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    Kraft plays on pitch count in 2026 opener

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    Tucker Kraft caught 3-of-6 targets for 65 yards in the Packers’ Week 1 loss to the Vikings.

    Kraft, who tore his ACL in Week 9 last year, told reporters he would not be on a snap count in Week 1. He was. Kraft ran 20 routes to Jonnu Smith’s 18. The good news is that Kraft looked as explosive as ever, racking up gains of 30, 23, and 12 yards. Even with the weak route rate, this goes down as a win for a player whose game is built around big plays. His route rate should climb in the coming weeks, keeping him in the TE1 mix versus the Jets next Sunday.
Time for Saleh, Moore to show progress
Mike Florio and Michael Holley discuss why Robert Saleh and Kellen Moore need to show progress with their respective teams after a slow start to this season with the Titans 0-5 and Saints 1-4.

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  • GB Tight End #85
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    The five-catch effort was Kraft’s second straight after previously having zero. His 54 yards were also his most since Week 1. His 46-yard reception in the third quarter was his longest of the season. All of that is good, though it was still somewhat disappointing amidst a 367-yard Jordan Love outburst where Christian Watson and Matthew Golden both eased by 100 yards. Kraft is averaging a pedestrian six targets. He’s going to need both more looks and big plays to remain a higher-end TE1. It will nevertheless be impossible to bench him for Week 6 against the Cowboys’ shaky defense.
  • GB Tight End #85
    Jordan Love made it a point to get Kraft going in this game, peppering him with easy-button targets throughout the contest. Kraft led the team with a 23 percent target share. His six grabs also led the team and are a new season high. He found the end zone with an impressive toe-dragging catch at the goal line. Kraft is still looking for the explosive play, but the team is getting him more involved every week. He is back in the TE1 ranks after a slow couple of weeks to start the season. Kraft will look to stay hot versus the Bears next week.
  • GB Tight End #85
    Kraft has not yet looked himself after recovering from a torn ACL suffered in 2025, this time committing two drops for the first time in his career. To add additional context, Kraft has never had more than three drops in an entire season entering his fourth year in the league. The game plan clearly consisted of getting Kraft involved early to circumvent the offensive line struggles, but the connection with Jordan Love was off throughout. Kraft appears likely to need time to get back to full speed for the Packers, although his snaps and route participation rate were back to normal for the second consecutive week. Fantasy managers are likely forced to ride through the turbulence considering the state of the tight end position throughout the league, but he is a shaky start ahead of a Week 4 matchup with the Buccaneers.
  • GB Tight End #85
    The good news is that Kraft played 52 of the team’s 53 snaps and ran a route on 32 of their 34 dropbacks. The bad news is that he wasn’t commanding targets, and he also fumbled one of his catches, but the replay review couldn’t determine for sure who recovered it, so the Packers were able to maintain possession. Perhaps we should have been a little less aggressive in expecting Kraft to return from tearing his ACL less than a year ago and go right back to being himself at the start of the season. His role remains elite, but it may take another couple of weeks before he’s physically able to play like we’re used to seeing.
  • GB Tight End #85
    The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Kraft’s deal, which runs through the 2030 season, has a maximum value of $92 million and includes a $26.5 million signing bonus. He’s now the NFL’s highest-paid tight end. Kraft had 32 receptions, 489 yards and six touchdowns before tearing his ACL in Week 9 last year. Not on the injury report for Week 1, Kraft is a surefire TE1 even in a tough matchup against the Vikings defense.
  • GB Tight End #85
    Silverstein believes the deal’s total value likely isn’t as important to the Packers as the structure. Kraft is still likely to reset the tight end market, but since he is returning from a season-ending ACL tear and has “yet to show he’s picked up where he left off last year, it may take some time for the deal to come together.” In the meantime, as long as he takes the field, Kraft can be treated as a TE1.
  • GB Tight End #85
    Kraft has been trending toward playing in Week 1 for a long time. Not appearing on the injury report in any capacity means he is good to go. Kraft may still have somewhat of a pitch count for his first game back from a 2025 torn ACL, but Matt LaFleur will be sure to get him the ball when he is on the field. Kraft is a fantasy TE1 for the Packers’ Week 1 game against Minnesota.
  • GB Tight End #88
    Musgrave is coming back from a neck injury with no clear timeline for a return to action. The Packers last week signed Jonnu Smith, who will play behind Tucker Kraft to start the regular season. Smith could be an interesting waiver add if Kraft — returning from a major knee injury — misses any time in 2026.
  • GB Tight End #81
    Smith reunited with Arthur Smith in Pittsburgh last year and posted 38 catches for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Even with NFL players actively returning to college football, Jonnu was unable to find a way to follow his favorite offensive coordinator to Ohio State. All signs point to Tucker Kraft being fully recovered from his torn ACL by Week 1, but backup tight end Luke Musgrave remains sidelined with an injury of his own. Smith won’t be on the fantasy radar as long as Kraft is healthy, but he should be a solid depth option for the Packers.
  • GB Tight End #85
    It looks like the Packers are ready to ease Kraft back into competition following the serious knee injury that ended his 2025 season. Kraft said recently that the team would “probably” keep him on a snap count to begin the regular season. That would make Kraft — one of the game’s most efficient tight ends — a dicy bet for fantasy purposes. Kraft might not be playable for the first month of the regular season, or even longer depending on his progress and the Packers’ strategies for keeping him healthy.

