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NFL news roundup: Giants WR Calvin Austin III out for '26 with torn ACL; Ja'Marr Chase sits out practice

Calvin Austin III, WR for the Giants, suffered a torn ACL in practice and will miss the 2026 season.

First seen Aug 26, 2026 · 6:33 PM UTC · last updated Aug 27 12:32 AM

Scoring Zone's Take

Calvin Austin III's torn ACL is a season-ending blow that erases his 2026 fantasy value entirely — drop him from draft consideration outright, and if he's on a dynasty roster, stash-and-wait only makes sense if he's a very late-round flier given the long recovery timeline for a receiver reliant on speed and separation. Given the injury designation applies to the Giants' receiver corps as a whole, expect a bump in projected target share for whoever profiles as the next man up in that room; monitor beat reports for clarity on who absorbs those snaps before you draft.

Ja'Marr Chase sitting out practice with a hyperextended left knee is a more nuanced situation. There's no indication yet of severity beyond the hyperextension itself, and no timeline has been reported, so this is worth flagging as a "monitor" rather than a "downgrade" heading into your draft. Chase remains a clear WR1-caliber talent when healthy, but a knee issue in a receiver who relies on explosive cuts warrants some caution — don't reach to lock him in as an automatic first-rounder without checking on his practice status closer to your draft date. If you have flexibility in draft slot or format, consider letting his ADP settle after more news breaks rather than reaching early.

Bottom line: treat Austin as fully cooked for season-long formats and pivot draft capital elsewhere at receiver. Treat Chase as a wait-and-see, still a premium asset, but track his practice participation before committing premium draft equity, since a hyperextended knee could still linger into game-week availability once the season begins.

NFL news roundup: Giants WR Calvin Austin III out for '26 with torn ACL; Ja'Marr Chase sits out practice

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  • READ: 2026 Roster Cuts Tracker

INJURIES

  • RB James Conner is progressing in his return from last year's season-ending foot injury, but it's not clear if he will be ready for Week 1 of the regular season, per head coach Mike LaFleur.

PRESEASON NEWS

  • QB Michael Penix Jr. will not play in Friday's preseason game against the Dolphins, per head coach Kevin Stefanski. Tua Tagovailoa will start the contest, followed by Cooper Rush and then Jack Strand. Atlanta's starters will play against Miami, Stefanski added.

SIGNINGS

ROSTER CUTS

  • LB Reid Williford was waived with an injury settlement.

INJURIES

  • C Danny Pinter (knee) was placed on injured reserve. Pinter suffered a season-ending torn patellar tendon last week.

PRESEASON NEWS

  • HC Dave Canales said Carolina's starters will not play in Friday's preseason finale against Houston.

INJURIES

  • WR Ja'Marr Chase did not practice on Wednesday after he injured his left knee during Tuesday's session. Chase said Tuesday that he was OK and described the issue as a hyperextension. ESPN reported that Chase was not seen with a brace on his knee on Wednesday.

PRESEASON NEWS

  • HC Zac Taylor said Cincinnati's starters will not play in Friday's preseason finale against Philadelphia.

ROSTER CUTS

  • TE Brenden Bates was waived from injured reserve.
  • DE Benton Whitley was waived.

SIGNINGS

  • OT Foster Sarell
  • DT Israel Antwine

ROSTER CUTS

  • WR Kyre Duplessis was waived.
  • S Taylor Rapp was released.

PRESEASON NEWS

  • HC Sean Payton said QB Bo Nix probably will not play in Friday's preseason finale against Minnesota.

ROSTER CUTS

  • WR Cedrick Wilson was released from injured reserve with an injury settlement.

INJURIES

  • TE Tucker Kraft (knee) will participate in 11-on-11 work during Wednesday's joint practice with the Cardinals, per head coach Matt LaFleur. Packers GM Brian Gutekunst also addressed ongoing talks with Kraft regarding an extension, telling reporters, “we would love to have that done ... whether we’re able to accomplish that before the season begins, we’ll see," per ESPN.

INJURIES

  • RT Braden Smith was carted off the field during Wednesday's practice with what is believed to be a foot injury, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.
  • DE Ali Gaye was carted off the field during Wednesday's practice with an undisclosed injury.
  • DE Dylan Horton was placed on injured reserve.

SIGNINGS

  • DE Derek Parish

INJURIES

  • RB Kenneth Walker III is dealing with a swollen ankle, head coach Andy Reid said.

ROSTER CUTS

  • OT Kellen Diesch was waived.

PRESEASON NEWS

  • QB Garrett Nussmeier will start Friday's preseason game against the Seahawks, Reid said. Reid added that quarterback Patrick Mahomes and offensive tackle Josh Simmons are among the players who won't play.

INJURIES

  • QB J.J. McCarthy (ankle) will take a rest day on Wednesday, head coach Kevin O'Connell said. O'Connell added the goal is for McCarthy to play in Friday's preseason game against the Broncos

SIGNINGS

  • DB Michael Davis
  • DB David Long

SIGNINGS

  • WR Kobe Prentice
  • TE Josiah Deguara

ROSTER CUTS

  • RB Dante Miller was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement.

INJURIES

  • WR Calvin Austin III suffered a torn ACL in Tuesday's practice and will miss the 2026 season, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported. Austin was carted off at practice with a right knee injury after going down during a 1-on-1 drill, per multiple reporters. Austin is in his first year in New York after three in Pittsburgh, where he caught 84 passes for 1,100 yards and eight scores during his tenure.
  • TE Theo Johnson is dealing with a shoulder injury but will be fine, head coach John Harbaugh said.

ROSTER CUTS

  • OLB Nathan Voorhis was waived with an injury settlement.
  • LB Kobe King was waived from injured reserve.

OTHER NEWS

  • The Eagles announced that owner Jeffrey Lurie will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame during Philadelphia's Week 7 home game against the Cowboys on Oct. 26 on "Monday Night Football."

INJURIES

  • WR Mike Evans plans to play Week 1 despite lingering injuries through training camp, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported. Fowler added that Evans' most recent injury, a groin issue, is considered minor.

SIGNINGS

  • OT Derrick Graham
  • DB Tysheem Johnson
  • RB Justin Jones

ROSTER CUTS

  • DB Shemar Jean-Charles was released from injured reserve with an injury settlement.
  • LB Joseph Vaughn was waived from injured reserve.

INJURIES

  • DB Bud Clark (broken ankle) and OT Mason Richman (right leg) were placed on injured reserve.

OTHER NEWS

  • NFL owners voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve the sale of the Seattle Seahawks franchise to the Khosla family, led by Vinod Khosla, from former owner Jody Allen, commissioner Roger Goodell announced.

SIGNINGS

ROSTER CUTS

  • WR Dennis Houston was waived with an injury designation.

INJURIES

  • OLB Rueben Bain Jr. is dealing with an AC joint sprain, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported. Head coach Todd Bowles said Bain "will be fine" and he is expected to play Week 1 against the Bengals.

SIGNINGS

  • OT D.J. Humphries' signing was announced by the team.
Coverage from Nfl Dot Com News · by Around the NFL Staff · Aug 26, 2026 · read original