Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up
Odds by

    Penix’s doctor says he has an amazing ACL

    Link copied to clipboard!

    ATL Quarterback #9
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Michael Penix said his doctor told him he has “an amazing ACL” and he should “never have any more knee problems for the rest of your career.”

    This is not parody, somehow. Penix infamously tore his right ACL twice while in college and then suffered a partial tear in his left ACL last year. The totally real doctor was presumably referring to his left knee. Penix, who hasn’t participated in team drills during training camp, later added that the only thing he can’t do in practice right now is take a hit. Last we checked, that is a major part of the game of football. Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa is slated to start the team’s preseason opener versus Denver later this week. Penix doesn’t seem to have much of a shot at being the Week 1 starter given his slow recovery, but the leash on Tua will be short. Penix remains the favorite to start more games this year, though only by a narrow margin.
Layden: Wisconsin-Notre Dame at Lambeau 'destined'
Tim Layden explains how over a century's worth of links makes it only right that Notre Dame and Wisconsin open their 2026 seasons at Lambeau Field.

Related Player News

  • ATL Quarterback #9
    Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    Fowler notes that the official depth chart will be set on Wednesday, so the decision could be delayed by two days. Regardless, media members will surely ask coach Kevin Stefanski about it during Monday’s media session. NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe previously reported that the Falcons plan to start QB Michael Penix (knee) “eventually.” That said, QB Tua Tagovailoa could start a game or two early on.
  • ATL Quarterback #9
    Wolfe added that head coach Kevin Stefanski does not want “an imaginary timeline” for Penix (knee) returning; the Falcons want to see him practice more and avoid rushing him back. The next week of practices will show if he is ready or if Tua Tagovailoa will be the “placeholder” for Week 1. Tagovailoa’s struggles seem to have made it a foregone conclusion that Penix will start when ready this season as the Falcons evaluate whether or not they will need to draft a quarterback in 2027.
  • ATL Quarterback #18
    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.
  • ATL Quarterback #9
    Tua Tagovailoa will start versus his old team. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said yesterday that Tua’s horrid play throughout training camp and the preseason has made it impossible for the team to name him the Week 1 starter. Penix finally joined 11-on-11 drills this week, but his absence from the preseason contest suggests the team isn’t quite ready to put him in harm’s way. The matchup with Miami will be Tua’s final shot at winning the job.
  • ATL Quarterback #1
    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.
  • ATL Quarterback #9
    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.
  • ATL Quarterback #9
    Penix was recently cleared for 11-on-11 practice and will participate in 11-on-11s on Monday. The third-year signal-caller has been working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered in November and will now have a few weeks to compete with Tagovailoa for the starting job. While it seems highly unlikely that Penix would win the QB1 job to start the season after being limited for most of camp, Tagovailoa hasn’t had the strongest of camps. Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show earlier, Adam Schefter said Tagovailoa “hasn’t run away” with the competition, suggesting a path could be open for Penix to win the job. We’ll see how these next few weeks unfold, but it’s possible the Falcons will delay naming a QB1 until it’s time to begin preparing for Week 1’s game against the Steelers.
  • ATL Quarterback #9
    It has been assumed that Tua Tagovailoa would be under center when games begin to count in two weeks, largely due to the health of Penix. Recent weeks have given some pause to that expectation considering the struggles of Tagovailoa and increasing health of Penix, with the current quarterback situation now much more up in the air as the team inches closer to the regular season. Penix now gains clearance to participate in 11-on-11 practices, a massive milestone in his recovery from a torn ACL suffered in November. The Falcons appear to be headed towards a situation in which they are one of the final teams to announce their Week 1 starting quarterback, although it could still fall on Tagovailoa’s shoulders out of necessity.
  • ATL Quarterback #1
    Stefanski said the starters will get a series or about 10 plays, depending on what happens first. He declined to name a Week 1 starter. Michael Penix has not participated in team drills yet and Stefanski confirmed that he would not do so in joint practices with the Colts next week. The lack of practice reps likely means Penix is slated for backup duties to open the year, even if Stefanski isn’t willing to make that call just yet.
  • ATL Quarterback #1
    After missing the early part of training camp, Tua Tagovailoa has been back practicing with the team and reportedly turned in a solid session on Sunday, which was cut short by lightning. Michael Penix, who is still waiting to be fully cleared to return from the torn ACL that ended his 2025 campaign. The third-year signal-caller has been practicing in a limited capacity and said in late July that it might be “another four weeks” before he moves on to the next stage in his recovery. Regardless of what Stefanski says about naming his Week 1 QB, until Penix is officially cleared for full football activities, Tagovailoa feels like a safe bet to open the year as the starter.

Rotoworld

  • LAC Running Back #34
    Player Stats
    Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    Link copied to clipboard!

