In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need this article. I would find a different medium to share some football insights with you, because we all know that is what everyone wants and needs, but we wouldn’t have to worry about injuries. Every player would be healthy and the only decisions that would have to be made would be strictly performance and role based and we wouldn’t have to worry about reading injury reports and playing doctor. 

But here we are, so let’s do our best to make sure you have all of the necessary tools at your disposal. In our first installment of the season, we’ll play a little catch up from some of the off-season news and its impact and also take a look at some of the issues we are monitoring as we set our lineups for the first time this season. 

I do want to add the disclaimer that everything below is at a point in time and these are situations that need to be monitored leading up to lineup lock. 

Quarterbacks

At least for one week there isn’t much to see here. There was a lot of optimism surrounding Carson Wentz’s fresh start and change of scenery in Indianapolis and then he went down with a foot injury and the outlook suddenly became bleak. That all changed when Wentz returned to practice ahead of schedule and all systems are a go entering the season. The same can’t be said for his receivers, but more on that later. Wentz is going to be a more of QB2 for most of this season, so not much should change regarding his usage but there is some upside once he adjusts to his new team and has his full complement of weapons. 

Running Backs

Let’s not bury the lead here. You have every right to be concerned about Austin Ekeler after he missed practice both Wednesday and Thursday with a hamstring injury. If he is in the lineup on Sunday for the Chargers then the same should be true for your fantasy team, but at this point it is warranted to have real concerns. What happens on Friday will likely be the determining factor for Sunday but I would pivot to Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley in that order. 

The hope is that you drafted late enough to have had a draft board that excluded Travis Etienne. With the rookie now sidelined for the season, James Robinson steps right back into his role from last year and we can expect to see limited value from Carlos Hyde as the new third down back but I wouldn’t overreact to that. 

Perhaps the most scrutinized injury situation we have been watching all spring and summer is that of Saquon Barkley. New York is, rightfully so, being very cautious with their super star running back and he barely participated in full team practices this summer and was held out of pre-season games. While the Giants have been tight-lipped on his status, all systems do appear to be a go for the first-round fantasy selection as he has been eased back into practice this week. Despite the rain and slick field on Thursday, Barkley was out there for practice and we have to assume the same will be true on Sunday against Denver. We can also assume that he won’t touch the ball more than 10 to 15 times, but the Giants will likely utilize him in favorable situations and while I would avoid him for DFS purposes, Barkley still retains seasonal value and I don’t have an issue starting him depending on your alternatives. I also wouldn’t read too much into Devontae Booker’s value as he might see a usage bump while Barkley’s workload is limited. 

It’s hard to draw conclusions from overly cautious teams during the summer, but there doesn’t appear to be any limitations on D’Andre Swift from his groin injury entering the season. Depending on when you drafted, it’s possible you got a discount on Swift if there were concerns about his status but he is practicing in full leading up to Sunday’s game against San Francisco. Swift got off to a slow start in his rookie season but is primed to take the next step this season although game script might not work in his favor this week. 

Cam Akers went down early this summer which opened things up for Darrell Henderson after rushing for 624 yards and five touchdowns last year. Henderson is off the injury report from his thumb injury and per the Rams appears to be the lead back in a week in which the game script favors the running game for Los Angeles. Sony Michel will have a role, but Henderson won’t be held back by anything injury related.

I don’t even know what to say about Baltimore’s backfield as they are now without J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill for the season. That moves Ty’Son Williams into a starting role and therefore our radars. Trenton Cannon is the other running back on the roster and Le’Veon Bell and Devonta Freeman are both in the organization but, at least for this week, Williams is the running back to own. 

Clyde Edwards-Helaire practiced in full on Wednesday and there are no concerns with his ankle injury as he looks to improve upon his uneven rookie season. 

This isn’t the place to figure out the Jets’ backfield, and even still I think it will be a multi-week endeavor. Tevin Coleman is the veteran in the room, knows the system, is healthy, and is atop the depth chart so that has to count for something from a fantasy perspective. The focus though is on fourth round draft pick Michael Carter, and the rookie isn’t listed on the injury report so that does fare well for his outlook. La’Mical Perine has been limited with a foot injury and he isn’t someone I would be looking to rely on. 

Monday night games are always tough when it comes to health-related roster decisions, so it is a good sign that Josh Jacobs returned to practice on Thursday after missing the two previous days with a toe injury. Jacobs was limited so we still have to keep an eye on the situation but him being on the field is a good sign. If he is sidelined, Kenyan Drake’s role will increase but I expect him to play a sizable role regardless. 

