RADIO
Jason Zucker Unavailable for Start of Season
Buffalo Sabres left wing Jason Zucker (sports hernia) will miss the start of the season, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Wednesday. The veteran winger underwent sports hernia surgery in the offseason. According to Kekalainen, Zucker could miss "maybe a couple weeks" at the start of the year. Zucker's absence will be felt by the Sabres. He ranked fourth on the team last season with 24 goals and tallied 45 points in 62 contests. With Zucker out, Peyton Krebs is a candidate for an increased role early in the season.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Browns Expected To Sign Receiver Jimmy Horn Jr.
The Cleveland Browns are expected to sign former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr., Jordan Schultz reports. The move will reunite Horn, a Colorado Buffaloes standout, with quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who also played at Colorado under his dad as head coach. In Horn's career, he recorded 11 catches on 16 targets for 108 yards with no touchdowns. He also added eight rushes for 69 yards with a fumble lost. Horn was drafted in 2025 in the sixth round of the NFL Draft with pick No. 208 by the Panthers. He joins the Browns, who have established receivers in Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion, and Jerry Jeudy. Horn will join the practice squad in Cleveland and look to break in with the regular team.
Source: Jordan Schultz
Source: Jordan Schultz
Alexander Nikishin Sits Out Start of Training Camp
Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin has not joined the team for training camp. The Russian blue-liner is unsigned and has been linked to a trade. Nikishin became a restricted free agent after his rookie campaign in 2025-26. He had a solid year, recording 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists), 122 SOG, 94 blocks, 132 hits, and a plus-18 rating. Given that Nikishin requested a trade this offseason, he may have already played his final game with the Hurricanes.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Buffalo Bills D/ST Best Left on Benches Against Detroit
Buffalo made enough big defensive plays to survive Houston, but this was hardly a dominant Week 1 showing. The Bills allowed 381 yards and 31 points while recording three sacks and recovering two fumbles. Greg Rousseau's strip-sack in the final seconds was the biggest one, ending Houston's last possession before it could turn into a game-winning drive. Detroit is a much tougher fantasy spot. Jahmyr Gibbs just ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns, Jared Goff did not throw an interception, and Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta remain reliable targets in the passing game. There is one thing working in Buffalo's favor: Detroit will be without two starting offensive linemen. That gives the pass rush a chance to make some noise, especially after getting home three times last week. Even so, RotoBaller has the Bills D/ST 26th for Week 2. The turnover upside is always there, but there are safer defenses to use in a matchup carrying this much scoring potential.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Tyler Bass Draws Strong Streaming Spot Against Detroit
Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass made his return count. He hit field goals from 46, 34, and 33 yards against Houston and converted all three extra points, finishing with 12 points in his first regular-season game since 2024. Buffalo gave him chances because the offense kept getting into scoring range, and that should be the appeal again Thursday night. Detroit allowed 30 points to New Orleans in Week 1, and this game has enough offensive firepower on both sides to create another busy night for the kickers. Bass also gets to play this one at home after opening on the road. That matters a little more for a kicker whose value depends on Buffalo consistently crossing midfield and stalling often enough to create attempts. RotoBaller has him K8 for Week 2 after ranking him much lower entering the season. He is one of the better streaming options available this week.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Isaiah Likely Looks to Build on Fast Start
New York Giants tight end Isaiah Likely went off on Monday Night Football against the Cowboys, hauling in eight targets for 78 yards and two touchdowns. He led the team in receiving yards while finishing second in targets, just one behind Malik Nabers. Likely showed his athleticism and his scheme fit with new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy designing plays for him similar to the schemes that led to Travis Kelce flourishing under Nagy in Kansas City. He has a tough matchup in Week 2 against the Rams, but he looks ready to live up to the hype and be a true top-10 TE this season in a very heavily involved role with the Giants.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Adam Fantilli Absent From Camp While Awaiting New Deal
Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli missed opening day of training camp on Wednesday. Fantilli is an unsigned restricted free agent and won't join the team before he inks a new deal. Last week, Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said he was "100 percent" confident Fantilli would sign a new deal before camp. Although Fantilli's absence will be a distraction for the Blue Jackets during training camp, the team will likely get a deal done with him before the season starts. Fantilli was Columbus' third-highest scorer last season, totaling 59 points (24 goals, 35 assists) in 82 games.
