August 2020 4for4 Player News Articles

The Kansas City Chiefs moved to secure their coaching and front-office futures by agreeing to terms of contract extensions through 2025 with coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach, sources confirmed Monday to ESPN.

Reid and Veach joined the Chiefs in 2013, with Veach starting as a scout. He was promoted to GM in 2017. The team's fortunes changed immediately after their arrival. The Chiefs have made the playoffs in six of seven seasons with Reid and Veach, the past four as AFC West champions. The Chiefs last season won their first Super Bowl in 50 years when they beat the San Francisco 49ers.

JuJu Smith-Schuster looked the best among the group. He was targeted plenty by Ben Roethlisberger during Monday’s one-hour, 47-minute practice, which was heavy on situational periods, including two-minute, red-zone and goal-line drills. It wasn’t perfect, that’s for sure, but it did give a glimpse into a potential return to the form Smith-Schuster showed in his first two years with Roethlisberger.

Related players: Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson

The Steelers were missing some key pieces on defense, the story said in fairness. But, it shouldn't go without noting it was another nice day for both Claypool and Johnson and the author thinks it's going to be a dangerous group to deal with this season.

Running back Lamar Miller practiced for the first time with his new team Monday.

Miller spent all of training camp, which ended Sunday, on the Patriots’ active/physically unable to perform list. He passed his physical, and the Patriots activated him from the PUP list.

Related players: Damien Harris, James White, Sony Michel

Miller, 29, tore an anterior cruciate ligament in the 2019 preseason while still with the Texans. Most think Miller is a depth signing since Michel remains on the PUP list and could miss the start of the season. Harris has looked good so far in camp thus far but White remains the back to own on the Patriots.

Although Ron Rivera promised a competition of sorts at quarterback, Dwayne Haskins worked almost entirely with the first-team offense during the camp practices that were open to the media. Any notion of a battle for the job faded in the early going, and as competition within the team intensified and the offensive installations increased, Haskins gained a firm hold on the QB1 spot — if it was ever his to really lose.

Related players: Alex Smith

Rivera still refuses to declare Haskins the Week 1 starter; when asked when he would do so, Rivera playfully responded: “The 13th, right? That’s the opener,” the story said. But when describing the young quarterback’s play over the past couple of weeks, Rivera has regularly cited his growth, included his decision making.

The Rams are not ruling out running back Darrell Henderson for Week One despite his balky hamstring. Sean McVay called Henderson day to day, per Stu Jackson of the team website.

Related players: Malcolm Brown, Cam Akers

But while Henderson is “making progress,” McVay said they don’t want to rush him back given how tricky soft tissue injuries can be. Henderson’s rehab over the next week will determine his status for the opener, the story said.

A report surfaced that receiver Cooper Kupp departed Saturday’s scrimmage early with an ankle injury. Rams coach Sean McVay disputed that Monday.

“That report is inaccurate,” McVay said, via Greg Beacham of The Associated Press. “He does not have an ankle sprain. He has some soreness in his leg (from before the scrimmage).”

McVay expects Kupp to play the season opener against the Cowboys. “He’s feeling good,” McVay said, via Omar Ruiz of NFL Media. “Don’t anticipate any limits with his Dallas prep.”

Chris Carson returned to the team late last week and took part in Sunday’s mock game. He got a heavy dose of work with Carlos Hyde and Travis Homer sitting out and head coach Pete Carroll raved about Carson after the scrimmage was done.

“Chris has got fresh legs . . . He looks great,” Carroll said, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “He hasn’t had a snap out here that he didn’t look good. So we don’t have any hesitation with Chris at all. He’s ready to go.”

Carson posted 1,230 yards on 278 carries last season and scored nine overall touchdowns before missing the season finale and both playoff games. Carson finished as last year’s No. 11 running back (half-PPR). His per game average was the 12th-highest at his position. He's ranked 16th on our RB list heading into drafts.

In this situation, using a lead back, it would required Jacksonville to identify a guy that can give them a good blend of excellent running and competence in the passing game, enough to where teams couldn’t peg his role on any given play.

And for me, that guy would be UDFA James Robinson from Illinois State.

Robinson is a very fluid runner and is coming off a Shrine Bowl performance that should’ve landed him the MVP award. But, nonetheless he proved the stage wasn’t too big for him and has been having himself a strong training camp.

Related players: Ryquell Armstead, Devine Ozigbo

Keep in mind this is just the author's opinion. Armstead would be the writer's second choice for the lead dog role. He served in that capacity his last season at Temple, and Jacksonville spent a draft pick on him last season, so he figures to get an extended look/opportunity to be the guy. But Robinson has the burst and fluidity to be a chunk-play guy within their offense, the author said. He also said Armstead is the closest to Fournette among all of the remaining backs. So could Ozigbo, who joined the squad last year after getting released by the Saints. This could end up being a committee situation in the end, but with a later draft pick, maybe it's worth taking a shot on Washington or Armstead as a lottery ticket until we know more.

Saints running back Alvin Kamara said earlier in August he wasn’t worried about his next contract.

That appears to have changed. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Saints running back has had unexcused absences the last three days, because of his contract.

Related players: Latavius Murray

Kamara’s entering the final year of his rookie deal, set to make $2.133 million this year. While injuries affected him last year, he should still be in line for a solid payday, even if the Christian McCaffrey deal with the Panthers (four years, $64 million) skewed the scale.

Yup, with less than two weeks before the opener, Arcega-Whiteside should start in Washington on Sept. 13:

X receiver: J.J. Arcega-Whiteside

Z receiver: DeSean Jackson

Slot receiver: Greg Ward Jr.

Jalen Reagor is out for Week 1 and likely out for Week 2. We had a report today that WR Alshon Jeffery could return in September but it won't be Week 1. According to the story, Arcega-Whiteside looks like a totally different player. The story said John Hightower is making a case but the writer believes it will be Arcega-Whiteside who gets the start in Week 1, and possibly Week 2 as well.

As Lamar Jackson develops as a passer, the expectation is he'll run the ball fewer times. Last offseason, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and Jackson himself both said he would run the ball less in 2019. But Jackson's 176 rush attempts not only set a mark for quarterbacks but ranked 23rd among all players last season.

"Obviously, Lamar's skill set and dynamic athletic ability -- that's something we can have available every week and do a little bit more of it this week and a little bit less of it the next week," Roman said. "I think that's always on the table, those type of things. I think it's also an in-game feel for how the game is going and how the defense is playing. I think we're at the point now where we have a pretty good menu when we go into a game. We can see how the game is going and understand that things are going to change in the course of a game. I think it's something we can definitely hang our hat on at times and other times we won't."

In Jackson's two NFL seasons, his 265 designed runs are 159 more than any other quarterback's. Bills quarterback Josh Allen is second with 106. The Ravens have four quality RBs in Mark Ingram, Zac Edwards, Justice Hill and J.K. Dobbins, but Jackson's running ability can open up holes in defenses for anyone and will certainly be part of the game plan this season. But there is also a fine line with wanting to keep Jackson healthy.

No Danny Amendola, Julian Okwara, Hunter Bryant or Darryl Roberts at Lions practice today.
D’Andre Swift, Bo Scarbrough, Danny Shelton and Mike Ford expected to be limited, per Patricia.

Related players: Kerryon Johnson

Swift has a three-down skillset and is the odds-on favorite to lead the Lions’ backfield in touches after Detroit used an early second-round pick to get him. Johnson averaged 3.6 YPC last year after averaging 5.4 YPC as a rookie, and his receptions dropped from 3.2 per game to 1.3 per game. This regime did draft Johnson, so they are unlikely to completely give up on him in 2020, so expect a committee with Swift as the lead back for now. The longer Swift is out, the better the chances Johnson has a bigger role, at least early in the season.

On RB Miles Sanders’ injury:
Geoff Mosher: “We’ve said for a while he’s gonna be out with a lower-body injury and it’s not that bad. What I’m told was it’s a hamstring injury that he’s got. It’s not the least mild one, but also not the most severe.”

Adam Caplan: “I’m told he’s got a hamstring strain. I noticed he was doing a shadow drill [Sunday], which is when you’re mimicking what you’re going to be doing … just doing shadow pass blocking. Well guess what? If he’s got a bad injury, he ain’t doing that.”

The good news here is Sanders' injury doesn't seem to be serious and one would think he'll be good for Week 1. With only Boston Scott and Corey Clement behind Sanders, and a banged up group of WRs right now, this is a situation to keep an eye on as we get closer to Week 1. TEs Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert could benefit the most.

Adam Caplan said the following: “Barring a setback or surprise Alshon Jeffery will be able to play in the first month if the season. I didn’t say he’s going to play Week 1. The typical full repair of the Lis franc, which is mid-foot, is 9-12 months. So he’s obviously fairly close. It’s just matter of how close.”

It wasn't that long ago Jeffery was rumored to remain on the PUP list and miss the first six weeks of the season, so this is at least a bit of good news. The Eagles are very banged up at WR right now, but it looks like perhaps a few weeks into the season they could be back at full strength. Jeffery will be competing with Jalen Reagor, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Greg Ward.

Dede Westbrook — It’s hard to penalize a guy for getting hurt, but considering the Jaguars used a second-round pick on receiver Laviska Shenault and a fifth-rounder on Collin Johnson — and both at times have looked impressive in camp — you worry a little for Westbrook.

Westbrook bruised his shoulder a week ago and was on the injury report with neck/shoulder injuries since mid-October of last year. Last season, he ranked second on the team behind Pro Bowl receiver D.J. Chark with 101 targets, and produced 66 catches for 660 yards and three scores. But his punt return average dipped from 14 yards a return to 5.7 a return.

Joe Burrow on Tyler Boyd: TB is going to have a big season. I have a great connection with him right now.

Boyd finished with 90-1,046-5 on 148 targets in 2019, resulting in a No. 23 finish. Andy Dalton only played 13 games, and in those games, Boyd played at a 96-1,086-5.0 pace, which represent solid WR2 numbers. In 2018, he finished with 76-1,028-7 on 108 targets finishing No. 17. A.J. Green is theoretically back this season and Boyd’s 2018 splits with Green (6.1-80-0.56 on 8.2 targets per game) are encouraging, though much has changed in Cincinnati since 2018. The Bengals have a new offense and a new quarterback. Boyd is going off the board as a midrange WR3 and that seems about right.

The Jets announced the previously reported signing of Donte Moncrief on Monday morning and they also announced the release of kicker Brett Maher.

Maher signed a future contract with the Jets after the end of the 2019 regular season and joined Sam Ficken as the team’s options at kicker. Ficken spent most of last season in that role and is now set to open this season in the same role.

The Jets are banged up at WR and thus the signing of Moncrief. But, the move means the kicking job now belongs to Ficken.

Jonathan Taylor’s not going anywhere.

The only question is how many touches he will get. Marlon Mack is still alive and kicking and the Colts still see him as the starting tailback. But it will be a shared workload, and Taylor can increase his opportunities based on his performance.

Related players: Nyheim Hines

The writer said Taylor has shown to be more physical than advertised, and also could be a help in the passing game. He added Taylor is off to a fast start so far. Mack will still be a factor and Hines will likely get his share of passes, but Taylor is a guy to grab in fantasy drafts.

Michael Pittman Jr. is a lock to make the roster. The question for him is whether he will be in the starting lineup. The odds of that happening seem decent, especially because Pittman’s role in the offense is very specific and not as interchangeable as some of the other receivers. But the Colts will use a rotation at receiver and also will make heavy use of their tight ends. That will impact how many snaps Pittman ultimately plays.

Pittman hasn't been flashy but at the same time has lived up to expectations so far. Pittman has been on the receiving end of a lot of short, quick passes from QB Philip Rivers so he seems to have a set role in the offense right now. He's a big target for the X receiver spot.

My offensive MVP award goes to John Hightower. The rookie receiver has done well all camp and could move up the depth chart if Jalen Reagor is sidelined for an extended period. Hightower got wide open over the middle on an inside slant and Hurts hit him for an easy score. The catch of the day, and perhaps all of camp, came a period later when Hightower ran a stop-and-go fade route into the corner of the end zone.

Reagor is expected to miss four weeks according to reports, which likely puts him on the sidelines for Weeks 1 and 2. If that extends, Hightower could benefit the most. The Eagles are finding themselves in a familiar situation at the WR position as they continue to drop to injury. Hightower could find his way into the top three competing with DeSean Jackson, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Greg Ward.

There are three good wideouts ahead of Andy Isabella, but Kingsbury wants to give the speedster more playing time in 2020. “I have to do a better job of expanding his role and finding ways to get him on the field and get him utilized."

Related players: DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, Larry Fitzgerald

Isabella could be a late-round option for owners, perhaps especially in deeper leagues. It's going to be tough for Isabella to get on the field in three WR sets with Hopkins, Fitzgerald and Kirk around, but it sounds like the Cards want to see Isabella on the field more this season which means they could use more four WR sets.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have waived running back Leonard Fournette, the team announced Monday.

Related players: Ryquell Armstead, Devine Ozigbo, Chris Thompson

The move is surprising given the timing and the other options in the Jacksonville backfield. Fournette was decent last season, compiling 1,152 rushing yards and three touchdowns to go along with 76-522 on 100 targets as a receiver. His 2020 outlook was hurt by the reports that the team tried to trade him during the NFL Draft. The Jaguars also added Chris Thompson, who excels on third down, and would have no doubt put a big dent in Fournette's role as a receiver. Regardless, there aren't many options for the Jaguars in free agency (Devonta Freeman?) so they may pursue a trade for a quality backup from another team with RB depth, like Gus Edwards or Royce Freeman, but that's pure speculation at this point. On the roster they have Ryquell Armstead, who is a 23-year-old with great speed (4.45) for his size (220 lbs). He racked up 2,621 rushing yards (5.0) and 32 touchdowns in his final three seasons at Temple and was a fifth-round pick by the Jaguars. Armstead averaged 3.1 YPC on 35 carries as a rookie in 2019, but showed well in the passing game, catching 14 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Devine Ozigbo had a very limited role as a rookie in 2019 (12 touches, 50 yards) but had a good senior year at Nebraska gaining 1,082 yards on 155 carries with 12 touchdowns as a rusher and 23-203 as a receiver before going undrafted last spring.

As for Thompson, he is reunited with his old HC Jay Gruden, who is now the OC for the Jaguars. He's a very good third-down back, so we may see some sort of committee with Armstead/Ozigbo vying for carries on early downs and Thompson handling most of the passing duties. Unfortunately, this may not lead to consistent fantasy production from any of these players. With Fournette's release, Thompson gets a bump since he'll likely see more snaps and a few more carries. Armstead played ahead of Ozigbo last year and he should get the first crack as the starter, provided he can get back up to speed after spending some time on the COVID reserve list in August. The Jaguars have two other rookie running backs on the roster, James Robinson (Illinois State) and Nathan Cottrell (Georgia Tech). Cottrell projects to be a special teamer, while Robinson ran for 1,899 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior while earning consensus first-team FCS All-American honors. The Jaguars probably wouldn't have made this move if they hadn't felt confident about their other options at the position, so obviously they feel good about someone in this group.

As for Fournette, it's unlikely he's going to land in a situation with opportunity as favorable as Jacksonville. The Bears spring to mind as a good fit with David Montgomery on the mend.

Jets rookie running back La’Mical Perine had to be carted off the MetLife Stadium field and into the locker room after suffering a left ankle injury on Sunday.

Adam Gase said Perine would undergo an MRI. The Jets are hoping it’s only a sprain and there’s nothing structurally wrong with Perine’s ankle.

Related players: LeVeon Bell, Frank Gore

Perine has been having a good camp, impressing the coaches with his quickness and ability to hit holes. He was slated as the No. 3 back behind Bell and Gore. Now they have a lack of running back depth. The Jets acquired Kalen Ballage from Miami for a conditional seven-round pick. But that trade was voided Sunday because Ballage failed his physical. Running back Josh Adams remains out with a hamstring injury.

Antonio Gibson's official position as running back is nothing more than a formality. Offensive coordinator Scott Turner has experimented with the rookie all over the field in training camp. Gibson addressed the local media on Sunday, and the rookie explained he's thrilled by the different looks he's been getting in Turner's system.

"I’m actually loving it. This is probably the first time I’m not being limited to just doing a certain thing," Gibson said. "Usually it’s like, ‘Oh, he can do screens or jets and things like that.’ Here, he has me doing a lot. Power to receiver to jets to screens, all of that.

"It just makes it hard on the defense," Gibson continued. "I feel like I can help out the team there because it will always have guys confused."

Gibson gave a little hint about what he's been doing, which, is pretty much everything as the story said. Of course, we know by now how HC Ron Rivera has mentioned Gibson in the same breath as Christian McCaffrey so there is reason to be excited for potential fantasy owners.

Jalen Reagor will have to wait a bit before playing in his first NFL game.

He injured his shoulder in Sunday’s practice, and Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the Eagles receiver will miss at least the opener after an MRI revealed a small tear in Reagor’s labrum.

Reagor will not require surgery, Davison adds.

Related players: DeSean Jackson, Greg Ward, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert

Reagor could also miss Week 2 which is a big loss. The Eagles will likely roll with Jackson, Ward and Arcega-Whiteside the first two weeks. TEs Ertz and Goedert could benefit the most with Reagor out.

The Dolphins may not get anything for Kalen Ballage after all.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the running back failed his physical with the Jets Sunday because of a hamstring injury, negating the trade the division rivals made last week.

It looked like a bit of an overstock situation for the Jets anyway, but they suddenly need a body. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, rookie running back La’Mical Perine went down with an ankle injury today, and was carted off the field.

Related players: LeVeon Bell, Frank Gore

The Jets RB situation is getting as ugly as the WR situation. We had a story today that mini-feud between Bell and Gase could be heating up. Gore seems like he's the back trending in the right direction in this offense that may go with a committee approach at RB despite those who follow the team saying Bell needs about 20 touches a game to be most effective. Suddenly, Gore and Bell are now the lone healthy backs.

The 49ers have been so banged up at receiver, the injury replacements got injured themselves.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the 49ers are putting wideout J.J. Nelson on injured reserve.

