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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Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen mentioned that running back Tyler Goodson (elbow) "would likely be back early in the season." Steichen said last week that Goodson avoided a major elbow injury when he was injured in the Aug. 16 preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. It's a little unclear exactly when the 24-year-old will be ready, though, and he's certainly up in the air to be available for the Week 1 regular season opener on Sunday, Sept. 7, versus the Miami Dolphins. If Goodson is unavailable to suit up in Week 1, the Colts will roll with rookie DJ Giddens as their No. 2 and Khalil Herbert (undisclosed) as the RB3 behind starter Jonathan Taylor. In his second NFL season in 2024, Goodson had 43 touches and averaged 4.8 yards per touch in 16 games for the Colts as RB depth. An injury would need to keep Taylor sidelined for Goodson to be a waiver-wire target in fantasy leagues.

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Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen expects wide receiver Josh Downs (hamstring) to be back on the practice field next week before the Week 1 regular-season opener against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Sept. 7. Downs suffered a hamstring injury on Aug. 14 and has been held out of practice since, but it sounds like he's improving and should be ready for the start of the regular season in early September. The 24-year-old former third-rounder in 2023 out of North Carolina took a step forward in his second year in Indy in 2024 with 72 catches for 803 yards and five touchdowns on 107 targets over 14 games (eight starts). Downs has a limited fantasy ceiling because of his mediocre athleticism, but Daniel Jones winning the starting QB job was good for his value as a WR4/flex flier later in fantasy drafts. He'll be in starting three-wide sets with Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce.

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The Las Vegas Raiders are acquiring quarterback Kenny Pickett (hamstring) from the Cleveland Browns on Monday in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Geno Smith is the Raiders' unquestioned starter heading into the 2025 regular season in two weeks, but Pickett will now give the team plenty of backup experience after Aidan O'Connell (wrist) went down with a fractured right wrist that is expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks. Pickett himself has dealt with a hamstring injury that he suffered late in July that kept him out of all three of the Browns' preseason games, but he has a chance to be available for Week 1 for the Raiders against the New England Patriots. Back in Cleveland, this trade means that one of rookie signal-callers Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders will be the QB2 behind Joe Flacco to begin the year.

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The Los Angeles Chargers are waiving wide receiver Brenden Rice, the son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, on Monday, a source tells NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. If Rice clears waivers, he could return to the team's practice squad to open the 2025 regular season as receiver depth for the Bolts. The Chargers selected the 23-year-old in the seventh round (225th overall) last year out of USC, and Rice didn't catch a single game in parts of only three games in 2024 while playing just 13 offensive snaps. He finished his rookie campaign on Injured Reserve due to a shoulder injury. Rice is healthy now, but he'll be looking to catch on with another team via waivers or free agency.

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Los Angeles Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz said on the CBS broadcast on Saturday that running back Najee Harris (eye) is "on track" and "hopefully" will be ready for Week 1 in Brazil against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs on Friday, Sept. 5. However, The Athletic's Daniel Popper thinks Harris will begin the regular season on the Non-Football Injury list, which would mean he'd have to miss at least the first four games. Right now, Popper has rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton, Hassan Haskins, Raheim Sanders and Kimani Vidal all projected to win spots on the 53-man roster. If Harris were to start on the NFI list, he wouldn't be eligible to make his Chargers debut until Oct. 5 against the Commanders. Harris has missed all of training camp and the preseason due to an eye injury suffered in a fireworks accident. Hampton figures to open as L.A.'s RB1 and is a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 in fantasy.

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The Arizona Cardinals cut quarterback Clayton Tune on Monday, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Tune was among 12 total players cut by the team as they work to get their roster down to 53 players before the start of the regular season in early September. The 26-year-old went 30-for-49 passing for 186 yards, one touchdown and an interception while running the ball nine times for 53 yards in three preseason games for Arizona, but he ultimately will lose out on the backup job in the desert to veteran Jacoby Brissett behind starter Kyler Murray. If he does not latch on with another team before Week 1, Tune could return to Arizona and revert to the practice squad. The former fifth-rounder in 2023 out of Houston has thrown for 70 yards, no touchdowns and two picks on 23 pass attempts in 13 games (one start) in his two NFL seasons.

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The Buffalo Bills released quarterback Mike White on Monday, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. White entered training camp this summer with a chance to compete for the backup QB role with Mitchell Trubisky behind starter Josh Allen, but he was unable to make the final 53-man roster heading into the regular season. There's a chance that the 30-year-old veteran could wind up back on Buffalo's practice squad if he doesn't get picked up by another team before Week 1 in early September. White was originally drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (171st overall) in 2018, but he didn't step foot onto an NFL field until 2021 with the New York Jets. All seven of White's NFL starts came in his first two years with the Jets, and he's gone just 8-for-17 for 102 yards, one touchdown and one interception in seven games the last two years with Miami and Buffalo.

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The Denver Broncos waived running back Audric Estime on Monday, a source told Mike Klis of 9 News. Estime did not do enough in training camp or the preseason this summer to earn a role on the team's 53-man active roster heading into the regular season. It means that Tyler Badie currently is the club's No. 4 RB behind J.K. Dobbins, rookie RJ Harvey and Jaleel McLaughlin. The 21-year-old Estime did his best to stick around on Saturday in the preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints by rushing for 45 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, but it just wasn't enough. If the second-year back clears waivers, he'll revert to Denver's practice squad to begin the year. Estime was selected in the fifth round last year out of Notre Dame and saw 76 rushing attempts for 310 yards (4.1 yards per carry) and two touchdowns on the ground in 13 regular-season games (one start).

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers plan to release quarterback Kyle Trask (shoulder), a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Trask will revert to Injured Reserve due to a shoulder issue and then work out a settlement or release in order to look for a new team. It means that veteran Teddy Bridgewater will open the 2025 season in Tampa as the primary backup behind starter Baker Mayfield, with undrafted free agent Connor Bazelak serving as the QB3. Trask, 27, was a second-round pick (64th overall) in the 2021 NFL draft out of Florida. He never started a game for the Bucs in his three seasons and appeared in only seven games, going just 4-for-11 passing for 28 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Trask will now be looking to get healthy and latch on with another organization and compete for a depth role.

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The Washington Commanders released wide receiver Michael Gallup on Monday, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. Gallup was unable to make Washington's 53-man roster heading into the regular season in his comeback bid after retiring in 2024 shortly after signing with the Las Vegas Raiders. The 29-year-old veteran could return to the Commanders on their practice squad, but if he signs with another team for the regular season, he will merely be competing for a spot on the active game-day roster and won't be on the fantasy radar at all. The former third-rounder (81st overall) by the Dallas Cowboys in 2018 out of Colorado State caught 34 of 57 targets for 418 yards and only two touchdowns in 17 games (13 starts) in 2023 in his final year in Dallas. Gallup's best season came in Year 2, when he put up a 66-1,107-6 line on 113 targets in 14 games (12 starts).

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