NFL News Roundup: Ashton Jeanty Injured, George Kittle Returns, and More

Let's get to some notable NFL news from the past couple days as a new week starts up.

We have injuries, roster moves and more to get to, so let's dive right in!

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Jeanty Banged Up

Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty suffered what is believed to be a sprained ankle in practice on Sunday. It's better than originally expected, as he couldn't put any weight on his right leg and had to be helped off the field - as his teammates took a knee in prayer around him.

We will hopefully get a clearer timeline for Jeanty soon, and we can dive into things more at that point. It's worth noting now as he's going at pick 10 on average in fantasy drafts.

He's a high-end draft pick because he's expected to power the Raiders' backfield in 2026. Jeanty showed some promise in 2025, and is expected to build on that.

We'll keep tabs on this, but backup running backs Mike Washington Jr. and Dylan Laube are the guys after Jeanty on the depth chart. If Jeanty were to miss regular season games, maybe the team would let Washington, a rookie, lead the backfield. There's a chance the team adds outside RB help too, which maybe indicates the injury is a bit more worrisome.

Kittle Activated from PUP List; McCaffrey Back

San Francisco got two big-time players back at practice on Sunday. Tight end George Kittle was activated off the physically unable to perform list, while running back Christian McCaffrey returned to practice after missing time with tightness.

The return of both players likely means both will be ready for the start of the regular season, so that's great news.

Last season, Kittle suffered a torn Achilles during the playoffs. He's been hoping to suit up right away in 2026, and him being activated off the PUP list gives him a great chance to be ready for the regular season opener.

His ADP is 100.57, and I bet that goes up now that he's past his injury concern. Even if he were to rise into the 90s or 80s, I'd be happy to add the high-end fantasy TE. He could shine, especially if he's healthy all season, and at that point of a draft, the risk is much lower, making it much easier to justify taking him.

McCaffrey is an oft-injured player, so anytime he's out of practice, it's cause for concern. He's back now and should be more than ready for the regular season as a result.

He's going at pick 5 on average so far. That's early, but also justified based on what he does when healthy. He was a top-end fantasy player last season, and should be again this coming year if he's healthy.

Just know there's risk involved with taking CMC that early. If you can get him later in the first round, I like the draft value with him a bit more.

Penix Cleared for More Work

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has been cleared for 11-on-11 work in practice.

He's competing for the starting QB spot with Tua Tagovailoa, so now that he's back at practice, he has a better chance of winning the job. Most expect him to start over Tagovailoa, but we'll see what the Falcons decide to do.

Regardless of who starts at QB, it doesn't impact much offensively for the Falcons, at least in my mind. Neither Penix nor Tagovailoa really move the needle.

Whoever ends up getting the starting nod will be the Atlanta QB taken in fantasy drafts, but only view them as deep-league options, or standard league streaming options, for the beginning of the season.

Houston Adding WR Reinforcements

After the season-ending injury for wideout Jayden Higgins, the Houston Texans signed both Zay Jones and Sterling Shepard to contracts following tryouts.

Nico Collins is the top wide receiver for Houston, and he will likely dominate the workload at the position.

Xavier Hutchinson and Jaylin Noel are the other projected starting wideouts now, but aren't very proven or big draft assets. Jared Wayne, Tank Dell, rookie Lewis Bond, Jones, Shepard and Justin Watson are also on the roster for now.

I don't see Jones or Shepard being very involved for Houston, if they even make the team. That will depend on how many wideouts the Texans keep, and if Dell is ready for the coming season.

With not many proven wideouts around, look for tight end Dalton Schultz to carve out a decent offensive role. Running backs David Montgomery and Woody Marks should also be pretty involved.