Three weeks ahead of the opening of the regular season, Stefanski seems no closer to naming a starting QB than he was at the start of training camp. Michael Penix, recovering from a 2025 ACL injury, made his return to 11-on-11 practice Monday while Tua Tagovailoa continued to struggled. “I can’t speculate on those types of things,” Stefanski said. “I want to really stay in today with Mike and see how he does in practice. I really have to stay in the moment with this one. Let’s see how he feels after today.” Penix on Monday completed four of his eight pass attempts in 11-on-11 drills while facing “simulated pressure.” Two of his passes came up “noticeably short,” per The Athletic’s Josh Kendall.
That leaves former Dolphins K Jason Sanders as the only kicker on the New York roster. Sanders and York competed for the starting gig throughout training camp, with both struggling at times. York missed his only preseason field goal try while Sanders has made both of his preseason attempts. Sanders would appear to be the team’s Week 1 starter, though the Jets could bring in more competition if Sanders — who missed 2025 with a hip injury — proves unreliable.
Pierce, who’s been sidelined since undergoing ankle surgery in the spring following the signing of his contract extension with the Colts, will practice this week barring any setbacks, Steichen said. It’s good news for Pierce’s Week 1 availability after the team’s de facto WR1 missed training camp while recovering from the ankle issue. Pierce is expected to see more intermediate targets this season after operating strictly as a field stretcher over the past few seasons. Piece in 2025 led the league in air yards per game; his 44 percent air yards share ranked fourth among receivers. Pierce profiles as a somewhat sneaky fantasy selection after his ADP has steadily sunk over the past month.
Giddens has been sidelined for weeks with a severe hamstring injury. His return comes a few weeks ahead of the Colts’ regular season opener against the Ravens. Giddens as a rookie in 2025 had 96 yards on 26 carries, appearing in nine games for the Colts. He’ll battle Seth McGowan for RB2 duties this season behind Jonathan Taylor.
Lane, selected with the 80th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, has wowed coaches and beat writers throughout training camp with highlight contested catches while earning the trust of Lamar Jackson and first-year OC Declan Doyle. Lane, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, has “made a highlight-reel catch, several with one hand, on almost a per-practice basis over the past month.” In a preseason tilt against the Eagles, Lane caught all three of his targets for 38 yards and a touchdown. “This guy is different,” Jackson told reporters afterward. It would be surprising if Lane did not start the regular season as an every-down wideout in the Baltimore offense. His connection with Jackson should instantly make him the team’s No. 2 wideout behind Zay Flowers.
Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley said Moore, a fourth-round selection, could return at some point this season “but it’ll be a while.” Moore was one of the most impressive edge rushers in the country during his time at UTSA in 2022-2023, and his final season with the Roadrunners saw him accumulate 14 sacks while winning Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year before he transferred to Texas. He was set to play significant defensive snaps for Miami in 2026.
We’re not sure if that’s an official medical diagnosis but it’s good news that the Raiders are not saying the second-year back sustained a real-deal high ankle injury, the kind of injury that often leads to an extended absence and significant rehab time. Rapoport said the Raiders are hopeful Jeanty can suit up for Week 1 against the Dolphins, though the team is far from certain Jeanty will be ready to go after suffering the ankle injury during Sunday’s practice. He added Jeanty’s injury is not of the season-threatening variety. If Jeanty is sidelined for Week 1, Mike Washington, Jr. would likely take over as the team’s lead back and would be locked in as a starter in 12-team fantasy leagues.
“If there was concern over whether Adams still had it as a perimeter wide receiver at age 33, this camp has put a lot of those questions to rest,” Atkins said, adding Adams had retained his otherworldly connection with Matthew Stafford. “Adams looks fresh and explosive, and he was virtually uncoverable in the joint practices against the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.” Atkins conceded that the Rams “might have to get creative again with load management at times” to ensure Adams can get through a whole season without injuries. A whole training camp with Stafford — something he didn’t have in 2025 — could make Adams one of the sneakier wideout selections outside the first couple rounds of fantasy drafts.
The Patriots also received a 2028 seventh-round pick in the deal. While Boutte gets a chance to earn a role with the Texans following the loss of Jayden Higgins, Reed will likely serve as added depth for the Patriots secondary. Reed appeared in seven games last year as a rookie while making one start, with most of his snaps coming on special teams.
This comes on the heels of a missed session on Sunday for the fourth-year back. The team has yet to release a complete injury update for Mitchell after failing to disclose an injury status the previous day, leaving fantasy managers stuck in limbo with less than three weeks until the start of the regular season. “We sustained a mild setback with Keaton, but realistically, that’s a position that you’re always wanting to have three, and I like what our young guys are doing to press into that group,” McDaniel said Monday. It is difficult to read too far into McDaniel’s remarks without further context, keeping Mitchell a strong streaming option in shallow leagues, for the time being.
The move ends the seasons of both players before they began, leaving them ineligible to play in 2026 unless released with an injury settlement. The team signed defensive back Jason Taylor and running back Roydell Williams in an associated move.
