Aug 31, 2026, 2:05 PM ET

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz is locked into the No. 2 role for now with J.J. McCarthy expected to miss multiple weeks because of an ankle injury. Kyler Murray was already named Minnesota's starter, leaving Wentz and Max Brosmer as the healthy quarterbacks behind him while McCarthy recovers. Wentz was making a strong case for the backup job even before the injury. He started Friday's preseason finale against Denver and completed three of four passes for 15 yards over two series. The 33-year-old also has recent experience stepping in for Minnesota, starting five games last season and throwing for 1,216 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions before a left shoulder injury ended his year. The Vikings haven't formally announced a new depth chart, but there isn't much uncertainty about who would enter first if Murray were forced out of a game. Wentz is back in the primary backup role for the opening weeks.--Bruno Mulé
Source: Adam Schefter

Aug 31, 2026, 2:02 PM ET

The Washington Commanders placed running back Jeremy McNichols (quadriceps) on Injured Reserve on Sunday on roster cutdown day, according to Zach Selby of the team's official website. The move leaves the Commanders with three RBs on their initial 53-man roster -- Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, and rookie Kaytron Allen. The 30-year-old McNichols was designated to return in 2026, but he will not be eligible to make his season debut until Week 5 after injuring his quad earlier in August. The former fifth-rounder by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2017 NFL draft from Boise State is entering his third year in D.C. after combining for 99 carries, 482 rushing yards, and five touchdowns in 34 games (two starts) with Washington in the last two years. McNichols has added 34 receptions for 223 yards on 43 targets as a receiver. Once McNichols returns from IR, he will most likely factor in on special teams for the Commanders, leaving him off the fantasy football radar in all leagues.--Keith Hernandez
Source: Commanders.com - Zach Selby

Aug 31, 2026, 1:56 PM ET

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) is expected to miss multiple weeks, according to Adam Schefter. McCarthy suffered the injury during Minnesota's Aug. 22 preseason game against Baltimore and was unable to recover in time for Friday's finale against Denver. The Vikings had hoped to give him the entire first half in that game, but Carson Wentz started instead. Minnesota initially considered McCarthy day-to-day, making Schefter's new timetable a notable change. The 2024 first-round pick still made the Vikings' initial 53-man roster alongside Kyler Murray, Wentz and Max Brosmer. Murray was already named the starter earlier this month, so McCarthy's absence does not change Minnesota's QB1 situation. McCarthy started 10 games last season, throwing for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while adding 181 rushing yards and four scores. His injury does leave Wentz and Brosmer as Minnesota's healthy options behind Murray for the opening weeks.--Bruno Mulé
Source: Adam Schefter

Aug 31, 2026, 1:54 PM ET

The Baltimore Orioles are claiming outfielder Luis Robert Jr. off waivers from the New York Mets on Monday, multiple people familiar with the situation told Chelsea Janes of SNY. The Mets gave up quickly on Robert after bringing him in to be their center fielder last offseason. He has played in only 58 games in 2026 due to a lumbar spine disc herniation in his back, and he has unsurprisingly struggled to a .223/.303/.399 slash line with a .702 OPS, 10 home runs, 23 RBI, 24 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 218 plate appearances. The Orioles will pay the remaining $5 million in salary that Robert is owed this year, and they will have a $20 million team option for 2027 that comes with a $2 million buyout. The buyout is more likely for the 29-year-old Cuban slugger unless he turns things around drastically in the final month of the regular season in Baltimore. Robert had 38 home runs, 80 RBI, and 20 stolen bases in 2023 with the Chicago White Sox, but that is the only season since debuting in 2020 in which he has capitalized on his power/speed potential. He is currently rostered in 43% of Yahoo leagues.--Keith Hernandez
Source: SNY - Chelsea Janes

Aug 31, 2026, 1:42 PM ET

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. finally had a normal summer after injuries wrecked most of his second season. Harrison managed 41 catches for 608 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games last year while dealing with a concussion, an appendectomy, a heel injury and a separate foot issue that eventually landed him on injured reserve. This August has looked much better. He made plays throughout camp, including a 50-plus-yard catch from Jacoby Brissett on Aug. 4, then caught a seven-yard touchdown in his first preseason action against Las Vegas. Mike LaFleur has also been clear about the role, calling Harrison Arizona's X receiver while planning to move him around through formations and motion. Trey McBride and Michael Wilson are coming off huge seasons, so the targets won't simply funnel his way. Harrison still has to earn them. RotoBaller has him at WR32 in half-PPR, though, and that's a much easier price to stomach after a healthy summer. He heads into Week 1 with a much cleaner redraft case than he had a month ago.--Bruno Mulé
Source: RotoBaller

