Posted September 9, 2026 at 8:07 AM ET

Week 1 finally kicks off tonight, and the two biggest fantasy questions of the morning both have real answers. TreVeyon Henderson has been officially ruled out for the Patriots’ season opener in Seattle, handing the backfield to Rhamondre Stevenson, while Patrick Mahomes has been confirmed to start Monday night against Denver in his return from last December’s torn ACL and LCL. Add in a couple of Sunday-slate receivers and a tight end trending the wrong direction, and it’s a full slate of real decisions before the games actually start.

Week 1 Status At a Glance

Player	Team / Pos	Status	Fantasy Move
TreVeyon Henderson	Patriots RB	🔴 Out	Bench for tonight; he’s not an option in Seattle
Rhamondre Stevenson	Patriots RB	🟢 Likely	Start as this week’s lead back with Henderson down
Patrick Mahomes	Chiefs QB	🟢 Likely	Start with confidence in Monday’s opener vs. Denver
Malik Nabers	Giants WR	🟡 Questionable	Start as a WR2 if he’s active pregame Sunday night
Rome Odunze	Bears WR	🟡 Questionable	Flex play with upside; line up a bench-eligible backup
Sam LaPorta	Lions TE	🟡 Questionable	Start him, but check Sunday’s inactive list first

🟢 Likely = trending toward playing a full workload · 🟡 Questionable = genuinely uncertain, worth a pregame check · 🔴 Out = not playing, plan around them now.

Running Backs

🔴 Out — TreVeyon Henderson (Patriots): Henderson is officially out for tonight’s opener against Seattle after missing every practice of Week 1 with an ankle injury first suffered August 24, when he slipped on wet grass. New England has never specified the exact diagnosis beyond “ankle,” and beat reporters covering the team have noted the club hasn’t confirmed whether it’s a lateral sprain, a high-ankle sprain, or something else. Either way, the absence is now confirmed rather than probable. Fantasy Action: Bench him in every format tonight — this is a confirmed miss, not a game-time watch.

🟢 Likely — Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots): With Henderson sidelined, head coach Mike Vrabel has pointed to Stevenson as the early-down and likely goal-line back, praising his consistency through camp. Corey Kiner and a practice-squad elevation (Hassan Haskins or Lan Larison) round out the depth chart behind him, but neither figures to cut meaningfully into Stevenson’s workload in Week 1. Fantasy Action: Plug Stevenson in as a low-end RB2 tonight — the lead-back role is his outright with Henderson out.

Quarterbacks

🟢 Likely — Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs): Andy Reid confirmed Tuesday that Mahomes will start Monday night’s opener against Denver “barring a setback,” capping his recovery from the torn ACL and LCL he suffered in Week 15 last season. He had surgery the next day, was throwing again roughly 100 days later, and has taken every rep available to him since being fully cleared in late July. Fantasy Action: Start Mahomes as a high-ceiling QB1 in Monday’s late window — there’s no snap-count asterisk attached to this one.

Wide Receivers

🟡 Questionable — Malik Nabers (Giants): Nabers, working back from his own ACL tear from last season, sat out the preseason as a precaution but has practiced fully through camp. ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported Tuesday that “it sounds like Malik Nabers is going to be good to go” for Sunday night’s opener against Dallas, though the Giants haven’t yet attached an official questionable or doubtful tag to make it final. Fantasy Action: Pencil him in as a low-end WR1, but give the injury report a final look Sunday afternoon before locking your lineup.

🟡 Questionable — Rome Odunze (Bears): Odunze sat out Tuesday’s practice with a leg issue the team is calling “more day-to-day” rather than serious, and he’s said to remain hopeful about suiting up Sunday. It’s the second straight week his practice participation has been up and down, so this bears watching rather than assuming a clean bill of health. Fantasy Action: Keep him as a flex play with upside, but have a bench-eligible Bears receiver ready in case Friday’s report trends the wrong way.

Tight Ends

🟡 Questionable — Sam LaPorta (Lions): LaPorta returned to practice this week after aggravating a hip issue, and while Detroit hasn’t ruled him out, there’s real talk of the team managing his workload in Week 1 rather than turning him loose for a full route count. Fantasy Action: Start him if he’s active, but temper expectations for a reduced-snap outing and have a streaming option ready as a hedge.

The biggest remaining swing factor is simple: tonight is the first time this season a “trending toward playing” tag actually gets tested against a real game. Watch how the Patriots use Stevenson and the backup mix behind him, and keep an eye on Friday’s practice reports for Nabers, Odunze and LaPorta before the Sunday slate locks. For the full current status on every player we’re tracking, see the full Week 1 injury report.

Sources

• Patriots.com: Injury Report Analysis — TreVeyon Henderson ruled out for season opener
• Boston.com: TreVeyon Henderson to miss Patriots’ season opener due to injury
• Yahoo Sports: Patriots open 2026 NFL season against Seahawks in Super Bowl rematch
• Heavy.com: Andy Reid officially confirms Patrick Mahomes’ Week 1 status
• AtoZ Sports: Latest intel on Malik Nabers’ availability for the Giants’ season opener
• RotoWire: NFL injury news wire
• FantasyPros: Fantasy Football Injury Report & Updates (2026)