Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney (knee) was a limited participant in Monday's practice. He's seemingly trending toward playing in Thursday night's opener vs. the Lions, but we'd be surprised if he played a full slate of snaps after missing all of training camp and the preseason. See where Toney sits in the Week 1 WR rankings.
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is not listed on the Week 1 injury report. He suffered a minor ankle injury in mid-August but returned to practice over the weekend and is good to go for Thursday night's opener vs. the Chiefs.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow (calf) had a "really good day" on Monday, HC Zac Taylor said. "It was encouraging to see." Taylor would not yet say that Burrow will be ready for this weekend's opener against the Browns, but it's clearly trending in that direction. "Continuing to take it day to day right now," Taylor added. We'll get Cincinnati's first official injury report of the season on Wednesday.
49ers TE George Kittle did not practice on Monday. He's still bothered by the adductor injury he suffered on August 10. Kittle was "sprinting" on a side field, according to insider Matt Barrows, so it sounds like he's getting close to 100%. We'll get San Francisco's first official injury report of the season on Wednesday.
Ravens TE Mark Andrews has missed the last six practices with an undisclosed injury, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley. Andrews is expected back on Wednesday for Baltimore's first official practice ahead of Week 1. “We’re still on 'don’t push the panic button',” HC John Harbaugh said. We're not adjusting Andrews' season-long or Week 1 projections right now but will keep a close eye on him heading into Sunday's opener vs. the Texans.
Dolphins RB De'Von Achane (shoulder) practiced without a non-contact jersey on Monday, according to The Miami Herald's Daniel Oyefusi. That puts the rookie on track to play in this weekend's opener vs. the Chargers. Achane got zero first-team snaps in the preseason and can't be trusted in Week 1 fantasy lineups. But it wouldn't be surprising if he ends up getting significant playing time on Sunday with RB Jeff Wilson out. Miami only has Achane, Salvon Ahmed, and Chris Brooks behind lead back Raheem Mostert.
Jets HC Robert Saleh said Monday that RB Breece Hall and RB Dalvin Cook will play in the regular-season opener, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Hall sat out practice for the day, but Saleh called it a maintenance day. He added that the Jets "will be smart with Hall in his return," according to Rapoport. That makes it tough to know just how many opportunities we can expect for the team's top back.
Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle just might have an opportunity to help your fantasy football team. Saad Yousuf and Jon Machota, Cowboys writers for The Athletic, call Dowdle "the running back best equipped to handle the Ezekiel Elliott void as a runner." They point to his ability as both a runner and pass protector. Elliott, of course, moved on to New England this offseason after ranking 22nd among RBs in PPR scoring last year. We'd bet Yousuf and Machota aren't projecting Dowdle to lead this year's Cowboys in carries, which Elliott did last year. But we'd also bet Dallas doesn't plan to get Tony Pollard near 300 carries. Last year's Cowboys led the league with 462 RB rushes, so there's work available. Dowdle will compete with rookie Deuce Vaughn for those opportunities behind Pollard. But he outweighs Vaughn by roughly 40 pounds. So it's probably not a direct competition. Both players are going at no-risk levels in ADP. Don't be afraid to take a late shot on Dowdle, who has been with the team since arriving as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) returned to practice over the weekend. He injured his ankle on August 16 but never seemed in danger of missing the season opener vs. the Chiefs. We'll monitor St. Brown's status on the official practice reports this week, but he can be penciled into Week 1 fantasy lineups for now.
Per Bucs reporter JC Allen, RB Sean Tucker will open the season as the backup to Rachaad White. This was the expectation based on recent practice reports. White remains an RB2 fantasy target, while Tucker slides in as a late-round handcuff.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid said Sunday that WR Kadarius Toney (knee) is "good to go," presumably for Thursday night's opener vs. the Lions. "He's moving around pretty well. We'll take it day by day," Reid added. QB Patrick Mahomes said that Toney has been practicing for a few days and "looks like KT." We'd try not to use Toney in Week 1 fantasy lineups considering he missed all of training camp and the preseason. But we'll be keeping a close eye on his playing time and role in the offense.
