Tarracciano crossed Hunter Renfrow off draft lists after a mid-August hamstring strain erased his momentum in Carolina’s camp. Despite outplaying Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette early, Renfrow hasn’t played an NFL snap since 2023 (colitis). Even with Adam Thielen traded, Tarracciano now projects Renfrow to the practice squad at best, offering no reason to stash him in standard leagues.

Although Cole Kmet quietly finished TE8 in both 2022 and 2023, Tarracciano says the Bears’ decision to draft Colston Loveland 10th overall is a "death knell" for Kmet’s 2025 fantasy value. Even with improved offensive-line play and Caleb Williams under center, an expected heavy dose of 11 personnel plus a crowded skill-position group caps Kmet’s routes and red-zone looks, making him a late-round dart throw at best.

Citing Adam Schefter’s mid-August report, Tarracciano reminded readers that Tampa Bay does not expect Chris Godwin back until at least mid-October despite his removal from the PUP list. The slow ramp-up crushes Godwin’s early-season outlook and forces managers to burn a bench spot for six weeks or more, a cost Tarracciano isn’t willing to pay at his current ADP.

Tarracciano noted that injuries to Chris Godwin (targeting a mid-October return) and Jalen McMillan (placed on IR, expected to miss roughly half the season) thrust rookie Emeka Egbuka into Tampa Bay’s WR1 chair from day one. While he believes the Ohio State product can handle the volume spike, he cautioned that Egbuka’s ADP has jumped into round five, squeezing the profit margin. Extra targets should also filter to backs Bucky Irving and Rachaad White, making Egbuka a ceiling swing best taken only if drafters are comfortable paying current cost.

With Joe Mixon sidelined, Tarracciano expects Nick Chubb to open the season as Houston’s clear lead back, supported only by Dameon Pierce and rookie Woody Marks. Chubb’s proven between-the-tackles efficiency and goal-line résumé give him week-winning volume for at least the first month and make him a priority middle-round target for managers willing to address the position early and back-fill later.

Tarracciano advised removing Joe Mixon from draft boards after Houston placed him on the reserve/non-football injury list. The veteran aggravated 2024 foot-ankle issues, received multiple injections and electromagnetic therapy, and will miss at least four games before a mid-season reevaluation. Aaron Wilson previously reported Mixon was "not a lock for Week 1," and Tarracciano now projects a best-case mid-year return with significant re-injury risk.

Tarracciano urged drafters to fade Matthew Stafford after The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue reported the 37-year-old’s herniated-disc flare-up will need management all season. The Rams have capped Stafford’s preseason throws, and Sean McVay admitted one big hit could shelve him. Tarracciano warned that any missed time would crush Puka Nacua and Davante Adams projections and makes Stafford an unnecessary risk in one-QB formats.

Evan Tarracciano said Anthony Richardson should be taken off redraft boards after losing the Colts’ camp competition to new signing Daniel Jones. Richardson’s lingering injuries and sub-48% completion rate in 2024 forced Indianapolis to look elsewhere, and Shane Steichen’s “hard to say” comment about Richardson’s future signals the organization could move on. Tarracciano sees no clear path back to fantasy relevance, noting that athletic upside alone cannot overcome a bench role with an uncertain roster spot.

Evan Tarracciano argued that in formats with more than 12 managers, Jahmyr Gibbs backers should burn a bench spot on David Montgomery despite the downside of doubling exposure to the same offense. He acknowledged Detroit could regress without coordinator Ben Johnson, but stressed that injuries to starting running backs are inevitable and waiver options will be non-existent when disaster strikes. Citing last year’s McCaffrey-Mason example, Tarracciano said rostering Montgomery now prevents an expensive FAAB scramble later and provides proven RB2 production whenever Gibbs is unavailable.

Evan Tarracciano urged fantasy GMs in 12-plus-team leagues to pounce on Trey Benson the second James Conner shows hamstring issues or slides back to his 2023 form. With waiver pools already paper-thin, locking up Benson would secure 15-plus-touch upside in an offense that funnels work to its primary runner. Tarracciano compared the potential Conner-to-Benson pivot to last year’s McCaffrey-Mason windfall that produced 800 rushing yards for a lucky early waiver bidder, and advised managers to commit serious FAAB dollars rather than risk missing a league-winning add.

Evan Tarracciano said deep-league managers need to be ready to empty the wallet on Ray Davis the instant James Cook misses time, specifically citing a potential Week 3 knee issue as the type of scenario that sparks a feeding frenzy. He reminded readers that an early-season injury to Christian McCaffrey last year triggered a waiver war for Jordan Mason, who turned nearly 800 rushing yards and several touchdowns into weekly Flex value. Tarracciano expects a similar outcome in Buffalo—any back who inherits the Bills’ lead role steps into high-value touches and red-zone work—so Davis should command a top-shelf FAAB bid the moment Cook is sidelined.