Week 1 Essential NFL Practice News & Notes for Friday
Bears QB Jimmy Clausen (concussion, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1.
Redskins QB Robert Griffin III (concussion, probable) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and is probable for Week 1. Kirk Cousins is going to start Week 1. He’s a shaky fantasy start against a good Miami defense.
Seahawks QB Tarvaris Jackson (ankle, probable) was removed from the injury report Thursday after taking limited practice reps Wednesday and is probable for Week 1.
Browns QB Johnny Manziel (right elbow, probable) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and is probable for Week 1.
Cowboys QB Tony Romo (back, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 1. Romo is good to go for a tasty matchup with the Giants.
Jets QB Geno Smith (jaw, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 1.
Cowboys QB Brandon Weeden (concussion, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1.
Titans RB Antonio Andrews (hamstring, questionable) took limited practice reps again Friday and is questionable for Week 1.
Colts RB Vick Ballard (hamstring, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 1. Josh Robinson will serve as the primary backup to Frank Gore.
Texans RB Arian Foster (groin, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 1. Foster’s timetable is all over the place. First, it was very negative. Then, there were rumors that he’d be back at the end of September. He says that he’s “ahead of schedule” but did not put a timetable on his potential availability. He was seen “moving quickly and decisively” on the sideline Thursday morning and Jason La Canfora predicted he’d be back in Week 2 or Week 3, which would be a boon for fantasy owners who used a 4th or 5th round pick on him in late August. Alfred Blue and Chris Polk should share the touches against Kansas City this week.
Falcons RB Devonta Freeman (hamstring) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week. The Falcons play on Monday night, so there’s no injury designation yet. This is a situation we would avoid, but if we had to choose, Tevin Coleman looks like the better start.
Jaguars RB Toby Gerhart (abdomen, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 1. If Gerhart is out, it’s a boost to T.J. Yeldon and Denard Robinson’s playing time, but we’re expecting Yeldon to be the lead back regardless of Gerhart’s status.
Rams RB Todd Gurley (knee, out) took limited practice reps all week and is out for Week 1. Gurley has been ruled out, but is progressing well. Ian Rapoport reported that Gurley isn’t expected to play until Week 4 at the earliest. For now Tre Mason and Benny Cunningham will hold down the fort, but Mason is dealing with a hamstring injury of his own, and may not play.
Saints RB Tim Hightower (knee, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 1. Hightower can help in the passing game with C.J. Spiller sidelined, but we’re expecting most of Spiller’s catches to go to Mark Ingram and a few of Ingram’s carries to go to Khiry Robinson.
Jets RB Chris Ivory (knee, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1. Ivory should be fine to face Cleveland. He’s a nice RB2 option after a good offseason.
Dolphins RB LaMichael James (shoulder, probable) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and is probable for Week 1.
Browns RB Duke Johnson (concussion, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 1. The probable tag means he’s very likely in for Week 1. The Jets were pretty good against the run last year, but Ameer Abdullah made some plays against them in the preseason. We’re expecting Isaiah Crowell to lead the team in carries, but Johnson should have a significant role.
Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch (not injury related) was removed from the injury report Thursday after taking limited practice reps Wednesday. This is typical for Lynch. He has a tough matchup, but should see a full complement of snaps.
Rams RB Tre Mason (thigh, questionable) missed practice all week and is questionable for Week 1. We wouldn’t put it past the Rams to use him on Sunday given the state of their running back corps. If he’s out, Benny Cunningham will take the reins as the RB1. He’d be a Sneaky Start (due to volume only) in a bad matchup against Seattle. Cunningham is adept in the passing game, so he’s a better option in PPR formats.
Bills RB LeSean McCoy (hamstring, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1. The Bills said that McCoy was “ready to roll” for Week 1, so expect a near-usual workload. For his part, he admitted that he’s not 100 percent, but plans to go out and compete.
Saints RB C.J. Spiller (knee, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 1. Per Ian Rapoport, Spiller should be back Week 2. If Spiller is indeed out, look for Mark Ingram to take a larger role in the passing game with Khiry Robinson picking up some of Ingram’s carries. The matchup against Arizona isn’t good.
Browns RB Robert Turbin (ankle, out) was removed from the injury report Friday and is out for Week 1. He’s going to miss a few weeks with a bad ankle sprain.
Chiefs WR Jason Avant (hip, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1.
Browns WR Dwayne Bowe (hamstring, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 1. A healthy Bowe isn’t a good fantasy option these days, and a gimpy Bowe is even less attractive.
Cowboys WR Dez Bryant (hamstring, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1. No worries here. Bryant has averaged 7.3 catches for 86 yards and 0.5 TD in his last four meetings with the G-Men.
Packers WR Randall Cobb (shoulder, probable) took limited practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1. His range of motion is somewhat limited, but the probable tag means that he’s going to play. Cobb has averaged 4.3 receptions for 80 yards and 1.7 TD in his last three meetings with the Bears, and the Packers need him to produce with Jordy Nelson out for the year.
Chiefs WR Chris Conley (knee, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1. Conley is likely to split time with Albert Wilson as the two compete for snaps opposite Jeremy Maclin.
Giants WR Victor Cruz (calf, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 1. Beat writer Dan Graziano says there’s a “good chance” that Cruz doesn’t play before Week 4. Tom Coughlin confirmed that Cruz isn’t running yet. Rueben Randle becomes a Sneaky Start with Cruz out. Last year, Randle played 79 percent or more of the snaps in 13 games. In those games he averaged 5.0 catches for 65 yards and 0.23 TD. This equates to high-end WR3 numbers.
