September 9, 2025
Cleveland Browns rookie second-round running back
Quinshon Judkins is expected to practice for the first time with the team on Wednesday, according to Fred Greetham of The OBR. Because of domestic-violence allegations in the offseason, Judkin missed all of training camp, the preseason and the Week 1 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. However, he was finally able to sign his rookie deal last weekend and he will return to the practice field this week. Reports have suggested that he could make his NFL debut as early as Week 2 against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens, but there's also a chance the NFL could hand him a multi-game suspension. If the 21-year-old is active this weekend, he will most likely be eased into the offense, so he won't be a recommended fantasy starter. But Judkins should absolutely be a waiver-wire target, as he's rostered in only 55% of Yahoo leagues right now.
--Keith HernandezSource: The OBR - Fred Greetham
September 9, 2025
According to Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, the team "needs to see more consistency" from rookie fifth-round running back
Jaydon Blue, per The Athletic's Jon Machota. Blue reportedly was impressive during training camp this summer before missing some time late in camp with a minor injury, but he was a surprise healthy scratch in the season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last Thursday. The 21-year-old is going to remain a healthy inactive for Week 2 this coming Sunday against the division-rival New York Giants, with veterans
Javonte Williams and
Miles Sanders handling backfield duties for Dallas. Although Williams wasn't extremely efficient on the ground in Week 1, he did find the end zone twice. Sanders had a 49-yard run but also a crucial fumble. Blue should have a role at some point in 2025, but fantasy managers are going to have to be patient.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Jon Machota
September 9, 2025
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told reporters on Tuesday that he has "zero concern" after quarterback
Jayden Daniels (wrist) showed up on Monday's estimated injury report with a wrist issue, according to NFL.com. Daniels is fully expected to start in a Week 2 matchup on Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers. The 24-year-old second-year signal-caller wasn't asked to do too much in the easy Week 1 win over the New York Giants on Sunday, and he finished by going 19-for-30 passing for 233 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Daniels ran the football 11 times for 68 yards but was unable to find the end zone with his legs. He finished as the QB13 for the week, which is a bit disappointing, but Daniels has high-end QB1 upside each and every week, and he should be asked to do more in what could be a shootout with Green Bay on Thursday.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL.com
September 9, 2025
Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott (knee) and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon (knee) will both miss the Week 2 contest this Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, according to head coach Mike Tomlin. Harmon will miss his second straight game to begin the year after h was inactive for the season-opening win on Sunday against the New York Jets. Elliott injured his left knee in Week 1 in the second quarter and did not return. With the 28-year-old defensive back unavailable for Week 2, expect Chuck Clark to make the start across from Juan Thornhill against Seattle. Elliott and Harmon will be hoping to heal up and be ready to play in a Week 3 matchup on the road against the New England Patriots on Sunday, Sept. 21. Fantasy managers are going to be a little more wary of starting Pittsburgh's defense in Week 2 after they allowed over 30 points in the season opener to the Jets.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL.com
September 9, 2025
After watching how the Washington Commanders used new wide receiver
Deebo Samuel Sr. in the Week 1 win over the New York Giants, The Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala writes that it's clear the team wants him to "be everywhere" and to "do everything." Samuel played 54 offensive snaps and caught seven of a team-high 10 targets for 77 yards. Most of his snaps (74.5%) and targets (six) came from the slot, but the 29-year-old also lined up out wide and in the backfield. He had a 19-yard rushing touchdown and was used on three WR screens. With the 49ers, Samuel was a deep target around only eight times per year. But in Week 1 on Sunday he was targeted deep twice. He was also Washington's lead returner on kickoffs. It's no secret now that the Commanders plan to use Samuel a lot, and in all situations. It will leave him more vulnerable to injury, but it will also rejuvenate his fantasy appeal.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Nicki Jhabvala
September 9, 2025
With the Jacksonville Jaguars trading
Tank Bigsby to the Eagles on Monday, their running depth chart gained a little breathing room. The team now lists
Travis Etienne Jr.,
Bhayshul Tuten, and
LeQuint Allen Jr. on the active roster, and if Sunday's matchup against the Panthers is any indication, Allen could find himself involved in the passing game. Seven of Allen's nine snaps on Sunday came on passing plays, earning one target, which he caught for four yards. Bhayshul Tuten saw the field only four times, but not once when
Trevor Lawrence dropped back to pass. Bigsby was the back on eight passing plays, but with him now shipped to Philadelphia, an opportunity exists for Allen to carve out a greater role on passing downs. One of the most prolific collegiate pass catchers in his rookie class, it should come as no surprise if he's able to turn those looks into tangible plays, and he has contingent upside should anything happen to Etienne. As such, Allen is worth a claim in deep leagues.
