We’re two games into the 2026 NFL season, which felt like a hearty appetizer ahead of the full course of games on Sunday.
Friday saw no games played in the NFL, but there was plenty of important news ahead of the weekend. Here’s the latest on who’s in and who’s out on Sunday, as well as a couple of noteworthy stories ahead of the weekend:
Fantasy managers will be eager to start their season without any inactives in Week 1. A few noteworthy big names who may have been early picks will be on the field.
Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty suffered an ankle sprain that caused a bit of a scare late in August, but he will be ready to go on Sunday at home against the Dolphins.
Fellow running back Breece Hall will also suit up. He suffered a groin injury during training camp but has slowly been building toward Week 1. He said on Thursday that he’s feeling “fresh” ahead of the Jets’ opener.
The Jets are going to lean heavily on Breece Hall offensively this season as long as he stays healthy. (Evan Bernstein/Getty Images)
Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, whose rookie season was derailed by injury, is also going to be active for the Buccaneers. With the departure of Mike Evans during the offseason, Egbuka will seemingly slot in as quarterback Baker Mayfield’s No. 1 target in the passing game. The former Ohio State standout has recovered from a toe injury in time for the Bucs’ game against the Bengals.
Who’s Out For NFL Week 1?
The Ravens will start the season without a key player in the middle of their defense. Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike is not going to play on Sunday against the Colts, but head coach Jesse Minter said the veteran is “really, really close.”
Tight end Brock Bowers was surprisingly ruled out earlier this week. He had a minor procedure on his meniscus that will rule him out against Miami. Head coach Klint Kubiak indicated he hoped Bowers’ absence would not be a long-term one.
One of the Eagles’ biggest offseason additions will be out this week against the Commanders. Edge rusher Jonathan Greenard is recovering from a pectoral injury and will be out Week 1. Fortunately, the Eagles’ defensive front is still among the best in the NFL.
While the Buccaneers will have Egbuka in the lineup this week, they’re unlikely to have wide receiver Jalen McMillan. The third-year receiver missed most of last season because of a neck injury, only appearing in four games. He’ll start the 2026 campaign on the shelf, as well.
There are few head coaches who have the kind of job security that Kyle Shanahan has with the 49ers. Apparently, that security has become even more secure.
According to Tom Pelissero, Shanahan signed a contract extension with the 49ers during the offseason. His previous deal expired at the end of the 2027 season. The news came out one day after the 49ers’ impressive season-opening win over the Rams in Melbourne, Australia.
Kyle Shanahan spent the past week in Melbourne, capping it with a 27-7 win over the Rams. (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Shanahan enters the season as the third-longest-tenured head coach in the NFL. He only trails the Chiefs’ Andy Reid (13 years) and the Rams’ Sean McVay, who only beats Shanahan by a number of weeks because Shanahan was coaching the Falcons in the Super Bowl and couldn’t be formally introduced until after the game.
The 46-year-old Shanahan is 92-72 (including the playoffs) with the 49ers. San Francisco has won double-digit games in four of the last five seasons entering this campaign, and they have won at least one playoff game in all of those seasons.
Cooper Rush Will Start Week 1; Tua Tagovailoa Out With Oblique Injury
Tagovailoa did not practice on Friday, which puts Rush, the Falcons’ third-string quarterback, in line to start on Sunday against the Steelers.
Tagovailoa injured his oblique at practice on Thursday, suddenly falling to the ground without any contact. He was set to start with QB Michael Penix Jr. still recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered in Week 11 of last season. It’s the third time that Penix has suffered that injury since the start of his college career.
Penix was listed as a full participant at Falcons practice on Wednesday and Thursday, though, which indicates his return may not be far away. Whether he is given the reins immediately remains to be seen.
The 32-year-old Rush has been a reserve for his entire NFL career, but he is 9-7 as a starter since making his first start back in 2021. Last season, he started two games for the Ravens in place of Lamar Jackson and went 0-2. Rush threw no touchdown passes but four interceptions in those games.
Back in 2022, Rush memorably went 4-1 as a starter for the Cowboys in place of Dak Prescott. He was 4-4 for Dallas in 2024 while Prescott was out.
Four-string QB Jack Strand, an undrafted rookie, was one of the stars of the preseason. He was 24-of-36 (67%) for 306 yards across three preseason appearances. His most impressive game came against the Colts, against whom he was 12-of-17 for 212 yards and two touchdowns (one passing and one rushing).
