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FootballJaylen Wright Dolphins outlook
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Player News
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Jaelan Phillips MIA LBDolphins' Jaelan Phillips: Gets final year
5m agoPhillips (Achilles) had his fifth-year option exercised by the Dolphins on Monday.
Phillips is expected to be ready by Week 1, and it was previously reported by Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com, that picking up his option was the plan, according to general manager Chris Grier. The 2021 first-round selection was on pace to smash all his career-best totals before tearing his right Achilles in Week 12 and will now look to build off that going into 2024 with two years now left on his contract.
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Christian Darrisaw MIN OTVikings' Christian Darrisaw: Option exercised
7m agoThe Vikings exercised Darrisaw's 2025 fifth-year option.
The 24-year-old was the No. 23 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and has started 39-of-41 games he's appeared in since entering the league. Darrisaw has yet to make a Pro Bowl or be named an All-Pro, but he's an above-average, rock-solid left tackle and will either protect Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy's blind side this upcoming season.
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Rico Dowdle DAL RBCowboys' Rico Dowdle: Joined by Zeke in shaky backfield
7m agoThe Cowboys are signing Ezekiel Elliott to join Dowdle in a backfield that otherwise lacks experienced players and early draft picks, ESPN.com's Todd Archer reports.
The Zeke reunion has been in the works for weeks, but most people still expected the Cowboys to add at least one running back during the 2024 NFL Draft. They ultimately didn't select one, leaving Royce Freeman, Malik Davis, Snoop Conner and 2023 sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn as the competition behind Elliott and Dowdle. An undrafted free agent or two likely will be added to that mix, but it should still be a favorable situation for Elliott and Dowdle to earn playing time.
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Jaylen Waddle MIA WRDolphins' Jaylen Waddle: Miami picks up fifth-year option
8m agoThe Dolphins officially exercised Waddle's fifth-year option Monday.
Miami has made no secret of plans to pick up Waddle's fifth-year option this offseason, and the move is now official prior to Thursday's deadline. That keeps the third-year standout under contract for two more seasons, and provides the Dolphins more time to negotiate a long-term deal with Waddle. The team added depth to the wideout room in the form of late-round rookies Malik Washington and Tahj Washington during the 2024 NFL Draft, but Waddle and Tyreek Hill remain the clear top targets for Tua Tagovailoa, with incumbents Braxton Berrios and River Cracraft available to split No. 3 duties.
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Jameson Williams DET WRLions' Jameson Williams: Gets subtle vote of confidence
19m agoWilliams is part of a WR room that didn't add any new bodies during the 2024 NFL Draft.
It's a subtle vote of confidence in the 12th overall pick from the 2022 NFL Draft, as Detroit's roster otherwise has a slew of fourth-receiver types behind Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown -- namely Kalif Raymond, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Antoine Green and Tre'Quan Smith. The No. 2 receiver spot may not be a high-volume task in an offense with ARSB, TE Sam LaPorta and an excellent RB duo, but it's nonetheless a positive sign for Williams that the Lions didn't prioritize adding competition for him this offseason. While he made a bunch of big plays down the stretch last season, Williams has played only 522 regular-season snaps on offense to this point in his career and has never caught more than five passes in a game.
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James Cook BUF RBBills' James Cook: Backfield depth added by Buffalo
21m agoCook is slated to be joined by rookie fourth-rounder Ray Davis in the Bills' backfield this coming season, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.
Cook is coming off a 2023 regular season in which he carried 237times for 1,122 yards and two TDs to go along with 44 catches for 445 yards and four receiving scores in 17 games. With veteran backs Latavius Murray and Damien Harris no longer in the mix, Davis should have an opportunity to step into a complementary role behind Cook, while potentially claiming a share of the team's short-yardage work. Also in the team's backfield mix are Ty Johnson, Darrynton Evans and reported UDFA signing Frank Gore Jr., though none is likely to prevent Cook from maintaining steady enough volume in his third pro season.
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Heston Kjerstad BAL RFOrioles' Heston Kjerstad: On bench for fifth straight game
4m agoKjerstad is not in the lineup for Monday's contest against the Yankees.
After starting the first game following his promotion from Triple-A Norfolk, Kjerstad has now been on the bench for five straight contests, with this one being the third time it's happened versus a right-hander. Clearly, getting the 25-year-old consistent reps has not been a priority for manager Brandon Hyde. Colten Cowser and Anthony Santander will be in the corner outfield spots Monday, while Ryan Mountcastle will handle first base and Ryan O'Hearn will occupy the designated hitter spot.
