Busy Dad's Weekly Check-Up

Week 1 is a weird week to write an injury column. Normally, we've got a full weekend of football behind us, and we know who got hurt, who might miss time, and which backups suddenly matter. Currently, all we have are updates on players recovering from injuries they carried through the whole summer, a few late camp injuries that still haven't fully healed, and one major surprise at tight end.

I'm not going to sit here and list every single guy who had an LP (limited practice) next to his name this week. That doesn't actually help anybody draft or set a lineup.  Here's the only question I actually care about: does this injury change what I'm doing with the player in my lineup? That's it. Here's where I'm at going into week 1.

Brock Bowers: Time to Find Another Tight End.

There's no debate: this is easily the biggest fantasy injury of the week.  Bowers had a meniscus procedure Tuesday and is expected to miss at most two games.  He didn't practice at all Wednesday or Thursday.  This is brutal if you drafted him.  Not only is there an immense amount of production to replace, but you now likely need to babysit the tight end position until he returns.  For those in need of another option, Michael Mayer is a quick replacement if you have him.  If not, target some other guys on waivers such as Chig Okonkwo, Juwan Johnson, or Dalton Schultz.

The other thing to watch is what happens when Bowers comes back. A one or two game absence in September isn't a big deal, but knee surgery is knee surgery. We're going to have to decide if we're comfortable throwing him right back into the lineup the moment he's cleared.

Busy Dad Verdict:

Bowers is out of my lineup Week 1. Find another option.

Alvin Kamara Is Making Travis Etienne Hard to Figure Out

This looked a lot easier three days ago.  Kamara was working back from a knee injury and Etienne looked like he would have the backfield to himself for Week 1. Then, Kamara returned to practice in limited fashion Wednesday and Thursday.  He’s clearly progressing, but we still don't know if he's ready for a real workload.  I'm not excited about starting Kamara even if he's cleared.  Even if he plays, there’s no guarantee New Orleans hands him 18 touches right away.

The real headache is what to do with Etienne. If Kamara is ruled out, I genuinely like Etienne as a Week 1 start. If Kamara plays, now we're guessing. How much work does Kamara actually get? How much does Etienne lose? Does New Orleans ease Kamara in or just throw both out there and sort it out live?  I don't love carrying those questions into Sunday. This is probably the injury designation I'm checking first.

Busy Dad Verdict:

Kamara: I'd rather sit him unless we get surprisingly good news. 

Etienne: strong start if Kamara sits, more of a flex if he plays.

Malik Nabers Looks Healthy; The Workload Is the Real Question.

If you told me a week ago Nabers would practice fully Wednesday and Thursday, I'd have taken that immediately. That's exactly what happened. Physically, things are trending the right way.  However, Nabers himself still hasn't fully committed to playing Sunday night, and he's said out loud that how much he plays could come down to how comfortable his knee actually feels. That's the part fantasy managers need to wrestle with.

If he's active, I'm still starting him. I'm not benching a player with his ceiling because of a chance he plays fewer snaps.  It's not totally risk free, and because the Giants play Sunday night, don't leave yourself with him as your only option if something changes late.

Busy Dad Verdict:

Start if active, but have a Sunday night backup ready.

Ashton Jeanty: I'm Done Worrying About the Ankle.

This one moved almost completely in the right direction.  Jeanty returned to practice Wednesday as a full participant, then logged full participation again Thursday and told reporters he's feeling really good after the ankle injury.

That's enough for me. Could Vegas still mix in Mike Washington more than people want? Sure. At that point, it becomes more of a backfield question than an injury question. I'm not benching a guy I drafted to be a starter because I'm worried about how many touches his backup gets.

Busy Dad Verdict:

Start him.

Breece Hall: We're Good.

We can probably stop talking about this one after today. Hall is back to full practice, has said he's playing Sunday, and Jets OC Frank Reich said the plan is to use him normally unless the medical staff says otherwise.

Perfect. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Sometimes the right fantasy move is to stop looking for a reason to be nervous.

Busy Dad Verdict:

Start him normally.

Jeremiyah Love Still Has Too Many Questions

This is probably the one I'm most okay being wrong about.  Love has practiced this week, which is encouraging coming off an ankle injury. The problem here is he's been limited at both Wednesday and Thursday practices. Now add Tyler Allgeier sitting behind him, and that’s where I start getting uncomfortable. Maybe he plays and looks totally fine. Maybe he gets 12 touches and rips off a long touchdown and everyone who sat him hates themselves for 3 hours. It happens.

I'd still rather watch it happen once from the bench. A rookie coming off an ankle injury with no full practice this week, plus a real running back sitting there waiting for touches, isn't a bet I need to make in Week 1. There are plenty of weeks left to start Love.

Busy Dad Verdict:

Sitting him Week 1.

Rome Odunze Is Still a Real Game Day Decision

Odunze is dealing with a calf injury and has been limited the last two days at practice.  This isn’t a disaster, but I'd have felt a lot better with one full practice in there somewhere. I'm not putting him in the sit pile yet, but I'm also not pretending everything's fine.

