When asked about his running back rotation Wednesday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles stated that Rachaad White would be given the first crack at touches in the backfield rotation. "I think it will be a game-by-game basis," said Bowles. "You normally go with the hot hand, but since nobody has played yet, obviously Rachaad [White] starts and then we'll kinda go from there and see how the other guys are used." It's an interesting statement by the Bucs' coach, as he may be hinting at more of a split in Tampa Bay's backfield than initially anticipated. White led all running backs in the NFL in snaps last season (861) and took on a workhorse role in his sophomore year. The third-year RB was one of the better pass-catching weapons out of the backfield in 2023 but did not exhibit nearly the same efficiency as a runner. While it's most likely just a head coach attempting to lessen a player's load, this is a situation to monitor, as White would lose value if backup Bucky Irving were to eat into his workload.

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The Los Angeles Chargers released their first official depth chart of the 2024 regular season on Tuesday and listed running backs Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins as co-starters, with rookie Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins behind them as depth. Both Edwards and Dobbins have operated in offensive coordinator Greg Roman's system before in Baltimore. Edwards should handle most of the team's short-yardage, goal-line situations after scoring 13 rushing TDs with the Ravens in 2023. However, Dobbins looked explosive in training camp after coming off two major injuries the last few seasons. Dobbins is the more elusive back in space and could surprise as a pass-catcher out of the backfield in deep PPR leagues if he can stay healthy in 2024. Edwards will be a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex in his Chargers debut in Week 1 versus the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday.

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While Los Angeles Chargers second-year wide receiver Quentin Johnston showed dramatic improvement as a route-runner in training camp and the preseason this summer, The Athletic's Daniel Popper writes that his hands are still a concern. Johnston had several drops in camp, but the former first-rounder should still offer more than he did in 2023 in what was a disappointing rookie campaign. The problem for fantasy managers that drafted Johnston in dynasty/keeper leagues last year is that he's opening the 2024 season as the WR4 in LA behind Joshua Palmer, rookie second-rounder Ladd McConkey and deep threat DJ Chark (hip). The 22-year-old went undrafted in most standard-sized fantasy leagues, although he could jump into the starting lineup this Sunday against the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders and be a DFS sleeper if Chark is unable to play.

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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (knee) was listed as a full participant in the team's first official practice of the regular season on Wednesday and should be ready to roll for the Week 1 season opener on Sunday night against the Detroit Lions. Nacua returned to a full practice last week after initially injuring the bursa sac in his knee way back on Aug. 4. It's something worth watching, but fantasy managers shouldn't have any reservations about starting the star second-year wideout in lineups this weekend. The 23-year-old former fifth-rounder last year out of BYU took the league by storm right away, finishing with a 105-1,486-6 line in 17 regular-season games. Even with veteran wideout Cooper Kupp back to full health in 2024, Nacua showed last year that he has WR1 upside for fantasy managers on a weekly basis.

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Los Angeles Rams rookie running back Blake Corum was listed as the team's top kick returner on special teams on the club's first official depth chart of the 2024 season. Not only is Corum listed as their top kick returner, but lead back Kyren Williams is expected to open the year as their top punt returner. It remains to be seen if this setup will last all year, but it will certainly open both Corum and Williams up to added injuries in the return game. Williams is the unquestioned lead back in LA's backfield after an impressive year in 2023, but the 23-year-old Corum is expected to have a sizeable workload behind him to take some pressure off. At the very least, the Michigan product should be handcuffed to Williams in fantasy, but he could also have some standalone fantasy value as an RB4/flex in what could be an explosive Rams offense if quarterback Matthew Stafford stays healthy.

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Cincinnati Bengals rookie third-round wide receiver Jermaine Burton's talent jumps off the page, but off-the-field concerns regarding his coachability pushed him down the draft board in April. The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. writes that Burton's scouting report has proven to be true so far; the Bengals have run into issues getting him on board and up to professional standards. He has not been in the vicinity of where he needs to be as a pro so far and even admitted himself that he needs to make strides to crack any rotation in a receiver group already entrenched in their roles. The 23-year-old often ran the wrong routes in practice and preseason games this summer, and the Bengals won't make him active on game day in the regular season if they don't think he's preparing himself in meetings and practice. The bottom line is that Burton's dynasty/keeper stock is dropping quickly.

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The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. writes that it's inevitable that Cincinnati Bengals running backs Chase Brown and Zack Moss will play a significant role in 2024, with their total touches ending up in a 50-50 split. However, it's unclear if the split will be situational with Moss handling third-down and two-minute situations, or if it will be more of a drive-by-drive breakdown. Head coach Zac Taylor isn't necessarily looking to fill situational roles; he's more concerned about disguising play-calling tendencies. In the end, the rotation between Brown and Moss will likely evolve throughout the year, but as of now, it sounds like both RBs will be doing a bit of everything. Brown is quicker and more elusive in space, while Moss is more of a banger between the tackles. Both figure to have their fantasy value capped as RB3/flex plays in fantasy, with most of Moss' value potentially coming as a short-yardage, goal-line option.

