September 9, 2025
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback
Geno Smith (hamstring) is expected to be fine moving forward, but coach Pete Carroll said he was dealing with some tightness last week, especially in the second half. Smith looked sharp overall, throwing for 362 passing yards and a touchdown while adding 10 rushing yards on two carries. He relied heavily on tight ends
Brock Bowers and
Michael Mayer, along with
Jakobi Meyers, who was the clear top wide receiver after the retirement of
Amari Cooper. He'll need to mix in some of the young receivers going forward as well, but Smith looks to be in a good spot, starting once again for Carroll after their years in Seattle. Smith will get an extra day to rest his hamstring as well since the Raiders host the Chargers in the second game of Week 2's Monday Night Football doubleheader.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Ryan McFadden
September 9, 2025
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver
Justin Jefferson had 44 receiving yards on four catches and a touchdown in a 27-24 win against the Bears. Jefferson earned a team-high seven targets, but was unable to get touches early in the game as quarterback
J.J. McCarthy struggled. The offense started moving the ball better and sustained some drives in the second half. Jefferson caught a laser beam from McCarthy for a 13-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Jefferson uncharacteristically dropped a pretty well-placed ball from McCarthy on a deep over, although McCarthy was a tad late. There should be better days for Jefferson as he and McCarthy continue to build rapport and gain more reps together. He is still locked in as one of the three best wide receivers in fantasy football.
--Kyle McCarthySource: ESPN.com
September 9, 2025
Chicago Bears quarterback
Caleb Williams completed 21 of 35 passes for 210 yards with one touchdown in a 27-24 loss against the Vikings. He also rushed for 58 yards on six carries with a touchdown. It was a smooth start for Williams and the new Bears offense under head coach Ben Johnson as they marched down the field for a touchdown on their opening drive. However, their offense scored only three points over their next nine drives. The run game with
D'Andre Swift was largely inefficient, and Williams mostly took what the defense gave him. Williams found
Rome Odunze for a touchdown right late in the fourth quarter to close the lead to three, but it was not enough. On a positive note, Williams looked very smooth and fast as a runner tonight, which is a key part of his fantasy appeal. It was a decent season debut for Williams as he builds his understanding of Johnson's offense, and he should be viewed as a low-end QB1 for fantasy purposes with his dual-threat ability.
--Kyle McCarthySource: ESPN.com
September 9, 2025
Minnesota Vikings quarterback
J.J. McCarthy went 13 of 20 for 143 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, leading his team to a 27-24 win against the Bears in his NFL debut. McCarthy looked overmatched early as the Vikings' stagnant run game left him facing frequent third-and-long situations. He had just 48 total yards at the half while taking two sacks, and then threw a pick-six early in the second half to put Minnesota down 17-6. McCarthy bounced back remarkably well after his costly mistake, delivering his best play in the fourth quarter when he accounted for all three of his touchdowns. The Vikings' run game picked up on the subsequent drive and set up McCarthy for a 13-yard touchdown strike to receiver
Justin Jefferson. He later hit running back
Aaron Jones Sr. for a 27-yard touchdown on a wheel route on a really well-placed ball between two defenders. Finally, he showed off his athleticism and impact as a runner with a 14-yard touchdown run on a read option to essentially ice the game. There will be plenty of growing pains for the 22-year-old signal-caller, but he showed some positive signs in this game. McCarthy will be set to make his home debut next Sunday night against Atlanta.
--Kyle McCarthySource: ESPN.com
September 8, 2025
Jacksonville Jaguars running back
Bhayshul Tuten is expected to handle increased opportunities going forward after the team traded
Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles. Tuten only rushed three times for 11 yards in Week 1, but he should earn more carries as he goes from No. 3 to No. 2 on the depth chart. The larger role is enough to justify keeping tabs on Tuten in fantasy football, but he's not a fantasy starter quite yet.
Travis Etienne Jr. asserted himself as the Jaguars' only fantasy-relevant running back on Sunday as he totaled 156 scrimmage yards. For now, Tuten, a rookie, should be left on the bench in dynasty and redraft leagues.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
September 8, 2025
The Green Bay Packers have signed running back
Pierre Strong Jr. to their practice squad. The 26-year-old spent last season with the Cleveland Browns, totaling 108 rushing yards and 104 receiving yards. He also got involved on special teams, returning 11 kicks in 2024. Strong remained with the Browns organization until the end of August, when the team released him with an injury designation. He'll remain a mere depth option in Green Bay, especially since he's reporting to the practice squad. The former fourth-round pick provides additional insurance in case
Josh Jacobs,
Emanuel Wilson, or
Chris Brooks gets hurt.
--Andersen PickardSource: Green Bay Packers
September 8, 2025
The New York Jets have signed wide receiver
Tyler Johnson to their active roster. He had been on the practice squad, but the Jets had room to elevate him after placing Alijah Vera-Tucker on injured reserve. Johnson did appear in the season opener, catching two passes for 31 yards. He'll fill a low-volume depth role going forward. As a result, fantasy managers should leave him on waivers in all leagues.
Garrett Wilson remains the only Jets receiver who should be rostered in all formats,
--Andersen PickardSource: Brian Costello
September 8, 2025
Los Angeles Rams tight end
Colby Parkinson (shoulder) suffered an AC joint sprain during Sunday's win over the Houston Texans. Parkinson briefly exited the game before returning to play through the injury. It's too early to tell whether he'll be available in Week 2, but it's worth noting that Los Angeles has no incentive to rush him back from injury. The Rams have one of the deepest tight end rooms in the NFL with Parkinson,
Tyler Higbee,
Davis Allen, and
Terrance Ferguson.
