It will likely take J.J. McCarthy some time to get up to speed with the Giants. Winston has played woeful football through two appearances, not throwing a touchdown and being held under 120 yards twice despite 49 pass attempts over the past two weeks. Winston will be a bottom-end superflex option in Week 4.
Judon will join the 49ers’ practice squad with a “early chance for elevation,” according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The 34-year-old pass-rusher failed to record a sack in the 14 games he appeared in last season and has tallied 9.5 sacks since the 2023 season. As injuries continue to mount for the 49ers, it wouldn’t be surprising if Judon was activated as early as this week when the Niners host the Broncos.
Parsons is nearing a return, but the star pass-rusher isn’t ready to get on the field just yet. LaFleur did say that Parsons has not suffered any setbacks in his recovery, while adding that this is “just part of the process.” Parsons’ return window can be opened at any time, which would then give the Packers a 21-day window to ramp him up before activating him from IR.
It’s likely a season-ending injury for Oliver, although there is some hope he could return late in the season if the Vikings are still in contention. The 29-year-old tight end has been used mostly as a run blocker and has totaled just three receptions for 46 yards this season.
According to Fowler, the Panthers are expecting Horn to miss “approximately six-to-12 weeks.” We’ll hopefully get a more accurate timeline from the Panthers in the coming days, but it’s safe to assume Horn will head to injured reserve with a chance to return later in the season. Horn has been solid for the Panthers this season, allowing just five receptions on 10 targets for 63 yards.
Irving was spotted on the sideline for the majority of the fourth quarter. It’s possible that Irving just did something that irked Bowles rather than actually suffering an injury, but given how Irving’s injuries quickly manifested last season, we’re going to want to see that on the official injury report on Wednesday before we dial the status down to “unconcerned.” This news does seem to leave Kenny Gainwell as a lower-priority waiver claim.
Sugar, we’re going down swinging. Caley’s offense has been underwhelming so far — though not having Nico Collins for Weeks 2 and 3 hasn’t helped — and there’s a lot of pressure on this Texans offense at this time. In-season offensive coordinator replacements aren’t exactly bets to go well either way, but Caley is going to have to do a lot better over the next 14 weeks if he wants to keep his job after the end of this year.
McMillan suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Vikings and did not return to the game. The 24-year-old receiver has played in two games this season but has yet to register a catch on the nine offensive snaps he has played. It’s been a rough two seasons for McMillan, who missed nearly all of last season with a serious neck injury that sidelined him until Week 15.
In other words, he’s headed to injured reserve. The Cowboys safety room has been besieged by injuries this year, with Malik Hooker also missing time. They don’t have another safety on their practice squad so they may be hunting the tryout circuit on Tuesday.
Canales didn’t want to get specific about Young’s status after he took a cleat to the leg, but deferred also to the idea of “other things.” It’s never incredible news to be looking down the barrel of imaging, but Young was able to return and play through the injury on Sunday and this has the feel of an “out of an abundance of concern” test for the 25-year-old quarterback.
As expected, Bateman was reduced back to a lightly used WR2 with Zay Flowers back in the lineup. After going for 7-88-1 on nine targets last week against the Saints, Bateman saw just three targets in Sunday’s win, with one of those resulting in a 31-yard gain. Bateman’s 20 routes run led the Ravens’ in Sunday’s win, but he offers nothing of fantasy value as long as Flowers is in the lineup. Fantasy managers who added him after his Week 2 breakout can send him back to waivers ahead of Week 4’s game against the Titans.
The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero was the first to report the trade. McCarthy landing with John Harbaugh’s Giants feels a bit too on-the-nose given his connection with Jim Harbaugh during his days at Michigan. McCarthy was at one point competing for the Vikings’ QB1 job in camp with Kyler Murray, but was knocked all the way down to QB3 on the Vikings’ depth chart when Carson Wentz took over for Murray in Week 1 and drew the start in Week 2. Assuming Jameis Winston doesn’t suddenly exceed expectations and lead an efficient passing attack, McCarthy will probably get a shot to start at some point when he gets up to speed with the offense. McCarthy has thrown for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 career games while completing 57.6 percent of his passes. We’ll see if a change of scenery is all he needs to turn the corner and live up to the hype that made him the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
In addition to a clean report on his ligaments and tendons, the MRI also revealed no fracture. This is as good of news as the Buccaneers could have hoped for, as Mayfield’s absence is expected to be on the shorter end compared to what it could have been had the MRI revealed more damage. Head coach Todd Bowles said Mayfield is looking at a minimum three-week absence, which would put him in line to return for Week 7 against the Panthers if all goes well. Rookie UDFA Jalon Daniels, who went 0-for-3 passing with an interception against the Vikings, will draw the start in the Buccaneers’ Week 4 game against the Packers.
