On Sunday night, NFL insider Jordan Schultz tweeted that Giants RB Saquon Barkley is believed to have suffered a sprained ankle vs. the Cardinals. Schultz adds that the injury “could have been much worse,” and Barkley seems to have dodged significant damage. This news is excellent for fantasy managers who feared a prolonged absence for the workhorse back. Still, Week 3's contest vs. the 49ers is set to kick off on Thursday night. It'll be tough for Barkley to work his way back on a short week to play, but he may be available again sooner rather than later. We'll keep fantasy managers in the loop as more information becomes available.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley recorded 17 carries for 63 rushing yards and 6 catches for 29 receiving yards in Week 2 vs. the Cardinals, finding the end zone twice. He appeared to sustain a foot injury late in the fourth quarter of the contest and didn't come back into action. According to a report from Pro Football Talk, he was taken on a medical cart to receive X-rays following the game. It'll be essential to follow along with practice reports in the coming days to get an idea of Barkley's availability for Week 3 vs. the 49ers. Considering their next game is on Thursday, it wouldn't be surprising to see him miss time.
Patriots WR DeVante Parker (knee) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Dolphins. It’s unclear how big a role he’ll play in his 2023 debut. Parker is only a viable option in one-game DFS contests. WR Kayshon Boutte is a healthy scratch for New England tonight.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley got rolled up on late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Cardinals. He was helped off the field, putting no weight on his right leg. We'll update his status when we learn more.
Patriots WR DeVante Parker (knee) was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Sunday night’s game vs. the Dolphins. He was in the same boat last week before ending up inactive. Parker shouldn’t be in your Week 2 fantasy plans.
A week after TE Dallas Goedert went catch-less on one target, the Eagles clearly made it a point to get him going in Thursday night's game vs. the Vikings. Goedert finished with a team-high seven targets on 23 Jalen Hurts passes -- good for a 30.4% target share. Unfortunately, he managed just 22 scoreless yards on six catches. Goedert's grabs all came near the line of scrimmage, and he wasn't able to pick up much after the catch. It's been an underwhelming start to the season for Goedert and Philly's passing game in general. But we expect the passing game to get rolling. And Goedert remains a big part of it, registering elite 90% and 87% route rates in these first two games. He remains a top-six fantasy TE and is a nice buy-low candidate on the trade market.
Eagles WR A.J. Brown mustered just four catches for 29 scoreless yards in Thursday night's win over the Vikings. He was visibly frustrated on a night when Philly's passing game struggled to get anything done outside of two deep balls to WR DeVonta Smith. Brown had a 25-yard TD in the fourth quarter negated by a holding penalty on RB Rashaad Penny -- and then appeared to be interfered with on a potential TD on the very next play. The Eagles' passing game has looked disjointed through two weeks, but we expect it to get rolling soon. Brown remains a fantasy must-start with week-winning upside. Although there's very little separating him and Smith in terms of fantasy value at this point.
Outside of two deep balls to WR DeVonta Smith, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts struggled to get much going through the air in Thursday night’s win over the Vikings. He finished with 193 yards, one TD, and one INT on 18-of-23 passing. But Hurts added 35 yards and two TDs on the ground to turn in a big fantasy day. Both of those scores came on the evidently unstoppable tush-push play from the Minnesota one-yard line. Philly’s passing game has yet to click through two weeks. But there’s too much talent for it not to get going soon. In the meantime, Hurts’ rushing production will buoy his fantasy value. There’s nothing scary on Hurts’ schedule until a Week 6 matchup vs. the Jets.
The Eagles have ruled S Reed Blankenship (ribs) and CB James Bradberry (concussion) out for Thursday night's game against the Vikings. Terrell Edmunds operated as the third safety in the opener and would seem to be next up in Blankenship's spot. Second-year CB Josh Jobe is expected to fill in for Bradberry. That's a matchup upgrade for Vikings wideouts.
The Eagles have ruled RB Kenneth Gainwell out for Thursday night's game against the Vikings with the rib injury that has kept him out of practice each day. The short turnaround from Sunday's opener certainly doesn't help the guy who dominated backfield work for Philly against the Patriots. D'Andre Swift and Boston Scott each figure to get more snaps in his absence. We're also betting Rashaad Penny gets activated for this game. (He was a healthy scratch in Week 1.) We'll all obviously be guessing on touch distribution with the Week 1 leader out. Swift seems like the top bet, but be careful not to overcommit to any Philly RB.
Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell (ribs) did not practice on Tuesday. "Gainwell remains a wait and see issue" for Thursday night's game vs. the Vikings, insider Derrick Gunn tweeted. Gainwell's absence would leave Philly's backfield to D'Andre Swift, Boston Scott, and likely Rashaad Penny, who was a healthy scratch for the opener. Check back tomorrow for another update on Gainwell. This doesn't sound like a long-term injury, so he remains a strong target on waiver wires.
