On Monday, ESPN's Sarah Barshop tweeted that Rams HC Sean McVay told reporters that GM Les Snead has spoken with "a handful of teams" regarding a trade for RB Cam Akers and "that's the direction" the Rams are headed. This would seem to indicate that RB Kyren Williams will remain the most fantasy-relevant back in Los Angeles for the time being. Even so, there's nothing stopping the Rams from adding another back to the depth chart at some point down the line. We'll keep an eye on how this situation continues unfolding in the coming days.
On Monday, Chargers HC Brandon Staley shared that there's "no timeline" for RB Austin Ekeler (ankle) to return to play, per The Athletic's Daniel Popper. It's a vague message, though it sounds like fantasy managers shouldn't expect to see Ekeler suit up in Week 3 vs. the Vikings. Backup Joshua Kelley will presumably remain the lead back in Ekeler's absence. We'll keep tabs on this situation as more information becomes available.
Browns WR Amari Cooper (groin) will be active for tonight's Week 2 game vs. the Steelers, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. This is certainly good news for fantasy managers, though a mid-week injury aggravation is never a good sign. We've got him conservatively lowered in our WR rankings.
Panthers WR D.J. Chark (hamstring) is active for tonight's game vs. the Saints. HC Frank Reich said Saturday that Chark could be on a snap count coming off that hamstring injury, so he should only be used as a flier in DFS tournaments.
Saints RB Kendre Miller (hamstring) is inactive for tonight's game vs. the Panthers. That will again leave RB Jamaal Williams in a workhorse role. He handled 18 carries and two targets on a 75% snap rate in Week 1.
On Monday, Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot tweeted that "there's some optimism" around WR Amari Cooper (groin) suiting up for Week 2 vs. the Steelers. Cabot adds that Cooper playing is "not a certainty" but that the Browns will see how the veteran feels in warmups and that "there's a chance" at a minimum. Be sure to check back before kickoff for any official word on his availability. Should Cooper not play, we expect a bump for fellow WR Elijah Moore in this primetime divisional bout.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Giants RB Saquon Barkley is expected to miss three weeks with his ankle injury. It's an "ordinary" sprain, rather than a high-ankle sprain, Schefter adds. It's all relatively good news, but fantasy owners will still need to prep to be without Barkley for the short term. Schefter's timeline would have him back for Week 6 vs. the Bills. Barkley's absence leaves the Giants' backfield to Matt Breida, Gary Brightwell, and rookie Eric Gray. Breida is the preferred fantasy add but shouldn't be considered more than a low-upside RB3 or flex.
The Steelers announced on Monday that WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) is being placed on IR. The veteran wideout will now miss at least the next 4 games of the season. Johnson sustained this injury during the second half of Week 1 vs. the 49ers and didn't return to the contest. He also hadn't participated in practice at any point this week leading up to the Steelers' Week 2 primetime game vs. the Browns. Without Johnson in tow, the Steelers will look to see increased efforts from WRs Allen Robinson and Calvin Austin. Neither player is worth considering in most 10 or 12-team formats, though they are decent speculative deeper league adds. Expect to see a small bump in responsibility for TE Pat Freiermuth to supplement Johnson's contributions as a lower aDOT player in the Steelers' offense.
The Cardinals on Monday placed S Budda Baker on IR. That means he'll miss at least another four games, on top of the loss to the Giants he already missed. K'Von Wallace played every snap in place of Baker and should be the starter while the vet is out. Wallace led Arizona in total tackles and has history with HC Jonathan Gannon from Gannon's time as Eagles DC. He's a decent addition for balanced and more tackle-heavy IDP formats.
Jaguars HC Doug Pederson labeled WR Zay Jones day-to-day with the knee injury he suffered in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs. Jones is still set for additional testing on the knee. He was able to return to the Week 2 game, so we're tentatively expecting him to be available for this weekend's game vs. the Texans. But we'll update his status when we know more.