Horton missed part of his rookie season and some of the 2024 season after being diagnosed with lymphoma, returning to the team to notch 39 regular season appearances. He will be an unrestricted free agent entering 2027.
Robinson last appeared for the Lions in 2024, officially hanging them up after amassing 7,058 yards and 43 touchdowns on 565 career receptions. He earned Pro Bowl honors in 2015 after leading the league in receiving touchdowns with 14 and notched more than 1,000 yards through the air in three separate seasons.
This comes a few hours after it was reported that Hall was “moving well” while participating in agility drills on the sideline. Hall suffered a groin injury last week and is expected to miss two or three weeks, but a return in time for Week 1 was always in the cards. Hall is one of several players Glenn is hoping to have back in time for Week 1. He also said he expects TE Kenyon Sadiq (hernia) and CB D’Angelo Ponds (calf) to be ready for Week 1. Hall is in the mix as a fringe RB1/RB2 this season and is expected to handle another heavy workload in his fifth season.
Miller is entering his fourth season as a pro and his second season in head coach Kellen Moore’s offense. He’s been slowed by injuries ever since entering the league as a third-round pick in 2023, and he rushed 47 times for 193 yards and one touchdown last season, while adding another 5-30-0 through the air on five targets. Kamara is expected to be out for about a month, so it’s possible he avoids IR to start the season. If Kamara were to land on IR and miss at least the first four games, Miller could be worth a stash in deeper leagues while we wait to see how his usage plays out alongside Travis Etienne, but he is unlikely to have any real standalone value.
Rookie Ty Simpson and 2023 fourth-rounder Stetson Bennett have both turned in solid performances in the team’s first two preseason games. Bennett drew the start in the first preseason game and has thrown for 219 scoreless yards on 37 attempts, while Simpson has thrown for 263-2-0, also on 37 attempts. McVay has already said that Simpson will “definitely” play in the team’s preseason finale against the Chargers, but didn’t commit to Bennett seeing snaps as well.
This explains the team’s decision to go out and trade for Zamir White on Sunday. Chandler, who was competing for a roster spot in camp, has rushed for 710 yards and three touchdowns in his four-year career and returned a kick for 86 yards in the Saints’ first preseason game against the Jaguars.
It has, by all accounts, been an encouraging training camp for Mahomes, who has been present for every practice and has yet to miss a rep. While all signs seem to point to Mahomes being ready to go for Week 1 against the Broncos, Reid said the team is continuing to take it “day by day” with the star quarterback. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last week that Mahomes was on track to return, and most indicators seem to support that. Until the team gives us reason to believe Mahomes won’t be ready to face the Broncos, we will cautiously assume he’ll be good to go in a few weeks.
The Cardinals waived/injured Benson, meaning he would revert to the team’s injured reserve list if he were to clear waivers. The third-year pro has been slowed by the same knee injury that ended his 2025 season and was already a cut candidate after the Cardinals signed Tyler Allgeier to a deal this offseason and drafted Jeremiyah Love. Benson has rush 92 times for 451 yards and one touchdown in his career while serving primarily as James Conner’s backup.
Sweat wasn’t happy with the Cardinals this offseason and chose to stay away from the team during mandatory minicamp and OTAs. Now that he’s been activated from the PUP list, he’ll have roughly three weeks to get up to speed with the team and new coaching staff. Sweat 30 tackles and 12 sacks last season while also forcing four fumbles and remains one of the top pass rushers in the league when healthy.
Moss exited Friday’s game with an apparent rib injury, but Payton said the team is choosing to make the smart decision by not practicing him. Moss totaled 57 tackles and one interception last season and has started all 31 games he has appeared in since 2024.
Metcalf hasn’t practiced since suffering an undisclosed injury on August 8th, but the veteran receiver said last week that he expects to be ready for Week 1 against the Falcons. The Steelers saw several key players return to Monday’s practice, along with WR Michael Pittman, who had also been sidelined with an undisclosed injury since August 8th.
Pittman and fellow receiver DK Metcalf both returned to practice on Monday after being sidelined since August 8th due to undisclosed injuries. Both players expect to be ready to go for Week 1’s game against the Falcons in a few weeks, and Monday’s return suggests they’re will on track to playing when the games officially count.
Brown is a 10-year veteran of the league who signed with the Raiders earlier this offseason. Injuries limited him to just four games last season, but Brown has been a serviceable receiver who has totaled 450-plus yards in three of his last four seasons. It’s possible he could catch on with another team as an added depth piece, but we wouldn’t expect Brown to pop up as a starter any time soon.
Nabers continues to trend toward playing in Week 1 against the Cowboys, provided he avoids any setbacks. The star receiver officially shed his non-contact jersey on Monday and participated in a limited capacity in 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Raanan said Nabers participated in three reps for both drills and “made a really nice catch when he went down and plucked a pass off the turf.” Nabers projects as a low-end WR1 in fantasy this season with the upside for top-five production once he’s back to full strength.