Fantasy Football Week 1 News: Allgeier, Odunze, Henderson and More
Several notable developments could impact fantasy lineups as the NFL regular season gets underway.
The NFL regular season opens tonight with a rematch of last season's Super Bowl!
There's been some recent notable news around the league that pertains to fantasy football, so let's discuss that here.
Fantasy football injury news can be found all season on FantasySP. Use the start/sit tool to help with your fantasy lineup decisions all season!
Allgeier Listed as Cardinals' Starter Over Love
Running back Tyler Allgeier is listed as Arizona's starting running back on the team's unofficial depth chart. Rookie Jeremiyah Love was expected to start after being a high-end draft pick this offseason.
I take unofficial depth charts with a grain of salt, but this is still worth mentioning at least. Love has battled an injury over the past few weeks, so maybe that is part of the ordering on the depth chart.
Regardless of what the reasoning is, fantasy owners need to be very cautious of starting Love in Week 1. I'd look at him and Allgeier as better flex-level options for the first game, which is a tough test against the Chargers already.
Have a backup plan in place in case Love doesn't play at all, at which point, Allgeier would be a better starting option in most fantasy leagues. It's something we'll track early in the season, and something that could become annoying to fantasy owners over time.
Odunze Dealing with Injury
Chicago wide receiver Rome Odunze has an injury that has him day-to-day right now. It's a different injury than the foot one he dealt with earlier this preseason. The team is hopeful he will play in Week 1 against the Panthers.
Still, the injury with Odunze is concerning for fantasy football owners. I'd be very skeptical of starting Odunze this week, even if he's cleared to play. I'd treat him as a flex-level option in standard leagues, and only a locked-in starter (if he's active) in deeper leagues.
If Odunze is not cleared to play, then Luther Burden and Colston Loveland will be better fantasy options for the week. Kalif Raymond, rookie Zavion Thomas or Jahdae Walker would help fill the void if Odunze doesn't suit up this week.
Henderson Out for Week 1
New England running back TreVeyon Henderson is out for the team's Wednesday night game against the Seahawks because of an ankle injury.
So Henderson can be skipped in all fantasy lineups this week, and hopefully you have some other RB options to utilize instead. With him out, Rhamondre Stevenson should be the team's workhorse back. Corey Kiner could get a little work as the top backup, but it will be Stevenson who is the biggest fantasy asset.
Stevenson gets a slight bump up with Henderson out. Seattle was the toughest matchup for fantasy RBs last season though, and should be really stout again this season, so Stevenson isn't the locked-in fantasy starter you'd think he'd be in this situation.
Stevenson is an above-average option though, and should be started in all deep leagues and most standard leagues as well. Only bench him if you have clear better options available.
Tua Starting for Falcons
A couple days ago, Atlanta named Tua Tagovailoa as the team's starting quarterback for the team's game against Pittsburgh. Michael Penix will not be active, as he's not ready to play physically yet. Cooper Rush will be the backup QB.
Neither Tagovailoa or Penix really move the needle for any other Atlanta offensive playmakers, so Tua being named the starter doesn't change much. Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts Sr. are all start-worthy Falcons.
Tagovailoa should only be started in deep fantasy setups. Pittsburgh was a favorable fantasy matchup for QBs last season, but I simply don't want to trust Tagovailoa in Week 1.
Pittsburgh was tough on running backs, while struggling to slow wideouts and tight ends. You are starting Robinson and London no matter what, and the favorable matchup means you should be starting Pitts as well.
We'll see if Tagovailoa can lift up some of those players, or make anyone else fantasy assets going forward.
Donald Out for Opener
Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald will not play in the team's Week 1 game against San Francisco in Australia.
The Rams said the decision was made for what was best for Donald, who unretired at the end of August. Flying all the way to Australia probably isn't the smartest for a player still trying to work back in shape, so the Rams simply will not play him in the opener.
It's a blow to the Rams' defense, but that unit is still stacked, so Donald's absence doesn't change a ton for the Thursday night clash against San Fran. Maybe knock the Rams DST down a peg, but still trust them enough to start them in most fantasy leagues.
Expect Donald to return in Week 2, or 3 at the latest. At that point, the Rams DST will be a must-start unit, and one to tread carefully against with your other offensive fantasy playmakers.