Rotoworld

  • PHI Quarterback #10
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    Eagles signed Joe Milton, formerly of the Cowboys.

    Milton will join Tanner McKee and rookie Cole Payton on the Eagles’ 53-man roster. This move comes a day after it was revealed that Jalen Hurts would be out indefinitely due to a superficial blood clot that could sideline him for the next several weeks. Milton will likely serve as the Eagles’ emergency third QB on game days and seems unlikely to see any playing time at this point.
  • NYJ Wide Receiver #11
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    Omar Cooper Jr. will play in Week 6 against the Patriots.

    Cooper had his 21-day practice window opened earlier this week, but is officially set to return after logging a full practice on Friday. The rookie receiver could step into an immediate role for the Jets with Adonai Mitchell (finger) out for at least one more week, but he could still be a few weeks away from fantasy relevance. Cooper played on just five snaps in Week 1 before his injury, but did catch one pass for 30 yards.
  • NYJ Wide Receiver #15
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    Adonai Mitchell (finger) will not play in Week 6 against the Patriots.

    It was reported earlier this week that Mitchell underwent a “small procedure” on the finger he injured in practice ahead of Week 3. Given that news, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to learn that Mitchell will miss his fourth straight game with the injury. With rookie Omar Cooper Jr. set to play in his first game since Week 1, Mitchell could face additional competition for targets when he finally returns to the field.
  • NYJ Running Back #20
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    Breece Hall (quad) will not play in Week 6 against the Patriots

    Things have been trending in this direction for Hall all week. The 25-year-old back was a DNP on both Wednesday and Thursday, and will now miss a third straight game as a result of his injury. Braelon Allen will again lead the Jets’ backfield this week against the Patriots and has handled 44 of the Jets’ 48 running back opportunities since Week 4. Allen will be a volatile RB2 against a Patriots defense that ranks 18th against running backs in fantasy scoring this season.
  • FA Wide Receiver #11
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    Colts released Darius Slayton.

    Slayton signed with the Colts less than a month ago but never suited up for the team on game day. The 29-year-old speedster was briefly considered as a candidate to replace Alec Pierce (foot), but he’s once again on the open market in search of work. A knee injury resulted in Slayton being scratched from Week 5’s matchup against the Steelers, so it’s possible he’ll have to prove he’s healthy before signing elsewhere this season.
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    Evan Engram caught both targets for 13 yards in the Broncos’ Week 6 win over the Seahawks.

    Engram has not seen more than five targets in a game this season and has been held out of the end zone since Week 1, making him a difficult start in fantasy leagues of all sizes. He can safely remain on the bench in an enticing matchup against the Cardinals in Week 7.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #14
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    Courtland Sutton caught 2-of-3 targets for 19 yards in the Broncos’ Week 6 win over the Seahawks.

    Nix’s only incompletion when targeting Sutton resulted in the veteran receiver getting rocked over the middle of the field on a ball Nix led him directly into oncoming contact. Sutton vented his frustration by repeatedly pounding the ground following the hit, with it unclear whether it was due to the hit or the incompletion on third down on a night the Broncos struggled to move the football to the tune of only 168 yards of total offense. Fantasy managers likely aren’t utilizing Sutton as a weekly option, but will want to track his practice status ahead of a Week 7 meeting with the Cardinals if bye week fill-ins are required.
  • DEN Running Back #12
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    RJ Harvey rushed six times for 25 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos’ Week 6 win over the Seahawks, adding 31 yards on three receptions.

    The fact that the 31 yards through the air led the team in receiving is a comment on the state of an offense that gained only 168 yards of total offense against the defending Super Bowl Champions. Even so, a relentlessly aggressive defense willed the team to victory behind a consistently positive game script, which allowed J.K. Dobbins to handily lead the backfield in opportunities. Harvey remains a matchup-dependent fantasy option best utilized in trailing game environments, which is unlikely to be the case when the Broncos face the struggling Cardinals in Week 7.
  • DEN Running Back #27
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    J.K. Dobbins rushed 17 times for 41 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos’ Week 6 win over the Seahawks.

    Dobbins found little room to run on a night the Broncos gained only 168 yards of total offense but handily led the backfield in opportunities in what was a consistently positive game script due to the dominance of their defense. Dobbins has now failed to eclipse a modest 50 yards on the ground in four of five appearances but might be useful as a bye week fill-in when the Broncos travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals in Week 7.
  • DEN Quarterback #10
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    Bo Nix completed 17-of-27 passes for 107 yards in the Broncos’ 17-14, Week 6 win over the Seahawks, adding two yards on four carries.

    The Broncos managed just 168 yards of total offense on a night their defense carried them to victory in overtime. Nine of the Broncos’ 11 possessions, excluding the two kneel downs to end each half, ended in punts on drives that lasted five plays or fewer. Two second quarter touchdown drives had the Broncos playing with a lead for much of the game but they were otherwise unable to move the football with any consistency. An overtime interception by nickel corner Ja’Quan McMillian allowed for a game-winning, 53-yard field goal from kicker Will Lutz after the Broncos again failed to gain a first down. The win sends Denver to 4-2 while averaging only 18.7 points per game through six weeks. The team gets a scheduling gift with the Cardinals on deck in Week 7, although Nix cannot be treated as a starter-worthy fantasy asset outside of the deepest leagues.