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.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (calf) did not practice on Thursday. That followed a limited workout on Wednesday. This was either a planned day off -- or Ertz suffered a setback. We'll have a better idea of his status when we get Arizona's final injury report tomorrow, but fantasy owners need to be lining up an alternative for Week 1.
Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins (knee) remained limited in Thursday's practice. We're not expecting him to play vs. the Jets this weekend, but we'll see how he's listed on the final injury report tomorrow.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (shoulder) put in his 2nd straight limited practice on Thursday. We're tentatively expecting him to play vs. the Bengals this weekend, but check back tomorrow for another update on his status.
Falcons WR Drake London (knee) 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 this weekend's opener vs. the Saints.
Saints WR Michael Thomas (hamstring) put in another limited practice on Thursday. It's good news that he was able to work again after a limited practice on Wednesday, but his status for this weekend's opener vs. the Falcons remains uncertain. We'll get another update tomorrow.
Pro Football Network's Aaron Wilson hears that 49ers TE George Kittle's groin injury is "serious enough" that he's "unlikely" to play against the Bears this weekend. A source tells Wilson that Kittle is dealing with a Grade 2 strain and that "it would be optimal for him to rest and rehab for a week or two." It certainly makes sense for the 49ers to hold Kittle out of a game vs. Chicago that they can likely win without him. We've removed Kittle from the Week 1 Rankings for now and will continue to keep you updated on his status. Kittle's absence would be good news for the targets outlooks of WRs Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
The Dolphins upgraded RB Chase Edmonds (groin) to full practice participation Thursday. That suggests he should be ready to go without limits Sunday. We'll continue to watch for confirmation on that. We have Edmonds low in RB2 range in our Week 1 fantasy football rankings.
Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle (quad) was upgraded to full practice participation Thursday. That bodes well for his outlook Sunday against the Patriots. Don't expect Waddle to rise in our Week 1 WR rankings, though, with a challenging matchup and potentially low-scoring game.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott was limited in Thursday's practice because of an ankle issue. "I'm good to go," he said afterward, according to The Athletic's Jon Machota. "I promise you I'm great." Sounds like we don't need to worry. But we'll be watching his status Friday and beyond, of course.
The Panthers added RB Christian McCaffrey to the injury report Thursday, but HC Matt Rhule said after practice that he's "fine." McCaffrey reportedly got a cut on 1 of his shins from a teammate's cleat. There doesn't appear to be any concern here.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin said Thursday that he expects to be a game-time decision for Sunday night's opener against the Cowboys. He didn't practice on Thursday, but it sounds like it was a planned rest day. We'll continue to track Godwin's status, but he shouldn't be in your Week 1 fantasy plans. He'll likely be limited if he does suit up this weekend.
Ravens RB Gus Edwards (knee) wrote on Instagram Thursday that he's "doing great and very close" in his return from last year's torn ACL. Edwards is out for at least the first 4 weeks on the PUP list, but it sounds like there's a chance he's ready come Week 5. For now, we're still only stashing him in fantasy leagues with an IR spot.
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