September 2023 4for4 Player News Articles

Browns RB Nick Chubb underwent successful surgery on his MCL but needs surgery on his ACL and should return at some point during the 2024 season.

The timeline is a little longer than originally thought. A previous report said there was little damage to the ACL and that Chubb's return could be in 6-8 months. It turned out the ACL does need repair and that surgery will come "in the coming months". Chubb should return at some point during the 2024 season but may not be ready for the start of the season. Chubb will be 28 years old entering the 2024 season and coming off a major injury, so he probably won't be a high pick in 2024 drafts next summer. But he will at least play, which is good news.

The Raiders ruled out quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for Week 4 against the Chargers with a concussion.

Garoppolo suffered the concussion in Week 3 against the Steelers and was not cleared in time to play Sunday. He did not even travel with the team to Los Angeles. This means either veteran Brian Hoyer or rookie Aidan O’Connell will start against the Chargers. At least they likely won’t have to contend with Joey Bosa, who is doubtful.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley is doubtful for Monday night's game against the Seahawks.

Barkley is in the middle of his recovery from his Week 2 ankle injury. The initial thought was that he would miss about three games, so it's not too surprising that he is unlikely to play here in Week 4. The Giants got nothing on the ground against the 49ers, totaling 29 rushing yards on 11 attempts. Matt Breida led the way with 17 yards. Barkley does seem to be progressing well, so maybe there's a chance he'll be back for Week 5 against the Dolphins or Week 6 against the Bills.

Browns TE David Njoku is now questionable for Sunday's game against the Ravens following a fire pit injury in his backyard.

Njoku was lighting a fire pit in his backyard and suffered burn injuries to his face and arm. The good news is that Njoku is ok, per his agent. We're very glad to hear a positive update on what could have been an unfortunate incident for Njoku. We'll see if he plays Sunday, but the important thing is he is ok physically.

Chargers officially are listing RB Austin Ekeler and S Derwin James as doubtful for Sunday’s game vs. the Raiders.

Related Players: Joshua Kelley, Isaiah Spiller

The role that we had pegged for Joshua Kelley in Austin Ekeler's absence has not been as fruitful as most hoped, including his 12 yards on 11 attempts in Week 3. The footage of Ekeler at practice floating around was mostly just him jumping up and down, not actively participating in practice, so we'll keep an eye on his situation as the week progresses.

Ravens ruled out WRs Odell Beckham Jr and Rashod Bateman for Sunday’s game at Cleveland.

Related Players: Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews, Nelson Agholor

To this point in the season, Beckham has been on the field long enough to garner seven targets, while Bateman has season more playing time but only has nine. In a twist, Nelson Agholor has outproduced both of them. Zay Flowers should be considered a WR3 with way better upside than that as we had into Week 4.

As a result of gambling policy changes, Titans’ OT Nick Petit-Frere and Lions’ WR Jameson Williams will be reinstated effective on Monday. They each had served four-game suspensions for violations of the league’s gambling policy.

Related Players: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, Marvin Jones, Kalif Raymond

Williams could be eased back into action as he has hardly played with his offense since being taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but he is a great target for your inevitable playoff run. Reynolds, Jones, and Raymond will presumably all get majorly knocked down one or two pegs of usage when the sophomore wideout returns.

Sean McVay said Cooper Kupp will start practicing next week, indicating the team will open the 21-day window to activate him off of IR.

It could still be a few weeks, but it's worth putting on your radar now, as his return will almost assuredly result in a huge dip in production for Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell.

Raiders’ QB Jimmy Garoppolo remains in concussion protocol today, per head coach Josh McDaniels.

Related Players: Brian Hoyer, Aidan O'Connell

Veteran Brian Hoyer would presumably get the start if Jimmy G misses Week 4, but it's not great news for the Raiders fantasy pieces whether he or Aidan O'Connell gets the green light.

Colts coach Shane Steichen: Anthony Richardson cleared concussion protocol and will start Sunday's game.

Related Players: Gardner Minshew

Minshew didn't look as good in Week 3 as he had in emergency duty the previous week, but the Colts still got the win. Richardson was emerging as a fantasy star before taking a hit that gave him the concussion back in Week 2. Now that he's active, he is a shoo-in as a top-ten option due to his rushing prowess.

Panthers QB Bryce Young was a full participant with his ankle injury, and he’s off the injury report. Good to go. Meanwhile, RB Miles Sanders (groin) is questionable.

Related Players: Chuba Hubbard, Raheem Blackshear

Chuba Hubbard has actually been quite productive with limited touches so far this season, averaging 6.5 yards per carry and 5.0 yards created after contact per attempt. Compare those numbers to Sanders' respective 3.4 and 2.22 marks through three weeks. Hubbard would make an interesting RB2 candidate if Sanders is forced to miss a week.

Panthers QB Bryce Young (ankle) is off the injury report and is good to go Sunday vs. the Vikings.

Related Players: Andy Dalton

The prevailing sentiment was that the Panthers would give Young a little more time to recover after veteran Andy Dalton eclipsed his two-game yardage total in one fell swoop, but it looks as if they are going to get the rookie back out there. He should not be started in any but the deepest Superflex fantasy leagues.

Deshaun Watson has been limited on the injury report this week with a right shoulder issue. Cleveland’s backup QB is rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson. They face Baltimore on Sunday.

The corresponding tweet mentioned that Watson threw two passes at Friday practice open to the media. In typical redraft leagues, it's heavily suggested to look for a better Week 4 option.

From all indications, Indianapolis Colts All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor appears ready to return to the playing field -- whether that happens in Indianapolis or elsewhere. “He looks great. And I can’t wait to actually physically get a chance to work with him, see him move around, see that speed and feel that speed,” Colts running backs coach DeAndre Smith said.

Related Players: Zack Moss

Even with Taylor eligible to return, that doesn't necessarily mean the team has to get him on the field, whether they want to trade him or they want to actually activate him from PUP. The preseason designation felt like a resolution, but there are still multiple paths that keep Taylor off the field for longer than one more game.

Lions’ RB David Montgomery officially is active tonight. Lions’ G Halapoulivaati Vaitai and CB Emmanuel Moseley are not.

Related Players: Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds

Montgomery is set to be the lead back, which shoots him back into the fringe RB2/3 consideration.

Aaron Jones and Christian Watson are both officially active tonight.

Related Players: A.J. Dillon, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed

Dillon got a full workload in Week 3 and produced very mediocre results in the Packers' 18-17 win over the Saints. Both Jones and Watson have catapulted into respective RB2 and WR2 slots in fantasy.

Only two 49ers I did not see participating during early open portion of Thursday’s practice: WRs Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings. Jennings was doing some work on the side. WR Brandon Aiyuk is out of blue no contact jersey. LB Dre Greenlaw also back in the mix.

Related Players: Ronnie Bell, Ray-Ray McCloud

In addition to Bell and McCloud, Tay Martin, Chris Conley and Isaiah Winstead are options the team could pull from their practice squad. We'll keep an eye on all of these injuries heading into Friday's practice, but we could be looking at a very run-heavy approach from the 49ers as 14-point favorites on Sunday.

For the second straight day, the Colts listed QB Anthony Richardson as a full participant in practice, putting him on track to play Sunday vs. the Rams.

Related Players: Gardner Minshew

Minshew didn't look as good in Week 3 as he had in emergency duty the previous week, but the Colts still got the win. Richardson was emerging as a fantasy star before taking a hit that gave him the concussion back in Week 2. If he's active, he is a shoo-in as a top-ten option due to his rushing prowess.

Miami Dolphins’ wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has cleared the concussion protocol, the team announced Thursday.

Related Players: Tyreek Hill, Robbie Chosen, Braxton Berrios, River Cracraft

The hodgepodge WR2 rotations of Chosen/Berrios/Cracraft will have to take a backseat again, as the team has proven time and again that when Hill and Waddle are on the field, the passing game is going to funnel through them. They are both must starts in any matchup.

Lions RB David Montgomery will play tonight and be the lead back vs. the Packers, though there’s plenty in the game plan for rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, too.

Montgomery is set to be the lead back, which shoots him back into the RB2 consideration.

It will continue to be Jameis Winston's show in New Orleans until Derek Carr is able to return. As it stands, Carr is considered week-to-week with a sprained AC joint suffered during the Saints' Week 3 loss to the Packers. Carr pledged on Wednesday he wouldn't return until he's capable of performing at his expected level.

Carr can safely be dropped in all formats.

A game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday is the last one that Rams star receiver Cooper Kupp is mandated to sit out because he is on injured reserve. But there is no guarantee that Kupp will return from his hamstring injury for the Oct. 8 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Coach Sean McVay said Wednesday it is “the hope” that Kupp will play against the Eagles but stopped short of proclaiming it a done deal.

Related Players: Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell, Van Jefferson

The 2021 NFL offensive player of the year suffered a season-ending ankle injury last year. Early in training camp, he suffered the hamstring injury that caused him to be placed on injured reserve.

It sounds as if the team will shoot for next week, but there is no guarantee on when he could return. Week 6 vs. the Arizona Cardinals feels the most likely.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler, dealing with a high-ankle sprain, was back at practice for the first time in a couple of weeks. He was limited.

Related Players: Joshua Kelley, Isaiah Spiller

The role that we had pegged for Joshua Kelley in Austin Ekeler's absence has not been as fruitful as most hoped, including his 12 yards on 11 attempts in Week 3. The footage of Ekeler floating around was mostly just him jumping up and down, not actively participating in practice, so we'll keep an eye on his situation as the week progresses.

Green Bay ruled out tackle David Bakhtiari (knee), guard Elgton Jenkins (knee), linebacker De'Vondre Campbell (ankle) and safety Zayne Anderson (hamstring) for Thursday night’s game vs. the Lions.

Aaron Jones and Christian Watson are listed as questionable.

Related Players: A.J. Dillon, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed

Dillon got a full workload in Week 3 and produced very mediocre results in the Packers' 18-17 win over the Saints. Both Jones and Watson would catapult into respective RB2 and WR2 slots in fantasy if they're able to suit up.

Lions RB David Montgomery (thigh), LT Taylor Decker (ankle) and CB Emmanuel Moseley (knee/hamstring) are all officially questionable for Thursday night vs. the Packers.

Related Players: Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds, Zonovan Knight

Rookie Jahmyr Gibbs had a fantastic role in his game without Montgomery, handling 18 opportunities for 82 total yards. If Montgomery is a go, he will very likely take back control of the majority of early-down snaps. If he's out, Gibbs is an RB1.

Panthers QB Bryce Young was a full participant in practice today, a good sign he’s ready to return to the field despite an ankle injury.

Related Players: Andy Dalton

The prevailing sentiment was that the Panthers would give Young a little more time to recover after veteran Andy Dalton eclipsed his two-game yardage total in one fell swoop, but it looks as if they are going to get the rookie back out there. He should not be started in any but the deepest Superflex fantasy leagues.

Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle will fully practice today, per head coach Mike McDaniel. If all goes well, Waddle will clear the concussion protocol and be set to return Sunday vs. Bills.

Related Players: Tyreek Hill, Robbie Chosen, Braxton Berrios, River Cracraft

The hodgepodge WR2 rotations of Chosen/Berrios/Cracraft will have to take a backseat again, as the team has proven time and again that when Hill and Waddle are on the field, the passing game is going to funnel through them. They are both must starts in any matchup.

HC Frank Reich announced that QB Bryce Young (ankle) will practice today. Young missed Week 3 due to an ankle injury.

Related Players: Andy Dalton

Bad news for fellow sickos who were considering paying way down for Andy Dalton in DFS matchups. The prevailing thought was that the team would ease Young back from his injury after he looked absolutely overwhelmed on an NFL field through two weeks of the season, but here we are. If he is cleared to play, keep him on your fantasy benches.

Colts QB Anthony Richardson is still in concussion protocol, but he is expected to practice today and will take starter reps, per coach Shane Steichen. A good sign for Richardson's progress and chances to start Sunday vs. the Rams.

Related Players: Gardner Minshew

Minshew didn't look as good in Week 3 as he had in emergency duty the previous week, but the Colts still got the win. Richardson was emerging as a fantasy star before taking a hit that gave him the concussion back in Week 2. If he's active, he is a shoo-in as a top-ten option due to his rushing prowess.

Jaguars HC Doug Pederson said WR Zay Jones is a "long shot" to play the Falcons Sunday in London with a knee injury.

LB Devin Lloyd won’t travel to London and will miss the next two weeks. He had surgery to put two screws into his thumb yesterday; hope is he returns vs. Colts.

Related Players: Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, Jamal Agnew, Evan Engram

The Jaguars spread the target share out thin in Jones' absence in Week 3 and eventually fell to the Texans by 20 points. Tight end Evan Engram has become much more involved in the passing game over the last two weeks, and could continue to deliver usable fantasy games in London in Week 4.

The New York Giants are considering running back Saquon Barkley day-to-day as he tries to get back from an ankle injury in time for Monday night's matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.

Barkley missed Thursday night's loss to the San Francisco 49ers with the injury, which he described to the Amazon broadcast as a high ankle sprain. He is not practicing Tuesday as the Giants begin on-field preparations for the Seahawks.

Related Players: Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell

The Giants running backs —as well as the entire offense— struggled yet again in Week 3. The Breida/Brightwell rotation accounted for 22 yards on the ground and 32 more through the air against the 49ers. It's not suggested to start either one of them if Barkley misses Week 4.

Bottom line: After what Devon Achane did Sunday, he needs to get his touches. Others will be worked in too, when healthy, and matchups will dictate what the carry distribution will be.

Related players: Salvon Ahmed, Jeff Wilson, Raheem Mostert

The Dolphins don't have all their RBs healthy at the moment, with Wilson out and Ahmed also injured. The writer said Achane's performance means the team doesn't have to rush Ahmed back from a groin injury. Mostert needs his carries in this offense, the writer went on to say. Achane has emerged as a must-get-the-ball playmaker after his outburst. Wilson is eligible to return from injured reserve after the upcoming game at Buffalo. Ahmed seems like he could be the odd man out at this point as the story said Wilson could be used as a fullback over Alec Ingold in short yardage situations.

The Browns have signed TE Devin Asiasi and RB Deon Jackson to the practice squad Tuesday.

Related players: Kareem Hunt, Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr.

Jackson struggled this year with the Colts before eventually getting released. He flashed last season filling in for Jonathan Taylor but now finds himself on the Browns practice squad as the team looks to build up running back depth to replace Nick Chubb. With Jackson on the practice squad, for now the team's top-three backs remain Ford, Hunt and Strong.

