The most efficient tight end in the NFL over the past two seasons, Kincaid ran a pass route on a meager 45 percent of Buffalo’s drop backs over 12 games in 2025, finishing the season with 49 targets while being targeted on a hefty 28 percent of his routes. Finally healthy, Kincaid has been talked up by Bills coaches over the past few months. Bills players and beat writers have even complimented Kincaid’s blocking, a point of concern for the fourth-year tight end. Buscaglia said if Kincaid can “be just competent enough in blocking to preserve the threat of play action when he’s on the field and continue to crush receiving efficiency metrics, he’ll become one of the most important pieces to the roster.” Kincaid is a high upside swing late in drafts for those who fade the game’s top tight ends.
Way back in late May, the Athletic’s Daniel Popper suggested Kolar, who signed a three-year, $24.3 million contract with the Bolts this spring, would enter the season as LA’s top tight end “because of his complete skill set.” Week 1 usage will tell us a lot about how offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel will use his tight ends, but for now it seems Kolar will lead the group in Week 1 against the Cardinals. David Njoku and Oronde Gadsden II, however, could see more pass game involvement depending on how many routes they run in a given week, and whether the Chargers go run-heavy against an opponent. None of the Chargers’ tight ends are particularly appealing fantasy plays for Week 1.
Buscaglia called Moore, who was acquired from the Bears this spring, the “crown jewel of the offseason” for the Bills front office. “Moore’s contributions to the offense within training camp were immediate and obvious,” Buscaglia said. “Allen routinely pushed the ball downfield to Moore, making a concerted effort all summer to build on-field chemistry with the Bills’ new No. 1 receiver. ... The days of ‘everybody eats’ seem to be in the rearview mirror.” It’s a bullish report — one that could mean Moore is among the best values in redraft leagues this season even after being among the NFL’s most inefficient wideouts in 2025. Moore should be in all 12-team lineups for Week 1 against the Texans.
Coming back from a 2025 ACL injury, there’s been speculation that Nabers might not be ready for the Giants’ opening game against Dallas on Sunday night. Graziano seems to think the Giants releasing veteran WR Darius Slayton over the weekend is a sign Nabers will be a go for Week 1, and ESPN’s Jordan Raanan said Nabers “seems to be trending in a positive direction” five days ahead of New York’s season opener. The Giants won’t practice Tuesday. Nabers’ Wednesday practice status could tell us whether he’s a full go against the Cowboys.
It’s $102 million guaranteed for the 24-year-old Gonzalez, who is entering his fourth season after being drafted 17th overall in 2023. Gonzalez went without an interception during the regular season last year, but he was a Pro Bowler anyway and he did come up with a huge pick in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship versus the Broncos. The Patriots had him under control for two more years after exercising his fifth-year option in April.
During a media sessions late Monday, Morris was asked if Bosa would be able to go in Week 1 against the Rams, to which he responded, “Oh, he’s going out there. He’s going.” There’s no room left for interpretation about that quote, meaning Bosa is expected to make his return to the field after tearing his ACL in Week 3 of the 2025 season. Don’t expect a normal allotment of snaps in his first game in almost a calendar year, but the veteran pass-rusher can still make a significant impact when on the field. IDP managers will want to confirm his status on the team’s injury report Tuesday before making plans to insert him into Week 1 lineups.
Asked whether Kittle would play in Week 1, 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said, “We have two more practices, but Kittle looks good.” That was not as explicit as defensive coordinator Raheem Morris’ quote on Nick Bosa’s expected status just minutes earlier, but it certainly seems to confirm mounting reports that Kittle is on track to suit up for Week 1. Kubiak added at the end of his response that Kittle’s “workload will be determined,” also reinforcing earlier reports that the team was likely to monitor his snap rate closely. Fantasy managers are likely better off taking a wait-and-see approach with Kittle until he has proven to be capable of a normal workload.
