ESPN's Jordan Ranaan gave his take on what the Giants' backfield will look like for however long RB Saquon Barkley is out. Ranaan expects RB Matt Breida to have the "biggest role" due to his familiarity with HC Brian Daboll's offense and his reliability in pass protection. Ranaan adds that RB Gary Brightwell will get "some carries," while RB Eric Gray will be used "sporadically as a runner and pass-catcher." It's confirmation that Breida is the best fantasy bet here -- although not a particularly good one.
Saints RB Jamaal Williams is expected to miss “some time” with his hamstring injury, HC Dennis Allen said Tuesday. We'll see exactly how long Williams is out, but it sounds like he'll at least miss this Sunday's game vs. the Packers. That's the final game of RB Alvin Kamara's three-game suspension, while rookie RB Kendre Miller is still working back from knee and hamstring injuries. So the Saints could be down to Tony Jones as lead back this weekend. We could also see Taysom Hill play a big role on the ground. He wound up carrying nine times for 75 yards in the Week 2 win over the Panthers.
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk (shoulder) will be a game-time decision for Thursday night's meeting with the Giants, HC Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday. Aiyuk was limited in Tuesday's practice. We'll continue to look for updates on his status, but it seems like he'll come with elevated risk in Week 3 fantasy lineups if he does suit up on Thursday night.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley (ankle) did not practice on Tuesday. HC Brian Daboll said earlier in the day that Barkley still has a chance to play vs. the 49ers on Thursday night, but we're not buying it. We'll see how he's listed on the final injury report tomorrow.
Multiple reports Tuesday afternoon said RB Kareem Hunt is visiting the Browns. It makes sense, given that Hunt spent the past four seasons in Cleveland and the team just lost Nick Chubb for the year. The Browns elected to move on from Hunt to Jerome Ford last offseason, though, after Hunt produced dramatic declines in efficiency -- both rushing and receiving. He'd make plenty of sense as Cleveland's No. 2 back. But expect Ford to continue leading the backfield in work. We'll watch, of course, to see if this reunion actually happens.
A CT scan on 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk's clavicle came back clean, according to The Santa Rosa Press Democrat's Jack Hammer. "His ability to play Thursday night will be all about pain tolerance," Hammer adds. We'll keep an eye on Aiyuk's status and will get San Francisco's inactives around 7 pm ET on Thursday.
Browns HC Kevin Stefanski called Jerome Ford the team's "featured back" with Nick Chubb out for the rest of the season, according to insider Mary Kay Cabot. We'll see exactly what that means for Ford's snap rate and volume, but it's clear that he'll get the first crack at lead duties. He got off to a strong start in relief of Chubb on Monday night, ripping off 106 yards on 16 carries and catching three of four targets for 25 yards and a score. Kareem Hunt and Cam Akers are among the RBs the Browns are considering adding to the backfield, Cabot reports.
Browns HC Kevin Stefanski confirmed on Tuesday that RB Nick Chubb will undergo season-ending knee surgery to repair damage to multiple ligaments. We'll look for further details on Chubb's injury and timeline for return. It's certainly fair to question whether he'll be ready for the 2024 season opener.
Giants HC Brian Daboll refused on Tuesday to rule out RB Saquon Barkley (ankle) for Thursday night's game vs. the 49ers. “I’m not saying that he’s out yet,” Daboll said, adding that Barkley's ankle is feeling a lot better. We'd still be very surprised if Barkley played on the short week. But perhaps he ends up missing just one game. Stay tuned.
Steelers HC Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that RB Jaylen Warren deserves more touches going forward. He racked up 86 yards on 10 touches in Monday night's win over the Browns, while Najee Harris totaled 44 yards on his 11 touches. "You know, he's just making plays when given the opportunity," Tomlin said of Warren. "And I think that's a reasonable expectation. There's a guy that did similar things as a young guy a year ago and as a rookie and has done some really good things in the team development process. And so, it's probably a natural maturation process for it to transpire in stadium, and it's probably a natural maturation process for us to give him more opportunities for it to transpire in stadium." You'll find Harris and Warren extremely close in our Rest-of-Season RB Rankings.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday that WR Brandin Cooks (knee) is expected to be limited in practice on Wednesday, a full-go on Thursday, and then play vs. the Cardinals this weekend. We'll track his progress throughout the week.