Receiver Romeo Doubs also told reporters that running back Aaron Jones will also return from his hamstring injury this week.

Related players: A.J. Dillon

Jones rushed for 41 yards on nine carries with a touchdown and caught two passes for 86 yards, including a 35-yard TD, in Green Bay’s Week 1 victory over Chicago. As we reported on Monday, Jones was listed as limited in practice for Monday.

Packers WR Christian Watson on whether he’ll play Thursday vs. the Lions. “That’s the plan,” he said.

Related players: Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Jordan Love

Watson has yet to suit up this season, but says he's going to play on a short week, Thursday night game against the Lions. Watson was considered close after logging limited practices leading up to Week 3. The contest could feature a lot of points and Watson would provide a nice boost for Love. Assuming he does play, it would remain to be seen if Watson jumps right back into action fully. Owners should be sure to check out our rankings and projections for Watson this week.

Lions HC Dan Campbell said that running back David Montgomery, who sat out Week 3 with a thigh injury, is moving toward getting back in the lineup this week.

Related players: Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds, Zonovan Knight

With Montgomery out in Week 3, Gibbs got 17 carries and went for 80 yards. Reynolds and Knight each got three carries. If Monty is back for Week 4, a Thursday night game, expect him to go back to getting a bulk of the carries with Gibbs mixing in and perhaps getting more targets in the pass game. Gibbs had just one catch in Week 3. Montgomery carried 21 times in Week 1 and 16 in Week 2, scoring a TD in both games.

The New York Jets are signing veteran free-agent quarterback Trevor Siemian to the practice squad, pending a physical, according to a team source.

Related players: Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle

The story explained Siemian was with the Jets in 2019 but injured his ankle in his only start and never played another snap for them. He started four games for the Saints in 2021 and threw for 1,154 yards, 11 touchdowns, three interceptions and completed 57.4 percent of his passes. He spent 2022 with the Bears and this offseason with the Bengals. The Jets again said Wilson is their guy after this week's latest loss. The Jets only other QB option on the roster currently is Boyle, who has thrown for three touchdowns and eight interceptions in 17 career NFL games, the story pointed out.

The Dolphins have had a player in motion at the snap on 59 percent of plays this season, according to Seth Walder of ESPN’s Sports Analytics department. That’s by far the most that any team has used motion since 2017, which is as far back as that data has been tracked. And, given that teams use motion much more now than they used to, that 59 percent figure is almost certainly the most in NFL history.

League-wide, there’s been a trend toward using motion much more in recent years, the story said. It continued that in 2017, 4 percent of plays featured a man in motion at the snap, and so far this season, 20 percent of plays had a man in motion. But no other team is using motion like the Dolphins. And it’s working for the Dolphins: They’re more effective on plays with a man in motion, both running and passing plays the story concluded.

Head coach Brian Daboll called Saquon Barkley a quick healer last week and said on Tuesday that the team is going to continue monitoring his condition as they head toward their Monday night date with the Seahawks.

“He’s really now I’d say in the day-to-day category. He feels a lot better today, but we’ll kinda take that all the way throughout the week and see how he improves,” Daboll said, via SNY.

Related players: Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell, Eric Gray

Barkley said last Thursday that he suffered a high-ankle sprain in the team’s Week 2 win over the Cardinals and that injury often causes players to miss multiple games, but the Giants aren’t making any plans to play without him at this point, the story added. We may not know a whole lot more heading into Week 4's Monday night matchup, so owners are going to need a backup plan when it comes to a decision on having Barkley in your lineup or not. The good news is if Barkley is out, Breida has a much better matchup this week when it comes to plugging him into lineups if it comes down to a game-time decision.

In his Monday press conference, head coach Shane Steichen told reporters that Anthony Richardson remains in the protocol. But he’ll be back as QB1 whenever he’s available.

Related players: Gardner Minshew

Minshew has played well filling in for Richardson but the Colts wanted to put to rest any thoughts of a QB controversy. The story added we should get a better idea of Richardson's status for Week 4 when the Wednesday's injury report comes out.

Coach Brandon Staley said in July they would bring Quentin Johnston along slowly, and that’s held true. Staley said the slow ramp-up for their first-round pick isn’t because Johnston isn’t ready, but rather because of the talent ahead of him.

But that timeline has shifted. Mike Williams suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Sunday’s win against the Minnesota Vikings. The Chargers no longer have the luxury of keeping their first-round receiver hidden on the sidelines.

“We believe in the makeup of this guy, and now he's going to get a bigger opportunity because there are going to be more opportunities available for him,” Staley said. “So it's a great chance for him to step up.”

Related players: Keenan Allen, Josh Palmer

Allen is obviously still the top target but will probably draw more attention from defenses. Johnston will battle with Palmer for the WR2 spot but certainly has a chance to take over that role given his first-round talent. But as the story said, Johnston's play fluctuated in camp and he struggled with drops at one point. Still, if you're looking for help at the WR position, Johnston should be picked up and at least stashed for a week or two to see how he starts to fit in with this high-powered offense.

The simplest answer? The Raiders offensive line has to block better. According to Next Gen Stats, Josh Jacobs’ average yards per carry before contact is -0.1, which is the second-worst mark in the league among players with at least 40 carries. That means, on average, Jacobs is getting hit before he even gets to the line of scrimmage. Jacobs is adept at breaking tackles and making defenders miss — he’s averaging 2.5 yards per carry after contact (15th) — but there’s only so much he can do.

Despite leading the league in rushing last season, Jacobs is also to blame for the lack of success so far. As the story said, his holdout in camp cost him valuable time getting on the same page with his offensive line. Jacobs feels good physically, according to the story, but he acknowledged that time away has hampered his ability to read blocks early in the season. Jacobs and the offensive line have been in constant communication in an effort to get past the hiccups.

The fact that Sam LaPorta's a rookie playing one of the hardest positions in football makes what he’s doing all the more impressive. He’s been everything the Lions have wanted and more.

LaPorta leads all tight ends in receiving yards (186), ranks second in receptions (18) and third in yards after the catch (76). He’s been reliable, as eight of his 18 catches have gone for a first down. Of his 186 receiving yards, 129 have come in zone coverage, where he’s been able to find the soft spots and work in space (56 of his 76 YAC have come versus zone coverage). He’s the first tight end in NFL history to record at least five receptions in each of his first three games. His 18 receptions are the most for a tight end through his first three games, and his 186 yards are the second-most.

The Lions traded down from 6 to 12 in the NFL Draft this past spring. They passed on the likes of Bijan Robinson and selected Jahmyr Gibbs, but used the extra pick to select LaPorta, a player they saw as someone who could step in and replace T.J. Hockenson, who they traded to the Vikings. The story said LaPorta was one of the most game-ready players in the draft. He doesn't seem to be going away any time soon and it's possible he's still on the wire in your league as he's available in about 35% of ESPN leagues as of this news post.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is expected to start against the Rams on Monday Night Football despite being less than 100 percent, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.

Burrow strained his right calf on the second day of training camp and didn’t return from the injury until after the preseason. He has not played like himself thus far with 304 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception and aggravated his injury late in the Week 2 loss to the Ravens. He was a limited participant in Friday’s and Saturday’s practices, the story said.

49ers Monday practice vibes Week 4: Brandon Aiyuk is participating but not seen [is] Deebo Samuel (ribs).

Samuel did return to the game in Week 3 so that's at least some good news for owners monitoring his rib injury. Aiyuk missed Week 3 so it seems like he's trending in the right direction. We'll know more about both players as the week goes on. The Niners host the Cardinals in a later afternoon game in Week 4.

Just spoke to Bengals HC Zac Taylor and asked about the status of QB Joe Burrow tonight. He said “we aren’t ready to reveal a decision just yet and will wait a couple more hours before we make a call.”

Related players: Jake Browning, AJ McCarron

It looks like the team is taking this right up until the final moments. We reported earlier today Burrow was trending in the right direction but that's still all we have to go on with about three hours until game time. If Burrow doesn't go, Browning would get the start against the Rams.

Jets coach Robert Saleh is standing behind quarterback Zach Wilson after his second straight ugly performance in the Jets’ second straight loss.

Saleh said today that he is not wavering in his commitment to Wilson as the starting quarterback going forward.

Related players: Tim Boyle

The story added HC Robert Saleh said Wilson wasn't the reason why the Jets lost in Week 3. However, the story pointed out Wilson wasn't good, completing 18 of 36 passes for just 157 yards on a day when the Jets managed only 10 points and 12 first downs. Boyle is the backup and based on recent performances with the Lions over the last two seasons when given the chance, shouldn't be expected to provide a spark.

The Vikings are planning to get newly acquired tailback Cam Akers involved in at least part of their game plan for their next game Sunday at the Carolina Panthers.

Related players: Alexander Mattison

The story was mainly about head coach Kevin O'Connell threatening to bench players because of turnovers. As the story said, Mattison fumbled twice against the Eagles in Week 2, and fumbled two more times in Week 3 - however he was ruled down on one and that his forward progress stopped on another. While Mattison produced better fantasy numbers, Akers looks to be a threat to some of his touches going forward. Also, Kirk Cousins threw an interception at the goal line and another in the end zone while TE T.J. Hockenson lost a fumble this past week.

Packers RB Aaron Jones (hamstring) would’ve been limited in practice today, as he was late last week, Matt LaFleur says.

Related players: A.J. Dillon

The tweet went on to say it sounds like Jones has a good shot to return on Thursday against the Lions. The Packers haven't got much from their RBs since Jones pulled up in Week 1 after a huge performance.

Derek Carr has a sprained AC joint and is week to week.

Related players: Jameis Winston

This was the assumed news once we found out the injury wasn't as bad as it could have been. Carr continues to feel better according to other reports. While Carr hasn't been ruled out for Week 4, odds wouldn't seem to favor him to be able to go against the Bucs. It's an early matchup in Week 4, so Carr owners will know in advance if they need to find another option at QB.

Raiders coach Josh McDaniels tells reporters that QB Jimmy Garoppolo is in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Related players: Brian Hoyer, Aidan O'Connell

Garoppolo didn't talk to reporters after the Sunday night game, as we posted a news story this morning about him being evaluated for a concussion. He'll need to clear protocol before Week 4's game at the Chargers, which is a later Sunday game. Hoyer would be expected to get the start if Jimmy G can't go, but O'Connell looked good this past summer.

Saints running back Alvin Kamara can return from his three-game suspension and get to work with the team today.

Related players: Jamaal Williams, Kendre Miller, Tony Jones

Kamara was suspended for the first three games of the season after he pleaded no contest to breach of the peace in connection with a beating that left a man hospitalized. The timing is good for the Saints, whose offense is in a state of flux after quarterback Derek Carr suffered an injured throwing shoulder in Sunday’s loss to the Packers, the story said. With Williams on IR, Kamara could have an immediate impact with Miller and Jones the other backs.

QB Joe Burrow is going through a workout this morning. I'm told there's optimism he will play and his status for tonight is trending in the right direction, per sources.

Related players: Jake Browning, AJ McCarron

Russini pointed out, however, that Burrow's status is still uncertain for MNF as of now, so owners who need him will want monitor his status until the inactives are announced. The Bengals sit at 0-2 and this is as close to a must-win as they want to get this early in the season. Russini added Burrow is campaigning with the coaching staff and trainers to play. If Burrow can't go, Browning would get the start. If needed, Burrow owners may also be able to grab Matthew Stafford or Baker Mayfield against the Eagles in the other Monday night game if they don't trust Browning.

Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes, who was limping at one point after getting rolled up Sunday against Chicago, is “all good,” per source.

Pelissero went on to add Mahomes' ankle injury is "nothing serious." The Chiefs were lucky to be routing the Bears most of the game and the team ended up pulling Mahomes out in the third quarter to give him some extra rest. Kansas City visits the Jets in Week 4 but it looks like Mahomes is fine.

Source: Chargers WR Mike Williams has torn his ACL and is out for the season, the MRI confirmed.

Related players: Keenan Allen, Josh Palmer, Quentin Johnston

It's what was feared since Sunday after the game. Williams was having a standout Week 3 before the injury happened. Williams will try to bounce back for next year at the age of 30. As for this season, rookie Johnston should be picked up this week if he's still on your waiver wire. It appears he's going to see an increased role according to those who follow the team. Palmer will also factor in give how much the Chargers throw the ball.

The Chargers fear WR Mike Williams has suffered a major knee injury.

Related players: Josh Palmer, Quentin Johnston, Keenan Allen

No one is confirming until after the MRI, according to Rapoport, but those are the rumors leaking out. They are also saying it could be season-ending. Rapoport went on to say rookie Johnston would likely step into more playing time along with Palmer.

Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo being evaluated for concussion.

Related players: Brian Hoyer, Aidan O'Connell

We'll likely know more later today, but Garoppolo wasn't available after the game for any comment. If Garoppolo is unable to play in Week 4, Hoyer would likely step in. But the Raiders also have an impressive rookie in O'Connell who looked good this past summer and is popular in the dynasty community.

Saints QB Derek Carr avoided a serious injury during Sunday's game against the Packers after leaving with a shoulder injury.

Carr suffered the injury during the second half and trainers held his arm as he walked off the field. Fortunately, the injury is not serious and not expected to be season-ending. He could still miss some time, meaning Jameis Winston will be back as the starter. The Saints get the Buccaneers in Week 4.

Saints QB Derek Carr is in the locker room being evaluated for an arm injury.

Carr injured his right arm after taking a sack in the third quarter against the Packers and was down in pain. Trainers held up his arm as he walked off the field. Jameis Winston is now in at quarterback for New Orleans.

The Saints placed RB Jamaal Williams on injured reserve Saturday.

Williams is now out a minimum of four games due to a hamstring injury. He’ll miss games against the Packers, Buccaneers, Patriots and Texans. Rookie Kendre Miller is expected to make his debut Sunday in Green Bay and the Saints will get Alvin Kamara back from suspension in Week 4.

Browns RB Nick Chubb is believed to have only suffered a torn MCL during Monday’s game against the Steelers.

With how the injury looked, this feels like incredible news that he only has one torn ligament instead of three or even all four. His recovery time is expected to be about 6-8 months, which could have him back for minicamp and he very well could be ready for training camp. That’s about the best news we could have gotten from Chubb. For now, it will be Jerome Ford leading the charge in Cleveland’s backfield with Kareem Hunt tagging along.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is questionable for Monday against the Rams with a calf injury.

