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.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce has been diagnosed with a bone bruise, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Kelce is dealing with "significant swelling," per Rapoport, but there's no structural damage and it's not a long-term injury. Relatively good news -- but Kelce owners need to be making other plans for Week 1. We'll get Kansas City's final injury report for the opener vs. the Lions on Wednesday afternoon.
The Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala tweets that Commanders WR Terry McLaurin is "progressing in his recovery" from his turf toe injury. He's "considered day to day," Jhabvala adds. "There’s hope he can play in the opener Sunday, but his status is still uncertain." It's a wishy-washy report, but it at least sounds like McLaurin isn't far from game-ready. If he doesn't play this weekend, he seemingly has a good shot to be back for Week 2. We'll get Washington's first official injury report of the season on Wednesday.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce's knee injury is "not believed to be a long-term" issue, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Kelce's availability for Thursday night's opener vs. the Lions is "in doubt," per Rapoport, but at least we're not looking at an extended absence from the fantasy first-rounder. "They’ll wait for swelling to go down and go from there," Rapoport adds. We knocked one game off of Kelce's season-long projections and have removed him from the Week 1 rankings for now. Stay tuned for further updates.
UPDATE: ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted on Tuesday evening that the Chiefs "believe Travis Kelce’s ACL is intact" but that there is inflammation in his knee. The team will test Kelce again tomorrow to determine his fitness for the opener.
Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy was on the practice field on Monday for some stretching with the team, according to insider Zac Stevens. That's still a long ways off from being ready for game action -- but it's a sign of progress. Jeudy is a long shot to play in the opener on Sunday, but we're tentatively expecting him back for Week 2 or 3.
Bucs OC Dave Canales recently called RB Rachaad White a "fantastic back." He added that there are a "bunch of good backs" behind White, referring the Sean Tucker, Ke'Shawn Vaughn, and Chase Edmonds. The conclusion here is that White enters the season as Tampa's clear backfield leader. Canales added, "I think there's more to learn about just how we use Rachaad on third down." White continues to look like a strong value in fantasy drafts -- and a RB2 with upside to open the year.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce hyperextended a knee in practice Tuesday, HC Andy Reid told reporters. The injury leaves Kelce's status "uncertain" for Thursday night against the Lions, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It'll help that it's the first game of the week, so fantasy managers will still have all other lineup options available before locking in that TE starter. We'll keep tracking the situation. Backup TE Noah Gray makes sense as a waiver-wire option this week for deeper leagues.
"All signs point to" Bengals QB Joe Burrow (calf) playing vs. the Browns this weekend, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says. "This has been heading in the right direction for a while," Rapoport adds. We'll get Cincinnati's first official practice report of the season on Wednesday, and we'll keep you updated on Burrow's status. But he can be penciled into Week 1 fantasy lineups.
Colts RB Zack Moss (arm) returned to practice on Monday, per HC Shane Steichen, putting him on track to play in this weekend's opener vs. the Jaguars. Moss had been sidelined since breaking his arm in late July, so it's unclear how much work he'll be ready for. RBs Deon Jackson and Evan Hull will also be dressed for the Jonathan Taylor-less Colts. “I think it’s running back-by-committee,” Steichen said. “Whoever’s got the hot hand, let ‘em ride a little bit.” This is a backfield to avoid in Week 1 fantasy lineups.
The Saints have listed Taysom Hill at QB for Week 1 after listing him as a TE throughout the summer. This probably doesn't mean anything for how he'll actually be used this season. But make sure you check to see how he's designated in your league. The FFPC, for one, has changed Hill's position designation from TE to QB for both upcoming and completed drafts. The primary allure to Hill at any position is that he has the upside to potentially play QB in any given week. He obviously carries much more upside -- and starting potential -- as a fantasy TE than QB, though. We're keeping him at TE, barring a major shift in Hill's designation across the fantasy landscape.
Rams HC Sean McVay said that he'd know more about WR Cooper Kupp's hamstring on Wednesday. Kupp is visiting a specialist in Minnesota to get another opinion on the injury. “You want to be able to just take it a day at a time,” McVay said. “We’re hopeful that this will give some clarity once he goes and talks to these doctors. It doesn’t fall in alignment with some of the things that have ended up occurring relative to the standard strains of the hamstring just based on what’s occurred over the last month and a half.” The last part of that quote is particularly worrisome. At this point, we'd be very surprised if Kupp plays in the opener vs. the Seahawks. And he could miss time beyond that. We'll continue to keep you updated on the situation.
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