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Alex Kirilloff MIN RFTwins' Alex Kirilloff: Sitting against lefty
10m agoKirilloff is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.
Kirilloff will join fellow lefty-hitting regulars Edouard Julien, Max Kepler and Trevor Larnach on the bench as the Twins roll out a righty-heavy lineup to counter White Sox southpaw Garrett Crochet. The Twins have gone out of their way to shield Kirilloff against left-handed pitching this season; only seven of his 89 plate appearances have come versus southpaws.
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Kyle Farmer MIN 3BTwins' Kyle Farmer: Gets fourth straight start
12m agoFarmer will start at second base and bat ninth in Monday's game against the White Sox.
Farmer is included in the lineup for a fourth straight game, but his ongoing presence in the starting nine is a byproduct of the Twins facing three left-handed starting pitchers during that stretch. The 33-year-old is still expected to hit the bench when the Twins oppose right-handers more often than not.
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Jordan Westburg BAL 3BOrioles' Jordan Westburg: Returns after one-game absence
12m agoWestburg (illness) will start at second base and bat seventh in Monday's game versus the Yankees.
Westburg sat out Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Athletics because of a stomach bug, but he's feeling well enough to return to the lineup a day later. The 25-year-old has produced a .903 OPS in 25 games for the Orioles this season.
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Trevor Larnach MIN LFTwins' Trevor Larnach: Sits against lefty
17m agoLarnach is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.
Though he'll hit the bench for a second straight day while the White Sox bring lefty Garrett Crochet to the hill, the lefty-hitting Larnach's playing-time outlook improved earlier Monday, when Austin Martin was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul. With Martin removed from the outfield mix, Larnach could serve as Minnesota's primary option in left field when the Twins face right-handed pitching. Since getting called up from Triple-A on April 16, Larnach has posted a 1.096 OPS over 34 plate appearances.
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Max Kepler MIN RFTwins' Max Kepler: Held out again versus southpaw
20m agoKepler is out of the lineup for Monday's contest versus the White Sox.
Left-hander Garrett Crochet is toeing the slab for the White Sox, so the lefty-hitting Kepler will begin Monday's game on the bench. Kepler hasn't been a strict platoon bat in his career, but he has now been out of the lineup each of the four times the Twins have faced a southpaw since he returned from the 10-day injured list. Manuel Margot will get the start in right field Monday.
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Joel Embiid PHI C76ers' Joel Embiid: Listed questionable for Tuesday
2h agoEmbiid is questionable for Tuesday's Game 5 against the Knicks due to left knee injury recovery.
Embiid has averaged 35.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks in 40.3 minutes over the first four games of the opening-round series. However, the reigning MVP, who missed two months during the regular season after undergoing meniscus surgery, continues to be listed as questionable and has struggled in every fourth quarter thus far. With the 76ers facing elimination in New York on Tuesday, it'd be shocking if Embiid didn't suit up.
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Delon Wright MIA SGHeat's Delon Wright: Cleared to play Monday
4h agoWright (personal) is available for Monday's Game 4 against the Celtics, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
As expected, Wright, who missed Miami's Game 3 loss for the birth of his daughter, has been upgraded from probable to available. In Game 1, Wright posted 17 points, three assists and two steals in 26 minutes off the bench, but he was a non-factor in Game 2.
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Jusuf Nurkic PHO CSuns' Jusuf Nurkic: Nearly double-doubles
5h agoNurkic provided nine points (3-5 FG, 3-4 FT), eight rebounds, five assists, one block and two steals over 20 minutes during Sunday's 122-116 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Nurkic was very inconsistent in the first round against the Timberwolves, which was the case for most of the team, to be fair. Overall, Nurkic had a solid regular season campaign for Phoenix, averaging 10.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals. Nurkic will remain under contract for two more seasons.
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Bradley Beal PHO SGSuns' Bradley Beal: Ineffective in Game 4 loss
5h agoBeal posted nine points (4-13 FG, 1-5 3Pt), one rebound, two assists and one block over 31 minutes before fouling out of Sunday's 122-116 loss to Minnesota in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
This was Beal's worst game of the playoffs, and it resulted in the Suns getting swept by the Timberwolves in the first round. For the fifth straight campaign, Beal was unable to eclipse 60 games and struggled with injuries. He ended up making 53 appearances in his first season with the Suns, posting averages of 18.2 points, 5.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.9 three-pointers.
