Sep 10, 2026, 3:36 PM ET

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is available in most leagues heading into Week 1, with his Yahoo roster rate sitting at 13%. There was progress last season, but fantasy managers still had to live with some rough weeks. Young finished as the QB19 after throwing for 3,011 yards and 23 touchdowns in 16 games, while adding 216 yards and two scores on the ground. Only four of those 16 games went over 200 passing yards. One of them was a huge one, a 448-yard, three-touchdown game against Atlanta. That is pretty much the issue with Young right now. The ceiling showed up, but not often enough. Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette are all back, so the supporting cast is familiar, and Young opens at home against Chicago. RotoBaller has him at QB30 for Week 1, which tells you where the trust level is. He belongs on rosters in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. In one-QB formats, Young is more of a risky streamer or bench stash than someone managers need to rush out and add.--Bruno Mulé
Source: RotoBaller

Sep 10, 2026, 3:34 PM ET

USC tight end Tucker Ashcraft (undisclosed) is trending in the right direction and could play in Week 2 against Louisiana. He has yet to play this season across the Trojans first two contests. He transferred in from Wisconsin, where he played in parts of three seasons. Overall, Ashcraft has 22 receptions for 178 yards and two touchdowns in his collegiate career. Through two games, four tight ends have at least one catch for USC, but none of them have over 50 receiving yards. Mark Bowman has been the top TE, catching six passes for 45 yards. Ashcraft is second on the depth chart after Bowman, but the transfer could overtake the freshman in time with good results on the field.--Morgan Rode
Source: Ryan Kartje -Los Angeles Times

Sep 10, 2026, 3:33 PM ET

New York Mets infielder Bo Bichette is the trickiest decision in the free-agent class in terms of deciding to opt out of the final two years of his deal, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The Mets owe Bichette $84 million over the next two years, but if Bichette opts out, he will receive a $5 million buyout and hit the free-agent market again as he heads into his age-29 season in 2027. Passan thinks that Bichette will ultimately opt out and hope that the mediocrity of the rest of the free-agent class will help him stand out, but "it's genuinely a coin flip." The 28-year-old former second-round pick in 2016 by the Toronto Blue Jays got off to an ice-cold start in Queens at the plate, but he has turned it around and is currently sporting a .265/.317/.399 slash line with a .716 OPS, 16 home runs, 73 RBI, 71 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 144 games across 622 plate appearances. Bichette has been much better since the All-Star break, hitting .286 (54-for-189) with a .794 OPS, and he also went 29-for-100 (.290) with four homers, seven doubles, a triple, 13 RBI, and 12 runs scored in 26 games in August.--Keith Hernandez
Source: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan

Sep 10, 2026, 3:30 PM ET

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is still available in most leagues, and there is not much reason for one-QB managers to change that before Week 1. Rodgers was efficient enough last season, completing 65.7% of his passes for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 16 starts. Pittsburgh also gives him a better-looking receiver group with DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson all listed as starters. The fantasy problem is the same one it has been for a while. Rodgers added only 61 rushing yards and one touchdown in 2025, leaving him dependent on passing volume and touchdowns to keep pace with more mobile quarterbacks. He is rostered in 10% of Yahoo leagues and sits at QB28 in the current Week 1 rankings. That is enough to make him useful depth in Superflex or two-QB formats. In standard one-QB leagues, he can stay on the wire.--Bruno Mulé
Source: RotoBaller

Sep 10, 2026, 3:27 PM ET

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Tarik Skubal, who will turn 30 years old in November, could get double the $245 million deal that former right-hander Stephen Strasburg received on a seven-year deal in free agency from the Washington Nationals if there is no salary cap after the 2026 season, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Skubal shook off an early-season elbow injury and has a 7-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio with a 2.93 ERA since returning. He has not missed a beat and has been elite, which means that some team will pay an exorbitant amount for potentially a 10-year contract to secure the services of Skubal. However, barely a handful of teams are interested in paying $50 million a year for 33 starts, so Skubal will continue to be at the heart of the salary-cap debate with a potential lockout coming in 2027. The two-time Cy Young winner has a high-90s fastball and pairs it with a changeup that is among the best pitches in the league. In seven starts since being acquired by the Dodgers from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline in early August, Skubal has gone 2-2 with a 2.93 ERA (2.54 FIP) and 1.12 WHIP with 48 strikeouts and 10 walks in 43 innings.--Keith Hernandez
Source: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan

