Team news: Dallas Cowboys | Page 3

Jaguars Tank Bigsby led all RBs this preseason with 5 runs of 10+ runs.

Related players: Travis Etienne, JaMycal Hasty, D'Ernest Johnson, Snoop Conner

Bigsby finished with 28 attempts for 159 yards, 83 of those after contact, according to the post. Preseason stats don't get you fantasy points, but Etienne owners should maybe take note. It appears Bigsby has climbed to the RB2 spot on the depth chart ahead of established players like Hasty and Johnson. Bigsby has stood out all through camp, so if you can somehow manage to draft Etienne and Bigsby it may help your RB situation. Etienne can be had in the third round while Bigsby is going in the 12th.

Trade: The 49ers are sending their former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a mid-round. Lance now gets a fresh start in Dallas.

Related Players: Sam Darnold, Cooper Rush, Will Grier

All things considered, this feels like a great deal for all teams involved. Regardless of what we think about the 49ers sacrificing so many picks to grab Lance in the first place, it didn't make any sense for them to keep him, as he has apparently become a third-stringer. The Cowboys had to give away only a fourth-round pick for what could be an exciting backup option, and Trey Lance gets a new start after what presumably has been a rough first couple of years in the league.

In fantasy terms, Lance at least becomes a hold in deep 2QB dynasty leagues.

The San Francisco 49ers have named their backup to starting quarterback Brock Purdy -- and it's not the player they once paid a fortune to trade up for. Sam Darnold will be named the 49ers' QB2 following a strong showing this offseason, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday. That means that Trey Lance is currently running third on the depth chart -- and what it means for his future with the team remains to be seen.

No potential teams have been named yet, but there were rumors that the team was involved in trade discussions before the NFL Draft. The 49ers could obviously just keep Lance, but if they can receive any draft compensation for their third-string quarterback, it's a no-brainer, regardless of what draft capital they once spent on him.

Kyle Shanahan said the competition between Trey Lance and Sam Darnold to be the San Francisco 49ers’ No. 2 quarterback could continue during the regular season.

Shanahan said he’d likely announce the pecking order prior to the team’s Week 1 game in Pittsburgh. After all, the so-called “third quarterback” rule allows teams to dress three passers on game days but they still have to designate which are the first two.

The story went on to say Shanahan indicated the quarterback order “definitely” could change during the season and that Darnold could run the scout team one week — which is typically the purview of the No. 2 quarterback — and Lance could run it in the next.

The Cowboys again have high expectations for Jalen Tolbert heading into the 2023 season.

“We had high expectations last year for him,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday. “He’s living up those we had for him last year this year without equivocation.”

Tolbert has locked up the fourth wide receiver spot behind CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup, executive vice president Stephen Jones said Tuesday.

Last year, Tolbert appeared in only eight games, playing 89 offensive snaps and 53 on special teams and making only two catches for 12 yards. While this is likely only news for deeper leagues, Tolbert could be an injury away from having fantasy value.

Kyle Philips suffered an MCL injury in Saturday’s preseason win over Minnesota, per paulkuharsky.com, an injury that will reportedly keep him out “in the range of six weeks.”

Related players: Chris Moore, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Racey McMath, Treylon Burks

If he wound up missing six weeks, according to the story, Philips would likely miss at least the first three games of the season, probably four. Philips burst on to the scene in Week 1 last year but then faded and played in only four games. Philips was slated to be the team's WR3 this season so this injury likely sets him back. Next up are Moore, Westbrook-Ikhine and McMath.

The story went on to say, the Titans will likely have to use two of their initial 53-man roster spots on injured receivers — Burks and Philips. And if the team needs to keep two healthy receivers as a result, that means two players at other positions will not survive the Aug. 29 final cut.

RB Ronald Jones has been suspended the first two games of the regular season for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances, per a statement from an NFL spokesperson. Jones is eligible to participate in all preseason practices and games. He will be allowed to return to the Cowboys' active roster on Monday, Sept. 18, following the team’s Week 2 game against the New York Jets.

Related Players: Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn

An already-thin Cowboys backfield becomes thinner. Per beat reporters, Jones was likely in the lead for backup duties behind Tony Pollard, but this puts a wrench in that. While Davis or Vaughn could now have an increased workload, the team also might start kicking the tires on Dalvin Cook or Leonard Fournette as well. A FA signing may help lower the draft cost for Pollard, which would make him even more valuable.

49ers GM John Lynch says Brock Purdy (elbow) has been cleared to practice. "The great news is Brock has worked his tail off and he's ready to go."

Kyle Shanahan says Purdy will throw two out of every three days initially, and he'll take the first rep the days he's out there.

Related Players: Trey Lance, Sam Darnold

This is incredible news, as a full-year QB option will be a giant positive to both himself and the skill position players in fantasy. This doesn't ensure that he is the Week 1 starter but it's clearly a step in the right direction.

Including the postseason, Purdy played 82% of the snaps in eight games. In those games, he averaged 232 yards, 8.43 yards per attempt, 2.0 touchdowns, and 0.38 interceptions. He added 0.25 rushing touchdown per game. The resulting 18.8 fantasy points per game would have been the seventh-highest last season.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy resumed throwing this week after having surgery on his elbow roughly three months ago, general manager John Lynch told SiriusXM radio Wednesday.

Related Players: Trey Lance, Sam Darnold

The article would go on to quote Lynch as saying that the 49ers are "incredibly encouraged" by Purdy's recovery and that the hopes are that he is ready for training camp and, thus, the regular season.

“I mentioned Trey, I mentioned Sam, we feel good about that position holistically,” he said. “So we’re not going to do anything to put Brock in a situation where he’s not fully healed. That means not just getting back, but getting back, getting reps in under your belt — the whole deal. So we’ll take it as it comes, as we’re doing. He’s working incredibly hard, and the early returns are good.”

Purdy should be considered the heavy betting favorite to step into Week 1 as the 49ers' starting quarterback.

Per Tim, "Purdy is QB1. Nothing is guaranteed or permanent in football, but the entire premise of the 49ers’ QB situation, at this point, is that Purdy is first among equals because he earned it last December and January. Everything else — Lance’s practice time, Darnold’s arrival, the blurry timeline for Purdy’s return to full-go action — is about caution, not uncertainty."

Related Players: Trey Lance, Sam Darnold

Beat writer Kawakami repeated, in many different manners, that the only thing keeping Brock Purdy from a Week 1 starting job is the health of his elbow; Lance and Darnold are insurance policies, not hurdles. Purdy is scheduled to throw during the final week of May, which will give us a better idea of his standing for Week 1.