It’s the second straight missed practice for Okada as he tends to a hamstring injury, while fellow starting safety Nick Emmanwori (ankle) is thought to be doubtful to suit up against the Patriots Wednesday, per those close to the team. The team’s final injury report of their Week 1 preparation will be released Tuesday, upon which we’ll receive final game designations. Keep a close eye on the transaction reports from Seattle to gauge the expected level of health of both players. Considering the Seahawks carried only three safeties on their initial 53-man roster, any practice squad elevations from the secondary could signal expected absences from one, or both, players.
It was the second straight day with the same level of participation for the second-year receiver, who could be headed for a game-day injury designation for the team’s season opener. We were kept in the dark regarding Horton’s ailment after he missed the final three weeks of camp, with a hamstring injury now labeled as the cause. Although Jake Bobo’s season-ending ACL tear all but guaranteed Horton a spot on game-day rosters, he remains unlikely to contribute meaningful counting stats playing behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Cooper Kupp. Second-year undrafted free agent Montorie Foster Jr would be in line to serve as the team’s fourth receiver on Wednesday should Horton be unable to go.
The longest-tenured Giants player is now in search of a new home after the team opted to release the 29-year-old receiver on Monday. Slayton was reportedly at risk of not making the initial 53-man roster out of camp, but survived the initial cuts only to be released a week later. During his seven seasons with the Giants, Slayton totaled 296 receptions for 4,435 yards and 22 touchdowns while serving primarily as a field stretcher. He posted four seasons of 724 or more receiving yards and had an impressive rookie campaign when he went for 48-740-8 as a rookie fifth-rounder out of Auburn. Slayton should have no trouble finding a new home in the coming days, but it may take some time before he’s back to seeing the field in a meaningful capacity.
According to Titans beat Jim Wyatt, Gray was entered into concussion protocol after being involved in an accident while in an ultra terrain vehicle. The Titans released a statement saying that Gray “sustained a concussion and minor injuries” and that they expect him to be on the field once he clears concussion protocol. Gray is entering his third year in the league and is coming off a 2025 season in which he totaled 164 tackles, one sack, and two fumble recoveries while starting all 16 games he appeared in.
Macdonald wouldn’t reveal what the timetable was for Charbonnet’s return, but said the fourth-year back has looked “dang good” as he continues his rehab. Charbonnet will open this season on the PUP list, meaning he’ll be forced to miss at least the first four games of the season before the team can consider activating him to play. Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in last year’s NFC Divisional Round game against the 49ers and is less than seven full months removed from the reconstruction surgery that took place on February 20th. The timing of his injury, coupled with the surgery, led many to believe Charbonnet would miss a significant portion of the season, but this talk of an “aggressive” timetable suggests he could be back far earlier than expected.
This, of course, is in reference to the civil lawsuit that was filed against Nacua that alleges he bit a woman and made an “unprovoked antisemitic sentiment.” The Rams receiver avoided being placed on the commissioner’s exempt list and will travel with the team to Australia to play in their season opener against the 49ers. Nacua has been dealing with a psoas injury since August, but head coach Sean McVay said they expect him to play in Week 1. Nacua profiles as a high-end WR1 against a familiar foe in the Niners.
Mitchell missed the last six practices due to an undisclosed injury but was on the field Monday participating in drills. The Chargers don’t need to disclose any specifics regarding Mitchell’s injury until Wednesday, when they release their first official injury report of the season, but his return on Monday is an encouraging sign. Mitchell is expected to work into the mix with Omarion Hampton, who will serve as the unquestioned RB1 for the Chargers this season. Whether or not Mitchell sees enough work to be fantasy viable is to be determined, but there’s some belief he could see some work in the passing game, which could establish a decent floor for him in half and full-PPR leagues. Mitchell is an intriguing stash in fantasy leagues, but managers shouldn’t be rushing to put him in their starting lineups just yet.
Henderson traveled with the team to Seattle as it prepares for Wednesday’s game against the Seahawks, but he was unable to get on the practice field. That’s now back-to-back DNPs for Henderson, who is trending toward missing the season opener. Unless he can log a limited practice on Tuesday, it wouldn’t be surprising if Henderson was ruled out well before Wednesday’s game, paving the way for Rhamondre Stevenson to have a busy Week 1 in this rematch between last year’s Super Bowl contenders.
