Fantasy Football News

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (leg) will not practice on Tuesday, and head coach Ben Johnson told reporters he is considered "day-to-day." Johnson clarified that the 2024 first-round pick did not aggravate the foot injury that he dealt with last season but is instead dealing with "something different," and the team remains hopeful he'll be able to suit up for a Week 1 matchup with the Panthers. Odunze led the Bears with 87 targets in 2025 despite missing five games, and following the departure of veteran DJ Moore, there is an expectation of a further consolidation of opportunities between Odunze and second-year pass-catchers Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland. Fantasy managers will now need to monitor Odunze's status when the team releases its first official practice report on Wednesday.

After rushing for 382 yards and three touchdowns on a 4.5-yard-per-carry average a year ago, Cincinnati Bengals running back Samaje Perine appears poised to enter his 10th season as the primary backup to Chase Brown. With little in-game information to go off of, proactive fantasy managers with the luxury of deep benches should be looking to churn through the backs of their rosters, targeting players whose waiver value would see the greatest jump as the result of a Week 1 injury ahead of them, and Perine fits that bill. 2025 sixth-round pick Tahj Brooks, who carried the ball 16 times for only 45 yards as a rookie, is the only other running back on the Bengals' 53-man roster, making Perine a potentially valuable handcuff to roster who can easily be moved on from as more obvious waiver candidates emerge after Week 1.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan (knee) is listed as a starting wideout for the team on their unofficial depth chart entering their Week 1 contest this Sunday versus the Cincinnati Bengals, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN. McMillan missed the entire preseason due to a knee injury, but he was back on the practice field on Monday and is trending in the right direction to play in the season opener this weekend in a favorable matchup against Cincy. At least to begin the 2026 campaign, McMillan will be in three-wide sets alongside Chris Godwin Jr. and Emeka Egbuka (toe), with Ted Hurst III checking in as the WR4. While McMillan rested during the summer, Hurst was turning heads and impressing the coaching staff, so McMillan will need to stay healthy and produce to hold off the impressive young pass-catcher. McMillan played in only four games in 2025 due to a serious neck injury he suffered in the preseason, but he caught 37 passes for 461 yards and eight touchdowns in 13 games as a rookie in 2024 after being selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft. The 24-year-old is only rostered in 15% of Yahoo leagues and is tough to recommend as a Week 1 starter in deeper leagues after he missed most of camp and the preseason.

Running back Rico Dowdle is listed as the No. 2 RB on the Pittsburgh Steelers' unofficial depth chart ahead of the team's Week 1 season opener against the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday, Sept. 13, according to PGH Steelers Now's Alan Saunders. Fantasy managers should not read too much into this, as Dowdle is fully expected to be head coach Mike McCarthy's preferred option out of the backfield on early downs in 2026, and if he stays healthy, the 28-year-old could have a path to a third straight 1,000-rushing season with his third different team in the last three years. Jaylen Warren is likely listed as the RB1 on the depth chart because he is the incumbent of Pittsburgh's backfield. Dowdle handled a career-high 236 carries for 1,076 yards and a career-high six rushing touchdowns in 17 regular-season games in 2025 with the Carolina Panthers, adding 39 receptions for 297 yards and an additional score through the air. As the Steelers' preferred early-down option, Dowdle will have more fantasy value in standard-scoring leagues as an RB3/flex going into the Week 1 tilt this Sunday against Atlanta.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren is listed as the team's RB1 on their unofficial depth chart heading into a Week 1 meeting against the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday, according to Alan Saunders of PGH Steelers Now. Newcomer Rico Dowdle is expected to be the leader on early downs in Pittsburgh's backfield, but Warren is the incumbent at the position. Fantasy managers should take the Steelers' latest depth chart with a grain of salt, as Dowdle should still have a sizeable role in his first year in the Steel City, with a path to a third straight 1,000-rushing season with his third team in the last three years if he can stay healthy. Warren, meanwhile, could be a sneaky low-end RB2/high-end RB3/flex in point-per-reception fantasy leagues as the Steelers' primary receiving back out of the backfield. The 27-year-old former undrafted free agent from Oklahoma State did have a career-high 61 receptions for 370 yards back in 2023 in his second year in the league, and he could be a staple in PPR leagues with quarterback Aaron Rodgers showing a high tendency for dump-offs and checkdowns in this offense. Last year, Warren had 40 receptions on 45 targets for 333 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 16 regular-season games, and that was with Kenny Gainwell catching a whopping 73 passes for 486 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver.

