The Chicago Tribune’s Sean Hammond made it clear that this was the first of many steps toward a full return for Burden, but it’s still a good sign that he’s back on the field. With more than two weeks until the Bears’ first game of the season, Burden appears to be on track to play in Week 1. Burden has been going outside the top 20 wide receivers in Best Ball drafts following the injury. That buying window is likely to close as long as he doesn’t suffer any setbacks. Burden remains a high-risk, high-reward WR2 bet.

Beat writers for the Commanders were aghast at what they saw during Wednesday’s joint practice, a dominant performance for Baltimore against an overmatched Washington offensive line. This is the worst I’ve ever seen the Commanders’ offense in years,” Jhabvala said. “Inoperable offensive line.” Washington this summer lost standout LT Laremy Tunsil to a tricep injury that will keep him sidelined throughout the regular season. The Commanders on Tuesday signed free agent OT DJ Humphries. If the team’s blocking issues are not adequately addressed in the coming weeks, it could be bad news for Jayden Daniels and the rest of the Commanders’ fantasy-relevant players. Last year Washington ranked 18th in pass blocking win rate and 21st in run blocking win rate.

“We’ve obviously been preparing for that in case that happens,” Gutekunst said when asked about Jacobs, who in May was arrested on domestic abuse charges. “But at the same time, I feel really good about the guys we have in that room.” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said in August that the league would likely suspend Jacobs, though the length of the suspension had yet to be determined. MarShawn Lloyd would likely function as Green Bay’s lead back if Jacobs — who’s dealing with a lingering groin issue — misses regular season games. The oft-injured Lloyd has stayed healthy this offseason and has reportedly run well in training camp and joint practices. In last week’s preseason game against Denver, Lloyd played on 5-of-7 snaps during the first drive with the team’s starters.

Reich has reportedly added wrinkles to the offense he deployed as head coach of the Colts and Panthers. At both of those stops his offenses were near the bottom of the league in most basic offensive metrics. Smith, meanwhile, has looked sharp as the team’s starting quarterback throughout training camp and in limited preseason snaps. He’ll look to bounce back from a nightmarish statistical 2025 season in Vegas. Jets players, including Garrett Wilson, told The Athletic that they have enjoyed the “player empowerment” that comes along with Reich’s coaching style and his offensive scheming, which leaves room for improvisation. The Jets offense could be functional as long as Smith, 35, is healthy and upright.

It looks like the Packers are ready to ease Kraft back into competition following the serious knee injury that ended his 2025 season. Kraft said recently that the team would “probably” keep him on a snap count to begin the regular season. That would make Kraft — one of the game’s most efficient tight ends — a dicy bet for fantasy purposes. Kraft might not be playable for the first month of the regular season, or even longer depending on his progress and the Packers’ strategies for keeping him healthy.

Schefter said Bain, the 15th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, should be ready to go for Week 1 against the Bengals. Bain has wowed Bucs coaches and beat writers throughout the summer with his work ethic and intensity and should be a key part of a Tampa defense that struggled through parts of the 2025 season, allowing the league’s 11th highest offensive success rate. The Bucs ranked last in QB pressure rate last season. That should change with Bain in the lineup.

Rarely do you see a national reporter talk about a quarterback in these kinds of black-and-white terms as far as how well they’re playing, so it’s an alarming sign for Tagovailoa’s fantasy value. “Not just in the preseason game, but it sounds like practice as well,” Rapoport says while adding that this is “Michael Penix’s job for the taking.” Superflex fantasy managers wishing to speculate on the Falcons quarterback job would probably be best served pivoting to Penix at the moment.

Coen, per Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley, “indicated they willplay it safe with BTJ,” meaning the team could be without Thomas and Jakobi Meyers (hand) for tomorrow’s joint practice. The Jags have dealt with a string of wideout injuries over the past couple weeks, including Parker Washington dealing with an undisclosed injury. If Thomas is 100 percent healthy for Week 1 against the Browns, he should profile as a high-variance WR3 option in 12-team formats.

Pierce, who’s been sidelined since undergoing ankle surgery in the spring following the signing of his contract extension with the Colts, will practice this week barring any setbacks, Steichen said. It’s good news for Pierce’s Week 1 availability after the team’s de facto WR1 missed training camp while recovering from the ankle issue. Pierce is expected to see more intermediate targets this season after operating strictly as a field stretcher over the past few seasons. Piece in 2025 led the league in air yards per game; his 44 percent air yards share ranked fourth among receivers. Pierce profiles as a somewhat sneaky fantasy selection after his ADP has steadily sunk over the past month.

Three weeks ahead of the opening of the regular season, Stefanski seems no closer to naming a starting QB than he was at the start of training camp. Michael Penix, recovering from a 2025 ACL injury, made his return to 11-on-11 practice Monday while Tua Tagovailoa continued to struggled. “I can’t speculate on those types of things,” Stefanski said. “I want to really stay in today with Mike and see how he does in practice. I really have to stay in the moment with this one. Let’s see how he feels after today.” Penix on Monday completed four of his eight pass attempts in 11-on-11 drills while facing “simulated pressure.” Two of his passes came up “noticeably short,” per The Athletic’s Josh Kendall.