The Dolphins surprisingly put RB Jeff Wilson Jr. on IR Thursday. That means he'll miss at least the first four games. We had seen no indication of a significant injury to Wilson. He missed Wednesday's practice with an undisclosed issue but had otherwise only missed scant early-August time with a minor left-leg injury. This designation leaves Raheem Mostert and Chris Brooks as the only healthy RBs on the roster, and Mostert likely the clear backfield leader for Week 1 against the Chargers. De'Von Achane (shoulder) and Salvon Ahmed (concussion) worked on the side Wednesday, which could mean they have a chance to be ready for Week 1. We'll look for more on Wilson's situation and outlook. He remains stashable, though he's probably more of an early-season waiver option in most leagues now than a draft target.
The Rams signed K Brett Maher. They'd been without a kicker after releasing Tanner Brown at final cuts on Tuesday. Maher sports a career 81% FG conversion rate and could be a fantasy spot-start option this season if the Rams offense bounces back.
Commanders TE Logan Thomas (calf) said Wednesday that he has "no more restrictions" and "feels really good." Thomas missed most of August with a calf injury but is on track to be ready for Week 1. TE Cole Turner had a nice training camp and preseason in Thomas' absence, but Thomas still figures to open the season as Washington's lead TE.
Discussing the decision to put RB Jonathan Taylor on the PUP list, Colts GM Chris Ballard said that Taylor is still "complaining of pain in the ankle." Taylor underwent surgery way back in January. It's impossible to know whether that ankle is actually still giving him trouble, or if it's just being used as an excuse to keep him off the field amid the contract squabble. Regardless, we know that Taylor will miss at least the first four games of the 2023 campaign. We're guessing that the ankle issue will be behind him by Week 5.
The Colts placed TE Jelani Woods (hamstring) on IR, knocking him out for at least the first four games of the season. Woods missed most of the offseason with hamstring trouble. He flashed as a rookie and is a nice stash on dynasty rosters. But Woods is not worth rostering in redraft right now.
Vikings RB Kene Nwangwu has been placed on IR. That knocks him out for at least the first four games of the season. Minnesota signed RB Myles Gaskin, who figures to serve as the No. 3 RB behind Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (ACL rehab) said he’s unsure about playing Week 1. “Still some things I need to go through ... I need to see how I recover and practice consistent days in a row,” the 32-year-old said. “I gotta earn the trust of my teammates, the coaches, I don't expect them to just plug me in there and say 'this is Zach, for the past 10 years, he's gonna be the same in year 11,'" Ertz said. "I look forward to proving myself each and every day. And whether that's game one, game three, whenever I'm out there, I expect to be a difference maker.” Visit the TE rankings, and you'll see Ertz is currently projected for 13 games.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow was on the practice field on Wednesday for the first time since hurting his calf on July 27. Burrow has been expected to be ready for Week 1 all along, and all reports on his recovery has been positive. Burrow has about a week-and-a-half to get ready for Cincinnati's opener vs. the Browns. We're projecting him to be a full-go for that one.
The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt believes WR Randall Cobb will "likely start in Week 1." The scenario would have Cobb in the slot between Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard -- and leave Mecole Hardman as the No. 4 WR. We'd still rather take a shot on Hardman than Cobb at the end of fantasy drafts, but neither guy is an appealing pick.
Jets WR Allen Lazard (shoulder) returned to practice on Tuesday. He ended up missing about a week but will be good to go for the season opener. Lazard should be New York's No. 2 WR this season, behind Garrett Wilson.
Jets HC Robert Saleh says the team has to "be smart" with RB Breece Hall as he comes back from last year's torn ACL. "I think in his mind, he probably feels like he can take 30 touches, but we just have to be smart with him, make sure we're constantly communicating with him and just being diligent." We're currently projecting about 10 total touches for Hall in Week 1 but will continue to keep an eye on the Jets' plans. Hall's volume figures to grow throughout the season, perhaps quickly and significantly.
Panthers WR Laviska Shenault has cleared the concussion protocol. He'll be ready for Week 1, barring a setback. There's been talk of new HC Frank Reich using Shenault out of the backfield this year, but he remains unlikely to emerge as a viable fantasy option.
Garrett Downing of the Ravens' official website expects RB J.K. Dobbins to be heavily involved in new OC Todd Monken's offense. "We've seen throughout training camp that the RBs are catching a lot of passes," Downing says. "I think that bodes really well for J.K. Dobbins. He has nice hands out of the backfield. ... I expect him to have a big role in that regard in this offense." Dobbins has totaled just 25 catches in 23 NFL games. But he wasn't asked to do much in the passing game in previous OC Greg Roman's offense. That'll change under Monken. And remember that Dobbins caught 71 balls in three college seasons.
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba was on the practice field on Tuesday for the first time since breaking a bone in his wrist on August 19. His left hand was heavily wrapped, but JSN was catching passes. It's encouraging news, although his availability for the start of the season is still uncertain. Stay tuned for updates.
Dolphins RB De'Von Achane (shoulder) returned to practice on Tuesday, although he was sporting a non-contact jersey. The rookie went down in Miami's second preseason game 10 days ago. It looks like he has a shot to be ready for the regular season opener, but Achane won't be a viable Week 1 fantasy play. He got zero first-team reps in the preseason.
Browns RB Jerome Ford returned to practice Tuesday for the first time since injuring his right hamstring back on Aug. 7. Ford still has more than a week before the Sept. 10 opener against the Bengals. He also has added competition after Cleveland traded for RB Pierre Strong. We'd still stash Ford ahead of Strong in fantasy football drafts. Both are late-round options but could present significant upside in the case of a Nick Chubb injury.
The Broncos released WRs Lil'Jordan Humphrey and Marquez Callaway. That leaves only four WRs on the active roster: Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, and Brandon Johnson. It might be a sign that Denver expects Jeudy to be available for the season opener. We'll keep an eye on Jeudy's progress -- and if the Broncos make any other moves at WR.
The Giants released WR Cole Beasley. NFL Network's Mike Garofolo tweeted that Beasley is "expected to stick around," so it sounds like he'll land on the Giants' practice squad. Regardless, he's well off the fantasy radar.
On Tuesday, Broncos GM George Patton said WR Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) will avoid beginning the 2023 season on short-term IR. This is undoubtedly good news, considering the injury he sustained last Thursday required Jeudy to be carted off the practice field. Still, this doesn't mean he'll be a slam dunk to be healthy for Week 1. We'll update the situation as more information becomes known, though avoiding IR brings moderate relief. In Jeudy's absence, Courtland Sutton and rookie Marvin Mims figure to be the top wideouts for Denver.
Per multiple reports, UDFA RB Deneric Prince was waived by the Chiefs on Tuesday. The former Tulsa back was a surprise standout throughout the early parts of OTAs and training camp. Unfortunately, his performances were not enough to secure a spot on the final 53-man roster. The Chiefs also cut RB La'Mical Perine from the team. The defending Super Bowl champions will carry Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire into the regular season. Pacheco stands as our highest-ranked back on the Chiefs, but don't be surprised to see McKinnon return flex value in PPR formats in 2023. See where each of these players appear in our current RB rankings.
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