The Eagles didn't practice Monday, but they had to project a practice report because of their Thursday night game against the Vikings in Week 2. That report listed RB Kenneth Gainwell not participating because of a rib injury. Gainwell stayed involved to the end of Sunday's win against the Patriots, so there's no indication this is serious. But we'll obviously keep tracking it through the short week. If Gainwell were to go inactive, we'd bet on Rashaad Penny taking the game-day roster spot. In that case, we'd all have to guess at the work distribution, which Gainwell dominated in Week 1. D'Andre Swift and Boston Scott were active but minimally involved at New England. The short turnaround could mean a wider spread of Week 2 opportunities even if Gainwell is good to go.
Eagles LB Nakobe Dean is expected to miss "multiple weeks" with the right foot injury that knocked him out of Sunday's win over the Patriots, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler each call Dean a candidate for short-term IR, which would cost the second-year LB at least four games. If Philly doesn't place Dean on IR this week, he might be back sooner. Zach Cunningham led LB playing time for the Eagles in Week 1, but LB Christian Elliss took over the green helmet dot and play-calling duties in relief of Dean. We'll have to see who stays on the field more between them while Dean is out. Both look like low-level IDP options against the Vikings and Buccaneers the next two weeks. Dean is OK to drop in most IDP leagues. But you can consider stashing him -- at least for now -- in deeper formats.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley recorded 12 carries for 51 rushing yards and 3 catches for 12 receiving yards in Week 1’s loss vs. the Cowboys. This was an ugly game for New York from the jump, and the contest got out of hand quickly. All things considered, Barkley’s efforts are perhaps the lone bright spot from the divisional blowout. The veteran also unsurprisingly received 80% of the backfield carries, so fantasy managers can rest easy knowing that Week 2 vs. the Cardinals should bring brighter days.
Eagles TE Dallas Goedert drew just 1 target in Sunday's win over the Patriots and went catchless. Philly's limited receiving production (170 yards) primarily went to WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Brown caught 7 of 10 targets for 79 yards. Smith added a 7-47-1 line on 10 targets. RB Kenneth Gainwell was the only other Eagle to draw more than 2 looks. Goedert and the Eagles face a much softer Vikings defense in Week 2. Expect to see the Eagles TE still among our top 12 for Week 2.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts threw for just 170 yards and ran for 37 in Sunday's win over the Patriots. His lone TD came on a 5-yard, first-quarter pass to WR DeVonta Smith. Hurts lost a fumble on a run and took 3 sacks. It was a meek fantasy performance for a top QB, but there's nothing to worry about here. We'd bet on New England's defense ranking among the best in the league this year. Hurts gets a much more favorable matchup at home against the Vikings in Week 2.
Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell controlled the backfield in Sunday's win over the Patriots. He took 14 of the team's 16 RB carries, gaining 54 yards. Gainwell also ranked third on the team with 4 targets, catching all of them for 20 yards. D'Andre Swift contributed just 3 yards on 1 carry and caught 1 of 2 targets for 0 yards. Boston Scott carried once for 3 yards and caught his lone target for 7 yards. Rashaad Penny was a healthy scratch. We wouldn't expect the workload distribution to remain quite so divided. But Gainwell obviously heads toward Week 2 as the only usable Eagles RB. His mere 4.1 yards per touch in the opener isn't especially worrisome against a Patriots defense that we expect to rank among the league's best.
Eagles LB Nakobe Dean left with a foot injury in the second half of Sunday's game at New England. He's questionable to return. Christian Elliss took over play-calling duties in Dean's absence. That role would make Elliss worth a look in deeper IDP leagues if Dean's injury proves serious.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett completed 31 passes on 46 attempts for 232 passing yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs in Sunday’s loss vs. the 49ers. He also added 4 rushing yards in the contest, but there are not many good things to say about the second-year player. The Steelers’ offense logged 1 total yard of offense in the first half until their final drive, which saw Pickett find TE Pat Freiermuth for a 3-yard TD before halftime. The team only sustained a drive over 10 plays once in the second half. The Steelers looked like the same old offense that struggled for much of 2022 under OC Matt Canada. They’ll have a chance to rebound next Monday against the Browns in Week 2, though fantasy managers shouldn’t be in any hurry to throw Pickett into their lineups.
Patriots WR DeVante Parker (knee) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Eagles. That leaves JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, and Demario Douglas as New England’s top three WRs. Smith-Schuster is a viable WR3 play. TE Hunter Henry could also see an extra target or two with Parker out.
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