He was brought in after injuries to Deebo Samuel, Jalen Hurd, and Richie James. First-rounder Brandon Aiyuk has also missed time lately. They also brought in Tavon Auston, Jaron Brown (since released), Kevin White and River Cracraft to help have enough numbers to get through practice.

Eagles first-round WR Jalen Reagor left practice early today with a shoulder injury, source said.

At this point, there is optimism it isn’t serious, but he’ll undergo tests to be sure and know the full extent of the ailment the tweet said. Other reports said he was in pain. Recent stories over the past week pointed to Reagor being a big part of the offense this season so this is potentially a serious concern.

Carson Wentz left practice on Sunday with what's being described as a soft tissue injury, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, but the silver lining is he's listed as day-to-day and the ailment itself is viewed as minor.

Related players: Jalen Hurts, Nate Sudfeld

Carson Wentz has to stay healthy in 2020 if the Philadelphia Eagles are to challenge for the NFC East crown, in their quest to be the first team in the division to repeat as champs since they did it in 2003 and 2004. The veteran quarterback is giving the team a bit of a scare just two weeks ahead of the season opener on Sept. 13 against Washington. This could Hurts a few more snaps at practice as he tries to pass Sudfeld for the QB2 job.

The Bucs have brought in veteran kickers Ryan Succop and Cody Parkey as potential competition. The two have started the process of COVID-19 testing and should be able to work out Monday, with one or both signed Tuesday to compete with Matt Gay for the Bucs’ kicking job.

“Competition is going to breed success, and the potential of our team this year is super-high, and the kicking position is very important,” Gay said Sunday. “Obviously, they’re going to look for who they can feel confident going into the season with. If I come in and do my thing, do my part, I feel confident in myself (that if) I take care of what I’m doing, that’ll be me going into the season.”

Related players: Elliott Fry

Gay may have helped put himself ahead in the last three days as he hit both of his field goals in Friday’s scrimmage at Raymond James Stadium, but he’s facing even more competition for his job in the last week before NFL teams make their final cuts.

Equipped with a one-year tender worth $8.3 million and a better understanding of what he's supposed to do, Kenyan Drake will be the Cardinals' primary ball carrier.

"His running style, the explosiveness, being dynamic in space, he's up there with anybody in the league," coach Kliff Kingsbury said. "And now it's just about mastering our system, where he can get those pre-snap keys and, kind of, take that next step as being an expert on our system."

The team says they are fired up to watch Drake's growing process in year two being the featured guy. RB coach James Saxon described Drake's role in 2020 as being a "prime tool for this offense" and "the guy that's going to stir the drink for us." This is why many are considering Drake as early as the middle of the first round during drafts.

Different year, same story. The Patriots have been without Rob Gronkowski since the 2019 offseason, but still don't have a clear-cut replacement. Matt LaCosse's decision to opt out has been overshadowed by bigger names, but without him, the Patriots are relying heavily on rookie Devin Asiasi (third round, UCLA).

Reports say he has looked good. But the author added it might be asking too much. When Asiasi didn't take part in team drills late last week after appearing to roll his ankle, there was a notable void.

Stealing a title from the old movie, let's call it "Three Men and a Baby." The three veterans are LeVeon Bell, Frank Gore and newcomer Kalen Ballage, who, like, Gore, played under coach Adam Gase with the Miami Dolphins. The rookie is La'Mical Perine, who already has caught the attention of his coach.

Bell remains the best back on the team despite a poor 2019 season, but Gase's well-documented affinity for Gore and his preference for a running back-by-committee are reasons to believe this could get messy. We've already seen the warning signs, with last week's hamstring dispute. It resulted in a long sitdown between Bell and Gase, who admitted Saturday he was "caught off guard a little bit" by Bell's Twitter rant about being pulled from a midweek intrasquad scrimmage. The story went on to say Gase claimed they're in a good place after the chat. Gase already is on record as saying he wants to reduce Bell's workload, but Bell is a volume runner, meaning he's at his best when he's getting 20-plus carries a game, the story said. There have been reports for quite a while that Gore is going to get his share of the workload this season.

The Rams held their second scrimmage of training camp on Saturday and one key offensive player made an early exit from the proceedings.

Wide receiver Cooper Kupp didn’t finish the session on the field, although word was that it wasn’t for health reasons.

Head coach Sean McVay said, via the team’s website, that Kupp is feeling fine and they were “just being smart” with his repetitions, the story. He's expected to be back at practice.

“You can label Antonio Gibson as a running back, you can call him whatever you want,” Washington’s first-year OC Scott Turner said earlier this year. “But he played 80 percent of his snaps as a receiver in Memphis.”

So let’s delve into player comparisons. Many of the coaches on the Washington staff worked in Carolina last season. Would Christian McCaffrey be a comparable, at least stylistically?

“That’s fair,” Washington head coach Ron Rivera said excitedly on draft night. “He’s a little bit bigger than Christian, but he’s got a skill set like Christian.”

“He’s a Swiss army knife,” Washington VP of player personnel Kyle Smith said in April, shortly after Gibson’s selection in the third round. The team drafted Gibson as a running back, though he has spent time in the receiver room this summer, the story said, and played 80% of his snaps at WR in college. Gibson was never a high-volume player at Memphis and this year Washington may just take a simple approach with Gibson because of the pandemic and lack of time on the field. There is certainly a plan for Gibson but right now the team is mostly keeping that under wraps, the story said.

Through two weeks of training camp practices, Nick Vannett has often lined up in a three-point stance next to right tackle Elijah Wilkinson or left tackle Garett Bolles. But Vannett has looked comfortable as a downfield receiver, too, which should be another wrinkle for offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to utilize.

Related players Noah Fant

Vannett projected as more of a blocking TE but is starting to show signs as a receiving threat. Most of that work is supposed to go to Fant and probably still will. Even the story said Vannett isn’t going to be a 30- or 40-catch guy — there are too many other players to get touches, led by Fant, receivers Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy and running backs Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsay. But he has 12, 29 and 17 catches the past three years so his sweet spot might be 20 to 25 receptions, the story projected

Bears head coach Matt Nagy will not publicly announce who will start at quarterback between Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky before Week 1.

In all likelihood, the decision will leak before the Bears are set to take on the Lions on September 13. The “battle” has been ongoing in Chicago but either way, it’s looking like tough sledding for the Bears offense. Allen Robinson will still star regardless of whoever is behind center. But still looking like a long year in the Windy City.

Buccaneers WRs Scotty Miller and Justin Watson have seemed to solidify themselves as the favorites for snaps and opportunities behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

The team has been excited about both receivers getting in shape and making the most of their opportunities, a spot many had fifth-round rookie Tyler Johnson penciled in at after the team selected him back in April. Quarterback Tom Brady has developed a nice rapport with both receivers. Miller fared pretty well in place of an injured Evans and Godwin at the end of the 2019 season opposite Breshad Perriman, who is now with the Jets. It will be a good battle throughout the rest of the preseason and into the regular season.

Lions rookie RB D’Andre Swift’s lingering leg injury could possibly lead to him losing snaps in the early portion of the season to Kerryon Johnson.

Swift has not practiced since suffering the injury August 20 and, as Birkett notes, Swift is now in catch-up mode due to the lack of a formal offseason and now this injury with just two weeks before the Lions begin their season against the Chicago Bears.

Head coach Matt Patricia also shared some concern. "I think (missing time) in general, with rookies, is a concern," Patricia said before practice Friday. "Just in general with a normal season when we have the spring and we have the preseason and when we get to the regular season, things happen a lot quicker and they’re a little bit more complex than what we’ve seen.“

If you haven’t drafted yet, grabbing Johnson for the early stretch of the season now has more value, as we’ll monitor how quickly Swift gets back into the swing of things and how long before he starts sharing more of the workload with Johnson.

Chargers Rookie RB Joshua Kelley may have surpassed Justin Jackson as the team's number two back according to Gilbert Manzano of The Orange County Register. Manzano also mentions both backs may get snaps as a committee if Austin Ekeler sees time in the slot with the injury to WR Mike Williams.

The Chargers offense is in flux with a lack of proven wide receivers, but the versatility of the backfield may make multiple running backs fantasy-relevant. Stay tuned as Week 1 approaches.

2019 UDFA WR Jalen Guyton is playing the bulk of first-team reps with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to Gilbert Manzano of The Orange County Register. His role has been as the third wideout, or speed guy according to Mazano. "He now might be the frontrunner with Williams’ injury, but Tyron Johnson and Darius Jennings have pushed him in practices," wrote Manzano.

There are a lot of question marks among the Chargers' wide receiver corps with the injury to Mike Williams and the overall lack of depth. Rookies Joe Reed and K.J. Hill have yet to get first team reps, but are looking and have draft capital attached to them. Guyton and the rest of the group (minus Keenan Allen) are nothing more than waiver wire watches at this point.

Jets RB has been the third-best running back in training camp and is lacking explosiveness and vision, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. "This information is not being gathered from anonymous sources, but two sources I trust implicitly – my left and right eyes," wrote Costello.

"Anyone pushing for Bell to be the centerpiece of the Jets offense has not watched a snap of practice."

Bell has been usurped by Frank Gore and La'Mical Perine in terms of effectiveness, a huge blow to Bell's fantasy stock. Gore is 37 and Perine is new to the offense, which makes Bell's lack of everything an issue if you have Bell or intend to pick him in fantasy. The Jets backfield is a hard pass until further notice.

Josh Shipley reported Friday that RB Leonard Fournette showed an improved ability to run with patience. "This has been an issue with his game at times in the past, so it is definitely a positive development," wrote Shipley.

Fournette is playing for his next contract, so the fact that his game is improving in any aspect is a huge plus. Fournette is a candidate for positive touchdown regression, and a renewed outlook on running more efficiently is a step towards realizing that projection.

Jaguars RB Chris Thompson has been the star of red zone drills according to John Shipley of Sports Illustrated's JaguarReport. "If he stays healthy, which has admittedly been an issue for him in the past, he has the potential to play a big role in the passing game," wrote Shipley. "He made two fantastic plays during red zone period on Thursday, with one catch coming from an off-balance Minshew due to a blitz. Thompson showed soft hands to bring the pass in, and he had a massive area of space for separation."

Thompson was brought in to catch passes and offer diversity out of the backfield, and that is what he is doing. Thompson has been fantasy-relevant...when healthy. The role is clearly his if he can stay on the field, and that means cheap fantasy production.

Packers WR Allen Lazard has been finding space in between the hashes and connecting with QB Aaron Rodgers. “Rodgers hits Lazard in the middle of the field” is something you can get used to hearing, tweeted Peter Bukowski of 247 Sports.

Someone had to step up for the Packers at wide receiver, and Lazard is answering that call. Plenty of buzz surrounded him in the fantasy industry after Lazard established a rapport with Rodgers in 2019. It looks like the trust has grown and gives the Packers a needed weapon in the middle of the field. Lazard is still available well into the later rounds.

Falcons RB Todd Gurley showed speed, agility, and vision in his first practice at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, according to Will McFadden of AtlantaFalcons.com. "Impressively, he took one handoff during the scoring drive and, seeing the middle of the field was clogged up, turned and sprinted towards the left sideline," wrote McFadden. "He outran contain and got the edge despite not having any blockers out on the left-hand side of the play to buy him time. It was a display of how quickly Gurley could reach top speed and it did not disappoint."

Gurley took to his new home turf and showed that the burst is still there. Maybe a maintenance-free playing surface will help cure what ails Gurley's knees and allow him to play with more comfort for 2020. An arthritic knee is still a serious red flag for fantasy players as drafts continue to happen, but this is encouraging.

The second best receiver at Patriots camp has been Gunner Olszewski according to NFL Network's Mike Giardi and NFL.com's Around the NFL. Giardi reported that Olszewski has "made a leap and is 'faster, stronger, quicker,' but may be more of a target similar to Edelman than he is a complement."

Olszewski made waves last season amidst the band of misfits used by the Patriots and has usurped Mohamed Sanu and N'Keal Harry, two players with draft capital attached to them. This news may afford fantasy players with another cheap WR dart throw, but may be a warning to avoid receivers in New England.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is cautiously optimistic that Samuel -- who was seen running sprints at full speed along the sideline during Wednesday's practice -- won't miss much time once the regular season begins, according to Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports.

Samuel is one of five wide receivers to miss camp time with an injury. The thought of Samuel coming back early in the season is reason to get excited, but it is also important to temper expectations as Samuel is recovering from a Jones fracture in his left foot.

49ers TE George Kittle is not practicing Friday according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Kittle had a "tight hamstring" after Wednesday's practice according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.

The soft tissue bug nabbed the arguable TE1 in 2020. The season is less than two weeks away and the 49ers cannot afford to lose Kittle for any amount of time. This is an important injury to fantasy players and the injury-riddled San Francisco offense.

"I know Le’Veon Bell is the all-pro, highest-paid, big-play guy with the all-world reputation, but the Jets are getting far more production out of Gore," wrote Connor Hughes of The Athletic.

Hughes makes it clear that Le'Veon Bell is the better talent in the Jets backfield, but Frank Gore is a better fit for the offense. Bell continues to "dance" in the backfield and defenses are closing in on him.

The Jets backfield is a mess. Frank Gore leading a backfield at 37 years old is an issue and further indication to avoid all backs in that group.

RB Benny Snell Jr.'s growth as a player has not gone unnoticed by head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. “That level that Benny Snell is at right now and his growth in his second year (are) the kind of things that come (with) growth and happen over the course of one season,” Fichtner said Thursday. “He has put himself in a unique situation now because he is in good condition, and his usefulness and his knowledge is getting better every day.”

Snell Jr. dominated in one-on-one drills including against standout LB Devin Bush. Snell Jr. is one snap away from taking over the lead back roles from James Conner, who has had a number of injuries in his career. Tomlin also prefers a lead dog backfield, making Snell Jr. that much more attractive as a handcuff in fantasy drafts.

If Chris Herndon stays healthy, the Jets will be set at tight end according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic. "It’s fun watching how Gase uses Herndon, too," wrote Hughes. "While he has traditional tight end abilities (he’s a very good blocker), the Jets line him up all over the field. While I don’t think Herndon will ever be in the same class as Zach Ertz or Travis Kelce, he creates so many matchup problems for defenses."

Hughes addressed the issues at wide receiver in the same article, which also bodes well for Herndon. QB Sam Darnold turned lemons into lemonade with Ryan Griffen in 2019, so the uber-talented Herndon should dwarf his numbers as long as he remains on the field. Herndon has the opportunity to be a top 10 tight end in 2020.

Colts WR Parris Campbell was involved in a car accident according to George Bremer of The Herald Bulletin. According to head coach Frank Reich, “If you looked at his car, you wouldn’t say ‘minor.’”

Reich also said that Campbell is doing well.

It sounds like Campbell avoided a major injury. Hopefully he will be back on the practice field soon.

Zach Pascal did not practice Friday due to a hamstring injury, according to George Bremer of The Herald Bulletin. Pascal should "be back soon" according to his sources.

Pascal is fighting to get meaningful snaps in the new-look Colts offense. Soft tissues injuries are tough to put a time frame on, so watch his practice status. Coming back too early could mean bad things for his status in the offense and for fantasy.

Sterling Shepard has torched every Giants corner in camp according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. "The only lingering concern is if he’ll be able to avoid another concussion when the season starts," wrote Duggan.

Duggan started the WR breakdown of his Friday article by saying the depth chart remains intact. He added that Golden Tate has the ability to play longer than most wide receivers and Darius Slayton is not expected to have a sophomore slump despite a quiet camp.

Related Players: Golden Tate, Darius Slayton

There has been a groundswell of praise for Shepard during camp. His health, as well as Tate's, are key to second year QB Daniel Jones' growth. Slayton was his favorite target as a whole in 2019, but his targets dropped when one or both of Shepard and Tate were healthy. The trio should be targets at their lower ADPs. Do not expect them to stay low for very long as draft season continues to press on.

Arif Hasan of The Athletic says Vikings TE Irv Smith Jr. has been 'quietly effective' throughout camp. "Based on camp performances thus far, there should be every reason to think his performance takes a jump this year," wrote Hasan.

Smith Jr. has seen his fantasy stock rise throughout the offseason. Hasan's report is tangible reporting that confirms a lot of fantasy research done stating Smith Jr. should see his stats and offensive impact rise. It is now time to consider picking him above ADP if you want to use the second-year TE in season-long fantasy football.

After Friday's practice, Buccaneers QB Tom Brady said that WR Scotty Miller is "displaying to everybody that he deserves a big role," according to Scott Smith, writer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Miller appears to have left Justin Watson and injured rookie Tyler Johnson in his dust for the third wide receiver/slot role. The Bucs offense has a lot of mouths to feed, but Brady likes the slot receiver safety valve option, so Miller will have his days in fantasy.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic called Patriots RB Damien Harris the 'breakout star' of camp in his 'Risers and Fallers' column. "Harris has undeniably been the team’s best back through 10 practices," wrote Howe. "The Pats won’t ever go away from James White and Rex Burkhead, but this stretch could be enough to warrant a sizable chunk of playing time."

Harris' turnaround from his rookie season is staggering and welcomed. The Patriots' backfield is still muddled, but Harris could be the back in between the tackles and work his way into passing downs. His pass protection has improved according to Howe, so Harris' ceiling is higher than originally projected.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon was not seen at Friday's practice, according to Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Bengals said Mixon is absent because of a "minor injury."

Mixon is falling down draft boards because of his multiple absences. The alarm bells were already rung at a low volume, but those alarms are getting louder. His backups - Giovani Bernard and Trayveon Williams - are essentially free in drafts.

The Athletic Colts' writer Stephen Holder observed that QB Philip Rivers "has made surprisingly little use of his wide receivers." Holder said this based on his expectations heading into camp and in context with T.Y. Hilton's "quiet" camp. "Obviously, Hilton will get his," wrote Holder. "I’m just telling you what I see. It’s undeniable at this point."

Rivers loves throwing to tight ends and running backs, and his career statistics show that. Hilton already had a ceiling because of time missed with lower-body injuries, but consistent production may be inconsistent if Holder's observations ring true.