The Bengals added some insurance Saturday just in case by signing AJ McCarron to their practice squad. Burrow re-aggravated his calf injury from training camp in the Week 2 loss to the Ravens. Burrow missed about a month before returning in time for the season opener. If Burrow can’t go, the Bengals would turn to Jake Browning under center. Certainly a far cry from a fantasy perspective from Burrow, especially against an improved and healthy Rams defense.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler (ankle) is listed as out for Sunday.

Related players: Joshua Kelley, Elijah Dotson, Isaiah Spiller

The Chargers have a very pass-friendly matchup against the Titans in Week 3, which could see them shy away from the run. Chargers running backs (namely, Joshua Kelley) averaged 2.6 yards per carry last week and switched heavily into the pass once the second half started. We should expect more of that, heavily reducing Kelley's Week 3 stock.

Lions RB David Montgomery (thigh) is doubtful for Sunday. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (toe) is questionable, and LT Taylor Decker (ankle) is out again.

Related Players: Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds

The Gibbs breakout game may be coming sooner than expected, but we imagine that the team will give Reynolds plenty of early-down run if Montgomery misses Week 3. Gibbs is currently ranked as the RB10 in 4for4's rankings.

Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle (concussion) was a limited participant at practice today and will be questionable for Sunday vs. Broncos

Related Players: Tyreek Hill, Braxton Berrios, River Cracraft

It's hard to see how Tyreek Hill could possibly have a higher target rate, but it's certainly in the cards for Sunday. Berrios and Cracraft are reasonable Flex plays in deep leagues, while Durham Smythe could get some scraps, making him a top-20ish TE.

Ravens ruled out the following players for Sunday’s game vs. the Colts: WR Odell Beckham Jr., RB Justice Hill, CB Marlon Humphrey, OT Ronnie Stanley, C Tyler Linderbaum, LB Odafe Oweh, and S Marcus Williams.

Related Players: Gus Edwards, Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman

No one figured Beckham was going to remain healthy throughout the season but certainly didn't take him long. Edwards should be an immediate upgrade in Week 3, and should be a high-floor, low-ceiling RB2.

Per the Packers injury report, both Aaron Jones and Christian Watson practiced on Friday.

Related Players: A.J. Dillon, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed

Both should regain their role in your fantasy squads as respective RB2 and WR2s ahead of Week 3 against the Saints. Dillon is back in possible Flex starts in deep leagues.

Commanders ruled out TE Logan Thomas for Sunday’s game vs Washington due to his concussion.

Related Players: John Bates, Cole Turner

When Thomas left early in Week 2, Bates (18) and Turner (12) would end up running a similar amount of routes, combining for five receptions. Neither of them should be started this week, but Bates would be the better bet for the truly desperate.

Bryce Young officially ruled OUT Sunday vs. Seahawks. Andy Dalton will start.

Panthers HC Frank Reich said doctors expect Bryce Young to miss a week or two with a sprained ankle.

Bryce Young hasn't been the sharpest through his first two starts of his NFL career, so it's hard to call this a major downgrade for the Panthers fantasy pieces. Adam Thielen remains a decent enough Flex play, while Hayden Hurst is in the conversation as a top-20 tight end.

For the third straight day, Colts’ rookie QB Anthony Richardson is not practicing due to the concussion he suffered Sunday.

Gardner Minshew is now in line to start Sunday at Baltimore.

Gardner Minshew performed great in emergency duty in Week 2, completing 82.6% of his passes. Minshew should be on radars in SuperFlex leagues if he gets the Week 3 start against the Ravens.

The Bengals are signing QB Reid Sinnett to the practice squad. If Joe Burrow can't play Monday night against the Rams, it'd be Sinnett backing up Jake Browning.

Not a good look for Burrow's availability, but it's worth mentioning that the team just lost QB Will Grier off their practice squad (Patriots) yesterday, so this may just be a coincidence.

49ers’ WR Brandon Aiyuk, listed as questionable for tonight’s game due to a shoulder injury, is not expected to play vs. the Giants.

Related Players: Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, Ronnie Bell

The 49ers rarely have their "Big Four" all on the field simultaneously, which is a shame because it's such a fun offense to watch when it's rolling. We can expect a slight uptick in target share for both George Kittle and Deebo Samuel, while it's also likely Christian McCaffrey will get a little more action as a receiver. Though Jauan Jennings had a couple of big plays in the team's Week 2 victory, it's not enough to consider him in fantasy outside of DFS Showdown slates.

Panthers’ QB Andy Dalton is now expected to start Sunday at Seattle.

Bryce Young hasn't been the sharpest through his first two starts of his NFL career, so it's hard to call this a major downgrade for the Panthers fantasy pieces. Adam Thielen remains a decent enough Flex play, while Hayden Hurst is in the conversation as a top-20 tight end.

Isiah Pacheco is back to practice today for Chiefs. Willie Gay is back too. Toney, Bolton, Richie James are still out.

Related Players: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon

The Chiefs running backs are in a great spot this week, as the team are currently heavy favorites against a reeling Chicago Bears squad. Pacheco is a very strong RB2 for Week 3.

Packers’ RB Aaron Jones is back at practice today after missing last week’s game due to a hamstring injury.

Related Players: A.J. Dillon, Emanuel Wilson

Dillon performed fine in his Week 2 spot start, accruing 63 total yards, but it did take him 16 touches to get there. The Packers are once again dealing with offensive line injuries, but Jones should slide right back into a high-end RB2 role if he is fully healthy ahead of Week 3's matchup against the Saints.

Lions’ WR Amon-Ra St. Brown was back at practice today, but RB David Montgomery was not.

Related Players: Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds

The Gibbs breakout game may be coming sooner than expected, but we imagine that the team will give Reynolds plenty of early-down run if Montgomery misses Week 3. Gibbs is currently ranked as the RB10 in 4for4's rankings.

Colts practice getting underway. No sign of QB Anthony Richardson (concussion) so far.

Gardner Minshew performed great in emergency duty in Week 2, completing 82.6% of his passes. Minshew should be on radars in SuperFlex leagues if he gets the Week 3 start against the Ravens.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor says QB Joe Burrow is "day to day." Says he doubts he'll have a full practice if he practices today. "Giving him time is best."

Related Players: Jake Browning

This is something we'll need to keep a close eye on, as the offense will be drastically different with Browning. The Bengals offense has been inept through two weeks and some of that blame could fall on Burrow's calf.

Brandon Aiyuk (shoulder) will be, as expected, a game-time decision for 49ers-Giants on TNF, per John Lynch on KNBR

Related Players: Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, Ronnie Bell

The 49ers rarely have their "Big Four" all on the field simultaneously, which is a shame because it's such a fun offense to watch when it's rolling. We can expect a slight uptick in target share for both George Kittle and Deebo Samuel, while it's also likely Christian McCaffrey will get a little more action as a receiver. Though Jauan Jennings had a couple of big plays in the team's Week 2 victory, it's not enough to consider him in fantasy outside of DFS Showdown slates.

For a second straight day, Panthers’ rookie QB Bryce Young will not practice due to his ankle injury. Panthers’ QB Andy Dalton is now tracking to start Sunday at Seattle.

It's still early in the week, so we'll keep an eye on this, but it's just one more negative bit of news about a Panthers offense that already looks lost. In the deepest of deep Superflex leagues, feel free to go grab Andy Dalton.

Chargers’ RB Austin Ekeler, who missed last week’s game due to an ankle injury, is not practicing today.

Related players: Joshua Kelley, Elijah Dotson, Isaiah Spiller

The Chargers have a very pass-friendly matchup against the Titans in Week 3, which could see them shy away from the run. Chargers running backs (namely, Joshua Kelley) averaged 2.6 yards per carry last week and switched heavily into the pass once the second half started. We should expect more of that, heavily reducing Kelley's Week 3 stock.

Ravens RB Justice Hill suffered a toe injury that could keep him out of the Week 3 matchup with the Colts but shouldn’t result in a lengthy absence. Baltimore signed vet Kenyan Drake as insurance.

Related Players: Gus Edwards

If Hill is forced to miss Week 3, it would be a full-go on Gus Edwards, regardless of the Kenyan Drake signing.

The New York Giants have officially ruled out running back Saquon Barkley (ankle) for Thursday night's game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Barkley suffered an ankle sprain in Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals and is considered week to week, but head coach Brian Daboll kept the door open Tuesday for Barkley to play in San Francisco.

Related Players: Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell, Eric Gray

Barkley's immediate reaction to the injury put Daboll's initial remarks to shame, as the RB was completely beside himself. It's not recommended that you start any Giants running back this week.

No practice today for Chiefs’ RB Isiah Pacheco (hamstring) and WR Kadarius Toney (sprained toe).

Some people don't appreciate the tag "injury prone," but there is no easier way to quickly describe Toney's NFL career. Toney followed up his blistering 1-1-0 (two drops) opening week with a 5-35-0 Week 2 in which his final aDOT was -0.8. He should remain on benches regardless of injury status.

Pacheco has put forth two very usable fantasy days so far, snagging four passes in Week 1 and hitting 70 rushing yards in Week 2. If he is forced to miss Week 3, the fantasy community may be forced to hold their nose and stick Clyde Edwards-Helaire in starting lineups.

Panthers QB Bryce Young didn't practice today because of an ankle injury.

Related Players: Andy Dalton

It's still early in the week, so we'll keep an eye on this, but it's just one more negative bit of news about a Panthers offense that already looks lost. In the deepest of deep Superflex leagues, feel free to go grab Andy Dalton.

Colts coach Shane Steichen tells reporters that QB Anthony Richardson is in the concussion protocol and won't practice today, which means it may be Gardner Minshew on Sunday.

Minshew performed great in emergency duty in Week 2, completing 82.6% of his passes. Minshew should be on radars in SuperFlex leagues if he gets the Week 3 start against the Ravens.

The Browns and veteran RB Kareem Hunt have agreed to terms on a one-year deal. Hunt scored 23 TDs over the past four seasons in Cleveland. Now he’s back — and figures to have a lot of opportunities after Nick Chubb’s season-ending injury.

Related Players: Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr.

Hunt had been one of the least efficient ball carriers over the past two seasons and was no doubt a huge reason why the Browns let him walk in the first place. We are still expecting Jerome Ford to handle a vast majority of the workload, with Hunt rotating in with Strong.

Indications are Joe Burrow has been feeling better the last two days than he was on Sunday. No injury report today because the Bengals play on Monday. The extra day will surely help.

Related Players: Jake Browning

This is something we'll need to keep a close eye on, as the offense will be drastically different with Browning. The Bengals offense has been inept through two weeks and some of that blame could fall on Burrow's calf.

Saints’ RB Jamaal Williams is expected to need “some time” to recover from his hamstring injury, per HC Dennis Allen.

Related players: Kendre Miller, Tony Jones, Alvin Kamara, Taysom Hill

It's another hit for the Saints backfield as Kamara is still suspended for two more games. But, the good news is Miller is expected to make his debut in Week 3. However, it could be an a messy situation until Kamara gets back and the team could opt to include Hill into the rushing attack like they did in Week 2. Jones carried 12 times for 34 yards but scored twice. Hill ran nine times for 75 yards.

Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Browns are exploring Rams running back Cam Akers and former Cleveland running back Kareem Hunt.

Related players: Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong

Just as we posted this news item, it broke the Browns are hosting Hunt for a visit. The Browns would obviously have to give up a draft pick to get Akers. As for Hunt, he spent the last four seasons with the Browns so a reunion makes sense. He has not signed with anyone since his contract expired following last season. In late August, Hunt had reportedly received offers from four teams. But the running back was waiting for “the right offer” and didn’t sign any of them, the story went on to say. The team recently said the RB1 duties will go to Ford while Strong sits behind him on the depth chart for now.

Q: Are we seeing the signs of what possibly this offense in the first year was missing a dual threat TE that stays on the field all 3 downs?

Indeed. Now, it’s all Durham Smythe. He played all but two offensive snaps in Sunday’s win over the Patriots, after playing every single one in the opener.

As the story said, and we witnessed last year, McDaniel always seemed uncomfortable having to work in Mike Gesicki last year, when his blocking didn’t fit everything the coach wanted to do with the tight ends, especially with the outside-zone runs.

The story added Smythe has six receptions for 67 yards in two games this season. While those are fantasy stud numbers at the position, Smythe could be an option in deeper leagues, or as a TE2, with a hope for improvement.

According to source, Brandon Aiyuk had a CT scan yesterday. It revealed no break to the clavicle area.

Those in the medical field believe Aiyuk is dealing with an AC sprain. And as the post said, his status for Thursday night's game will be all about pain tolerance. It all makes Aiyuk a potential risky fantasy play even if he's active for TNF. Continue to monitor his progress.

Reports on Monday varied about just how long Giants running back Saquon Barkley will be out after spraining his ankle against the Cardinals on Sunday, but they all said he will miss this Thursday’s game against the 49ers at the very least.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll said on Tuesday that it was premature to rule Barkley out for Thursday night, however. Daboll said the team currently plans to make a game-time decision about Barkley’s availability.

As the story said, this could just be gamesmanship. Daboll called Barkley a quick healer and said the RB felt a lot better Tuesday.

Andrew Berry and the Browns’ personnel department are looking at external options. But at least for now, Cleveland will roll with Jerome Ford as its featured running back.

Related players: Pierre Strong Jr.

Ford finished with 16 carries for 106 yards against the Steelers in Week 2. He added three catches for 25 yards and a TD so he looks to at least be a pretty solid replacement in your fantasy lineup if you can get him off the waiver wire. Strong will likely factor in as well and the team has seemed to indicate they will bring in another back.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski has confirmed that Nick Chubb suffered a significant knee injury. Due to that fact, Chubb is definitely done for the season.

The story went on to say, according to NFL.com, the running back's injury likely includes "multiple torn ligaments." As we reported on Monday night, Adam Schefter reminded us that Chubb suffered a similar injury at UGA in 2015 when he tore his MCL, PCL and LCL in a game against Tennessee. This is the first we've heard specifics about the injury from Monday night, and there is more information likely to come.

Deshaun Watson could be fined by the NFL for his contact with an official Monday night but won’t be suspended. He also could be fined for his two personal fouls.

Watson committed two personal foul face mask penalties, one of which led to a scuffle on the Steelers sideline in which Watson pushed aside a referee. According to another Maske post on X, the on-field officials and the league considered the contact inadvertent and the officials did not believe it merited a penalty.

We have signed G Arlington Hambright to the 53-man roster from the practice squad, signed RB Trey Sermon to the practice squad, and waived T Ryan Hayes.