Aug 31, 2026, 1:36 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox are pushing right-hander Sonny Gray's next start to Saturday in Baltimore against the division-rival Orioles to give him nine days of rest, according to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. It takes away a potential two-start week for his fantasy managers. Gray is not dealing with anything physically, but the BoSox want to give their ace a little extra breather with the final month of the regular season coming. The 36-year-old veteran has been excellent in 2026 in his first year in Beantown, going 16-4 with a 2.82 ERA (3.54 FIP) and 1.18 WHIP with 128 strikeouts and 37 walks in 143 2/3 innings pitched across 25 starts. His 16 wins lead the league. Gray stumbled to end the month of July, allowing nine earned runs in his last two starts of the month against the Toronto Blue Jays and Athletics, but he turned it around in August, going 3-2 with a 2.40 ERA (3.28 FIP) with seven walks and 30 strikeouts in 30 innings over five starts. Saturday will be Gray's first outing against the O's, a team that is middle of the pack in OPS but with the fourth-most strikeouts in the league. Gray should be in all starting fantasy lineups this weekend.--Keith Hernandez
Source: The Boston Globe - Tim Healey

Aug 31, 2026, 1:33 PM ET

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams isn't losing his starting job, but his workload ceiling looks a little shakier heading into Week 1. Williams was still excellent last season, rushing 259 times for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 36 catches for 281 yards and three more scores. The issue is how much work Los Angeles now has reason to give away. Blake Corum finished 2025 with 145 carries for 746 yards and six touchdowns, then spent August drawing praise for looking quicker and more explosive. He was one of the standouts in the Rams' final open practice, and the team kept only Williams, Corum and Ronnie Rivers on the initial 53-man roster. Williams remained productive even after the split tightened late last year, so this isn't a major fade. RotoBaller still has him at RB13. The concern is simply that another season near 300 touches is getting harder to project with a capable second back pushing for more work.--Bruno Mulé
Source: RotoBaller

Aug 31, 2026, 1:29 PM ET

St. Louis Cardinals rookie infielder JJ Wetherholt (wrist), who was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday with right-wrist discomfort, will meet with a specialist to have his wrist examined in Arizona early this week, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 23-year-old left-handed-hitting infielder has been bothered by wrist issues for the last month, which helps explain why he hit .200 (19-for-95) with a .595 OPS, one homer, four doubles, seven RBI, 19 runs scored, two stolen bases, 15 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 25 games in August. Since the All-Star break, Wetherholt has hit just .201 (31-for-154) with a .618 OPS, four home runs, four doubles, 12 RBI, 30 runs scored, five steals, 23 walks, and 31 strikeouts in 40 games. The former first-rounder from West Virginia University hit .259/.356/.399 with a .755 OPS, 13 homers, 36 RBI, 58 runs, and nine stolen bases in 90 games in the first half of his first MLB season. Fantasy managers now have to be concerned that Wetherholt might not make it back for the final month of the regular season in September.--Keith Hernandez
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Derrick Goold

Aug 31, 2026, 1:29 PM ET

Tennessee tight end Ethan Davis (lower body) is expected to play in the team's Saturday afternoon clash against Furman. Head coach Josh Heupel said Davis "ramped up this past week and looks really good," and added that he'd be available in week 1. The junior is the team's starting TE, so having him out there is a plus for the Volunteers and for any Davis fantasy owners out there. He caught 21 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns a season ago, and could be poised for even more in his fourth season with Tennessee. He's projected as college fantasy TE19 in week 1 against Furman, who Tennessee should handle. In a game that could get lopsided, Tennessee could ease Davis into things, especially after he's missed some practice time of late. That makes him a bit of a risky fantasy starting option for the week, and he might be someone who is better skipped in lineups until he proves his worth in 2026.--Morgan Rode
Source: Twitter

Aug 31, 2026, 1:22 PM ET

Green Bay Packers running back Kaleb Johnson went from being off the redraft radar in Pittsburgh to having a real path to touches almost overnight. The Packers acquired the 2025 third-round pick on Sunday for a 2028 sixth-rounder, the same day Josh Jacobs was placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List. Johnson is not jumping MarShawn Lloyd, who enters the season as Green Bay's No. 1 back, and Chris Brooks is still part of the mix. The situation is a lot better than the one Johnson left behind, though. He managed only 69 yards on 28 carries as a rookie and was a cut candidate in Pittsburgh after averaging 3.1 yards per carry this preseason. Green Bay still chose to trade for the 6-foot-1, 224-pound back rather than wait for him to hit waivers. Johnson rushed for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns in his final season at Iowa, so the pedigree is there even if the NFL production hasn't been. With Jacobs unavailable and Lloyd carrying a lengthy injury history, Johnson is back on the late-round redraft radar.--Bruno Mulé
Source: RotoBaller

