In other words, there will be no in-house punishment for Allen being arrested for DWI and DWI endangering a person on Sunday morning. It’s a hard-to-augur game, as we are not entirely sure if the Ravens defense is going to take a turn for the better and if Daniel Jones is NFL-healthy rather than training-camp-healthy, but Allen should have enough of a role to land in the WR4 ranks at the very least.
Egbuka was given a ringing “hopefully” response from Todd Bowles when asked if he’d play in Week 1. We’re not overly concerned just yet, but he’s going to need to practice at some point to play. Jalen McMillan (knee) also sat, though we’re not as concerned about him since he’s practiced on that knee injury.
Williams was let go by the Cowboys at last cuts. He’ll become a part of a new-look EDGE room built around Jared Verse in Cleveland. Williams managed just one sack and six additional tackles for loss in 474 snaps with the Cowboys last year.
They released him on Sunday, but it was merely roster manipulation as vested veterans aren’t subject to waivers. The 31-year-old should play a role as one of Detroit’s lower-end tight ends behind Sam LaPorta.
Smith and OL Sam Hagen (undisclosed) will miss at least the first four weeks of the regular season. The 30-year-old Smith was a priority free agent target for the Texans. Trent Brown will likely draw the starting nod at right tackle.
He was released at last cuts, but comes back as the Texans created extra roster space with a few injured reserve placements. DL Dominique Robinson also re-signed with the team.
Igbinoghene didn’t survive last cuts with the Commanders, but catches on as a depth add in Cleveland. The 2020 first-rounder is entering his age-27 season. The Browns waived Michael Coats Jr. in a corresponding move.
Riveting situation. The main fantasy takeaway here is probably something like “if Malik Willis gets hurt this year, all Dolphins pass-catchers will take major downgrades.”
Williams was placed on IR at last cuts without an explanation of the injury, so here it is. Gutekunst said he thinks Williams will be ready when the four-week mandatory stay on IR is over.
He called him “their best offensive lineman.” The big news here is that free-agent addition Wyatt Teller will start on the bench with Evan Brown starting at center. We’ll see if the Texans have finally hit on a formula that will help them run the ball, but it’s not great news for Teller that even the Texans don’t want to start him.
There’s really no reason for Stroud to want to negotiate off last year’s end-of-season performance, so we’re not stunned that there’s been no extension. It does sound like the Texans are at least laying the groundwork for next offseason. The general NFL expectation has been that Stroud will go into the year without an extension. The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Alexander reported that league sources believe the Texans and Stroud’s camp “are not far off on what they think Stroud’s contract terms should look like and how much he should be paid per year.”
He was already placed on injured reserve, so he’ll miss the first four games of the season. Reading between the lines it sounds like Dell has a chance to miss more than just the first four games of the season. Kayshon Boutte and Dalton Schultz will battle for the role of lead secondary target behind Nico Collins while Dell is sidelined.
Evans’ Week 1 status is starting to look iffy after missing most of the past few weeks with various injuries. Entering his age-33 season, Evans will need to log at least a couple practices next week if he’s going to suit up against the Rams in the season opener. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said Evans is “ahead of schedule doing good. But we know with Mike and where he is at in his career, we’ll definitely have to treat him differently.” An Evans absence would be a marked boost for De’Zhaun Stribling and perhaps Deebo Samuel. Evans will be a name to watch in the coming days.
Richardson is listed alongside Riley Leonard as the team’s QB2 for now. Either Leonard or Richardson — who struggled in the preseason — will serve as Daniel Jones’ backup this season. One of the most inaccurate passers in modern NFL history, Richardson would be a massive downgrade for all Indy pass catchers if he finds his way under center in 2026.
We’re not sure what Brooks is dealing with but his practice status will be something to monitor in the coming days. Chuba Hubbard, meanwhile, is practicing in full after missing weeks with a hamstring issue. Brooks headed into 2026 with a chance to be the Panthers’ lead back after fighting back through a series of catastrophic injuries. Carolina’s backfield could prove frustrating for fantasy purposes this season.
Warren is recovering from an apparently minor groin injury. By all accounts he should be a full go for Week 1. Warren last season was top three among tight ends in targets per route run and first-read target rate in the balanced Colts offense. He’ll offer a sturdy weekly floor and could lead the team in targets in 2026 if he stays healthy.
“Asked if there’s a scenario in which the Packers release Jacobs, Gutekunst says he wants to let the process play out,” The Athletic’s Matt Schneidmann said. Jacobs on Sunday was placed on the Commissioners Exempt List while his legal situation plays out. Jacobs in May was arrested and booked on five charges, including felony strangulation. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Monday that Jacobs’ time on the exempt list was, for now, indefinite, and hinged entirely on how his legal situation unfolds. If damning video evidence is released, Jacobs could miss most or all of the regular season. MarShawn Lloyd would start the year as Green Bay’s lead back and has a chance to be one of fantasy’s best running back values.
Musgrave is coming back from a neck injury with no clear timeline for a return to action. The Packers last week signed Jonnu Smith, who will play behind Tucker Kraft to start the regular season. Smith could be an interesting waiver add if Kraft — returning from a major knee injury — misses any time in 2026.
Licht during a Wednesday presser said the Bucs were “on to Cincinnati” with the regular season less than two weeks away. Licht has called Mayfield a franchise quarterback, but has not offered the veteran a long-term deal ahead of the 2026 season. Mayfield could be on his way out of Tampa in 2027 unless the team decides to use the franchise tag on him. Mayfield ranks 11th out of 40 qualifying QBs in adjusted EPA per drop back since the start of the 2024 season, ahead of Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott, among others.
Jeanty remains sidelined ahead of the Raiders’ Week 1 matchup against the Dolphins after sustaining a potentially high ankle sprain last week. Meanwhile, rookie RB Mike Washington “has changed the staff’s perspective of the running back room,” according to ESPN’s Ryan McFadden with some impressive play during training camp and in the preseason. Head coach Klint Kubiak said he’s “not making any promises on percentages of play time” for Washington or Jeanty ahead of the season opener. Jeanty could be a while before he’s ready to take on a true workhorse role in the Vegas backfield. Washington should be rostered in all fantasy formats for now.
Love is still working his way back from a preseason high ankle sprain, and has been spotted doing some light practice work in recent days. The Cardinals will “have to see how he progresses” before they decided whether to make the rookie back active for Week 1. If Love is out for the season opener, Tyler Allgeier could see a heavy workload, as James Conner (ankle) begins the season on injured reserve. Trey Benson could also see backfield touches if Love is sidelined.
It’s an interesting move after Tyler Loop, the team’s Week 1 starter, struggled in training camp and during the preseason. The journeyman Moody was most recently cut by the Commanders and would only be activated to the 53-man roster if Loop’s struggles continue into the regular season. Last year with Washington, Moody went 10-for-11 while going 2-for-2 on distances of 50-plus yards.
What this means is that Geno Smith has plenty of job security. Klubnik in the preseason completed 21 of 34, passes for 190 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception while taking four sacks. Klubnik would be a marked downgrade from Smith if the veteran misses time in 2026.
Nabers told reporters Monday that he still needed to clear a few checkpoints before being ready to suit up for the season opener against Dallas. “Will it take some time? Who knows?” he said. “But I know for sure if I’m out there, I’m going to run some routes.” Some routes and movements, he added, feel better than others on surgically-repaired knee. Even so, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan said the “expectation is [Nabers] will be playing barring some sort of setback.” A target hog who’s explosive with the ball in his hands, Nabers profiles as a risky fantasy selection for now. His absence in the season opener would be a blow to Jaxson Dart’s outlook.