The Lions have promoted RB Zonovan Knight to the active roster. It's an indication that the team expects RB David Montgomery (quad) to at least miss this weekend's game vs. the Falcons. His absence would leave Detroit's backfield to Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds, and Knight.
Browns WR Amari Cooper hauled in 7 of 10 targets for 90 yards in Monday night’s loss vs. the Steelers. Teammate Elijah Moore saw major involvement again but was only able to turn 9 targets into 3 catches for 36 yards in Week 2. Despite Cooper dealing with a groin injury ahead of the contest, the Cleveland offense was funneled through their pair of top wideouts again for the second week in a row. TE David Njoku, who caught 4 balls on as many targets for 48 yards, was a bit of an odd man out. Both Cooper and Moore will be exciting players to start in lineups in Week 3 vs. the Titans.
Browns RB Jerome Ford ran the ball 16 times for 106 rushing yards in Week 2’s loss vs. the Steelers. The second-year back also added 3 catches on 4 targets for 25 yards and a score as a receiver in the game. Ford performed well in relief of injured teammate Nick Chubb (knee) and will be one of the most popular additions off of the waiver wire this week. HC Kevin Stefanski confirmed after the game that Chubb will be out for the remainder of the 2023 season.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson completed 22 of 40 attempts for 235 yards with 1 TD and INT apiece in Week 2’s loss vs. the Steelers. He also ran for 22 yards in the contest, though a pair of costly lost fumbles ate into his fantasy performance. Through two weeks of the season, Watson has been truly underwhelming. Fantasy managers hoping he would make a return to pre-suspension form are left wondering if that’s going to happen. Is it still possible? Absolutely, but the early returns are giving us little reason to be overly optimistic. We’ll see if he can do any better in Week 3 vs. the Titans.
Steelers WR George Pickens stepped up without teammate Diontae Johnson (hamstring) in the lineup, tallying 4 catches for 127 yards and a TD on a team-leading 10 targets vs. the Browns. No other Steelers’ wideout registered more than a pair of receptions. Given the poor QB play that Kenny Pickett has brought to the table to open 2023, relying on receiving production from anyone on this roster is a challenge. Even so, Pickens displayed his big-play ability with a 71-yard TD tonight and will be worth the gamble again in Week 3 vs. the Raiders.
Steelers RB Najee Harris ended Week 2 with 10 carries for 43 rushing yards vs. the Browns. Teammate Jaylen Warren logged 20 rushing yards on 6 carries in addition to hauling 4 catches on 6 targets for 66 yards as a receiver. Most of Harris' yardage came on two runs in the third quarter. He was otherwise stuffed at the line throughout the contest. The Steelers are still splitting the workshare between Harris and Warren fairly evenly (13 and 12 touch opportunities, respectively). Still, it isn't easy to justify relying on either for fantasy production. Warren presents a modest upside in half or full-PPR formats in Week 3 vs. the Raiders.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett completed 15 of 30 attempts for 222 passing yards with 1 TD and 1 INT in Week 2 vs. the Browns. The second-year starter had a handful of other errant throws that were lucky not to be intercepted by Cleveland defenders throughout Monday's victory. Aside from a 71-yard TD throw to WR George Pickens, this was not a strong performance from Pickett. He’ll be a shaky fantasy option in Week 3 vs. the Raiders.
Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick left Monday night's win over the Browns with a chest injury. He was ruled out before the end. We'll see about the severity, but that doesn't bode well for Week 3 at least.
Insider Jordan Schultz tweets that the Browns "fear" a season-ending knee injury for RB Nick Chubb. That's been the obvious assumption since the injury happened in the second quarter of Monday night's game in Pittsburgh. Schultz adds that Chubb is believed to have a dislocated knee and damage to multiple ligaments. We should get an official diagnosis within the next 24 hours. Chubb's 2023 is over. The question now is whether he can make it back for the start of the 2024 season. He turns 28 in December.
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