Barkley (knee) has a strong chance to play Week 1 against Denver, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Barkley has been trending in this direction for a few weeks now, but the Giants will wait until the final days before their Sept. 12 opener to make a decision, as they first want to see him in full-team practices without a non-contact jersey. The running back is on the field for the start of Thursday's practice, per Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York, though it isn't clear exactly what he'll be doing. Barkley returned to full-team drills last week during joint practices with the Patriots, albeit in a non-contact jersey. It may be tough to judge his activity level this week, as media access is reduced at the end of the preseason and the Giants' first injury report isn't due until Wednesday (Sept. 8).