NFL News & Rumors This Week: WRs Get Paid, QB Starters + Fantasy Help
Labor Day Weekend is the BIGGEST fantasy football draft weekend of the year, no question. And, with all the news, injuries, rumors, cuts and deals going down, you were wise to wait until this last weekend before football to set up your most important drafts. So, we’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing all summer and cover the most important news of the week!
First, we’ll hit on the biggest news stories that might matter to even the most casual of NFL fans. Then, at the bottom, we’ll dig into the deeper rumors and comments floating around that could move the needle for fantasy football drafts and rankings this weekend.
NFL News & Rumors This Week: Cowboys Pay CeeDee Lamb, 49ers Pay Brandon Aiyuk
- Two more holdout wide receivers were paid this week which leaves the Cincinnati Bengals Ja'Marr Chase as the last shoe to drop. CeeDee Lamb got a whopping $136M with $100M guaranteed while Brandon Aiyuk was paid four years, $120M with $76M guaranteed. Both contracts are top five for the position.
NFL News & Rumors This Week: Colts Tight End Kylen Granson To Wear Guardian Cap In Game
- The first player has announced they will wear an extra layer of protection during games with Colts tight end Kylen Granson. He did not mince words with his announcement, saying “At one point people thought seatbelts were ****ing stupid”. Per James Boyd, Granson suffered a concussion last year but stated he would have worn it anyway. A big step in player safety.
News & Rumors This Week: NFL Starting QB Jobs Are Finalized
- Jacoby Brissett has been named the starting QB for the New England Patriots over rookie Drake Maye.
- Russell Wilson will start for the Steelers though they didn’t rule out some wildcat packages for Justin Fields.
NFL News & Rumors This Week: Cut Deadline Trades & Injury Designations
We did a full article already on notable players who were cut. There were a couple trades as well.
- Jahan Dotson was traded to the Eagles.
- Malik Willis was traded to the Packers.
- The following players were placed on PUP or IR:
- AJ Dillon (season ending)
- Elijah Mitchell (season ending)
- Nick Chubb (four games minimum)
- Jonathon Brooks (four games minimum)
News & Rumors This Week: NFL Owners Vote On Allowing Private Equity Firms
- It’s yet to be seen whether further corporatization is a good or bad thing for NFL teams, but they will dip their toes into the water. They approved rules allowing 10% of each team to be sold to private equity firms. That will obviously help generate funds but private equity firms are often SOLELY focused on their bottom line so they could push some changes that are less than fan friendly. The Bengals were the only team to vote no.
NFL News & Rumors This Week: Bill Belichick Joins ManningCast
- He won’t necessarily be a co-host, but he will be a featured guest every single week. That is an incredible get for the show and should add valuable insights for football fans that love deep-cut discussions. And there should be plenty of jabs to go around with both Peyton and Eli Manning at the table.
Fantasy Football News & Rumors
This section is dedicated to fantasy-relevant rumblings from around the various off-season practices and meetings:
- Though Brandon Aiyuk has been paid, the 49ers are preparing for a world without star tackle Trent Williams for Week 1. He has three years left on his deal but wants a new one as the league's best lineman.
- The Browns restructured the contract of Deshaun Watson to save money for this year. That gives them over $62M in cap space. Some figured it was for a Brandon Aiyuk trade, but that is obviously not happening now.
- Four-time Pro Bowl RB Dalvin Cook has signed with the Cowboys. He’ll join a thin group with Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle.
- After being released by the Patriots, JuJu Smith-Schuster has signed with the Chiefs.
- Sean McVay announced that Kyren Williams will be the Rams punt returner. That’s typically not a good sign for their role.
- On the flip side, Rico Dowdle is expected to get fewer special teams snaps because of his increased role on offense.
- Rashee Rice will NOT be placed on the commissioner-exempt list. Based on his court date, he might not be suspended at all this season.
- The Chiefs signed Samaje Perine to their roster after he was released by the Broncos. He could help in the pass game.
- After he was released by the Giants, the Lions have signed Allen Robinson.
- Jaylen Waddle has been spotted in a red non-contact jersey. Not good news for an oft-injured player.
