Fantasy Football News

Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks (groin) is not listed on the final Week 1 injury report. He was limited in the first two practices of the week with groin soreness but put in a full workout on Friday. Brooks will play vs. the Bears this weekend, although we’re projecting Chuba Hubbard to lead the backfield.

Buccaneers RB Sean Tucker (hamstring) is doubtful for Sunday’s game vs. the Bengals. He’s a potential goal-line vulture when healthy, so his absence gives RBs Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell a bit more TD upside in the opener.

Buccaneers WR Jalen McMillan (knee) is doubtful for Sunday's opener vs. the Bengals, HC Todd Bowles said. McMillan dealt with knee trouble for much of August but didn't suffer a setback, Bowles said. We'll see if he can make it back for Week 2, but McMillan's absence this weekend gives rookie WR Ted Hurst a chance to build momentum. He shouldn't be in Week 1 fantasy lineups but might be worth stashing now in deeper leagues.

The Patriots are placing WR A.J. Brown on IR, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. That knocks Brown out for at least the next 4 games, making Week 6 his earliest return.

49ers WR De'Zhaun Stribling suffered an ankle injury in Thursday night's win over the Rams, HC Kyle Shanahan said afterward. It's good news that Stribling was carted to the locker room with what looked like a potential Achilles injury. That would have ended Stribling's season. It now sounds like we'll see him again this year, although exactly when is unclear. Shanahan said he's not sure yet of the severity of Stribling's ankle injury. We should learn more over the next few days. The rookie was notably leading WRs in snaps before exiting in the second quarter.

Despite missing multiple training camp practices and preseason games in his first offseason with the 49ers, Mike Evans downplayed the injuries ahead of opening week, calling them insignificant. To which he appeared right, hauling in six of his 7 targets for 49 yards and a touchdown, finishing with 16.9 PPR points in his team debut.

George Kittle returning to play nearly nine months to the day after tearing his achilles is a remarkable accomplishment. In the 49ers 27-7 victory over the Rams on Thursday, Kittle caught two of his 5 targets for 12 yards, totaling 3.2 PPR points. Kittle's return to high-end production is a separate uphill battle that's still in progress.

In what was the lowest-scoring game for a Matthew Stafford-led Rams’ offense, Puka Nacua still produced 12.4 PPR. He finished opening week in Australia catching five of 9 targets for 74 yards, that included a 41 yard reception at the end of the first quarter. Nacua’s 74 receiving yards led all WRs in yesterday’s game.

The Rams' 27-7 loss to the 49ers produced their fewest points in any game with Matthew Stafford at QB. Stafford's Australia morning ended with 15 completions on 25 attempts for 155 yards, an interception, and just 4.1 fantasy points. It’s the fewest points that Stafford has scored in a week since he played for the Lions and left a game early due to an ankle injury.

49ers WR De'Zhaun Stribling suffered a non-contact left leg injury in the second quarter of Thursday night's game vs. the Rams. He put no weight on the leg as he was helped off the field by a couple of trainers and went straight into the medical tent. We'll update the rookie's status when we know more.

Update: Stribling was carted to the locker room and has been ruled out.

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.

A reporter asked Titans OC Brian Daboll on Thursday about his backfield plan, and Daboll invoked all the phrases that fantasy managers hate to hear if they're hoping to start a team's RB.

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.