Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard (hand) is "moving in the right direction in terms of [achieving] full participation very soon," head coach Mike Tomlin said on Monday. Tomlin added that Howard has met with a hand specialist and received positive news. As a result, the Steelers have altered the rookie quarterback's brace and increased his level of activity in practice. Injury statuses can change by the minute, but for now, it looks like Howard should open the season on Pittsburgh's 53-man roster as the third-string quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph. He's off the fantasy football radar for now.

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Carolina Panthers kicker Matthew Wright has been released, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. As a result, rookie Ryan Fitzgerald has won the kicking job. Wright failed to convert his only field goal attempt of the season, missing wide from 55 yards out. No stranger to being an NFL journeyman, Wright played for six organizations over five seasons, including three teams in 2024. He made 15 of his 16 field goal attempts last year. Now, he will proceed to search for a kicking job elsewhere, perhaps adding another team to his resume.

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Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton (ankle) is expected to practice fully next week, head coach Mike Macdonald told members of the media, including ESPN's Brady Henderson. Horton has been sidelined ever since injuring himself during the second week of the preseason, but it sounds like he's very close to returning to the field. A fifth-round rookie, Horton once totaled 167 catches, 2,267 receiving yards, and 16 touchdowns over the course of two seasons at Colorado State. However, in his third and final season there, his counting stats dropped as he was limited to just six games. Now, Horton is looking to make an impact at the NFL level. As soon as he's cleared to practice, he should step in as the Seahawks' No. 3 receiver behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp.

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Dallas Cowboys running back Phil Mafah (shoulder) will be placed on injured reserve, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. The Cowboys expect Mafah, a seventh-round pick, to return later this season. The Clemson product finished the preseason with 15 carries, 59 yards, and a touchdown. Although his placement on injured reserve is frustrating, it shouldn't change much in terms of Dallas' backfield dynamic. All along, Mafah was expected to slot in as the team's No. 4 running back behind Javonte Williams, Jaydon Blue, and Miles Sanders. Now, his NFL debut will just be delayed a little longer as he works through his recovery.

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Carolina Panthers kicker Ryan Fitzgerald has won the kicking job after the team released Matthew Wright, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. The undrafted rookie out of Florida State went 3-for-3 on field goals and also converted his lone extra point attempt through three preseason games. He enjoyed similar success at school, going 13-for-13 on field goals during his final collegiate campaign in 2024. Although the Panthers' offense is trending up, Fitzgerald lacks fantasy appeal at the moment, especially as a rookie with no track record kicking at the professional level.

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Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller "has continued his progression" and will be seen more and more this week, head coach Mike McDaniel told members of the media, including C. Isaiah Smalls II. Waller spent most of the summer on the PUP list as he underwent basic conditioning upon returning to the NFL. Acquired from the Giants this offseason, Waller unretired and is ramping up his participation in practice. At this rate, it seems likely that Waller will be available for the Dolphins' season opener Sept. 7 against the Indianapolis Colts. RotoBaller's NFL experts currently rank Waller as the TE26 heading into the 2025 fantasy football season.

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New England Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism III (foot, ankle) did not participate in Monday's practice, according to Evan Lazar of the team's official website. Chism picked up the injury during the team's second preseason contest against the Minnesota Vikings. He impressed enough during the first half of that contest to secure a roster spot, which was perfect timing since he didn't suit up for the preseason finale last Thursday. An undrafted rookie out of Eastern Washington, Chism represents an underdog story as he prepares to make the Patriots' 53-man roster. The rapport he formed with Drake Maye during the preseason suggests he could earn some targets right away, but we don't yet have enough confidence in Chism to justify drafting him in typical 12-team fantasy leagues. However, he does represent an intriguing, low-risk sleeper in deep leagues, especially dynasty PPR formats.

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Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Ashton Dulin (head) suffered a concussion during training camp practice and has entered concussion protocol, head coach Shane Steichen told members of the media, including Mike Chappell of FOX59. Steichen noted that Dulin is progressing nicely, which could indicate that he'll be ready to go for Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins. The 28-year-old is currently projected to slot in fourth on the depth chart behind Josh Downs, Michael Pittman Jr., and Alec Pierce. As a result, he should be left on waivers in most fantasy football leagues.

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Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Caroll told SiriusXM's Pat Kirwan that tight end Brock Bowers "is pretty much better than anybody we've had before." The veteran coach went on to emphasize that Bowers plays the game very naturally and that everything seems to come easily for him on the football field. He also highlighted that Bowers graciously moves to where the ball is thrown, making it look like every pass is delivered on target, and that the second-year tight end possesses a rare blend of body control and explosiveness. While training camp is a common time for coaches to sing the praises of their players, some examples of coachspeak are embellished more than others. In this case, we can put full trust behind what Carroll said, largely due to the fact that we watched Bowers dominate as a rookie last season. The Georgia product caught an absurd 112 passes for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns en route to ranking as the overall TE1 in fantasy football. He remains the early favorite to lead the tight end position in fantasy points in 2025, earning him an ADP of 19.1. His opportunity share should only increase after Carroll essentially called him one of the greatest players he's ever coached.

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Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (calf) carries significant injury concerns into the early portion of the 2025 regular season. The severity and timing of Achane's calf injury present a concern for fantasy managers as Week 1 approaches, according to former team doctor and NFL injury expert Dr. David J. Chao. Specifically, he notes that any player who suffers an injury near the end of training camp is likely to carry some sort of injury designation into the regular season, whether that's a "DNP" during practice sessions or a "questionable" tag heading into the weekend. Teams that play on a Sunday aren't required to release an injury report until Wednesday, so we're still more than one week away from seeing how the Dolphins classify Achane's participation level in practice. However, Chao expects Achane to appear on the injury report in some capacity, and his status for Week 1 remains up in the air. If neither Achane nor Jaylen Wright (leg) is healthy enough to play Sept. 7 against the Colts, rookie Ollie Gordon II would be in line to start at running back, ranking as a high-end RB3/FLEX in fantasy football.

