Eagles WR Alshon Jeffery (shoulder) will participate in individual drills on Wednesday, HC Doug Pederson said. Jeffery will still be held out of full-team work and is a long shot to play against the Bucs this weekend. But he's at least making tangible progress. A Week 3 return seems possible.
Lions RB Ameer Abullah is inactive for tonight's opener against the Jets. After a preseason that found him in the 1st-team mix, this indicates that Abdullah's depth-chart standing has not improved despite a new coaching staff. With no special-teams role, we're left wondering why Detroit bothers keeping the now-veteran back on the 53-man roster. His deactivation can only help rookie Kerryon Johnson's touch count.
Bills RB LeSean McCoy is not expected to be charged for the allegations made against him in July, "barring an unforeseen discovery," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Rapoport adds that McCoy is also "unlikely" to be suspended by the NFL. So it looks like he'll be eligible for all 16 games. We have concerns about how much is left in McCoy's tank and his supporting cast in Buffalo. But he should be at least a volume-fueled RB2 this year.
Packers RB Aaron Jones has been suspended 2 games for violating the league's substance abuse policy. This is the result of his arrest last October for marijuana possession. Jones will be allowed to participate in training camp and the preseason but will miss Green Bay's first 2 games against the Bears and Vikings. The suspension gives RB Jamaal Williams a shot to grab the lead role and run with it. RB Ty Montgomery should also see significant action those first 2 games. Depending on how those 2 fare, Jones might struggle to get much playing time when he's reinstated for Week 3. We'll see what happens to his ADP, which is currently sitting in the 8th round, but he now looks like just a later-round flier.
The NFL officially announced Bucs QB Jameis Winston's 3-game suspension for violating the personal conduct policy. Winston issued a statement and made no mention of appealing the ruling. "I now look forward to putting this behind me and I will continue to work hard every day to be a positive influence in my community and be the best person, teammate and leader I can be," Winston wrote. So he'll miss the first 3 games of the season against the Saints, Eagles and Steelers. He'll return for Week 4 before going on a Week 5 bye. It makes Winston undraftable in standard-sized, lineup-setting leagues -- but he still makes sense as a late-round QB2 or QB3 in best ball. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is the favorite to start those first 3 weeks but will likely only be an option in 2-QB leagues. Fitzpatrick should at least be able to keep the Bucs offense on track. Tampa averaged 24.5 points in the 4 games Fitzpatrick saw extensive action in last year.
The Bengals selected Florida State WR Auden Tate with the 4th-to-last pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. Tate bombed his Combine workout, plodding to a 4.68-second 40 time and finishing with a 3rd percentile SPARQ score. He’ll struggle to create separation as a pro but does have some intriguing contested-catch ability. Tate goes 6’5, 228 pounds with 92nd percentile arm length, strong hands and nice body control. Per Pro Football Focus, he hauled in 66.7% of his contested targets last year — 6th best in the country. But Tate’s bottom-barrel measurables — plus the fact that he’s a 7th-rounder — make him a long shot for fantasy value.
The Cardinals selected Texas A&M WR Christian Kirk with the 47th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. Kirk’s most impressive college season came back in 2015. As an 18-year-old true freshman, he led the Aggies with 80 catches, 1,009 receiving yards and 7 TDs. His yardage totals tailed off over the past 2 years, but he still totaled 149 catches and 19 scores. Kirk was also a special-teams dynamo, scoring 1 kick-return and 6 punt-return TDs. A 5’10, 201-pounder who ran the majority of his routes at A&M from the slot, Kirk has shades of Golden Tate in his game. He averaged 6.8 yards after the catch during his college career, according to Pro Football Focus. Arizona is a strange short-term fit with slot maven Larry Fitzgerald still around. We’ll see how Kirk fits in this season. Long term, he should be the Fitz replacement.
The Buccaneers on Thursday traded a 3rd-round pick -- plus a swap of late-rounders -- to the Giants for DE Jason Pierre-Paul. The 29-year-old carries a large contract and didn't fit as well in the Giants' new 3-4 base defense. JPP remained a productive pass-rusher last year, though Pro Football Focus graded him lower than former Bucs DE Robert Ayers both overall and in the pass rush. Tampa, of course, recently released Ayers. Pierre-Paul will likely start opposite Vinny Curry, with DE William Gholston still in the mix. The Bucs defense certainly looks more intriguing now, while JPP remains a top-12 D-lineman for IDP drafting.