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Kevin Durant PHO PFSuns' Kevin Durant: Plays well in Game 4 loss
5h agoDurant supplied 33 points (12-17 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 7-9 FT), nine rebounds, five assists and four blocks over 46 minutes during Sunday's 122-116 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
With the Suns dropping Game 4, they were swept by the Timberwolves and will fall short of their hefty expectations. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Durant had "persistent issues" with the offense and felt as if he was relegated to the corner too often. It will be an interesting offseason for Phoenix, to put it mildly. Durant finished the regular season with averages of 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.2 blocks, 0.9 steals and 2.2 three-pointers.
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Nickeil Alexander-Walker MIN SFTimberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Quiet in Game 4 win
5h agoAlexander-Walker finished Sunday's 122-116 victory over Phoenix in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs with five points (2-9 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 1-1 FT), three rebounds, four assists and two steals in 31 minutes.
Alexander-Walker wasn't able to get much going offensively, but coach Chris Finch still trusted him with a significant workload. That's been the case for the entire series, as Alexander-Walker averaged 12.3 points, 4.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.3 three-pointers in 31.0 minutes per game as the Timberwolves completed their sweep of the Suns.
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Joel Kiviranta COL LWAvalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Traveling with team
2h agoKiviranta (lower body) will make the trip to Winnipeg ahead of Tuesday's Game 5 versus the Jets, Aarif Deen of Mile High Sports reports.
Kiviranta missed Sunday's Game 4 win over the Jets due to a lower-body issue, but it appears he could be available for Game 5. The 28-year-old winger has picked up one helper and a plus-2 rating through three playoff games this year.
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Logan Thompson LV GGolden Knights' Logan Thompson: First off ahead of Game 4
2h agoThompson was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, per Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, indicating he will patrol the home crease Monday in Game 4 against Dallas.
Thompson is coming off a 43-save performance in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Stars in Game 3. He has stopped 89 of 96 shots in Vegas' first-round series en route to a 2-1 record.
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Vladislav Namestnikov WPG CJets' Vladislav Namestnikov: Dealing with fractured cheekbone
3h agoNamestnikov (face) has a fractured cheekbone, but he hasn't been ruled out of Tuesday's must-win Game 5 versus the Avalanche, Mitchell Clinton of the Jets' official site reports.
It sounds like Namestnikov may put on a full cage and try to gut it out Tuesday, but his status for Game 5 may not be confirmed until the Jets take the ice for pregame warmups. He's picked up one goal, eight hits and a minus-3 rating through the first four games of the Jets' first-round series versus Colorado.
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Brenden Dillon WPG DJets' Brenden Dillon: Ruled out for Game 5
3h agoDillon (hand) will not be available against Colorado for Game 5 on Tuesday, John Lu of TSN reports.
Dillon is stuck in a 12-game goal drought during which he has recorded four assists, 10 shots on goal and 45 hits while averaging 19:49 of ice time per contest. With Dillon sidelined, Logan Stanley stepped into the lineup for Game 4 and figures to remain in that role heading into Tuesday's contest.
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Morgan Barron WPG CJets' Morgan Barron: Still not skating
3h agoBarron (lower body) won't be available for Game 5 versus Colorado on Tuesday, Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press reports.
Barron, who hasn't resumed skating yet, will miss his sixth straight contest after getting hurt in the penultimate game of the regular season. He registered 11 goals, 18 points, 94 shots on net and 122 hits in 80 appearances during the 2023-24 campaign.
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Auston Matthews TOR CMaple Leafs' Auston Matthews: Traveling with team
3h agoMatthews (illness) will join the Maple Leafs when they travel to Boston for Game 5 on Tuesday but remains questionable after head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters, "We're hopeful he's available and feeling good and back to himself," per ESPN's Kristen Shilton.
Matthews has scored just one goal in his last six contests despite having racked up 34 shots on net and adding two assists over that stretch. Without the world-class center at practice Tuesday, Toronto shifted Max Domi to center in addition to slotting him into Matthews' spot on the No. 1 power-play unit. If Matthews can get even close to 100 percent, he should reclaim both those roles heading into Tuesday's must-win game for Toronto.