--Patrick McGrathSource: Underdog NFL
September 9, 2025
With the San Francisco 49ers placing All-Pro tight end
George Kittle (hamstring) on the IR on Tuesday, the team is left with only
Luke Farrell and
Jake Tonges at the position. While fullback
Kyle Juszczyk could be asked to handle an expanded role, it was the fourth-year tight end Tonges who stepped in on Sunday following Kittle's departure due to a hamstring injury. Tonges made the first three catches of his NFL career, including a 4-yard TD pass with under two minutes to play. With quarterback
Brock Purdy (shoulder, toe) and wide receiver
Jauan Jennings (shoulder) also banged up, the 49ers' offense may look entirely different heading into Week 2. While the gameplan will continue to be funneled directly through
Christian McCaffrey, the team will be looking for contributions wherever they can get them, and Tonges could be in line for his first career start. While his effectiveness could be capped in a
Mac Jones offense, desperate managers can throw a waiver dart in hopes of volume by necessity.
--Patrick McGrathSource: NFL
September 9, 2025
Going into the season as a fantasy afterthought, Pittsburgh Steelers veteran
Kenneth Gainwell was the running back on the field for the majority of his team's Week 1 snaps. In a back-and-forth matchup with the New York Jets, Gainwell saw 29 snaps to
Jaylen Warren's 25. While Warren did lead the position in carries and total opportunities, most expected his split to be with rookie
Kaleb Johnson and not the journeyman Gainwell. In speaking with reporters on Tuesday, head coach Mike Tomlin suggested that Gainwell could continue to see the field moving forward, citing the big-play ability he's shown throughout his career. While Gainwell deserves a look on the waiver wire by any managers hit hard by injury in Week 1, the expectation is still that the third-rounder Johnson, who saw only one snap in his NFL debut, will be worked into the offense, shortening Gainwell's fantasy shelf life considerably.
--Patrick McGrathSource: Josh Carney - Steelers Depot
September 9, 2025
Broncos running back
RJ Harvey is one of five offensive players nominated as Rookie of the Week following the first game of his NFL career. Harvey was used sparingly in the Broncos' Week 1 victory over the Titans, carrying the ball only six times. However, he was able to turn those six carries into 70 yards, aided by a 50-yard run in the 4th quarter. Comparatively,
J.K. Dobbins took 16 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown. Should Harvey continue to display the explosiveness he showed in helping to seal away the game, it won't be long until he's given a larger role. Until that happens, he can be started in the flex spot for managers with no better options, but those who can remain patient should be rewarded in the near future.
--Patrick McGrathSource: NFL
September 9, 2025
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the San Francisco 49ers are placing tight end
George Kittle (hamstring) on the injured reserve. As a result, Kittle will miss at least the next four games. The star tight end suffered this injury during their Week 1 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Before exiting the contest, Kittle caught all four of his targets for 25 yards and a touchdown. When he was sidelined, Kittle was replaced by
Luke Farrell and
Jake Tonges. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status, but it appears he will be sidelined for at least the next month. While he remains out, fantasy managers should expect Farrell to see most of the blocking work while Tonges takes on most of the receiving work. Tonges caught all three of his targets for 15 yards and appears to be in the lead role to take on most of Kittle's offensive production. He is worth targeting in deep 14+ team formats on the waiver wire.