Related players: Zack Moss, Deon Jackson, Evan Hull

Sermon was on the Eagles last year and saw plenty of action this summer in preseason games before eventually getting cut. The Colts rode Moss last week as their RB1 as he collected 22 touches and a touchdown. But the team is likely looking for some depth at the position. Jackson didn't have a touch in Week 2 with the return of Moss and Hull remains on IR.

RB Zonovan Knight to the Lions’ practice squad up to their active roster with David Montgomery (thigh) dinged up.

Related players: Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds

Knight gets the call after Montgomery was injured in Week 2. Monty is considered day-to-day, but reports have said he could miss a couple of weeks, and the promotion of Knight could certainly indicate that. Gibbs and Reynolds should split the workload, but Knight will probably get some chances as well. He looked good enough with the Jets last year that if Monty does miss a few weeks, Knight could potentially work his way up to the RB2 slot.

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson got away with shoving an official during Monday night’s game.

In the third quarter, Watson was flagged for unnecessary roughness for grabbing the facemask of Pittsburgh’s Kwon Alexander and holding onto it even after both players were out of bounds on the Steelers’ sideline. After the play, Watson lingered near the sideline and exchanged words with the Steelers.

At that point umpire Barry Anderson stepped in front of Watson and tried to direct him back to the field, and Watson shoved Anderson to the side to continue jawing with Steelers players.

Related players: Dorian Thompson-Robinson

Watson was not flagged for the shove, even though the NFL rulebook says under the “Prohibited acts” section that “Under no circumstance is a player allowed to shove, push, or strike an official” and that “The player shall be disqualified from the game,” the story went on to say. The story added the missed shove seems like a blown call and the league office may hand down its own discipline. Pro Football Talk went on to say on X, "All plays will be evaluated and assessed today."

Nick Chubb has been ruled out for the remainder of the game with a knee injury.

Related players: Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr.

The injury was bad enough that ABC decided not to show a replay, but it can be found on social media. Chubb's left leg was planted while he took a hit to the knee. As Adam Schefter pointed out in a post on X, Chubb dislocated the same knee, his left, and tore his MCL, PCL, and LCL with cartilage damage on October 10, 2015 vs. Tennessee. From a fantasy standpoint, unfortunately Chubb owners are probably going to be without him for a while, as we all with for a speedy recovery. Ford and Strong are next up and the Browns will likely have to add someone as well.

Jamaal Williams left the game and went to the locker room during the second quarter. The team announced that Williams is questionable to return due to a hamstring injury a short time later.

Related players: Tony Jones, Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller, Adam Prentice

Jones took over the Saints backfield and could see a significant role over the next couple of weeks. The Saints are thin at the position with Kamara suspended and Miller out.

The Chargers didn’t have running back Austin Ekeler in Sunday’s 27-24 loss to the Titans.

Who knows when they get him back: The Chargers aren’t saying.

“No timeline on his return,” coach Brandon Staley said Monday.

Ekeler did not practice last week.

Related players: Joshua Kelley, Elijah Dotson, Isaiah Spiller

The Bolts missed Ekeler as they rushed for only 61 yards on 21 carries, a 2.9 yards per carry average in Week 2. Kelley looked good in Week 1, but couldn't get anything going in Week 2, which was a tough matchup against the Titans. If Ekeler is going to miss time, Kelley will likely continue to lead the way in the backfield.

When asked whether there are any potential long-term concerns surrounding Brandon Aiyuk, Kyle Shanahan said, “I wouldn’t think so. I mean, I know he was hurting a little bit, but he was able to play through it. So I think he’ll be alright.”

Aiyuk was listed as DNP for Monday. The 49ers have a short week in a home game against the Giants, so the team could use some caution with a quick turnaround and not rush him back. We'll continue to monitor his progress as we get closer to TNF.

An MRI showed that Giants’ RB Saquon Barkley suffered an “ordinary” ankle sprain that now is expected to sideline him three weeks, per source.

Related players: Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell, Eric Gray

Barkley didn't seem like he had much of a shot to play on a short week in Week 3, but it's at least a bit of good news he wasn't placed on IR and the team must think he has a shot to get back on the field sooner than later. As for the Giants RB situatoin, it's a tough matchup on TNF against the 49ers. Look for Breida and Gray to split up the workload with Brightwell a possible change of pace and passing down option.

The #Steelers placed WR Diontae Johnson on IR.

Related players: George Pickens, Allen Robinson, Calvin Austin III

A prime example of why we can't always trust players when it comes to their own injuries: Johnson claimed to be day-to-day after the Week 1 injury, but now finds himself missing the next four games. The earliest he can come back is Week 7. Pickens, Robinson and Austin will be the team's top-three WRs. Austin, at least, is likely still on your waiver wire and could be worth a look in deeper leagues.

Cowboys have released RB Ronald Jones, they announced.

Related players: Tony Pollard, Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn

There were reports of this leading into Week 2. Jones was suspended for the first two weeks of the season but was able to come back today. However, the Cowboys are set up pretty good at RB with Pollard as the starter and youngsters like Dowdle and Vaughn as a supporting cast. Jones is still 26-years-old himself, and could provide depth on another roster at some point.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor on Joe Burrow's availability for Monday Night Football against the Rams: Hard to say.

Related players: Jake Browning

Burrow reinjured his calf in Week 2 and reports say he's still sore as of Monday. The good news is, the Bengals play on Monday night, so there is potentially extra time for Burrow to get back on the field for Week 3. The bad news is it puts owners in a bind heading into the weekend not knowing his status. Browning would get the start if Burrow can't go. The Bengals do host the Rams so it's a potentially favorable matchup at least if owners are forced to start Browning. The Eagles and Bucs also play on Monday night, so it's possible QBs like Baker Mayfield and Matthew Stafford are still on your wire and could serve as last-minute backup plans if Burrow is a late scratch.

The Chiefs and superstar Patrick Mahomes have agreed to terms on a restructured contract that brings his compensation back in line with other top QBs.

Ian Rapoport goes on to say: The deal resets cash flow and guarantees for the QB market. Mahomes has now received over $273M in guarantees since the deal was originally signed in 2020 -- an NFL record -- and that excludes guarantee mechanisms that provide for an all-inclusive $450M in guarantees, per me and Tom Pelissero. Reports say the two sides can revisit the agreement again in 2026.

In the middle of a busy Monday as the 49ers prepare to face the New York Giants on a short week, the team was uncertain about the status of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

Aiyuk sustained a left shoulder injury during the opening drive of the 49ers’ Week 2 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

He made a diving 13-yard reception and landed hard on the artificial surface at SoFi Stadium.

“It’s too early to have all the answers to the injuries, yet,” Shanahan told local reporters on a conference call.

Aiyuk’s availability appears to be the 49ers’ biggest injury concern entering the Week 3 game. The story added Aiyuk played 30 of the 49ers’ 57 offensive plays, as the 49ers mixed in rookie wide receiver Ronnie Bell and Jauan Jennings, each of whom was on the field for 27 snaps. Aiyuk owners will likely want to come up with a backup plan now since it's a short week for the Niners.

WR Zay Jones (knee) is getting further testing today and is considered day to day, HC Doug Pederson told reporters.

Related players: Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, Jamal Agnew

Jones didn't record a catch in Week 2 against the Chiefs after a 5-55-1 line in Week 1. After not being a factor in Week 1, Kirk stepped up with a monster game, collecting 11 catches for 110 yards on 14 targets.

Anthony Richardson is in the concussion protocol, per Colts HC Shane Steichen. No other update.

Related players: Gardner Minshew

Richardson's head hit the turf when falling to the ground on his second touchdown run. Richardson came back into the game but later self-diagnosed his symptoms, according to Good Morning Football, before leaving the game. Minshew filled in nicely the rest of the way and would get the start if Richardson has to miss any time.

Bears WR Darnell Mooney asked about his knee injury, and referred to it as a "nagging bruise" and believes he'll be "fine."

Mooney put up a 4-53-1 line in Week 1 but didn't have a target in Week 2 before leaving the game.

Meanwhile, WR Jakobi Meyers is "headed in the right direction" as he progresses through the concussion protocol.

Meyers missed Week 2 after a two touchdown performance in Week 1. As we mentioned in the Adams update, the Raiders play Week 3 on Sunday night, so owners will need to come up with backup plans as we get closer to the weekend.

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels says WR Davante Adams is "good" after taking a huge hit yesterday.

Adams did leave the game after a helmet-to-helmet hit in Week 2. There was no mention of concussion protocol so at this point we have to assume Adams will be a go in Week 3, but we'll have to monitor the injury reports later this week just to be sure. Unfortunately, the Raiders are a Sunday night game in Week 3, so owners will need to have a backup plan in place.

Kyle Shanahan says the 49ers have to do a better job with their RB rotation — Elijah Mitchell didn't see any carries and Shanahan said that was NOT the plan.

McCaffrey had 23 touches in Week 2 and fantasy owners rejoiced again. The 49ers likely feel that isn't a pace McCaffrey can sustain over a full season. While Mitchell has proved to be a capable back, he has just five carries for 10 yards, all coming in Week 1. He's still a valuable handcuff to CMC, but the standalone value isn't there yet.

Source: Browns WR Amari Cooper (groin) still was not feeling 100% ready to go this morning, but will give it a go in warmups today and go from there.

Related players: Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cedric Tillman, David Njoku

Cooper is still a game time decision, but was in pain this morning. If Cooper can't go, Moore and Peoples-Jones would likely suck up a bunch of the targets from the WR spot. The rookie Tillman could also get more involved, as could TE Njoku.

Ravens WR Odell Beckham Jr has an ankle injury.

Related players: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor

After the game, coach John Harbaugh described it as minor, Rapoport said. He added his understanding is Beckham is managing the issue and if all goes well, it shouldn't affect his availability going forward. The Ravens had just about everyone involved in Week 2 with Agholor leading the way and collecting a line of 5-63-1 on six targets. Flowers caught four balls for 62 yards and Bateman had a 3-18-0 line.

Buccaneers running back Chase Edmonds is headed for tests on his injured knee.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Edmonds will have an MRI on Monday after leaving Sunday’s win over the Bears with an injury. There is particular concern about an injury to Edmonds’ MCL.

Related players: Rachaad White, Sean Tucker, Ke'Shawn Vaughn

Edmonds signed with the Bucs in March and he’s seen action on offense and special teams over the first two weeks of the season. He had two carries for eight yards in the opener and two carries for 12 yards against the Bears. White and Tucker are the top two backs for the Bucs but this injury could mean Vaughn gets into the lineup as the RB3 if Edmonds misses time.

Lions’ RB David Montgomery, who did not finish Sunday’s game and was limping after, told reporters he it would take “a couple weeks” for his quad injury to heal.

Related players: Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds

Gibbs should see a bump in touches but the Lions may not yet want to give him a bulk of the workload in terms of carries. Gibbs had seven receptions for 39 yards and added seven carries for 17 yards and should still remain highly involved in the passing game, but Reynolds could see his share of the carries Monty would normally get. We'll keep you posted about any kind of RB workload news as the week goes on.

Rams head coach Sean McVay addressed running back Cam Akers’ status at his press conference following the team’s 30-23 loss to the 49ers on Sunday.

Akers was inactive and a report from Jay Glazer of Fox Sports indicated that the Rams are trying to trade him. If that sounds familiar, it is likely because Akers asked to be traded last season and the Rams tried to make it happen but Akers remained with the team.

Related players: Kyren Williams, Ronnie Rivers, Royce Freeman

McVay, according to the story, said, “this is different” than last year’s situation and said the decision to sit Akers was “in the best interest of our football team.” Perhaps the biggest fantasy take from this is Williams, Rivers, and Freeman handled the running back duties and McVay said that will remain the case “as we move forward.”

If Williams is still on your wire, he likely won't be there for long. Williams played a majority of the snaps, and again played well scoring two more TDs, while Rivers ended up with one catch for four yards. It remains to be seen if Akers will play for the Rams again but as the story said, it's looking like his time in LA is over.

Jaylen Waddle, while trying to make the catch, was hit in the head by rookie safety Marte Mapu, and a flag was thrown on the play.

The third-year wide receiver was able to walk off of the field on his own, but he was immediately taken to the blue medical tent.

Most recent reports say Waddle is in concussion protocol. There was only a few moments left in the game as the Dolphins were trying to close things out against the Patriots. A tweet last night by Joe Schad, a Dolphins beat writer, said QB Tua Tagovailoa said Waddle was in good spirits after the game. The Dolphins have an early game in Week 3 at home against the Broncos.

Giants’ RB Saquon Barkley is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his right ankle Monday in Arizona to determine the severity of his injury and how much time he could miss, sources tell
Jordan Raanan and me.

Related players: Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell, Eric Gray

X-rays were negative for Barkley - which was good news if you saw the injury take place and his struggles to get off the field. Schefter went on to say Barkley’s ankle was swollen after the game but the thinking, in the words of one source, is that, “it’s an ordinary (sprain) rather than a high-ankle sprain. Just need to verify (Monday).” So there’s some optimism and hope going into Monday’s MRI, but more answers await. The Giants play Thursday night in San Francisco, as Schefter said. Breida and rookie Gray could see a split in the workload with Brightwell the change of pace and passing down back. Despite the seemingly good news on Barkley, the short week could make it tough for him to be ready to go.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley had x-rays on his right ankle following Sunday's comeback victory over the Cardinals.

Barkley scored two touchdowns as the Giants from down 28-7 to beat the Cardinals 31-28. But now his status is in question as he had some pain and discomfort following the game. The Giants are on a short week as they play on Thursday against the 49ers. They are staying in Arizona and will travel from Phoenix to the Bay Area this week. Certainly, we can already consider Barkley questionable at best for Thursday and it wouldn't be surprising if the Giants don't play him.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow said he tweaked his calf against the Ravens.

Burrow said he feels sore and they’ll wait and see how he feels in a few days. Head coach Zac Taylor did say if the Bengals had another possession that Burrow would have gone back on the field. So like Burrow, we’ll wait and see, but this is already the second calf issue Burrow has had this season going back to training camp and early in the preseason. For the second year in a row, the Bengals start 0-2 and are already behind the 8-ball in the division with losses to the Browns and Ravens.

Raiders WR Davante Adams was taken to the locker room as he is being evaluated for a concussion.

Adams took a big hit that resulted in an unnecessary roughness penalty. It's the capper on what's been a rough day in Buffalo for the Raiders. Adams was a bright spot with 84 yards and a touchdown on six catches. Josh Jacobs was the only other Raider with more than two catches on a day where the Raiders also didn't have Jakobi Meyers.

