NFL Week 2 Thursday Headlines

Chief’s Marquise Brown Surgery/IR

• Surgery for a sternoclavicular injury sustained during preseason game against the Jags.

• Expected back no sooner than Week 7 following Chiefs’ Bye Week - IR means out for at least 4 games.

• Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy stock rising - potentially Justin Watson as well.

CMC Uncertain For Week 2

• Achilles tendinitis. 49ers taking a long-term view on Christian McCaffrey’s health wouldn’t be surprising. They have Superbowl aspirations and you have to think they would rather have CMC then versus in Week 2 against the Vikings - particularly following Jordan Mason’s more than serviceable performance from Week 1 and the ability for a healthy Deebo to also take RB snaps.

• Stock in Jordan Mason stays high.

Puka Nacua IR

• Re-injury of bursa sac issue from early-August. IR means a minimum of 4 games with potential return in Week 7 following Bye week, although unclear if he’ll be ready by then.

• Massive stock rise for Cooper Kupp, particularly following his usage in the opener against Detroit last week.

• Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson stock rises as well.

Monitoring Kenneth Walker Oblique Injury

• Sat out Thursday practice - seems to be day-by-day

• Stock rising quickly for Zach Charbonnet.

Bears WR Room Thinning

• Rome Odunze (MCL sprain) and Keenan Allen (heel) both sat out Wed/Thurs practices and are considered week-to-week.

• As of now, Allen appears to be trending towards playing but Odunze seems to be a bit more severe. We’ll see…

• Stock for DJ Moore rapidly rising - likely Deandre Swift and Tyler Scott as well. 

Mike Williams (Jets WR) Stock Rising

• Limited snap count in Week 1 - Jets’ coach, Robert Saleh hinted at an increased role for Williams in Week 2 against the Titans.

• May not be actionable yet, but something worth watching as it pertains to Christian Watson and mostly Allen Lazard.

Remaining Cautious With Josh Jacobs

• Logged limited practice on Thursday with back injury. Will likely play Sunday against the Colts, and if he does, you have to expect it’s a heavy load with Jordan Love out with an MCL sprain, so I’m remaining cautious of re-injury risk with respect to betting. Although I felt the same with Achane on TNF and we all know how that played out.

Russell Wilson Likely Not Making Return Against Denver

• Limited practice participant Thursday. Justin Fields still trending towards starting - Wilson likely to be emergency 3rd stringer behind Kyle Allen.

  • One thing is for sure, Wilson will be wearing shoulder pads and eyeblack regardless of his status.

• Weird situation here and not a lot of silver lining flashing, but does it even matter who plays QB for the Steelers?

  • Justin Fields stock not decreasing yet.

Deshaun Watson Future With The Browns

• Interesting thought piece from the Athletic on Deshaun Watson’s off-field accusations (up to 27 women accusing him of sexual misconduct), on-field performance, $230m guaranteed contract, and what it all means for him and the Browns.

• Not my place to comment here, but stock for Jameis Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DTR) inching up.

Private Equity Seeping Into The NFL

• NFL recently allowed PE firms to purchase up to 10% stake in teams.

• Chargers and Dolphins specifically named and Bills and Eagles are also rumored to be actively engaging in PE negotiations.

• Positive: Good for liquidity and potentially team valuations

• Negative: PE firm priorities don’t always align with anyone outside of said PE firm. Hopefully the 10% cap can limit the assumed cost-cutting approach of PE firms that would negatively impact player and fan experiences.