Buccaneers RB Ronald Jones was seen at practice on the sidelines with his left foot wrapped and iced, according to James Palmer of the NFL Network. Palmer also said Jones was wrapped and iced while the second and third unit offenses were practicing.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter) said Jones injured his left foot during practice. Head coach Bruce Arians said that the injury is not believed to be serious according to Stroud.

This could be part of Jones' maintenance based on context. Regardless, the situation needs to be monitored.

Chiefs running back Darrel Williams is the back-up to Clyde Edwards-Helaire, according to Nate Taylor of The Athletic. "In splitting most of the first-team repetitions with Edwards-Helaire, Williams has been exceptional at every task in the offense," wrote Taylor. "He has been the Chiefs’ best blocker during the running backs’ one-on-one pass-protection drills."

We've seen Williams excel in short work across his three seasons in the NFL, but now he appears to be in a role that will provide consistent fantasy production. The Chiefs are a loaded offense, making any role in that offense one to pay attention to. Williams is a later-round target in fantasy drafts with this news and is an unfortunate injury away from a prominent role in KC and fantasy.

Cowboys Executive Vice President and Director of Player Personnel Stephen Jones believes in tight end Blake Jarwin. "Certainly [Jarwin is] getting to spread his wings now, whether it's Coach McCarthy, the offensive staff, his teammates, he keeps showing up out there. ... He's just -- he's really coming in to his own, and nothing would surprise me with him in terms of what his production could be this year," said Jones. "He just keeps getting better."

Jones also said that Jarwin's rapport with QB Dak Prescott is "outstanding."

Blake Jarwin has received overwhelming support from the Cowboys and fantasy players alike. Jarwin should be able to carve out a sizable role with Dallas as the deep and talented wide receiver and running back groups create space and demand attention.

Lions running back D'Andre Swift is sitting out Friday's practice, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Swift has been limited or has not practiced this week because of an apparent leg injury.

Swift had an injury history in college. Swift will be fighting for carries with incumbents Kerryon Johnson and Bo Scarbrough (also injured), so missed reps in practice matter for the rookie.

During Thursday's media availability, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy reiterated that Ezekiel Elliott would be a 'primary focus' of the offense despite all the talent at wide receiver, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. "Zeke needs to touch the football and he will in this offense," said McCarthy.

It will be interesting to see how touches are distributed in Dallas. There are a lot of mouths to feed and each player will want to 'get theirs.' Zeke is still be a priority first round pick.

According to The Athletic, Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary has continued to fumble the ball in practice.

Devin Singletary’s fumble woes seem to have followed him to his sophomore season. While most are expecting a breakout from Singletary, the team did draft Zack Moss, a powerful runner who has continued to impress in camp as both a runner and a receiver. According to The Athletic, “Singletary had the highest fumble rate of any running back in the NFL who played regularly in 2019”. If Singletary continues to put the pill on the ground, he is going to allow Moss to eat into a larger share of the workload than many are projecting. This will be something to keep an eye on during the season, as if this issue persists, it may be Zack Moss, and not Singletary, who ends up leading the team in carries.

According to Field Yates on Twitter, the San Francisco 49ers have signed wide receiver Kevin White.

With the San Francisco 49ers dealing with a rash of injuries at the wide receiver position, the team has decided to kick the tires former first round pick Kevin White. White has been a massive disappointment since entering the league, and may have a tough time making the final roster after joining the team so late in camp. He is an intriguing flier for the 49ers, but remains off the fantasy radar until further notice. Receiver Jaron Brown was released in a corresponding move.

According to The Athletic, Los Angeles Chargers rookie running back Joshua Kelley “might be having the best training camp of any player on the roster”.

The Athletic’s Daniel Popper was effusive in his praise for the rookie running back, adding that Kelley has broken off several long runs against the first team defense. He has impressed with his speed to the edge, and while he is still working behind Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson, he has shown enough as both a runner and receiver to be a factor in the backfield. This is what head coach Anthony Lynn had to say “I believe Joshua is having an outstanding camp. He shows up every day with a smile on his face, works extremely hard. He’s made plays. I’ve thrown him in with the ones; he’s made plays. He’s in with the twos; he’s made plays. And he has shown a versatility. He can catch the ball out of the backfield well...”. Kelley appears set to open the season behind Justin Jackson, but once he masters the playbook he should be able to earn himself an expanded role behind Ekeler.

According to The Athletic, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver has been impressing daily at camp, and is looking “like an absolute steal”.

The 11th receiver taken in the 2020 NFL Draft, Chase Claypool was considered by some as a raw receiver who may be asked to move to tight end. Enter the Steelers, a team who places a premium on the elite blocking skill set Claypool possesses. Claypool may not excel at the full route tree, but similar to D.K. Metcalf, if you stick to asking him to do what he does well, he can flourish. It comes as no surprise that Claypool is impressing in camp, and even getting first team reps when Diontae Johnson or JuJu Smith-Schuster are not on the field. However, it remains to be seen if he can push James Washington for the role as the starter in three wide sets.

According to The Athletic, Indianapolis Colts running back Nyheim Hines is tracking to be a major part of the offense.

Nyheim Hines is showing tremendous rapport with Philip Rivers, so much so that the Athletic suggests that the 75 reception total that was bandied about earlier in camp may not be overly optimistic. “I've never seen Hines this active in the offense. Maybe all that talk of him having 75 catches isn’t that insane”. Philip Rivers is known to pepper his running backs with targets, though those expecting Hines to see a lot of playing time after the team drafted Jonathan Taylor may be disappointed. It's possible that he'll be on the field with Taylor (or Marlon Mack) but he only played 32% snaps last season, and that was before the Colts traded up to draft Taylor.

According to The Athletic, Indianapolis Colts tight end Trey Burton is impressing at practice.

Trey Burton is impressing at training camp. He has hauled in some impressive catches, but even more promising is that he looks healthy and ready to regain the form that made him a free agent target of the Chicago Bears. Being back in the same system he flourished in certainly helps, but pairing up with Philip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts could push him back to the realm of fantasy relevance. Burton is said to be having a “really strong training camp”. The Athletic goes on to point out that as the signal caller for the Los Angeles Chargers, Rivers targeted the tight end position on 36.1% of his throws over the past five seasons. The Indianapolis Colts were second in the league over that time frame at targeting the position. Well off most peoples fantasy radars after a couple of down seasons, Burton could pay dividends as a late round flier.

According to John Shipley of Sports Illustrated, Tyler Eifert has shown strong chemistry with quarterback Gardner Minshew.

With sophomore tight end Josh Oliver lost for the season, and no one else on the roster capable of pushing him for snaps, Tyler Eifert could have a much stronger season than many have projected. The offense has not had a reliable tight end since the days of Mercedes Lewis, but Minshew’s rhythm passer skill set suggests that Eifert could thrive as a safety valve and downfield target. Eifert has wowed with a number of downfield hookups from Minshew, and will look to carry the chemistry over to game days. Eifert could make for an extremely interesting low cost, deep league TE2 flier. Eifert is currently ranked as our 31st tight end for the season.

According to Tom Pelissero, Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon has not practiced all week due to migraines.

There is no word on the nature or severity of the injury, but the minor tag should temper some concerns. However, there is some speculation that in the new CBA landscape that a holdout may now take the form of a player nursing soft tissue damage injuries, or other ailments that cannot be detected by medical instruments. With that being said, migraines can be extremely painful and caused former Pro Bowl receiver Percy Harvin to miss multiple practices and even games throughout his career. Joe Mixon wants a new contract, but will probably need to deliver the type of season fantasy gamers have been hoping for in order to earn the payday his talent dictates he deserves. 2020 should be the year his production finally catches up to his top five level talent. Joe Mixon is our seventh ranked running back for the 2020 season.

According to Ian Rapoport on Twitter, Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery will be sidelined from two to four weeks with a groin injury.

David Montgomery went down with a groin injury yesterday, but was able to walk off the field on his own power. According to Ian Rapoport, the timeline gives Montgomery a chance to be ready for the Bears opener against the Detroit Lions. Tarik Cohen would likely see a major workload increase if Montgomery were to miss any time. Our 33rd ranked running back for the 2020 season, Montgomery will need to improve his efficiency and see more involvement in the passing game to exceed our projections.

Seahawks starting RB Chris Carson returned to practice on Wednesday after being away from the team to handle multiple deaths in his family.

There had been some concern with how much practice Carson has been missing but by all accounts he is healthy and ready to carry the load in Seattle once again this season. His return to practice suggests he should be ready to roll for Week 1 against the Falcons.

Free agent WR Paul Richardson is visiting the Seahawks and could sign with the team later this week if he passes COVID-19 protocol.

The Seahawks drafted Richardson in 2014 so this sets up a possible reunion in Seattle. Richardson left to get paid big money in Washington after the 2017 season but failed to stay healthy enough to contribute. If signed back in Seattle, Richardson would merely be depth behind Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf and Phillip Dorsett. An injury to someone ahead of him on the depth chart would be required for him to have fantasy relevance.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon is not practicing on Wednesday due to a "minor injury."

Mixon sat out practice on Monday for the same reason. The Bengals are apparently attributing Mixon's absence to a "minor injury," although him missing practice inevitably leads to speculation about a possible holdout given that Mixon is entering the final year of his rookie contract. There has been no firm indication that Mixon is going to hold out to this point, and it is possible the Bengals are simply resting their feature back for the regular season. Continue to draft Mixon as a low-end RB1 until we hear something more serious is afflicting him.

The Athletic reports that Packers WR Allen Lazard's performance during training camp has solidifed the coaching staff's belief that he can be Aaron Rodgers' second receiving option behind Davante Adams.

The Packers have been slammed all offseason for failing to address the glaring weakness in their wide receiver room, but reports about Lazard's performance in camp have been positive and Aaron Rodgers has complimented Lazard's improvement and professionalism. Davante Adams is still set to command a massive target share, but whoever emerges in the passing game behind him should have plenty of opportunity to produce with the lack of established playmakers on the Green Bay offense. Lazard is interesting as a late-round flier.

Updating an earlier news report, the Bears are optimistic RB David Montgomery only suffered a groin strain during Wednesday's practice.

This is great news in light of the initial reports about Montgomery being carted off the practice field. A soft tissue injury this late in the offseason is far from ideal but he should be able to recover in plenty of time to contribute this season. That being said, a groin strain throws Montgomery's status for Week 1 into flux and fantasy drafters should take that into account on draft day or on their bench.

Bears RB David Montgomery was carted off the practice field on Wednesday with what reporters described as a non-contact injury.

We don't have any details about the injury at this point but the reports are ominous and suggest a potentially season-ending injury for Montgomery. Non-contact injuries almost never turn out to be minor, and the fact that Montgomery had to be carted off the field is another bad sign. Montgomery was slated to lead the Bears in carries this year. A serious injury to Montgomery would leave the Bears with receiving back Tarik Cohen and complete unknown Ryan Nall in the backfield. RB Devonta Freeman remains a free agent and could be a potential replacement for Montgomery if the Bears are interested. Monitor the news for an update on Montgomery's status.

The Arizona Republic reports that Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury is having the Cardinals offense practice at a faster pace than last season.

The Cardinals already played at quick pace last year, finishing the season ranked fourth in both total seconds per play and seconds per play in neutral game scripts. The article notes that Kingsbury wants to push the envelope even further this season. A faster pace means more snaps for the offense, and more snaps can only boost the outlook of players like Kyler Murray, Kenyan Drake, and the Arizona receiver room.

The Athletic reports that Cowboys rookie WR CeeDee Lamb will make an immediate impact this season based on his performance and usage in training camp.

The article notes that Lamb has been used outside, in the slot, on jet sweeps, and even returning punts. Dallas has a ton of talent at the receiver position but Lamb should get enough opportunity to let his own abilities shine at times this season. If Lamb quickly builds rapport with QB Dak Prescott, he could easily outplay his ADP.

Patriots RB Sony Michel practiced for the first time this season on Wednesday.

Michel has been on the PUP list recovering from offseason foot surgery but finally made his training camp debut with just over two weeks until New England's first game. It will be interesting to see how Michel integrates with camp star Damien Harris and veteran receiving back James White. Michel has handled the early-down rushing work for the Patriots the last few seasons but is at risk of losing his role to Harris, who by all accounts has shined in training camp with Michel sitting.

Adrian Peterson has been the starting running back for the duration of training camp, but third-round rookie Antonio Gibson has also received a fair amount of first-team reps.

Despite having just 33 career carries at Memphis, Gibson looks like a natural runner with a solid combination of speed and power. He also made a few receptions during Tuesday's session the story said. Peyton Barber has been receiving a lot of the second-team reps, while Bryce Love has also worked in with the twos as well as the threes. J.D. McKissic has worked with the starters and the reserves depending on formation.

It won’t just be Nyheim Hines. It will be a lot of Nyheim Hines. Maybe even primarily Nyheim Hines. But the rest of the Indianapolis Colts running back room is going to get heavily involved in the passing game with Philip Rivers at the helm. That much was made clear Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium during the first of two dress rehearsals the Colts planned in lieu of a traditional preseason.

Related players: Jonathan Taylor, Marlon Mack, Phillip Rivers

The story said it wasn't just check-down passes either, there were wheel routes. Hines led the way among backs with seven receptions Monday. But Taylor added five (with a drop), while incumbent starter Mack added a pair of his own. The Colt RBs have all stood out in camp so far. Taylor could end up passing Mack for the lead back, but Mack has done nothing so far to lose the job it seems.

The Eagles might have tried to dampen expectations for Jalen Reagor before training camp when Doug Pederson said the rookie would learn behind DeSean Jackson, and the team privately believed it had more in its passing game than the public suggested. Training camp has offered the real story. Reagor is going to be a major part of the offense, playing multiple spots while the coaching staff finds ways to get him the ball.

He’s played in the “X” spot opposite Jackson in the formation and has been one of Wentz’s top targets in practices. The explosiveness that compelled the Eagles to select Reagor ahead of Justin Jefferson in the draft has been apparent during the past week. He’s made plays against the starters, too, and earned the praise of Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay after Monday’s practice.

Tuesday was the first time that Anthony Miller was inserted to close-to-live team drills.

The story added Miller was noticeable, too, making several catches throughout the day in various drills. In his second season, Miller improved on his 33-423-7 rookie season with 52-656-2 as a sophomore. He played behind Taylor Gabriel when Gabriel was healthy, and the Bears signed Ted Ginn to replace Gabriel, so it remains to be seen just how much they’ll utilize Miller. But when they’ve called upon him, he has delivered. In seven games that Gabriel missed, Miller averaged 4.1-53-0.29 on 6.4 targets compared to just 2.6-32-0.0 on a meager 4.4 targets when Gabriel was active.

Isaiah Coulter has been in and out of practices, but when he’s participated, his 4.4 speed and fluidity have been what stood out. He’s still an unpolished route runner, but that’s to be expected for a first-year player out of Rhode Island. The competition he faces at the pro level is much more capable of keeping up with him, so he’ll see a lot more press coverage against corners who might be stronger than the ones he’s used to.

Luckily for the Coulter, the Texans aren’t expecting much out of him this season with the group of WRs they have. Will Fuller and Kenny Stills are both in contract years, though, so Coulter should have a chance to factor into the offense next season.

The Tarik Cohen you saw in 2019 is not the Tarik Cohen you will see in 2020.

This is not based on anything, necessarily, I’ve seen from Cohen over the first week of practice at Halas Hall. Cohen looks fine. He's still quick, he's still fast. He's still Tarik Cohen.

This has everything to do with what I’ve seen from the Bears’ tight ends – plural – so far in training camp.

And if the Bears' tight ends keep this up in the regular season, it'll massively benefit the 25-year-old Cohen.

The story said only two running backs were targeted more out of the slot than Cohen last year (Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler), yet seven running backs had more receiving yards from the slot. Cohen’s 1.09 yards per route run from the slot ranked 39th among running backs; in 2018, Cohen averaged 3.19 yards per route run from the slot, 7th highest. Cohen is obviously a PPR-type back and is likely a later target in drafts for those using the Zero-RB strategy.

The San Francisco 49ers were without defensive end Nick Bosa and rookie receiver Brandon Aiyuk for Tuesday's practice, something that is expected to be the norm for the foreseeable future.

Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday afternoon that Bosa and Aiyuk will be "week-to-week" as Bosa deals with a muscle strain in his leg and Aiyuk recovers from what Shanahan called a "mild" strain of his left hamstring.

Aiyuk's injury was a bit more obvious as he suffered the hamstring strain while tracking a deep pass from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo late in Sunday's practice. Aiyuk pulled up before getting to the ball and immediately grabbed for the back of his left leg. Shanahan said the fact that Aiyuk's hamstring strain is considered mild was positive because the team initially feared it might be worse.

Nelson Agholor is getting a second chance in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders -- another opportunity to prove he still has the first-round talent the Philadelphia Eagles saw when they drafted him five years ago. While Agholor's career was full of highs and lows in Philadelphia, he's back on the West Coast in Vegas and fighting for a role in the Raiders offense. Judging by the early reviews in training camp practices, the Raiders expect Agholor to play a vital role in the passing game this year.

While a major role may not equal a fantasy-worthy role, the story said Agholor signed a one-year deal with the Raiders and he will be battling for the No. 4 wide receiver role with Zay Jones and 2020 third-round pick Bryan Edwards.

Wide receiver Mike Williams sat out practice Tuesday because of the sprained shoulder he suffered diving for a pass Sunday, and he won’t be returning to the field any time soon.

NFL Network reported Tuesday that Williams is expected to miss two to four weeks, but I’m told that timeline is extremely optimistic. According to a team source, four to six weeks is the more realistic timeline, and the Chargers are preparing for the possibility of playing without Williams for a majority of September.

Jalen Guyton, Darius Jennings, Tyron Johnson and Jason Moore all took reps with the first team but are unproven. The story added the Chargers passed on taking WR talent in the draft outside Joe Reed, who projects as more of a hybrid player, according to the story.

It did not take long for tight end Jordan Reed to exhibit his skills on the 49ers’ practice field.

Reed, an oft-injured seven-year NFL veteran, sat out the first eight practices of camp this summer to get his body prepared for his first practice in a long, long time. He signed a one-year contract with the 49ers on Aug. 9.

Upon being cleared and stepping on the field for the first time on Tuesday, Reed showed his route-running skills during a one-on-one drill with Jimmy Garoppolo throwing the passes.

