Steelers OLB T.J. Watt remained a limited practice participant Monday, just as he was throughout training camp, ESPN's Brooke Pryor reports. Watt took part in individual workouts but worked off to the side during team drills. He has practiced in that fashion all summer as he waits for an extension on the final year of his rookie deal. Neither the team nor Watt has said much about the situation. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler -- a Pittsburgher and former Steelers beat reporter -- believes "Week 1 feels in doubt" if Watt doesn't get a new deal. "Watt stays in excellent shape but Steelers value practice-in-order-to-play with pretty much all players," Fowler tweeted Monday. We'd have a tough time believing Pittsburgh would deactivate Watt if he's willing to play Sunday. But it's a situation we'll have to watch for IDP lineups -- as well as the upside of the Steelers' team defense.
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring) returned to practice on Monday. That seemingly puts him on track to play in this weekend's opener vs. the Lions. We'll get San Francisco's 1st official practice report on Wednesday.
Giants TE Evan Engram is a "long shot" to play against the Broncos on Sunday, a source tells NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Engram has reportedly made progress and avoided short-term IR, so a Week 2 return might be in the cards. But he shouldn't be in your Week 1 fantasy plans. Engram's absence would leave the Giants with TEs Kyle Rudolph and Kaden Smith.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley (ACL) is "close to being fully cleared," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "The team needs to watch him through Thursday to gauge how his body responds to the workload. But he’s close," Rapoport adds. Barkley has been trending toward playing in Sunday's opener vs. the Broncos for a while now. We're not expecting a full workload, but Barkley still sits inside the top 20 in our Week 1 RB Rankings.
Browns WR Odell Beckham (ACL) is expected to play a "significant amount" in Sunday's opener vs. the Chiefs, according to insider Mary Kay Cabot. "It’s remarkable that Beckham looks as good as he does only 10 months out, but he’s proving to be quite the freak of nature," Cabot writes. "He’s been running full speed for months, cutting on a dime, and leaping high for receptions." OBJ will still carry a bit more risk than usual in his 1st action since last October's torn ACL. But he'll be worth getting in most fantasy lineups in what should be a shootout vs. Kansas City.
Bucs RB Gio Bernard (ankle) returned to practice on Sunday, according to Pewter Report. It's unclear how much Bernard did, but it clearly gives him a shot to play against the Cowboys on Thursday night. We'll get Tampa's 1st official practice report on Tuesday.
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring) remained sidelined on Sunday. He's been out for over a week now with that HC Kyle Shanahan called a "slight hamstring" injury. We'll continue to keep an eye on Aiyuk this coming week, but he's certainly not a lock to be ready for the opener vs. Detroit.
The Cowboys will be without RG Zack Martin for Thursday night's season opener at Tampa Bay. HC Mike McCarthy announced Sunday that Martin has tested positive for COVID. We'll see whether that also jeopardizes his availability for Week 2. Losing Martin figures to impact RB Ezekiel Elliott the most, from a fantasy standpoint. It's a particularly tough blow against a Bucs defense that has consistently ranked at or near the top of the league in run defense in recent seasons. Don't be surprised if we get a slow statistical start for Elliott. At the same time, we're not going to recommend immediately benching a RB you likely drafted in Round 1 -- unless you're loaded at the position. Check our full Week 1 rankings to see exactly where Elliott lands.
Titans QB Ryan Tannehill has been activated from the COVID list. He should be good to go for next Sunday's opener vs. the Cardinals. RB Jeremy McNichols was also activated from the COVID list and will join Mekhi Sargent behind Derrick Henry on the depth chart.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley is expected to play Week 1, but the Giants will likely limit his workload, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic. “The hope is that he can return to being a workhorse as the year progresses,” Duggan writes. "But he might never return to playing 83 percent of the offensive snaps like he did in his first two seasons.” A slow start is pretty much assumed after Barkley saw limited camp reps. It’s also worth noting that the Giants play on Thursday night in Week 2 (at Washington) after squaring off with Denver in the opener. That tough stretch only adds risk to Barkley’s early-season outlook. Still, we remain optimistic on his RB1 prospects longer-term.
Titans RB Darrynton Evans (knee) has been placed on IR. He'll miss at least the first 3 games of the season. With Evans out and RB Jeremy McNichols on the COVID list, Mekhi Sargent is currently Tennessee's #2 RB.
Jets WR Jamison Crowder tested positive for COVID, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. Crowder's Week 1 status is "up in the air," Pelissero adds. We'll keep an eye on the situation, but Crowder shouldn't be in your Week 1 plans.
The Colts have had “multiple conversations of late” with reps for RB Nyheim Hines, per The Athletic. The 24-year-old is entering a contract season. He’s yet to miss a game as a pro, and it sounds like he wants to continue that trend as a Colt. “I hope to be the Darren Sproles of Indy,” Hines said via The Athletic. “The Nyheim Hines of Indy. I’m really driven to leave a legacy. That’s something I think about every day.” Our current projections have Hines for only 73 carries, but his reception upside puts him in the PPR flex conversation.
Broncos OLB Bradley Chubb is out of practice this week because of an ankle injury. “He tweaked his ankle last week in practice; still bothering him a little bit so we’re going to give him this week to get it right,” HC Vic Fangio said Wednesday, via Aric DiLalla of the team website. It's reportedly not the ankle that Chubb had surgery on this offseason. We'll see if he returns to practice next week, ahead of the regular-season opener.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley practiced with contact Thursday for the 1st time since his ACL tear last September. "We did a normal practice safely and just talked to the guys and [they] gave me some good shots," Barkley said, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan. "But it's [about] route running and running routes just to get me back in the flow of things, so I guess you could say yes [I took my first hit]." It doesn't sound like he took a lot of contact, but any change on that front is a positive development.
Giants WR Kenny Golladay "did not sound confident at all" when discussing his recovery from his hamstring injury and status for Week 1, according to insider Ralph Vacchiano. Golladay, who just returned to practice after going down on August 4, admitted that he's still trying “to get my legs up under me.” He added that hamstrings are “tricky” and “you’ve got to be smart and patient with them." We'll continue to keep an eye on Golladay, but he ideally won't be in your Week 1 fantasy plans.
Colts WR T.Y. Hilton is expected back before mid-season but will “probably” miss more than 3 games, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Hilton, of course, is coming off surgery to alleviate a disc issue in his neck. We’ll see about further updates on his exact return. His absence probably helps the outlooks for WRs Paris Campbell and Zach Pascal most.
The Chiefs on Thursday placed LB Willie Gay Jr. on IR with a toe injury he suffered in the team's final preseason game. The IR designation means Gay will miss at least 3 games, but it doesn't sound like they expect the issue to linger much beyond that. According to Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star, there was "initial optimism" that the injury wasn't serious. Anthony Hitchens figures to lead the LB playing time for K.C. while Gay is out.
The Panthers have claimed RB Royce Freeman off waivers from the Broncos. He joins a thin depth chart behind Christian McCaffrey. Freeman's not likely to find fantasy relevance in Carolina, but he could challenge rookie Chuba Hubbard for touches behind McCaffrey.
Washington HC Ron Rivera is "very confident" that WR Curtis Samuel (groin) will be able to play in next weekend's opener vs. the Chargers. He's missed the majority of the offseason and remained limited in Thursday's practice. But Rivera expects Samuel to participate in team drills starting Monday. We'll continue to track his progress, but Samuel will be a risky Week 1 fantasy play.
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