Tagovailoa was seen grabbing at his back before removing himself from team drills earlier today. It turns out he is dealing with an oblique issue. The media viewing session ended before the Falcons began team drills, so it was unclear whether he rejoined his teammates. Backup QB Cooper Rush later told reporters that he took all first-team reps thereafter. Tagovailoa is now firmly in the questionable column for Week 1.
The Falcons’ third-round rookie wide receiver could end up playing this week, but his inability to practice fully will keep him in a pure backup role. Branch does not need to be rostered in 12-team leagues.
The Colts waived Jones only two days ago. He now hops across the AFC South to Tennessee. The Titans correspondingly waived CB Melvin Smith Jr.
It sure looks like the hamstring strain that Johnson suffered more than a month ago is going to keep him sidelined for the Bills’ season opener against the Texans. Starting RB James Cook was expected to play a larger role in the passing game this year. With Johnson sidelined, Cook could hog passing down snaps.
This appeared to be the case yesterday, with Jeanty practicing in full to begin the week. It’s still nice to hear Schefter confirm as much, though. While Jeanty nursed his sprained ankle, rookie RB Mike Washington showed out in preseason play, leading NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport to report that Washington is “going to be a thing this year.” Jeanty should be treated as a fantasy RB1, but Washington warrants FLEX treatment, particularly against a rebuilding Dolphins defense this week.
Love logged a limited session on Wednesday, and veteran RB Tyler Allgeier was listed as the team’s starter on the official depth chart. That said, the No. 3 overall pick can not simply be relegated to a pure backup role if healthy. As long as Love is practicing fully by Friday, he should be in fantasy lineups as a FLEX starter at worst.
Nabers began the week practicing fully with his teammates, and we expect that to remain the case today and tomorrow. Giants coach John Harbaugh stopped short of saying Nabers will face the Cowboys in Week 1, but signs are certainly pointing toward that outcome. Hopefully, we get an indication as to whether the team plans to keep him on a snap count in the coming days.
The NFL is “closely monitoring all developments in the matter, which remains under review of the personal conduct policy.” We expect Jacobs to receive a suspension, but the league can move at its own pace. Packers RB MarShawn Lloyd is expected to serve as the fill-in starter.
Tagovailoa reportedly “missed the first week of training camp due to lower back spasms.” Perhaps they are still an issue. Tagovailoa is slated to start in Week 1 against the Steelers, though he is only a low-end QB2. The team named QB Cooper Rush as the primary backup in front of QB Jack Strand.
Jacobs’ trial was initially slated to take place on November 17th. That date was recently moved up to today, signaling that Jacobs wanted to wrap up his legal proceedings quickly. He has been on the Commissioner’s Exempt List since the end of training camp. Roger Goodell could have kept him on the list indefinitely, especially with the trial previously scheduled multiple months into the season. With the legal matter now settled, Jacobs will likely serve a minor suspension as a result of the charges. MarShawn Lloyd is expected to handle the bulk of the carries until he returns.
Darnold underwent tests last night that ruled out a hip fracture. He went in for an MRI this morning, and the team’s medical staff is still trying to determine how much time he will miss. Still, the outcome is overall positive given that a season-ending injury looks unlikely at this point. Ian Rapoport later added that Darnold will miss Week 2 but could only miss a few weeks. Drew Lock will start for Seattle until Darnold is healthy. Lock threw for 187 yards and a score in relief of Darnold last night. He was only sacked once and did not turn the ball over. As long as he keeps that up, the Seahawks will be able to stay afloat on the back of their elite defense.
Underhill did note that Kamara needs to make it to Sunday without any setbacks. He was limited in practice on Wednesday after suffering an MCL injury during a training camp scrimmage. The initial timeline for his return would have seen him miss multiple weeks of the regular season, but Kamara is well ahead of schedule in his recovery. He will likely serve as a passing-downs specialist with Travis Etienne handling the bulk of the carries.
Even though Schefter was the first to report that Bowers was expected to miss a game or two, he’s seemingly walking that back now. Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, he went on to say that a player dealing with this type of injury is always going to downplay the severity. Schefter also noted that even if Bowers is back in two weeks, it’s not realistic to expect him at full strength in two weeks. Long story short, Schefter is casting a lot of doubt on both the timeline for Bowers to return and his ability to produce when he comes back. Bowers has been dealing with knee issues since the start of the 2025 season, and this unexpected setback could not have come at a worse time. Michael Mayer will start until he is healthy. Mayer begins the year as a mid-range TE2 versus Miami.
Fowler notes that the Cardinals likely want to see what they have in Carson Beck before the season ends. Of course, if the Cardinals are winning games, they will stick with what is working. Brissett put up strong counting stats last year, throwing for 281 yards per game across his 12 starts. That, however, did not result in any success for the Cardinals, who went 1-11 with Brissett under center. A similar season would make the veteran a viable backup or injury fill-in at that trade deadline.