Reed is making a comeback after sitting out all of the 2019 season from a concussion he sustained during the preseason while with Washington. He is attempting to earn a roster spot among a tight end group that includes George Kittle, Ross Dwelley, Charlie Woerner, Chase Harrell and newly signed veteran Erik Swoope.

The first thing that stands out about Stefon Diggs is the on-field ability. He makes effortless cuts and finds separation even on the shortest routes and exploits the different looks the defense gives him. If the offensive line gives Josh Allen enough time to operate, Diggs usually finds a way to uncover from the defense.

Diggs caught 9 of Allen's 15 completed passes during a stretch Tuesday, the story said. The story said there seems to be a constant dialogue between Diggs and Allen as they continue to build their chemistry. Diggs praises Allen publicly when he throws with anticipation and he brings an intensity the offense lacked for much of 2019.

A.J. Green is in the final stages of rehabilitating his hamstring. Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor expects Green to ramp his workload up at practice this week.

“I expect him to work back into drills this week. That wasn’t a concern when we were holding him out. We’re early in training camp and we have some other guys at that position we need to look at. I think it was smart of us to hold him out for a couple of days. We’ll get him back in action tomorrow,” Taylor said at his Tuesday press conference.

Green hasn’t practiced since suffering a hamstring injury on Aug. 17. He’s been rehabbing his tight hamstring ever since. The wide receiver ran routes and did conditioning drills at about 75% during Monday’s practice.

It’s been a common theme throughout the first couple of weeks in training camp: Running back Derrick Henry is dedicating plenty of time to improving as a receiver.

In between team periods at Tuesday’s practice, in what was a lull in the action for offensive starters, Henry once again worked one-on-one with running backs coach Tony Dews, catching balls while on the run. He didn’t drop any passes.

Related players: Darrynton Evans

Outside of a 75-yard catch on a screen that Henry took for a touchdown in Week 1 of last season, Henry was mostly a nonfactor as a pass catcher in 2019. But he appears committed to changing that in 2020. It remains to be seen how much the Titans will use Henry on passing down situations, where they normally rolled with No. 2 running back Dion Lewis last season, the story said. Lewis is now with the Giants and we think Evans could get work behind Henry, perhaps especially in the passing game. Henry would get a nice boost in fantasy value with any kind of work in the passing game.

Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter envisions between 15 to 25 touches per game for new running back Todd Gurley, provided the running back's left knee remains healthy throughout the 2020 season.

"I think a minimum of 15 touches and a high of [25]," Koetter told ESPN in a phone interview Tuesday. "But you've got to realize we've got a lot of guys that need touches. You're going to have 64 plays in a game on average on offense. Depending on where you're at in the season and wear and tear, I think the low is 15 and maybe the high end 25.

The Falcons currently have Gurley on a "load management" plan in preparation for the Sept. 13 season opener at home against the Seahawks. Gurley sat out two padded practices during training camp thus far but participated in Monday's scrimmage, although he did not have a heavy workload. Gurley averaged 16.9 touches per game last year for the Rams, which was off his career average of 20.3. Gurley cited playing in 15 games last season as reason why people should not fret about the durability of his left knee. Gurley is ranked 15th on our RB list.

Earlier this month, Eagles Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz made it abundantly clear that he wants to remain in Philadelphia for the rest of his NFL days, saying that "my goal is to be like Kobe Bryant and play for one organization my entire career." Well, it looks like he may soon inch one step closer to that ultimate goal as Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports the Eagles have reengaged contract extension talks with the 29-year-old.

Related players: Dallas Goedert

Ertz still has two years left on his deal and many thought Goedert would eventually take over as the Birds top TE. But it looks like the Eagles want to keep Ertz around. The TE spot was a go-to position for Carson Wentz last year when a rash of injuries to the team's WRs hit. Ertz is ranked fourth on our TE list despite Geodert also being a threat at the position. Goedert is ranked 12th, proving just how much the Eagles target the position.

Mike Davis was a non-factor last season after Marty Hurney claimed him off waivers from the Bears. But he’s been way more involved this summer, and seems to be the front-runner to claim the backup role behind Christian McCaffrey.

Davis told The Athletic last week it was “refreshing” to get a clean slate with a new coaching staff, which has seen him emerge as a dual-threat, No. 2 back. “I think Mike Davis has had a great camp,” HC Matt Rhule said. “He’s running. He’s getting open.” This is worth noting for potential McCaffrey owners looking for his handcuff.

Anthony Lynn said Mike Williams will be "out for a while" with his shoulder injury. Doesn't know if he will be ready for the start of the season.

Related players: Darius Jennings, K.J. Hill, Joe Reed

It's a big blow to the Chargers offense, potentially losing their W2. Reported timelines are saying 2-4 weeks. The good news is the Chargers had some guys stepping up at WR recently that we highlighted in the news this week - mainly Jennings, Hill and Reed. Although not a speedster, Hill seemed to have the edge for the WR3 spot before Williams injury.

Steelers receiver Chase Claypool has constantly turned heads in Pittsburgh throughout training camp. Veteran cornerback Joe Haden last week and veteran tight end Eric Ebron on Monday have each called Claypool an all-caps PROBLEM in recent days.

Mark Kaboly of TheAthletic.com wrote about Claypool’s exploits on Monday, saying that Claypool is “making non-rookie-like plays after running non-rookie-like routes and making non-rookie-like catches.”

Claypool is looking to make a run up the depth chart. But, he's got JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson and James Washington ahead of him. The good news for Claypool is Johnson is out with an injury right now, and Claypool seems to be taking full advantage.

According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, however, it's O.J. Howard who's been the star of camp, especially since the kickoff of padded practices in mid-August.

O.J. Howard is having an outstanding training camp. Nobody can cover him. His feet are moving better in the run game. His hands are not failing him in the pass game ... He is lining up on the field opposite Rob Gronkowski and creating the kind of mismatches most offensive coordinators only see in their dreams.

There were rumors the team wanted to trade Howard, but HC Bruce Arians seems to be walking back that talk, according to the story. The story also said Howard has been one of the team biggest offensive breakouts. With Gronk ranked 9th among our TEs, Howard can be found way down at 30th. The problem for Howard will be getting targets away from Gronk and the talented WRs on the Bucs.

A.J. Green was on the rehab field, rather than the regular practice field, but he was running and cutting, according to reporters on the scene.

As the story said, that’s the first time he’s been seen running since suffering a hamstring injury a week ago. Whether Green is ever able to look like the star receiver he was several years ago remains to be seen. But he’s at least making progress toward playing again, something the Bengals badly want to see, the story said.

On most practice days, the Jets are lining up with Breshad Perriman, Jamison Crowder and Jeff Smith, a former undrafted free agent with one career catch. When Perriman missed a day with knee swelling, it served as a sobering reminder: The Jets are one injury away from a full-blown crisis.

Related players: Denzel Mims

The Jets like to run a lot of three-WR sets and the injury to Mims is a big deal as he was supposed to be the WR3. Even if he's back soon, he'll be behind as far as learning the offense and being on the same page as QB Sam Darnold. Because of the low numbers, the Jets recently signed veteran Chris Hogan, who Gase called a "down and dirty" competitor. Hogan has looked good but he hasn't been an every-down player since 2018.

Texans coach Bill O’Brien said it’s clear Watson has “a really good grasp of our offense” and is “playing at a really high level.”

Watson said despite the changes -- and lack of practice time this offseason with new Texans receivers Brandin Cooks and Randall Cobb -- he believes his “confidence is continuing to grow."

Obviously losing DeAndre Hopkins was a big deal, but the story said Watson is adjusting nicely. Watson is also entering his fourth year in the offense so there a greater level of comfort. Watson is ranked fourth on our QB list.

Although he has been a member of the San Francisco 49ers only since April, left tackle Trent Williams didn't hesitate when asked recently which of his new teammates he's most excited to see this season:

Running back Jerick McKinnon.

"The way he's looked in the offseason, I just can't fathom him not being a breakout player," Williams said.

Related players: Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman

Whether McKinnon, 28, will be able to reach pre-injury levels remains to be seen. The early returns are encouraging. He opened camp practicing without restriction and has authored at least one eye-opening run or catch in each of the early practices, the story said. He would fill a big void on the 49ers as they've coveted a pass-catching back since losing McKinnon.

Drew Lock/Courtland Sutton. The first 11-on-11 play of training camp was a pass to Sutton and the duo are trending the right away. The in-sync part is important because I haven’t seen a glaring miscommunication between Lock and Sutton yet, which is a good sign considering the new playbook.

Lock/Jerry Jeudy. Agreed on your “getting there” analysis. They’ve had several nice completions, the same for Jeudy and backup quarterback Jeff Driskel.

Lock/K.J. Hamler. A tough break for the offense and for Hamler, who is out multiple weeks with a hamstring injury and whose status for Week 1 is in doubt. When Hamler gets back to practice, he and Lock will have to start over.

With Hamler out, the story said guys like tight ends Albert Okwuegbunam and Jake Butt and receivers Tim Patrick, DaeSean Hamilton and Tyrie Cleveland have all picked up the slack. Lock had time with Sutton last year so it makes sense they are on the same page. Jeudy will be a key to the offense as he and Lock look to get more comfortable with one another.

Jordan Akins: By NFL standards, the 28-year-old Akins, a former pro baseball player, isn’t that young, but he is entering just his third pro season and has been a productive red-zone target during practices. Whether he keeps this up will be important, as Darren Fells seems due for some regression after a season in which he caught seven touchdowns, more than doubling his previous season high.

Akins saw 140 snaps out of the slot last season, and though Cobb will absorb most of DeAndre Hopkins’ workload from that spot, Akins could experience an uptick in usage here, too, if his practice production carries over to games.

There are reasons to believe Akins may make a leap in his third year. He led all Houston tight ends in routes run (390) and ran the 10th most routes among all tight ends last year. Given his snap rate (61%), it’s an indicator that the team views him mainly as a receiver. He was fourth among tight ends in yards after the catch per reception and third among tight ends in average YAC above expectations, per NFL’s Next Gen Stats. With the loss of DeAndre Hopkins, Akins should play a larger role in the passing game, especially with Darren Fells another year older. Akins could see competition from second-year player Kahale Warring, but after a lost-rookie season it’s doubtful that he’ll be able to eat into Akins’ snaps.

There’s no doubt Eric Ebron is going to have a solid season from what I’ve seen. Maybe not 80 catches solid, but making splash plays and working around the end zone solid.

He’s lived up to his resume this camp.

Related players: Vance McDonald

Pittsburgh restructured McDonald's contract so he should still be around this season. Ebron figures to play more snaps and have a larger role than McDonald given the size of this deal. Ebron has struggled with drops, but he has also led all tight ends in touchdowns (16) over the last two seasons. He'll likely serve as Ben Roethlisberger's top red zone target in 2020. He's 19th on our TE list.

If there were a best friend award for the first week-plus of camp workouts, it would go to Baker Mayfield and Austin Hooper. The new tight end has been Mayfield’s most frequent target in any competitive passing drill.

What's even better is Hooper is generally first in line for extra work with Mayfield when the special teams’ drills take over the primary practice field, the story said. Hooper is 14th on our TE list; he takes a hit due to switching teams. But maybe this chemistry formation will move him closer to the top by the end of the season.

Damien Harris has been the Patriots’ best running back in camp, but it’s not limited to his ball-carrying ability, which he showed off again with a 10-yard touchdown run. He did a nice job to pick up a block in pass protection to help Newton deliver a touchdown pass.

Related players: Lamar Miller, James White

Obviously picking up blitzes is a huge deal for young running backs, so that's good news for Harris. The story said Harris has looked comfortable with his route tree as well. Perhaps the key thing to take away from the story is if Harris can be effective in both phases, he could be on the field a ton this season.

After a day off, Devin Singletary battled back for his best practice of camp Sunday.

The second-year runner trusted what he saw forming in front of him and used his vision and quickness to put together several solid rushes between the tackles. Singletary looked confident and decisive and held on to the ball Sunday.

Singletary’s positive day also came during the least productive session from Zack Moss through six days of camp.

Up to that point, the story said Moss had been outplaying Singletary and taking advantage of all his chances. Still Singletary's fantasy value takes a hit this year we think. Moss likely will be the short-yardage back, taking over for Frank Gore, with Singletary the main pass-catching back. We rank Singletary 31st among our RBs with Moss coming in at 42nd.

Corey Coleman took the top off the defense twice, including once against top cornerback James Bradberry.

Related players: Sterling Sheppard, Darius Slayton, Golden Tate

But as the story said, Coleman is a tier below the Giants’ top three receivers but, as a former first-round pick playing for his fourth team, has a higher profile than the many undrafted receivers bidding for a roster spot. He has cut around the field with no hint of last year’s ACL surgery.

Baker Mayfield understands his rapport with Odell Beckham is going to be important moving forward, and he says that they have worked on their chemistry throughout this offseason and in training camp.

"It's sure as hell going to be a lot better than last year," Mayfield said about his chemistry with Beckham, via NFL.com. "We're just on the same page, things we talked about. There was a lot going on within the building last year. We're not going to get into that, but we're both in a better state. He's healthy; surgery was successful, thank God. He's feeling great. He's in a great state of mind."

Mayfield also said that new wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Chad O'Shea is quickly instilling a better culture among the wide receiving corps, and that Beckham has clearly bought in as well. Beckham predicted 2020 would be one of the best seasons of his career.

Prized Colts rookie Jonathan Taylor has been an impressive specimen in training camp and Nyheim Hines has been incredibly active in the passing game.

But forgetting about the returning 1,000-yard rusher in Indianapolis would be a mistake.

Marlon Mack put an exclamation mark on a strong training camp so far by taking over for a brief stretch at the team’s Lucas Oil Stadium practice, the longest and heaviest practice of camp.

Mack took advantage of some huge holes, the story said, but either way, we still have Taylor as the back to own. We rank Taylor 21st with Mack coming in at 46th. Mack may start out as the main back, but we think the writing is on the wall when it comes to Taylor, who the team traded up to get this past spring.

Josh Jacobs said he would like to have 60 receptions this season. He should easily double last year’s 20, but some fantasy experts and national writers got a little stressed out when the Raiders signed veteran Theo Riddick over the weekend.

As the story points out, Riddick is a nice pass-catching back who once caught 80 balls for the Lions, but was on the couch before the Raiders signed him. The story feels Riddick is there for depth only. Jacobs' reception potential is a big question for potential owners in PPR leagues this season.

Scott Miller looks like a totally different player this year. He wasn’t active for the first two games last season before finishing with 13 catches for 200 receiving yards.

The story said now Miller is making some of the biggest plays of camp and building his case for the third receiver spot. Much of that goes back to Tom Brady and the confidence he’s infusing in teammates, the story added. Targets could be tough to come by for Miller with the other receivers and tight ends on the field, but right now Miller looks like the team's top WR3 candidate.

We saw flashes of brilliance from Tua Tagovailoa in his best day since joining the Dolphins. He threw three touchdowns during 11-on-11 drills, showing the dynamic skills he flashed at Alabama.

Related players: Ryan Fitzpatrick

The rookie has not done enough to inject himself in the starting battle, but he has made a handful of throws in the past week that confirm why he’s an elite NFL prospect, the story said. It could be only a matter of time before he overtakes Fitzpatrick this season, esp. if the team gets off to a slow start. But for now it looks like Fitz could start the season at QB.

Now a week into the portion of training camp that includes practices with pads, Logan Thomas has shown glimpses of what he could be, especially in the red zone, where he’s become a top target for Dwayne Haskins. Last season Washington ranked 27th in the red-zone scoring, with 48.8 percent of its drives inside the 20 resulting in points.

Thomas is actually new to the position, but it's part of a culture change HC Ron Rivera is hoping to bring to Washington. Thomas is just 38th on our TE list so if you want him, you'll likely have the chance to draft him very late in drafts. In typical 10 and 12 leagues, he's mostly hitting the free agent wire. It's worth noting he's a top target for Haskins, the story said.

From beat writer Mike Reiss' camp notes: This was basically the Cam Newton Show with a little Brian Hoyer mixed in.

Related players: Jarrett Stidham

Reiss said Stidham took some 11-on-11 snaps, but he's fading out of the picture. Looks like the Patriots are all-in for Newton this season.

Raiders WR Tyrell Williams has a torn labrum in his shoulder, sources say. He’s going to try to play through it after rehabbing for a few weeks. A tough task, but the big-play WR will attempt it.

Related players: Henry Ruggs, Hunter Renfrow, Bryan Edwards

There was already talk that Williams wasn't going to be the main target anymore in the offense. Ruggs, Renfrow and Edwards all benefit from this news. We had Williams way down our WR rankings to begin with.

Multiple reporters watching Cardinals practice on Monday reported that Kenyan Drake was wearing a walking boot on his foot.

Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury downplayed the nature of Drake’s ailment after practice.

Kingsbury said Drake is dealing with soreness and that the boot was being used for precautionary reasons. As the story went on to say, as long as Drake’s time on the sideline is brief, there shouldn’t be any impact on his availability for the season opener. That would likely change if he remains in the boot for more than a few days, however.

Overall, it was Dwayne Haskins' most complete effort of open camp.

Related players: Alex Smith

Haskins hit Terry McLaurin for a 40-yard TD pass at one point. HC Ron Rivera said he was proud of the way Haskins handled the possession overall, which was part of a two-minute drill. Meanwhile, Smith didn't get help from his WRs, but the story said he looked good as well during 9-on-9 drills, where he even showed some mobility.

Running back Justice Hill is not on the field with Lamar Jackson.

Related players: Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Mark Ingram

Hill is among the Raven players with "soft tissue things" as HC John Harbaugh put it the other day. It's not believed to be serious but it's a tough competition for carries behind Ingram in a crowded backfield. It could especially benefit Dobbins, the rookie.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson’s absence from Ravens practice came to an end on Monday.

Jackson missed two straight practices and head coach John Harbaugh said on Sunday that the reigning NFL MVP was one of a group of players dealing with “soft tissue things.”

Harbaugh declined to go into any further detail of the quarterback’s condition, but he was back on the field Monday so there may not have been much more to say about the situation. Reports said it was a groin injury for Jackson.

