Bucs OC Dave Canales recently called RB Rachaad White a "fantastic back." He added that there are a "bunch of good backs" behind White, referring the Sean Tucker, Ke'Shawn Vaughn, and Chase Edmonds. The conclusion here is that White enters the season as Tampa's clear backfield leader. Canales added, "I think there's more to learn about just how we use Rachaad on third down." White continues to look like a strong value in fantasy drafts -- and a RB2 with upside to open the year.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce hyperextended a knee in practice Tuesday, HC Andy Reid told reporters. The injury leaves Kelce's status "uncertain" for Thursday night against the Lions, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It'll help that it's the first game of the week, so fantasy managers will still have all other lineup options available before locking in that TE starter. We'll keep tracking the situation. Backup TE Noah Gray makes sense as a waiver-wire option this week for deeper leagues.
"All signs point to" Bengals QB Joe Burrow (calf) playing vs. the Browns this weekend, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says. "This has been heading in the right direction for a while," Rapoport adds. We'll get Cincinnati's first official practice report of the season on Wednesday, and we'll keep you updated on Burrow's status. But he can be penciled into Week 1 fantasy lineups.
Colts RB Zack Moss (arm) returned to practice on Monday, per HC Shane Steichen, putting him on track to play in this weekend's opener vs. the Jaguars. Moss had been sidelined since breaking his arm in late July, so it's unclear how much work he'll be ready for. RBs Deon Jackson and Evan Hull will also be dressed for the Jonathan Taylor-less Colts. “I think it’s running back-by-committee,” Steichen said. “Whoever’s got the hot hand, let ‘em ride a little bit.” This is a backfield to avoid in Week 1 fantasy lineups.
The Saints have listed Taysom Hill at QB for Week 1 after listing him as a TE throughout the summer. This probably doesn't mean anything for how he'll actually be used this season. But make sure you check to see how he's designated in your league. The FFPC, for one, has changed Hill's position designation from TE to QB for both upcoming and completed drafts. The primary allure to Hill at any position is that he has the upside to potentially play QB in any given week. He obviously carries much more upside -- and starting potential -- as a fantasy TE than QB, though. We're keeping him at TE, barring a major shift in Hill's designation across the fantasy landscape.
Rams HC Sean McVay said that he'd know more about WR Cooper Kupp's hamstring on Wednesday. Kupp is visiting a specialist in Minnesota to get another opinion on the injury. “You want to be able to just take it a day at a time,” McVay said. “We’re hopeful that this will give some clarity once he goes and talks to these doctors. It doesn’t fall in alignment with some of the things that have ended up occurring relative to the standard strains of the hamstring just based on what’s occurred over the last month and a half.” The last part of that quote is particularly worrisome. At this point, we'd be very surprised if Kupp plays in the opener vs. the Seahawks. And he could miss time beyond that. We'll continue to keep you updated on the situation.
Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney (knee) was a limited participant in Monday's practice. He's seemingly trending toward playing in Thursday night's opener vs. the Lions, but we'd be surprised if he played a full slate of snaps after missing all of training camp and the preseason. See where Toney sits in the Week 1 WR rankings.
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is not listed on the Week 1 injury report. He suffered a minor ankle injury in mid-August but returned to practice over the weekend and is good to go for Thursday night's opener vs. the Chiefs.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow (calf) had a "really good day" on Monday, HC Zac Taylor said. "It was encouraging to see." Taylor would not yet say that Burrow will be ready for this weekend's opener against the Browns, but it's clearly trending in that direction. "Continuing to take it day to day right now," Taylor added. We'll get Cincinnati's first official injury report of the season on Wednesday.
49ers TE George Kittle did not practice on Monday. He's still bothered by the adductor injury he suffered on August 10. Kittle was "sprinting" on a side field, according to insider Matt Barrows, so it sounds like he's getting close to 100%. We'll get San Francisco's first official injury report of the season on Wednesday.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews has missed the last six practices with an undisclosed injury, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley. Andrews is expected back on Wednesday for Baltimore's first official practice ahead of Week 1. “We’re still on 'don’t push the panic button',” HC John Harbaugh said. We're not adjusting Andrews' season-long or Week 1 projections right now but will keep a close eye on him heading into Sunday's opener vs. the Texans.
