With input from Tom Brady, head coach Klint Kubiak will put the 38-year-old Cousins under center for the season opener against the Dolphins. Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, will serve as Cousins’ backup. How long this arrangement will last is anyone’s guess. A good start to the regular season could delay Mendoza’s first NFL start for a couple months but he’s almost certain to take over as the Vegas starter at some point in 2026. Mendoza should be stashed in most superflex formats and Cousins profiles as a decent QB2 in such formats for Week 1.

Kubiak smiled and said “yes” when asked if he thinks Jeanty will suit up for the season opener against Miami. Jeanty has been absent from practice since suffering an ankle sprain a week and a half ago, and the Raiders have danced around offering firm updates about Jeanty’s progress. If Jeanty doesn’t practice in full by next week he should be considered a real game-time call for Kubiak and the Raiders. Mike Washington, meanwhile, should be stashed in all fantasy leagues in case Jeanty is sidelined for a game or two.

Brooks has now worked to the side in two straight practices and Panthers coaches are being cagy about his ailment. It’s not a great develop less than two weeks ahead of Carolina’s season opener. Chub Hubbard, meanwhile, is back at practice after being sidelined with a hamstring injury for a couple weeks. Brooks’ practice status will be very much worth monitoring in the coming days. He appears to be nothing more than a touchdown-dependent flex for right now.

Jeanty’s status for Week 1 against the Dolphins remains very much in the air more than a week after he sustained a possible high ankle sprain in practice. If he’s still not practicing by the end of the week, he might be on the wrong side of questionable for the season opener. Mike Washington, who has drawn rave reviews from Raiders coaches, would be in line for a starter’s workload if Jeanty is sidelined.

Houston GM Nick Caserio recently said the team would not negotiate a new deal with Stroud once the regular season begins, putting a hard and fast deadline on Stroud’s ability to secure a longer-term contract with the team that drafted him. His immense and nationally-televised struggles down the stretch last season — including his playoff meltdown against the Patriots — could factor into the team’s decision to go all in on him as a long-term franchise quarterback. Fowler said Stroud “can let an exploding quarterback market do the work for him if he waits an additional six to eight months” and explore free agency in 2027. Stroud over the past three seasons ranks 22nd out of 40 qualifying QBs in adjusted EPA per drop back, alongside Bo Nix and Trevor Lawrence. He ranks 24th in drop back success rate, just behind Mac Jones.

Egbuka has been held out with a lingering toe issue ahead of Week 1. That he’s working to the side today is probably a positive development for the second-year wideout, though we would like to see him practice in full by the end of this week or the start of next week. After a hot start to the 2025 season, Egbuka was almost unusable for fantasy purposes over the season’s final couple months. He’ll look to bounce back in 2026 with a disgruntled Baker Mayfield at full health.

It appears to be careful language in describing how the team is approaching its iffy QB situation ahead of the season opener against the Steelers. Rookie QB Jack Strand, who played well in his preseason appearances, had taken some first-team reps over the past month with Michael Penix (knee) and Tua Tagovailoa struggling with injuries and plagued by poor play. It’s unclear whether Penix will be 100 percent ready for the season opener, while Tagovailoa has been shockingly bad in training camp and during the preseason. Strand is a decent bench stash in deeper superflex formats for now.

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.