LaFleur said Love is “progressing” well from the high ankle sprain he suffered this preseason and said the rookie running back “was out there moving around today.” It was reported last week by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo that he had a 50/50 chance of playing in Week 1, but it sounds like he’s trending toward being ready for the season opener. The Cardinals will release their first official injury report on Wednesday, which should give us a better sense of Love’s availability before the weekend.
Bond suffered a concussion last week and has been sidelined ever since. On Monday, however, the second-year receiver was spotted at practice and participating in team drills. Bond is currently stuck behind Jerry Jeudy, KC Concepcion, and Denzel Boston on the depth chart after totaling 18 receptions for 338 scoreless yards as a rookie last season. He doesn’t have any fantasy value at this time.
Speaking on Monday, Ryans said Boutte has been “picking up the playbook really well.” The fourth-year receiver was acquired in a trade with the Patriots back on August 24th and is expected to have an immediate role in the offense after the Texans lost Jayden Higgins to a torn ACL earlier this offseason. Boutte has served primarily as a field stretcher during his first three years in the league and shouldn’t be trusted in start/sit leagues this week.
The All-Pro guard started all 16 games he appeared in last season and has been named to the Pro Bowl each of the last three seasons. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Smith “ and was trying to avoid surgery.” Now, fourth-year guard and former UDFA T.J. Bass will fill in at left guard for Smith, who will land on injured reserve, forcing him to miss a minimum of three games.
Pierce missed most of training camp while recovering from offseason ankle surgery, but the fifth-year speedster is expected to be on the field when the Colts take on the Ravens in the season opener. ESPN’s Stephen Holder noted that “it’s very possible” some of Pierce’s workload will be split between Keenan Allen and Ashton Dulin as he continues to ramp up after an extended absence, but Pierce will be on the field in some capacity on Sunday. Unfortunately, this makes him a risky bet for fantasy purposes unless Steichen can alleviate any concerns about Pierce being on a pitch count to start the season.
Porter has been seeking a new contract from the Steelers all offseason, but all reports indicate the two sides are far apart on a deal. While Porter has been noncommittal about playing without a new contract, he was seen on the field during Monday’s practice and was activated from the PUP list last week. These encouraging signs, coupled with McCarthy’s confidence in him playing, are more than enough to suggest Porter will be on the field for the season opener on Sunday against the Falcons. Porter totaled 52 tackles, 14 pass breakups, and one interception last season while earning a PFF coverage grade of 74.1.
Bowles didn’t disclose what Tucker is dealing with because he doesn’t have to do that until Wednesday, when the team releases its first injury report. That said, it sounds like Tucker is facing an uphill battle to be ready for Week 1, and we know he was sidelined for Monday’s practice. His absence isn’t expected to have much of a fantasy impact, as Tucker is expected to serve as the third RB for the Bucs behind both Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell.
After missing a few weeks of practice with a hyperextended knee he suffered in camp, Monangai was back at practice on Monday to begin prepping for Week 1’s game against the Panthers. Monangai’s status will be worth checking when the Bears release their first injury report on Wednesday, but it sounds like he’ll have a chance to play this week barring any setbacks. In addition to Monangai, D’Andre Swift, who left last Thursday’s practice with cramps, also returned to the field.
Odunze suffered a leg injury on Thursday. The Athletic’s Dan Wiederer said later in the day that the belief is that Odunze “should be all good” after the injury scare, but it’s something to keep an eye on this week. The Bears won’t release their first injury report until Wednesday, which could serve as the first clear look at where things stand for Odunze for Week 1 against the Panthers. If he is unable to go, second-year players Luther Burden and Colston Loveland could both see a slight uptick in target volume.
Collins opened training camp on the PUP list due to a quad injury that ended his 2025 campaign. He was activated from the PUP list two weeks ago and has been practicing with the team and appears to be in position to play in Week 1 against the Jags. Collins totaled 25 tackles, seven TFLs, and 6.5 sacks in the 12 games he appeared in last season for the Browns and has tallied five or more sacks in each of his last three seasons.