Fantasy Football News

Colts WR Alec Pierce is expected to return to practice this week, HC Shane Steichen said Tuesday. Pierce has been sidelined all offseason after undergoing surgery on his ankle and heel.

Commanders RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt is sidelined with a groin injury, according to insider Ben Standig. HC Dan Quinn said Monday that JCM will work off to the side with trainers this week and hopes to return to practice next week.

Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty's status for the season opener vs. the Dolphins is "still up in the air," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Jeanty's ankle sprain is "believed to be more low than high," per Rapoport, but it's not a long-term injury. "There is a chance that Ashton Jeanty may not be on the field for Week 1," Rapoport adds.

Kirk Cousins took all of the first-team reps today in practice while Fernando Mendoza took all of the second-team reps per Sam Warren of The Athletic. While the Raiders haven’t officially announced their starting quarterback with just one preseason game left before opening weekend, Cousins has been the expected starter.

Eagles WRs DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon were both full participants in Monday's practice for the first time since August 3, according to insider Jimmy Kempski. A healthy Smith is locked in as the team's top receiver. We'll see if Lemon can build momentum now after a slow, injury-filled start to his Eagles career.

Panthers HC Dave Canales said the backfield will be a committee to open the season with Chuba Hubbard alongside Jonathon Brooks. Hubbard told reporters his hamstring feels good and that he thinks trainers are being cautious after he may have returned too soon from a calf injury last season.

In the Cardinals' first offseason under the current coaching regime, the team waived their 2024 third-round pick Trey Benson, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Malik Nabers keeps progressing, and the odds of a Week 1 return keep rising. Connor Hughes of SportsNet New York reports that “He shed the red jersey and took part in 7-on-7 & 11-on-11.” While the Giants were without pads, meaning it wasn’t a full-contact practice, it was still a step in the right direction for Nabers. Hughes even reports that “He made a nice grab diving back for the ball on an intermediate route/curl.”

Bears RB D'Andre Swift "had arguably the best training camp of any offensive skill player," ESPN's Courtney Cronin writes. Swift has been overshadowed in fantasy drafts by popular breakout candidates Colston Loveland and Luther Burden. But he's a nice value target in fantasy drafts.

The Patriots traded WR Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans for S Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round pick, according to Tom Pelissero of The Ringer. The Texans were in need of a shot in the arm at the position after WR Jayden Higgins suffered a torn ACL last week. Other WRs Jaylin Noel and Tank Dell have also missed most of training camp. Boutte had been rumored to be on the trade block since before training camp and was expendable after the Patriots brought in AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs.

Jets RB Breece Hall was doing agility work off to the side of Monday's practice, according to The New York Post's Brian Costello. "He’s moving well," Costello adds. "Good sign."

Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson slipped while cutting on Monday and left practice early. Henderson had been practicing after missing Saturday’s preseason game, but was potentially hurt at some point during practice, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. He had his right foot and ankle looked at on the sideline.

ESPN's Jenna Laine delivered her roster projection for the Buccaneers on Monday, and that appears to include RB Bucky Irving maintaining a lead over new No. 2 RB Kenneth Gainwell.

Browns HC Todd Monken has named QB Deshaun Watson his Week 1 starter over Shedeur Sanders.

Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty is believed to have sprained an ankle in Sunday's practice, according to insiders Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter. "The Raiders still are unsure how long he will be out, but it is not considered a long-term injury and the organization is breathing a sigh of relief tonight," Schefter writes. It's excellent news after what sounded like a potential season-ending injury.

Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah seemed to be fighting for the Cowboys' No. 2 RB job this summer. But with RB Javonte Williams getting the second preseason game off, RB Malik Davis drew the start. The Athletic's Jon Machota now predicts Davis will open the season as the No. 2 RB before Blue takes over later in the season.

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey returned to practice on Sunday after missing the previous two weeks. He said afterward that he'd planned to take a break during training camp before ramping back up. "I feel great," McCaffrey added. "It’s about being fresh for the duration. 17 Sundays."

The biggest fantasy question in the Houston offense throughout this offseason has arguably been the projected backfield split. The Texans acquired veteran David Montgomery from Detroit and guaranteed him $10 million on a two-year extension that runs through 2027. That seemed to slot the former Lion clearly ahead of second-year incumbent Woody Marks, but the young guy has seemed to build recent momentum. Now it appears we might be looking at an even split.

Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty appeared to hurt his right knee in Sunday's practice, according to multiple reports.

The 49ers activated TE George Kittle off the Physically Unable to Perform list today. Kittle tore his right Achilles in the wildcard round of the playoffs against the Eagles on January 11. He has stated his aim was to play Week 1 of the season, and this is the first step to achieving that.