Welcome back to the NFL season, which means it’s week one of Keeping it Real With Fantasy. As the stress of school begins, so does drafting your teams, fixing your lineup, and managing your team. No fear, The Lance is here to provide you with the best fantasy advice heading into the first week of the season. With the Lions and Chiefs kicking it off Thursday night, there’s already some major injury news that’ll impact that game. Check our website weekly for our fantasy advice!
News/Injuries:
Jonathan Taylor (RB) – The star RB for the Colts who was amidst a holdout injured his ankle while training away from the team in Arizona. The Colts placed Taylor on the non-football injury list and amongst trade rumors, did not remove him before the roster cutdown deadline. As a result, Taylor will be forced to miss at least the first four games of the season.
Cooper Kupp (WR) – Cooper Kupp has reportedly suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury that occurred back in early August. He will be visiting a specialist and his status for Week 1 and beyond is currently uncertain.
Travis Kelce (TE) – On Tuesday, Coach Andy Reid announced that the All-Pro tight end Kelce hyper-extended his knee. Luckily for certain fantasy managers, the severity of the injury is pretty insignificant and his designation for Thursday’s season opener against the Lions is still undetermined.
Starts:
Isiah Pacheco (RB) – With Kelce’s injury and playing status in question, the Chiefs could turn to the run game on Thursday night versus the Lions. The Lions’ defense allowed 5.2 yards per carry, the most in the NFL last season. In the offseason, they made improvements to their secondary by adding Cameron Sutton, CJ Gardner Johnson, and Emmanuel Moseley which will only cater to stopping the Chiefs dynamic pass attack.
Jahan Dotson (WR) – Dotson will see a lot of targets to begin the season against the Cardinals. The Commander’s receiver will have an increased role against a sup-bar pass defense, as his teammate Terry Mclaurin is dealing with a toe injury.
Sits:
Treylon Burks (WR) – The Saints have one of the league’s best secondary which consists of Marsean Lattimore, Tyrann Mathieu, Paulson Adebo, Lonnie Johnson, and Marcus Maye. With a washed up Ryan Tannehilland a weak Titans offensive line, getting the ball to Burks might be problematic for the Titans. If they want a chance to win the game, they’re going to have to continue their ground and pound style of play.
Najee Harris (RB) – The Steelers face off against the 49ers on Sunday in a game that will be a battle of the defenses. The Niners defense had the league’s best run defense in all of 2022. The 2023 defense features superstars such as Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Arik Armstead. However, new addition Javon Hargrave, Javon Kinlaw, Clelin Ferrel, and Dre Greenlaw will be the reason the Steelers run game will flop week 1. The dominant Steelers line is only a fraction of what it used to be.