Source: Reuters
Source: Reuters
Keon Coleman Remains a Bench Option in Week 2
One target. One catch. One yard. That was Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman's Week 1 line against Houston, and there is not much reason to talk around it. The Bills receiver did run more routes than Joshua Palmer, but the targets went elsewhere. DJ Moore led the team with eight, Dalton Kincaid and Khalil Shakir each saw six, and Palmer turned one of his opportunities into the game-winning 34-yard touchdown. Detroit is a favorable matchup after getting lit up by New Orleans, but that only helps if Coleman is actually seeing the football. Right now, there is no evidence that he has a dependable fantasy role in this offense. His route participation at least gives him a chance to work his way into more opportunities, but fantasy managers should make him prove it first. RotoBaller ranks Coleman WR94 for Week 2 and has him listed as a sit. He can stay on fantasy benches until the target share gives managers a reason to reconsider.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Dalton Kincaid Looks Like a Top-Five Tight End in Week 2
Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid gave fantasy managers just about everything they wanted to see in the opener. The Bills tight end caught five of six targets for a career-high 130 yards and played 72% of the offensive snaps. More importantly, he was not just picking up underneath catches. Kincaid made plays downfield and looked like a real part of an offense that suddenly has several ways to hurt a defense. Detroit presents another good spot. The Lions allowed receiving touchdowns to both Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant last week, and New Orleans repeatedly found space for its tight ends. Kincaid does not need another 130-yard game to pay off here. Six targets would still be useful if the offense keeps creating scoring chances, especially with Josh Allen coming off a four-touchdown opener. RotoBaller has moved Kincaid to TE4 for Week 2. That fits what his role looked like against Houston, and he should be in starting lineups everywhere Thursday night.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Khalil Shakir Offers PPR Flex Value Against Detroit
Wide receiver Khalil Shakir did not disappear from the Buffalo Bills offense in Week 1. He caught four of six targets for 50 yards, which is about what fantasy managers should probably be expecting when the bigger plays go elsewhere. DJ Moore saw eight targets, Dalton Kincaid had six, and both went over 100 yards. That leaves Shakir working as more of a complementary option than a featured one. Still, Detroit just allowed 410 passing yards to New Orleans, so there should be room for Buffalo to support more than one receiver Thursday night. Shakir was efficient with the chances he did get and remains one of Josh Allen's safer short-area options. The problem is ceiling. Moore and Kincaid already showed they can command volume and create chunk plays. RotoBaller has Shakir as a WR49 for Week 2. He is a reasonable deeper FLEX play in PPR formats, but not someone who needs to be squeezed into a lineup.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
DJ Moore Carries WR1 Appeal Into Thursday Night
It took wide receiver DJ Moore a while to get going in his Buffalo Bills debut. Then everything changed. Moore finished with five catches for 100 yards and a touchdown on eight targets, including a 43-yard score from Josh Allen. Eight targets also led the team. That usage matters just as much as the final stat line heading into Thursday night. Detroit was just shredded through the air by New Orleans, with Chris Olave alone going for 182 yards on 10 catches. Moore is in a much different quarterback situation with Allen, and Week 1 already showed how quickly one play can turn into a big fantasy day. He also did his damage without dominating targets from start to finish, which leaves room for the role to grow. RotoBaller has him at WR10 for Week 2. That is a major jump from where he opened the season, but after one game, Moore already looks like a major part of this passing attack. He is firmly in WR1 territory against Detroit.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
James Cook III Remains a Strong RB1 for Week 2
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III ran 13 times for 57 yards and finished with 69 total yards against Houston, but nothing about his role should worry fantasy managers. He was on the field for 72% of Buffalo's offensive snaps and clearly remained the lead option. Josh Allen simply handled the rushing touchdowns himself. Cook gets Detroit on Thursday with Buffalo expected to move the ball again, and Ty Johnson is questionable with a hamstring injury. That could leave even less competition behind him than usual. Cook also caught both of his targets in the opener, so he does not need a rushing touchdown to salvage his week. RotoBaller ranks him RB6 for Week 2. Allen is always going to steal some work near the goal line, but Cook's workload is plenty strong enough to keep him in the RB1 range against Detroit.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Mathew Barzal Could Miss Season Opener
The New York Islanders announced Wednesday that forward Mathew Barzal (undisclosed) won't be on the ice for about two weeks. Barzal has aggravated a prior injury that has caused some inflammation. The Islanders start their season on Sept. 30, two weeks from now, leaving Barzal's availability for Game 1 very much up in the air. Barzal led the Islanders with 72 points (19 goals, 53 assists) in 81 games last season. If he's unavailable, someone else on the roster will have a big opportunity to step up and make a difference in the top six and on the first power-play unit.
Source: NHL.com
Source: NHL.com
Will DeSean Bishop Continue Dominant Season?
Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop should continue his top-10 running back season in Week 3 against Kennesaw State. Through two weeks, Bishop is the RB9 with 34 carries for 244 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 21.2 fantasy points per game. In Week 2, Bishop finished as the RB4 and scored 28.7 fantasy points with 20 carries for 147 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia Tech. Kennesaw State has been a relatively solid run defense this season, allowing 139.5 rushing yards per game; however, they have not faced an opponent of Tennessee's caliber. In Kennesaw State's only game last season against a ranked opponent, they allowed 313 rushing yards to eventual national champions Indiana. Tennessee is favored by 34.5 points in Week 3, so Bishop should see touches through the first three quarters. Bishop is RotoBaller's RB4 for Week 3, and he should be started in all formats.
Source: ESPN
Source: ESPN
Josh Allen Has Overall QB1 Upside Against Detroit
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was already in midseason form against Houston. He threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns, added 23 yards on the ground, and scored twice as a runner in the 36-31 win. Now he gets a Detroit defense that just gave up 410 passing yards and three touchdowns to Tyler Shough. That is hard to ignore. Allen also got immediate production from two of his new-look weapons, with DJ Moore and Dalton Kincaid combining for 230 receiving yards in the opener. Buffalo did not need Allen to carry the entire offense to get him there, either. RotoBaller has him ranked QB1 for Week 2, and this is the kind of matchup where he can justify it. The rushing keeps his floor high even if the passing volume dips, while Detroit's Week 1 showing gives him plenty of room for another ceiling game at home on Thursday night.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