According to Pelissero, Horn is seeking a second opinion on his injury, but a stint on the IR is “likely,” and the star corner could “miss significant time.” it’s a brutal blow to a Panthers secondary that has been among the league’s best for the first three weeks of the season. A big reason for their success has been Horn’s play. He has been targeted just 10 times thus far, allowing five receptions for 63 scoreless yards with two pass breakups, per PFF.
Coker said after the game that he did not think his injury was too serious. He’s already been playing through an ankle injury, so we’ll assume he’ll be able to play through this based on his own estimation and the early reporting from Rapoport. Coker caught two passes for 18 yards in Sunday’s loss to the Browns, but will remain in the WR2 ranks for Week 4 if he’s able to play.
Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said earlier this month that the 32-year-old receiver was advised to postpone his return until “perhaps some time in October.” That makes Hill’s timing for his post a bit more interesting, as there could be a real chance he signs with a team in the coming weeks if he is able to pass a physical and prove he can contribute on the field. Given the injuries around the league, Hill could have a number of suitors if he’s fully recovered from the devastating knee injury he suffered last season, and could turn into a decent fantasy option in the second half of the season.
Allen certainly wasn’t good in this one, but he wasn’t alone. The Bills turned the ball over five times, committed 10 penalties, and allowed four sacks and somehow won this game. His first interception was on a truly bad read over the middle of the field. The second was on a deep pass into coverage when Allen thought he had drawn an offside. The pass managed to hit the safety in the back and then land in his stomach when he rolled over after hitting the ground. Allen would also fumble on a sack later in the game. The Chargers did a good job of taking Allen’s scrambles away, and this entire Bills team was in disarray, so nobody was consistently open down the field. That being said, Allen’s two rushing touchdowns give him 85 for his career, which means he’s now tied with former Bill Marshawn Lynch for 17th on the NFL’s all-time list. The Bills and Allen will look to get things straightened out against the Patriots next week, and Allen will clearly be in your lineups.
Becton worked out for the Packers on Monday and signed shortly after. The veteran guard fills an immediate need for an offensive line that has been decimated by injuries as of late. Becton appeared in 14 regular-season games for the Chargers last season while playing exclusively at right guard. He earned a 35.7 PFF offensive grade while allowing 37 pressures and three sacks, and struggled to replicate the run-blocking success he had in 2024 while with the Eagles. He certainly fills a need, but time will tell if this proves to be a difference-making signing for an offensive line that has struggled out of the gate.
It felt like things were trending in this direction when head coach Jeff Hafley said after the game that he was not “optimistic” about Achane’s injury, but now the worst has confirmed. The 0-3 Dolphins will now be without their best playmaker for the remainder of the season, creating yet another challenge for an offense that ranks 31st in points per game (12.0 PPG) and 26th in yards per game (290.7 YPG) through the first three weeks of the season. Ollie Gordon will become a priority add off of waivers this week after he rushed for 17-41-1 in place of Achane, but his upside will be limited in what is one of the worst offenses in the league. Third-year vet Jaylen Wright could also be worth a stash. Wright missed Week 3’s game with a stringer/foot injury.
Hall exited in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Lions and did not return to the field after being ruled out quickly. Braelon Allen went on to handle backfield duties for the remainder of the game and will be a top waiver wire add this week if Hall were to miss any time. Hall has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season, rushing for 51-163-1 (3.2 YPC), but has caught all 10 of his targets for 102 scoreless yards. Allen would be a fringe RB2/RB3 in Week 4 against the Bears if Hall is held out.
Ekeler is fully recovered from a torn Achilles that ended his 2025 season after just two games. The 31-year-old running back returns to a familiar place in Washington and will sign to the 53-man roster, making him immediately eligible to play in Week 4. We expect him to have a bit of a ramp-up period before being active on game days, but Ekeler could end up having a meaningful role in a backfield that has struggled to get going through the first three weeks. Ekeler may be worth a stash in deeper leagues, but we’ll have to see what kind of role he has before we can consider putting him in lineups.
It’s another tough blow to the G-Men, who lost Jaxson Dart in Week 2 due to a knee injury in Week 2 against the Rams. Burns was active for Week 3 despite dealing with an ankle injury, but exited early in the fourth quarter and did not return to the field. Once the injury is confirmed, Burns’ 2026 season will officially come to an end. The 28-year-old pass-rusher tallied four tackles this season and did not record a sack.
Oliver will undergo tests to confirm the injury, but this would likely be a season-ender if the worst is confirmed. Oliver has caught three passes for 46 scoreless yards this season, but has been a key contributor in the running game since joining the Vikings in 2023. His 97 snaps are the second most among Vikings tight ends, behind T.J. Hockenson, with 68 of those snaps coming in run-blocking situations.