On the Jacksonville Jaguars' unofficial depth chart heading into Week 1 of the 2026 regular season this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, running backs Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. are listed as co-starters at the RB position. Tuten, a second-year back who had 307 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns in his rookie campaign last year, is expected to see most of the early-down rushing opportunities for the Jaguars this year, and he has the most fantasy football upside because of his explosive big-play abilities out of the backfield. However, Rodriguez's presence as a pass-catching and goal-line option for head coach Liam Coen's offense will certainly lower Tuten's overall ceiling in Year 2 in Duvall. Fantasy managers should keep in mind that pass-catching specialist LeQuint Allen Jr. (undisclosed) is trending towards missing the season opener, which could give C-Rod more work as a receiver out of the backfield. Going into the Week 1 matchup against Cleveland, Tuten is the preferred fantasy option as a low-end RB2/high-end RB3/flex, while Rodriguez will be more of a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex option in PPR formats.

New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said on Tuesday that running back Breece Hall (groin) is trending towards being ready for Week 1 this Sunday, Sept. 13, against the Tennessee Titans, according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. Hall has been trending this way for a while after initially suffering a minor strain of his right groin during training camp practice on Aug. 17. The Jets held Hall out as a precaution to close out camp and the preseason, but he should be ready to return to practice on Wednesday, and as long as he does not have a setback later this week, he should be ready to take on his role as the bell-cow back for Gang Green on Sunday against Tennessee. If Hall is limited at all, though, look for Braelon Allen to take on a bigger change-of-pace role to get the season started. The 25-year-old Hall had his first 1,000-yard rushing season in 2025 in his fourth year in the league, adding four touchdowns on 243 rushing attempts across 16 starts. The former second-rounder added 36 catches for 350 yards and another score as a receiver. Hall should see enough volume alone to operate as a strong RB2 for fantasy managers in his fifth year in the NFL in a new offense led by veteran quarterback Geno Smith. UPDATE: Hall was seen working in positional drills on Tuesday, per Brian Costello of The New York Post.

On the Philadelphia Eagles' unofficial depth chart released before Week 1, rookie first-round wide receiver Makai Lemon is listed as a starting WR and as the team's top punt-return option, according to Andrew DiCecco of InsideTheBirds.com. Although Lemon missed valuable development time in training camp this summer with a hamstring injury, he was always a lock to be a starter in three-wide sets to begin his rookie campaign in 2026 after the Eagles traded A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots in the offseason. However, Lemon should be viewed as more of a WR3 than a WR2 because of his quiet summer and Dontayvion Wicks' strong camp. The former USC star certainly has the potential to pass Wicks on the depth chart in 2026 by the end of the season, but early on, fantasy managers may want to temper expectations for Lemon. He is coming off a very productive final season with the Trojans in 2025, in which he caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games played. It is not a bad idea to keep Lemon on the bench in his NFL debut this Sunday night against the division-rival Dallas Cowboys. Lemon is rostered in 75% of Yahoo leagues.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough is worth considering if you're already looking for a Week 1 streamer. He settled in once New Orleans gave him the job last season, throwing for 2,256 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions across nine starts while adding another 174 yards and three scores on the ground. That little bit of rushing helps here. Shough will go into 2026 as the starter, with Chris Olave still leading the receiver room, although rookie Jordyn Tyson will miss the beginning of the season on injured reserve. The matchup sends him to Detroit on Sunday, and the current Week 1 rankings have Shough at QB16 despite being rostered in only 43% of Yahoo leagues. He still makes the most sense in 14-team leagues or for managers who don't love their current starter, but this isn't just a desperation QB2. Shough can actually be used right away.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa has a better path to playing time than his rookie numbers would suggest. He caught only 16 passes for 239 yards last season, but six went for touchdowns, and Detroit enters Week 1 with just four receivers on the active roster. Greg Dortch was released, Kalif Raymond left in free agency, and general manager Brad Holmes said TeSlaa is stepping into the No. 3 job behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. The Lions also liked the progress he made as a route runner this summer. That does not make him a Week 1 starter. St. Brown, Williams, Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs are still going to command most of the touches, and RotoBaller has TeSlaa at WR71 for the opener against New Orleans. He is rostered in only 6% of Yahoo leagues and is best left for 14-team formats or deeper benches, where the new role is worth taking a shot on before we see what the target share looks like.

Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith (thumb) had surgery on his left thumb on Tuesday and will be placed on Injured Reserve, which will cause him to miss at least the first four games of the 2026 season, according to ESPN's Todd Archer. Smith tried to play through the injury, but ultimately, he and the team decided it was in the best interest of both sides to undergo surgery, which will fix a ligament tear. The earliest Smith could return to Dallas is on Oct. 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5 on Thursday Night Football. The more realistic date for Smith's return might be the following week on Oct. 18 against the Green Bay Packers. The 25-year-old is a key piece of Dallas' offense, as he has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons, joining only Larry Allen and Zack Martin as the only guards in franchise history to accomplish that feat in their first four seasons. Smith also had a clean-up procedure on his right knee in February. With Smith out for at least the first four games this year, T.J. Bass is expected to replace him in the starting lineup after starting 10 games in his first three NFL seasons.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is a tougher sell as a Week 1 pickup than the name value suggests. He threw for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns last season, so the passing production itself isn't the concern. The problem for fantasy is what happens when the touchdowns don't come. Darnold added only 95 rushing yards and no scores on the ground in 2025, and he opens against New England, the team that held him to 202 yards and one touchdown in Super Bowl LX. Seattle still has Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed, so there is enough around him to get by if you're stuck. RotoBaller has Darnold at QB24 for Week 1 and rostered in 38% of Yahoo leagues, with the current waiver recommendation limited to 14-team formats. In a standard one-QB league, that's not enough to make him a priority. Leave him on the wire unless your options are already getting thin.

The Los Angeles Chargers have listed Charlie Kolar as the No. 1 tight end on their depth chart as they get set for their Week 1 matchup this Sunday, Sept. 13, against the Arizona Cardinals. Oronde Gadsden is listed behind Kolar, followed by David Njoku, Scott Matlock, and Evan Svoboda. It was clear from the outset that the Bolts had big plans for Kolar in new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel's scheme when they signed him to a three-year, $24.3 million contract in free agency in March. Despite catching only 30 of his 41 targets for 409 yards and four touchdowns in his first four NFL seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, the 27-year-old has a complete skill set at the position that the Chargers clearly value. Kolar is ahead of Gadsden on the depth chart for now, but it does not necessarily mean that he will become a must-start at the position in fantasy football leagues. For now, Kolar is an option for a waiver-wire pickup in deeper leagues for managers in need of TE depth. He is currently rostered in only 1% of Yahoo leagues.

Baltimore Ravens rookie wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane has done enough this summer to be worth tracking, though the waiver case is better in deeper PPR leagues than standard 12-team formats. Baltimore took Lane 80th overall in April after he caught 49 passes for 745 yards and four touchdowns in his final season at USC, and he kept showing up during camp. The Ravens said after roster cuts that Lane's emergence helped settle their No. 3 receiver question and projected him for a substantial role. That still leaves Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman ahead of him, with Mark Andrews involved underneath, so there may not be enough targets right away to use Lane against Indianapolis. RotoBaller currently has him rostered in 19% of Yahoo leagues and recommends him in 14-team PPR leagues. That feels like the right range. Lane is not a Week 1 starter, but the size, draft investment and camp buzz make him a worthwhile bench stash in deeper formats.

Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid's on-field role with Buffalo has suffered in the last two years with the team because of injuries, but he just wrapped up the healthiest training camp he has had since his rookie year and had a big role in the offense during practices open to the media, according to The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia. Kincaid could become one of the most important pieces on the Bills' roster if he can "become a 60-65% snap player" and be just competent enough in blocking when he is on the field. The 26-year-old had 73 catches for 673 yards and two touchdowns on 91 targets as a rookie, but his snap counts fell in each of the last two years while dealing with nagging injuries. The former first-rounder from Utah did have a career-best five touchdowns in 12 games in 2025, but he played fewer than 50% of the offensive snaps. If Kincaid can maintain his high-end pass-catching efficiency and see the field more, he will have clear TE1 upside for fantasy managers in an offense that could be opened up by new deep-threat receiver DJ Moore.