Buccaneers WR Mike Evans (hamstring, questionable) returned to take limited reps Friday after missing practice earlier in the week and is questionable for Week 1. Evans participated in the team’s walkthrough on Friday, and the team is leaving the door open for him to play. Complicating matters, the Bucs kickoff in the late round of games on Sunday. If Evans is out, Vincent Jackson gets a bump and Louis Murphy likely steps into starter’s snaps. Austin Seferian-Jenkins may see a few extra targets as well. At this point it looks like he’ll play, but it’s a tough situation to call, and the risk of re-injury is real. Hopefully we’ll find out more over the weekend.
Cardinals WR Michael Floyd (hand, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 1. Floyd is a game-time decision, though even if he does play he’s not a great start coming off of a long layoff. The matchup (vs. New Orleans) is nice. The Cardinals play late, which doesn’t help. If Floyd sits, Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown both get a bump, but Javon Brown (or possibly J.J. Nelson) will see the biggest increase in usage.
Bills WR Marquise Goodwin (ribs, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 1.
Bills WR Percy Harvin (hip, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 1. Unless OC Greg Roman uses Harvin in a variety of different ways, he’s still not a great fantasy option for the run-heavy Bills.
Falcons WR Devin Hester (toe) missed practice again Friday.
Bills WR Chris Hogan (knee, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1.
Raiders WR Andre Holmes (hand, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1.
Bears WR Alshon Jeffery (calf, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 1. Jeffery “looked pretty good at what he did” in practice, per HC John Fox. It now appears that he’s on track to play Week 1. After the Kevin White situation, the Bears are not to be trusted when it comes to injury information. If it’s a game-time decision, the Bears play early on Sunday, so that helps.
Jets WR Jeremy Kerley (concussion, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1.
Jaguars WR Marqise Lee (hamstring, doubtful) missed practice all week and is doubtful for Week 1. Allen Hurns is safe to use in larger formats, especially with Julius Thomas sidelined as well. He will continue to start as long as Lee is sidelined, maybe longer.
Browns WR Marlon Moore (rib, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1.
Dolphins WR DeVante Parker (foot, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1. Parker looks like a full go for Week 1 and he’s been reportedly looking like a “legitimate weapon” this week in practice. He may not get starter’s snaps right away, but those should come as the season wears on.
Browns WR Terrelle Pryor (hamstring) was removed from the injury report Friday after taking full practice reps Thursday. Pryor was cut by the Browns on Thursday.
Bears WR Eddie Royal (hip, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 1. HC John Fox said that he was optimistic about all three receivers, and that includes Royal. The Bears play early on Sunday.
Jets WR Devin Smith (ribs, probable) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and is probable for Week 1. Smith should be good to go on Sunday. He’ll serve as the team’s deep threat after averaging 28.2 yards per catch as a senior at Ohio State.
Cowboys WR Devin Street (ankle, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 1.
Chiefs WR DeAnthony Thomas (calf, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1.
Jaguars WR Bryan Walters (hamstring, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 1.
Bills WR Sammy Watkins (hamstring, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1. Watkins should be good to go for a bad matchup with the Colts. There is talk that Vontae Davis may shadow opposing WR1s, which would be bad news for Watkins.
Falcons WR Roddy White (elbow) took full practice reps again Friday. People are sleeping on White this year due to the elbow injury. Last year, he was a solid WR2 in both PPR (#17 PPG) and standard (#20 PPG) formats, though he missed a couple of games.
Chiefs WR Albert Wilson (shoulder, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1. He’s competing with Chris Conley for snaps opposite Jeremy Maclin.
Bears WR Marquess Wilson (hamstring, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 1. Assuming Alshon Jeffery also plays, Wilson will at best serve as Chicago’s WR3.
Bills WR Robert Woods (hip, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1.
Bills TE Charles Clay (knee, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1. Clay will play, but we’re not high on him this year due to the ground-and-pound nature of the Bills’ offense and OC Greg Roman’s poor usage of Vernon Davis while running the offense in San Francisco.
Lions TE Eric Ebron (ankle, probable) took full practice reps again Friday and is probable for Week 1. Ebron should be good to go for Week 1. Lions.com writer Tim Twentyman has consistently praised Ebron’s progress this offseason and believes that the team will start running plays for the athletic tight end.
Eagles TE Zach Ertz (groin) took limited practice reps again Friday. Ertz says he’ll be a game-time decision for Monday night. We would try to avoid using him this week, but some owners may not have that option. The Eagles play on Monday, so owners could look at Vernon Davis, Brent Celek or Jacob Tamme as potential wait-and-see options.
Chargers TE Ladarius Green (concussion, questionable) returned to take full practice reps Friday after missing practice Thursday and is questionable for Week 1. Green still has to pass through the league’s concussion protocol, but it could happen by Sunday. We should have a better idea on Saturday. Newly-signed John Phillips would get the start if Green can’t play. If Green does play, he’s a low-end TE1 option and a Sneaky Start.
Cardinals TE Jermaine Gresham (hamstring, questionable) took limited practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 1. Gresham is a game-time decision for Sunday. The Cardinals play in the late game. Owners should be looking elsewhere for their tight end needs.
Chiefs TE Demetrius Harris (foot, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce (ankle, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1. Kelce’s ankle should be fine for a Week 1 matchup against Houston. He posted 4.7 receptions for 61 yards and 0.14 TD over the final seven games of the 2014 season, and we expect him to pick up where he left off.
Jaguars TE Julius Thomas (hand, out) missed practice all week and is out for Week 1. Thomas is expected to miss a few weeks after undergoing hand surgery. Marcedes Lewis is a decent spot start in deep formats.
Raiders TE Clive Walford (knee, probable) took full practice reps all week and is probable for Week 1. Walford is not “completely up to speed,” per HC Jack Del Rio. Look for Mychal Rivera to lead the way in Week 1.
