You'd think it would be a little early in the season to be thinking too much about the weather, but rainy conditions will apparently be a factor in a couple of games -- Baltimore-Kansas City, and Denver-Green Bay. Plus a surprise: James White will be OUT for the Patriots (not injury related); get him out of lineups.
A quick look at that and some of the injury updates from Sunday morning follow below.
James White will miss the Patriots game for personal reasons. His wife is due to give birth today. This elevates Rex Burkhead into someone who looks like a great option, since he should be the team's main/only pass catcher at the running back position. In Friday's PPR running back rankings, White was 9th and Burkhead was 21st. Logically, I think Burkhead is now a top-10 option. Sony Michel should remain the main runner and his ranking doesn't really change, but Burkhead moves up. Maybe Damien Harris will be active, but I think it's Burkhead who really gains value (and White needs to be removed from lineups immediately).
It's been raining hard in Kansas City. Apparently it should be over by kickoff, but something to keep in mind; field conditions might be a little slicker than usual. In Green Bay, there's a strong chance it will actually be raining at gametime. Could favor running games and make it harder on receivers (but also defensive backs) as far as making cuts and running routes. I don't think it should be overestimated, but might be a tiebreaker favoring some runners and working against receivers if you have close decisions.
There are a bunch of guys playing in the 1 p.m. Eastern games who are questionable, and will test out things in pregame warmups. Two Colts, T.Y. Hilton (quad) and Marlon Mack (calf) are the big ones. Sounds like both guys will likely play, but if you have a decision between them and players who are similarly ranked, or just want to play it safe, best to go with another player. Seems especially an issue with Mack, since the risk of aggravating the injury and needing to sit out a bigger issue with running backs.
Another questionable player is Ravens tight end Mark Andrews. He was similar a week ago and went out and had a 100-yard day, so the lean yesterday was that he'd be fine. But a report last night called him 50-50, so seems likely he'll at best be limited. Tasty matchup with defense-challenged Kansas City, but some risk in using him.
LeSean McCoy is expected to play through an ankle injury against Baltimore. Since Damien Williams has already been ruled out, McCoy should be the lead back. But since he's less than 100 percent himself, I think people should be careful about counting on him too heavily. Darwin Thompson and perhaps Darrel Williams will also get some chances.
Banged-up tight ends Greg Olsen (back) and Jimmy Graham (groin) are both expected to play.
In a 4 p.m. game, Rashaad Penny (hamstring) isn't expected to play. This is good news for Chris Carson, who should be in line for close to a full-time role. Maybe C.J. Prosise gets a few extra chances, though I don't think he can be reasonably used.
--Andy Richardson