Chiefs practice wrapping up. Tyreek Hill, who has been dealing with a minor hamstring injury, and Damien Wilson back on field. They did stretching and conditioning, no team drills.

Hill is expected to be fine for the team's Week 1 opener. Hill is ranked 6th among our WRs and averaged 15 points a game in half-point PPR leagues last year, which tied for fourth last season.

Auden Tate is the early frontrunner for offensive MVP at Bengals camp.

Tate is way down our list at 86th but we do have him as the team's WR3 behind A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd. John Ross recently returned from the COVID-19 list and is considered a speed threat so the Bengals may have a crowded field at WR for QB Joe Burrow.

This speaks to the Patriots' talent at WR but also his development, Gunner Olszewski has looked like the second best WR in camp behind Julian Edelman, though N'Keal Harry made a push today.

Related players: Jakobi Meyers, Mohamed Sanu

Kyed mentioned again that Harry had a big day on Monday, but up to this point Olszewski had been most impressive behind Edelman. Olszewski doesn't make our WR list while guys like Meyers and Sanu remain behind Edelman and Harry. With three weeks to go before the start of the season, keep an eye on Olszewski.

Diontae Johnson out again today. He hasn’t practiced since last Wednesday.

Related players: James Washington, Chase Claypool

Reports say it's a calf injury. With Johnson out, Washington and Claypool, a rookie, are next up on the depth chart. As a rookie, Johnson turned 92 targets into 59 catches for 680 yards and five touchdowns, an impressive feat considering that Mason Rudolph and Devlin “Duck” Hodges threw most of the passes for Pittsburgh last season. Johnson out-snapped Washington in most of the later games that Johnson, Washington and JuJu Smith-Schuster were all healthy, which indicates that perhaps Johnson won the No. 2 job last season. Regardless, the Steelers play a lot of three-WR and regularly have three receivers playing 70%+ of the snaps, so Johnson should have the opportunity to shine whether or not he’s ahead of Washington on the depth chart.

The New England Patriots have re-signed Nick Folk on Monday after hosting him for a visit this weekend.

Folk, 35, becomes the second kicker on the Patriots' roster after New England selected Marshall's Justin Rohrwasser in the fifth round of the draft.

Folk kicked in seven games for the Patriots last season as the team was forced to look for a replacement for Stephen Gostkowski, who had a hip injury that landed him on injured reserve. Folk was 16-of-19 on field goals and 13-of-13 on extra points.

The story added: Rohrwasser has barely kicked in practices attended by reporters. Rohrwasser was 3-of-5 on field goals at the end of a practice Monday but has mostly rode the exercise bike since, which could be an indication he is managing an undisclosed injury.

Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams went for tests after coming down hard on his right shoulder during Sunday’s practice and he’s reportedly set to miss time as a result of the injury.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Williams is considered week-to-week after being evaluated by doctors and diagnosed as a sprain. It’s unclear at this point if he’ll be cleared in time to face the Bengals in Cincinnati in Week 1.

Related Players: Keenan Allen, Darius Jennings, Joe Reed, K.J. Hill

Williams posted career bests with 49 catches and 1,001 yards during the 2019 season. He's expected to start opposite Allen with the real battle for the team's WR3 role. Hill has the edge, according to reports from Sunday, but the team is looking for more speed at that position, which more favors Jennings and Reed.

Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Jerry Jeudy has lit up the team's training camp thus far, and his defensive teammates think it's just the beginning. In fact, it could just be a sliver of what's to come.

"He can get in and out of his breaks better than anyone I've ever seen before," said Broncos safety Kareem Jackson, now in his 11th NFL season. "For him to be rookie, his tempo and his routes -- the way he can change pace and the way he sells things is very rare. It's going to be a challenge for opposing defenses and guys in the secondary. For us, getting a chance to see him every day is going to help us."

Related players: Courtland Sutton

Jeudy, who was the Broncos' first-round pick (15th overall) in this past April's draft, was considered by many personnel executives to be the best route runner and most versatile wideout in a deep class of wide receivers. And while no one is chiseling his work in the first few weeks of August into tablets, he has gotten the attention of some of the toughest critics of rookies - veterans, the story said. Jeudy could play a lot of snaps, but he's the WR2 behind Sutton and is ranked 49th among our WRs.

Miles Boykin is the player who would've been the most affected if the Ravens had signed Dez Bryant. He's also among those who aren't really interested in the talk surrounding Bryant, who left Baltimore on Thursday without a deal.

“Honestly, it has nothing to do with me," Boykin said. "That’s [the front office's] job. My job is to go out there and play to the best of my ability every day, and that’s what I try to do. Whatever happens, happens. But I’ve got to focus on myself and this team first.”

Boykin, a third-round pick from a year ago, is used that focus to become one of the Ravens' most improved offensive players. He's been the perfect complement to the blazing speed of Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, giving Lamar Jackson a big 6-foot-4 target with a huge catch radius. He started off hot in camp last year before mostly disappearing during the season. Coaches see a difference in Boykin this year. He's more polished and fluid. He's not thinking, just reacting, the story all said. We think Boykin will be the team's WR2, but he's further down the overall target list in Baltimore and thus way down our overall WR ranking at 79th.

Darrell Henderson is dealing with a hamstring injury that he suffered during Saturday’s practice at SoFi Stadium. On Sunday, head coach Sean McVay said that the injury was “mild” and that the team is keeping fingers crossed about Henderson’s availability for the opener.

“We’ll be hopeful that he’ll end up being able to get back and it won’t affect his availability for the Dallas game,” McVay said, via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.

Related players: Malcolm Brown, Cam Akers

The Rams plan to employ a committee of running backs this season, the story added, but it was Henderson who was looking pretty good through camp this point. If Henderson can't go, most seem to think it opens the door for Akers to get more carries. We think Akers is the back to own for the long haul but Henderson and Brown could be bigger factors early on. It's obviously something to watch as we get closer to the season.

Bears running back David Montgomery had the second-most rushing yards of any rookie in the NFL last season, but he also averaged the second-fewest yards per carry of any back with more than 200 attempts.

Montgomery said in June that he will be better this time around and part of his plan to boost his production was centered on nutrition. Montgomery has slimmed down since the end of his rookie season by cutting out junk food and focusing on lean proteins that he hopes will get him moving faster on the field this time around.

Related players: Tarik Cohen, Cordarrelle Patterson

Montgomery said he didn't really care what he ate last year because he was a rookie, but he thinks he can be faster than he was a year ago. Montgomery still should have a pretty clear path to being the main ball carrier, but he'll have to get off to a good start most seem to think. Cohen will see his share of passing-down snaps and the team is going to get Patterson more involved this year it looks like. Monty is only ranked 29th among our backs so he's more of a lottery pick in the 5th or 6th round.

Now, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that HC Andy Reid’s going to use Clyde Edwards-Helaire as a rookie the same way Reid used Kareem Hunt as a rookie in 2017. Hunt touched it 325 times (remember his 246-yards-from-scrimmage demolition of the Patriots on opening night in Foxboro?) in that rookie season, winning the rushing title and becoming an instant threat in the passing game too. But this is practice, scripted from start to finish; maybe this is two days of getting timing down with Edwards-Helaire. But I doubt it’s just that. I say he’ll be a stud, a prime candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year. He appears a confident and sure runner who can make people miss, a better runner between the tackles than a 5-foot-8, 209-pound guy should be, and a smooth and assured receiver. GM Brett Veach told me: “He’s on pace to have a big year, to be our primary ballcarrier.”

Peter King even said to draft Edwards-Helaire in the first round of your fantasy draft. He went on to rave about CEH in the story, highlighting the first three plays in 11-on-11 were handoffs to him, and he also ran a wheel route out of the background and made an impressive catch. With Damian Williams out of the way, CEH is certainly poised for a big season and the news keeps getting more positive about those chances. He's currently going in the mid-to-late second according to our ADPs, but chances are you'll have to take him before that in your draft.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson has missed the past two training camp practices because of a groin injury, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The good news is Jackson is slated to return to action on Monday, sources said. After Sunday's practice, coach John Harbaugh described Jackson's injury as a "soft-tissue" one but wouldn't expand beyond that.

If Ryan Griffin is ready to roll for the upcoming season, that would be a big boost to the Jets offense. His presence would give the Jets two solid receiving threats with Chris Herndon as the top target.

Herndon has the most potential of the group and has shown great rapport with Sam Darnold through the early portions of training camp, the story said. But Herndon is coming off an injury and didn't see much time last season. Griffin is the veteran of the group and about to start his eighth season in the league. Griffin also seems to be the better blocker which could earn him more time on the field. Herndon is ranked 22nd on our list, so in the end Griffin likely takes away some fantasy points leaving Herndon as a low-end TE2 option.

Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams didn’t make it through Sunday’s practice and he’ll be spending time with doctors as a result.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Williams is headed for tests on his shoulder.

Related players: Darius Jennings, Joe Reed, K.J. Hill

Williams went down on his right arm while trying to make a catch in Sunday’s practice and left the field after going down. Rapoport adds that Williams’ collarbone was not injured and that the team is optimistic that he avoided a serious injury. Any absence will increase the opportunities for Jennings, Reed and Hill to see time with Keenan Allen at wideout. We just had a story earlier Sunday about the rest of the Charger WRs who are looking to earn the WR3 job this season. With Williams out, it could be an opportunity for multiple WRs to step up.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson missed a second straight practice on Sunday, which led to a question for head coach John Harbaugh about his condition.

“We’ve got a couple guys — Marcus Peters is another one and Justice Hill is another one — who have some soft tissue things. Just rather be safe with those guys right now and give those things a chance to get better and be right,” Harbaugh said.

It doesn't sounds serious, which is the good news. But the bad news is you just never know with these kind of injuries. The Ravens are going to be safe with their star QB, and we'll continue to monitor.

Adrian Peterson, who has played with and through plenty of injuries over the years, avoided an ankle injury on Sunday.

“Everything is good,” Peterson told reporters. “My left ankle got kind of twisted up and caught. Thank God it came free. That little expression you heard was when it was tweaked and then came free. I was like, ‘Thank you Jesus.’ It could’ve been bad. But, yeah, I’m good.”

Related players: Bryce Love, Antonio Gibson

It's good news for AP, who is getting a little lost in the Washington RB talk lately with all the positive news about Love. Gibson, the rookie, is a hot name as well, and we think the back to own in this offense, but expect Peterson to get some work as well.

Bears fans who were hoping the team's quarterback competition would have an obvious winner early in training camp aren't going to like what coach Matt Nagy had to say Sunday. The drama under center isn't going away for a while.

"It's not gonna happen soon. We're going to take our time with it," Nagy said.

Related players: Mitch Trubisky, Nick Foles

This shouldn't come as a surprise, the story said. Trubisky and Foles are about as even of a quarterback matchup as you can have. It's Trubisky's draft pedigree and physical traits versus Foles' ability to manage the offense while also rising above expectations when games matter most. Trubisky is the hope for a brighter future. Foles is the insurance policy for a run right now. Deciding between those two interests is really difficult, and as Nagy suggested, it takes time in order to make the right call, the story all said.

Rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk clearly established himself among the top – if not the top – wide receiver on the field during the first week of 49ers camp.

But Aiyuk’s status for the short term now is tenuous due to a hamstring injury he sustained during practice on Sunday morning.

Related players: Kendrick Bourne, Deebo Samuel, Trent Taylor

The 49ers did not immediately provide an update on Aiyuk's status. Aiyuk and Bourne have established themselves as the top wide receivers with Taylor consistently playing in the slot. The 49ers hope to have Deebo Samuel back for the regular-season opener after he underwent surgery in June to repair a Jones fracture.

Sunday’s practice was not a successful one on that front. Ronald Jones, LeSean McCoy and Ke'Shawn Vaughn all had a hard time hanging onto the ball during the session. Their struggles drew some negative comments from head coach Bruce Arians when he spoke to reporters later in the day.

“I didn’t think our running backs were particularly sharp catching the ball today and it started in warmups,” Arians said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “We addressed it after practice and everybody has got to be ready to go . . . they need to catch them. It’s unacceptable.”

Running backs coach Todd McNair said he thought having a day off of practice Saturday might have contributed to the miscues on Sunday, but said he wants the players to have “a high sense of urgency” about correcting any problems because of how important that part of the game will be for the Bucs this year, the story said. We have Jones ranked the highest (26th) with rookie Vaughn second among the Bucs at 56th. With McCoy also in the mix, this will need to sort itself out a little more for fantasy owners. Right now, Jones is the back to own.

John Ross was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list when he left the team earlier this month in order to help care for his son and his son’s mother after they tested positive for the coronavirus. The Bengals announced on Sunday that Ross has been activated from the list.

Related players: A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd

Ross will look to be the speed threat in the Bengal offense behind Green and Boyd, but he's not seeing a lot of action in typical draft formats.

Cody Latimer, who was arrested on five charges back in May, was released by the Washington Football Team on Sunday, the team announced.

In May, the 27-year-old receiver was booked on assault in the second degree, menacing, illegal discharge of a firearm, prohibited use of a weapon and reckless endangerment stemming from an argument that broke out during a poker game. He appeared in a Douglas Country, Colorado courtroom shortly following his arrest.

According to Eric Williams of SI.com, running back Darrell Henderson Jr. suffered a soft tissue injury, and Sean McVay did not release any specifics when it comes to his return timetable.

Related players: Malcolm Brown, Cam Akers

This opens the door for Akers, who Los Angeles selected in the second round of the 2020 Draft. Brown would also get a bump up if Henderson misses time. It's unfortunate timing for Henderson as he was standing out in camp up to that point. Akers is considered a workhorse back, but the story also said McVay claims he's in no rush to tab a feature back, and that he would like to adopt the 49ers' strategy when it comes to running backs. We have Akers ranked 24th on our list and the Ram RB to own this season.

Through two days of open practice with the Washington Football Team, Bryce Love has certainly looked quite promising in individual drills and full-squad work. The offensive backfield still needs to be sorted out — Antonio Gibson is someone else who could be primed for a lot of usage now that Derrius Guice is gone — but as HC Ron Rivera described, Love could very well carve out a huge role right away.

"He's a guy that's multi-dimensional," Rivera continued. "At Stanford, he didn't have to do a lot of routes and pass catching, but he's very capable and we're getting to see that. This is a guy that could be an every-down back for you. He's an explosive, dynamic player."

Related players: Adrian Peterson, Peyton Barber

Even the story indicated it may be too much and too early to have all this love for Love. But he's certainly someone to watch. We continue to favor Gibson as the back to own on Washington. We rank Gibson 32nd among our RBs. Veterans like Peterson and Barber could see their share of early-season work until the younger players are up to speed.

Justin Jackson and rookie Joshua Kelley are neck and neck in the race for the No. 2 running back job behind Austin Ekeler.

Jackson started the week with a sizable lead after making a handful of long rushing gains in Monday’s and Tuesday’s workouts.

On Wednesday, Lynn said Kelley’s head was swimming with learning the new offense. Lynn changed his tone after Kelley ended the week with three impressive practices to narrow the gap on Jackson.

The story said by the end of the week, Kelley was running with the first team. The story went on to say Kelley might have the edge because he fills the role of the power running back, but Jackson continues to churn out yards at a high rate. Jackson has displayed power between the tackles and Kelley has made catches from the backfield.

Rookie wide receiver K.J. Hill had the best Week 1 of training camp among wide receivers not named Keenan Allen or Mike Williams. Hill was open often and rarely had an incomplete target.

Related players: Darius Jennings, Joe Reed

The Chargers are seeking speed at their WR3 spot, but Hill doesn't necessarily fit the bill. Jalen Guyton’s blazing speed gave him first crack for the No. 3 role. He received most of the first-team reps, but struggled to find chemistry with quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The results weren’t good when Taylor targeted him, the story said. The piece added with Hill stepping up, it may force the Chargers hand. Reed and Jennings are also candidates.

Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsay have been dividing the reps with first- and second-team offense during camp.

Coach Vic Fangio said deciding between Gordon and Lindsay as the starter, “will play out. I anticipate them both playing enough to where we really don’t have to designate a starter.”

Fangio’s point is well taken, the story said. In today’s NFL, having two backs isn’t a luxury as much as it is a requirement to endure the 16-game, 1,000-snap grind. Gordon's teammates called him a "dominant downhill runner" so it's possible he sees more early down action with Lindsay as a third down back. But both players have proven to be three-down backs, so it's possible they split series vs. downs. We have Gordon ranked 20th and Lindsay 37th in our rankings.

HC Pete Carroll says Chris Carson expected to be back soon.

Carson is away on personal time the tweet said. He's ranked 18th on our RB list. Despite fumbling issues at times, Carson seems to have a long leash as the main back in this offense.

Denzel Mims remains sidelined with a hamstring injury that has cost him the first week of training camp practices and could wind up significantly slowing his growth as a rookie. Mims injured the hamstring during the ramp up to true camp practices and has not been on the field for the offense vs. defense sessions that began on Aug. 14.

Coach Adam Gase does not sound alarmed … yet. He has maintained he thinks the coaches can get Mims ready quickly, but time is ticking away.

Gase said they will put it in "fast forward" with Mims to get him ready for the opener. Gase has said that Mims first will have to begin working with the trainers on the side at practice, doing running and agility. Then, the Jets will start working him into wide receiver drills. Finally, he will be cleared to start participating in the team portion of practice.

Former Lions RB Theo Riddick is signing 1-year deal with the Raiders, per a source.

Related players: Josh Jacobs

Riddick signed with Denver last season but never made it on the field after a shoulder injury. His is a third-down, pass-catching back which is mostly bad news for Jacobs, as the word around the team was Jacobs would have an increased role in the passing game this season. The signing of Riddick could put a damper on Jacobs' role in the passing game and his fantasy value.

Browns Nick Chubb cleared from concussion protocol and will be back on the field today.

Related players: Kareem Hunt

Chubb ranks 14th among our RBs heading into drafts. With Hunt in the picture, it's not quite clear how the duo will be used for the Browns. Chubb's PPG dropped when Hunt returned to action last season, going from 17 to 12 PPG in half-PPR leagues. We do expect the Browns to be run-heavy this year after boosting their offensive line.