Dolphins RB De'Von Achane (shoulder) practiced without a non-contact jersey on Monday, according to The Miami Herald's Daniel Oyefusi. That puts the rookie on track to play in this weekend's opener vs. the Chargers. Achane got zero first-team snaps in the preseason and can't be trusted in Week 1 fantasy lineups. But it wouldn't be surprising if he ends up getting significant playing time on Sunday with RB Jeff Wilson out. Miami only has Achane, Salvon Ahmed, and Chris Brooks behind lead back Raheem Mostert.
Jets HC Robert Saleh said Monday that RB Breece Hall and RB Dalvin Cook will play in the regular-season opener, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Hall sat out practice for the day, but Saleh called it a maintenance day. He added that the Jets "will be smart with Hall in his return," according to Rapoport. That makes it tough to know just how many opportunities we can expect for the team's top back.
Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle just might have an opportunity to help your fantasy football team. Saad Yousuf and Jon Machota, Cowboys writers for The Athletic, call Dowdle "the running back best equipped to handle the Ezekiel Elliott void as a runner." They point to his ability as both a runner and pass protector. Elliott, of course, moved on to New England this offseason after ranking 22nd among RBs in PPR scoring last year. We'd bet Yousuf and Machota aren't projecting Dowdle to lead this year's Cowboys in carries, which Elliott did last year. But we'd also bet Dallas doesn't plan to get Tony Pollard near 300 carries. Last year's Cowboys led the league with 462 RB rushes, so there's work available. Dowdle will compete with rookie Deuce Vaughn for those opportunities behind Pollard. But he outweighs Vaughn by roughly 40 pounds. So it's probably not a direct competition. Both players are going at no-risk levels in ADP. Don't be afraid to take a late shot on Dowdle, who has been with the team since arriving as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) returned to practice over the weekend. He injured his ankle on August 16 but never seemed in danger of missing the season opener vs. the Chiefs. We'll monitor St. Brown's status on the official practice reports this week, but he can be penciled into Week 1 fantasy lineups for now.
Per Bucs reporter JC Allen, RB Sean Tucker will open the season as the backup to Rachaad White. This was the expectation based on recent practice reports. White remains an RB2 fantasy target, while Tucker slides in as a late-round handcuff.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid said Sunday that WR Kadarius Toney (knee) is "good to go," presumably for Thursday night's opener vs. the Lions. "He's moving around pretty well. We'll take it day by day," Reid added. QB Patrick Mahomes said that Toney has been practicing for a few days and "looks like KT." We'd try not to use Toney in Week 1 fantasy lineups considering he missed all of training camp and the preseason. But we'll be keeping a close eye on his playing time and role in the offense.
Chiefs DT Chris Jones remains away from the team as K.C. prepares for Thursday night's opener against the Lions. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the player and team are still "not close on a deal" for boosting Jones' contract. The situation adds obvious risk to Jones in IDP leagues. We haven't moved the veteran down our IDP rankings, though, because plenty of upside remains whenever he does return. You'll need to decide how to balance the risk with the upside on Jones at draft time. Not having Jones, of course, would hurt the Chiefs' team defense. You shouldn't be looking to use them against Detroit in Week 1 anyway, though.
On Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that Rams WR Cooper Kupp is visiting "a noted body specialist" in Minnesota to address his hamstring injury. Rapoport adds the goal of the visit is to "fully comprehend the root of the issue" but that "exercising caution for Week 1 is the likely outcome" for Kupp. It sounds like fantasy managers will not have the veteran wideout available for the beginning of the season. These recent developments have caused Kupp to fall down our rankings, though we still view him as a viable WR1 in most formats. Check out where Kupp sits in our current WR rankings.
The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue wrote recently that Rams WR Van Jefferson would take over as the team's WR1 should teammate Cooper Kupp (hamstring) not play in Week 1. HC Sean McVay shared on Thursday that Kupp's game status is uncertain after the veteran suffered a setback in his injury recovery the same day. The season-long fantasy impact of this news may not be much, but take note of Jefferson as someone to look at for relief in deeper leagues or certain DFS formats. See where these Rams wideouts appear in our current WR rankings.
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