Fantasy Football News

Packers OC Adam Stenavich said earlier this week that the team plans to use a committee backfield "for a little while." RB Josh Jacobs' absence leaves MarShawn Lloyd, who played 10 total snaps over the last two seasons, as the lead back. RBs Chris Brooks and Kaleb Johnson are also on the active roster, with RB Pierre Strong on the practice squad.

Patriots WR A.J. Brown is expected to miss "at least" 4 weeks with his high-ankle sprain, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love suggested that he might not be at 100% for this weekend's opener vs. the Chargers. He'll be a little over 4 weeks removed from his high-ankle sprain come Sunday.

Giants WR Malik Nabers said Thursday that whether he plays vs. the Cowboys on Sunday night is ultimately up to him. He said he feels confident overall but wants to make sure he's not rushing, per The Athletic's Dan Duggan.

Falcons de facto starting QB Tua Tagovailoa left Thursday's practice after appearing to hurt his back, an injury that could jeopardize his status for Sunday's opening game at Pittsburgh.

Update: It's an oblique injury, but we don't yet know more about whether it'll affect the QB's Week 1 availability.

Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba opened the 2026 season with another big performance after his 2025 offensive player of the year campaign. He caught 8 of 11 targets for 122 yards and a score in Wednesday night's comeback win over the Patriots. The highlight was a 45-yard TD that tied the game at 10 in the fourth quarter. Facing a 4th and 1, Seattle went play-action, leaving Smith-Njigba open in a soft spot a few yards past the sticks. He made the grab, turned upfield, and outran multiple Patriots for the score.

Seahawks QB Sam Darnold injured his hip at the end of his first drive in last night’s game against the New England Patriots, but HC Mike Macdonald said the team got “really, really good news” on the injury. Darnold is still expected to miss next week’s game against the Cardinals, though it sounds like he’ll be back sooner than expected.

Packers RB Josh Jacobs pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property on Thursday. The criminal damage to property charge will be dismissed after 12 months if Jacobs completes the deferred judgment agreement. That should close the legal side of this case and leave the NFL's next move as the remaining question. ESPN's Rob Demovsky expects the league to remove Jacobs from the exempt list and hand him the typical six-game suspension for domestic violence.

After his meniscus surgery, the original report had Raiders TE Brock Bowers missing 1-2 weeks, but a one-week absence now looks unlikely. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Thursday morning that Bowers will "probably" miss Week 2, while ESPN's Adam Schefter said the 1-2 week timetable came from "people around" Bowers, suggesting that timeline is optimistic.

Seahawks RB Jadarian Price carried 10 times for 52 yards in his debut against the Patriots on Wednesday night. He added 6 yards on 2 receptions. RBs George Holani and Emanuel Wilson combined for 10 carries and 32 yards, with Holani seeing the only other RB target.

The Seahawks believe QB Sam Darnold "dodged a bullet" with his hip injury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Darnold is still expected to miss time, Schefter adds, but the docs are reviewing the MRI results to determine exactly how long he'll be out. We'll continue to keep you updated on Darnold's status, but it'll be QB Drew Lock at the controls for the foreseeable future.

Patriots WR A.J. Brown left Wednesday night’s game against the Seahawks early in the third quarter after getting his ankle rolled up on an incompletion. X-Rays ruled out a fracture, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network says Brown is believed to have suffered a high ankle sprain that could cost him 1 to 6 weeks, depending on the severity.

Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says Brown is expected to miss at least four games after testing confirmed the high-ankle sprain.

Can we get Romeo Doubs a mulligan? The new Patriot had a brutal debut in Seattle on Wednesday night, finishing catch-less on 3 targets. His first look didn't come until the fourth quarter. It was an underthrown 50/50 ball deep downfield that was eventually tipped and picked off by CB Nehemiah Pritchett. A tough play for Doubs, but certainly one that he could have made. It got worse from there. On New England's next possession, Doubs got wide open down the right sideline but looked upfield before securing the ball, dropping what would have converted a 2nd and 14. QB Drake Maye was intercepted on the next play. Doubs was smothered by Pritchett on his third and final target of the night.

It wasn't pretty, but Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson totaled 95 yards in Wednesday night's opener vs. the Seahawks. He was largely bottled up on his 18 carries, mustering just 51 yards on 2.8 per rush. But Stevenson chipped in another 44 yards on 5 catches (6 targets) to come away with a usable fantasy outing.

Patriots QB Drake Maye mustered just 178 yards with 1 TD and 3 INTs in Wednesday night's loss to the Seahawks. He tossed the game's opening score to a wide-open TE Eli Raridon from 2 yards out in the second quarter. But it was downhill from there. Maye's first INT came on an underthrown 50/50 ball to WR Romeo Doubs that got tipped and picked off by CB Nehemiah Pritchett. The second was a bad decision and throw into traffic over the middle of the field that was easily swiped by S Julian Love. The third was the most egregious. Down 3 points with 26 seconds left and the ball at Seattle's 16, Maye lofted a pass off his back foot to an obviously covered Mack Hollins. Credit CB Josh Jobe for an impressive INT, but it was an unacceptable decision from Maye considering the situation.

49ers TE George Kittle (Achilles) is not listed on the final injury report and will play against the Rams tonight. It completes a remarkable recovery from his January 11 Achilles tear. Kittle remained limited in practice this week, though, and we'd be surprised if he played his usual full-time role in the opener. We'll look for more updates on the 49ers' plan for Kittle tonight. But, for now, we'd try to leave him on fantasy benches.

Seahawks QB Sam Darnold's hip is not broken, HC Mike Macdonald said after Wednesday night's win over the Patriots. "At this point, we are able to rule out a fracture," Macdonald said. "So there's some more tests to be done. ... We're still working through all that, but right now I think fracture is out, which is great news." A CT scan on Darnold's hip returned "encouraging but inconclusive" results, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. He's scheduled for an MRI on Thursday.

Giants WR Malik Nabers (knee) was listed as a full participant in Wednesday's practice. He's clearly set to play vs. the Cowboys on Sunday night. We'll see exactly how much he plays in his first action since last September's ACL tear, but this full practice bodes well. Nabers isn't the must-start that he typically is, but he's climbing our Week 1 WR rankings.

Commanders RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin) was limited in Wednesday's practice. He missed some time in August with this groin issue but has been back at practice since September 1. We're expecting JCM to play vs. the Eagles this weekend but will keep you updated on his status.

Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty (ankle) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. He's clearly set to play vs. the Dolphins this weekend and might be ready for something very close to his usual role. Barring a negative report between now and kickoff, Jeanty belongs in Week 1 fantasy lineups.