In discussing players whose stocks are going up and down at Dolphins training camp, Omar Kelly of The Orlando Sentinel believes WR Preston Williams " looks like he’s close to 100 percent as can be from a(n) ACL year he sustained last season."

Kelly noted Williams caught all four of the passes thrown his way, "snatching the passes away before defenders could even get a hand on them", as he worked with both Tua Tagovailoa and Josh Rosen with Ryan Fitzpatrick out due to a personal issue. Kelly believes Williams can be an invaluable presence for the Dolphins' offense if he can stay healthy. Williams is currently our No. 53 WR in 0.5PPR, but could be quite the play based on his current ADP in the 13th round.

Washington Football Team QB Dwayne Haskins spent his offseason readjusting his routine to get better mentally and physically, according to Mike Jones of USA Today. Haskins' offseason work included a new diet, learning how to play chess, QB drills, and time with players and personnel such as Cam Newton who worked in head coach Ron Rivera's system.

Haskins is essentially re-auditioning for the QB job in D.C. His main competition is Kyle Allen, but as long as Haskins keeps showing his work has made him a better quarterback he will be the unquestioned starter.

The Athletic's Jeff Howe declared QB Cam Newton the clear leader in New England's quarterback competition. Newton played the majority of quality reps Thursday and has shown the most upside according to Howe.

It appeared evident from the moment he signed that Newton would be the Week 1 starter, but the Patriots are covering all bases by giving Newton, Jarrett Stidham, and Brian Hoyer reps and letting the competition play out. Newton's ADP will continue to climb with this news.

Bears head coach Matt Nagy said RB Tarik Cohen is "really dedicated right now and trying to be coachable," according to Kevin Fishbain and Adam Jahns of The Athletic. “That’s what I think is really neat with where he’s at with Tarik. There were some things we saw last year that we thought he could do better. He’s hit that full steam ahead and there’s been some changes in whether it’s his angle in the run game or whether it’s a specific route we’re trying to teach him. So I’m really happy for the way he’s handled that.”

Cohen is entering the final year of his rookie contract, so if you are driving down 'Narrative Street,' take notice. Cohen has elite hands out of the backfield and sees the field like most returners would. 2019 was abysmal for Cohen, so a strong offseason could make 2019 the exception and not the rule.

Eagles TE Dallas Goedert has a hairline fracture in one of his thumbs, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. It's not a major injury according to Pelissero's source. Goedert could be back with a splint as soon as next week.

Rough times for Goedert, who was also sucker-punched by a random person this offseason. Goedert has the opportunity to thrive as the second TE on the Eagles and would be a must-start if teammate Zach Ertz were injured.

Seahawks RB Chris Carson is absent from practice for a second consecutive day, according to Joe Fann of NBC Sports Northwest. Fann is unsure why Carson is not practicing.

The workhorse of the Seahawks backfield, Carson is a crucial part of the offense. His absence gives others such as Carlos Hyde and Deejay Dallas reps with the first team.

Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey and WR D.J. Moore caught punts during Panthers practice Friday, according to Joseph Person of The Athletic. “Wherever they want to put me is where I’m gonna be,” McCaffrey said. “So whether it’s punt return, kickoffs, I don’t really care where it is. If they want me on the field, I’m gonna be there.”

Head coach Matt Rhule said he wanted to get the two reps in case the team needed a home-run threat with a game on the line.

McCaffrey may be pushing through another ceiling in terms of fantasy, especially if your league allows for return yards and touchdowns. CMC and Moore are dynamic talents with lofty expectations heading into the 2020 season. Any boost is accepted here.

Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick missed Friday's practice for personal reasons, according to Josh Tolentino of The Athletic. Tua Tagovailoa and Josh Rosen split reps.

The personal reasons were not disclosed, but the hope is that all is well with Fitzpatrick. In terms of fantasy football, Fitzpatrick was missed as his backups struggled according to Tolentino. It appears Fitzmagic's starting gig is safe for now.

Bengals rookie QB Joe Burrow showed control of the Bengals offense during the team's first scrimmage, according to head coach Zac Taylor. "He did a nice job communicating and had some nice drives for us," Taylor said in a teleconference afterward. Taylor also added that Burrow's grasp of the offense was not anything new.

Zac Taylor appears to be Burrow's biggest fan. Taylor praised Burrow as he completed eight consecutive passes during a stretch of the scrimmage. Burrow did not have A.J. Green or John Ross to throw to, but still succeeded. Depth may be Burrow's biggest weapon this season as he grasps the pro game.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson did not practice Friday according to Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com. Lolley noted that Johnson had a wrap around his lower leg and speculated it is for a calf injury.

This is the first day Johnson has missed practice, so monitor the situation.

Broncos head coach Vic Fangio is pleased with WR Courtland Sutton so far this season, according to Zac Stevens of DNVR Sports. Fangio said his routes are crisper and that there is a big jump to be made from year two to year three.

Sutton is the leader of the new-look Broncos wide receiver corps and is on the verge of being one of the best fantasy wide receivers, as long as Drew Lock improves.

During his media availability, Colts RB Marlon Mack said rookie RB Jonathan Taylor is, " going to be a beast. Teams should be aware of him. Just wait," said Mack. Mack also said that Taylor having a role will help keep him fresh and add years to his career.

Mack praising Taylor is no surprise, as well as a veteran response. The two appear to be be headed into a true 50/50 workload, but also have passing down backs Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins lurking.

Rams RB Darrell Henderson is improving in camp, according to head coach Sean McVay. “He’s done a nice job," said McVay. "Darrell’s a guy that I think last year, had some unfortunate injuries that led to not maybe getting as much work as we thought he was going to get. But, he did flash some things that got us so excited about taking him out of Memphis,” McVay said this week. “I think he’s taking a real big step in the right direction. He’s showing big picture understanding of everything in all phases – pass game, run game, protection.

Henderson was 2019's preseason-hyped rookie darling that now has to prove he can at least be in a 50/50 timeshare with 2020 rookie Cam Akers. Henderson can be drafted later than Akers, and if he continues to improve will close the ADP gap between the two in short order.

Ravens WR Miles Boykin has been impressive in camp, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. “Anytime the ball is in the air, I’m 6-4, 225, it’s got to be mine,” Boykin said. “Personally, I feel this is time for me to take over."

Boykin is showing confidence and that bodes well for Lamar Jackson, as well as himself. Jackson needs a second WR target to pair with Marquise Brown and TE Mark Andrews, and Boykin is showing out as training camp continues.

Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni said that Philip Rivers ""in my opinion, is the best in the NFL, and maybe the history of the NFL, at finding his back."

In theory, this could help Nyheim Hines, if he's serving as the team's third-down back, but Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor are capable pass catchers as well, so the whole backfield could benefit.

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians believes rookie RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn could contribute Week 1 as a kick returner, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic.

The Ke'Shawn Vaughn hype train is officially derailed. The lack of practice as a rookie and in conjunction with a positive COVID-19 test have slowed Vaughn's prospects of passing Ronald Jones on the RB depth chart to a halt. Vaughn remains a dynasty buy but has little season-long value at the moment.

Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill sat out Friday's practice, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN NFL Nation. Hill hurt his right leg during practice on August 20.

Hill did lift weights according to the report, so the good news is that he is mobile and able to contribute to practice. The injury does not appear to be a long-term issue, so draft Hill as planned.

Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins returned to practice Friday. He had missed time with a groin injury.

Watkins has not been the model of health during his career. He remains a boom/bust WR3 as long as he is attached to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense.

Patriots QB Jarrett Stidham is experiencing leg discomfort, limiting his practice availability Friday. Giardi also said that the injury will prevent Stidham from being 100% for several weeks.

Bad news for the second-year QB as he tries to win the starting job in New England. Cam Newton gets the first team snaps to himself as long as Stidham sits.

According to the Miami Herald, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been moving well in the pocket.

The initial expectation for Tua Tagovailoa was that he would redshirt his rookie season as he continues to work his way back from a devastating hip injury that prematurely ended his junior season for Alabama. After seeing his progress prior to camp, some believed that Tua may make some starts near the end of the season. Now that he is looking further ahead of schedule in his recovery than many though possible, some are wondering if the Dolphins brass will be comfortable inserting him under center in Week 1 if he indeed proves he is healthy enough to start. Aside from becoming instantly fantasy relevant himself, Tua starting would mean likely upgrades for all of the Dolphins skill players. Tua undoubtedly will give Miami the best chance to win, but the team may opt to err on the side of caution to start the season.

According to The Athletic, Minnesota Vikings rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson has been running with the second team offense in practice.

Justin Jefferson is expected to have one of the best fantasy seasons of the rookie receivers to enter the league this year, but this a welcomed reminder that the lack of a normal offseason could cause some trendy rookies to have to win starting jobs during the first few games of the season as opposed to having the job won by Week 1. A rookie receiver taking snaps behind veterans like Olabisi Johnson, Tajae Sharpe, and Chad Beebe is not unexpected at the start of camp, but if he is unable to pass them by the end of camp we may have a true taking point. Our 56th ranked receiver for the 2020 season, Jefferson is in the mix to take over the slot role for the Minnesota Vikings.

According to The Athletic, Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams has spent extra time with teammate Keenan Allen in an attempt to improve his route running skills.

Mike Williams is already a threat downfield and in the red zone, but if he can improve his ability to separate thanks to tutelage from one of the best route runners in the game, he should take full advantage of the opportunity afforded to him. Mike Williams has shown some glimpses of the upside that made him the seventh overall pick back in the 2017 NFL Draft, but has yet to truly put it altogether to become the dominant receiver many had envisioned. He managed to crack the 1,000 receiving yard barrier in 2019, but saw his touchdown count drop from 10 in 2018, to just two scores. Our 41st ranked receiver for the 2020 season, Mike Williams could exceed expectations if he can apply what he is learning in live game action.

According to The Athletic, Detroit Lions sophomore tight end T.J. Hockenson has been impressive at practice.

One of the most talented two-way tight end prospects in recent memory, Hockenson impressing in practice would not usually be newsworthy. However, the second year tight end is working his way back from an ankle injury, so his progress ahead of what could be a breakout season is worth monitoring. The Athletic reports that Hockenson routinely beat defensive backs off the line of scrimmage with his release, before putting his route running skills and receiving ability to work to haul in a number of impressive catches. 23rd in our tight end rankings for the 2020 season, Hockenson could prove to be an ADP value if he can find some consistency this season.

According to The Athletic, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Eric Ebron has been ‘almost uncoverable’ at practice.

Eric Ebron is expected to be the Pittsburgh Steelers starting tight end this season after signing a two year, $12 million dollar contract with them this offseason, but his weekly snap share has been in question due to the presence of Vance McDonald. Ebron is a clear talent upgrade on McDonald as a receiving weapon, and reports like these suggest that the Steelers coaching staff is now beginning to see that first hand. Eric Ebron may have to fight for targets due to the talent at the wide receiver position, but presents an explosive mismatch in the middle of the field for Ben Roethlisberger to exploit. Ebron is currently 18th in our tight end rankings for the 2020 season.

According to The Athletic, Buffalo Bills offseason acquisition Stefon Diggs has shown outstanding on-field rapport with quarterback Josh Allen.

Stefon Diggs moving to the Buffalo Bills to play with Josh Allen has caused some trepidation, but reports like these should help to ease those concerns. Allen was able to coax career highs in receptions and receiving yards from John Brown, and should have no problem getting the ball to a dominant route runner like Stefon Diggs. The Bills should be more than willing to open up the playbook now that they have a legitimate wide receiver room. Stefon Diggs is currently 23rd in our wide receiver rankings for the 2020 season.

According to Jeff Legwold on Twitter, Melvin Gordon suffered a rib injury during Thursday's practice which resulted in him being pulled for the day.

Melvin Gordon was already dealing with a slower than expected acclimation to the altitude in Denver, and now has to deal with a rib injury. There are still a few weeks left of training camp, so barring a severe injury, Gordon should have time to heal up before the opener. However, this is further reason to believe that Gordon may be splitting touches relatively evenly with Phillip Lindsay to open the season. Our 19th ranked running back for the 2020 season, the Broncos are expecting big things from their offseason addition.

According to Jeff Legwold on Twitter, Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver KJ Hamler suffered a hamstring injury In Thursday’s practice that will keep him on the shelf for a couple of weeks.

Explosive rookie K.J. Hamler will miss valuable time that he could have used to help convince the coaching staff to shift towards more of a three wide, pass oriented attack. Firmly behind Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy, Hamler should find his way to meaningful snaps at some point of this season. He will of course be the true definition of a boom-or-bust option, as he will likely spend half of his snaps functioning as a low volume, low efficiency home run threat. Our number 85 overall wide receiver for the 2020 season, K.J. Hamler remains an interesting late round flier.

According to Matt McMullen, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill has been added to the injury report with a hamstring injury.

Reports state that Tyreek Hill suffered the injury while catching a long pass from Chad Henne in a 1-on-1 drill during Thursday’s practice. He was able to walk off the field on his own power, but did not return to the practice field. The severity is not yet known, making this a situation to monitor for those who have yet to draft. Our number four overall wide receiver for the 2020 season, if healthy, Tyreek Hill should have a monster season in store for his fantasy managers.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown has been impressing head coach Matt LaFleur at training camp.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown received praise from head coach Matt LaFleur. His head coach suggested that ESB is a receiver whose intelligence gives the Packers flexibility as far as where they can line him up. The coach went on to praise the young receiver for having a firm grasp of the playbook despite missing all of last season. A 6’5 receiver with 4.48 wheels, St. Brown has always had tantalizing upside. Used sparingly in the offense as a rookie before missing his entire sophomore season, St. Brown could push for a role this season. Going undrafted in many redraft leagues, due to playing on a team with a relatively wide open depth chart, St. Brown could prove to be a productive late round flier.

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson says Will Fuller will be one of the best receivers in the league in 2020.

With former number one receiver DeAndre Hopkins now in Arizona, Deshaun Watson has high hopes for wide receiver Will Fuller. His quarterback appears to have confidence in him, suggesting that he could be one of the top receivers in the league this season. Watson’s exact words were: “Will’s going to ball out,” Watson said. “Will’s going to be one of the best receivers in the league..” While tapping him as one of the best receivers in the league may sound a tad hyperbolic, if, and it's a big if, he can make it through the season healthy as the 1a or 1b in the Texans offense, he could certainly produce enough to be a WR1. Will Fuller is currently our 36th ranked receiver for the 2020 season.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Cardinals Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury praised backup RB Chase Edmonds and said he will be more than just an insurance policy for starter Kenyan Drake.

Drake arrived in Arizona from Miami midway through last season and finished the year on a blistering pace while Edmonds remained in a backup role. The article from the Cardinals website makes it clear that Drake is still the lead back in Arizona, but it appears that Kingsbury may have more planned for Edmonds than simply spelling Drake when he needs a rest. Edmonds is a high-upside late round pick.

Washington RB Bryce Love took first-team reps with starter Adrian Peterson getting the day off Wednesday.

Derrius Guice's release sent the Antonio Gibson hype train full steam ahead but early indications in camp suggest his best case scenario is carving out a role as a third-down or pass catching specialist with Love assuming the early-down work in the event Peterson misses time. Love is a total unknown after missing all of his rookie year on injured reserve but was highly productive in college and apparently is fully healthy heading into 2020. The Washington backfield projects to be a messy one for fantasy purposes.

Aaron Reiss of The Athletic reports that the Texans' players and coaching staff are excited about deploying 21 personnel with Duke Johnson on the field alongside teammate David Johnson.

Duke Johnson has been relegated to a third-down or backup role the majority of his career despite a well-rounded game and track record of efficiency so the prospect of him joining David Johnson on the field regularly is exciting for his fantasy prospects. The report states that the Texans are excited about the prospect of creating mismatches in the passing game using both running backs. The prospect of an increased snap share makes Duke Johnson a possible value in the late rounds.

Nate Taylor of The Athletic expects Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman to serve as the kick and punt returner for Kansas City this season.

This is likely grim news for Hardman's fantasy propsects. A prominent role on special teams means Hardman is unlikely to get consistent targets working behind Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins and Clyde Edwards-Helaire in an explosive but crowded Chiefs offense. Hardman is a interesting fantasy prospect because of his blazing speed, big-play ability and pairing with Patrick Mahomes, but his projected usage just doesn't match his current ADP when compared to other receivers in the WR4 range unless the Chiefs suffer an injury at a skill position.

The 49ers are signing WR Jaron Brown to a contract.

Brown will serve as depth to start the season for a 49ers team reeling at the wide receiver position after losing both Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd to injury. It is unlikely he becomes a viable fantasy option behind George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk in the run-heavy scheme utilized by Kyle Shanahan.

Tom Pelissero reports that the Vikings and star RB Dalvin Cook broke off contract negotiations on Wednesday and that Cook is focused on playing the season out on his rookie deal.

Cook threatened to hold out during the offseason but the new CBA always made those threats seem toothless given the financial consequences he would face for doing so. The two sides worked to agree on a long-term deal but apparently could not find common ground, so Cook will play this season on the final year of his rookie contract and hope to cash in via free agency or the franchise tag next year. This does not affect Cook's fantasy outlook other than affirming that he has plenty of motivation to put up huge numbers again this season.

Updating an earlier news item, Packers WR Davante Adams returned to practice after being examined in the team facility.

Adams left practice earlier in the day with some sort of injury but apparently is fine to continue. This looks like nothing more than a temporary scare for Adams drafters. Assuming his health checks out, Adams projects an an elite WR1 and should command one of the largest target shares in the league.

Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins has been dealing with a minor hamstring injury but returned to practice on Wednesday.

There was even speculation that Hopkins was not actually hurt and was just disgruntled about his contract situation. Those rumors can be put to bed with Hopkins dressed for practice on Wednesday. Hopkins will be hard-pressed to repeat his elite fantasy performances from Houston in 2020 due to volume concerns, but he still has substantial upside playing in Kliff Kingsbury's offense and can be drafted as a WR1 in the second round.

Packers WR Davante Adams left practice on Wednesday after suffering an injury.

Adams hurt himself running a deep route and had to leave practice early though details about the injury have not been released. Losing Adams would be devastating to a Green Bay offense that declined to invest in the wide receiver position this offseason. His absence opens up a ton of opportunity for Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but the offense as a whole gets downgraded without Adams lining up outside.

