This was somewhat expected after Pearsall was shot in the chest during an armed robbery attempt over the weekend. Pearsall will be required to miss at least four games with this designation and will be eligible to return in Week 5 when the 49ers take on the Cardinals.

As will Jaylen Waddle (undisclosed). Both players had already been declared on track for Week 1, but this confirms it. Hill will probably still end up wearing some sort of brace against the Jaguars, but it should not be a real concern for Round 1 fantasy drafters.

Things have been trending this way for a while, even with the Cowboys adding dusted veteran Dalvin Cook. Coach Mike McCarthy himself came close to confirming it last week when he said Dowdle would have to focus less on special teams due to his offensive duties. Per Archer, Dowdle was the “most explosive back and showcased an ability in the passing game to be a complete back” this summer. Just because Dowdle is the 1A in this deeply unsatisfying committee doesn’t mean he’s going to be a fantasy dynamo, but he is undoubtedly the flier zero-RB desperados want to take as drafting season winds up in the next 2-3 days.

It makes sense from the perspective that the Colts have terrifyingly little depth behind workhorse starter Jonathan Taylor. It makes less sense in that 29-year-old Fournette doesn’t seem to have much left to give at this point. Even so, he could be an upgrade on Trey Sermon if he signs. Fournette would be a weak contingency back undoubtedly ticketed for a committee were he to end up in Indy and Taylor went down with injury.

Brown, who has been ruled out for Thursday’s opener against the Ravens, is dealing with an SC joint sprain, a 4-6 week injury. He’s just now coming up on the four-week mark. Per Rapoport, Brown was only recently able to resume laughing without being in pain. It’s a serious issue. With new-found receiver depth, the Chiefs may not force the issue for Week 2, but Week 3 in Atlanta is probably the worst-case scenario. Brown’s absence gives runway to rookie wideout Xavier Worthy.

There were previous reports of Pearsall being shot in the arm, but more recent reports have said Pearsall was shot in the chest. Per Pearsall’s mother, the wide receiver “was shot in the chest, and it exited out his back.” She also noted that “no vital organs were struck in the attack” while adding, “My son was spared today by the grace of God.” It sounds like the worst is behind Pearsall, as we continue to hope for a speedy recovery.

Speaking on Sports Center, Fowler said the Bengals are hopeful they can get Chase under contract and on the practice field early this week. Chase remains the last big-name wide receiver to sign an extension after CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk signed extensions with their respective teams last week. Chase has practiced once since the team opened training camp in July but hasn’t taken a practice snap since. If he does sign a new deal and play in Week 1, it’s possible the Bengals will limit his snaps out of caution before giving him a full complement of snaps in the coming weeks.

Andrews hasn’t practiced since his involvement in a car accident nearly three weeks ago. We don’t know the specifics of the injury he was dealing with, but a return before next week’s season opener against the Chiefs is a good sign for his Week 1 availability. Andrews is entering his seventh season as a pro and continues to be one of the top targets for Lamar Jackson in Todd Monken’s offense. He’s one of several tight ends who could be competing for the overall TE1 spot this season, but he usually goes as the third or fourth tight end off the board, making him a nice value in drafts.

Given the Chiefs’ decision not to place Brown on injured reserve, we’d expect him to be back sometime within the first three weeks of the season. With that said, he appears to be on the outs for Week 1 against his former team, which elevates rookie Xavier Worthy into low-end WR2/high-end WR3 territory. Brown injured his shoulder in the Chiefs’ preseason opener against the Jaguars and was expected to miss 4-6 weeks with the injury. Brown injured his shoulder on August 10, meaning we’re a little more than a week away from the four-week mark. The Chiefs’ Week 2 matchup against the Bengals goes down on September 15, which could be a realistic option for a return.

McDaniel signed a four-year contract with the Dolphins in 2022. Since then, he has led the Dolphins to a 20-14 record and a playoff berth each season. His offense has ranked in the top 10 in yards each year and was second in points in 2023. He’s also extrapolated the most out of Tua Tagovailoa after Tagovailoa looked like little more than a league-average signal-caller during his first two seasons in the league. McDaniel has been an aggressive, innovative play-caller and is one of the more recent successes off of the Shanahan coaching tree. With a quarterback just getting into his prime and explosive weapons to run his high-powered offense, McDaniel is now locked in for five more years as he and the Dolphins continue to challenge for a top playoff spot in a stacked AFC.