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The Vikings hoped that McCarthy’s ankle injury would heal, but ultimately the 23-year-old quarterback isn’t ready to play. The injury is considered minor and McCarthy is day-to-day, according to Lewis. While minor, McCarthy’s injury has cost him valuable reps as he now finds himself battling Carson Wentz for the QB2 job.

Appearing on NFL Live Friday afternoon, Fowler said that people inside the Raiders’ building and around the league still expect Cousins to be named the starter. Raiders HC Klint Kubiak declined to name a starting quarterback Friday morning. Following the loss of Thursday’s preseason game against the 49ers, Kubiak said rookie Fernando Mendoza needs another three preseason games before going as far as mentioning that Mendoza’s practice reps will decline once the regular season begins. While Kubiak continues to drag his feet when it comes to the official announcement, all signs still point to Cousins being named the starter at some point eventually.

Raiders coach Klint Kubiak was asked about the backfield’s status with Washington coming off top-tier preseason play while RB Ashton Jeanty (ankle) rehabs his recent injury. Kubiak said he is “not making any promises on percentages of play time,” but he thinks both backs “will prepare to play a lot of football and as these games unfold, you react to the game.” McFadden used the term “1-2 punch” to sum up Kubiak’s potential running back usage. McFadden also notes that “in May, Kubiak talked about using Jeanty as a bell cow running back,” and reports of that nature continued rolling in through early August. Washington has wowed as of late, though, and may be able to generate FLEX-worthy stat lines alongside Jeanty this season.

This is good to hear. New Titans OC Brian Daboll brought Robinson with him from the Giants to serve as a reliable go-to option for QB Cam Ward, particularly on third down. Robinson has a chance to lead the Titans in targets this season, though questions about the offense’s overall effectiveness could keep him stuck in FLEX spots, rather than the WR3 tier.

Funny enough, it’s the same line Kubiak provided to reporters on Tuesday when asked about the health of his RB1. Kubiak did say that the Raiders were “counting on (Jeanty)” for Week 1, but that’s hardly a sign that the Raiders expect him to suit up. With teams not being required to release official injury reports until the week leading up to the first game of the season, it’s possible that we won’t have a clear answer regarding Jeanty and his availability until the Raiders begin preparing for Week 1’s game against the Dolphins. In the event Jeanty can’t go, rookie Mike Washington is expected to see a substantial role after a solid preseason in which he rushed 23 times for 168 yards while averaging an impressive 7.3 YPC. Washington is worth a draft pick in all formats right now, especially with Jeanty’s status up in the air.

Pierce said the Colts have been doing a good job of preparing him to play even while sidelined, and with 16 days to go before the Colts host the Ravens in Week 1, it’s not inconceivable that he could be ready in time for the season opener. The Colts will continue to ramp Pierce up in the coming weeks, making his status one to monitor, especially when teams begin releasing official injury reports ahead of game day. If he is able to play, fantasy managers should view Pierce as anything more than a boom/bust WR3 until we see how he looks on the field.

Legwold writes that the fourth-round rookie is “squarely in the backfield rotation” for the Broncos. Coleman possesses a three-down skill set that could open the door for him to eat into both J.K. Dobbins’ and RJ Harvey’s roles, but fantasy managers shouldn’t rush to put him in their lineups at this time. Dobbins is still considered the favorite to lead the Broncos in early-down touches to start the season, with most of Harvey’s looks coming on third down and in passing situations. That said, Coleman is one of the higher upside stashes at his position who could prove to have top-24 upside or better at some point this season.

This will be the first look we get at Harris since he suffered a torn Achilles in Week 3 last season. The 28-year-old vet signed a deal with the Giants less than two weeks ago, but could end up being a “significant contributor” to the Giants’ backfield, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Whether or not Harris has any fantasy value as a standalone option with Cam Skattebo healthy is to be determined, but he could be the leader in the clubhouse to be the next man up should Skattebo ever miss time, making him an intriguing late-round pick in fantasy drafts.

This isn’t the first time Raanan has suggested Fields could have the inside edge as the Giants’ WR2. Earlier this month, he said the rookie third-rounder was making an “early claim” for the role, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise given the thin receiving corps the Giants are currently working with. The 6-foot-4, 220-plus-pound receiver has an excellent catch radius and made a name for himself with his ability to haul in contested targets during his days at Virginia and Notre Dame. It seems highly unlikely that Fields would make enough of an impact to be considered a reliable fantasy contributor, but he could be worth a late-round/stash in drafts to see how things unfold for him in the weeks to come.

After getting through the third and final dress rehearsal before the Rams kick off Week 1 in Australia, McVay said he won’t be “pigeon-holding” himself into any decision just yet. Rookie Ty Simpson and fourth-year vet Stetson Bennett have both performed well for the Rams this preseason, with Bennett sitting out Thursday’s game against the Chargers. The decision to sit Bennett on Thursday, coupled with the 62 snaps he saw in the preseason to Simpson’s 111, could be a signal as to which way McVay is leaning at this point, although he is on record saying we shouldn’t read too much into that. Regardless, the good news for McVay and Rams fans is that Matthew Stafford is healthy and will hopefully be under center for all 17 of the Rams’ games this season as he looks to defend his crown as the reigning league MVP.