Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will face off against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 in the first international game of the season, being held in Brazil. The 26-year-old did not see a single snap in the preseason but has plenty of hope surrounding him after last year's late season collapse in Philadelphia. New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore should help solve some of the issues the offense had with being bland and mundane, and the addition of Saquon Barkley at running back makes the offense nearly impossible to gameplan against. The Packers defense ranked top 10 in passing defense by the end of last season but struggled against the run and defending rushing quarterbacks. In what should be a tightly contested game between two playoff hopefuls, Hurts should be considered a top three option during the opening week of the regular season.

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Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will head to Brazil in Week 1 to take on the Green Bay Packers on Friday night. The former New York Giants back did not play a single snap in the preseason and should be a full strength after missing some practice time a few weeks ago due to a back injury. The Eagles offensive line is the best Barkley has ever had in his career by a wide margin and his first matchup against the Packers is on he can make a strong statement in to open the regular season. Green Bay gave up the fifth-most rushing yards in 2023 and did much better at defending the pass. Philadelphia is ready to unleash their highly paid free agent acquisition and fantasy managers should consider him a solid RB1 heading into Friday night.

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Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown will face off against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil on Friday for the team's regular season opener. The 27-year-old signed a three-year contract worth $96 million this past offseason and heads into the regular season as a fringe top five fantasy WR. While Brown shares the field with standout WR2 DeVonta Smith and now has even more competition with the acquisition of former Washington wide receiver Jahan Dotson, there is no doubt that the dominant top receiver for Philadelphia is a fantasy force and will have plenty of big games in 2024. He should see a heavy dose of Jaire Alexander in Week 1, but fantasy managers should still consider Brown a WR1 even with a tough matchup Friday night.

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Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (hamstring) is dealing with a hamstring injury and will be limited at practice on Wednesday, according to head coach Raheem Morris. It's not what fantasy managers that drafted Pitts want to see, but it would still be somewhat of a surprise if he's unable to play in the Week 1 regular-season opener this Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 23-year-old has an opportunity to break out in 2024 as a high-end TE1 this year in fantasy with quarterback Kirk Cousins now leading the offense, but he's going to need to stay healthy to do so. If for some reason Pitts is limited in Week 1, it's unlikely that either Charlie Woerner or Ross Dwelley would be worth a look as a streaming option to kick off the season. Check back on Pitts' status later this week, but unless something changes, he should be in starting lineups in fantasy in Week 1.

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Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith will head to Brazil in Week 1 to face off against the Green Bay Packers on Friday night. The 25-year-old signed a three-year, $75 million extension this past offseason and had rave reviews coming out of training camp. While he did not touch the field in the preseason, none of the Eagles starters did either, and Smith is entering his prime. The addition of Jahan Dotson in a trade from the division rival Commanders may add another mouth to feed but makes Smith that much tougher to cover with the like of A.J. Brown on the other side of the field and running back Saquon Barkley needing to be accounted for. The Eagles No. 2 receiver should be considered a high-end WR2 most weeks including the regular season opener against the Packers.

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Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jahan Dotson will face off against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil to open the regular season on Friday. The former Washington Commander was traded to the Eagles two weeks ago as the team was making its final roster transactions before the regular season, giving Philadelphia one of the strongest receiver trios in the league. With that said, Dotson does not hold a ton of fantasy value in redraft leagues heading into Week 1. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has never supported three fantasy relevant wide receivers in the past and while the addition of Dotson makes the offense even tougher to stop, the target share and overall involvement for the 24-year-old is not expected to make him a fantasy asset on a weekly basis. If anything were to happen to A.J. Brown of DeVonta Smith, Dotson will be a hot waiver addition, but until then he is little more than an emergency bench stash or can be left on the waiver wire. He is not a recommended fantasy option in Week 1 against the Packers.

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Detroit Lions DT D.J. Reader (quadriceps) has a chance to play in Week 1, head coach Dan Campbell revealed on Wednesday, Sept. 4.

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The New York Jets agreed to terms on a three-year $30.75 million contract extension with defensive back Michael Carter II on Tuesday, making him the highest-paid slot corner in the NFL. The deal is worth up to $33 million with slightly more than $19 million in total guarantees. Carter is the Jets' nickelback and has been an important member of the defense over the last three seasons. Carter did not record an interception in 2023, but he did manage 50 total tackles and nine passes defensed. Carter's extension keeps an excellent Jets defensive core intact. The Jets' team defense should be a hot commodity in fantasy football in 2024.

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward signed a three-year, $45 million contract extension on Tuesday. Heyward is one of the Steelers' best defensive players. Keeping Heyward happy is extremely important to their success. He will help to anchor the Steelers D/ST in fantasy football in 2024. Additionally, Heyward and the rest of the Steelers' defense will help take pressure off the offense and allow an easier path to success for wide receiver George Pickens and running backs Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris in fantasy.

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll is set to call offensive plays in 2024. Daboll had relinquished the job to offensive coordinator Mike Kafka when he was hired as head coach in 2022. This could be good news for Malik Nabers managers. Daboll cut his teeth calling plays as the offensive coordinator for quarterback Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Daboll was the author of high-powered offenses in Buffalo. Those offenses featured fantasy excellence from Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs. The Giants do not have much in the way of offensive weapons. Expect Daboll to call Nabers' number early and often.

