Expect Puka Nacua to Play Thursday
HC Sean McVay says he expects WR Puka Nacua to play in Thursday night's opener against the 49ers, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
HC Sean McVay says he expects WR Puka Nacua to play in Thursday night's opener against the 49ers, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. should be ready for the regular-season opener, despite a left-shoulder issue late in August. SI's John Shipley says Thomas had shed his non-contact practice jersey by the middle of last week.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says Seattle's new offense under first-time OC Brian Fleury will include "a lot of" multiple-TE sets and a good bit more work for WR Rashid Shaheed in his first full season with the team.
Running back TreVeyon Henderson left practice early last Monday with what has been labeled a ‘minor’ ankle injury. But with Mike Reiss reporting that Henderson didn’t practice today, concern is starting to grow that we won’t see him on opening night, which falls on Wednesday for the Patriots. The team will submit its first injury report later today.
In the same offseason that the Jaguars have already extended one of their wide receivers, Jakobi Meyers,, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that Parker Washington could be the next to get a long-term extension before Week 1. The Jaguars open their season against the Browns exactly one week from today.
Nearly a month ago, Emeka Egbuka went down in a joint practice with the Jets after getting rolled up on resulting in a toe sprain that’s kept him sidelined since. With the Buccaneers remaining optimistic he’ll be available for Week 1, Egbuka is expected to return to practice next week, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Packers RB Josh Jacobs’ initial court hearing has been moved up from November 17 to September 10, according to FOX 11 News. His attorneys are expected to appear on his behalf. Jacobs faces misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property stemming from a May incident. He remains on the Exempt List, preventing him from practicing or playing.
While there was no specific mention of Puka Nacua, Rams HC Sean McVay said the plan is for the entire team to be in Australia, per Greg Beacham of The Associated Press. Between the psoas injury that has kept him out for multiple weeks and the recent legal issues, McVay's expectation that all Rams players will make the cross-country trip for opening night is further confirmation that the star WR will play.
Zac Stevens of theDNVR.com broke down the Broncos' backfield outlook Thursday on Ari Meirov's podcast and confirmed what we've been suspecting for the RB roles. That includes RJ Harvey occupying the same role he played before Dobbins went down last year, even if Dobbins goes down again.
Chargers RB Keaton Mitchell didn't participate during the portion of Thursday's practice open to media, according to ESPN's Kris Rhim. That's 6 straight missed practices for Mitchell with an undisclosed injury.
Bears WR Rome Odunze "should be all good" after leaving Thursday's practice with what appeared to be a right leg issue, according to The Athletic's Dan Wiederer. The Chicago Tribune's Sean Hammond adds that Odunze "wasn’t overly concerned" and wanted to keep practicing before trainers pulled him from the field. This is notably the opposite side from the left foot fracture Odunze dealt with last season. We'll look for more updates on his status, but for now, we're not moving Odunze in the WR rankings.
Bears RB D'Andre Swift left Thursday's practice with cramps, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Early reports made it sound more serious, but barring another update, Swift looks ready for Week 1. He remains an excellent target at ADP, making our list of the most undervalued fantasy players.
After a year that saw Anthony Richardson lose his starting QB job and request a trade from the Colts, HC Shane Steichen made it clear that Richardson will be the team’s backup behind Daniel Jones, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
After the Saints initially placed Devin Neal on injured reserve during final roster cuts, the team is waiving its second year RB, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
On the same day that Rome Odunze leaves practice, Swift also leaves with an apparent injury. Sean Hammond of the Chicago Tribune reports that “After carrying the ball on a first-and-10 from the offense’s own 1-yard line, Swift came off the field apparently holding at his midsection or core area.” The Bears are now dealing with injuries to their top two running backs.
Sean Hammond of the Chicago Tribune reports that “[Rome] Odunze came up hobbling during an install period at the start of practice.” The leg injury cost Odunze the rest of practice, though he initially tried to stay in before the training staff pulled him.
For the first time since signing a four-year, $114 million contract, Alec Pierce was a full participant at practice per Colts beat reporter Nathan Brown. This is the best sign yet that Pierce will be a full-go for Opening Week against the Ravens after offseason ankle surgery.
Ravens WR Zay Flowers is back at practice after missing two weeks with an undisclosed injury, per ESPN's Jamison Hensley. Flowers was expected back for the opener, and his return comes 10 days ahead of it.
The Cardinals and WR Michael Wilson agreed to a three-year, $75 million extension with $47 million guaranteed, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The deal keeps Wilson in Arizona through 2029 and makes him the league's 20th-highest-paid WR by average annual salary.
Bengals TE Erick All brings a checkered injury history that most notably includes two tears of his right ACL. The most recent came in his 2024 rookie campaign, and that's the issue All's still working back from. He missed all of 2025 after requiring multiple surgeries. But it now sounds like the 26-year-old (as of Sept. 13) is ready for full duty and is helping to shape Cincinnati's offensive plan for 2026. The Bengals began lining QB Joe Burrow up under center -- rather than in shotgun -- more after All began to emerge in 2024 but scrapped the plan while he was out.
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