The Green Bay Packers defense/special teams unit heads to Brazil to match up with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Packers do feature a solid D/ST unit overall, but against the Eagles' strong offense with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, and others, Green Bay should be left on the bench or on waivers for Week 1. Under the direction of former Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley, the Packers have added to their inside linebacker unit by drafting Edgerrin Cooper in the second round and revamping their safety unit as they brought in former Giant Xavier McKinney and rookie second-rounder Javon Bullard. Add in continued health from Eric Stokes, and Jaire Alexander, plus a formidable pass rush that features Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, and Kenny Clark, and the Packers look like a sleeper defensive/special teams unit for 2024, but one we should err on the side of caution against a potent Eagles defense in Week 1.

From RotoBaller

The Carolina Panthers signed rookie running back Dillon Johnson to the practice squad on Thursday, according to NFL.com. Johnson went unselected in the 2024 NFL Draft following a stellar season at Washington. While playing in a loaded offense featuring Michael Penix Jr., Rome Odunze, Ja'Lynn Polk, and Jalen McMillan, Johnson rushed 233 times for 1,195 yards and 16 touchdowns in 14 games last season. He spent time with the Tennessee Titans this offseason before being let go on July 25. He was signed by Carolina on July 31 but waived on August 19. Carolina won't have Jonathon Brooks (knee) for at least the first four games of the season, and with Miles Sanders (finger) banged up, Johnson adds depth to the practice squad. For now, he's nowhere near the fantasy football radar.

From RotoBaller

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will square up against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the team's home opener this Sunday and hopes to begin the year hot as he has the prior two seasons. Tagovailoa began 2022 with a 469-yard six-touchdown performance in Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens and tossed 466 yards and three scores in Week 1 last season against the Los Angeles Chargers. Jacksonville's defense was a stout unit on the ground in 2023, allowing the ninth-fewest rushing yards in the league. However, they were much more porous through the air as opponents threw for the seventh-most yards (4,076) and touchdowns (27) against the unit. Look for Mike McDaniel to cook up some innovative play designs to scheme a few wide-open looks for the fifth-year QB. The Alabama product is a back-end QB1 (QB12) in RotoBaller's Week 1 rankings.

From RotoBaller

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson is the healthiest he's been in a while as the Packers travel south to Brazil to face the Philadelphia Eagles in their Week 1 season opener. Watson's lower-leg injuries have dominated the offseason when talking about the third-year pro from North Dakota St., but those seem to be mostly rectified as testing found Watson had a muscle imbalance in his legs which likely contributed to his constant hamstring issues. Watson participated in every practice during training camp, so he's ready to build off of his first two seasons where he's averaged seven touchdowns and an efficient 1.91 yards per route run combined. Watson does have a lot of competition within his wide receiver room with Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks itching for coveted playing time, but consider Watson a low-end WR3 or solid flex option that can make a fantasy week with a long touchdown against the Eagles and Vic Fangio's two-deep shell defense.

From RotoBaller

Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave was the clear leader in the tight end room last season until he suffered a kidney laceration that put him on the shelf until Week 18. Whether Musgrave can retain that heavy snap and route utilization in Week 1 remains to be seen, but this week, Musgrave is more of a streaming option at tight end than a locked-in starter for fantasy purposes. Musgrave was just TE22 in fantasy points per game from Weeks 1-10 last season and he wasn't super useful in fantasy with just two weeks as a TE1. Tucker Kraft (back) may miss Week 1 for the Packers, leaving Musgrave as the lone realistic option for the Packers to run the majority of routes. Even then, the expectations for Musgrave should be tempered against an Eagles team that will keep opposing offenses in front of them with Vic Fangio's two-deep shell.

From RotoBaller

Green Bay Packers kicker Brayden Narveson will put on a Packers uniform for the first time in a very unique way: playing in a regular season opener in Brazil against the Philadelphia Eagles. Narveson spent his preseason with the Tennessee Titans and was released a little over a week ago after losing the kicking competition to veteran Nick Folk. When the Packers' kicking job was still unsettled after the preseason, Narveson was scooped up by the Packers as the team released both second-year kicker Anders Carlson and veteran Greg Joseph. Now the Packers' kicker heading into Week 1, Narveson has a short leash but a booming leg that could help him when the weather turns cold. As a career 78% field goal kicker in college with Iowa State, Western Kentucky, and N.C. State, Narveson should have some solid opportunity in the early going with the Packers but is probably more of a wait-and-see fantasy kicker in Week 1. If he comes out of the gates strong, he's worth a speculative add.