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The Baltimore Ravens defense/special teams draws one of the toughest matchups in the very first game of the year against the Kansas City Chiefs. For the most part, this defense has a lot of the same pieces from last year which saw them as one of the best units in the NFL. Two big losses were the defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald and linebacker Patrick Queen. Former third-round draft pick Trenton Simpson will step into Queen's absence while Zach Orr takes over as the coordinator. Superstar safety Kyle Hamilton looks to build off a tremendous season while the rest of the secondary added some rookies. While fantasy managers should be comfortable playing this team every week, the first game could be a difficult one against Patrick Mahomes and company. With that being said, they should be able to produce enough to be in the top half of defenses.

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The Kansas City Chiefs defense/special teams will take on the high-powered Baltimore Ravens offense in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. The Chiefs DST was a strong unit in 2023 and finished sixth in scoring at the end of the year, but they are down a few significant pieces this season. Star cornerback L'Jarius Sneed was traded to the Tennessee Titans this offseason to cut costs. Sneed was a lockdown corner last season, routinely holding opposing WR1s to lower outputs. The Chiefs defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, is relying on All-Pro Trent McDuffie to anchor the cornerback room while the team decides which player will be the answer at CB2. There is a bit of uncertainty surrounding this group, and they are facing a tough matchup against the Ravens in Week 1. In 2023, the Ravens scored 28.4 points per game, the fourth-highest mark in the NFL. Although I believe the Chiefs DST will be a strong unit again in 2024, I prefer to look elsewhere in Week 1.

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The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. writes that it's time to buy stock in Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas heading into the 2024 regular season. Iosivas showed an improved understanding of the position this offseason and could be the most interesting new piece of the team's offensive puzzle in 2024 after catching 15 passes for 116 yards and four touchdowns last year. Iosivas solidified himself as the WR3 in Cincy behind Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins this summer by excelling out of the slot. The 24-year-old's 4.43 speed makes him a unique weapon on both the interior and on the outside. Dehner says he'll be shocked if Iosivas's snap count in the Week 1 opener against the Patriots falls below 70 percent. Expectations are soaring for Iosivas in 2024, so fantasy managers in deeper leagues may want to consider stashing him for extra receiver depth.

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Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker continues to stick at the top of the kicking ranks heading into his 13th season in the NFL. The Texas product finished as the second-best fantasy kicker last year in what turned out to be more of a down year for the league's most accurate kicker. He made the third-most extra points and third-most 40-to-49-yard field goals while seeing a downward trend in 50+ yarders. With the Ravens offense still expected to put points on the board and the seemingly limitless range of Tucker, he's primed for yet another season as one of the top kickers in the league. Fantasy managers can play him in confidence heading into the Week 1 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.

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New York Jets lead running back Breece Hall said he is feeling great heading into a Week 1 showdown on Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers. Hall is hoping to carry the momentum of his strong 2023 campaign into this year after he totaled 1,585 scrimmage yards and got better as the year progressed, recording 507 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns over the final three games. "I feel like I'm better than ever right now. Really to me, I haven't really done anything in this league yet. Christian McCaffrey sets the standard. He's a top-10 player in this league, and I feel like with my talent and the team we have, I have potential to trend towards that way. So, I'm just excited to get rolling," Hall said. Outside of CMC and maybe second-year back Bijan Robinson in Atlanta, the 23-year-old Hall is one of the most versatile and explosive backs in the NFL. He's a high-end, must-start RB1 each and every week in fantasy.

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Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (toe) was listed on the team's first official injury report of the 2024 season on Wednesday after he put in a limited practice session. Fant injured his toe at a training camp practice way back on Aug. 7, but the Seahawks have expressed optimism all along that he'd be ready for the Week 1 regular-season opener this Sunday against the visiting Denver Broncos at Lumen Field. The 26-year-old could be back to full practice by the end of the week and be removed from the final injury report for Week 1 on Friday. The former 20th overall pick by the Broncos in 2019 out of Iowa had career-lows in catches (32), receiving yards (414) and touchdowns (zero) in 17 games in his second year in Seattle in 2023. When healthy, Fant is the fourth receiving option, at best, among a trio of talented receivers, making him a low-ceiling, low-floor TE2 in fantasy.

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Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman has endured an injury-riddled career so far and hasn't lived up to the expectations that come with a first-round draft pick. The former 27th-overall pick enters this year with a lot to prove and some added expectations after the team didn't retain Odell Beckham Jr. All of the talk surrounding Bateman in camp has been positive, so it seems Bateman could be in for a better year, but fantasy managers should proceed with caution. While he only missed one game last year, he operated as the third and fourth receiver most times while posting 367 yards and one touchdown on 32 receptions. Bateman isn't on the fantasy radar during Week 1, but could be a stash type of player if he shows improvement.

