National Football League

Panther problem: Gametime decision for Newton

Published Sep. 5, 2014 5:22 a.m. ET

John Halpin

The biggest fantasy question heading into Sunday's games is the status of Panthers QB Cam Newton, who missed Wednesday's practice and was limited on Thursday due to a hairline fracture in his ribs. The Charlotte Observer says Newton will be a "gameday decision," the team's website notes that while Newton feels he's "on pace" to play, he "knows he's not there yet," and Black and Blue Review reports that "the sense inside the team is he will be held out of Sunday's season opener at Tampa Bay."

The Panthers and Bucs kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, so if there's any doubt about Newton's status by the time the early games start, you're going to need to bench him. Also, you can consider picking up the Bucs' defense, which is owned in 18.2 percent of FOXSports.com leagues.

In other news ...

We learned two important things in the Seahawks' demolition of the Packers on Thursday. First, for as long as Percy Harvin is healthy, he'll be very busy - he had seven receptions and four rushes for a total of 100 yards from scrimmage. Second, Marshawn Lynch isn't the only back who's going to have a big day against the Pack's bad run defense.

Packers RB Eddie Lacy left that game due to a concussion, and we probably won't know much more about his status until next week.

You might have heard that Patriots QB Tom Brady missed Thursday's practice with a calf injury, but he's expected to play. His teammate, TE Rob Gronkowski, was limited at practice, and Bill Belichick has been cagey ever since Gronk declared on Monday that he'd be ready to go this week. Look for Gronk to be on the field Sunday.

Cardinals RB Andre Ellington was limited on Thursday due to a foot injury. The Arizona Republic reports that Ellington "looked healthy during the portion of practice open to reporters."

Texans RB Arian Foster "will get the bulk of the playing time" on Sunday, according to head coach Bill O'Brien. That quote is for those who were concerned about Foster's preseason inactivity.

Cpwboys WR Terrance Williams (back) was held out of Thursday's practice, but the team's website called his absence "precautionary."

Ravens RB Bernard Pierce is ready to go against the Bengals, and says he's fully recovered from a preseason concussion. Pierce is RB21 on my board this week.

Jaguars WR Cecil Shorts III missed Thursday's practice because of a hamstring injury that bothered him in training camp, but head coach Gus Bradley called Shorts' absence "precautionary."

In case you missed it, the Saints re-signed PK Shayne Graham. In other Saints' news, WR Kenny Stills (quad) didn't practice Thursday, and thinks it's "something he'll have to deal with for the majority of the season," according to NOLA.com. Don't count on Stills for Week 1.

Speaking of Grahams, Texans TE Garrett Graham might not be able to play Sunday due to a back injury. The Houston Chronicle reports that C.J. Fiedorowicz would start in Graham's absence, with Ryan Griffin backing up. However, Griffin is a better receiver, if you're looking for a deep sleeper.

The Denver Post suggests that the Broncos could use Jacob Tamme in two-tight end sets as a way of compensating for the absence of Wes Welker. I'm not sure I'd overthink that one by starting Tamme, unless you want to consider him as a lottery ticket in a DFS (daily fantasy sports) game.

Speaking of DFS, I'll be playing on DraftKings this season for the first time, and will plan to post my tentative lineups here each Friday. Some of you probably know more than I do about DFS, so feel free to comment on my selections, which will hopefully improve as the season progresses. As of Friday morning, my roster for this week's NFL $500K Gridiron Contest ($50K salary cap) is:

QB: Peyton Manning ($10,100)

RB: Andre Ellington ($6,000, assuming he's active)

RB: Frank Gore ($5,200)

WR: Demaryius Thomas ($8,100)

WR: Alshon Jeffery ($7,100)

WR: Cody Latimer ($3,000)

TE: Levine Toilolo ($3,000)

Flex: Anquan Boldin ($4,700)

DST: Vikings ($2,700)

If you need help between now and Sunday, our rankings are here, and you can always ask me Twitter questions (@jhalpin37). Also, we'll have our usual three-hour pregame chat on Sunday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., hosted by Adam Meyer, Joel Beall and me. Good luck in Week 1!