Fantasy football is all sunshine and what-ifs and optimism in July and August. Everywhere we look, we see upside. Potential league-winners abound, scattered up and down the cheat sheet. This game is never easier than when we aren’t yet playing it.And then opening week hits, and suddenly Terrance Ferguson is only a part-time player who sees one target (which he didn’t catch), and everything is terrible. Can’t wait to rage-drop that guy. Gotta send a message to the rest of the squad that zeros will not be tolerated.Welcome back, fantasy football. Missed you!This article is from The Athletic’s NFL newsletter. Sign up here to receive it directly in your inbox. It’s free to subscribe. Key opening-week injuriesBrock Bowers has been ruled out for Week 1. (Jamie Schwaberow / Getty Images)It is deeply wrong that we have to contend with injuries in opening week. So sorry. A huge flaw in the game. But hey, this week’s news actually isn’t all bad. Let’s begin with the good stuff:RB Ashton Jeanty (LV) has been a full participant in practices this week, shrugging off the ankle injury that sent everyone into a panic two weeks ago. “I feel really good,” he told reporters. That’s what we like to hear, RB1.QB Patrick Mahomes (KC) is practicing in full this week, just nine months after tearing his left ACL and LCL. He’s releasing hype videos, too. Fade him at your own peril.WR Malik Nabers (NYG) is another member of the ACL-repair club who’s practicing fully and appears on track to play. Nabers has hedged just a bit in public comments about his status, which might be deliberate misdirection, but it feels authentic.RB Jonathon Brooks (CAR, groin) participated in yesterday’s practice and looks good to go according to Joe Person, The Athletic’s Panthers reporter. The exact nature of the workload split between Brooks and Chuba Hubbard remains a mystery.WR Rome Odunze (CHI, calf) will be listed as questionable this week, but he practiced throughout the week and told reporters on Friday, “I’m feeling like I’m ready to go.”RB Jeremiyah Love (ARI) opened the week with limited practice sessions, a great sign ahead of tomorrow’s opener against the Chargers. He’s officially a game-time decision. We expect Love to operate in tandem with Tyler Allgeier, but that shouldn’t dim your excitement.RB Breece Hall (NYJ) has recovered from his minor groin issue and won’t be on a pitch count in the opener at Tennessee, according to OC Frank Reich.WR Emeka Egbuka (TB) is a “full go” for the Buccaneers against Cincinnati this week, according to coach Todd Bowles. Egbuka has battled a toe injury throughout the preseason, but he’s been active in this week’s practices.Just in case you somehow missed it: TE Brock Bowers (LV) underwent a meniscus trim Tuesday and is expected to be sidelined one to two weeks. Michael Mayer is a perfectly acceptable replacement option, both for the Raiders and fantasy managers.QB Tua Tagovailoa (ATL) suffered an oblique injury during throwing drills Thursday and has been ruled out for Atlanta’s matchup with Pittsburgh. Cooper Rush is Plan B. He’s a terrifying Superflex option, but desperate times call for sketchy quarterbacks.WR A.J. Brown (NE) exited Wednesday night’s opener with a high-ankle sprain that may sideline him four to six weeks. He’s headed to short-term IR. Romeo Doubs was a disaster against Seattle, but he’s likely headed for a spike in opportunities over the next month.Fantasy toolkitJake Ciely’s opening-week ranks: Our resident ranker of things has you covered at all roster positions, except those that dabble in the kicking arts. This week, Jake also took a shot at ranking the best movies of 2026, resulting in a list of mostly animated and/or superhero films which no adult could take seriously, but your 9-year-old will love.The Fantasy Concierge: When you have sit/start decisions that demand context and support, this is where to go. The Concierge is an AI-powered tool that isn’t doing anything nefarious — we swear. It relies exclusively on The Athletic’s original reporting and fantasy coverage, Jake’s weekly rankings and scoring projections from Rotowire. Input the names under consideration, and you’ll receive a concise answer, just like this:Full injury report: For the hardcore managers who require comprehensive injury reporting on any name with even modest fantasy relevance, Jess Bryant is here for you. When weather becomes an issue, Jess will have you covered.Deep value plays: Brad Evans has certainly never been afraid to take big swings on players no one else is starting. He makes the case this week for Kenneth Gainwell, Matthew Golden, Juwan Johnson and various others.