Free agent wide receiver Kadarius Toney completed his visit with the Seahawks and did not leave with a contract according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Fowler reports that Toney will likely take at least one more visit as he weighs his free agency options. Toney had 27 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown last season for the Chiefs. The former first-round pick out of Florida will look to catch on with a team soon after he was released by Kansas City this offseason.

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Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Devin White has been ruled out for Friday night's opener against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil with an ankle injury. White joined the Eagles from Tampa Bay this season after making the Pro Bowl for the Buccaneers in 2022. He is expected to have a big role this year in Philadelphia as a middle linebacker but will have to wait until Week 2 at the earliest for his Eagles debut.

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Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II has signed a four-year, $96 million extension with $77.5 million guaranteed, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The new deal makes Surtain the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history. The two-time Pro Bowl corner saw his contract negotiated by Tory Dandy of CAA. Surtain was the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Alabama. He was first-team All-Pro in 2022 and has seven interceptions in his three-year NFL career.

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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase could need to practice on Wednesday in order to play on Sunday according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic. Chase is still without a new deal as of Wednesday morning and today is a big day in the contract negotiations in relation to Chase's availability for Week 1 according to Russini's report. Chase is a long-time Bengal and has a long-standing connection with Joe Burrow so he could get by with less practice time than others, but Russini believes a Wednesday practice could be a key sign whether or not Chase will be on the field for the Bengals against the Patriots on Sunday. Chase would be locked and loaded as a WR1 in fantasy any time he is on the field.

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Houston Texans backup quarterback Davis Mills has signed a one-year contract extension according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The deal features $5 million per year in new money and keeps Mills with the Texans through 2025. There are also playing time incentives written into the contract extension. The 2021 third-round pick is locked in as the backup to C.J. Stroud and the new extension provides a bit of job security in the near future. This shouldn't have fantasy implications unless something were to happen to Stroud.

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Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner is the 'bell cow in that (running back) room,' according to offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.

Fantasy Spin: In case some of Trey Benson's biggest supporters needed to hear it from the play-caller himself. It is not a fantasy football season unless Conner is underrated. This year, managers have been hesitant to invest too much into Conner for two reasons: 1) a potential challenge from Benson and 2) the 29-year-old's durability issues. Conner managers should not hesitate to pick up Benson whenever and wherever possible, but it seems as though the rookie's value in 2024 will be mostly as a handcuff. It should also be noted that Conner was the highest-scoring non-quarterback in fantasy from Weeks 13-18, which is about the same time Kyler Murray started to look comfortable with his knee following his recovery from a torn ACL.

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Houston Texans RB Joe Mixon (quad) 'displayed explosiveness during a (recent) joint practice session against the Los Angeles Rams and appears to be fully recovered from the quad injury that caused him to miss the majority of the preseason, according to KPRC's Aaron Wilson. 'Joe will be doing what he's done his entire career. I don't think you'll see anything different. He's a strong, physical back. He's going to get yards. So, I'm excited about seeing Joe run the ball behind our offensive line,' head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

Fantasy Spin: Mixon was not an efficient back in Cincinnati despite the Bengals' ridiculous talent in the passing game, but the 28-year-old will get another crack to anchor a ground game attached to a dynamic passing attack. Ryans' comments would suggest he will get his usual 300-plus touches, which will be enough to keep him firmly in the high-end RB2 conversation at worst.

From TheHuddle

Indianapolis Colts wide receivers Adonai Mitchell and Alec Pierce will both have roles on offense this season, according to JJ Stankevitz of the team's official website. He noted that Mitchell has displayed impressive size, speed, and athleticism while getting extra reps in the slot with Josh Downs (ankle) sidelined. Meanwhile, Pierce has earned plenty of high praise from the coaching staff after consistently making plays on short, intermediate, and deep passes. Head coach Shane Steichen mentioned that he hopes Pierce's consistency will continue into the regular season while general manager Chris Ballard said that the receiver had his best camp yet. These two pass-catchers won't be able to touch Michael Pittman Jr. on the depth chart, but it sounds like they'll both still get involved as early as Week 1. However, with a little bit of competition and some lingering questions about Anthony Richardson's passing upside, it's best to hold off on pursuing Mitchell or Pierce in fantasy football for now.

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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told the media that he "can't say enough" about the consistency exhibited by wide receivers Van Jefferson and Scotty Miller this summer. Both receivers were new additions this offseason and appear to have earned some praise from the coaching staff. Jefferson caught 20 passes for 209 yards last year while Miller tallied 11 catches, 161 yards, and a pair of touchdowns. It's unclear exactly what role they will have in 2024, but Tomlin's praise gives them some extra credibility and favor as the Steelers sort through their depth behind George Pickens. With that said, they can both be avoided in fantasy football for the time being.

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Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (quadriceps) is fully healthy, according to KPRC's Aaron Wilson. Mixon reportedly dealt with an undisclosed issue throughout the preseason, which we now know was a quadricep injury. He didn't suit up for any of the Texans' preseason games, but that may have been a result of his veteran status rather than any real injury concerns. Regardless, we now know that Mixon is fully healthy and should not have any limitations when he makes his Texans debut against the Colts on Sunday. The veteran appeared in all 17 games for the Bengals last season, registering 1,034 rushing yards, 376 receiving yards, and 12 total touchdowns. If he can continue to produce at this pace, he'll be a low-end RB1 in fantasy football this year.

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