Zach Ertz questionable for Week 1 matchup with Chiefs

Sep 9 late update: Ertz got in a limited practice on Friday and is listed as questionable. He is likely to be a game-time decision and in a later game. Have another tight end ready in fantasy.

Sep 9 early update: Ertz was at the start of practice on Friday, per Josh Weinfuss. We’ll see what his status is when the injury report comes out, but it looks like he’ll be a game-time decision at this point.

Sep 8 late update: Ertz was officially listed as a DNP for practice, a day removed from a limited workout. The downgrade is not a good sign for his Week 1 availability.

Sep 8 early update: Ertz wasn’t at the start of practice on Thursday, per Darren Urban. At this point, the tight end seems to be on the wrong side of questionable for Week 1.

Sep 7 Update: Zach Ertz is back at practice today, per ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss.

Sep 5 update: Kliff Kingsbury calls Zach Ertz “day-to-day” with his calf injury, per Darren Urban. Kingsbury is the king of game time decisions, so this is probably a good sign for Ertz, but we’ll likely need to wait until Wednesday to see if he can practice.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz is still dealing with an ankle injury, and with the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs right around the corner, we’re still waiting to know for sure whether or not he’ll be able to play.

Ertz suffered the injury early in training camp, during the first week of August. He’s been sidelined since then. Obviously, Ertz is a veteran, so missing preseason play isn’t anything unusual, but the fact that he hasn’t been able to practice in such a long time is a concern.

The last update on his status was Wednesday, when head coach Kliff Kingsbury said it would be a close call as to whether or not Ertz will be ready for Week 1.

Fantasy football implications

If Ertz can’t play, veteran tight end Maxx Williams is the next man up for the Cardinals. He wouldn’t be much of a factor in fantasy football, however.

Despite the early season question mark, Ertz still looks like a solid option to be a starting tight end on fantasy rosters throughout the year. Just keep an eye on things to make sure his injury doesn’t get worse.