Commanders WR Terry McLaurin (toe) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice. Getting on the field at all early in the week seemingly gives him a good shot to play vs. the Cardinals on Sunday. We'll track his progress over the next couple of days.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (knee) was limited in Wednesday's practice. He was activated from the PUP list about three weeks ago, but it's still unclear if he'll play in the season opener vs. Washington on Sunday. Ertz should not be in your Week 1 fantasy plans. His absence would make TE Trey McBride a slightly more appealing play.
Cardinals WR Marquise Brown was limited in Wednesday's practice with a hamstring injury. It's the first we've heard of it. We'll see how Brown progresses over the next couple of days, leading up to Sunday's opener vs. the Commanders.
49ers TE George Kittle (groin) was limited in Wednesday's practice. It's not ideal that a guy with a lengthy injury history is already on the injury report, but the limited early-week practice should have Kittle on track to play vs. the Steelers this weekend. We'll keep you updated on his status.
Saints RB Kendre Miller (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. The rookie is unlikely to play vs. the Titans this weekend. With RB Alvin Kamara serving the first of his three-game suspension, RB Jamaal Williams is set up for an every-down role on Sunday.
Titans WR Treylon Burks (knee) was a full-go in Wednesday's practice. He'll play in this weekend's opener vs. the Saints -- and is seemingly ready for his usual workload. That puts Burks in the WR4 mix.
Colts RB Zack Moss (forearm) put in a limited practice on Wednesday. He's expected to be ready for this weekend's game vs. the Jaguars, working in a 3-RB committee alongside Deon Jackson and Evan Hull.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow (calf) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. It's just more confirmation that he'll be ready to go for this weekend's opener vs. the Browns.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews (quad) was limited in Wednesday's practice. He's reportedly been dealing with this issue for about a week now, but the limited practice early in the week seemingly puts Andrews on track to play vs. the Texans on Sunday.
Texans WR John Metchie (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. He missed much of the spring with a hamstring injury, although it's unclear if this is related. Metchie wasn't slated to open the season with a top-three role even if he was healthy. He's not worth rostering in redraft leagues right now.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson (thigh) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. He went down with this thigh injury in mid-August but seemingly has a shot to play vs. the Panthers this weekend. Patterson isn't a fantasy option but could siphon a few touches from RB Bijan Robinson.
Panthers WR D.J. Chark (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. That doesn't bode well for his chances of playing in this weekend's opener vs. the Falcons. WRs Terrace Marshall (back) and Adam Thielen (ankle) were limited on Wednesday but should be ready come Sunday. Rookie Jonathan Mingo is Carolina's healthiest WR and should be in for a significant role out of the gate.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday that Rams WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring) has been ruled out for Week 1 vs. the Seahawks. The veteran wideout sustained a setback in rehabbing his hamstring late last week and sought the insight of a specialist in Minnesota on Monday. In speaking on 'NFL Live', Schefter added that Rams HC Sean McVay has not ruled out the possibility that Kupp could be placed on IR. Kupp's absence for Week 1 was a somewhat expected move. The real risk now is that a stint on IR would mean that the fantasy star would miss the first four games of 2023 at a minimum. Managers looking to replace Kupp could look to Van Jefferson, as he's now the presumed Rams WR1. We'll continue to monitor this situation as more information becomes available regarding a potential prolonged absence.
The 49ers have agreed to a five-year, $170 million extension with Edge Nick Bosa, according to multiple reports. The pact ends Bosa's holdout ahead of Sunday's opener against the Steelers and makes him the highest-paid defensive player in the league. We never moved Bosa down the preseason or weekly IDP rankings for this situation. The star has already proved he can deliver on little practice time.
Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney (knee) is not listed on the final injury report for Thursday night's opener vs. the Lions. He graduated to a full practice on Wednesday after being limited the previous two days. We'd still be surprised if Toney played a full slate of snaps tomorrow, so he's not a recommended Week 1 starter. We'll keep a close eye on his usage.
The Chiefs list TE Travis Kelce (knee) as questionable for Thursday night's opener vs. the Lions. He didn't practice on Wednesday after hyperextending his knee and sustaining a bone bruise on Tuesday. We'd be very surprised if Kelce played tomorrow, but Kansas City doesn't want to rule him out yet. We'll get the inactives around 7 pm on Thursday. Kelce should be on fantasy benches for now.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said Wednesday that WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (wrist) will play vs. the Rams this weekend. JSN is just over two weeks removed from wrist surgery but "hasn't said a peep" about the issue and has "no hesitation," Carroll said. We'd try not to use the rookie in Week 1 fantasy lineups, but he could quickly emerge as a viable starter. Smith-Njigba's availability is also a boost for QB Geno Smith.
The Cardinals are expected to start QB Josh Dobbs in Sunday's opener at Washington, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That leaves rookie QB Clayton Tune as the backup ... and Arizona's receivers likely wondering when QB Kyler Murray will return. Dobbs has started just two career games since arriving as a fourth-round pick of the Steelers back in 2017, and both starts came last year. He has 85 career pass attempts, with 58.8% completions, 2 TDs, 3 INTs and 75 yards rushing (at 5.4 per attempt). That last aspect could give him some appeal as a cheap DFS play in Week 1. But the biggest fantasy impact here for most leagues is that Washington just might be the best fantasy defense for Week 1. You can see where Dobbs sits in our Week 1 QB rankings ... but you'll need to scroll down a good bit.
CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones tweets that the Commanders are "optimistic" about WR Terry McLaurin (toe). We're not sure if Jones means optimistic about his availability for Week 1 or just optimistic about McLaurin's recovery in general. "He’s responded well to work on the field," Jones adds. We'll get Washington's first official practice report on the season later today.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that Bengals QB Joe Burrow (calf) is "trending toward playing" vs. the Browns this weekend. That's been the consensus reporting on the situation lately. More importantly, Rapoport adds that the Bengals "wanted to get to a point where there will be no issues going forward, and it seems that's where the Bengals are." So it sounds like the calf should not be a problem for Burrow going forward.
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