NFL Player News

Absent the last two games because of a neck injury, Smith looked on track to play following a full practice on Thursday, but he showed up as a DNP because of an ankle injury Friday. The late-week injury suggests he is on the wrong side of questionable.

Tonges went down with the injury in Week 1. He filled in for George Kittle admirably last year and was likely going to play a role in the offense for the first month of this season as Kittle got up to full speed. He will now spend the rest of the season on injured reserve. Luke Farrell is now locked in as the 49ers’ TE2.

According to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, the 49ers are “hopeful he can return this season,” which is a tad confusing, given the 10-week return timeline. Regardless, 10 weeks, plus a little wiggle room, should allow Stribling to return late in the regular season, potentially in time to help fantasy managers make a playoff push. That said, he should probably only be kept on managed re-draft rosters with an injured reserve spot. Veteran WR Demarcus Robinson filled in for Stribling last week and may be FLEX-viable moving forward.

Burrow also called it general game soreness and said he expects to play in Week 2. He even called the idea that he could sit as a precaution “ridiculous.” Burrow barely participated in practice today, skipping team stretching and throwing drills early in the session. At best, the team will list him as limited on the injury report later today. This seems like nothing more than maintenance for Burrow, though fantasy managers will want to keep tabs on the Bengals’ injury report throughout the week. Joe Flacco is the team’s backup.

Johnson was limited in practice throughout the week after missing the Bills’ opener versus Houston. James Cook’s receiving role didn’t change much with Johnson out. Instead, Ray Davis and Frank Gore Jr. picked up a few extra routes each. Neither player has much fantasy appeal, even if Johnson remains out.

Christian Mahogany (hip) was also ruled out. The Lions will be without their starting left guard and right tackle for Week 2. Larry Borom will take Miller’s spot in the lineup, while Ben Bartch will handle Mahogany’s duties. Neither player practiced once this week, though the extra rest between Thursday’s game and Week 3 will be good for both of them.

Reed was a mid-week addition to the injury report because of his foot issue. He was limited for the final two practices of the week. Reed is likely on the optimistic side of questionable, but we won’t know for sure until the Lions release their inactives 90 minutes before kickoff.

The Seahawks will roll with QB Drew Lock as this week’s starter. He is backed up by QB Jalen Milroe. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said he does not “anticipate” putting Darnold on injured reserve, so he should be back before Week 6. Lock can be treated as a volatile QB2 against the Cardinals this week.

Madubuike sat out in Week 1 after practicing in a limited capacity all week. Prior to his neck injury, he was a pivotal player on the Ravens’ defensive line. It seems as though he is still ramping up after a lengthy recovery.

Sitting out on a Wednesday is not the end of the world for established starters. However, this does push McConkey further into the questionable column. The Chargers signed WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling yesterday. Although Valdes-Scantling is unlikely to meaningfully contribute, the fact that the team felt they needed to bring in an extra wide receiver is slightly concerning. McConkey still has two days to get right. If he returns tomorrow, that would be great news.

Lane underwent surgery to address a fracture in his wrist and will now miss at least four games on short-term injured reserve. He will be eligible to return in Week 6. Ravens No. 1 WR Zay Flowers (hamstring) is also nursing an injury. Theoretically, fellow rookie WR Elijah Sarratt should be active in Week 2 against the Saints, though it is unclear if he would have a meaningful role if Flowers plays.