From RotoBaller

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is a strong fantasy start in your quarterback slot as Love and the Packers head to Brazil to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Friday's Week 1 opener. Love ended the 2023 season incredibly strong as the QB4 from Week 11 to the end of the season as the Packers made the playoffs and scored a win over the Cowboys in the wild-card round. They will face an Eagles team in transition on defense as they will have Vic Fangio coordinating their defense this season. While the Eagles last season were one of the worst teams against the pass, one would assume a sizable improvement for the Eagles' defense is coming under Fangio, who has been one of the more respected defensive coaches in getting the most out of his players. Still, Love should be able to use his deep pool of wide receivers, tight ends, and running back Josh Jacobs to put up solid numbers as a low-end QB1 this week.

From RotoBaller

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs should be considered a solid RB2 in his matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday evening. Jacobs came over from the Raiders after five up-and-down seasons, with his best season coming in 2022. Finishing as RB3 that season, Jacobs put up over 1,600 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in a breakout season, but last season saw Jacobs return to his inefficient ways. Heading to a Packers' offense that is rising with Jordan Love and a bunch of young receivers, Jacobs is expected to carry quite a bit of the rushing workload this season, though he will split some time with rookie MarShawn Lloyd and Emanuel Wilson. Against the Eagles' solid run defense that limited opposing backs to the sixth-lowest yards after contact per attempt last season, Jacobs should be able to put up a usable fantasy stat line predicated by volume in Week 1.

From RotoBaller

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed looks to build off of his exciting and productive rookie campaign as the Packers travel south to Brazil to face the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday. Reed comes off of a stellar rookie season where he up 10 total touchdowns, 90 targets, and 64 receptions for 793 receiving yards and should improve upon those numbers in his second year with the green and gold. As the primary slot man seeing almost 76% of snaps there last season, Reed may come off the field a little more than we'd like when the formation condenses, but his efficiency was excellent last season with a 2.05 yards per route run. Against the Eagles in Week 1, Reed should have a tougher time than last year's slot receivers did, as the Eagles reinforced their nickel back situation with rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Still, Reed is a low-end WR3 in your fantasy lineups and has all the upside in the world for the Packers in this week's matchup.

From RotoBaller

Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said that he's "hopeful" that cornerback Jalen Ramsey (calf) will be able to play in the Week 1 matchup on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars. Ramsey has yet to practice with the team this week and has been sidelined since Aug. 12 with his calf injury, so the odds aren't good that the veteran cornerback will be able to play this weekend unless he returns to practice on Friday. The Dolphins face off against the division-rival Buffalo Bills on a short week next Thursday, too, which will most likely very much play into the team's decision to play Ramsey this weekend. Miami's secondary will be much more vulnerable against Trevor Lawrence and company if Ramsey isn't active this Sunday, and it could force rookie corner Storm Duck into meaningful snaps right away.

From RotoBaller

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs (hand) travels to Brazil as the team is set to square off with the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday. For Week 1, Doubs is nursing a hand injury and was limited Tuesday as well as on Wednesday's projected injury report as that is the team's travel day to Brazil. In terms of fantasy, Doubs is a low-end flex option where you're hoping he gets into the end zone. 2023 saw Doubs run the most routes on the team but was pretty inefficient with those routes, with the lowest yards per route run and targets per route run of the quartet of Doubs, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks last season. The same target competition exists in 2024 and Doubs has as much of a chance as anybody in this Packers' offense to lead the team in receiving, as evidenced by his postseason where he put up 10 receptions, 234 yards, and a touchdown in two playoff games.

From RotoBaller

Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz said during a press conference on Thursday that the team thinks it will be a near 50-50 split in the backfield between running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears this year. Holz goes on to say that the Titans have some plays earmarked specifically for Pollard or Spears, but the rest of them are interchangeable. We'll get a better look at Tennessee's new backfield combination on Sunday in Week 1 at Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears, but it sounds as though the Titans feel that Pollard and Spears are interchangeable and are basically co-starters to begin the 2024 season. Pollard failed to impress in a lead-back role in Dallas in 2023, and it doesn't look like he's going to have a leg up on backfield touches over Spears in his first year in Tennessee. To open the regular season, both RBs should be considered more of RB3/flex plays.

From RotoBaller

Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Gay (hernia) missed his second straight day of practice on Thursday after recently undergoing surgery for a sports hernia. The fact that Gay has yet to practice so far this week is a sign that he's not going to be available to kick in the Week 1 regular-season opener this Sunday against the division-rival Houston Texas, so fantasy managers that were planning on using him as a low-end fantasy kicking option to kick off the year should begin to start searching for a streaming replacement. Rookie Spencer Shrader will most likely be called up from the practice squad later this week if Gay is officially ruled out, but fantasy managers should look to avoid the unproven kicker if he makes his first NFL start against the Texans.