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk injured his left shoulder on the opening drive of Sunday's win over the Rams. He eventually returned to the game but ended up playing just 53% of the offensive snaps. HC Kyle Shanahan on Monday wouldn't commit to Aiyuk being available for Thursday night's game vs. the Giants. We're tentatively expecting Aiyuk to be out there for that one, but we'll watch his status over the next few days.
Lions HC Dan Campbell labeled RB David Montgomery "day to day" with his quad injury, according to Tim Twentyman of the team's official website. It's hard to take that timeline seriously when Montgomery said himself this morning that he'll be out "a couple weeks." We'll keep you updated on his status throughout the week. But fantasy owners should not be counting on Montgomery in Week 3 lineups.
Bears WR Darnell Mooney told reporters on Monday that he exited the Week 2 loss with a knee bruise. The injury originally occurred in Week 1 and was aggravated in Tampa Bay when he twice banged knees with Bucs DBs. “I’ll be good," Mooney added. It sounds like he has a chance to be ready for this weekend's game vs. the Chiefs, but Mooney is a shaky fantasy bet in a struggling Bears offense.
Bengals HC Zac Taylor was non-committal on QB Joe Burrow's status for next Monday night's game vs. the Rams, saying it's "hard to say" at this point if Burrow will be available. The Cincinnati Enquirer's Kelsey Conway noted that Burrow was walking around the locker room "without a noticeable limp" and with no boot on his leg on Monday. We'll keep a close eye on his status throughout this week.
Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle is in the concussion protocol, according to multiple reports. He left Sunday night's game late for the check. Waddle looks unlikely to be ready for Week 3, but we'll keep an eye on his status.
Ravens S Marcus Williams will not have surgery for his pectoral injury, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Williams is rehabbing and not even planning to go on IR. That indicates the team hopes to get him back inside the next four games. Williams already missed the Week 2 win over the Bengals. We'll watch for updates on his expected return. In the meantime, Geno Stone is starting in Williams' place.
Raiders HC Josh McDaniels said Monday that WR Jakobi Meyers is "headed in the right direction" as he moves through the league concussion protocol. That indicates optimism the WR will be ready for Week 3. We'll continue to track Meyers' progress this week. He's worth grabbing where available ahead of his return, though, after a big Week 1 receiving line.
Raiders HC Josh McDaniels deemed WR Davante Adams "good" on Monday, according to ESPN's Field Yates. Adams left Sunday's loss to Buffalo late for a concussion check after a big hit. But he clearly passed the testing. Symptoms sometimes surface a couple of days after the injury, and we'll certainly be watching for any further updates. But Adams should be ready for Week 3.
ESPN's Adam Schefter said it's "fair to wonder" if Bengals QB Joe Burrow (calf) will play vs. the Rams next Monday night. It wasn't an official report, but we doubt Schefter just pulled this out of thin air. We'll look for further updates on Burrow's status and track his practice participation throughout the week, but his fantasy owners should be lining up a backup plan for Week 3 (and maybe beyond). QB Jake Browning is Cincinnati's backup -- and would obviously be a huge downgrade for all Bengals skill-position players.
The 49ers have given RB Christian McCaffrey 2 more carries through two weeks than any other player in the NFL has received. His 42 rushes lead Derrick Henry (40) and Tony Pollard (39), with the two Monday night games of Week 2 yet to go. That's abnormal for McCaffrey, who has reached 20 carries in consecutive games just three other times in his career. He averaged 14.7 carries per game across 13 starts with the 49ers last year, including the playoffs. Summer indications had San Francisco planning to use McCaffrey in a way that would preserve him for the season. That doesn't match up with 21.0 carries per game, of course. We'd be surprised if his carry count and carry share stays that high. But it doesn't really matter as long as McCaffrey stays healthy. He's obviously an every-week starter whenever available. No other 49ers RB even played an offensive snap against the Rams.
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