Player News
Saints TE Foster Moreau said the QB1 role is “anyone’s job for the taking.”
It’s possible Moreau is just trying to speak positively of a quarterback room that could be in flux for much of the 2025 season, but the veteran tight end said neither Tyler Shough or Spencer Rattler did much to separate themselves from one another during offseason programs. Shough was selected at No. 40 overall by the Saints in this year’s draft, and will almost certainly get a chance to start at some point in the season, but Rattler could also get a look after throwing for 1,317-4-5 in seven games as a rookie. Rattler only completed 57 percent of his passes last season, and doesn’t have much promise as a fifth-round pick, but there may be room for him to see some action in what might be the worst QB room in the league this season. Regardless, this competition will one to watch throughout the offseason as first-year head coach Kellen Moore hopes to find a reliable option come Week 1.
Free agent RB Nyheim Hines said he is hoping to sign with a team before training camp.
Hines suffered a torn ACL during a jet-ski accident in 2023 and hasn’t played an NFL game since. The running back/return man said he believes his knee is now fully recovered and is hoping he can join a team before the start of training camp. Hines caught 30 passes for 241 yards and one touchdown in 2022 while splitting time with the Colts and Bills, and also returned 19 kicks for 554 yards and two scores. At 28 years old, there should be plenty of teams interested in giving him a look due to his special teams prowess and abilities in the passing game, but he’ll be far from a lock to make a roster wherever he lands.
Speaking on the Giants Huddle podcast, TE Theo Johnson said he is healthy after undergoing foot surgery last season.
Johnson caught 29 passes for 331 yards and one touchdown last season, but saw his rookie campaign come to an end due to a foot injury. Now healthy and ready to get back to work, the second-year tight end is hopeful he can continue where he left off before his injury, when he went for 26-293-1 over an eight-game stretch. It’s far from elite production, but Johnson posted an impressive 9.93 RAS during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine and averaged a solid 12.2 YPR during his four years at Penn State. He won’t be on the fantasy radar to start the season, but Johnson could have some upside if he emerges as a primary receiving threat this season.
The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain says Ben Johnson “seemed confident” that Luther Burden (soft tissue) would be ready at the start of training camp.
Burden has been sidelined for most of the offseason while dealing with an undisclosed injury. The rookie second-rounder also remains unsigned. While it’s been a slow start to Burden’s pro career, a return by training camp should give him plenty of time to get up to speed before the start of the season. Even when Burden acclimates himself to the offense, he’ll likely slot in as the team’s No. 3 receiver with Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore expected to serve as the primary options in two receiver sets. Burden makes for an intriguing late-round pick in deeper leagues, but is unlikely to enter the season with much fantasy upside.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said Terry McLaurin is “not happy with where things are with an extension.”
Fowler adds that the Commanders have “a couple of weeks here to make progress” before training camp begins on July 22. McLaurin has skipped all offseason workouts thus far, so it stands to reason he could continue the absentee strategy later this month. Training camp is a critical time for NFL teams, allowing players to safely ramp up ahead of preseason play, not to mention the regular season. McLaurin profiles as a fantasy football WR2 this year.
The Athletic’s Mark Puleo reports, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh “has been added as a defendant in a class-action lawsuit filed by 11 anonymous students against former University of Michigan offensive coordinator Matt Weiss.”
Weiss “has been accused of hacking the email, social media and cloud storage accounts of thousands of female athletes and downloading intimate photos and videos.” Per Puleo, “the amended complaint... alleges that Harbaugh” and “university officials knew that Weiss had been accessing the plaintiffs’ private information when they allowed him to coach in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31, 2022.” Harbaugh previously told reporters that “he didn’t learn of allegations involving Weiss until after the Fiesta Bowl,” saying he was “completely shocked” and “disturbed” upon hearing the allegations. Weiss has worked for both Jim and John Harbaugh, dating back to 2007; Stanford (2007-2008) and Michigan (2021-2022) with Jim, and the Ravens (2009-2020) with John. Jim coached at Michigan from 2015-2023. Per Puleo, “allegations of computer hacking against Weiss date to 2015, when he was with Baltimore.” Neither Michigan nor the Chargers responded to Puleo’s request for a comment.