All articles tagged with #week 1
Adam Schefter reports Bears running back D’Andre Swift left Thursday’s practice with a cramp. With Kyle Monangai (knee) sidelined, Swift could carry a larger workload in Week 1 against the Panthers and might climb into the top-12 fantasy RB tier if Monangai cannot play.
With Week 1 in Seattle looming, Christian Gonzalez’s contract extension remains unresolved. Gonzalez isn’t sure a deal will be done before the opener and isn’t sharing updates, while coach Mike Vrabel says there’s no new contract news and aims to get him ready to play. Vrabel also noted that healthy, under-contract players are expected to practice and play, prompting preparation for multiple scenarios. Teammates have publicly and privately backed Gonzalez as the situation plays out.
The 49ers travel to Melbourne a week before their Week 1 opener vs. the Rams, with questions about how much Nick Bosa and George Kittle will play after long travel and past Week 1 snap counts. The mailbag also notes Deebo Samuel’s looked-good form and potential wideback usage, De’Zhaun Stribling as the primary F (slot) receiver with Mike Evans’ understudy at X, and various roster decisions as several players (including Brandon Aiyuk) won’t travel. Sam Okuayinonu is questionable; a number of PUP/IR players will stay behind, and the team plans to rely on practice-squad options for Australia. The piece also touches on pass-rush expectations and possible moves around the trade deadline.
Covers betting analyst Chris Vasile previews 12 Week 1 college football moneyline picks, with Kalshi-provided probabilities for games from Colorado vs. Georgia Tech to SMU vs. Florida State, including brief rationale for each matchup and a promo code (COVERS35) for Kalshi on signup.
USA TODAY Sports divides Week 1’s 43 FBS games into four viewing tiers: Tier 1 must-see matchups (Colorado at Georgia Tech; Boise State at Oregon; Baylor at Auburn; Clemson at LSU; Wisconsin at Notre Dame; Louisville at Mississippi; SMU at Florida State) anchor the slate; Tier 2 commercial-break backups include Toledo at Michigan State, Miami at Stanford, USC vs. Fresno State, North Texas at Indiana, and Alabama vs East Carolina; Tier 3 track-the-box-score games feature Oklahoma vs Texas-El Paso, Liberty vs James Madison, Oregon State vs Houston, Coastal Carolina at West Virginia, Ohio at Nebraska, among others; Tier 4 check-your-phone-before-bed options cover late-night or lower-stakes FBS/FCS entries like Massachusetts at Rutgers, Akron at Wake Forest, Alabama-Birmingham at Illinois, and a long list of FCS pairings. The guide notes the Week 1 slate spans 43 FBS games (and 47 against FCS) and serves to help fans plan viewing through Labor Day weekend.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler highlights 15 NFL Draft 2027 prospects to monitor during Week 1 of college football, ranging from QBs Darian Mensah and CJ Carr to offensive tackles Desmeal Leigh and Jordan Seaton, edge rushers Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti, and players like Nico Iamaleava, Abu Sama, and Will Echoles. The piece provides quick assessments of each player’s strengths and what evaluators will be watching in opening-week matchups, emphasizing how Week 1 performances could buoy or temper their draft stock.
In Week 1, the Minnesota Vikings host the Green Bay Packers with Minnesota a 1.5-point favorite (moneyline -120) and the over/under set at 45.5. The piece aggregates predictions from multiple outlets, including the Arizona Republic’s projection of a 24-20 Vikings win, Dimers’ Packers 22-21 win, and ESPN’s model signaling a Packers edge in win probability, highlighting a tight, near-even matchup across the board as Week 1 kicks off.
George Kittle’s Week 1 return from an Achilles rupture is expected to come with a snap count rather than his usual heavy workload, as he continues to ramp up after surgery. The Athletic’s Matt Barrows labeled a 95-percent snap share unlikely, with the 49ers potentially limiting him in Australia against the Rams. For fantasy managers, Kittle could be a risky low-end TE1 in the opener, best approached with a wait-and-see mindset.
Green Bay's 53-man roster sets the stage for Week 1 vs. Minnesota, but four depth-chart concerns loom: quarterback stability after Malik Willis’ departure and Tyrod Taylor’s uneven preseason, with Jordan Love expected to start; uncertain running back depth due to Josh Jacobs’ commissioner-exempt status and Kaleb Johnson's addition; a fragile offensive line with worries at interior spots and Banks’ health; and a thinner edge-rush group without Parsons (IR/return) forcing Lukas Van Ness and Barryn Sorrell to carry more pressure until top players return. Other units (WR/TE, LB, CB, safeties) look relatively solid, with only minor concerns in specialists like Trey Smack and long snapper continuity.
CBS Sports betting writer Tom Fornelli breaks down Week 1 with multiple picks: LSU is favored by 10 to beat Clemson, Louisville is a 7-point underdog at Ole Miss, and Wisconsin-Notre Dame is his Lock of the Week with the under 47.5; he also backs Kent State +35.5 at South Carolina, Ball State +50.5 at Ohio State, and Cal +105 to upset UCLA, all while noting the early-season volatility of college football betting.
Kentucky football heads into Week 1 vs. Youngstown State with a mix of humor and strategy: a fall-camp mishap saw a walkie-talkie fly 30 yards onto the field; quarterback Kenny Minchey is empowered to make advantage checks at the line to exploit defenses; and head coach Will Stein, leading a youthful, modern staff, aims for an uninterrupted night’s sleep before the season kicks off.
Missouri is a massive -54.5favorite with an over/under of 60.5 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Week 1. The article advocates Missouri to cover the spread and the Over, suggests a same-game parlay with the two bets, and notes Missouri’s history of strong ATS performance versus FCS teams (5-0 under Eli Drinkwitz).
Nebraska didn’t move in Week 0 polls but ESPN’s FPI lifts the six-win/bowl-eligibility odds to 76.1%, keeping a third straight bowl likely. The Huskers remain unranked in the AP Top 25 and sit around 40th on average across five monitored rankings, with ESPN at 30th and The Athletic at 58th as bookends. With a 2026 slate that includes Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, Washington, Iowa and Illinois, the team’s Big Ten and CFP odds edged up only modestly ahead of Week 1 against Ohio.
Raiders GM John Spytek said Ashton Jeanty’s ankle sprain is in a good spot and he could return quicker than some expect, potentially within the first month of the season; he hasn’t been placed on IR and is being watched closely, leaving Mike Washington Jr. to shoulder more work if Jeanty isn’t ready for Week 1.
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said running back Ashton Jeanty, who sprained his ankle in late August and did not practice, is progressing and could be ready for Week 1 vs the Dolphins; Jeanty, the No. 6 overall pick in 2025, had 1,321 yards from scrimmage with 10 TDs as a rookie.