Fantasy Football News | Page 25

Colts WR Alec Pierce is being placed on IR after aggravating his surgically repaired left heel, coach Shane Steichen said.

Pierce will rehab with the "hope" of returning this season, but there's no definitive timeline.

Related Players: Darius Slayton, Josh Downs, Keenan Allen, Laquon Treadwell, Deion Burks, Tyler Warren

In a separate report, Stephen Holder mentioned that Darius Slayton could potentially play on Sunday.

Pierce will miss at least four games, and Steichen’s refusal to offer a timetable suggests his absence could extend beyond the minimum. Downs and Allen should remain Indianapolis’ leading wide receiver targets, while Warren is positioned to maintain a prominent middle-of-the-field role. Slayton could eventually assume Pierce’s vertical and perimeter responsibilities, but his late arrival makes him a watchlist or deep-league addition rather than a confident Week 3 option.

Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is expected to undergo knee surgery that will end his 2026 season. His ACL is intact, but the injury reportedly includes damage to his meniscus, MCL and PCL, with the meniscus considered the primary issue.

Related Players: Jameis Winston, Jake Haener, Malik Nabers, Isaiah Likely, Cam Skattebo, Malachi Fields, Theo Johnson

Winston takes over as the Giants’ starter and immediately becomes a low-end QB2/Superflex option. His aggressive style should preserve enough passing volume to keep Nabers in fantasy lineups, although the offense will likely become more volatile. Likely and New York’s secondary receivers also carry wider weekly ranges of outcomes.

Jayden Reed is back in Green Bay and undergoing additional testing and consultations with doctors following the neck injury he suffered Sunday.

Head coach Matt LaFleur said it is “way too early” to know whether Reed will play again this season. Reed remained in New Jersey overnight for observation after being removed from Sunday’s game on a backboard.

Related Players: Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Skyy Moore, Bo Melton, Tucker Kraft, Jonnu Smith

Reed is clearly unavailable for Week 3, and LaFleur’s unwillingness to rule out a season-long absence suggests this will not be a short-term issue. After Reed exited Sunday, Watson and Golden combined for eight of Green Bay’s 16 receptions and 109 of Jordan Love’s 145 passing yards. Those two should remain the primary fantasy beneficiaries, with Kraft continuing to occupy a significant role over the middle.

Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks, who left Sunday’s win early, is expected to have surgery today to repair a core muscle injury that will land him on Injured Reserve, sources say.

Brooks is out at least 6 weeks, but should return with plenty of time to contribute down the stretch.

Related Players: Chuba Hubbard, A.J. Dillon, Austin Ekeler, Ahmani Marshall

Brooks can remain stashed in deeper leagues with sufficient IR space. Hubbard should continue handling the overwhelming majority of Carolina’s backfield work, with Dillon serving as the primary reserve. The Panthers also worked out Austin Ekeler on Wednesday, suggesting they may add another experienced option behind Hubbard.

The big question for Kansas City Chiefs fans is when they’ll see Emmett Johnson play a little more. He’s very much the No. 2 running back behind Kenneth Walker. Johnson played just 14 offensive snaps in Week 2 against the Colts, accounting for 18% of the team’s offensive snaps.

According to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, fans won’t have to wait long for more of the rookie. While K.C. has no intention of limiting Walker or giving him fewer touches, they do want Johnson to continue growing. He should earn more opportunities to get on the field soon enough.

The Chiefs may not want Walker to keep up his current workload, so it's only natural Johnson begins to get more work at some point this season. Despite his limited snaps and touches, he's certainly passed the eye test, and the Chiefs are obviously high on the rookie. While Johnson may not be ready for fantasy lineups just yet, he's a must-own for any Walker owner as a handcuff at the very least.

From The Insiders on NFL Network: There is a good chance Raiders TE Brock Bowers returns this week.

Rapoport said the plan is for Bowers to return for Week 3. While Bowers is a TE, he's also the team's top receiver, so the Raiders are getting back a key weapon after starting the season 2-0. Fantasy owners will be getting back a key player, too, after likely spending an early pick on him in drafts. The Raiders are at the Saints in the later window of Sunday's games.

Chargers tight end Charlie Kolar is undergoing surgery to repair a broken forearm, per source. He plans to make a full return after short-term IR (four weeks).

Related players: Oronde Gadsden, David Njoku

It's a big loss for the Chargers, mostly in terms of blocking. With Njoku also on IR, the team turns back to Gadsden, who was a standout player parts of last season, and seemed to have a bright future before the team pushed him down the depth chart. Gadsden won't help in the blocking department, but for being the third TE he already has four catches for 50 yards and a TD this season. His snaps may be limited because of his blocking, but he's back in the mix as a TE option for your lineup and is likely on your waiver wire.

Steelers RB Rico Dowdle (toe) checked out relatively OK following tests. He's considered to be day-to-day.

Related players: Jaylen Warren, Eli Heidenreich

Dowdle was carted to the locker room on Sunday. It's been a slow start for him, and he's mostly splitting time with Warren, although Warren has out-touched him the first two weeks. Dowdle has been involved in the passing game with two catches each of the first two weeks, putting him at least in the flex conversation for fantasy lineups. If Dowdle can't go, the rookie Heidenreich could be more involved with the majority of the work likely going to Warren.

Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed has returned to Green Bay.

Reed remained in a New Jersey hospital after suffering a neck injury in Sunday’s overtime win over the Jets. Head coach Matt LaFleur said that Reed is still undergoing tests on the injury and that conversations about whether he’ll play again this season will have to wait.

Related players: Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Skyy Moore

“It’s way too early for that right now. . . . He’s got a lot going on,” LaFleur said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, in the story. As the story also pointed out, Reed missed 10 games with injuries last season and signed a three-year contract extension this offseason.

Per source Broncos RB J.K. Dobbins suffered leg cramps in game vs Jax.

Related players: RJ Harvey, Jonah Coleman

The team will monitor him this week but there is optimism the team dodged a serious setback. It looks like Dobbins should be able to go in Week 3. Dobbins had 10 carries in Week 2 before leaving the game, he gained just 36 yards. He gave way to rookie Coleman who had 10 carries for 39 yards but did score a touchdown. Harvey is dealing with a hamstring injury and his status for Week 3 is to be determined. It's a tough matchup for the Rams in Week 3 on Sunday night but it's entirely possible Coleman could see an increased workload, and he's worth grabbing off your wire if he's there and if you're looking for help at RB.