injuryFalcons still without Michael Penix Jr.; Cooper Rush starts again vs. Panthers
Michael Penix Jr. was a full practice participant Thursday but was still ruled out for Sunday's game against Carolina, continuing his recovery from the torn ACL he suffered in Week 11 last season. Cooper Rush will make his second straight start under center, with Tua Tagovailoa unavailable while recovering from an oblique injury and undrafted rookie Jack Strand as the backup. Coach Kevin Stefanski called it "progression" in how the team is treating Penix and said "We didn't rule Mike out this week."
Fantasy take
Penix has been through this rehab arc before — the November knee injury was his third career ACL tear, following two at Indiana, and he's called that history a source of familiarity with the process. Thursday's full practice listing marks incremental progress, but Stefanski's "we didn't rule him out this week" framing along with the "progression" language is about how the club is tracking his week-to-week status, not a change in his return timeline. Rush's second start reflects the same math as the last one: Tua still sidelined by the oblique, Penix still not cleared, Strand still the emergency arm behind Rush.
Kyler Murray officially ruled out again; Carson Wentz starts for Vikings at Chicago
The Vikings officially ruled out Kyler Murray for Sunday's game at Chicago as he continues in the concussion protocol from a Week 1 hit against Green Bay. Carson Wentz gets the start in his place; coach Kevin O'Connell said he expects Murray to clear protocol in time for next week.
Fantasy take
Murray remains sidelined for a second straight week after the Week 1 concussion, keeping Wentz under center against a Bears defense following the same relief outing that produced 133 yards and 3 touchdowns without a turnover. The absence stretches into a division of labor already familiar to Minnesota's staff, with McCarthy still holding the QB2 spot on the depth chart behind Murray. O'Connell's clearance timeline points to a one-week absence rather than an open-ended one.
Sam Darnold ruled out again; Drew Lock starts for Seahawks vs. Cardinals
Seattle ruled out Sam Darnold for a second consecutive week over the hip/glute injury, with Drew Lock starting against Arizona. Where Thursday's reporting had pointed to a Week 4 return as more likely, Friday coverage said the team hasn't ruled out Darnold suiting up as soon as Week 3. The team continues to describe it as a soft-tissue strain with no structural damage.
Fantasy take
Second straight week without Darnold, and the conflicting return timeline hasn't settled. Reports Thursday leaned toward a Week 4 return; by Friday the team was reportedly still open to Darnold suiting up as soon as Week 3. Lock gets the start against Arizona off a clean Week 1 relief outing (16-of-22, 187 yards, a touchdown, no turnovers) filling in after Darnold left the opener with the same hip issue.
Brock Bowers doubtful again for Raiders-Chargers Monday night
Brock Bowers returned to practice Friday but is doubtful for Monday night's game against the Chargers, which would be a second straight missed game following the meniscus trim he had before the opener. Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said the team plans to work him out pregame before a final call, and is optimistic Bowers returns next week against New Orleans.
Fantasy take
Second straight missed game continues the pattern from his meniscus trim, which already cost him the opener. The Raiders are deciding game-time rather than ruling him out in advance, consistent with a minor procedure rather than a structural setback. Michael Mayer and Ian Thomas absorb the in-line/receiving TE work Monday night if Bowers sits, with Jack Bech, Tre Tucker, and Jalen Nailor as the outside options in a thin receiver room.
Nico Collins ruled out with hamstring injury vs. Bengals
Texans WR Nico Collins was ruled out for Sunday's game against Cincinnati with a Grade 1 hamstring injury suffered in Wednesday's practice; he had 7 catches for 75 yards and a touchdown in the season-opening loss to Buffalo. Houston is already without No. 2 receiver Jayden Higgins, who tore his ACL in August and is out for the season. Xavier Hutchinson projects as the top target, with Kayshon Boutte (acquired from New England in an August trade) and Jaylin Noel also in line for extra snaps.
Fantasy take
Collins has missed time in each of the last two seasons — the "when healthy" qualifier attached to him is now live in Week 2. His absence removes a receiver who ran a 27% target share and drew Stroud's first read at a high rate last season, on a Houston passing game that no longer has a returning Higgins to help absorb it. Hutchinson, who already played the second-most snaps among Texans receivers in Week 1 (44 of 79) and out-targeted Boutte, is positioned as the direct beneficiary rather than a name new to the role.
Joey Porter Jr. inactive again as Lions trade talk gains steam
Porter is out again for Sunday's game vs. New England (listed NIR/conditioning/back), having also missed Pittsburgh's opener. The Lions have called the Steelers about a trade; Pittsburgh is believed to want as much as two first-round picks, with one first-rounder plus a higher Day 2 pick as a starting point. Porter is in the final year of his rookie deal and is seeking a deal worth $30 million or more annually; a Steelers-side source told Jeff Risdon, "I can tell you that I know that the Lions have approached the Steelers."
Fantasy take
Two straight inactives against a name-your-price ask puts a number on how far apart the two sides are. None of it touches fantasy value in standard formats — Porter is a shutdown corner, not a scoring position.
JP
Joey Porter Jr.trade subject
CB · PIT
Out again Week 2; Lions in contact with Steelers on a trade
Josh Jacobs: suspension could come "sooner rather than later"
Jacobs remains on the Commissioner's Exempt List — he can't practice or play, but is being paid. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property on Sept. 10 to resolve the criminal case. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said the league's conduct investigation is ongoing but "there could be a suspension sooner rather than later," following his ex-girlfriend's attorneys filing to seal case evidence.
Fantasy take
Jacobs still can't practice or play while the exempt list holds, and Fowler's framing shifts the open question from whether the league acts to when. The plea narrowed the criminal exposure, but the attorneys' move to seal case evidence appears to be accelerating the conduct review rather than closing it. A firmer suspension length would set a clearer runway for MarShawn Lloyd in the Green Bay backfield than the exempt list currently provides.
TreVeyon Henderson set for Patriots season debut vs. Steelers
Henderson put in a full week of practice and is off the Week 2 injury report entirely; he'll make his 2026 debut Sunday against Pittsburgh after missing the opener with a right ankle injury. He was behind Rhamondre Stevenson in the pecking order over the summer and is expected to work as the No. 2 back this week.
Fantasy take
Henderson's only appearance on an NFL field this season was a Week 1 absence; the debut Sunday will be the first live look at whether last year's pass-protection grade (22.7 PFF, worst on the Patriots' roster) still caps his passing-down usage or whether the offseason line additions change that calculus. Stevenson's Week 1 workload — 18 carries for 51 yards on a struggling Patriots run game against Seattle — came without any Henderson competition for touches, so Sunday is also the first data point on how the club actually splits carries when both backs are healthy.
Sunday's Week 2 slate leans on backup quarterbacks in Minnesota, Seattle and Atlanta, with three more skill-position calls (Bowers, Collins, McConkey) still to be finalized.
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