Sep 10, 2026, 3:22 PM ET

Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill has a cleaner hold on the No. 2 job than he did earlier this summer, but that still doesn't make him a priority Week 1 add. Rookie Adam Randall is on injured reserve with a designation to return, leaving Hill second behind Derrick Henry and Rasheen Ali third on Baltimore's current depth chart. Hill's value comes from passing downs. He caught 21 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown in 10 games last season, and new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle has called him one of the league's best third-down backs. Hill is healthy after last year's neck injury, too. The catch is that he is not an obvious candidate to absorb Henry's entire workload if something happens. Ali could take some early-down work, and Hill sits at RB56 in the current Week 1 rankings. In deeper PPR leagues, he is a reasonable bench stash. In standard 10- or 12-team formats, there are better ways to use the spot.--Bruno Mulé
Source: RotoBaller

Sep 10, 2026, 3:15 PM ET

Vanderbilt quarterback Blaze Berlowitz will start in Week 2 against Delaware. Head coach Clark Lea made the announcement on Thursday, shutting down rumors that the team was going to make a change. Despite the news of Berlowitz starting, the team still plans to play Jared Curtis in Week 2 against the Blue Hens. In Vanderbilt's 28-9 win over Austin Peay in Week 1, Berlowitz was 11-of-16 passing for 149 yards; he didn't throw a touchdown or an interception and rushed for 44 yards and a score on 11 attempts. Curtis attempted nine passes, completing seven for 60 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions; he rushed three times for 22 yards. While the matchup against Delaware is pretty favorable, the notion that the Commodores will play both quarterbacks takes value away from both, and makes them very risky fantasy starting options.--Morgan Rode
Source: The Dore Report - On3

Sep 10, 2026, 3:14 PM ET

St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (thumb), who was scratched from Wednesday's starting lineup with more soreness in his left thumb after returning from the injured list on Tuesday, expects to be back in the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Chicago White Sox at home, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Fantasy managers should not be expecting much from the 24-year-old shortstop the rest of the way after he returned from a left-thumb fracture this week. The former second-rounder in 2020 has had a disappointing season overall on offense, slashing just .236/.312/.323 with a .635 OPS, only five home runs, 51 RBI, 10 stolen bases, and 49 runs scored across his 436 at-bats. Manager Oliver Marmol said that Winn's availability for the final few weeks of the regular season in 2026 will be a "daily basis" decision, so he might not even be playing regularly. Winn has been even worse in the second half, hitting .218 (26-for-119) with a homer, seven doubles, 13 RBI, 10 runs scored, three steals, 15 walks, and 35 strikeouts in 36 games played.--Keith Hernandez
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Derrick Goold

Sep 10, 2026, 3:12 PM ET

Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is already cautioning fantasy managers against reading too much into how his tight ends are used in Week 1. McDaniel said Thursday that it "might not be the smartest move" to make fantasy decisions after one game, adding that the group is going to grow and the Chargers will be able to do plenty with them. Oronde Gadsden is the name fantasy managers will be watching most closely. He caught 49 passes for 664 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games as a rookie, but Los Angeles added both Charlie Kolar and David Njoku during the offseason. The Chargers' first unofficial depth chart has Kolar or Njoku starting, with Gadsden behind them. Kolar was brought in largely for what he can add as a blocker, while Njoku gives Justin Herbert another proven receiving option. That makes this a crowded room, but McDaniel's comments are another reason not to make a quick call on Gadsden based solely on Sunday's opener against Arizona. His rookie production is still worth betting on while the Chargers figure out how all three tight ends fit.--Bruno Mulé
Source: Kris Rhim