Chiefs DT Chris Jones remains away from the team as K.C. prepares for Thursday night's opener against the Lions. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the player and team are still "not close on a deal" for boosting Jones' contract. The situation adds obvious risk to Jones in IDP leagues. We haven't moved the veteran down our IDP rankings, though, because plenty of upside remains whenever he does return. You'll need to decide how to balance the risk with the upside on Jones at draft time. Not having Jones, of course, would hurt the Chiefs' team defense. You shouldn't be looking to use them against Detroit in Week 1 anyway, though.
On Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that Rams WR Cooper Kupp is visiting "a noted body specialist" in Minnesota to address his hamstring injury. Rapoport adds the goal of the visit is to "fully comprehend the root of the issue" but that "exercising caution for Week 1 is the likely outcome" for Kupp. It sounds like fantasy managers will not have the veteran wideout available for the beginning of the season. These recent developments have caused Kupp to fall down our rankings, though we still view him as a viable WR1 in most formats. Check out where Kupp sits in our current WR rankings.
The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue wrote recently that Rams WR Van Jefferson would take over as the team's WR1 should teammate Cooper Kupp (hamstring) not play in Week 1. HC Sean McVay shared on Thursday that Kupp's game status is uncertain after the veteran suffered a setback in his injury recovery the same day. The season-long fantasy impact of this news may not be much, but take note of Jefferson as someone to look at for relief in deeper leagues or certain DFS formats. See where these Rams wideouts appear in our current WR rankings.
On Friday, Steelers beat reporter Dave Lolley took to Twitter to help clarify the team's RB situation. Lolley shared that the "narrative that Jaylen Warren is going to 'surpass' Najee Harris ... is simply not true," adding that Harris is the "clear No. 1" and Warren is the third-down back in Pittsburgh. Warren is the more optimal draft pick from an ADP value perspective. Regardless, both Warren and Harris are still favorably slotted in our current RB rankings. This is yet another reminder that one of the pillars of fantasy is to pursue value above all else. Learn more about our draft philosophy here at Draft Sharks.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta gushed about QB Lamar Jackson's standing heading into the season opener. "Lamar’s attitude has been excellent this year," DeCosta said. "I think last year was a challenging year for a lot of reasons, obviously, just where he was with his contract. This year, his enthusiasm has been fantastic. He’s throwing the ball very, very well. He’s been able to build a great rapport with the WRs very, very quickly. He’s taking care of his body. He seems really into the offense – he's excited about it. He has an awesome relationship with his coaches, and he worked very hard this offseason." With a pass-happier OC and significantly upgraded WR corps, Jackson's 2023 fantasy upside extends to the top of the QB position.
Colts RB Deon Jackson is in line to start the season opener vs. the Jaguars, according to insider Aaron Wilson. RB Jonathan Taylor is out for at least the first four games of the season. And RB Zack Moss isn't expected back from his broken arm until Week 2 or 3, per Wilson. That leaves Indianapolis' backfield to Jackson and rookie Evan Hull, barring another addition. Hull is the more exciting player, but it sounds like the Colts will favor Jackson's experience in the opener. We're still expecting this to be a committee attack, leaving Jackson as an unexciting fantasy play.
Bengals RB Trayveon Williams (ankle) returned to limited practices this week and expects to be ready for the season opener. He appeared to be No. 2 on the depth chart before spraining his ankle at the beginning of August and missing the entire preseason. HC Zac Taylor said the battle for snaps between Williams, Chris Evans, and Chase Brown behind starter Joe Mixon remains fluid. "He still gets an opportunity to do that," Taylor said of Williams' opportunity to win the No. 2 RB job. "I'm not going to say it's nailed down and this is the way it is going to be all season once we make the Game 1 decision. I think it needs to be a fluid situation for us where these guys know there is potential to continue to improve, to get more opportunity."
Chargers beat writer Daniel Popper believes RB Joshua Kelley will see “most of the carries” behind Austin Ekeler. “Kelley had a great camp and preseason,” Popper writes. “His natural talent has started to shine with [OC Kellen] Moore’s downhill run philosophy and scheme. Kelley has earned the opportunity behind Ekeler to start the season. But that could change as the season progresses.” The Chargers passed on adding a veteran back this offseason, signaling faith in Kelley and Isaiah Spiller. While Kelley looks like the primary RB2 now, this situation could be fluid all year.
Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle (midsection) told reporters that he expects to play in the season opener vs. the Chargers. He missed most of August but was spotted on the practice field on Thursday. We'll get Miami's first official practice report of the season on Wednesday.
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