Lions RB David Montgomery was carted to the locker room with a leg injury during Sunday's game against the Seahawks.

Montgomery had his knee twisted as he was making a catch. Montgomery had a nice day before the injury, rushing for 67 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts and adding a 7-yard catch. While he is out, perhaps we start seeing more of rookie Jahmyr Gibbs. Hopefully the injury for Montgomery isn't serious.

Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has been taken to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion.

Gardner Minshew is now in at quarterback while Richardson goes through the concussion protocol. The injury appeared to occur during Richardson’s second touchdown run. Richardson was off to a strong start with those two touchdown runs, already giving him three rushing touchdowns for the season. We’ll get more word as it becomes available.

Seahawks WR DK Metcalf is questionable to return Sunday with a rib injury.

Metcalf has gone to the locker room. He has 34 yards on two catches to this point. The Seahawks may start getting rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has three targets as of early in the second quarter.

Update: Metcalf has returned to the game.

The Jets added kicker Austin Seibert after ruling out Greg Zuerlein for Week 2 with a groin injury.

Zuerlein was initially listed as questionable on Friday's injury report. He is now officially not going to play in Week 2. Seibert will kick for the Jets against the Cowboys. Seibert appeared in three games last season for the Lions and went 4/5 on field goals and 12/12 on extra points. He is a career 80% field goal kicker (44/55) and a 90% extra-point kicker (55/61). That includes a perfect 25/25 on field goals within 40 yards.

The Chargers ruled out RB Austin Ekeler for Sunday's game against the Titans.

Ekeler was initially listed as doubtful, so his chances of playing were already low. At least now we know for sure well before kickoff. Ekeler suffered an ankle injury in the Week 1 loss to the Dolphins after totaling over 100 yards and a touchdown. Joshua Kelley is set to see a bigger role as a result and we have him currently as RB21 for the week.

Browns WR Amari Cooper is questionable for Monday night against the Steelers with a groin injury.

Cooper aggravated his injury during Saturday’s practice . Head coach Kevin Stefanski said “We’ll see how he does over the next 48 hours.” Monitor this situation closely. This certainly has a degree of difficulty with the Browns playing on Monday. If you can get Elijah Moore, he would certainly be a nice backup option. Otherwise, you could play it safe and get someone who is healthy into your WR or Flex spots Sunday and avoid the hassle altogether. This is certainly an interesting situation.

The Texans added QB C.J. Stroud to the injury report with a right shoulder issue and he is listed as questionable for Sunday's game vs. the Colts.

Related Players: Davis Mills

This is of no impact for 1QB or Superflex leagues as it stands. Stroud made plays to the best of his ability in Week 1 and still finished the game with a 5.5 YPA.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler (ankle) not practicing today.

Related Players: Joshua Kelley

This is Ekeler's third straight missed practice, which is a a very strong sign that he will be quite limited, if not entirely out come Week 2's kickoff. Kelley should be considered an immediate RB2, and his upside is absolutely in the top-10 if Ekeler misses this game.

Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers (concussion) is officially out for Sunday vs. the Bills, as is DE Chandler Jones (personal). QB Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) and WR Davante Adams (foot) are off the injury report and good to go.

Related Players: Davante Adams, DeAndre Carter, Hunter Renfrow

The Raiders had a very tight target tree in Week 1, with Jakobi Meyers surprisingly leading the way with his 10 targets and two touchdowns. We could see Renfrow far outkick his 13 snaps from Week 1, while Adams would almost assuredly demand a massive target share.

Rookie WR Puka Nacua (oblique) will be listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the 49ers, but Sean McVay said the Rams are expecting him to be ready to go.

Related Players: Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Ben Skowronek, Demarcus Robinson

Nacua was a DNP for the last two days, so this is fantastic news. His Week 1 performance was surprising and maybe not sustainable (40.5% target share), but he should absolutely be in fantasy consideration if he's ready by Sunday.

Ravens TE Mark Andrews (quad) was a full participant today, an indication that -- while he is questionable -- the plan is for him to play.

Related Players: Isaiah Likely

Much like with fellow elite TE Travis Kelce, if Andrews is in the lineup, you're starting him. Even if he's limited in Week 2, his upside is far greater than almost any other option in the league. If nothing pops up over the next two days, Andrews should be in your lineup.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid said both TE Travis Kelce (bone bruise) and DT Chris Jones will play Sunday vs. Jaguars "as long as nothing happens."

Great news for Chiefs to have their 2 stars back. No word on workload, per Reid.

Related Players: Noah Gray, Blake Bell

Kelce could have his workload cut in half and he would still easily be a top-12 fantasy tight end. Unless we hear otherwise, there is no reason to put him on your bench in Week 2.

Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) was a full participant yesterday, putting him on track to play this Sunday.

Related Players: Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims

The Broncos passing offense once again looked more or less anemic in Week 1, and Jeudy returning should add some oomph to the pass-catching unit. While this doesn't necessarily put Russell Wilson on 1QB radars, Jeudy should be considered a strong WR3 with upside for more if he's a full-go come Sunday.

Raiders coach Josh McDaniels indicates that WR Jakobi Meyers (concussion) is doubtful to play this week.

Related Players: Davante Adams, DeAndre Carter, Hunter Renfrow

The Raiders had a very tight target tree in Week 1, with Jakobi Meyers surprisingly leading the way with his 10 targets and two touchdowns. Remaining in the protocol this late in the week isn't a very good sign, though. We could see Renfrow far outkick his 13 snaps from Week 1, while Adams would almost assuredly demand a massive target share.

One reason Mahomes is the league’s reigning MVP is he became one of the league’s most efficient quarterbacks when attempting short and intermediate passes. In the Chiefs’ comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, none of Mahomes’ 21 completions traveled more than 20 yards past the line of scrimmage.

Of course, Reid and Mahomes can anticipate the next trend: Opposing defenses starting to zig to more conventional coverage, a mission to clog the short and intermediate passing windows for Mahomes.

Related Players: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, Rashee Rice

As the article would go on to mention, Mahomes' 8.2% deep ball rate in 2022 was a career-low. Particularly when the team returns a healthy Travis Kelce who can do so much damage in the short-to-intermediate areas of the field, the Chiefs may be pushing the ball downfield more often while defenses attempt to prevent their ultra-efficient short game.

Despite his horrendous first week of the season, Toney should expect some of that action to go his way, as his speed will often see him at the perimeter and beyond the defense. Valdes-Scantling was an incredible best ball target throughout the summer for this exact same reason. They are both difficult starts outside of deep-league Flex plays, but they will certainly pop from time to time this season.

Rams’ WR Puka Nacua did not practice today due to an oblique injury.

Related Players: Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Ben Skowronek, Demarcus Robinson

It is clear the Rams are not allowed to have nice things in the Year 2023. Nacua had an incredible debut, accounting for 40.5% of the team's targets in Week 1. Atwell notched 8 targets for 119 yards and would presumably get similar usage if Nacua were to miss this game. It's a shot in the dark, but Demarcus Robinson could get some extra run along the perimeter like he had with the Ravens in '22, as well.

No practice again for a second straight day for Chargers’ RB Austin Ekeler, who has an ankle injury.

Related Players: Joshua Kelley

The team could very well be taking extra precautions for the veteran, who very likely doesn't need to be eased into the playbook after how well he performed in Week 1. That likely doesn't ease fantasy managers' minds, but we'll find out more after Friday practices. Joshua Kelley should be rostered in every single fantasy league, regardless of Ekeler's Week 2 status after he notched 91 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries last week.

Broncos listing WR Jerry Jeudy as a full participant in today’s practice, putting him on track to play Sunday vs. Washington.

Related Players: Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Brandon Johnson, Lil'Jordan Humphrey

With the way the Broncos offense performed in Week 1, this should hopefully provide a shot in the arm. Jeudy should instantly be atop the target share in Week 2, which should allow him to return high-end WR3 value.

Darren Waller doesn’t anticipate the hamstring limiting him at all:

“Nah, I’m playing,” he said.

The Giants play the Cardinals on Sunday in Arizona.

Is the hamstring any concern long-term or moving forward?

“No, not really.”

Waller said last year’s hamstring injury was much different. What he experienced last week wasn’t even comparable.

Even with the hamstring flare-up, Waller led the Giants in targets (5) in an absolutely moribund performance from the offense, and, particularly the offensive line. Waller should be trusted as a TE1 in lineups moving forward.

No practice again for today for a second straight day for Packers’ WR Christian Watson and RB Aaron Jones, who are dealing with hamstring injuries.

Related Players: A.J. Dillon, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed

Though no one benefitted from a huge target share in Week 1, Doubs accounted for two-of-three passing touchdowns from Jordan Love, after reports from camp pegged him as the quarterback's favorite target. Reed had a huge 18.4 aDOT in the kickoff game, filling into the deep-threat role. Dillon should slide into the RB1 role if Jones were to miss time, making him a very solid fantasy RB2.

Multiple team sources believe Smith-Schuster is not presently among the team’s five most effective pass-catchers. According to those same sources, his place in the offense has been complicated by a variety of factors. His knee, flatly, is not 100%. Asked whether Smith-Schuster was healthy enough to finish Sunday’s game, Pats coach Bill Belichick dodged the question in his Wednesday morning press conference.

Related Players: Demario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte

It's been a long time since we've been able to trust a Patriots receiver to deliver consistently, and some thought that maybe Smith-Schuster could finally be that answer. Things aren't looking great right now. Three different options took more slot snaps than the former Chief, including both tight ends, Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki. Smith-Schuster can be safely dropped in most leagues.

WR Jakobi Meyers remains in the concussion protocol, HC Josh McDaniels told reporters Wednesday, per ESPN's Paul Gutierrez.

Related Players: Davante Adams, DeAndre Carter, Hunter Renfrow

The Raiders had a very tight target tree in Week 1, with Jakobi Meyers surprisingly leading the way with his 10 targets and two touchdowns. Remaining in the protocol this late in the week isn't a very good sign, though. We could see Renfrow far outkick his 13 snaps from Week 1, while Adams would almost assuredly demand a massive target share.

I’m not expecting #Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell (ribs) and CB James Bradberry (concussion) to face the #Vikings. Could be the same for S Reed Blankenship (ribs). But DT Fletcher Cox (ribs) is trending toward playing.

Related Players: D'Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny, Boston Scott

The Eagles backfield was surprisingly controlled by Gainwell in Week 1, as he accounted for 14 rushing attempts and four targets while Rashaad Penny was a healthy scratch. We have been in similar situations with Boston Scott, so please don't go add him in anything but incredibly deep leagues, but we should see Penny on the field, and Swift should get a giant bump as well.

Updates from Chiefs coach Andy Reid:
-- TE Travis Kelce (knee) will practice in a limited capacity, as he makes progress from his bone bruise.
-- DL Chris Jones, back from his holdout, will practice today and play on Sunday.

Related Players: Noah Gray, Blake Bell

Clearly good news for all fantasy managers. Even a limited practice on Wednesday is historically a good sign for Sunday availability. We will update as the week progresses.

Falcons CB Jeff Okudah (foot) and Cordarrelle Patterson (thigh) both will practice today.

Related Players: Tyler Allgeier, Bijan Robinson

We will soon learn what type of role a "Joker" takes in the modern-day NFL, but it's hard to assume it will be good news for Drake London or Kyle Pitts, who remain bystanders in the Falcons offense. Bijan Robinson should still be considered an RB1 no matter who is on the field, while Allgeier may miss out on some snaps if Patterson finds his way into the backfield.

Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell didn't practice Tuesday.

Related players: Rashaad Penny, D'Andre Swift, Boston Scott

Gainwell was the team's RB1 in Week 1, much to the surprise of many. But if he can't go in Week 2, Swift could be in line for a much larger workload than the two touches he got in Week 1. Penny was inactive against the Patriots, and it's also possible he could jump in as the early down back on Thursday night with Swift the change of pace and passing down back. It's a situation to keep an eye on as we get closer to TNF. It's a good matchup for the Eagles against the Vikings at home.

Rookie RB Evan Hull on IR with knee injury. RB Jake Funk added to active roster from PS.

Related players: Deon Jackson, Zack Moss

It's another blow to a struggling Colt running game that didn't get much of a chance to see what Hull could do before he got hurt in Week 1. Jackson wasn't great but could be in line for at least a lot of snaps in Week 2. We've seen reports that Moss could also return this week from an arm injury.

An MRI confirmed the Jets’ fears: Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers suffered a complete tear of his left Achilles tendon Monday night, per sources.

Related players: Zach Wilson, Breece Hall, Dalvin Cook, Michael Carter, Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman

It was the biggest fear since the injury happened during the Jets opening drive. HC Robert Saleh has already said the team will ride with Wilson, but it's a huge fantasy downgrade for the Jets WR group. The team could lean more on running backs Cook and Hall and the running game as a whole, as Hall was an obvious bright spot on Monday night. The Jets will likely bring in another quarterback, but for now the team looks primed to ride this out with Wilson at QB - and a very good defense.

Broncos’ TE Greg Dulcich is expected to be sidelined multiple weeks after injuring the same hamstring.

Related players: Adam Trautman, Chris Manhertz

As Schefter noted, this is the same hamstring that caused Dulcich to miss Denver’s first five games last season and then the last two games at the end of the season as well. Schefter added the Broncos will take it slow with Dulcich when bringing him back, and he could be an IR candidate as a result of that statement. Meanwhile, Trautman was pretty involved in Denver's offense in Week 1, and could be worth a pickup if you're in need at the TE position.

Steelers’ WR Diontae Johnson is expected to be sidelined “a few weeks” due to the hamstring injury he suffered Sunday vs. the 49ers, per source.

Related players: George Pickens, Allen Robinson, Calvin Austin III

It's a big blow to the Steelers offense as Johnson was expected to bounce back this season after not scoring a touchdown all of last year. We'll have to wait word for how long Johnson misses, and now the big fear is the team places him on IR, which means he'd potentially miss the next four games. Pickens and Robinson likely take over the top-two roles at WR, but Austin could sneak into the fantasy-relevant category as well.

The Rams had not just one, but two receivers with more than 100 receiving yards on Sunday. Tutu Atwell set career highs with six catches for 119 yards, and rookie fifth-round pick Puka Nacua’s 10 catches for 119 yards were the most receiving yards in a rookie debut in team history.

