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Eric MoodyESPN
Read ESPN’s fantasy football daily notes every weekday to stay caught up on the news you need to know and get a head start on the fantasy football content coming today and tomorrow to ESPN.com and the ESPN Fantasy App.
The news: Zach Wilson likely out until Week 4.
What it means in fantasy: Joe Flacco will start at quarterback instead of 2021 No. 2 draft pick Wilson when the Jets play the Ravens on Sunday. After being injured during the first preseason game on August 12th, the former BYU quarterback had to undergo surgery to repair a bone bruise and torn meniscus. He had not previously been ruled out for Week 1. Wilson missed four games in 2021 with a sprained PCL on this same right knee. This week, Flacco will play against his old team, the Ravens, at home before facing two more AFC North teams, the Browns and Bengals.
Going deeper: Elijah Moore won’t mind having Flacco under center. In two games last season, he averaged 21.5 fantasy points.
The news: Nick Wagoner of ESPN reported that George Kittle suffered a groin injury in Monday’s practice.
What it means in fantasy: Head coach Kyle Shanahan was unsure of Kittle’s status for Sunday after he did not practice on Wednesday. If you have Kittle on your roster, you need to have a contingency plan. Irv Smith Jr. (available in 56.2% of leagues), Albert Okwuegbunam (82%), Gerald Everett (88%) and Brevin Jordan (98%) are all streaming options depending on your league size.
The news: Brooke Pryor of ESPN reported that Diontae Johnson‘s Week 1 status is less certain.
What it means in fantasy: Johnson was extremely limited in the Steelers’ practice on Wednesday. The shoulder injury he suffered after a long reception in Pittsburgh’s preseason finale sounds like it’s still an issue. Head coach Mike Tomlin was noncommittal to Johnson’s availability on Sunday. If he’s ruled out, fantasy managers could pivot to wide receiver George Pickens (available in 44.4% of leagues) in deeper leagues. Chase Claypool and Pat Freiermuth would likely see more targets as well.
The news: Allen Lazard did not practice on Wednesday for the Packers.
What it means in fantasy: Head coach Matt LaFleur did not disclose exactly what Lazard’s injury is but said “he got stepped on” last week. If Lazard is ruled out, the Packers will have to rely on veteran wide receivers Randall Cobb and Sammy Watkins. Cobb is my favorite out of the two because of his robust history with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Going deeper: Cobb has averaged 12.3 fantasy points per game with Rodgers in his career.
The news: Chase Edmonds was limited in Wednesday’s practice with a groin injury.
What it means in fantasy: After struggling with the groin for a few days, Edmonds is on track to play Week 1 against the Patriots. He’s a great flex option for fantasy managers with RB2 upside. Under new head coach Mike McDaniel, Edmonds will be the Dolphins’ lead back, but he won’t see all of the touches. McDaniel should still provide him ample opportunities to maximize his fantasy points per touch (1.0) numbers.
The news: Chris Godwin was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice.
What it means in fantasy: Although Godwin is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in Week 15, he appears to be on the right track. He avoided the PUP list and practiced without a knee brace. No matter if Godwin is active in Week 1, fantasy managers can view him as a high-end WR2.
Going deeper: Godwin has averaged 75 receiving yards per game with quarterback Tom Brady.
The news: JuJu Smith-Schuster practiced in full for the Chiefs on Wednesday.
What it means in fantasy: Smith-Schuster had previously been dealing with a knee injury, but he told reporters that he is now fully recovered. He is expected to play a significant role Sunday versus the Cardinals.
Going deeper: So far in his career, Smith-Schuster has thrived as a slot receiver. Among the Chiefs’ wide receivers, he is the only one with a 1,000-yard season. Over the last two seasons, Patrick Mahomes leads all quarterbacks in slot wide receiver targets.
The news: Drake London‘s status for the Falcons’ matchup against the Saints won’t be known until the end of the week.
What it means in fantasy: London returned to practice earlier this week, which is good news. The bad news is that fantasy managers do not have any clarity on his situation. Given that many managers were considering London as a flex option, it may be prudent to wait and see. London is listed as the No. 1 wide receiver on the Falcons depth chart.
Going deeper: The Falcons enter the 2022 season with 287 available targets and 1,940 air yards. The passing game will go through London and tight end Kyle Pitts.
The news: Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN reported that Jaylen Waddle practiced without a leg sleeve on Wednesday.
What it means in fantasy: Waddle was limited today according to Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. He’s on track to play against the Patriots on Sunday if no setbacks happen. Waddle can be viewed as a low end WR2.
The news: Mike Triplett of ESPN reported that Michael Thomas participated in the early portion of Wednesday’s practice open to the media.