    The Athletic’s Daniel Popper believes that Chargers RB Keaton Mitchell “is going to do a lot of nice things in the offense.”

    Popper makes clear that RB Omarion Hampton will be an offensive centerpiece, but Mitchell should have his own helpful role as well. Mitchell will be involved in the passing game, at times lining up outside and getting involved “vertically” as a receiver. Mitchell will need to maximize his touches if he is going to warrant FLEX treatment as Hampton’s sidekick, and his health remains a question at the moment, as he deals with an undisclosed injury. On the plus side, Popper did not mention the ailment at all, which could be taken as a positive.
  • LAC Running Back #8
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    The Athletic’s Daniel Popper said a top-five season for Chargers RB Omarion Hampton is “realistic.”

    Popper fielded a question about Hampton’s top-10 chances as a guest on the Locked On Chargers show. The metrics for measuring this feat were left undefined, but rushing yardage or scrimmage yardage are the two most likely baselines. While OC Mike McDaniel has teased a potential hot-hand approach, Popper has remained steadfast in his stance that Hampton is set for bellcow duties thanks in part to speed, physicality and scheme versatility. He warrants RB1 treatment right out of the gate.
  • LAC Outside Linebacker #45
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    The Athletic’s Daniel Popper thinks Chargers EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu will play out the final year of his contract this season.

    Tuipulotu, 24, led the Chargers with 70 quarterback pressures and 13 sacks last season. He is scheduled to enter free agency next offseason. According to Popper, the team would like to see Tuipulotu “do it again” before paying him like a top pass rusher. Tuipulotu has already proven himself. He totaled 40 quarterback pressures and nine sacks in 2024 and 51quarterback pressures and eight sacks as a 2023 rookie. An in-season extension is possible.
  • Link copied to clipboard!

    Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) did not practice on Sunday.

    This outcome is unsurprising, given his absence during the portion of practice open to the media. If Henderson is unable to play on Wednesday night, starting RB Rhamondre Stevenson would take on a sizable workload. Backup RB Corey Kiner and practice squad players RB Lan Larison and RB Hassan Haskins are the Patriots’ remaining backfield members.
  • NE Defensive Tackle #90
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Patriots DT Christian Barmore (knee) did not practice on Sunday.

    Barmore is a pivotal player in the Patriots’ defensive front. He racked up 20 tackles, 50 quarterback pressures and two sacks last season. If he is unable to face the Seahawks this week, his absence would be consequential.
  • SEA Running Back #27
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Seahawks RB Emanuel Wilson (hamstring) is practicing in full for Week 1 against the Patriots.

    Wilson is the wildcard in the Seahawks’ backfield. If he logs 6-8 touches, he can reduce RB Jadarian Price’s and RB George Holani’s fantasy-scoring outlook. That said, he is third on the depth chart for a reason and can only be viewed as a mildly interesting bench stash in very deep leagues.
  • SEA Wide Receiver #15
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Seahawks WR Tory Horton (hamstring) was limited on Sunday.

    Now we know what has kept Horton sidelined since mid-August. Although the speedy wide receiver has resumed practicing, which is a good sign, he is not guaranteed to suit up. If active, he is likely only relevant in single-game DFS contests.
  • SEA Tight End #88
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Seahawks TE AJ Barner (oblique) is practicing in full for Week 1 against the Patriots.

    The Seahawks’ starting tight end is firmly on track to play in the 2026 season opener on Wednesday night. Barner is reportedly set to handle a bigger role than he did last year, when he finished as the PPR TE14. He can only be viewed as a borderline TE1/2 early on, though.
  • Link copied to clipboard!

    Seahawks S Nick Emmanwori (ankle) was limited on Sunday.

    Emmanwori’s participation is somewhat surprising. That said, The News Tribune’s Gregg Bell echoed ESPN’s Brady Henderson in a report issued at the end of practice, writing that Seahawks teammates seem to suggest that Emmanwori is doubtful to play this week. The team is still working through backup options at this time, though coach Mike Macdonald wants CB Devon Witherspoon to contribute as a nickel defender, both in coverage and via blitz packages, if Emmanwori cannot play. Fellow starting safety Ty Okada (hamstring) did not practice on Sunday.
  • LA Wide Receiver #12
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Rams coach Sean McVay said the expectation is that WR Puka Nacua (psoas) will play in Week 1 against the 49ers.

    McVay’s comments also relate to Nacua’s status with the league office. The 25-year-old wide receiver was at one point thought to be a suspension candidate, but the league has made no such ruling while doling out suspensions and Commissioner Exempt List placements elsewhere in the league. Rams LT Alaric Jackson was also a suspension candidate, but is expected to play in Week 1, per McVay. His presence positively impacts the Rams’ passing game outlook. Assuming he is active, Nacua can be treated as an elite WR1.