Player News

• Percy Harvin (WR) MIN

  Updated 9/5/10 3:19 PM

  Harvin will return kickoffs Thursday with the trade of Darius Reynaud, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Head coach Brad Childress also indicated he may be used on punt returns this season.

  Impacts: It sounds like the Vikings are confident of Harvin's health with plans to use him in the return game. He didn't return punts last season, so that would boost his fantasy value. However, Bernard Berrian and Greg Camarillo are likely to be the primary punt returners.

  

• Julius Jones (RB)

  Updated 9/5/10 1:37 PM

  Jones has been released by the Seahawks, the Seattle Post Intelligencer reports.

  Impacts: Despite the name recognition here, Jones' release isn't too much of a shocker. He was squeezed out of the Seattle backfield mix by Justin Forsett and Leon Washington -- who both seemed better suited for the Seahawks' zone-blocking system -- and will now likely have to settle for a backup role elsewhere.

  

• T.J. Houshmandzadeh (WR)

  Updated 9/5/10 12:54 PM

  Coach Brad Childress said the Vikings are not interested in Houshmandzadeh right now, Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.

  Impacts: Houshmandzadeh will no doubt catch on somewhere, but so far it looks like there hasn't exactly been a bidding war for his services since the Seahawks sent him packing Saturday.

  

• Trent Edwards (QB) BUF

  Updated 9/4/10 5:24 PM

  Edwards has officially been named the Bills' starting quarterback by coach Chan Gailey, according to BuffaloBills.com.

  Impacts: Edwards was unofficially the Bills' starter several weeks ago after he clearly had the best summer of all the quarterbacks in camp. The Bills did keep both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm, so there's a little competition behind Edwards should he struggle. He's shown signs of promise in his NFL history only to regress with new offenses and new coordinators, so it'll be interesting to see if he can move up a level like so many other Gailey students have.

  

• Javon Walker (WR) MIN

  Updated 9/4/10 3:10 PM

  The Vikings have cut Walker, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.

  Impacts: There's already plenty of speculation that the Vikings let Walker go with the idea of bringing free agent T.J. Houshmandzadeh on board, but that has not been confirmed.

  

• Demetrius Williams (WR) BAL

  Updated 9/4/10 2:01 PM

  Williams has been released by the Ravens, Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times reports.

  Impacts: Williams has underwhelmed his entire career in Baltimore, and with an infusion of talent at the receiver position this season he became expendable. He has the physical tools to be a good receiver, so he should find himself on someone's roster. He'll need to find some consistency in his game if he is ever going to have any kind of fantasy relevance, however.

  

• Sam Bradford (QB) STL

  Updated 9/4/10 12:19 PM

  Bradford has been named the Rams' starting quarterback for the team's season opener, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

  Impacts: Bradford has a ton of upside, especially in keeper formats, but expectations should be tempered early on however, as growing pains are inevitable. Aside from that standard first-year QB caveat, the Rams' receiving corps is a work in progress, particularly in light of Donnie Avery's season-ending injury.

  

• T.J. Houshmandzadeh (WR)

  Updated 9/4/10 12:15 PM

  Houshmandzadeh has been released by the Seahawks, ESPN.com reports.

  Impacts: Those who have already invested in Houshmandzadeh need not panic just yet, as he'll find another gig soon enough. He'll need to absorb his new team's offense in short order, but in the right situation, Houshmandzadeh can still be a productive wideout, in both real and fantasy terms. Meanwhile, Mike Williams is expected to take over Houshmandzadeh's starting wideout slot for Seattle.

  

• Matt Leinart (QB)

  Updated 9/4/10 12:07 PM

  The Cardinals will release Leinart, the team's official site reports.

  Impacts: With his disappointing tenure with the Cardinals now over, Leinart will try to catch on elsewhere as a backup. As a result of this development, Derek Anderson will start at quarterback for Arizona this season.

  

• Matt Leinart (QB) ARZ

  Updated 9/4/10 11:31 AM

  The Cardinals have reportedly told Leinart that he will be released Saturday, according to Michael Lombardi of the NFL Network.

  Impacts: We'll let you know when this becomes official, but the news signifies that the team has decided to roll with Derek Anderson in Week 1 and beyond this season.

  

• Michael Clayton (WR)

  Updated 9/4/10 10:25 AM

  Clayton has been cut by the Bucs, ESPN.com reports.

  Impacts: Clayton, who signed a five-year contract worth up to $26 million with the Bucs last year, figures to catch on elsewhere, but he hasn't been fantasy relevant since his outstanding rookie season in 2004.

  

• Shayne Graham (K)

  Updated 9/4/10 10:16 AM

  The Ravens will retain Billy Cundiff as their kicker rather than Graham, the Carroll County Times reports.

  Impacts: Graham, who is the fourth-most accurate kicker in NFL history, should have no problem catching on with another team in the coming days though, so don't write him off just yet.