And although fourth-year receiver Van Jefferson finished with just four catches for 24 yards, McVay said after the game that the receiver “is going to continue to be a big part of this as well.” Unlike last season when Jefferson was out with a knee injury, where defenses knew Kupp was Stafford’s most likely target, the Rams had multiple successful options.

Related players: Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford

The story said the depth at WR is one reason the team has a chance to survive without Kupp in the lineup, for at least the next three weeks. Another reason is the health of QB Stafford, who ended up not throwing for a touchdown but did have over 300 yards passing in the surprise win over Seattle. Atwell and Nacua will likely be waiver wire targets this week in your league, and along with Jefferson, are certainly worth looks if you're in need at the WR position.

The Colts could get veteran Zack Moss back for next week’s game against the Houston Texans. He’s coming off a broken arm suffered in training camp and returned to practice last week.

Related players: Jake Funk, Deon Jackson, Evan Hull

The story was mainly about the struggles of the Indy running game in Week 1. Jackson fumbled twice in the game and Hull was injured early. Moss was the team's RB1 to close out last season. Hull showed promise in camp, but is going to miss some time according to the story. So a Moss return could mean he slides right back into the RB1 spot for Week 2, and it's something to monitor this week. The team could also bring in another back, and the story mentioned Kareem Hunt.

The Bears did not do enough to utilize D.J. Moore, who they acquired in a blockbuster trade with Carolina. Moore is expected to be the legit No. 1 receiver the Bears have been lacking in recent years, but he was targeted twice in the second quarter, with both catches totaling 25 yards. The ball did not come his way again.

“It’s important for us to be able to get the ball to our best skill,” Eberflus said. “We have to do a better job there. “Were the plays designed for [Justin Fields] to go there sometimes? Yep. And they had some different coverages rolled up to him at times and different things that they were doing, which some teams are going to do, but we certainly have to find ways to feed DJ and feed our skill.”

The Bears passing attack was supposed to be improved this year with the addition of Moore. But as the story said, Fields only had four passes travel at least 10 yards downfield. One of those plays resulted in a third quarter touchdown to Darnell Mooney. Another turned into a pick-six.

Jets QB Aaron Rodgers has been ruled out with an ankle injury.

Related players: Zach Wilson

On the Monday Night Football broadcast, Lisa Salters reported Rodgers was seen going into the x-ray room wearing a boot, but x-rays were negative. Wilson is taking over at QB for Rodgers and would continue to start should Rodgers have to miss any more time.

Running back Kenneth Gainwell and safety Reed Blankenship are also dealing with injured ribs. Both players were on the field in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

Related players: Rashaad Penny, D'Andre Swift, Boston Scott

As the story said, Gainwell did finish the game despite being listed as not being able to practice today. It's a short week for the Eagles and they host the Vikings on TNF. Gainwell easily led the Eagles backfield in Week 1, but now seems to be dealing with a rib injury heading into Week 2. With only two touches in Week 1, the Eagles have already talked about getting Swift more involved.

Chargers running back Austin Ekeler injured his ankle in the second half of Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins.

Head coach Brandon Staley said Monday that Ekeler is day to day, with his status for Wednesday’s practice to be determined.

Related players: Joshua Kelley, Isaiah Spiller, Elijah Dotson

Ekeler was unable to finish Sunday’s game, finishing with 20 touches for 164 yards and a touchdown on 41 snaps. Backup Joshua Kelley played 39 snaps and had 16 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown. The Chargers chose to make Isaiah Spiller, a 2022 fourth-round pick, a healthy scratch in favor of undrafted rookie free agent Elijah Dotson, who played only one snap, the story said.

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon declined to name a starting quarterback ahead of Week 1 and cited competitive advantage as the reason for his secrecy, but he’s throwing caution to the wind heading into Week 2.

Gannon said at a Monday press conference that Joshua Dobbs will remain the starter when the Cardinals host the Giants next Sunday.

The story said Dobbs was 21-of-30 for 132 yards and did enough to help the Cardinals hold a lead into the fourth quarter in Washington, but he lost a pair of fumbles late in the game. Those turnovers led to 10 Commanders points and proved to be the difference in a 20-16 Cardinals loss.

Derrick Henry made it clear that he isn't frustrated about not getting the ball in the season opener as much as he usually does.

"I trust the coaching staff, what we do," Henry said. "Everybody needs to touch the ball. It's not all about me."

When asked about Henry's involvement going forward, Vrabel said the Saints game was an outlier.

"We're going to need Derrick and everybody so we can figure out what we can do consistently," Vrabel said. "Derrick will be a huge part of that, I can assure you."

Spears' 33 snaps were five more than Henry, who saw the field for 28 plays, the story pointed out. The team also used Spears in a spot with about six minutes left in the game and down by a point. Typically, that would have been Henry's time to shine, but Henry had just five carries in the fourth quarter for 12 yards. Spears only had three carries for the game, but did produce 27 yards. Spears also added a catch for one yard. Henry should still have a big part in this offense, but it looks like the Titans may have a back in Spears they also trust.

LaFleur said they're still evaluating RB Aaron Jones (hamstring).

Related players: A.J. Dillon

The post went on to say, "the encouraging thing is he was able to jog off the field" and that they didn't need him the rest of the game. This falls in line with a news story we posted from earlier today when Jones downplayed the injury. Obviously these injuries can be tricky, so Jones owners will want to follow this closely to learn more about his Week 2 status.

Anthony Richardson and Shane Steichen both said after the loss to the Jaguars that Richardson was fine, and the coach reiterated Monday the quarterback is fine.

Steichen said Richardson has knee and ankle soreness and could have returned to the game.

Richardson was sacked four times and took six quarterback hits in his debut Sunday. He also had 10 carries. Richardson hit his knee on the turf in the first quarter and endured a hit on his ankle late in the game. Richardson missed the final three plays for precautionary reasons after Jaguars safety Andre Cisco hit Richardson on a scramble as he neared the goal line with 59 seconds left.

Christian Watson just spoke for a couple minutes. He said there’s “a lot better chance” he plays Sunday in Atlanta than entering yesterday’s game.

Watson is dealing with a hamstring injury that left fantasy owners without him for Week 1. The post added Watson is still taking it day-by-day. Watson added, to his knowledge, an IR stint has never been a possibility. We'll continue to monitor his progress this week.

Travis Kelce’s absence clearly impacted the Chiefs’ offense in Thursday’s 21-20 loss to the Lions.

“Trav is getting better, he’s progressing,” head coach Andy Reid said Monday, via Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com. “We’ll see how he does the rest of today and tomorrow and we’ll go from there.”

Related players: Noah Gray

The story said reports last week indicated there’s a chance the star tight end could return for Sunday’s matchup with the Jaguars. But that’s not set in stone, it added. Gray would likely get the nod again if Kelce can't play in Week 2. Gray had five targets and a 3-31-0 line in Week 1. Luckily for owners, the Chiefs have an early game at Jacksonville in Week 2, so owners will have time to make alternate plans if needed.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Melvin Gordon is "here for a reason."

Related players: Justice Hill, Gus Edwards

Harbaugh said the team likes the guys they have and that Gordon wants to be here, likes the environment and is a proven back. It sounds like the team doesn't plan to sign an RB heading into Week 2. That likely means the team rolls with a combination of Edwards and Hill, with perhaps Gordon also getting some work. Hill had eight carries but for nine years, however, two of those carries did go for touchdowns. One would expect Hill to be the back involved in the passing game while Edwards (8-32-0) is the early down back.

RB Evan Hull "could miss some time" with knee injury, Steichen said, per FOX59's Mike Chappell.

Related players: Deon Jackson, Zack Moss, Jake Funk

Not good timing for the Colts who put Jonathan Taylor on IR and lost Moss to an arm injury this summer. That now leaves Jackson as the team's main back, pending an update on Moss sometime this week. The Colt RBs weren't really a factor in Week 1, outside of QB Anthony Richardson. Jackson did have five catches for 14 yards but outside of that carried 13 times for just 14 yards. The Colts have a winnable game in Week 2 at Houston so Jackson will likely have some fantasy value when our rankings come out later this week.

You can watch one comeback route from Zay Flowers and see he has everything needed to be a special player. Elite speed/burst + ability to get in/out break efficiently. No wasted steps/movement and you can feel his speed.

Related players: Odell Beckham, Rashod Bateman, Mark Andrews

Beckham Jr. led the way with 59 snaps (92%) and had the longest play of the game with a 29-yard catch. Flowers led the team with ten targets and 78 receiving yards and played on 54 snaps (84%). This all meant that Bateman played just 25 snaps (39%) and appears to be the WR3. A potential return of Mark Andrews could mean Flowers' targets take at least a small hit, but he also looks to have at least solidified the WR2 role.

It was the Kenneth Gainwell Show on Sunday afternoon.

After months of wondering what the Eagles’ running back rotation was going to look like, Gainwell played the bulk of the snaps at running back in the Eagles’ tight 25-20 win over the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

Here’s a look at how the work broke down in this game:

Kenneth Gainwell: 41 snaps (62%)
D’Andre Swift: 19 snaps (29%)
Boston Scott: 8 snaps (12%)
Rashaad Penny: Inactive

While it was a surprise to many, we did report Gainwell looked to be the team's most trusted back this offseason. And it started late last season when Gainwell started to get valuable snaps down the stretch and in the playoffs, sometimes ahead of Miles Sanders. As the story said, this was a new career high in snaps for Gainwell, who had 14 rushing attempts for 54 yards and also caught 4 passes for 20 yards. Perhaps the bigger surprise as Swift had just two offensive touches for 3 yards and also dropped a pass.

The Eagles could come out in Week 2, a Thursday night game against the Vikings, and perhaps make sure Swift is more involved from the start. HC Nick Sirianni was quoted in the story as saying, “I don't ever want to come out of a game where D'Andre Swift has only two touches, either. Where we were with numbers and some of the things, you know, our first three guys and through camp are those three guys, they dressed. So like I said with Boston [Scott], to have four backs up, Boston and D'Andre both only had one carry, we have to play that number game.”

After the game yesterday, Javonte Williams said his knee felt even stronger as the game went on.

Related players: Samaje Perine

It's great news for Williams owners, as he made amazing progress in the offseason to be ready for Week 1. Williams finished with a team-high 13 carries for 52 yards and he added four catches on six targets but for just five yards. Perine was still a factor, leading the team in receiving yards with an unimpressive 37 yards on four targets. But Williams was the leader in the backfield and the hope for owners is he continues to trend up. Week 1 was certainly a good sign bigger workloads could be in the future.

Kyren Williams out-touched Cam Akers 14 to 11 until the Rams took a 24-13 lead.

Our very own John Daigle also pointed out Akers recorded 11 touches (all carries) to Kyren's 1 over the last 9:09 of the fourth quarter to ice the game. Williams ran 30 routes (73%) to Akers' 4 (10%). Williams could be one of the bigger fantasy-related stories of Week 1, at least at the running back position. Williams finished with a rushing line of 15-52-2 while Akers ended with 22 carries and just 29 yards before adding a TD to help owners salvage some fantasy production. Williams will likely be a heavily-targeted free agent pick up this week in your league.

Aaron Jones downplaying severity of his hamstring issue. Said after game it feels "great," claims he could've gone back in game.

Related players: A.J. Dillon

The post said the team thought maybe Jones was dealing with a cramp. Jones described the injury as a 'bite' and said he could have gone back in the game if the Packers didn't have a big lead. It will be something to monitor this week if you're a Jones owner.

But it was Zay Jones, listed third on the team's WR depth chart, who paced all of the club's pass catchers in offensive snaps against the Colts (61).

With five catches on seven targets, including an acrobatic 18-yard touchdown, Jones also finished just behind Calvin Ridley as the Jags' most productive outlet for Trevor Lawrence. What's more, his connection with the young quarterback has been strong dating back to early in the 2022 campaign, Lawrence's first under coach Doug Pederson.

Related players: Christian Kirk

Jones led the way in snaps, but it was Ridley who ended up with the bigger day and an 8-101-1 line. Jones did finish ahead of Kirk who had just a 1-9-0 line and was targeted only three times. The story added Jones could be the go-to target for Lawrence on key downs this season.

The Rams trailed 13-7 at halftime, but they scored the final 23 points of the game with wide receivers Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua playing a major role. Each of them posted 119 receiving yards as part of a big return to action for quarterback Matthew Stafford and head coach Sean McVay showered both wideouts with praise in his postgame comments.

Related players: Cooper Kupp

Atwell and Nacua are probably most known around dynasty communities, especially Nacua who garnered some attention this offseason when he was being used in a similar way to Deebo Samuel, and getting touches out of the backfield as well. Both players will likely get some attention this week on waiver wires after their Week 1 performances. With Kupp out of action for at least three more weeks, Atwell and Nacua could continue to get targets and touches.

Justice Hill, a 2019 fourth-round draft pick, has been a reliable special teams contributor throughout his career but has not received more than 58 carries or rushed for more than 262 yards in a season. That might be about to change.

“He played well,” coach John Harbaugh said of Hill after Sunday’s win. “He’s had a heck of a camp. Justice has done a great job, [and] he’s ready to go.”

Gus Edwards, meanwhile, has been one of the league’s most efficient running backs when healthy, entering Sunday averaging 5.2 yards on 501 career carries. Now more than two years removed from a torn ACL that sidelined him for the entire 2021 season, the former undrafted free agent might be ready to handle a larger workload.

Related players: Melvin Gordon, Keaton Mitchell, Jonathan Taylor, J.K. Dobbins

The story said the Ravens could elevate Gordon from the practice squad, but this doesn't seem like it will be the team's only move. Mitchell can return in Week 5 after being placed on IR because of a shoulder injury. The story said Mitchell was a standout at camp this year and could be a name to watch. But with Mitchell on IR, Edwards and Hill should see a majority of the work over the next few weeks at least. The story also mentioned the team could try to trade for Taylor; they were rumored to be in the mix before the Colts put Taylor on IR. However, rumored asking prices from the Colts have been high so it remains to be seen if a deal can be made.

Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers is being evaluated for a concussion.

Meyers took a hard hit during Sunday's win against the Broncos. He was on the ground and looked motionless in a scary scene. The hope is he is ok. He led the Raiders in receiving Sunday in his Vegas debut, catching 9 passes for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns. Here's hoping for positive news for Meyers.

Colts QB Anthony Richardson suffered a knee bruise during Sunday's game against the Jaguars.

Richardson told reporters about the knee bruise but he will be fine. He left the game in the final minute and backup Gardner Minshew closed out the game, a 31-21 loss. Richardson threw for 223 yards and a touchdown with one interception. The Colts head to Houston next week for a date with the Texans.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh confirmed a torn Achilles injury for RB J.K. Dobbins.