The Eagles announced RB Miles Sanders is "week-to-week" with a lower body injury.

Garafolo added that he does not sense any "great concern" that Sanders will be out an extended period, so hopefully this is just a precautionary or maintenance issue. Sanders has been hyped as the workhorse in Philadelphia all offseason so an extended absence would alter the fantasy landscape. Boston Scott is slated to take over starting duties with Sanders sitting out.

The Rams have paid quarterback Jared Goff like a franchise quarterback. The jury remains out on whether Goff truly is a franchise quarterback.

“I think he’s just continuing to grow,” coach Sean McVay told reporters on Tuesday when asked whether he’s seen improvement in Goff during 2020 training camp.

Goff finished third last year in passing yardage, with 4,638. He was 22nd, however, in passer rating, 19th in completing percentage, 17th in touchdowns, and fourth in interceptions. So far the Rams have liked what they've seen from Goff.

After injuries played havoc with his rookie season, Parris Campbell is starting to resemble the star the Indianapolis Colts believed they drafted in the second round in 2019.

“He looks strong, fast, explosive, good hands, understands the offense, consistent,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said. “I mean, it’s early, but that’s what we are looking for from him. Now we just need that to continue to build.”

The story said Campbell was a constant presence around the team facility in the offseason until the coronavirus pandemic forced everyone home. Even then, he stayed in Indianapolis and focused on all aspects of his craft. Campbell is just 62nd on our WR list.

Start the training camp hype train for rookie tight end Devin Asiasi. He’s heavily involved in practice, caught a few balls up the seam on Tuesday and one crosser over the middle, and was greeted by the entire tight end group including coach Nick Caley for a great pass set on a max protect play-action drop-back.

As the story said, Asiasi is doing it all, quickly, and the quarterbacks are loving targeting him between the numbers. He also caught a touchdown late in practice from Cam Newton on the goal line. We’ll see if it translates into production during the season, but Asiasi is off to a great start, the story said.

Among the tight ends, Irv Smith Jr. seems to be doing the most. He’s been a sharp route-runner, which was a bit of a question for him in the past — so his ability to make cuts at speed is good to see. It’s not the final stage in his evolution as a route-runner, but it’s good progress. The Vikings have been experimenting with lining him up outside a little more often than they’ve lined up tight ends on the outside in the past, and this could become a regular possibility.

Related players: Kyle Rudolph

The story said it creates a faster release for Smith standing up and takes advantage of his speed. Not only that, it immediately identifies the defense for the quarterback — a linebacker lined up out wide over Smith tells Cousins that they’re in man coverage with follow principles. Smith has also looked good blocking. The author of this story said he hasn't noticed Rudolph either negative or positive.

The power was impossible to deny.

Jonathan Taylor in full stride in the open field, veteran safety Tavon Wilson bearing down on him, getting ready to deliver the blow.

Taylor only lowered his shoulders a bit, ever so slightly, and plowed into Wilson, the force of the blow blasting Wilson back and turning him to the side, Taylor absorbing the blow and continuing on his way.

Related players: Marlon Mack

Known for his game-breaking speed and knack for hitting a home run during his three seasons at Wisconsin, the Colts rookie has been showing off a complete game in the first two training camp days of his career, the kind that offers tantalizing possibilities to an Indianapolis offense that famously wants to Run the Damn Ball as much as possible, the story all said. Taylor is ranked 22nd on our RB list and continues to get positive press so far this offseason.

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, the Eagles second round pick, is getting a lot of reps so far at camp.

Related players: Carson Wentz, Nate Sudfeld

The hosts of the podcast said it's "eye-opening" how many reps Hurts is getting. They also talked about how Hurts could be used in the offense, especially in the red zone where he ran three-straight times in that area during his reps. The hosts also admitted the team likely doesn't want to take Wentz off the field, but they concluded the Eagles could be thinking of ways to get Hurts on the field if he has a good month of practice leading up to the season. Hurts could end up the Eagles QB2.

The Bills hope to see significant improvements from Dawsom Knox in a couple of areas: blocking and ball security. Knox has shown he can execute at a high level, but he had too many lapses as a rookie. We haven’t seen enough catch opportunities to get a full gauge on Knox’s ball security, but he’s clearly improved as a blocker through the first two practices.

Knox has good strength and size and used that to his advantage in both pass protection and run blocking on Tuesday. Knox stood his linebacker assignment straight up in a one-on-one blocking drill and controlled him through the full rep, drawing praise from his coaches and teammates. He also powered through and created running room during run-blocking opportunities later in the day.

In order to become a three-down threat for the Bills, Knox must be consistent with the blocking, and he’s off to a great start in 2020, the story said. That's good news for potential owners at a position that can often be a struggle for fantasy owners. Dawson is part of a pretty stacked offense in Buffalo, though, so targets could be tough to come by. Knox is just 34th on our TE list.

It’s clear veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick is expected to be the team’s Week 1 starter as the Dolphins take the patient approach with Tua Tagovailoa.

The good news for Tagovailoa owners is he looked healthy and was moving around freely without any restrictions. There was a lot of anticipation surrounding his workload leading up to the first padded practice, which also happened to be the first session open to the media, the story said. A lot of Tagovailoa’s work during full-team drills consisted of handoffs, and he only threw two passes — both short completions. The Dolphins are taking a slow approach with Tagovailoa.

Wide receiver Dante Pettis did not meet the expectations of the coaching staff when he reported to training camp last summer. Pettis never recovered, and took a major step back from the promising conclusion of his rookie season.

This summer, Pettis is competing for his spot on the 49ers – and the NFL, for that matter. For the first time in a long time, Pettis on Tuesday showed why the 49ers thought enough of him to select him in the second round of the 2018 draft, trading up to select him at No. 44 overall.

One day after the 49ers learned wide receiver Jalen Hurd would be out for the season with a torn ACL, Pettis showed up with his most active practice in a long, long time. Pettis caught a team-best five receptions in the 49ers’ fourth practice of the summer. He had two catches apiece from Jimmy Garoppolo and Nick Mullens. As the story said, he's working to stay in the NFL at this point.

Early observations out of Lions training camp practice in Allen Park are showing that Georgia might have underutilized D'Andre Swift in the passing game.

Related players: Kerryon Johnson

Swift's looked very crisp as a receiver early on and he excelled in one-on-one passing drills against defenders on Tuesday, the story said. His combination of quickness, speed and suddenness has proven to be a tough combination for defenders to lock onto early in camp. We have Swift ahead of Johnson in our RB rankings and it will be good news for owners if he's utilized in the passing game.

A.J. Green was a spectator for the Cincinnati Bengals’ first padded practice of training camp.

Green tweaked his hamstring during Monday's session. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said he held Green out of Tuesday’s full-padded practice as a precautionary measure.

Green still has some tightness, according to Taylor.

Over the past week, CB Joe Haden has had a chance to go up against Chase Claypool, the Steelers' first pick in the 2020 draft. During Pittsburgh's first padded practice of training camp, Haden was matched up against Claypool during "Seven Shots," a goal line drill pitting Pittsburgh's starting defense against its starting offense. Haden, defending a back-shoulder fade into the end zone, figured he was in a good position against the 6-foot-4 Claypool.

Haden later took his praise to Twitter, proclaiming that Pittsburgh's new receiver is "going to be a PROBLEM" for opposing defenses.

Haden went on to praise Claypool's size, speed and his ability to adjust to the ball in the air. Claypool, who caught 13 touchdown passes for the Fighting Irish last season, is hoping to make an immediate impact in the red zone, an area of the field where Pittsburgh struggled in 2019 after boasting the NFL's top-ranked red zone offense in 2018, the story said.

Denzel Mims’ timetable for return from a hamstring injury suffered last week remained unclear after the rookie wide receiver missed practice again on Tuesday.

The Jets are banged up at WR and Mims is missing valuable time. The second-round pick hasn’t participated in the past four practices, including Tuesday’s walk-through, after getting hurt making a catch in drills last week.

2nd year RB Damien Harris has been getting a heavy workload here in the early days of camp.

Related players: Damien Harris, Lamar Miller, James White

Miller and Michel are banged up, so Harris has been getting his chances and taking advantage. Michel is on the PUP list and may miss the start of the season so Harris is a guy to keep an eye on in drafts. White is still the back to own in this offense.

Washington Football Team running back Bryce Love has not played in a real football game since December of 2018 when he tore his ACL in his final collegiate season at Stanford.

Nearly 20 months later, Love is healthy once again. In an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Washington's JP Finlay, offensive coordinator Scott Turner is excited to see what Love can bring to the table for the Burgundy and Gold.

"He's looking good. He's another guy we're going to throw in the mix and see how he does," Turner told Finlay. "I've been pleased with him."

Related players: J.D. McKissic, Adrian Peterson, Antonio Gibson, Peyton Barber

Twitter posts on Tuesday also pointed to Love looking good, especially running routes. It's unclear what Love's role could be this season and there are a lot of mouths in the backfield right now.

JuJu Smith-Schuster certainly remembers what transpired inside his locker room in 2018, when LeVeon Bell decided not to return to the Steelers after flirting with the idea of returning before the Week 11 deadline. And while Smith-Schuster finds himself in a similar situation now, he told reporters this week that he will not be following in his former teammate's footsteps.

Smith-Schuster said he wants to be Steeler. The story said he seemed on his want to a contract extension about a year ago, but Smith-Schuster caught just 42 passes for 552 yards and three touchdowns last year. Injuries were also an issue for Smith-Schuster, who was sidelined for a quarter of Pittsburgh's games.

Imagine Miles Sanders becoming an even better receiver? A more versatile receiver? A more explosive receiver?

That's the plan.

Doug Pederson said Monday he envisions Sanders expanding his role in the passing game, adding different routes to his repertoire and lining up more in the slot or out wide.

Related players: Corey Clement, Boston Scott

Sanders caught 50 passes for 509 yards last year, both more than any Eagles wide receiver. He became only the 15th rookie running back in NFL history with at least 50 catches and 500 yards. The story said Sanders could lineup more on the outside, which means Clement or Scott could be in the backfield, and both are also considered receiving backs.

After a virtual offseason program, then a training camp acclimation period over the last two weeks, the Rams open practices Tuesday. The running back situation, which includes an open competition and schematic change, will be under the microscope.

Related players: Cam Akers, Malcolm Brown, Darrell Henderson

The story said it seems unlikely Akers comes in and wins the job, but he'll likely get most of the attention during camp. He could appear in a wildcat package, the coach said. That means it could come down to Brown and Henderson for the starting job, at least to start the season. But according to the story, all three backs could have roles. We rank Akers as the back to own, at least for the long term.

There wasn’t much separation between the quarterbacks in Monday’s practice, but I’ll give a slight edge to Nick Foles because he finished strong and avoided the risky throw that Mitch Trubisky got away with. There’s a lot more that needs to be decided though. If the opener against the Lions was tomorrow, I’d expect Trubisky to get the start.

The story added both quarterbacks finished stronger than they started, but Foles was especially sharp late as his last two incompletions were a drop and a smart throwaway. The veteran was also able to overcome a skipped shotgun snap to complete a pass to Jimmy Graham. This likely won't be the last QB comparison we have between the potential Bear QBs this season. For what it's worth, we rank Foles higher on our QB list.

RB Nick Chubb is being evaluated for a possible concussion.

Related players: Kareem Hunt

Other sources say Chubb was pulled down by a linebacker during practice. But The Browns were not supposed to be tackling ball carriers to the ground. The story added the Browns talked to their players Sunday about not being overly aggressive as they transition into pads and more contact. It's certainly worth watching to see if Chubb will miss time.

Frank Gore acknowledged that teammate LeVeon Bell is "the lead dog" in the New York Jets' backfield, but that doesn't mean the age-defying Gore will be content in a token role. He's coming off a season in which he felt he could've reached the 1,000-yard mark for the 10th time in his career.

"I feel like if they would've let me play, I would've had over 1,000," Gore said Monday, referring to the Buffalo Bills.

Gore rushed for 422 yards in the first seven games, but he was replaced by rookie Devin Singletary and finished with only 599 -- a career low.

This is not the first story we've seen about Gore having more than just a backup role in the offense. HC Adam Gase never seemed thrilled to have Bell in the backfield, and given how much Gase loved having Gore in Miami, it's possible Gore is more than just a backup to Bell this season. It sounds like Gore will be an option to help lessen Bell's workload and also keep him healthy.

Jalen Reagor opened with the first-team offense Monday, lining up at the "X" as Alshon Jeffery is on the Physically Unable to Perform list and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is "day-to-day" with a lower-body injury. The Eagles' rookie looked in sync immediately with starting quarterback Carson Wentz, a strong sign of things to come for the new-look offense.

"It's been a lot of fun to work with Jalen. He is an explosive athlete," Wentz said on a conference call after Eagles' practice Monday. "You can see that with his route-running ability and his down-the-field presence. You turn on his highlight tape and you see what he does with the ball in his hands -- and that's one thing we haven't been able to see, obviously, with just practice going on and nothing live."

Reagor could jump right into action as a starter as Jeffery may remain on PUP to start the season, according to some reports. Reagor ran smooth routes and showed a lot of explosiveness, according to the rest of the story. Given the Eagles struggles at WR last season, having Reagor ready for action will be a big boost to the offense.

The Jets will be without wide receiver Vyncint Smith for multiple weeks.

Smith has been on the sideline at practice due to a core muscle injury and multiple reports on Monday have him set for surgery to correct the injury. He’s expected to be out into the regular season while he recovers from the operation.

Smith was signed off the Texans practice squad last September. He had 17 catches for 225 yards and three carries for 52 yards and a touchdown in 13 appearances for the Jets. The Jets are also without wideout Denzel Mims as the second-round pick is dealing with a hamstring injury. They are set to add veteran receiver Chris Hogan to the active roster once he goes through COVID-19 testing, the story said.

T.J. Hockenson says the ankle has been an issue for him this offseason, he notices it's still not quite 100%.

Despite that, he's still out there running around and trying to push forward the tweet said. We rank him 19th on our TE list making him a low-end TE2 option. He'll fight to be the third option with Danny Amendola in Detroit.

The Lions have added another running back to the roster as padded practices get underway this week.

The team announced that Jonathan Williams has signed with the team on Monday morning. Running back Wes Hills was waived to make room for him on the roster.

Related players: Kerryon Johnson, D'Andre Swift

Williams had 49 carries for 235 yards and a touchdown for Indianapolis last season. Williams will battle behind Johnson and Swift for playing time.

Wide receiver Corey Davis is ready to get on the practice field for the Titans.

Davis opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list after having offseason surgery on his toe. The Titans announced on Monday that Davis has been activated from the list and cleared to join the team at practice.

The Titans did not exercise their fifth-year option on Davis’ contract earlier this year. The 2017 first-round pick will be set for unrestricted free agency after the season if he doesn’t sign another deal with the team, the story said.

It appears the Chicago Bears are ready to commit to Cordarrelle Patterson as more of an offensive weapon than a wide receiver in 2020. Patterson has been participating in running back meetings so far in training camp, and in Monday's first padded practice of the summer, he was running through drills at the position too.

Related players: David Montgomery, Tarik Cohen

The story said Patterson has a fantastic opportunity to contribute on offense in 2020 with a position shift to the backfield. The Bears have little depth behind starter Montgomery. Only Cohen, who's really more of a receiving threat than a true early-down runner, offers a viable option after Montgomery, but with Patterson's combination of size and explosive ability, he could prove to be a much bigger factor in the run game than previously imagined.

Tight end Josh Oliver broke a bone in his foot while running on Sunday. HC Doug Marrone said, via Brent Martineau of ESPN690 Jacksonville, that Oliver was “devastated” by the development and that he will need surgery to repair the injury.

Related players: Tyler Eifert, James O'Shaughnessy, Tyler Davis, Charles Jones, Ben Ellefson.

Oliver is a former third round pick who battled injuries in his rookie season last year, playing in just four games.

Kicker Chandler Catanzaro once filled in for Graham Gano in Carolina while Gano was injured, but a healthy Gano has squeezed him out of a job with the Giants.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Giants are releasing Catanzaro.

This comes a day after the Giants reached agreement with Gano on a contract. Catanzaro signed with the Giants last month after they cut ties with Aldrick Rosas. Rosas faces three charges related to a hit-and-run collision.

Reporters watching the Bengals practice reported that A.J. Green went to the sideline after apparently hurting his hamstring. Green did not go to the locker room and head coach Zac Taylor said the decision to have him leave the session was a “precautionary” one.

Green missed the entire 2019 season after injuring his ankle in a practice early in training camp, so any news about him getting hurt this summer is going to catch the eye of anyone. The Bengals said they will see how Green feels on Tuesday.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported second-year wideout Jalen Hurd is undergoing an MRI after suffering what's believed to be a major knee injury during Sunday's practice, and "the fear is the test will reveal a torn ACL," which would likely sideline Hurd for all of 2020.

Hurd initially appeared to injure his foot while working on a field away from the rest of the receivers on Sunday, according to Sports Illustrated's Grant Cohn, and others indicated the former second-round draft pick even returned to the field for team drills later in the practice. Either way, the young pass catcher's absence marks just the latest blow to an already depth-tested receiving corps, the story said.

Doug Pederson says they have told RB Miles Sanders “You’re the guy this season." Doug says they want to increase Sanders' reps.

Related players: Boston Scott, Corey Clement

This has become the story more and more as camp has gone on: Sanders has looked really good according to a lot of reports from media and teammates. It makes sense because Scott and Clement are the RBs behind Sanders, and both play a similar role - a third down back. However, Sanders at times really made his mark as a pass-catcher last season. The Eagles haven't always used a bell cow back recently, but it appears Sanders could now be that option.

Jerick McKinnon figures to be in line to take on the role of the 49ers’ third-down back with his ability to line up anywhere in the formation and run routes.

Related players: Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman

We may be seeing how the 49ers use their three backs. It looks like Mostert and Coleman could get most of the early down work and we've seen a hot hand approach could be used with those two. This story was mainly about McKinnon's route running ability, something he excelled at with the Vikings a few years ago so it makes sense the third down role could be his.

