The team’s plan, per Graziano, is for Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks to split carries this season. That comes as little surprise. “If Hubbard stays healthy, he’s the one in whom they’ve built up more trust, so I’d expect him to be the one the Panthers lean on to try to grind out games when they have the lead,” Graziano said. “The split should be pretty close, but it would not be a surprise at all to get to the end of the season and see that Hubbard got the majority of the work.” Brooks on Tuesday practiced to the side while Hubbard (hamstring) practiced in full. It’s a concerning situation for those who have gone in on Brooks as Carolina’s lead back.

Graziano said the “Lions offense is going to hum this season, and Williams is the player poised to take the biggest leap.” That leap, he said, could come as Detroit coaches push Jamo “to expand his route repertoire and contribute as more than just a deep threat.” That in turn could create more short-area and intermediate opportunities and make Williams something more than a boom-bust WR3 play. Williams’ splits with and without Sam LaPorta are concerning, but he should be a high-upside swing in fantasy drafts, especially for those who fade receivers in the first couple rounds.

Graziano affirmed what every fantasy manager believes: Likely will probably be the team’s WR2 behind Malik Nabers this season. New York coaches, according to Graziano, “love the way he has embraced and evolved his relationship with Jaxson Dart since he has been in New York. Likely is a regular visitor to the quarterback room, and the connection he has formed with Dart on and off the field could pay major dividends.” Graziano said Likely could be Dart’s top option if Nabers needs time to get back to full speed as he recovers from his 2025 ACL injury. Likely profiles as an easy click for fantasy drafters who forgo the game’s elite tight ends.

This, according to Rapoport, comes after “two positive days” of practice for the veteran tight end, coming off a late-season Achilles injury. Kittle is “trending in the right direction” to play against the Rams in the first game of the NFL season, and the first-ever game in Australia. It’s possible the 49ers will have a pitch count for Kittle coming into the season. If he suits up against the Rams, Kittle will be a risky low-end TE1 option in 12-team leagues. He had nine catches for 84 yards and a touchdown in his only game against LA in 2025.

Well, yes, we will see. The Raiders haven’t really given much of an indication from the inside on when Jeanty will return, but he wasn’t placed on injured reserve on cutdown day (he can still be placed there before the start of Week 1) and so long as it the location of his ankle sprain remains low and not high, we’re generally optimistic that Jeanty can make it back in the first month of the season.

We haven’t had much in the way of contract beefs this offseason, but Porter Jr. seems ready to make up for lost time here. The Steelers CB spent most of training camp on the active/PUP list with a “back injury.” It seems like there’s at least a real chance he skips out on Week 1 to prove a point if he isn’t paid.

There’s really no reason for Stroud to want to negotiate off last year’s end-of-season performance, so we’re not stunned that there’s been no extension. It does sound like the Texans are at least laying the groundwork for next offseason. The general NFL expectation has been that Stroud will go into the year without an extension. The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Alexander reported that league sources believe the Texans and Stroud’s camp “are not far off on what they think Stroud’s contract terms should look like and how much he should be paid per year.”

We’re not sure what Brooks is dealing with but his practice status will be something to monitor in the coming days. Chuba Hubbard, meanwhile, is practicing in full after missing weeks with a hamstring issue. Brooks headed into 2026 with a chance to be the Panthers’ lead back after fighting back through a series of catastrophic injuries. Carolina’s backfield could prove frustrating for fantasy purposes this season.

Evans’ Week 1 status is starting to look iffy after missing most of the past few weeks with various injuries. Entering his age-33 season, Evans will need to log at least a couple practices next week if he’s going to suit up against the Rams in the season opener. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said Evans is “ahead of schedule doing good. But we know with Mike and where he is at in his career, we’ll definitely have to treat him differently.” An Evans absence would be a marked boost for De’Zhaun Stribling and perhaps Deebo Samuel. Evans will be a name to watch in the coming days.

Warren is recovering from an apparently minor groin injury. By all accounts he should be a full go for Week 1. Warren last season was top three among tight ends in targets per route run and first-read target rate in the balanced Colts offense. He’ll offer a sturdy weekly floor and could lead the team in targets in 2026 if he stays healthy.