The initial fears have been realized for the Ravens. Dobbins scored a touchdown in Baltimore's 25-9 win over the Texans but now his season is quickly over. This is Dobbin's second major injury in three seasons following an ACL tear in 2021. Just extremely unfortunate for Dobbins. Gus Edwards and Justice Hill are next in line at running back for the Ravens.

Ravens RB JK Dobbins is feared to have suffered a torn Achilles during Sunday's game against the Texans.

Dobbins will get an MRI to confirm, but if this is true, it is devastating for Dobbins, who tore an ACL in 2021 and missed time in 2022 while recovering from the injury. You have to feel terrible for Dobbins who fought hard to return from the ACL and was set to earn a new contract. Now he's got this setback. He even scored a touchdown Sunday against Houston and had 37 total yards on 10 touches.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the 49ers with a hamstring injury.

Johnson immediately grabbed his leg after a run early in the second half and it didn't take long for him to be ruled out for the remainder of the game. It's been that kind of game for the Steelers thus far as San Francisco is just having their way with Pittsburgh. We've seen the graphic where at one point the 49ers had outgained the Steelers 199-1.

Ravens TE Mark Andrews (quad) is not expected to play Sunday against the Texans.

Andrews was listed as questionable for the game after dealing with the injury for a while but this is still considered a surprise. That makes arguably the top two tight ends in fantasy missing Week 1 after Travis Kelce missed Thursday’s opener against the Lions. Andrews’ absence means Isaiah Likely should see more work and targets from Lamar Jackson. Likely would be TE2 worthy with some upside.

The Broncos elevated wide receivers Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Phillip Dorsett from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Raiders.

Teams can bring up a maximum of two players from the practice squad so the fact the Broncos used both spots on a wide receiver could be pretty telling regarding Jerry Jeudy’s chances to play Sunday. Jeudy is questionable with a hamstring injury. It feels like the Broncos will err on the side of caution here and play the long game with Jeudy, especially with a hamstring injury. We’ll know for sure a little before 3:00 Sunday with the Broncos in a 4:25 kickoff.

Jets RB Breece Hall is listed as questionable for Week 1 against the Bills with a knee injury.

Hall was limited all week but that's likely more the Jets keeping him fresh before the game. He should be good to go, along with tackles Duane Brown and Mekhi Becton. Hall will split work with Dalvin Cook. We have both inside the top 35 for Week 1 as it's tough to call how the Jets will split the work. It could be close to 50/50, making this a muddy situation for fantasy purposes.

Rams are placing WR Cooper Kupp on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

The injury concerns continue for the star wide receiver and now he will miss the first four games of the season. Head coach Sean McVay had said there was a chance this would happen. Now it has. This means he’ll miss games against the Seahawks, 49ers, Bengals and Colts, at least. Van Jefferson stands to be the beneficiary of Kupp’s absence, but this looks like the beginning of a long season for the Rams.

Colts RB Zack Moss was downgraded to doubtful for Sunday’s opener against the Jaguars with a forearm injury.

Moss was previously questionable for the game, so this is typically not a good sign for his chances to play on Sunday. That would leave Deon Jackson and rookie Evan Hull as the lead backs for the Colts with Jonathan Taylor on the PUP list. The edge for fantasy purposes goes to Jackson, but even at that, he’s a flex play at best against a good Jaguars defense and in a young Colts offense.

Lions coach Dan Campbell says Jahmyr Gibbs' low snap count against KC was by design. He wanted to let him get a glimpse of what the game looked like before unleashing him.

"He'll begin to get more touches now, so that was just the beginning last night."

Related Players: David Montgomery

This makes sense, as Montgomery ended up seeing quite a lot of time that most figured would be pegged for the rookie, namely, third-down obvious passing situations. Gibbs looked great when on the field, including a 6.0 YPA on seven attempts and his two targets for 2-18-0 on his nine routes ran. There's a long season ahead of us, and Gibbs can easily end up paying off his 3rd/4th round draft capital.

The Titans removed WR Treylon Burks (knee) from the injury report and he's good to go for Sunday's opener vs the #Saints.

Related Players: Deandre Hopkins, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

Burks is thankfully back in the lineup, but he could still be an iffy start on fantasy squads. Hopkins is still a good bet to eat up target share on a team looking to run the ball as much as possible. Hopkins is a good Flex play while Burks should stay on the bench while we see what this offense is capable of.

Christian Watson is OUT Sunday vs. the Bears, Matt LaFleur says.

Romeo Doubs is questionable.

Related Players: Jayden Reed, Malik Heath, Samori Toure

Things aren't looking so hot for Jordan Love's first official start as the team's QB1. Jayden Reed looked fantastic throughout the offseason, so if Doubs is forced out, he will also make a very intriguing DFS piece. Luke Musgrave, who also showed out through the summer, is also interesting for managers who are scouring the waiver wire after learning late on Thursday that they would be without Travis Kelce.

The Giants listed WR Wan'Dale Robinson (knee) as doubtful for Sunday's opener vs. Dallas -- and added TE Darren Waller to the injury report with a hamstring. He's questionable.

Related Players: Parris Campbell, Daniel Bellinger

The Giants' under team total is looking pretty enticing right about now. Presumably, the slot role will be pretty well locked down by Parris Campbell while Robinson is on the mend and offers a reasonable floor for very desperate fantasy managers. This is Waller's first stint on the injury report this week, so hopefully, that is more of a precaution.

The Commanders removed WR Terry McLaurin from the injury report. He's good to go Sunday vs. the Cardinals.

Related Players: Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Byron Pringle

Fantastic news, as this matchup is amazing for fantasy purposes. With a full practice on Friday, there should be no reason to keep McLaurin out of Week 1 fantasy lineups. His season-long outlook as a WR2 remains intact.

Panthers WR D.J. Chark (hamstring) is out for Sunday's opener vs. Atlanta. WR Adam Thielen (ankle) is questionable.

Related Players: Related Players: Jonathan Mingo, Laviska Shenault, Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Terrace Marshall has also been limited throughout the week. This could all translate to a much bigger role for rookie Jonathan Mingo, who had already been getting a lot of buzz through training camp. Depending on Thielen's status leading up to the game, Mingo could be in Flex consideration for deeper leagues.

How the Eagles deploy their running backs this season was a hotly debated topic within the fantasy football community throughout the summer. D'Andre Swift, Kenny Gainwell, and Rashaad Penny will all have roles, but Swift pretty clearly showed throughout training camp that he is the most talented of the three, and I expect him to get the most touches on Sunday. We'll see.

Jimmy gets it. Kempski also remarked that Swift "caught a lot of passes out of the backfield during training camp practices" while noting that he was working with the wide receivers during Thursday's practice. In a perfect world, Swift would have the pass-catching role while Penny had the early-down and goal-line roles. But we've seen time and time again that Gainwell will work in two-minute drills, which makes the situation in total headache.

Swift can be considered a Flex play in Week 1, but we should probably take a wait-and-see approach with the other two backs in all but the deepest leagues.

Something to watch: Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker was limited for today’s practice with groin injury.

Related Players: Zach Charbonnet, DeeJay Dallas

Definitely something to keep an eye on, as Charbonnet would instantly be an RB2 option if Walker is forced to miss Week 1. The dreaded heavy rotation we've feared since the team grabbed Charbonnet in the second round may be in effect sooner rather than later.

Chiefs star TE Travis Kelce is out tonight against the #Lions. He may give it another try before kickoff. Either way, the bone bruise should not keep him out long-term.

Related Players: Matt Bushman, Noah Gray, Blake Bell

The answer to the Kelce replacement question may end up being "no one," as the team will now have three active TEs for TNF. Gray is interesting in very deep leagues, but none of the three options are recommended.

A good sign for the Commanders: WR Terry McLaurin (toe) was a full participant in practice today.

Related Players: Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown

This is fantastic news, as a full Thursday participation hints that there will be a full workload for McLauren in Week 1. Sam Howell is a very intriguing streamer once more, as McLauren himself should be considered a fantasy WR2.

For the second straight day today, Packers’ WR Christian Watson did not practice due to a hamstring injury.

Related Players: Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Malik Heath

What was setting up for a nice debut week for new QB Jordan Love is suddenly not so positive as Watson may not be on the field for Week 1. Doubs has also been limited throughout the week, which further dings the Packers offense as a whole. If Friday doesn't deliver some good news, Love will fall out of favor in Superflex leagues.

For the Panthers, two starting WRs DJ Chark (hamstring) and Adam Thielen (ankle) did not participate in practice today.

Related Players: Jonathan Mingo, Laviska Shenault, Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Chark (hamstring) has been severely limited as well. Terrace Marshall has also been limited throughout the week. This could all translate to a much bigger role for rookie Jonathan Mingo, who had already been getting a lot of buzz through training camp. Depending on the statuses leading up to the game, Mingo could be in Flex consideration for deeper leagues.

The Chiefs are elevating TE Matt Bushman from the practice squad for tonight's game against the Lions. Insurance in case Travis Kelce can’t go.

Related Players: Noah Gray, Blake Bell

The answer to the Kelce replacement question may end up being "no one," as the team will now have three active TEs for TNF. Gray is interesting in very deep leagues, but none of the three options are recommended if Kelce misses Week 1.

Does not appear that Adam Thielen is going to practice today. He was limited yesterday with an ankle injury.

Related Players: Jonathan Mingo, Laviska Shenault, Ihmir Smith-Marsette

D.J. Chark (hamstring) has been severely limited as well. Terrace Marshall has also been limited throughout the week. This could all translate to a much bigger role for rookie Jonathan Mingo, who had already been getting a lot of buzz through training camp. Depending on the statuses leading up to the game, Mingo could be in Flex consideration for deeper leagues.

Things may change, but it’s not looking good for Kendre Miller’s availability this week. I would anticipate a big Jamaal Williams game backed up by Kirk Merritt, with Tony Jones Jr. activated from the practice squad.

Merritt didn't carry the ball one single time in the preseason, so his workload isn't expected to make much of an impact on Wiliams' touch share. Could be a huge game for the former Packer.

Rams coach Sean McVay says WR Cooper Kupp is out Sunday as he deals with his hamstring injury.

Related Players: Van Jefferson, Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell

What's worse, there's no guarantee that Kupp will avoid IR. Truly miserable news for fantasy and the WR himself, but we power on. Van Jefferson is now a very interesting fantasy piece and could absolutely be in Flex consideration as soon as this week. Nucua is an interesting hold on deep rosters, but the team has already shown their hand regarding Atwell as a rotational player.

Kupp is an obvious hold in all formats, regardless of a league's IR slot being active or not.

Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce, who suffered a bone bruise to his knee at Tuesday’s practice, is being listed as questionable for Thursday night’s regular-season opener versus the Detroit Lions.

Related Players Noah Gray, the entire Chiefs offense

The immediate fantasy football beneficiary would likely be Noah Gray, who has popped with decent usage, particularly in a second-year stretch in 2022 when he accumulated 16 receptions for 187 yards and a touchdown in the seven games following the team’s Week 8 bye. Wide receiver Skyy Moore could be the biggest beneficiary, as Kadarius Toney is unlikely to start the season as a bona fide WR1 option, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling is mostly used as a deep threat.

Another WR injury to monitor for the Panthers: Adam Thielen (ankle) was limited in practice today.

D.J. Chark (hamstring) didn't practice and Terrace Marshall (back) was limited.

Related Players: Jonathan Mingo, Laviska Shenault, Ihmir Smith-Marsette

This could all translate to a much bigger role for rookie Jonathan Mingo, who had already been getting a lot of buzz through training camp. Depending on statuses leading up to the game, Mingo could be in Flex consideration for deeper leagues.

Seahawks’ head coach Pete Carroll said he expects rookie first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who underwent wrist surgery last month, to play Sunday’s opener vs. the Rams.

Related Players: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett

As it stands, the Seahawks arguably have the best 3-WR set in the NFL when they are all healthy. Smith-Njigba can be considered a Flex option in Week 1, while Geno Smith is set up for another great season.

I asked Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon if he might announce his starting QB before Sunday or just roll him out on game day at the Commanders on Sunday in Landover. His response:

"I ain't telling you anything."

Related Players: Clayton Tune, Joshua Dobbs

The least interesting Week 1 quarterback controversy in recent history, Gannon is keeping his cards close to his vest. Starting either quarterback in any fantasy format would be a mistake.

Bengals’ HC Zac Taylor said Joe Burrow is expected to practice in full today. This puts him on track to start Sunday’s game vs. the Browns.

This is great news for all Cincinnati fantasy pieces, as well as Burrow himself. The QB doesn't often offer much rushing upside, so if he is limited mobility-wise it shouldn't make much of a difference. Burrow is a top-10 Week 1 option.

Sources in Washington are optimistic about Commanders WR Terry McLaurin (toe). He’s responded well to work on the field so far, with a few days of practice remaining before the sold-out home opener against Arizona.

Related Players: Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Byron Pringle

This is a tough situation for fantasy managers who likely just drafted McLaurin last weekend. It's even worse for managers who took a running back-heavy approach who may even be relying on him as their team's WR1. Expectations should be limited right out of the gate, and McLaurin may end up on benches for teams with many other WRs on their team. His season-long outlook should remain very strong.

The Commanders are signing WR Jamison Crowder to their practice squad, sources say. The 2015 fourth-round pick returns to the franchise that drafted him.

Related Players: Dax Milne, Mitchell Tinsley

Crowder would have really hit another level to threaten Curtis Samuel, who figures to get a lot of work out of the slot this season. Crowder could find his way onto the active roster but would simply be a depth piece.

Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon told Arizona Sports' "Burns and Gambo Show" that he expects Kyler Murray to play this season, but the team did place him on the physically unable to perform list, meaning he'll at least miss the first four weeks.

Despite that extended absence and no concrete date for his return, it was somewhat curious, the story pointed out, to see the Cardinals name Murray as one of their six captains for the season, which is his fourth consecutive season with the title. The story also said the Cards still view Murray as a franchise quarterback and a leader of the organization.

The Commanders are hoping star receiver Terry McLaurin will be healthy enough to play the season opener Sunday, but Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post reports that McLaurin’s status remains uncertain.

McLaurin injured his toe in an Aug. 21 preseason game against the Ravens and was diagnosed with turf toe. He is progressing in his recovery, per Jhabvala, and the Commanders consider him day to day. Coach Ron Rivera said Tuesday he would not update any injuries until Wednesday when it is required by the league, the story said.

