Fantasy Football News

The Panthers have placed rookie RB Jonathon Brooks on the active/non-football injury list. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that it was an expected move, related to Brooks return from the November ACL tear that ended his final college season.

The Panthers are set to sign RB Rashaad Penny, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Penny is still rocking a career 5.6 yards-per-carry average. But he's suffered a multitude of injuries, most recently a fractured fibula in October 2022. He barely found any snaps on Philadelphia last year, finishing with just 11 carries for 33 yards. There's opportunity in Carolina, where Penny joins a backfield with rookie Jonathon Brooks, Chuba Hubbard, and Miles Sanders. But it'd be a surprise if the now-28-year-old Penny re-emerged as a fantasy asset.

Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell (ribs) is not listed on the final Week 3 injury report. He'll be back for Monday night's game vs. the Bucs. We're expecting RB D'Andre Swift to start that game after his big Week 2. But this backfield remains one of the toughest to project. RB Boston Scott (concussion) has been ruled out, so RB Rashaad Penny should be active as the No. 3 RB on Monday.

Eagles RB Rashaad Penny was active for Thursday night's game vs. the Vikings, but you wouldn't have known it for most of the game. His first offensive touch didn't come until late in the third quarter -- after RB Boston Scott exited for a concussion check, and after RB D'Andre Swift had already racked up 18 carries. Penny wound up with three carries for nine yards, plus one catch for five yards. It's clear at this point that Penny is currently fourth on Philadelphia's RB depth chart. The only thing that makes Penny worth keeping stashed in deeper fantasy leagues is that both Scott and RB Kenneth Gainwell (ribs) are injured. But Penny might also need a Swift injury to find fantasy relevance.

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.

"Signs are pointing to a running back by committee in Philadelphia," ESPN's Tim McManus writes. Five Eagles RBs -- D'Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott, and Trey Sermon -- have received first-team reps in camp. McManus expects Swift, Penny, and Gainwell to all be in the mix for regular-season touches, "with matchups and in-game performance likely to sway how much each player is utilized in a given week." That sounds like a fantasy nightmare. On the plus side, we know this will be a productive offense and running game. And an injury to any one of those top three would make the other two much better fantasy plays. This is still a backfield to invest in at the right price. Penny remains our favorite value on the bunch, with an ADP in late Round 9.

New Eagles RB Rashaad Penny told reporters that he's been medically cleared from the fractured fibula that ended his 2022 season in October. Injuries, of course, have been a major issue for Penny through 5 NFL seasons. He's missed 40 of 82 games. But he's also been awesome when healthy, averaging a huge 5.7 yards per carry. Penny is currently the favorite to assume the old Miles Sanders, early-down role in Philadelphia. Sanders finished 22nd among RBs in PPR points per game last year -- a level Penny is certainly capable of reaching in 2023.

The Eagles and RB Rashaad Penny have agreed to a one-year deal, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The former NFL first-round pick has struggled to stay healthy in his career, though he's shown the ability to be an effective fantasy RB when healthy. Penny has averaged over six yards per carry on 176 carries in 15 games over the last two seasons. Prior to succumbing to a fractured tibia in Week 5, Penny was the RB24 overall in PPR scoring with an 11.7 PPG average through the first month of the 2022 season. Should he stay healthy, Penny has an opportunity to thrive behind an Eagles offensive line that ranked 6th in Football Outsiders' adjusted line yards in 2022. That said, the presence of QB Jalen Hurts does cap the upside of any RB in the Eagles' offense, particularly in the red zone. There's reason to like Penny as a dead zone RB in redraft this season. Moreover, if the Eagles don't address the RB room beyond this signing, RB Kenneth Gainwell becomes an incredibly appealing fantasy option as a bench stash. Gainwell, a former 4th-round pick in 2021, performed well down the stretch for the Eagles and would stand to inherit some hefty work should the oft-injured Penny find himself ailing again in 2023. This backfield will be scary if all goes well assuming health.

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll confirmed Monday that RB Rashaad Penny needs season-ending surgery. He broke his fibula and damaged his tibia in the loss to the Saints. It's another tough break for a guy who's struggled with a plethora of injuries over the past 5 seasons. Penny will turn 27 in February and is scheduled to hit free agency in March. His absence leaves 2nd-round rookie Kenneth Walker as Seattle's clear lead back. We'll see how much passing-game work he's able to garner. But rushing production alone should make him at least a weekly RB2 in fantasy lineups.

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said after Sunday's game that RB Rashaad Penny's ankle injury is "serious," according to Greg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune. Carroll also reportedly said it will be "very tough" for the team to get him back. Sounds like this might be a season-ender. We'll watch for further updates.

Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that it's a fractured tibia, with tests coming Monday to asses to level of damage and whether he'll need surgery.

Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny suffered an ankle injury in the 3rd quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Saints and is doubtful to return. That leaves lead duties to rookie RB Ken Walker.

Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny (shoulder) isn't listed on the final Week 5 injury report. He got Wednesday off but put in full practices on Thursday and Friday. Penny looks ready for his usual role vs. the Saints this weekend. RB Kenneth Walker (shoulder) is listed as questionable, but HC Pete Carroll said Friday that the rookie should play.

The Seahawks placed RB Travis Homer (ribs) on IR. He's out at least the next 4 weeks. Homer had been playing a passing-down role for Seattle before the injury. We'd expect that work to now go to RB DeeJay Dallas, but we'll see if RBs Rashaad Penny or Ken Walker can pick up some of it.