has shown some playmaking ability, but also a lot of inconsistency. He would make for an interesting pickup in fantasy if Dalton were to go down.
Joshua Dobbs and Mason Rudolph have both made the Steelers roster after the team decided to move on from Landry Jones . Dobbs will operate as the number two QB, while the rookie Rudolph will simply look to progress towards being the team’s future QB.
Paxton Lynch was in danger of being cut by the Broncos, but after an impressive game in the last game of the preseason he saved his job for now. He will be the team’s number three QB behind Case Keenum and Chad Kelly .
Drafting Made Easy: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet
Injury News
D’Onta Foreman (Achillies) will start the year on the PUP list; he will be out for the first six weeks.
Braxton Berrios is being placed on injured reserve.
Evan Engram (concussion) is expected to be healthy and ready for the Giants week 1 matchup with the Jaguars.
Byron Maxwell has been placed on injured reserve.
Jerick McKinnon suffered a torn ACL in practice today and his season is done. This is brutal news to many of you I’m sure, I know it is for me in a league or two. Alfred Morris and Matt Breida should be added where you can, with Morris being my 1A and Breida 1B.
CRUSH Your League All Season: Special $75 Offer for Draft Guide & Full Season
Trades
We will start with the biggest news of the day: Khalil Mack was traded to the Bears. The Bears DST now make for an interesting late round selection in fantasy. This also helps Jordan Howard , who should now play in more close games and games with a lead. A big win for the 2018 Bears.
A.J. McCarron has been traded to the Raiders. The Bills decided they felt good enough with Nathan Peterman and rookie Josh Allen so they pulled the plug on the McCarron experiment. Meanwhile, the Raiders stated last week they did not feel like they had a backup QB, so they decided to make a move for one. Connor Cook was let go by Oakland and McCarron will be the team’s primary backup to Derek Carr .
WIN in Daily Fantasy Football: Deep Analysis & Customized Tools for All Sites Just $75
Player News
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team does not “have any feelings on competition” when asked about the quarterback room.
O’Connell was asked about a potential quarterback competition on the Rich Eisen Show Wednesday and was unclear on whether J.J. McCarthy would have to compete to start. He said, “we’ve got an obligation as coaches to put our players in position to attack that competition phase.” O’Connell discussed first putting Brett Rypien and the newly acquired Sam Howell in a position to play before any competition would occur. He continued that McCarthy is “owning it” this offseason and is taking snaps from starting center Ryan Kelly. After missing last season with a torn meniscus, McCarthy has been ramping up workouts in the offseason and is the front-runner to start for the Vikings in 2025. As of now, Howell looks to be reinforcement at the backup spot in case it turns out McCarthy is not ready to start.
Texans re-signed DT Foley Fatukasi.
Fatukasi initially joined the Texans last offseason on a one-year contract. The 30-year-old was a rotational defensive lineman, tallying four tackles for loss and one sack. He returns to Houston for 2025, where he will be a part of a deep Texans front seven.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Tyreek Hill’s second wrist surgery was part of the original plan and his timeline remains unchanged.
Hill announced the second surgery on social media and Pelissero quickly added some context to the situation. The speedy receiver suffered the wrist injury just before the start of the season and it lingered throughout the year, though he never missed a game because of it. If the second surgery truly is a non-story, an offseason to recover might be what Hill needs to return to form after a down 2024 season. On the other hand, Hill is 31 years old, played his worst football last year, and his offense prioritized targets for Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane. As it stands, Hill might have the highest risk-reward split in fantasy drafts.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports there are “multiple people in the league who believe the new regime is not so high on Travis Etienne.”
Fowler also noted Tank Bigsby’s fumbling issue but didn’t directly relate that to the feelings of the new brain trust in Jacksonville. The Jags clearly felt they were lacking at running back this offseason and addressed that opening via the draft with Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round and LeQuint Allen in the seventh. The pair of additions complicate an already-messy backfield by committee. Etienne is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is a long-shot to be brought back in 2026. The Jags could opt to move on early by trading him, clearing $6.1 million in cap space in the process. If the team does trade Etienne, Tuten would likely be the team’s top back in the long run, making him a high-upside bet in early fantasy drafts.
Broncos signed third-round pick WR Pat Bryant to a four-year contract.
The deal includes $1.4 million guaranteed and is worth $6.6 million in total. Sean Payton compared aspects of Bryant’s game to those of Michael Thomas in his post-draft press conference and there are at least a few similarities in their profiles. Bryant stands at 6'2/204 and ran a 4.61-second Forty at the combine. Thomas measured in at 6'3/212 and clocked a 4.57-second Forty. Though the two have similar physical characteristics, Thomas was known for his proficiency from the slot while Bryant primarily played on the outside as a field-stretcher at Illinois. Bryant’s transition to slot duties may take some time, but third-round draft capital makes him worth a shot in dynasty leagues.
Colts EDGE Samson Ebukam (Achilles) said he is expected to be cleared for training camp.
Ebukam suffered a torn Achilles in training camp last year and did not play in the 2024 season. He broke out in 2023 with a career-high 9.5 sacks in his first season with the Colts. He now has one year left on his deal and will be looking for a rebound season as he stares down free agency in 2026