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New York Giants rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (ankle) was not listed on the team's first official injury report on Wednesday after putting in a full practice. Tracy was carted off the field and put in an air cast during practice on Aug. 13, but he thankfully escaped a serious injury -- he was eventually diagnosed with a low-ankle sprain -- and now looks ready to make his regular-season NFL debut this Sunday in the Week 1 season opener versus the Minnesota Vikings. In deep single-year leagues, the 24-year-old is a handcuff option for those that also have lead back Devin Singletary rostered, but other than that, Tracy only deserves to be rostered in dynasty/keeper leagues. If anything were to happen to Singletary in his first year in the Big Apple, though, Tracy would immediately become a popular waiver-wire target as the next in line for a significant workload out of the backfield.

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Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said on Wednesday that the team is still watching the repetitions with star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in practice adding that "we're building up to Sunday." Lamb was most likely the top receiver to come off the board in most fantasy drafts, so if he's active in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday as is expected, he needs to be in all starting lineups. The 25-year-old remains on the commissioner's exempt list after holding out for all of training camp and the preseason, but he and the Cowboys were able to agree on a four-year, $136 million contract extension last week. While Lamb is always a must-start when he's active, there's obvious bust potential out of the gates after he missed so much practice time with the team this summer. The former 17th overall pick in 2020 has three straight 1,000-yard seasons and led the league in 2023 with 135 receptions.

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Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews missed seven games last season and finished one spot away from TE1 territory in half-PPR fantasy leagues. Throughout the six seasons of his career, one thing has been abundantly clear, Andrews is Lamar Jackson's favorite weapon. While the team may have added some more capable pass-catchers and weapons in the ground game, Andrews remains the biggest constant for Jackson. Last year, Andrews caught 45 of his 61 targets for 544 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games. He's had 700 or more yards in four of the last five seasons and hasn't scored fewer than five touchdowns since his rookie year. Fantasy managers can consider the veteran a TE1 heading into the AFC Championship game rematch on Thursday night.

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Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker will play against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. This matchup will put two of the best kickers in the league against one another. Justin Tucker and Harrison Butker finished last season with 32 and 33 field goals, respectively, but Butker edged Tucker in the field goal percentage department. In 2023, Butker made 33 of his 35 field goal attempts and 38 of his 38 extra-point attempts. The Chiefs kicker will look to stay perfect in the extra-point department and build on his substantial 94.3% field goal percentage from last season. In the offseason, Kansas City offered Butker a four-year, $25.6 million extension, which included $17.75 million in guarantees. This move solidifies that the Chiefs believe in Butker as their kicker of the future. Butker is a weekly fantasy starter since the Chiefs have one of the best offenses in the NFL.

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Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett (thigh) was listed as a limited participant in the first official practice of the regular season on Wednesday, somewhat clouding his status for the Week 1 regular-season opener this Sunday at Lumen Field against the visiting Denver Broncos. Lockett has been dealing with his thigh issue since the middle of last month, although he said recently he expects to be ready for the start of the season this weekend. Still, the 31-year-old makes for an unenticing WR4/flex to kick off the new season with Jaxon Smith-Njigba expected to have an expanded role in the passing attack in 2024 alongside DK Metcalf. After four straight seasons reaching 1,000 yards receiving for Seattle, Lockett fell to 894 yards and five touchdowns on 79 receptions in 2023 with JSN in the fold. Those numbers could plummet even further in 2024 if Smith-Njigba becomes more involved.

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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy will face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 this season. The rookie out of the University of Texas will face one of the league's best defenses for the first game of his career, but there are reasons for optimism in this contest. First of all, Worthy made history by running a 4.21 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, which narrowly beat out John Ross' record of 4.22 seconds. Second of all, Worthy finds himself on arguably the best team in the league with one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Patrick Mahomes is one of the best deep-ball throwers in the NFL, despite not truly utilizing that part of his game last season. Mahomes had the lowest yards per attempt of his career in 2023, in large part due to a change in play-calling for their personnel group. This offseason, the Chiefs made it a priority to bring in playmakers with the ability to stretch the field. The Chiefs brought in veteran Marquise Brown and drafted Xavier Worthy. In the preseason, nearly half of Worthy's routes were "go" routes and he had a 29% target share on Mahomes' dropbacks. Andy Reid and the Chiefs will likely try to scheme up a deep ball for their rookie speedster in their opening contest. With Marquise Brown out for Week 1, Worthy could operate as the team's WR2 and is a risky start for fantasy given the unknowns, but he has massive big-play potential.

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