--Andersen PickardSource: Jeremy Fowler
September 8, 2025
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver
Jamal Agnew (groin) said that he feels good despite exiting in the third quarter of Sunday's Week 1 contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The veteran receiver is one of three Atlanta receivers dealing with injuries, along with
Darnell Mooney (shoulder), who was inactive Sunday, and
Drake London (shoulder), who exited after dropping a target in the fourth quarter. Agnew was not targeted in the passing game, but he did get involved on special teams with two kick returns and two punt returns. He's off the fantasy radar for Week 2 regardless of his injury status.
--Andersen PickardSource: Terrin Waack
September 8, 2025
The Atlanta Falcons will work out a variety of kickers and could look to replace
Younghoe Koo, according to head coach Raheem Morris. While Morris confirmed that Koo is the Falcons' kicker "right now," he explained that they'll bring in young kickers and veteran kickers for an audition. Practice squad kicker
Lenny Krieg, whom Morris described as a "developing prospect," will also have a chance to compete for the kicking job. At the peak of his career, Koo was one of the most dependable kickers in NFL history. However, his accuracy has started to decline. He missed nine field goals last season and went 2-for-3 in Sunday's season opener, missing a potential game-tying kick against the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
--Andersen PickardSource: Josh Kendall
September 8, 2025
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton told the media that he needs to do a better job managing the team's run-pass balance, according to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. The Broncos rushed 19 times for just 60 yards in the first half, amounting to an inefficient 3.16 YPC. The rushing attack found some more burst in the second half, but Payton's comments indicate that he wants to strike a better balance for the full 60 minutes. The veteran head coach noted that the Broncos drastically improved their backfield during the offseason, and he would have preferred to get his top two running backs --
J.K. Dobbins and
R.J. Harvey -- going even earlier. Both backs will rank as low-end RB2 options moving forward after Payton seemed to pledge they'll be even more involved.
--Andersen PickardSource: Nick Kosmider
September 8, 2025
The Philadelphia Eagles are acquiring running back
Tank Bigsby from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday in exchange for fifth- and sixth-round draft picks in 2026, sources told Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. There were rumblings this offseason that the Jaguars were considering trading one of Bigsby or
Travis Etienne Jr. after they drafted
Bhayshul Tuten in April, and now it's come to fruition. The Eagles will get more insurance for
Saquon Barkley after
Will Shipley went down with a rib injury in the season-opening win over the Cowboys last Thursday. There is conflicting information regarding whether the trade for Bigsby has anything to do with Shipley's rib issue. The Eagles are expected to explore using Bigsby as a kickoff returner, which won't do anything for his fantasy value with the move to Philly. Tuten, meanwhile, becomes much more interesting as a bench stash. He's currently only rostered in 57% of Yahoo leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: FOX Sports - Jordan Schultz
September 8, 2025
The Arizona Republic's Theo Mackie writes that the Arizona Cardinals "tweaked some of their pass-protection schematics in an attempt to open up more scrambling lanes" for quarterback
Kyler Murray up the middle this year. In the 20-13 Week 1 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Murray went 21-for-29 for 163 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while running the ball seven times for 38 yards. "I did think there were some high-leverage snaps in that game where he used his legs for our advantage and that's what you want to see," head coach Jonathan Gannon said. The 28-year-old ranked eighth among QBs in 2024 with 78 carries and finished fourth with 572 yards on the ground and five touchdowns. It sounds like Arizona might prefer Murray run the ball even more in 2025, which would only raise his ceiling and floor as a weekly low-end QB1 in fantasy.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Arizona Republic - Theo Mackie
September 8, 2025
Chicago Bears All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson (calf, groin) is officially inactive for Monday Night Football in Week 1 versus the division-rival Minnesota Vikings, according to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. Johnson went through pre-game warmups but will need at least another week. It is a significant absence for Chicago's secondary and will make life easier on Vikings former first-round quarterback
J.J. McCarthy in his NFL regular-season debut. Johnson missed all of training camp during the summer with a groin injury and is also dealing with a calf ailment, which is why the Bears aren't going to take any chances with the 26-year-old. Not only is Johnson inactive, but slot corner Kyler Gordon (hamstring) will be missing from this one, so both Vikings wideouts
Justin Jefferson and
Adam Thielen could have big games.
--Keith HernandezSource: FOX Sports - Jordan Schultz
September 8, 2025
Chicago Bears running back
Roschon Johnson (foot) has been ruled out for the Monday night contest against the division-rival Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. Johnson was able to get in a limited practice on Saturday after being listed as a DNP on Thursday and Friday, but it was not enough for the Bears to clear him to play in the season opener. He has been dealing with a foot injury since early August and could be in danger of missing Week 2 against the division-rival Detroit Lions as well. With the 24-year-old sidelined on Monday, rookie seventh-rounder
Kyle Monangai is expected to work as
D'Andre Swift's backup, although it probably won't amount to a ton of action in his first regular-season NFL game. If Johnson continues to miss time and Monangai impresses, it's not out of the question that Monangai could leapfrog Johnson on the RB depth chart.
--Keith HernandezSource: Chicago Bears
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