Atlanta Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been ruled out for Week 1 after suffering an oblique injury in practice, opening the door for backup Cooper Rush to start. Meanwhile, across the NFL, teams navigate high-profile injury updates regarding Myles Garrett, Brock Bowers, and rookie running backs ahead of opening weekend.
Tua Tagovailoa Ruled Out for Week 1 After Oblique Injury
Head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Friday that Tagovailoa is considered week-to-week, though the team clarified the issue is unrelated to the back trouble that affected him at the start of training camp.
Days after securing the starting job, Tagovailoa was observed walking slowly away from drills while touching his back and briefly sitting down. Although he later jogged down the field, he did not return to practice and was initially listed as day-to-day before being ruled out entirely.
Cooper Rush, who started two games for the Baltimore Ravens last season, will draw the Week 1 start against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Undrafted rookie Jack Strand will serve as the backup quarterback.
“I’m not sure what happened, but it’s Thursday practice. Practice has to go on and so you’re up next, and that was a good day. It was good to get out there and get some real reps with that group, and we’ll see what happens.”
Cooper Rush, quarterback
The quarterback room faces further depth challenges as Michael Penix Jr. was also ruled out as he continues to recover after tearing his left ACL last season. Penix only returned to full practice two weeks ago, but could be set to take over the No. 1 job when 100% healthy.
Fantasy Football Adjustments Following Atlanta and Las Vegas Injuries
The sudden shift at quarterback forces fantasy football managers to recalibrate expectations for Atlanta’s offense. Projections lower the team’s pass rate, efficiency, and touchdown outlook. This is bad news for Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Robinson is RB3 in projections and still RB2 in rankings. London fell from WR8 to WR15, but most teams won’t have two receivers ranked higher than him. Pitts is the one who could be impacted. He fell from TE4 to TE8 in my projections, behind Isaiah Likely and Michael Mayer. But Dallas Goedert, Juwan Johnson, Dalton Schultz, and Harold Fannin Jr. are all close enough to Pitts in the projections that I understand if you would feel safer starting them.
The one certainty we have gotten from this week’s injury reports is that Brock Bowers will not play in Week 1 and could miss Week 2 as well. The easy answer here is just pick up Michael Mayer. Mayer saw a 24% target share and averaged 10.6 PPR Fantasy points per game in four games without Bowers last year. As of Wednesday afternoon, he is still only rostered in 22% of leagues. I project Mayer for five catches for 45 yards on seven targets and would start him over Dallas Goedert, Juwan Johnson, Harold Fannin, Travis Kelce, and George Kittle in full PPR leagues. This is also a boost for Tre Tucker, who moves from a desperation flex to a boom/bust WR3. With Jeanty’s full participation, he could also see a boost in targets and is a borderline RB1 against the Dolphins this week.
Myles Garrett Set for Rams Debut as Aaron Donald Sidelined
Fans won’t get to see star Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald against the 49ers on Thursday night. While the three-time Defensive Player of the Year did end his retirement to return to L.A. this season, he isn’t ready to take the field just yet. Donald did not travel with the Rams to Melbourne. Fans should, however, get a few glimpses of prized trade acquisition Myles Garrett. While the reigning Defensive Player of the Year has spent much of the summer managing swelling in his knee, he’s set to make his debut for L.A. against the rival 49ers.
Head coach Sean McVay praised the reigning Defensive Player of the Year’s progress.
“He’s looked great,” Rams coach Sean McVay said, per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. “We’ve been smart with Myles, like I’ve kind of told you guys, but his impact has been tremendous.”
Sean McVay, Rams coach
The Rams may look to utilize Garrett on a limited snap count, but he should still have a big impact on their pass rush. Expect him to command regular double teams, which should open up playmaking opportunities for Byron Young, Kobie Turner, and Braden Fiske.
Injury Report Updates Across the League
If you have someone who was an injury concern in the preseason, the odds are they are trending in the right direction for Week 1. Luther Burden III, Tyler Warren, D’Andre Swift, and Kyle Monangai are off the injury report. Ashton Jeanty, Malik Nabers, and Breece Hall were full participants. Jeremiyah Love, Alec Pierce, Jonathon Brooks, Zay Flowers, and Emeka Egbuka were limited, but their teams are optimistic they will play in Week 1. On Friday, Dan Quinn said Jacory Croskey-Merritt has been cleared to go as well. As of now, we project that all of them will play in Week 1, and most will receive their regular workload.
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Running back Sean Tucker (hamstring) is doubtful, and wide receiver Jalen McMillan (knee) is doubtful. On Friday afternoon, we found out that we probably won’t see Tucker or McMillan suit up for Tampa Bay. You probably weren’t starting them anyway, but this is important news to Bucky Irving and the other Tampa Bay pass catchers. Irving’s touchdown odds shoot up without Tucker, who may have been the goalline back. He is now my RB17, ahead of MarShawn Lloyd, Javonte Williams, and Cam Skattebo. Chris Godwin also gets a boost up to WR25 in full PPR, just ahead of DK Metcalf, Marvin Harrison Jr., and DJ Moore. This game has the highest over/under on the Week 1 slate, and you should want a piece of it. If you have an extra bench spot, you may want to pick up Ted Hurst. He should see more targets with McMillan out, and if he is productive, he could earn a more permanent role.