There is some good news out of Kansas City on Travis Kelce after the tight end hyperextended his knee during Tuesday’s practice.

According to a report from NFL Media, Kelce is not believed to have suffered a long-term injury. Kelce’s status, however, is in doubt for Thursday’s season opener against Detroit.

The story went on to say the Chiefs plan to let the swelling go down in Kelce’s knee and reevaluate from there. Kelce, 33, was listed as a limited participant in Tuesday’s practice after exiting the session early. Receiver Skyy Moore said Kelce was able to walk off the field under his own power. As we said in an earlier post, now is the time to form a backup plan.

Rookie running back Bijan Robinson was listed as the team’s third-string running back despite being the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft and the subject of much praise from those around the team over the course of the summer. It’s now time for the regular season to begin and the Falcons have adjusted the chart to better reflect Robinson’s actual role on the team.

Robinson is listed as the starter in the backfield with Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson behind him in the pecking order.

We touched a little bit on the Falcons RB situation recently. There is expected to be a lot of carries for Allgeier with Patterson's role in question. And as the story added, all three players should see time in the offense when healthy — Patterson has been dealing with a soft tissue injury — but Robinson is expected to be one of the focal points in Atlanta’s attack. Tuesday’s change to the depth chart acknowledges that. Allgeier would be a great handcuff for Robinson owners.

The Bears have settled on a backup quarterback for the start of the regular season.

The Bears opted for experience in the No. 2 role. The team released its depth chart for this week on Tuesday and it shows Nathan Peterman behind Josh Fields with Tyson Bagent in the No. 3 role.

As the story said, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said last week that the team had not decided whether Peterman or undrafted rookie Bagent would back up Justin Fields against the Packers. Bagent played well in the preseason and the Bears cut both Peterman and P.J. Walker on their way to setting their first 53-man roster, but re-signed Peterman after making other roster moves.

Chiefs’ HC Andy Reid told reporters that Travis Kelce hyper-extended his knee at practice today and his status for Thursday night’s opener vs the Lions is uncertain.

Related players: Noah Gray

Well, this will get the heart pumping... With most drafts in the books at this point, owners may want to jump on the wire ASAP and make sure you have a backup plan. Gray is next up on the Chiefs depth chart and should be available in typical leagues. He may be worth grabbing if you didn't address a TE2 option on your roster to this point and you play in deeper leagues. Hopefully we get more news leading up to Thursday night. At the very least we'll know Kelce's status 90 minutes before the start of the game.

Judging from how the Chiefs utilized their receivers in training camp, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson will get the most playing time. Kadarius Toney missed all of camp after having surgery for a torn meniscus, but is back at practice and should be available to play against the Lions.

It’s less clear how much the others might play. But they all bring something to the group. Richie James has the most single-season catches of the group, having caught 57 passes for the New York Giants last season. The Chiefs tried to get the ball to Rashee Rice on plays like screens and pop passes during the preseason to highlight his ability to run after the catch.

Justyn Ross is big at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. Veach suggested he could take the red zone role held last year by Jody Fortson, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury.

Rice, a second-round draft pick, is a rookie. Ross is playing his first season with the Chiefs. He joined last season as an undrafted rookie but didn’t play because of injuries.

The Chiefs claim they will use their WRs based on defenses and who they are playing, allowing them to attack in different ways. While a lot of the young WRs got attention over the summer at some point - either working with the first team or just standing out - the story said Rice and Ross, especially, could see their roles be limited early in the season or at least until the coaches are comfortable with giving them a bigger workload. The Chiefs receivers could be a frustrating group for fantasy purposes, at least early on in the season.

Both Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have proven to be very capable and reliable receiving threats.

Gibbs made a ton of catches down the field in training camp and I think that's something we could see that is a little unconventional from other pass-catching backs around the league.

Writer Tim Twentyman went on to say Gibbs, in particular, "might be the best pass catching running back I've seen in Detroit in my 15 years covering the team. He's got natural hands and is a terrific route runner." With wide receiver Jameson Williams suspended and DJ Chark no longer in Detroit, Twentyman said vertical threats don't have to be receivers so that's one thing to watch out for with Gibbs.

Ian Rapoport said all signs point to Bengals QB Joe Burrow playing Week 1.

Rapoport went on to say this has been heading in the right direction for a while, ever since Burrow returned to full padded practices a couple days ago. HC Zac Taylor said Burrow is officially considered day-to-day, according to Rapoport, but has looked "really, really good." Rapoport added it remains to be seen if Burrow has a new contract upon his return.

Zack Moss has returned to practice after breaking his arm early in training camp and he will join Deon Jackson and Evan Hull as options in the backfield against Jacksonville this weekend. On Monday, Colts head coach Shane Steichen suggested that all three backs will get chances to show their skills and that the team will make choices about how to divvy up playing time based on how they perform.

“I think it’s running back-by-committee,” Steichen said, via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. “Whoever’s got the hot hand, let ‘em ride a little bit.”

Related players: James Robinson, Jonathan Taylor

This isn't shocking news, but still disappointing for fantasy purposes. Last year, the Colts gave the RB1 role to Moss to close out the season, and he preformed well to the surprise of many. But with a new coaching staff in place, Moss may not get the same chances he did last season. Jackson has preformed well at times when filling in for Taylor, but Hull is a rookie drafted by the current coaching staff. The team was also expected to host free agent Robinson, who was cut by the Patriots earlier this offseason.

Technically, the Saints now have four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.

As noted by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football, the team shifted the designation of Taysom Hill from tight end to quarterback. He had been listed as a tight end for all of camp.

The story went on to say that under that approach, Derek Carr would serve as QB1, Hill would fill the role of QB2, and Jameis Winston or rookie fourth-rounder Jake Haener would be the emergency third quarterback. The third quarterback could play only if both Carr and Hill were both unavailable due to injury or ejection. If that’s what the Saints do, it’s a creative application of the rule. The second quarterback can play at will and line up at other positions like tight end; only the emergency third quarterback is restricted to operating under center, the story said. However, it won't help fantasy owners much if Hill is only listed as a QB.

You’re not going to like my answer, but I’m not sure we do [see Kyle Pitts become a dominating force]. This doesn’t mean I don’t think he’ll be very valuable this year and into the future. It’s just that in this system, I’m not sure he’s going to be “dominating” in any traditional sense.

The story went on to say the thing about Pitts is his best fantasy football value would be to essentially use him like the Falcons used him in 2021, which is to say as a wide receiver. Miami’s Mike Gesicki was the only tight end to play more snaps split wide than Pitts in 2021 (240 to 227), according to TruMedia. However, Atlanta drafted Pitts with the idea that he was a player with No. 1 wide receiver ability who could also play tight end well enough to give the team true positional flexibility. If Pitts can’t — or just isn’t asked to — block then it handcuffs the Falcons’ ability to manipulate the types of defensive personnel they face, the story went on to say. The piece did add Pitts' blocking ability has been praised this offseason.

In the last 10 years, five running backs have been taken in the top 10. Four of the five (Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette and Todd Gurley) had 229 carries or more in their rookie season. The fifth (Christian McCaffrey) had only 117 carries but added 80 catches. When teams draft backs in the top 10, like Bijan Robinson, they use them a lot.

Related players: Tyler Allgeier, Cordarrelle Patterson

The author went on to say Allgeier will still get plenty of use because the Falcons ran the ball an NFL-high 559 times last year. So even if Robinson carries the ball 250 times, there are still plenty of carries to go around. Patterson’s role is a little bit more of a mystery, the story added. He'll be third on the team in carries, according to the author, but how far back he’s going to be is a question mark. The prediction is Patterson's 144 carries from a year ago could get cut in half this season.

Ravens TE Mark Andrews is expected to return to practice Wednesday.

Related players: Isaiah Likely

As the post went on to say, Andrews has missed six straight practices. HC Jim Harbaugh was quoted in the post as saying, “We’re still on 'don’t push the panic button’'.” If Andrews can't go in Week 1, Likely would be in store for a potentially huge workload, but it looks like Andrews is at least trending in the right direction.

Mike McDaniel says Devone Achane, Brandon Jones, Jaylen Waddle should be out there today. No Terron Armstead just yet but he’s getting ready

A little bit of relief for Waddle owners. Waddle was expected to be ready for Week 1 so this is at least a good sign he's heading in the right direction.

The Dolphins named Mike White as their backup quarterback, coach Mike McDaniel said Monday, after a monthslong competition with Skylar Thompson.

Related players: Tua Tagovailoa

On four occasions last season, the Dolphins were forced to turn to a backup quarterback after their starter was knocked out of a game. They signed White to a two-year, $8 million contract this offseason with $4.5 million guaranteed to operate as the primary backup to Tagovailoa and he competed with the 2022 seventh-round pick Thompson throughout the summer for the job. There was a point this summer where some who follow the team felt Thompson may pass White on the depth chart, but for now the team is going with White as the QB2.

The wait for word on the severity of Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp’s hamstring injury will last a little longer.

McVay said that the team still considers Kupp day-to-day with the season opener looming.

“If he’s able to go, that’s outstanding for us,” McVay said.

McVay also said that team wants Kupp to feel fully back to himself before he returns to game action and, given all of the question marks about his status, it’s hard to imagine that happening in time for the wideout to face the Seahawks. McVay said he expects to have a more detailed update on Kupp’s condition Wednesday.

Kupp went to Minnesota to see a specialist for the injury, which head coach Sean McVay termed a setback in his return from an earlier hamstring pull. At a Monday press conference, McVay said Kupp made the trip because the nature of the injury “doesn’t fall in alignment” with the expected recovery from a soft tissue injury and that the wideout is still meeting with the specialist in hopes of gaining “clarity” about what’s wrong.

Dolphins rookie RB Devon Achane (shoulder) was at practice and no longer wearing a red, non-contact jersey.

Related players: Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, Salvon Ahmed

Owners can officially start to get excited about Achane. With Wilson now on the IR, it leaves Mostert as the RB1, but Achane could be right there as the team's RB2. Ahmed could also be in the picture, but Achane has looked good all through camp and has the speed HC Mike McDaniel loves to use in this offense. It will be interesting to monitor the RB usage in Week 1.

Two-time Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph has retired after a 12-year NFL career spent mostly with the Minnesota Vikings.

He told NFL reporter Jordan Schultz that he will retire as a member of the Vikings and will be honored by the organization around their Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Jets plan to have running backs Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook in the lineup against the Bills on Monday night.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh said at a press conference that Hall will not practice on Monday because of a planned rest day as he returns from last season’s torn ACL, but that he is on track to be in the lineup for the season opener. Hall has been practicing with the team since being activated off the PUP list on August 15. That’s the same day that Cook signed with the Jets.

Given the limited practice time for both players, Saleh said that the Jets will be smart with how they deploy both backs in the opener.

Related players: Michael Carter

Cook only recently started practicing with the team because of the birth of his child after signing his contract. Cook will get in a full week of work this week, though, and Saleh said he’ll play against Buffalo as well. It also appears neither back will have a snap count for Week 1, according to the story. Speculation has been the two backs will split work early on in the season, but eventually the talent and youth of Hall will shine through as the season goes on. For Week 1, we rank Hall at 21st and Cook at 34th in what is expected to be a tough matchup against a good Bills defense.

Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) is practicing Saturday, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Great news for owners who picked up St. Brown this weekend. St. Brown injured his ankle during a mid-August practice but never seemed to be in serious danger of missing the upcoming Thursday night opener against Kansas City, according to the story. The story went on to say it's unclear if he'll even be listed Monday when the Lions and Chiefs release the first official injury reports of the 2023 season. St. Brown looks good to go for Week 1 at this point.

While it was assumed a talent of Sean Tucker's caliber could make the roster if healthy, climbing the depth chart to plant himself as the main backup to Rachaad White was impressive. Going from undrafted to RB2 means a lot to the rookie runner.

“I just want to showcase my talents and provide whatever I can to the team,” Tucker said. “I want to help us win going into the season and just making the 53 (man roster) is a dream come true and is somewhere I’ve always wanted to be.”

Related players: Chase Edmonds, Ke'Shawn Vaughn

Tucker's story is a great one. At one time he was primed to be a Day 2 pick in the NFL Draft, but ended up not even getting drafted. He signed with the Bucs after the draft and from there climbed the depth chart and beat out veterans Edmonds and Vaughn. Tucker ran for 81 yards on 23 carries, adding 22 yards on five receptions. He also had a 12-yard touchdown called back against the Steelers. Tucker seems like a smart pickup for those who own White in leagues this season.

Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney (knee) is “good to go” for Week 1 against the Lions, head coach Andy Reid said Sunday.

Toney missed most of camp as the knee injury lingered but he looks good as the Chiefs are just days away from beginning defense of their Super Bowl title. Sunday was like a Wednesday of a regular game week for the Chiefs and Lions so this is good news for his availability. Toney has a chance to become a bigger part of the Chiefs offense after making noise once acquired last season from the Giants, including a key touchdown in the Super Bowl.

Rams WR Cooper Kupp is in Minnesota Saturday to get further information on his hamstring injury,

Kupp suffered a setback this week on his hamstring injury that was originally suffered back on August 1. Head coach Sean McVay said Kupp is day to day and his status for Week 1 against the Seahawks is up in the air. It may even be slightly more likely at this point that the Rams hold Kupp out for Week 1 as a precautionary move to keep him healthy for the rest of the season. This all after Kupp missed eight games last season with a high ankle injury and hamstring injuries tend to linger more. We should get more info in the coming days on the status of Kupp.

Without Kupp, Van Jefferson would step into the No. 1 receiver role, while Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua would become Nos. 2 and 3. Depth receiver Ben Skowronek would likely play more on special teams this season than in the offense. But if Kupp is absent into the season, Skowronek knows each receiving position as well.

This depth chart is something else. Van Jefferson should be a fantasy target regardless of Kupp's health, but finding usable weeks for the other three options listed are sure to be hard to come by. Nacua is fine as a late-round dart, but Atwell has only one game of 60+ yards receiving and one other separate game with more than two receptions since being taken in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Mike Evans has set a Week 1 deadline to receive a new contract from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with his representation indicating the wide receiver will look to play elsewhere in 2024 if no deal is reached.

Related Players: Chris Godwin

This is a bit of odd timing, as we are one week away from the regular season kickoff. There were rumors during the beginning of the offseason about the team possibly looking to trade Evans or Chris Godwin and eye a rebuild, but those died down quickly.
Deal or no deal, all signs point towards Evans suiting up for the Bucs in Week 1 and throughout the 2023 season.