The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia writes that wide receiver DJ Moore could help swing the Bills' 2026 season after he was their "crown jewel" of the offseason when they acquired him in a trade from the Chicago Bears. His contributions during training camp were "immediate and obvious" for the offense, with quarterback Josh Allen "routinely pushing the ball downfield" to Moore. Allen made a "concerted effort all summer" to build on-field chemistry with Moore. It is no secret that Buffalo brought Moore in to be their WR1. The days of "everybody eats" in the Bills' offense "seem to be in the rearview mirror," and Buscaglia does not think it would be surprising to see Moore on the field "consistently and for Allen to default to looking his way." With that said, Buscaglia also cautions that Moore could be a letdown. After all, he averaged only 824 yards per season the last two years in Chicago and seemed to have a disconnect with QB Caleb Williams. The good news for fantasy managers is that Moore should be guaranteed a high snap and target role in Buffalo, making him a high-floor WR3/flex each week. Ultimately, Moore's success (or lack thereof) could depend on the connection he develops with Allen.

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson is still sitting on plenty of waiver wires, but that does not make him one of the better Week 1 tight end pickups. He is rostered in only 22% of Yahoo leagues after finishing 2025 with 51 catches for 438 yards and three touchdowns on 66 targets in 15 games. Minnesota's offensive-line problems were part of it. Hockenson had to stay in and chip more often, which cut into his routes. There has been at least one encouraging sign this summer, with Hockenson and new starting quarterback Kyler Murray connecting repeatedly in the red zone during camp. The target tree is still crowded with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings, though, and Hockenson has not been a reliable weekly fantasy starter lately. RotoBaller has him at TE22 for Week 1 and lists him as an add in 14-team leagues. That is probably where he belongs. In a standard 10- or 12-team league, there are better streaming bets on the wire.

New York Giants wide receiver Malachi Fields is a rookie out of Notre Dame and might now be the No. 2 wide receiver for the Giants. Matt Legros of Giants Wire of USA Today broke down the latest Fields news, writing, "Malachi Fields is in line for a much larger role with the New York Giants after the team moved on from veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton on Monday. The rookie now has an opportunity to entrench himself as the No. 2 receiver opposite Malik Nabers." The No. 2 receiver in the Giants offense could be a productive role for Fields, who turned heads in camp, according to Legros: "Fields was particularly impressive during the preseason, showing strong hands and the ability to create plays downfield. He also connected well with quarterback Jaxson Dart, strengthening his case for meaningful snaps once the regular season begins." Fields looks like an impact player right out of the gate for the Giants.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks is a nice addition to the Eagles receiving corps coming from the Green Bay Packers, and he could challenge for the No. 2 receiver role in Philadelphia. He could also emerge as a popular early-season waiver wire pickup. The Eagles drafted Makai Lemon out of USC, but he might fit in more as a slot receiver with Wicks playing on the outside. Last year in Green Bay, Wicks was in a room full of talented receivers, but he did finish the season with 46 targets and 30 catches for 332 yards and two touchdowns. Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia wrote that Wicks could expand his role in Philadelphia to more than a role player. He quoted Eagles wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead: "There's nothing that should be holding him back from anything in this league. He can go out here and have as good a year as anybody. Exciting time for him to prove that, 'Hey, I can be more than what I was in Green Bay.'"

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson could have a larger role as a backup to D'Andre Swift because of an injury to Kyle Monangai (knee). Johnson has been impressive in camp amidst Monangai's injury struggles and even earned the eye of new offensive coordinator Press Taylor. Ariana Pensy of the Bears Wire wrote about Taylor's praise of Johnson this off-season, writing, "As Kyle goes down and Roschon's numbers increase and he got more opportunities, he proved to us that he's trustworthy. He can be in those situations if it comes down to it where we need him to carry a heavier load than we expected while being involved in special teams. That's something he's done well." Monangai reportedly returned to practice on Monday but is dealing with a hyperextension of his right knee. Should Monangai miss time, the Bears have faith in Johnson as a backup.