At least for this week, there aren’t any questions relating to Chris Carson’s health as he practiced in full on Wednesday. The battle for his backup is between Rashaad Penny (limited with a calf injury) and a healthy Alex Collins and I would expect that to come into play at some point this season. 

Wide Receivers

T.Y Hilton will miss at least at least three games with a neck injury so that elevates Michael Pittman within Indianapolis’ offense. Parris Campbell also stands to benefit which makes it all the better that he practiced in full on Thursday after being limited with an Achilles injury on Wednesday. 

We won’t see Michael Thomas until Week 7 at the earliest which elevated Marquez Callaway to the top of the depth chart. The other starting spot is held by Tre’Quan Smith but after he didn’t practice on Thursday with a hamstring injury there are potential targets up for grabs in New Orleans’ offense with Deonte Harris being the potential biggest beneficiary. 

Jamison Crowder is still waiting for negative Covid-19 tests to see if he will be cleared for action on Sunday as a likely security blanket for Zach Wilson out of the slot. Corey Davis will be the number one target but if Crowder is sidelined, Elijah Moore will see a boost to his already optimistic outlook. 

After not really seeing the field this summer, it wasn’t a good sign to see a hobbled Curtis Samuel leave the field on Wednesday thanks a groin injury that he has been dealing with for some time now. He didn’t practice on Thursday and at this point it’s hard to expect him to take the field Sunday. His targets would then go to some combination of Adam Humphries and Cam Sims but I’m not sure that is a situation we should be pursuing from a fantasy perspective except as an absolute DFS flier. 

In what likely will be a common occurrence this season, A.J. Brown was held out of practice on Wednesday to manage his knee injury but he returned without issue on Thursday and I wouldn’t hold it against him. 

There is a lot of buzz this season surrounding Darnell Mooney opposite Allen Robinson for the Bears and Chicago is proceeding carefully with him. As he works through a back injury, Mooney practiced on a limited basis on Thursday and this is a situation to keep an eye but it appears he will be on the field Sunday in game that the Bears likely will be trailing in. 

After tearing his ACL last season, it is reasonable for Cleveland to be managing Odell Beckham’s workload in practice but I would look for him to play without issue on Sunday in what should be a high scoring game against the Chiefs. 

Following the departure of Sammy Watkins this off-season there is a lot off buzz surrounding Mecole Hardman, and while we can question how consistent of a performer, he will be this season, the fact that he practiced in full on Thursday should at least give you confidence for his health heading into Sunday. 

Transitioning to a new team isn’t an easy thing for a wide receiver to do, but working through a hamstring injury suffered at the beginning of Training Camp makes things even worse. He is practicing on a limited basis heading into a tough matchup against Denver on Sunday so while it looks like he will be on the field, I would look elsewhere if you have other options. 

As he is back to practicing in full after dealing with a shoulder injury, there shouldn’t be any concerns on DeVante Parker this week against New England. 

It wasn’t a good sign that Nelson Agholor missed practice on Thursday with an ankle injury so this is certainly a situation to keep an eye on. Should he be sidelined on Sunday, both Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne see a boost in expected production. 

Starting opposite Stefon Diggs could give Emmanuel Sanders some value in deeper leagues and despite being limited for the second straight day with a foot injury, he appears to be in good shape to take the field on Sunday. 

We barely saw Brandon Aiyuk this summer but fantasy owners have to feel a lot better about things after seeing him practice in full on Wednesday after being limited by a hamstring injury in the pre-season. 

The same logic also applies to Justin Jefferson and his shoulder injury as he isn’t listed on the injury report after catching 88 passes for 1,400 yards in his rookie season which has to give fantasy owners a great deal of comfort. 

Tight Ends

For one reason or another, Evan Engram perpetually frustrates fantasy owners. Dealing with a calf injury, he once again didn’t practice on Thursday and it’s hard to feel confident in his status for this Sunday. That means there will be a bigger workload for newcomer Kyle Rudolph who is working his way back from a season ending foot injury last year. Rudolph has been practicing and is in good shape to take the field Sunday. 

A popular tight end option in pre-season drafts was Irv Smith, but he is now out for the season so that brings us to Tyler Conklin who practiced in full on Thursday after previously dealing with a hamstring injury. After catching 19 passes last year in a supporting role, it’s unclear how much we can truly expect from Conklin, but the job is his. 

Noah Fant practiced in full on Thursday as he looks to start the season off a high note in building on his 62 catch, 673-yard sophomore season and there is nothing to see here from a health perspective.