Fantasy football injuries, cheat sheet NFL Week 1: Christian McCaffrey plans to play
Welcome to the Week 1 fantasy cheat sheet, a one-stop shop for The Athletic’s game previews, injury and weather updates, and expert analysis. Bookmark this page and check back Sunday when we’ll provide and update on the week’s inactive players.
Player rankings referenced in this article are as of the time listed below. For updated rankings, see the “Fantasy football player rankings” section.
The latest NFL news and headlines
Last updated: 8:25 a.m. ET, Sept. 7
Injury news | Weather report
Featured games | Waiver wire
Drops | Fantasy football player rankings
Injury report
These are the major, fantasy-relevant injury situations to monitor this week. For a more comprehensive list, refer to the chart below. Positional fantasy rankings in this piece are from The Athletic’s Jake Ciely.
Friday night
Rashee Rice, WR, KC: Though not an injury, there’s impact from Rice’s absence as the receiver is suspended for the first six games of the 2025 season for his role in a high-speed car crash. Expect WR Xavier Worthy and TE Travis Kelce to get the majority of QB Patrick Mahomes’ targets. Hollywood Brown may be an interesting gamble in deep leagues as the No. 2 wide receiver for Kansas City.
Sunday 1 p.m.
Jaylen Wright, RB, MIA: Wright has been ruled out. Rookie RB Ollie Gordon (RB36) should be in the mix for carries on Sunday, as the fantasy community patiently awaits his touch share.
Darren Waller, TE, MIA: Waller is not playing after a setback with a hip strain. Don’t move to the backup; just know that there are more targets for Miami’s RBs and WRs Hill and Waddle.
Chris Godwin, WR, TB: Godwin passed his physical, but won’t play in Week 1. WRs Mike Evans (WR9) and rookie Emeka Egbuka (WR31) should see more targets. Tight end Cade Otton may even get some love.
Darnell Mooney, WR, ATL: Mooney, who fell down draft boards due to the uncertainty surrounding his injury, will be a game-time decision for Week 1. Wide receiver Drake London should see a lot of targets; maybe perpetual fantasy letdown TE Kyle Pitts will even get his in the opening game.
Sunday 4 p.m.
Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF: McCaffrey hit the injury report after being limited in practice by a calf injury. Run to those waiver wires now and pick up your favorite recent drop — Brian Robinson. Well, maybe not yet. CMC said he plans to play and “feels great.”
Jayden Reed, WR, GB: If Jayden Reed sits in Week 1, rookie WR Matthew Golden would be the primary beneficiary, followed by WR Romeo Doubs and TE Tucker Kraft. In 2024, Green Bay’s spreading of the ball made it hard to pinpoint a fantasy starter each week. If there’s one receiver to feed, the picture becomes clearer.
Christian Kirk, WR, HOU: With Christian Kirk ruled out, Nico Collins and rookie Jayden Higgins will be the primary WR targets for C.J. Stroud. Ciely’s been high on Higgins this offseason, and he’s getting his shot earlier than expected as the No. 2 WR in Week 1.
Sunday night
Keon Coleman, WR, BUF: Coleman is off the injury report. The target share among the Bills’ receivers will be watched closely by fantasy managers.
Weather report
For more information on the impacts of weather, read Jake Ciely’s fantasy football strategy guide to weather.
Featured games
Statistics are from TruMedia unless otherwise noted.
Thursday night
Dallas Cowboys (0-1) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
- Venue: Lincoln Financial Field — Philadelphia
- Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC
- Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
The Cowboys traded defensive end Micah Parsons to Green Bay, and the Eagles sport one of the best offenses in the league. Expect Dak Prescott to pass a lot to WR CeeDee Lamb, WR George Pickens and TE Jake Ferguson. Start ’em all. While Javonte Williams is the RB1 for Dallas now, he hasn’t been right since tearing his ACL, LCL and PLC in 2022. He averaged only 3.6. yards per carry the last two years combined, with 7 rushing TDs in 33 games.
The Eagles have the advantage and odds in this one, but go against a stacked Dallas offense. While Philly could rely on the run if its D holds up, the over/under is set at a healthy 47.5 points, which means WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith could be in for big weeks. In 2024, Brown saw 23.2% of team targets, while Smith saw 21.3%. Inside the 5-yard line, they each had 16.7% of the targets. Along with Saquon Barkley, who’s an RB1 in every fantasy lineup, Brown and Smith should get the start in WR2 and/or Flex spots.
Friday night
Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (1-0)
- Venue: Corinthians Arena — São Paulo, Brazil
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Streaming: YouTube
Head coach Andy Reid seems more committed to the deep passing attack this year, which could benefit the Chiefs’ No. 1 WR (until Rashee Rice’s return from suspension), Xavier Worthy and QB Patrick Mahomes. Tight end Travis Kelce starts the year healthy, as does RB Isiah Pacheco. But the Chargers’ defense is among the league’s best with head coach Jim Harbaugh at the helm. Kansas City’s top options are still fantasy starters in most leagues, but if you’re torn, choose a better matchup.
Los Angeles will likely rely on the run again this year, with a possible one-two punch in Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris. Harris expects to play, but did not play in the preseason or training camp, so starting him would be risky, while Hampton can be assuredly slotted into starting lineups as a low-end RB2 or Flex. Wide receiver Ladd McConkey is the other fantasy starter in the Chargers’ lineup. He had 24.2% of team targets last year and tied with Jerry Jeudy for WR11 in PPR points. Now in his second year, McConkey’s ceiling is even higher.
Sunday night
Baltimore Ravens (0-0) vs. Buffalo Bills (0-0)
- Venue: Highmark Stadium — Orchard Park, N.Y.
- Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC
- Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
Two of fantasy football’s top quarterbacks, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, face off in a marquee game to begin the season. Both teams are loaded with talent apart from the franchise QBs, but no one is more revered than Baltimore’s RB Derrick Henry, and the Bills gave up 4.5 yards per carry to opposing RBs last season. Henry seems to defy Father Time and could have a big game to open the season. Otherwise, Baltimore’s No. 1 WR Zay Flowers and TE Mark Andrews should see the most targets, though WRs DeAndre Hopkins and Rashod Bateman linger as competitors for the team’s target share.
For the Bills, RB James Cook will face one of the toughest rush defenses in the league, and he only scored 5.8 fantasy points against the Ravens last year, though he had 4.3 yards per rush. Cook has never finished a season with fewer than 4.7 yards per rush and remains an efficient back. If he can retain his rush TD total from last season (16) rather than in 2023 (2), he will be a solid fantasy play this year, but Baltimore is a tough contest. Allen will likely be forced to throw, benefiting WR Khalil Shakir, followed by WRs Keon Coleman or Joshua Palmer, and TE Dalton Kincaid. Time will tell who Allen’s top target is aside from Shakir, and you may want to wait to see how Week 1 pans out before slotting in Coleman or Palmer.
Monday night
Minnesota Vikings (0-0) vs. Chicago Bears (0-0)
- Venue: Soldier Field — Chicago
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- TV: ABC, ESPN
- Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
J.J. McCarthy will make his NFL debut against the Chicago Bears, and we’ll finally get to see who he is. Justin Jefferson can have a career season with anyone under center and is a lock to start in fantasy lineups all year long, regardless of McCarthy’s performance. Likewise, with a rookie under center, RBs Aaron Jones (RB1) and Jordan Mason (Flex), along with TE T.J. Hockenson (think of the necessity for short passes), could have a good Week 1 against the Bears. The Bears are an entirely new outfit under new head coach Ben Johnson, but they ranked 29th in yards per carry allowed to opponents last year.
If Caleb Williams takes a step forward in Year 2, WRs DJ Moore and Rome Odunze could improve on their 14.01 and 8.52 2024 PPR points per game, respectively. Rookie WR Luther Burden is the team’s third receiver and enters the game with a lot of hype, but he may be more productive later in the season. Chicago’s rushing attack is led by … D’Andre Swift, who had 3.8 yards per rush last season and 12.62 PPR points per game. Perhaps Johnson can get more out of the rushing attack, but the lack of top-tier talent at RB might mean more work for the Bears’ pass-catchers, including rookie TE Colston Loveland.
Jake Ciely’s Week 1 waiver wire
Excerpt from Jake Ciely’s Week 1 waiver wire, with advice for even the deepest of leagues.
Streaming quarterbacks
- Trevor Lawrence, JAX — The Panthers have a weak defense, and the Jaguars might not be better, meaning this could be a surprise shootout.
- Bryce Young, CAR — QB1 potential… if he runs near the goal line as much as he did late last year.
- Joe Flacco, CLE — Over 4,400 yards in his past 17 starts. Sneakiest gamble for a Top 10 finish.
- Matthew Stafford, LAR — Always a threat for multiple touchdowns.
- Tua Tagovailoa, MIA — As long as everyone is healthy, weekly Top 10 ceiling, albeit with a so-so floor.
- Daniel Jones, IND — Rushing floor will always make Jones half-decent — even if that’s what his passing ability is.
- Michael Penix, ATL — If the Falcons can’t stop Baker Mayfield and play aggressively to keep pace, Penix could be sneaky.
- Geno Smith, LV — Solid, but likely better weeks to take a chance with Smith than against New England.
Who to drop in fantasy football
If you want to maximize your roster, you need to constantly monitor opportunities to add breakout players. That requires making room on your bench. Here’s one recommended expendable player, excerpted from Gary Davenport’s weekly “drops” column.
TE Chig Okonkwo, TEN (31% rostered — droppable in all leagues)
Want to know how incredibly “blah” the tight end position is in fantasy once you get outside the top 15? Three in 10 fantasy managers have talked themselves into believing that Okonkwo will finally be a thing in 2025. But as Buck Reising wrote for A To Z Sports, while Okonkwo occasionally flashed, most of the time, it was full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
“Okonkwo’s best attribute as a pro thus far has been durability,” he said. “He has appeared in every possible game (51) with 30 starts since being selected by Tennessee as a 2022 fourth-round pick. Statistically, Okonkwo has the sixth-most receiving yards among tight ends in the “Titans Era” (1,457). The actual impact of those yards is fair to question versus the amount of stats accumulated while Tennessee trails in games.”
Over three pro seasons, Okonkwo has never had 550 receiving yards. His yards per reception have dropped every year. He has scored six touchdowns in three years. And he has never been a top-20 fantasy option at his position. He should not have a higher rostered percentage than Mason Taylor of the New York Jets and Brenton Strange of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jake Ciely’s Week 1 fantasy football player rankings
Get Ciely’s full Week 1 analysis. Plus sleepers and projections.
- Sadly, there is no perfect widget out there. I know many view this on your phone, but 1) use the rankings widget on a PC/laptop/etc., if possible or 2) open in your phone’s browser, especially for Android users, to get the scrolling to work (or Android people can try a two-finger scroll).
- ECR = “Expert” Consensus Ranking (which isn’t updated consistently by everyone, so take it with a grain of salt).
- Updated regularly, so check up to lineups locking.
(Photo of Christian McCaffrey: Ian Maule / Getty Images)
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