Patriots RBs Rex Burkhead and Mike Gillislee are inactive for tonight's game against the Titans with their knee injuries. RB James White (ankle) is active and figures to play in passing situations behind Dion Lewis.
Bucs WR DeSean Jackson (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Saints. He was limited in practice all week but appears on track to play. WR Chris Godwin (ankle) is also listed as questionable but only got in a limited practice on Friday. He’s off the fantasy radar if Jackson plays this week.
Titans RB DeMarco Murray (knee) is out for Sunday's game against the Jaguars. There was early-week talk that Murray could play through his torn MCL, but that always seemed unlikely. He's certainly not a lock to be ready for the Wild Card Round -- if Tennessee gets there. RB Derrick Henry will operate as the feature back vs. a Jacksonville defense that's allowed a mediocre 4.3 yards per carry over the past 5 weeks. He's a solid RB2 with RB1 upside.
Raiders HC Jack Del Rio said Wednesday that WR Michael Crabtree injured his hamstring in Monday night's loss to the Eagles. He posted a goose egg in that one and played just 45% of the offensive snaps. We'll keep an eye on Crabtree over the next few days, but he'll be a shaky fantasy option if he plays against the Chargers' tough secondary this weekend.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid announced Wednesday that QB Patrick Mahomes will start this weekend's finale against the Broncos. Kansas City is locked into the AFC's #4 seed and has nothing to gain on Sunday. We doubt that RB Kareem Hunt, WR Tyreek Hill or TE Travis Kelce play much, if at all. That makes Mahomes tougher to like -- especially in a tough spot in Denver.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon (concussion) is out for Sunday's game against the Bears. He didn't practice all week and isn't a lock to be cleared for Week 15. Mixon's absence this weekend leaves Gio Bernard in something close to a feature role. The only other RB on the Bengals' roster is 5th-round rookie Brian Hill, who joined Cincinnati in mid-November and doesn't have an NFL carry to his name. The matchup isn't ideal against Chicago's 11th-ranked RB defense, but volume makes Bernard a strong RB2 play. He's handled 15+ touches in in 25 NFL games and averaged 14.8 PPR points in those outings.
Saints CB Marshon Lattimore is inactive for today's game against the Panthers because of the ankle sprain that limited him to just 1 day of practice this week after costing him the Week 12 game. Lattimore's absence brightens the outlook for Panthers lead WR Devin Funchess and dings the Saints' team D.
Chiefs RB Charcandrick West (personal) is out for this weekend's game against the Jets. He's been a thorn in RB Kareem Hunt's side, totaling 5 carries and 14 targets over the past 3 weeks. His absence is a slight boost to Hunt's outlook.
The Buccaneers have ruled CB Brent Grimes (shoulder) out for the 2nd straight game, which certainly only helps the Saints' passing game. DE Robert Ayers (ankle) and OLB Kendell Beckwith (knee) are questionable after limited practice weeks. Ayers has been playing through questionable tags for several weeks. Beckwith's issue is new. Neither is an IDP factor even if active.
Bengals K Randy Bullock (back) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Jaguars. We'll see if Cincinnati adds a K, but Bullock shouldn't be in Week 9 fantasy lineups at less than 100% and in a tough matchup.
Ravens WRs Jeremy Maclin (shoulder) and Mike Wallace (back) are expected to play against the Vikings today, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Neither is a great fantasy choice on Baltimore's 31st-ranked passing game.
Titans QB Marcus Mariota said Wednesday that his injured hamstring feels "a lot better." He did more in practice on Wednesday than he did last week, but he still wasn't a full-go. "As the days go on, hopefully I’ll feel better and better," Mariota said. "It is just taking it one day at a time and hopefully I’ll be able to go. Hopefully towards the end of the week I’ll get more on my plate and hopefully I’ll feel comfortable to try and play on Monday.” We'll continue to track Mariota's progress and hope to have a good idea about his status by Sunday morning.
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