Graziano mentioned Bryant’s strong offseason as a reason to believe he could see more work in his second season. Bryant appeared to be gaining traction late in his rookie campaign before injuries brought his season to an underwhelming end. He finished the year with 31 grabs for 378 yards and one score. Bryant will top out as the Broncos’ No. 3 receiver to start the year, but he could push Courtland Sutton for targets and routes as the season progresses. His usage in Week 1 will be an important storyline for fantasy managers to monitor.
Garafolo added, “MRI today after X-rays were negative.” That’s a good sign, but there is currently no timeline for Brown’s return. It will ultimately be a multi-week injury that could linger well into the season. Demario Douglas led the Pats with seven targets last night, though his looks are generally low-value check-downs. Mack Hollins and Romeo Doubs will serve as the team’s primary outside receivers until Brown is healthy. Hollins led the Pats in receiving yards at a modest 51. Hollins is worth adding in deeper leagues, but it’s hard to imagine him putting up anything more than WR4 numbers while Brown is sidelined. Doubs should improve in Week 2 after failing to catch any of his three targets versus the Seahawks. He will get another shot at WR3 numbers against Pittsburgh next week.
Kittle has made a remarkably quick recovery from the Achilles tear he suffered in the Wild Card Round. He is good to go just eight months later, and all reports out of training camp said he still looks as explosive as ever. We will need to see what he looks like in live action to confirm that, but it’s an impressive recovery nonetheless. Kittle could be on a snap count this week as the 49ers ramp him up to full speed, dropping him lower in the fantasy rankings than normal. He is a low-end TE1 for the 49ers’ Australia showdown with the Rams.
Romeou Doubs said to reporters after the game that Brown told teammates, “Everything was going to be alright.” He added that Brown was doing really well. Brown had his ankle rolled on while going to the ground in the third quarter of last night’s game. He immediately grabbed his ankle in pain and eventually limped off the field. New England ruled him out after a trip to the locker room. It sounds like a high-ankle sprain, which would sideline Brown for at least a few weeks. Mack Hollins and Romeo Doubs will both play more in his absence. Demario Douglas, who led the team with seven targets in Week 1, will also see more work.
Hollins got on the field plenty early in the game, but his snaps were heavily tilted toward blocking duties. Once A.J. Brown went down with an ankle injury, the Pats were forced to play him in a more traditional role. He wound up leading the team in receiving yards, though that largely speaks to the Pats’ struggles through the air. Hollins would be in line for more work if Brown is unable to suit up next week. He would be a low-end WR5 sans Brown, making him a low-wattage add off the waiver wire.
Darnold will undergo more testing tomorrow to gain more info on the hip injury he suffered in the first quarter of Seattle’s Week 1 win over New England. The good news is that a season-ending hip fracture has been ruled out, though there are still other serious injuries on the table. Drew Lock will start for the Seahawks until Darnold is able to return. Lock threw for 187 yards and a score in the team’s win over the Pats.
Doubs was blanketed in coverage all night. He failed to climb the ladder and win a jump ball early in the fourth quarter, resulting in a deflected ball turning into an interception. Later in the quarter, Doubs turned his eyes upfield before securing the pass and let the ball slip out of his hands for a drop. Drake Maye was intercepted on the next play. By any measure, this was a catastrophic debut for a player who signed a four-year, $68 million contract in the offseason. The good news for Doubs is that the team will likely be counting on him to step up next week. A.J. Brown left this game with an ankle injury and did not return. If he isn’t available for Week 2 versus the Steelers, Doubs will get one more chance at a WR3 fantasy ranking.
Seattle shut down the Patriots’ deep passing game, forcing Drake Maye to pepper Douglas with low-value check-downs. Douglas wound up leading the Pats in targets and catches. He finished fifth in receiving yards. With A.J. Brown banged up, Douglas could be in line for another smattering of targets next week versus the Steelers. Even with Brown out, Douglas would barely register as a PPR WR5.
Henry was quiet in this contest, though the same can be said of basically every member of New England’s passing attack. Despite losing A.J. Brown to an ankle injury, Henry’s role didn’t change. He earned a measly nine percent target share and ceded a handful of routes to rookie tight end Eli Raridon, who scored on his only target of the day. Henry will remain in the TE2 ranks for Week 2, but another quiet day will raise red flags for fantasy managers.
Raridon caught the first touchdown of the 2026 season on a goal line toss from Drake Maye. The Pats showed a lot of 12-personnel looks early in the game, but that faded in the second half, especially once A.J. Brown left the game with an ankle injury. Raridon isn’t on the fantasy radar yet, but his minor role could prove costly for Hunter Henry, who was held to three targets today.
Price looked the part of a first-round running back, turning his first career carry into a 13-yard gain. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry compared to just 3.6 for George Holani. The bad news is that Holani saw eight carries and was the team’s trusted option in several key situations. Price did not play on a single third or fourth down. He saw just one of the Seahawks’ three short-yardage carries. Price is going to struggle to put up solid fantasy numbers if he can’t earn high-value touches. There’s plenty of time for that to change over the course of his rookie season, but he will be stuck in the RB3 ranks for his Week 2 date with the Cardinals.