Matthew Berry

Petzing said Conner is the top running back for the Cardinals backfield, while Trey Benson will need to be ready. The 29-year-old Conner has not played a full season in his career yet. Though he has missed eight games over the last two seasons, it seems the Cardinals will give him a heavy workload when active, similar to his three straight seasons of over 16 touches per game. Meanwhile, the rookie Benson is one of the most valuable handcuffs in fantasy football, ready to take on a large workload should Conner miss time.

Mixon was held out of much of preseason for an undisclosed injury, now revealed to be a quadriceps issue. Head coach DeMeco Ryans said Mixon “will be doing what he’s done his entire career” this season. Mixon is coming off three straight seasons of over 280 touches. He has dipped below 200 touches just once during his career - when he played six games during his 2020 season. With three straight seasons of a top-12 fantasy finish, Mixon is set up to be a borderline fantasy RB1 for the Texans in 2024.

First, fantasy managers learned Kyren Williams would be returning kicks for the Rams. Now, it’s Chase Brown for the Bengals. Brown is listed as the primary kick returner ahead of Trayveon Williams and Charlie Jones on the team’s first official depth chart of the season. This seems to cement Zack Moss, who is listed as the Bengals’ RB1, as the primary back, though Brown can still cut into his workload. With the NFL’s new kickoff rules, teams seem to be employing their skilled playmakers to run back kicks. There is concern that this means less touches for Brown and though he has upside offensively, that RB3 value is slightly dented if he is the primary kick returner.

With the NFL’s new kickoff rules, teams may be looking to get more dynamic playmakers the ball on returns. The Vikings have appointed Chandler their kick returner with WR Brandon Powell as the second deep man. After the Vikings released Kene Nwangwu, they were looking for another returner and Chandler looks to be the man. Offensively, this may mean Chandler will cut less into the RB1 workload, though veteran Aaron Jones is in line to dominate those touches anyways.

Ali was the Ravens’ fifth-round pick and made the roster as the third back behind Derrick Henry and Justice Hill. He likely won’t be needed much on offense, but having the third back is useful for special teams and in case of injury. Tuesday was Ali’s second straight limited practice due to a neck injury. As long as he practices Wednesday, Ali has a shot to play Thursday night against the Chiefs. The only other Raven on the injury report was EDGE Adisa Isaac (hamstring) who did not practice and is trending towards not playing Week 1.

The Jets lock up their slot corner with a three-year extension that can be worth up to $33 million and includes over $19 million in guarantees. The deal makes Carter the highest-paid slot corner in the NFL. Initially a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Carter has started 20 games in three seasons for the Jets. He has 23 passes defended, two interceptions, and 185 tackles throughout his career. Now locked up for the foreseeable future, Carter reinforces a scary Jets secondary with Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed playing the outside corner positions.

Toney was let go by the Chiefs after a disappointing stint that also gave him two Super Bowl rings. Initially drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Giants, Toney has tallied 82 receptions for 760 yards and three touchdowns, adding 21 carries for 119 yards and one touchdown over his three-year career. Between injuries and general offensive struggles, Toney is now looking for a fresh start. The Seahawks hosted him for a visit Tuesday and could look to add him for depth. Toney could be used as a gadget receiver in motion for offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb’s offense if he does indeed sign in Seattle.

The Eagles add Philips as a practice squad slot-receiving option, behind Jahan Dotson and Britain Covey, who are listed as the slot wideouts on the Eagles’ active roster. Philips has dealt with injuries through his two NFL seasons so far, catching 23 passes in 13 games played for the Titans. The Eagles also signed OL Jack Driscoll to their practice squad, while releasing S Caden Sterns and TE Kevin Foelsch to make room.

The deal for the veteran includes $29 million in new money with $16 million fully guaranteed. The deal keeps Heyward in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future where he will continue to be one of the faces of the franchise. Hayward is entering his age-35 season.

Gibbs described his training camp hamstring injury as a “little tweak” and that he’s feels about 98-100%. This is great news for fantasy managers as the second-year player says he feels more confident heading into year two. While Gibbs will continue to share the backfield workload with David Montgomery, expect Gibbs to be more involved overall with the offense.