From RotoBaller

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (ankle) said he ran some routes on Wednesday and calls himself "real close" to returning. Downs isn't ruling himself out for Sunday's Week 1 regular-season opener against the division-rival Houston Texans despite suffering a high-ankle sprain in training camp. The 23-year-old didn't practice on Wednesday and wasn't seen on the practice field on Thursday, so he'll need to at least be limited on Friday to have a shot at suiting up this weekend. As of right now, he looks to be on the wrong side of questionable, so fantasy managers in deeper leagues should be looking in another direction if they were planning on using Downs in their starting lineups. If Downs misses the season opener on Sunday, rookie Adonai Mitchell and Alec Pierce will be more intriguing DFS plays as starting wideouts alongside WR1 Michael Pittman Jr.

From RotoBaller

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters on Thursday that pass-rusher Haason Reddick has not yet shown up as he continues his contract holdout. Saleh stopped short of ruling Reddick out for the team's Week 1 contest on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers, but each passing day that he remains absent makes it less likely. The 29-year-old edge rusher still has one year left on his current deal but is seeking a new long-term deal from the Jets after they acquired him from the Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason. The former first-rounder by the Arizona Cardinals in 2017 has been a Pro Bowler each of the last two seasons and has had double-digit sacks in each of his last four campaigns. If Reddick eventually reports to the Jets, the talented pass-rusher will make an already strong Jets defense even that much better.

From RotoBaller

Buffalo Bills second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid is one to watch in 2024 as a player that analysts are expecting to emerge as a star playmaker for the team with receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis no longer in town. "If I were trying to pinpoint somebody that I thought was the most talented player in that group, and the guy that did have a chance to become the most important player in that pecking order, he's probably the one that I would go with," The Athletic's Robert Mays said. Kincaid's depth of target increased from six yards to nine yards when offensive coordinator Joe Brady took over in the second half last year. The 24-year-old could be quarterback Josh Allen's most trusted weapon in the passing game now, giving him upside to be a high-end TE1 in fantasy in just his second year in the league in 2024.

From RotoBaller

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler writes that the Minnesota Vikings are loosely targeting a return around Week 7 for injured tight end T.J. Hockenson (knee), who is still recovering from a torn ACL and MCL that he suffered late last year. Hockenson has opened the 2024 season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, as expected, meaning he has to sit out at least the first four games of the season. Fantasy managers expecting Hockenson to be full-go by Week 5 should think again, though. The 27-year-old should be stashed in an IR spot in all fantasy leagues, but it's more likely we won't see him make his season debut until around the midway point, and when he does return, he could be eased back in. Until Hockenson is able to return as the Vikings' top pass-catcher, Johnny Mundt and Josh Oliver are expected to share tight-end duties in Minnesota.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (foot), who practiced in full on Wednesday, will be added to the Week 1 injury report on Thursday after the Chargers said they were advised to do so by the league. According to the Chargers, nothing has changed since Herbert practiced on Wednesday, other than getting guidance from the NFL. Herbert says he's feeling 100% despite missing several weeks in training camp with a plantar-fascia injury. Even though the 26-year-old is being placed on the injury report, it shouldn't mean much in terms of his health for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sunday against the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders at Sofi Stadium. The biggest knock on Herbert's fantasy value entering 2024 campaign is that he's in a run-first offense now and lost his favorite weapons from the past several seasons. He'll be a clear QB2 in fantasy in Week 1 against the Raiders.

From RotoBaller

Kansas City Chiefs running back Samaje Perine is expected to fill the void left behind by Jerick McKinnon's departure, head coach Andy Reid said. Specifically, this means that Perine will primarily get involved as a pass-catcher and blocker. Reid also noted that Perine is an intelligent player who runs well. Last year, the veteran running back tallied 238 rushing yards, 455 receiving yards, and one touchdown. Given that he is a trusted pass-catcher in one of the NFL's best offenses, Perine could sneak into the RB3/FLEX tier in PPR leagues this year. However, he can be left on the bench in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams denied reports that he wasn't happy. 'If I were (unhappy), I wouldn't be here right now,' Adams said.

Fantasy Spin: He'll be 32 before the end of the season and still had 103 catches last year. He wound up being the WR10 and will have QB questions again this season. He's still a very consistent, safe WR1 option, but his big-game potential is dwindling.

From TheHuddle