Packers TE Robert Tonyan (knee) is not listed on the final Week 1 injury report. He was limited in practice all week but is evidently set to play vs. the Vikings on Sunday -- 10-and-a-half months after tearing an ACL. Tonyan just returned to practice in mid-August, so it's unclear if he's ready for a full-time role just yet. Despite Green Bay's WR issues, we'd try not to use Tonyan in Week 1 fantasy lineups.
Update: ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says Tonyan "will likely have a limited role" in the opener.
The Packers list WR Allen Lazard (ankle) as doubtful for Sunday's opener vs. the Vikings. He didn't practice all week and is obviously unlikely to play. Lazard's absence will leave Sammy Watkins, Romeo Doubs, Randall Cobb and Christian Watson as Green Bay's top 4 WRs. Check out where those guys sit in the Week 1 WR Rankings.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey (shin) is not listed on the final Week 1 injury report. He was added on Thursday after reportedly getting cleated in the shin but put in a full practice on Friday. CMC will be ready for a workhorse role vs. the Browns on Sunday.
Commanders TE Logan Thomas (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Jaguars after a limited week of practice. Activated from the PUP list less than 3 weeks ago, Thomas is unlikely to be ready for a full slate of snaps even if he plays. He’s not a viable Week 1 fantasy option.
The Colts have ruled LB Shaquille Leonard out for Sunday's opener against the Texans. The veteran is still working back from June back surgery. We'll see about his status for Week 2. Leonard's absence leaves Bobby Okereke as the best play at LB for the Colts, and a high-upside IDP option for the week.
Saints WR Michael Thomas (hamstring) told reporters on Thursday that he plans on playing vs. the Falcons this weekend. He's been limited in practice so far this week. We'll see how he's listed on the final injury report later this afternoon.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (shoulder) told reporters that he was a full participant in Friday's practice and will play against the Bengals this weekend. He called the shoulder a pain-tolerance issue. Johnson carries a bit more risk than usual this week but is still fine to get in fantasy lineups.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said the team will make a decision on WR Drake London's Week 1 status on Saturday. The rookie has been limited in practice so far this week after injuring his knee in the preseason opener. Even if London plays vs. the Saints this weekend, there's a chance that he's limited after missing so much time. We'd keep him on fantasy benches.
Rams RB Kyren Williams suffered a high-ankle sprain in Thursday night's opener vs. the Bills, ESPN's Field Yates reports. Williams is expected to miss "up to 6 weeks," which is a standard timetable for this injury. Williams isn't worth stashing in redraft leagues.
Update: HC Sean McVay said Williams will have surgery on his high-ankle sprain and be sidelined 6-8 weeks.
Cardinals WR Rondale Moore injured his hamstring running a route in Thursday's practice, Pro Football Network's Aaron Wilson reports. Moore is scheduled for an MRI to determine the severity. We'll pass along an update when we get one, but Moore now looks unlikely to play vs. the Chiefs on Sunday. Arizona, of course, is also without WR DeAndre Hopkins, leaving Marquise Brown, A.J. Green, Andy Isabella and Greg Dortch as the top 4 WRs. It's a concern for QB Kyler Murray.
Ravens OC Greg Roman said he'll go with the "hot hand" at RB in Sunday's opener vs. the Jets. Assuming RB J.K. Dobbins (knee) doesn't play, it'll be Mike Davis, Kenyan Drake and Justice Hill in the backfield. It's a plus matchup against last year's worst RB defense, but the murky backfield split makes it a tough situation to bank on in fantasy lineups.
Bills WRs Isaiah McKenzie and Jamison Crowder split slot duties in Thursday night's opener vs. the Rams. McKenzie ran a route on 55% of pass plays vs. Crowder's 32%, but Crowder out-targeted McKenzie 4 to 3. We'll continue to monitor this situation, but neither guy will be a reliable Week 2 fantasy play.
As expected, Devin Singletary led the Bills backfield in Thursday night's opener vs. the Rams. He played 59% of the offensive snaps and handled 8 carries and 2 targets. RB Zack Moss played a bigger role than we expected, registering a 38% snap rate, 6 carries and 6 targets. Rookie RB James Cook lost a fumble on his 1st touch of the night and ended up playing just 2 more snaps the rest of the way. This is shaping up as an ugly situation for fantasy football. Singletary is the best bet for now but is no more than a RB3 or flex. Moss is worth a bench spot in leagues of 12+ teams. Ditto for Cook, whose role still figures to grow throughout the season.
Mixed results for Rams TE Tyler Higbee in Thursday night's opener vs. the Bills. He didn't deliver much for fantasy owners, catching 5 balls for just 39 yards with a couple of drops. But the usage was strong. Higbee ran a route on 92% of pass plays and saw 11 targets (26.8% share). If he continues to get anywhere close to that kind of playing time and volume, he'll be a strong bet to finish the season as a top-12 fantasy TE.
Rams RB Darrell Henderson got the start and operated as the clear lead back in Thursday night's opener vs. the Bills. He ended up out-snapping RB Cam Akers 55 to 12. It didn't result in big fantasy production (13 carries for 47 yards, 5 catches for 26 yards). But if this level of usage continues for Henderson, he'll be at least a RB2 in fantasy lineups. Akers finished the game with 3 carries for 0 yards and was not targeted. At this point, he looks like just a handcuff to Henderson.
WR Allen Robinson caught just 1 of 2 targets for 12 yards in his Rams debut vs. the Bills on Thursday night. The 2 targets were just 4.9% of the team total -- and notably 4 fewer than WR Ben Skowronek. (WR Van Jefferson didn't play after August knee surgery.) The good news is that Robinson played 97% of the Rams' offensive snaps and ran a route on 96% of pass plays. But this was a very worrisome performance after Robinson's ugly 2021 season.
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker (hernia) did not practice on Thursday. The rookie is a long shot to play in Monday night's opener vs. the Broncos. That'll leave RB Rashaad Penny as Seattle's clear lead runner.
Bucs WR Russell Gage (hamstring) remained limited in Thursday's practice. We'll see what he's able to do tomorrow and how he's listed on the final injury report for Sunday night's opener vs. the Cowboys.
Packers WR Allen Lazard (ankle) missed his 2nd straight practice on Thursday. At this point, fantasy owners can't bank on having him in Week 1 lineups. We'll see how Lazard is listed on Green Bay's final injury report tomorrow.
Cardinals WR Rondale Moore was added to Thursday's injury report and limited with a hamstring. He missed some practice time last week with an undisclosed injury, but we're now assuming it was this hamstring. Check back tomorrow for another update on Moore's status for Sunday's opener vs. the Chiefs.
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