Team news: New England Patriots | Page 33

Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera said that RBs Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic are poised to break out, according to Kyle Stackpole of WashingtonFootball.com.

Not much context was added to this, but both backs can catch the ball and will more than likely be in a negative game script against the Baltimore Ravens. Gibson was already a starter/flex option, so this could put McKissic on the flex radar in PPR leagues.

49ers RB Jerick McKinnon is day-to-day with bruised ribs, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic.

Related players: Jeff Wilson Jr., JaMycal Hasty

The 49ers cannot catch a break on the injury front. McKinnon played well in his first extended action in over two years, but Jeff Wilson Jr. outproduced him. McKinnon would get a fair share of touches if he plays Sunday against the Eagles, but it would not be surprising to see him sit a week to keep his bruised ribs from getting worse. Jeff Wilson Jr. would get the heavy workload if McKinnon could not play.

Remember, George Kittle set the single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end in a season in which Nick Mullens started the last eight games. Those were mostly run-after-catch yards.

Obviously, Kittle (knee) is iffy for Sunday’s game on MetLife Stadium’s bouncy-house field. If he’s not there, I’d imagine Jordan Reed is a frequent target.

Kendrick Bourne and Dante Pettis also had good production when Mullens was under center in 2018. Mullens also threw to Matt Breida out of the backfield quite a bit, which makes Mullens a potentially good pairing with Jerick McKinnon.

Of Bourne’s 487 receiving yards, 296 came when Mullens was the quarterback. Pettis had his best NFL stretch with Mullens throwing to him — 371 of his 467 receiving yards came in the last eight games of 2018, the story said. With RBs Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman likely missing Week 3, McKinnon is potentially a nice play this week at RB.

Browns tight end David Njoku will miss at least three weeks with the knee injury he suffered on Sunday against the Ravens.

Related players: Austin Hooper

Njoku has been placed on injured reserve, which under the special rules for 2020 means he has to miss at least three weeks. The Browns have not announced the severity of Njoku’s injury.

The end-of-game sequence was symbolic of an outing in which Jimmy Garoppolo seldom threw to his wide receivers and often was a tick off when he did. Three plays before the final incompletion to Trent Taylor, Garoppolo saw Kendrick Bourne all alone in the right corner of the end zone. His throw had too much loft, however, allowing cornerback Patrick Peterson to recover and break up the play.

Bourne and Taylor combined for four catches for 41 yards and were the only 49ers wideouts to catch a pass. The team’s would-be starters, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, were ruled out with injuries, and Samuel won’t be back until October at the earliest after going on injured reserve on Saturday.

The 9ers mainly targeted tight ends and running backs the story said. The story also added Aiyuk, who is recovering from a hamstring strain, was close to playing against the Cardinals.

David Njoku was forced out of Sunday's game against the Ravens with a knee injury, Andrew Gribble of the Browns' official site reports.

Related players: Austin Hooper

Prior to his exit, Njoku hauled in all three of his targets for 50 yards and a TD. Added tight end snaps behind Hooper are now available for Harrison Bryant and Stephen Carlson if the injury is serious. Hooper had a line of just 2-15-0 in Week 1.

J.D. McKissic is listed as the No. 1 back with Antonio Gibson, Peyton Barber and Bryce Love lining up behind him.

As we've said numerous times, depth charts can't always be trusted and this could be a prime example. McKissic saw most of his playing time in passing situations while with the Seahawks and Lions, so there figures to be room for several backs to see playing time for Washington. Gibson, of course, has got a ton of press over the past several weeks, especially with the release of Adrian Peterson. Gibson will likely prove to be the player to watch over the long term and should end up being the back to own here.