Fantasy Injury News

A fresh batch of injury news is shaping Week 1 fantasy plans, with a couple of star wide receivers dealing with scares and Arizona’s running back room taking a significant hit.

Quarterbacks

Michael Penix Jr. (Falcons) continues working back from a longer-than-typical ACL recovery. He’s only recently been cleared for full 11-on-11 work and sat out the preseason finale, but he says he feels confident about being ready physically and mentally for Week 1. The coaching staff has stressed there’s no need to rush him back. Worth a check-in closer to the opener before trusting Atlanta’s passing-game weapons at full value.

Running Backs

Arizona’s backfield has gone from thin to threadbare. Rookie Jeremiyah Love is dealing with a high ankle sprain that cost him practice time and preseason reps; the team hasn’t ruled him out for Week 1, and he’s still expected to be the eventual lead back once healthy. Complicating matters, James Conner is also working back from a foot injury with no Week 1 guarantee despite the team recently extending him, and Trey Benson was waived outright this week due to a knee injury. If both Love and Conner are out for the opener, Tyler Allgeier becomes a must-add waiver priority; if only one is sidelined, the other likely handles a full workload.

Elsewhere, Alvin Kamara (Saints) is dealing with a more serious setback than expected: an MCL sprain suffered in joint practice that’s expected to cost him at least a month, meaning he’ll miss the Saints’ opener against Detroit. Kendre Miller and Devin Neal are in line for expanded roles in New Orleans, with Kamara already ticketed for a smaller role this season following the Travis Etienne signing.

Wide Receivers

The scariest moment of the week belonged to Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals), who left practice after a non-contact knee injury landing on a deep route. Early signals are encouraging: he received no sideline treatment, described it himself as a hyperextension, and indicated afterward he could have kept practicing. Nothing suggests a change to his status as fantasy’s top overall receiver, but it’s a name to watch on the injury report until Cincinnati confirms full clearance.

Puka Nacua (Rams) remains out of full team practice with a lingering psoas/groin issue that has now stretched past two weeks, though he was able to do side work recently as a sign of progress. Coach Sean McVay has framed it as a “return to performance” situation rather than a firm timeline, so his Week 1 status is worth confirming before the opener rather than assumed.

Better news in Tampa Bay, where Emeka Egbuka’s sprained toe from a joint practice appears to be a minor scare rather than a real threat to his Week 1 availability. With Mike Evans having moved on to San Francisco this offseason, Egbuka is stepping into a larger target share alongside Chris Godwin, and this injury doesn’t appear likely to slow that down.

We’ll keep monitoring these situations, along with final practice reports and inactive lists, as Week 1 approaches.