If Chicago clears him with no indication of a snap limit, I'm comfortable starting him. If he's questionable going into the weekend with any word of a reduced role, I'm looking at my other options.

Busy Dad Verdict:

Rome is one of the biggest names to watch when Friday's final report drops.

Tua Tagovailoa Is Out. Yes, Really.

After a summer-long QB battle with Michael Penix, Tua actually won the job. Unfortunately for him, he went down with a back issue at practice Thursday, got diagnosed with an oblique injury, and is officially out for the opener.  Penix is still out as he is working back from last year's ACL tear. As a result, Atlanta opens the season with neither quarterback from the camp battle actually playing. Cooper Rush starts instead against Pittsburgh. 

This one matters beyond just Tua owners. If you've got anyone in the Falcons’ passing game, especially Drake London or Kyle Pitts, temper expectations going from Tua to Cooper Rush under center Week 1.

Busy Dad Verdict:

Tua: obviously out. 

Drake London and Kyle Pitts: lowered ceiling this week.

Patrick Mahomes: Yes, I'm Still Sitting Him.

Mahomes practiced fully Thursday. Nobody in Kansas City is talking about limiting him, and everything points to him playing Monday night with no restrictions, so this isn’t really an injury take anymore. I'm sitting him because I don't trust Patrick Mahomes the fantasy quarterback the same way I trust Patrick Mahomes the NFL quarterback. He's still one of the best players alive, but we've spent a few years now expecting the name alone to produce elite fantasy weeks, and it just hasn't shown up consistently. Add in the recovery from his ACL, and I'm just not ready to throw him into lineups yet. With all that being said: could Mahomes throw 4 touchdowns Monday night and make me look ridiculous? Of course. It's Mahomes. I'm fine taking that risk.

If you drafted him to be your QB1, I'd look into some streaming options before Sunday. Here are some guys I would look at adding:

Baker Mayfield against Cincinnati. The Bengals were bottom 10 defending the position last year, allowing right around 19 fantasy points a game to quarterbacks. Mayfield just signed an extension and has a real chip on his shoulder after an injury riddled 2025.

Tyler Shough. He was the actual QB4 over his final 6 games last season, averaging just over 20 points a game. He still has Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson to throw to, and has a nice Week 1 matchup against a weak Lions secondary.

Kirk Cousins against Miami. He won the Raiders job over the rookie Fernando Mendoza this summer and has a soft matchup right out of the gate.

My Hail Mary dart throw is Malik Willis. He's the new Miami starter, has a favorable matchup, and he has real rushing equity attached if the passing game struggles early. High risk, but the ceiling is real if it hits.

Busy Dad Verdict:

Start him with caution, but I prefer to go with one of the streamers above if possible.

The Quick Hits

Zay Flowers

Zay Flowers was limited Wednesday with a hamstring injury, then logged full participation Thursday and says he's ready. Don’t invent a problem that isn’t there.

Busy Dad Verdict:

Start him.

Emeka Egbuka

Emeka Egbuka missed time this summer with a toe injury, then logged full practices both Wednesday and Thursday. He’s another one I'm crossing off the worry list.

Busy Dad Verdict:

Start him in leagues where he was drafted to be a starter.

Johnathon Brooks

Jonathon Brooks is practicing but was limited Wednesday and Thursday with a groin issue, and Chuba Hubbard already gives Carolina a real 1B. Not worth guessing his workload while he's less than 100 percent.

Busy Dad Verdict:

Sit him. I’ll let him prove himself before putting him in lineups.

Jakobi Meyers

Jakobi Meyers has been limited with a thumb injury but says he's playing. A thumb injury matters more than most for a guy who catches footballs for a living.

Busy Dad Verdict:

Startable, but not someone I’m forcing into lineups over a healthy option in the same range.

Alec Pierce

Alec Pierce is expected back from ankle surgery but was limited in practice this week. He's already risky as his weekly value relies on big plays, and now he's playing fresh off of surgery with no full practice under his belt.

Busy Dad Verdict:

I'd rather wait a week if I have another option.

My Week 1 Injury Cheat Sheet

Starting: Breece Hall, Ashton Jeanty, Zay Flowers, Emeka Egbuka.

Starting with some risk attached: Malik Nabers if he's active, Jakobi Meyers.

Waiting on a final word: Alvin Kamara and Travis Etienne, Rome Odunze.

Sitting: Jeremiyah Love, Jonathon Brooks, Alec Pierce, Patrick Mahomes.

Expected out entirely: Brock Bowers, Tua Tagovailoa

The Bottom Line

Week 1 always has some guessing built into it. We haven't seen these offenses play a real game yet, we don't know exactly how a backfield splits, and no team is volunteering snap counts before Sunday. That's why I don't want this to turn into a giant list of who has a boo boo. Instead, I'd rather tell you what has changed and what we're doing about it.

Bowers matters because you need another tight end TODAY. Kamara matters because his status flips how I feel about Etienne completely. Nabers matters because being active doesn't guarantee a full workload. Jeanty matters because sometimes the news gets good enough that you can just stop worrying.

That's what I'm actually looking for every single week: not just who's hurt, but who owners can actually trust. 

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