--Andy SmithSource: Adam Schefter
September 9, 2025
Philadelphia Eagles running back
Will Shipley (rib) reportedly suffered a fractured rib in the season-opening win over the Dallas Cowboys last Thursday, according to sources. This makes Monday's acquisition of RB
Tank Bigsby from the Jacksonville Jaguars make more sense, but in addition to depth behind starter
Saquon Barkley, Bigsby can also help the Eagles out on special teams as a kickoff returner. It's unclear how much time Shipley will miss, but he probably will not be able to suit up in Week 2 in a Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, and when he does return, he may no longer be the direct backup to Barkley. The 23-year-old only carried the ball three times for 26 yards in Week 1 before he suffered his fractured rib on a kick return late in the first half. In addition to Bigsby, the Eagles have
AJ Dillon as backfield depth.
--Keith HernandezSource: Derrick Gunn
September 9, 2025
The San Francisco 49ers are waiving kicker
Jake Moody on Tuesday, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Moody made 84 percent of his 25 field-goal attempts and led the league with 60 extra points made in his rookie campaign in 2023, but it quickly went downhill for him from there. The 25-year-old struggled in the postseason in 2023 and then made only 24 of his 35 field-goal tries in 14 games in his sophomore season a year ago. Moody then made just one of his three field-goal attempts (one was blocked) in the Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday to seal his fate in the Bay Area. He will now attempt to latch on with another team heading into Week 2. The Niners don't currently have another kicker on their roster, so they will be working out options this week to kick for them in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
September 9, 2025
New England Patriots tight end
Hunter Henry didn't wow anyone with his production in the Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, but what did stand out was that he played 93 percent of the offensive snaps and was tied for the team lead in targets with
Kayshon Boutte with eight. Henry hauled in four of his eight targets for 66 yards, which was second on the team behind Boutte's 103 receiving yards. If you are already streaming tight ends going into Week 2 or just lost
George Kittle (hamstring) for three to five weeks, Hunter is absolutely worth looking at on the waiver wire going into a Week 2 meeting against a Miami Dolphins defense that just gave up 33 points to
Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts.
Austin Hooper was only on the field for 23 snaps and caught one pass for 10 yards. Henry is currently rostered in 59 percent of Yahoo leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
September 9, 2025
Arizona Cardinals running back
James Conner unsurprisingly led the team's backfield in their Week 1 win over the New Orleans Saints with 12 carries, but he averaged only 3.3 yards per carry for 39 total rushing yards. Meanwhile, backup
Trey Benson handled eight carries for 69 yards -- 75 percent of his production came on one run -- and also caught his only target for a six-yard pickup. If Week 1 was any indication, the backfield split in Arizona could be more even than most fantasy managers expected going into the year, which is reason enough to pick Benson up off the waiver wire. The 23-year-old back is currently only rostered in 39 percent of Yahoo leagues, making him a prime waiver-wire priority for those that are already looking at a thin RB situation. Benson and the Cardinals also have a juicy Week 2 matchup against a bad Carolina Panthers defense.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
September 9, 2025
Houston Texans running back
Nick Chubb didn't exactly turn heads in the team's Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but he was the clear RB1 in Houston's backfield with
Joe Mixon (ankle, foot) out. Chubb handled 62 percent of the running back carries on Sunday against the Rams and led the Texans in rushing attempts (13) and rushing yards (60). He wasn't able to haul in his lone target in the 14-9 loss. The 29-year-old four-time Pro Bowler may never be as dominant as he once was with the Cleveland Browns before he suffered a gruesome knee injury in 2023, but the opportunity is there for him to be the team's bell-cow back for a good portion of the 2025 season. Right now, he's currently rostered in only 68% of Yahoo leagues, so if you're in a pinch early on at the RB position, you should be looking at scooping Chubb off the waiver wire.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com
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