What it means in fantasy: Saints head coach Dennis Allen is noncommittal regarding Thomas’ status for Week 1’s game against the Falcons. The good news is that he appears to be on track to play. Thomas has missed 26 out of the last 33 games, including all of last season, with an ankle injury. He then missed all three preseason games with a hamstring injury. Fantasy managers should take a wait-and-see approach with Thomas.
Going deeper: In 2021, the Saints averaged just 187 yards per game in passing yardage without Thomas.
The news: Jaguars NFL Nation reporter Michael DiRocco wrote that James Robinson will not be limited for the Jaguars against the Commanders in Week 1.
What it means in fantasy: For fantasy managers, the biggest takeaway is Robinson will be actively involved in the Jaguars’ backfield. According to head coach Doug Pederson, he may get a heavy workload depending on how he feels and how the game develops. In 2020, Robinson accumulated the most scrimmage yards (1,414) and rushing yards (1,070) of any undrafted rookie in the common draft era. He averaged 17.9 fantasy points per game that season.
The news: Irv Smith Jr. was not listed on Wednesday’s injury report for the Vikings.
What it means in fantasy: After recovering from a thumb injury, Smith is expected to play against the Packers. He has been hailed as a breakout candidate in a pass-heavy offense under new head coach Kevin O’Connell, and is expected to see a high percentage of Vikings tight end targets since backups Ben Ellefson and Johnny Mundt‘s have only 11 career receptions between them.
The news: Rondale Moore was not listed on the Cardinals injury report.
What it means in fantasy: Moore (available in 67% of leagues) finds himself on the streaming radar against the Chiefs for a Cardinals team looking to fill the void left by the suspended DeAndre Hopkins.
Going deeper: The Chiefs ranked 26th in passing yards allowed last season. Moore is a candidate for a breakout performance in Week 1.
The news: Michael Gallup returned to practice on Wednesday for the Cowboys.
What it means in fantasy: Gallup is unlikely to be in the Cowboys lineup against the Buccaneers on Sunday night, but he’s making progress toward returning. According to multiple reports, he will miss the first two games of the season. The Cowboys are also missing James Washington who will begin the season on injured reserve after foot surgery. Noah Brown should get the start in place of Gallup, while rookie Jalen Tolbert will man the slot. Neither are on the fantasy radar in most leagues.
The news: Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that the tight production will be up with the wide receivers and running backs without Rob Growkowski in the picture.
What it means in fantasy: Since Gronkowski averaged only 6.0 targets per game with the Buccaneers, this shouldn’t be a surprise. In deeper formats, Julio Jones may return to fantasy relevance. He’s available in 58% of leagues. Tom Brady and Jones should be able to calibrate themselves in no time.
Going deeper: Jones has averaged 9.73 receiving yards per target and 1.9 fantasy points per target in his career.
The news: Sterling Shepard was limited in Wednesday’s practice for the Giants.
What it means in fantasy: After tearing his left Achilles last December, all signs point to Shepard playing in Week 1 against the Titans. I would not recommend starting him outside of the deepest of leagues. Don’t forget to stash Wan’Dale Robinson if you have the space on your roster.
The news: Van Jefferson has been ruled out by the Rams for Week 1 against the Bills.
What it means in fantasy: Jefferson missed most of the summer recovering from knee surgery. Next man up for the Rams is Ben Skowronek, though we may also see Tutu Atwell. In fantasy, neither should be on your radar. Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson II are positioned for greater target share due to Jefferson’s absence.
Today on ESPN.com/Fantasy and in the ESPN Fantasy App
Field Yates’ Fantasy Field Pass for Week 1
Tristan H. Cockcroft’s best and worst team matchups at every position
Mike Clay’s TNF Playbook: Breaking down Bills @ Rams
Al Zeidenfeld’s DFS Best Buys
•: Fantasy Focus Football podcast: Thursday Night Football preview (11 a.m. ET) + CSS DFS
Friday:
Mike Clay’s complete Playbook for Week 1: projections and analysis for every game
Karabell’s weekend preview: what he’s watching, what he’s thinking
• Liz, Dopp and DJ on what’s going on in the fantasy world
• Fantasy Focus Football: The big weekend preview show
In case you missed it:
Matt Bowen’s film study helps determine his Week 1 matchup upgrades and downgrades
Eric Karabell’s Superflex rankings for Week 1 for your 2QB and tough flex lineup decisions
Seth Walder uses NFL Next Gen Stats to identify mismatches you can exploit in Week 1
• Fantasy Focus podcast: Who is healthy and who is not heading into Week 1? Listen | Watch
• Sign up for a team or start a new league
Source: www.espn.com