Sep 10, 2026, 3:09 PM ET

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (knee) was held out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's contest due to a bothersome right knee, but a stint on the injured list is "absolutely not" on the table for him, manager Dave Roberts told Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. However, it is not a guarantee that Freeman will be back in the lineup for Friday's series opener in Miami against the Marlins after a scheduled day off on Thursday. Freeman's offense has taken a hit recently while he plays through his knee issue, as he has one hit in his last 18 at-bats while going hitless with three strikeouts as the designated hitter on Tuesday. The veteran left-handed slugger has just one home run in his last 53 games and has a .718 OPS over the last two months despite hitting .298. "Freddie does a really good job of hitting against his front side, and then when you can't do that with your front side, your right knee, then you're compromised," Roberts said. "I see there's a lot more swing and miss the last few days. That's just not who he is." The rough recent stretch has dropped the 36-year-old former MVP's line on the season to .297/.375/.453 with an .828 OPS, 16 homers, 66 RBI, 72 runs scored, and seven steals. The Dodgers' primary goal will be to have Freeman healthy and clicking for the start of the postseason in October.--Keith Hernandez
Source: The Athletic - Fabian Ardaya

Sep 10, 2026, 2:54 PM ET

USC wide receiver Terrell Anderson (undisclosed) is "pretty close" to returning, according to head coach Lincoln Riley. He has a shot to play in Week 2 as well, but the more notable news is that he's trending in the right direction and will be back sooner rather than later. Anderson did not play in either of the team's first two games. He transferred to USC after two seasons at NC State. In 2025, Anderson caught 39 passes for 629 yards and five touchdowns. With Anderson out, it's been wideouts Trent Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt leading the Trojans' pass catchers. Mosley has 11 receptions for 222 yards and three touchdowns already, while Dixon-Wyatt has 138 yards and a score on 10 receptions. Only one other Trojan has a touchdown grab, and no others have reached 100 total receiving yards yet.--Morgan Rode
Source: Chris Treviño - On3

Sep 10, 2026, 2:47 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs called new running back Kenny Gainwell "a freak of nature," according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Wirfs also called RB Bucky Irving "a joystick" because of how elusive he can be. Wirfs is very excited about the 1-2 punch that the Bucs have in the running game this year in new coordinator Zac Robinson's scheme. Even in a new offense in 2026, the 27-year-old Gainwell was a popular mid-round target in point-per-reception leagues this year after he caught an eye-opening 73 passes on 85 targets for 486 yards and three touchdowns in 17 regular-season games last year in his lone season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Gainwell also had a career-high 114 rushing attempts for 537 yards and a career-high-tying five rushing touchdowns. While fantasy managers should not necessarily expect Gainwell to match his passing-game production from 2025, he should at least be a strong weekly RB3/flex option for his pass-catching prowess, and he could be busy right away in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals in a game that could force the Bucs to pass more than they would like.--Keith Hernandez
Source: FOX Sports - Greg Auman

Sep 10, 2026, 2:32 PM ET

Updating an ongoing story, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (hip) received "really, really good" news on the right-hip injury that forced him from Wednesday's season-opening win over the New England Patriots, head coach Mike Macdonald said on Thursday after Darnold had an MRI exam. ESPN's Adam Schefter and the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport both reported that Darnold is expected to miss the Week 2 contest against the division-rival Arizona Cardinals, but there is a chance he will be ready to return for Week 3 against the Washington Commanders on Sept. 27. "The hip is intact, and it's good," Macdonald said. "It's more of a muscle thing. So that's good news." After the 29-year-old left following the first drive of the game, backup Drew Lock entered and led the Seahawks to a come-from-behind win. Lock should be expected to make his first start of 2026 in Week 2 against the Cardinals, where he will be a low-end QB2 streamer in superflex leagues. Because Darnold dodged a bullet and could only miss one game, fantasy managers should hold him if they have him rostered.--Keith Hernandez
Source: ESPN.com

Sep 10, 2026, 2:24 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said that rookie wide receiver Ted Hurst III has proved that "nothing is too big for him right now," and that he has "continued to ascend" week after week, according to Buccaneers.com's Scott Smith. The 22-year-old third-rounder from Georgia State will open his first year in the NFL as the No. 4 wideout on the Bucs' depth chart behind Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and Jalen McMillan, but that does not mean that fantasy managers should be ignoring him. Egbuka and McMillan were both held out of practice late in training camp with injuries, so if they are at all limited this Sunday in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Hurst could make some noise right out of the gate that could lead to interest on the waiver wire in deeper fantasy leagues. Right now, Hurst is only rostered in 1% of Yahoo leagues, but an injury to Tampa's WR corps could change that in a hurry. He is one of the better young upside stashes at the position if you have room on your bench in deeper formats.--Keith Hernandez
Source: Buccaneers.com - Scott Smith