Aug 31, 2026, 1:19 PM ET

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (knee) will be activated from the 10-day injured list before Monday's series opener at home against the Philadelphia Phillies, according to Francys Romero. Marte is expected to serve as the designated hitter against Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola, and he will address his teammates before the game. He failed to show up at Fenway Park on Aug. 17 against the Boston Red Sox, with his teammates and the D-backs' coaching staff left in the dark as to why he did not show up. Arizona placed Marte on the restricted list before he and his agent sat down with general manager Mike Hazen and manager Torey Lovullo to explain that he left the team to have an MRI exam on his left knee. "We're playing good baseball right now," Lovullo said. "We need to keep playing good baseball. I think an apology would galvanize this group. He doesn't know how powerful that would be if he did something like that." The 32-year-old switch-hitting Dominican will return to a .249/.314/.446 slash line with 21 homers, 67 RBI, 65 runs scored, and four steals in 469 at-bats in 2026. Marte is typically a must-start in fantasy, but he has hit just .224 (22-for-98) with a .712 OPS, four homers, four doubles, 13 RBI, 14 runs scored, 12 walks, and 20 strikeouts in 26 games since the All-Star break.--Keith Hernandez
Source: Francys Romero

Aug 31, 2026, 1:12 PM ET

Washington Commanders running back Kaytron Allen has a little more room to work with after final cuts. Jeremy McNichols (quadriceps) was placed on injured reserve with a designation to return, which keeps him out for at least the first four games. Washington also released Robert Henry Jr. and Craig Reynolds, while Jerome Ford had already landed on IR earlier in August. Allen is still behind Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rachaad White, so this is not suddenly a path to starter volume. It does move the sixth-round rookie closer to regular-season touches, especially after he handled 36 preseason carries for 119 yards and a touchdown. Allen also got first-team work late in camp while Croskey-Merritt and White were banged up, though he split some of those reps with Henry. The finale was rough, with Allen losing a fumble on his first touch, and he averaged only 3.31 yards per carry during the preseason. Still, McNichols being unavailable for at least four games leaves Allen with a clearer early-season role than he had a week ago.--Bruno Mulé
Source: RotoBaller

Aug 31, 2026, 1:12 PM ET

Miami Marlins outfield prospect Kemp Alderman has some pop in his bat and has shown that with the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp this season. In 340 at bats with Jacksonville this year, Alderman has 18 homers and 56 RBI with 55 runs scored and a .259 batting average. He battled a left wrist injury that caused him to miss time in May and June. The 24-year-old is the No. 8 prospect for Miami with 60-grade power and a 45-grade hit tool. The power can play in the major leagues and look for a potential promotion at some point in September for Alderman. The batting average, however, could be a drag for fantasy managers, but that could be offset by his power potential and his ability to steal a few bases. He is a nice addition with upside in fantasy leagues to close out the season.--Brian Buckey - RotoBaller
Source: Minor League Baseball

Aug 31, 2026, 1:05 PM ET

A reunion with the Philadelphia Eagles and free-agent veteran tight end Zach Ertz (knee) is on the table, league sources told EJ Smith of PHLY Sports. The Eagles are carrying Dallas Goedert, Johnny Mundt, rookie Eli Stowers, and EJ Jenkins at the tight end position on their initial 53-man roster, but Smith writes that the room "still lacks solid depth" if Goedert misses time with an injury, as he has in four of the last five seasons. Nothing is imminent with Ertz, as the 35-year-old is nearing the nine-month recovery mark from a season-ending ACL tear he suffered on Dec. 7. Ertz, who had 50 catches for 504 yards in 13 games last year before his injury, would be a welcome addition for the Eagles in his 14th NFL season. He was cleared for football activities earlier this month. If the Eagles reunite with Ertz, he could potentially be next in line as Philly's top pass-catching option at TE if Goedert were to go down with another injury in 2026. Ertz was a former second-rounder by the Eagles in 2013 out of Stanford, and he spent the first eight years of his NFL career with the team, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl from 2017-2019.--Keith Hernandez
Source: PHLY Sports - EJ Smith