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The Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers continue to engage in trade discussions surrounding veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen, but the two sides are struggling to agree on compensation, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. As it stands, there seems to be a significant gap between the Vikings and Panthers, which means Thielen remains in Carolina for the time being. The veteran has remained quite productive in his mid-30s, totalling 151 catches, 1,619 yards, and nine touchdowns over his last two seasons (27 games). However, his role is likely to decrease in 2025 with young receivers Tetairoa McMillan and Xavier Legette continuing to trend upward. That made him a perfect trade candidate this summer, and Minnesota represents a fantastic landing spot. Not only did Thielen spend the first nine years of his career with the Vikings, but Minnesota also has a gaping hole at the No. 2 wide receiver position with Jordan Addison (suspension) and Jalen Nailor (hand) sidelined. If he were to return to the Vikings, Thielen would immediately slot in as the No. 2 wide receiver behind Justin Jefferson, and the team could continue to deploy him in three-receiver sets even after Addison returns. However, none of that can happen if the two sides remain locked in a stalemate. It remains to be seen whether either team will budge in their compensation demands as Week 1 draws closer.

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Dynasty | The Bears have released running back Royce Freeman. Dynasty Analysis: It looks like Chicago is going to go with Kyle Monangai to back up D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson this year. As for Freeman, he's starting to run out of chances. After spending time with Denver, Carolina, Houston and the Rams without ever really showing much in long stretches, Freeman has no business being on dynasty rosters. Such is life for running backs, even those who were once thought of very highly in dynasty circles.

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Dynasty | The Lions have released quarterback Hendon Hooker. Dynasty Analysis: Hooker was a third round pick back in 2023 but failed to beat out Kyle Allen this year for the right to hold a clipboard for Jared Goff. Once a highly though of prospect, Hooker never really has been able to return to his pre-injury form or look remotely like an NFL-level player. In the end, the Lions felt like two years was enough. Hooker can be dropped from even the deepest dynasty rosters.

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Dynasty | The Chiefs have released quarterback Bailey Zappe. Dynasty Analysis: Zappe just hasn't been able to recapture the magic he once had in a stretch with New England years ago. After spending time with Cleveland last year, he failed to beat out Gardner Minshew for the backup job to Patrick Mahomes this year. Zappe should land on his feet somewhere as a developmental backup-type but his dynasty value has cratered.

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Dynasty | The Houston Texans have placed running back Joe Mixon on the reserve/non-football injury list. Dynasty Analysis: This means Mixon will miss at least the first four weeks of the season. Dynasty managers who have believed Houston has just been taking it easy with Mixon now need to accept something very real - he's not just hurt, but injured. His ankle is reportedly not responding well to treatment and it's becoming a real concern in Houston. Mixon's ADP is starting to drop as he ages here and that won't change with this news.

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Dynasty | The Washington Commanders have released wide receiver Michael Gallup. Dynasty Analysis: Gallup retired for a short time then tried to make a comeback with the Commanders. Unfortunately, they didn't feel the former Cowboy and short-term Raider had enough left in the tank to help them out. Gallup was a fun flier over the Summer but this move throws a bucket of cold water on his dynasty value. He could resurface but doesn't currently belong on rosters over any upstart rookies you may have your eye on.

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Dynasty | The Raiders have signed wide receiver Amari Cooper. Dynasty Analysis: It's a fun reunion of sorts for Cooper, who started his career with the Raiders back in 2015. After spending his first three and half years in Silver and Black, Cooper has spent time with the Cowboys, Browns, and Bills over the past few seasons. He isn't the same player he once was, but Cooper is an interesting addition to a depth chart with Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, and not much else proven for Geno Smith. While tight end Brock Bowers should remain the top target in the offense, Cooper has a real chance to provide some value in dynasty leagues this year and his ADP will rise yet again with the move.

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Dynasty | The Bucs are releasing quarterback Kyle Trask. Dynasty Analysis: Yuck. Once thought of as a possible quarterback of the future, Trask was beaten out by Teddy Bridgewater who was recently coaching High School football. This is a pretty big indictment on Trask's possible future in the NFL and anyone holding on to him in deep dynasty leagues should likely look elsewhere for a quarterback flier at this point.

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Dynasty | The Denver Broncos have released running back Audric Estime. Dynasty Analysis: Estime was a fifth round pick of the Broncos last year and a pretty solid sleeper at this time last season as well. Unfortunately, the signing of JK Dobbins and drafting of RJ Harvey made him expendable. He should latch on somewhere as a depth signing but dynasty managers are going to need to be convinced he has a shot at relevance to keep him on their rosters after this week concludes.

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Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald admitted on Monday that the team will have a package of plays prepared for rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe each week. "We're going to have plays in game plans for Jalen (Milroe), and he's going to rep those with the 1s," Macdonald said. The head coach wants the division-rival San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team's opponents in the first two weeks of the regular season, to know that Milroe will be on the field for a select amount of plays. The 22-year-old will really only be worth stashing this year in dynasty/keeper formats as the expected QB3 entering his first NFL season. While Milroe has plenty of intrigue in the long term for his rushing abilities, he will need to grow as a passer. He struggled in the preseason finale over the weekend, going 13-for-24 for 148 yards, one touchdown and three turnovers.

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