Dallas nearly toppled Philadelphia in Week 1, but injuries and a stingy defense limited the upset. Dak Prescott moved the chains, and CeeDee Lamb produced 110 yards on seven catches, even with a shadowing by Adoree’ Jackson and a conservative target count. The run game found rhythm behind a refreshed O-line, with Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders providing punch, while VanSumeren left the Eagles without their fullback late. The schedule ahead is brutal, so Dallas will need Prescott and Lamb to stay humming and the front to sustain the push.

Week 1’s NFC North super-team stitches together the division’s top talents by position: Jared Goff anchors Detroit’s offense; Caleb Williams looms as Chicago’s future franchise quarterback; Justin Jefferson, DJ Moore and Amon-Ra St. Brown form a lethal receiving trio.

Sam LaPorta sits atop tight ends; the OL trio of Sewell, Thuney and Dalman anchors the line; Micah Parsons and Aiden Hutchinson spearhead the edge, with Edgerrin Cooper and Jack Campbell patrolling the middle. The depth chart offers a fantasy and betting blueprint across DET, CHI, MIN and GB.

Ryan Clark’s strong Lions optimism is hard to ignore. He called Detroit a team poised to reclaim top NFC status, blazing past the skeptics with a Goff-led offense and a defense that’s ready to surge under new leadership. The argument hinges on Jared Goff’s value as the engine, a run game featuring Montgomery and Gibbs, and a secondary anchored by Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, all backed by a coaching staff that emphasizes urgency and precision. Detroit’s joint practice with the Dolphins only sharpened the feeling that they’re under the radar no more.

The Lions’ floor is built around a proven QB, a dynamic backfield, and two safeties who can turn games with big plays. The narrative also nods to health returning 12 players who missed last year’s playoff push, which could translate to a sharper, deeper roster come Week 1. If Detroit does snag the NFC’s No. 1 seed again, fantasy rosters will lean into Goff’s passing volume, St. Brown’s targets, Williams’ big-play upside, and Branch/Joseph’s impact in the back end.

In short, Clark’s take reframes Detroit as a legitimate title contender rather than a dark horse. For fantasy managers, the clear throughline is volume: Goff’s air yards, St. Brown’s target share, Williams’ explosive upside, and the Branch/Joseph duo’s turnover upside could all drive steady fantasy value all season long. Detroit’s odds to sustain success look more plausible than they did at the start of training camp.

Cameron Heyward’s training camp hold-in grips the Steelers as contract talks linger. Two years remain on his deal, with $14.75 million in 2024 and $14.5 million in 2025 on the line, as the defensive market shifts around him. Teammates Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay publicly back Heyward, urging the front office to meet his value so he can return Week 1. Heyward himself is blunt about his worth, signaling he’ll sit if necessary to secure a new deal. The stalemate arrives just ahead of a season where Pittsburgh’s interior pressure and run defense could take a hit.

Ramsey and Slay spoke with conviction, framing Heyward as a keystone whose absence would ripple through the locker room and on-field identity. With T.J. Watt also in the fold, the Steelers’ defense remains a test case in how star contracts influence team chemistry and fantasy value. The clock to resolve this before the regular season is ticking, and the landscape could shift quickly as signings elsewhere reshape defensive markets.