We had our first full wave of NFL preseason games for the 2026 season on Thursday night, and this week has been riddled with news, including injuries and a certain QB being named the starter on his new squad. Below we're going to go over all the most important news coming out of camp and preseason from this week that you need to know for fantasy football.
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Chuba Hubbard among mounting injuries
Training camps led off with the 49ers losing WR Ricky Pearsall for the season. We also saw WR Chris Brazzell's rookie season cut way short for the Panthers. This week, we haven't seen many "big" injuries but there was enough to note if you're drafting early. Here's a quick overview:
Puka Nacua, LAR (groin)
Emeka Egbuka, TB (toe)
Luther Burden III, CHI (groin)
Jordyn Tyson, NO (hamstring)
Chuba Hubbard, CAR (hamstring) — week-to-week
All the five players listed above aren't expected to miss Week 1, per reports and their coaches. Nacua and Egbuka's injuries are considered "minor.” The only one that could be super impactful appears to be Hubbard.
The Panthers RB missed time last season due to a hamstring injury and Jonathon Brooks is healthy and already breathing down the veteran's neck. Brooks will be a big mover in terms of ADP over the next few weeks while Hubbard remains out. There was already plenty of analysts who considered Brooks the better option over Hubbard going into this season. Head here for the full injury tracker for training camp and preseason.
Week 1 preseason recap from Hayden Winks
Last night, we got our first big taste of the preseason with 12 teams in action. We got a nice glimpse into what the Raiders offense may look like under Klint Kubiak, as well as the Chargers’ and Cardinals’ new-look systems. If you're looking for some takeaways for fantasy football, Yahoo analyst Hayden Winks has a full recap of the action right here.
Kyler Murray named starting QB for Vikings
It was surprising it took this long for Kevin O'Connell to name Murray the starter over J.J. McCarthy. But that's the deal, like we all thought after the team signed Murray. Any improvement at QB over last season will be good for the offense overall. We know Murray likes to use his legs, so he's a trendy late-round QB option in re-draft formats. You can see where our analysts rank Murray for 2026 here.
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Should you buy stock in the Chargers? Mike McDaniel thinks so
So does Yahoo analyst Scott Pianowski. Los Angeles should be one of the more exciting offenses in the NFL for 2026. From Justin Herbert to Ladd McConkey and Omarion Hampton, the Chargers have plenty of appealing fantasy football options. It should be a bounce-back season all-around if the offensive line can hold up. Read more about the Chargers' new offense and McDaniel from Yahoo's Jori Epstein here.
Panthers sign Darren Waller to deal
For a while, it looked like Waller was going to enter the 2026 season without a team. But Carolina scooped him up to add some depth at receiver and another red-zone target. Remember, last season the Dolphins brought Waller out of retirement, shaking up plenty of fantasy football matchups from late September to late December. Waller would score four times in his first three games in Miami, adding two more scores later in the season versus the Steelers.
Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans and Ja'Tavion Sanders are the other tight ends on the roster, but none were on anyone's fantasy radar. Waller may not be a target on draft day but he's not a bad last-ditch TE option. If anything, keep an eye out for him as a waiver wire pickup early in the season if he's back to scoring touchdowns.