Peter King said the following about the Bucs TEs:

I’d bet O.J. Howard plays the most snaps of the tight ends, with Cameron Brate maybe a few more than Rob Gronkowski; but that’s just a guess.

With the athleticism and speed of Howard, the reliability of Brate and the multiple weaponry in Gronkowski’s toolbox, King said he won’t be surprised to see Brady take advantage of the intermediate threats all three of those guys are. He’s always loved throwing to the tight end, and why wouldn’t he if he’s got three very good ones. King also said Gronk could see most of his time in the red zone.

WR Jerry Jeudy didn’t just take snaps with the first-team offense, he took snaps with all three quarterbacks.

The story said this is what the team thinks is the best way to get him ready for Tennessee on Sept. 14. He caught two passes from QB Drew Lock and one from QB Brett Rypien.

Kenny Stills was on the NFI list and it’s been set for him to return soon and now it’s officially happened.

Related players: Will Fuller, Randall Cobb, Brandin Cooks

With DeAndre Hopkins no longer in Houston, the WR battle will be a key battle for fantasy owners. Still is battling with Fuller, Cobb and Cooks and right now we ranked him as the WR4 for the Texans.

HC Kliff Kingsburg on WR Christian Kirk:

"I see the production and I see the potential to go through the roof," coach Kliff Kingsbury said on Kirk ahead of training camp.

Related players: DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald

Last year, Kirk became the second-quickest player in franchise history to hit 100 career receptions, doing so in his 22nd game. He finished the season with 709 yards receiving, second on the team only to Larry Fitzgerald's 804. Kirk has missed some time in each of his first two seasons with injuries (four games in 2018, and three games in 2019), so he spent the early part of the offseason focused on that. He'll play a WR2 role behind Hopkins but with Fitz likely in the slot, Kirk has a chance to produce this season in what should be a high-powered offense.

Rookie WR Justin Jefferson is “exactly what we drafted,” Gary Kubiak said.

The Vikings have him with twos for now, in all spots, the tweet went on to say. Kubiak added that Jefferson has been very knowledgeable when it comes to routes, which is a good, early sign for a rookie WR. Jefferson is ranked 54th on our WR list and is available later in drafts.

Sam Darnold looked like a franchise quarterback during Sunday’s practice.

Darnold was moving like a finely tuned machine against a Jets defense that has had a lot of success during the two practices that have been open to the media. Darnold evaded rushers, threw his receivers open, found wide open receivers on coverage busts and generally looked to be in command of what was going on.

Darnold found Breshad Perriman for a deep throw over the head of newly acquired safety Bradley McDougald.

Darnold is ranked 28th on our QB list making him a possible valuable streaming option. The Jets have strengthened the O-line in front of him which could give him a boost this season.

Jets head coach Adam Gase was singing the praises of Chris Herndon after Sunday’s practice.

“He’s our starting tight end,” Gase flatly said.

Related players: Ryan Griffin

Herndon had 39 catches for 502 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie in 2018 and was a popular pickup, but missed essentially all of last season with various injuries, all but 18 snaps worth. Herndon is just 22nd on our TE list coming into this season. Griffin is also expected to be a factor for the Jets and could steal some snaps from Herndon.

Asked about third receiver, Bruce Arians says the guy who's impressed is Justin Watson, who's dropped 10 pounds and hit 21 mph in practice, showing more speed.

Related players: Scott Miller

Most depth charts have Miller as the team's WR3. Miller played well at times last year, standing out in a couple of games, but Watson seems to have a shot to overtake Miller at this point.

Noah Fant hopes to parlay the momentum he built over the second half of last year into 2020, as he’s the leading man in a deep tight end room that also features free-agent acquisition Nick Vannett, returnee Troy Fumagalli and rookie Albert Okwuegbunam. Fant put on about 5 to 10 pounds and is ready for a versatile role within new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur’s system.

Fant was quoted in the story as saying he'll be in the slot, in-line and outside as a wide receiver, adding he loves playing outside as a WR. However, Fant would be ranked higher if not for the Broncos’ offseason acquisitions of Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler, who are likely to pinch Fant’s targets, which weren’t that high to start with (4.1 per game in 2019). He was also a sub 60%-snap player in the final month of the season, which is a bit worrisome. Fant is ranked 20th on our TE list.

The Ravens didn’t play a single down last season with multiple running backs on the field, and HC John Harbaugh said multi-running back personnel groupings likely won’t be one of the offense’s innovations this year, so the pecking order of this crowded backfield will be a notable development to monitor.

Related players: Mark Ingram, J.K. Dobbins, Justice Hill, Gus Edwards

Ingram is expected to get the starting job but the team has four quality backs and it's going to be a situation for fantasy owners to keep an eye on. Edwards usually spelled Ingram but with Dobbins in the fold, he could take away carries from both Ingram and Edwards. The story added Hill developed into a steady receiving threat toward the end of the season.

"Last year, [Dwayne Haskins] didn't quite have the same confidence that he does now, and people can feel that. He'd be the first one to tell you that," WR Terry McLaurin said.

In 2020, that's no longer the case.

"Now, it's completely different. You can hear him clearly and concisely," McLaurin said. "He knows what he's looking for and he knows what he's looking at. I feel like that helps everyone else's game as well."

Related players: Alex Smith, Kyle Allen

Smith was just cleared to practice so Haskins is competing with Smith and Allen for the starting job. With Smith coming off a major leg injury and Haskins the team's 15th-overall pick a year ago, Haskins is probably the favorite. He's also been challenged to come out and win the job by the team.

Quarterback Alex Smith was activated off the physically unable to perform list by Washington's NFL team Sunday, the latest step in a remarkable recovery after his right leg was broken in two places during a game nearly two years ago.

Related players: Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen

The move means that Smith now is allowed to participate in Washington's padded practices when the team can move to that phase of training camp Tuesday. It could make for an interesting dynamic at QB, where Washington also has Haskins, its 2019 first-round draft pick, and free-agent addition Allen.

Former Boston College running back A.J. Dillon rushed for 1,685 yards and 14 touchdowns in his junior season, and racked up 4,618 yards from scrimmage and 40 total touchdowns in three years. While he worked mainly as the No. 3 running back when the Packers hit the practice field, he was the player everyone was talking about -- mostly just because of how he looked physically.

"He has got some massive legs," Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. "That's something we talked about with our staff, we have not seen a running back built like that -- not in my career, that I've been around."

Related players: Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams

The story added CBS NFL Draft writer Chris Trapasso believes that Dillon is a player who will come in and make an immediate impact. He even thinks he could replace Williams this year. Williams recorded over 700 yards of total offense last year and added six TDs, so it's a situation to monitor, perhaps especially for Jones owners looking to handcuff him later in drafts.

The Jets are signing a familiar foe to help their banged up wide receiver corps.

Gang Green will be adding veteran Chris Hogan, who won two Super Bowls with the Patriots. Adam Gase confirmed the signing after practice on Sunday after revealing that wideout Vyncint Smith will be seeing a specialist for a core injury suffered recently. The coach also remained non-committal about rookie Denzel Mims’ timetable to return from a hamstring injury suffered recently.

Hogan had eight catches for 67 yards for the Panthers last season and it's possible he's just a placeholder for Smith and Mims until they return. The Jets are very banged up at WR so it's a situation to watch.

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan had this to say about rookie WR Brandon Aiyuk.

"He’s not a guy you’ve had to teach how to act or teach how important it is to learn this stuff. You can tell he understood that before he got here and since we’ve been around him, you can tell he’s been working and that’s why he’s further ahead, I think, than a lot of rookies would be at this time.”

Shanahan added they would like to go back and watch the film but thought he did well during a full-speed practice Saturday. Shanahan said he's been impressed just being around him and his attention to detail and how he's prepared every day. Aiyuk is ranked 55th on our WRs list heading into drafts.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is hopeful that WR Deebo Samuel (foot) could be available for Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals but added he “is not counting on it”.

Week 1 would be a pleasant surprise for the return of Samuel, who underwent foot surgery in June and was expected to miss 10-12 weeks, putting him on track to only miss about three or four games. A possible return date could the 49ers’ Sunday night date in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Samuel is being drafted around the 10th round, which could end up a major bargain for those that take the chance on him. In the meantime, rookie Brandon Aiyuk will see plenty of practice reps and the team signed veterans Tavon Austin and J.J. Nelson.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy talked about his excitement for rookie wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and said “he’s definitely shown the ability to play all three spots at the receiver position. ...He looks very natural on the football field.”

Lamb was the top wide receiver for many draft analysts in the 2020 class and wound up as the third one selected in April. But the landing spot was incredible for Lamb, being alongside Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. With Dallas possibly throwing the ball more in 2020, there could certainly be room for three fantasy-relevant receivers, even in a unique 2020 season.

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook will be on the field "full-go" in pads for Monday's practice regardless of a new contract, according to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune. Cook added it was never a consideration not to come to training camp. "That was never coming from me," said Cook. "I love being around the guys. Football is like a stress reliever for me. "

Hope you got your Cook discount in drafts because he will slot as a mid-1st round pick in fantasy drafts as a workhorse back. The talk about a holdout appear to have been exaggerated.

Jets head coach Adam Gase says Mims suffered his hamstring injury a couple days running routes on air. "We're just going to have to see how long it takes."

Bad news for the rookie as he tries to establish a role on a Jets team needing receiver help. The longer Mims is out, the worst it is for his fantasy football value and upside.

The first series of offensive drills was centered around the run game and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN NFL Nation.

This is not a surprising development, but it is visual confirmation that CEH will have a significant role in the Chiefs offense in 2020. Expect to see CEH drafted early in drafts.

Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb started camp running routes as the slot receiver. Lamb "is breathtaking...does everything like a game breaker," according to Clarence Hill Jr. of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram.

The rich get richer as CeeDee Lamb has shown early signs of fitting well into the Cowboys offense. Lamb will start as the third wide receiver target behind Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, but early signs of fitting in are great for Lamb and his potential workload.

Tight end Travis Kelce officially signed a contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs. Terms were not disclosed.

Kelce is locked in with the team that has allowed him to flourish and become an elite producer at tight end. The Patrick Mahomes-Kelce connection will roll on for at least the next few seasons.

According to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs is aiming for ‘at least’ 60 receptions this season.

Josh Jacobs proved that he has soft hands both last season and at Alabama, but was not used much as a receiver out of the backfield as a rookie. He had a strong 74% catch rate, but lacked opportunity, catching 20 of just 27 targets. The running back position as a whole was heavily targeted by the Raiders with 117 passes being funneled to the position last season (10th most in the NFL). The Raiders failed to make any impact additions to the backfield this offseason, instead choosing to stick with Jalen Richard, while adding more pass-catching backs by drafting college wide receiver/wildcat quarterback Lynn Bowden Jr., and signing veteran receiving back Devontae Booker. 60 receptions would mean tripling his rookie season numbers. Josh Jacobs is our 11th ranked running back for the 2020 season, but he's going to have a tough time getting that many receptions with Jalen Richard and Lynn Bowden on the roster.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback called third year wide receiver Calvin Ridley elite: “But I think the people who know, the people who have to play against Calvin or try to guard him in man-to-man coverage, know he is elite. He’s exceptional. He’s really, really good.”

While calling Calvin Ridley elite may be a bit of a stretch (he has yet to hit 1,000 receiving yards in a season), there is no denying that he has been highly productive for the Atlanta Falcons. As per ESPN, the only four receivers in NFL history that finished their first two seasons with more than Ridley's 17 touchdowns are, in order, Odell Beckham Jr. (25), Larry Fitzgerald (18), A.J. Green (18), and Julio Jones (18). All four wideouts operated as their team's number one receivers. Matt Ryan was correct in his assertion that Ridley excels against man-to-man coverage, but Ridley will have to learn to deal with zone coverage to truly put his hat in the ring as one of the NFL’s top receivers. He was incredible against zone coming out of Alabama, but made waves early last season when he suggested that he could not get open because he was struggling against the Indianapolis Colts zone defense. An exceptional talent, Ridley is our 16th ranked receiver for the 2020 season.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Kansas City Chiefs and star tight end Travis Kelce have agreed to the parameters of a four extension.

With George Kittle setting the market, both Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs had an established ballpark to work around, which allowed the talks to rapidly progress. Kelce and the Chiefs had been in discussions for a while, and they have now agreed to an extension that will keep him in Kansas City for six years. The deal is not yet official, so no specifics have been released, but Ian Rapoport suggested that it is between $14 and $15 million AAV in new money, with $25 million guaranteed. Travis Kelce has been one of the top receiving threats in the league regardless of position for years now, and this extension will keep him as one of Patrick Mahomes top targets for years to come.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has signed a five year extension worth $75 million.

George Kittle has deservedly become the highest paid tight end in the NFL. While the full year to year breakdowns are not yet known, we have learned that the star tight end will receive an $18 million dollar signing bonus, and that the deal has $30 million in true guarantees. The injury guarantee is $40 million. The size of this contract appears to be quite the value for the 49ers given Kittle's age, role, and production. Kudos to both sides for being able to agree to a market altering deal during the uncertainty NFL teams and players are currently contending with.

Seahawks TE Will Dissly practiced with the team on Wednesday despite suffering a torn achilles tendon in Week 6 last year.

Dissly ran routes and caught passes in light drills as reporters watched from the sidelines. The Washington product has been productive on a per-game basis in what has been an injury-laden career to this point. Dissly has only finished eight regular season games in two seasons but has six career touchdowns and flashed great chemistry with Russell Wilson before going down last year. He will be eased into action and likely split snaps with Greg Olsen, but Dissly has sleeper appeal as a late-round tight end.

Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll told reporters on Wednesday that RB Chris Carson is away from the team dealing with a family matter.

Carroll did not provide details of the reason for Carson's absence. It is too early to sound the alarm on Carson for fantasy purposes, but his status in training camp is worth monitoring going forward. Carson is slated to assume the bellcow role in the Seattle backfield again in 2020 so any extended absence would open up substantial opportunity for Carlos Hyde, rookie DeeJay Dallas and sophomore Travis Homer. Former first-round pick Rashaad Penny (knee) lurks in the background but will likely start the year on reserve/PUP after undergoing surgery this offseason.

The 49ers are reportedly making "healthy progress" in finalizing a long-term contract extension for star TE George Kittle.

Bolder reports suggest that Kittle and the 49ers have already agreed to the framework of a six-year extension to be announced on Friday. Kittle's extension should come as no surprise as the Iowa product has blossomed into one of the premier players in all of the NFL over his first three seasons in the league. Kittle combines excellent pass-catching ability with otherworldly blocking in the run game, making him an irreplaceable piece of Kyle Shanahan's diverse offensive scheme. Kittle is an elite TE1 for fantasy purposes and can be drafted in the second round.

The 49ers are bringing free agent WR Tavon Austin in for a workout and hope to sign him to a contract.

Austin has been an inefficient player during his career but the 49ers are desperate for speed after losing WR Deebo Samuel to injury. If Austin does end up signing in San Francisco, he will compete with Jalen Hurd, Trent Taylor and rookie Brandon Aiyuk for targets behind elite TE George Kittle. None of the 49er pass catchers outside of Kittle profile as a consistent fantasy starter.

The Colts activated WR T.Y. Hilton from the NFI list on Wednesday after he passed a physical.

Hilton was on the NFI list due to a minor hamstring issue. Now that he is active he can begin practicing with the team and developing a rapport with new QB Philip Rivers. The pair's chemistry will be crucial as Hilton looks to bounce back from a disappointing 2019 season.

Bengals WR John Ross left training camp on Wednesday after learning both his son and his son's mother tested positive for COVID-19. He is expected to go on the reserve/COVID list.

Ross is putting family first here and it is hard to blame him in light of the news. He will go on the reserve/COVID list due to him being in close proximity to people known to have tested positive. Ross will have to pass through the league's new testing and treatment protocol whenever he decides to return to the team. If Ross's absence extends into the regular season, it could mean additional snaps for rookie WR Tee Higgins.

I’d guess that Jimmy Garoppolo's best outside-the-hashes target will be Brandon Aiyuk.

The question was about QB Garoppolo and if he can throw the ball in that area of the field more. But it's worth nothing Aiyuk will have a key role. The author said Aiyuk is essentially taking over for Emmanuel Sanders. Aiyuk has decent size, very good speed and extremely long arms. He has a wingspan of 80 inches, which is rare for someone who stands just under 6 feet, the author went on to say. We rank Aiyuk 50th among our WRs.

I wouldn’t assume Raheem Mostert starts. Once he does, it will be the first start of his career. As dominant as Mostert was toward the end of the season, Kyle Shanahan and Bobby Turner liked starting games with Tevin Coleman because he’s a little bigger and more physical runner than the others.

So my guess is that the arrangement will be the same as last season: Coleman starts, with Turner then using his feel for who’s hot that day dictating the snap loads for the rest of the game.

Related players: Jerick McKinnon, Jeff Wilson

The wild card, of course, is McKinnon, the author went on to say. It’s possible that he becomes the preferred tailback on third downs. There also could be instances in which he and another tailback are in the formation with McKinnon lining up in the slot or even out wide. The story added if McKinnon's knee isn't as good as the early reports, Wilson enters the picture.

The Bears could use Ted Ginn's speed after cutting ties with Taylor Gabriel earlier this offseason. Aside from Allen Robinson, Chicago's wide receiver room is full of what-ifs and maybes. Anthony Miller might evolve into an exceptional playmaker this season, or he could continue his pattern of inconsistent and frustrating play.

Even those who follow the Bears don't expect him to light up the scoreboard, as the story put it, but it seems the Bears are hoping the threat of Ginn's speed can open up space for Robinson and new TE Jimmy Graham.

Bears roster move: We have waived K Ramiz Ahmed.

Related players: Eddy Piñeiro

For now, Pineiro looks to have the Bears kicking job.

It's not easy to impress your teammates during a walk-through, but Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders has pulled off the feat. Sanders' focus on adding strength this offseason has not slowed him down a lick, according to center Jason Kelce.

Related players: Boston Scott, Corey Clement

Kelce called Sanders "blazing fast." He added how impressive he looked running routes even in a walk-through. Sanders has added weight, according to reports, but Kelce said it hasn't taken away from his explosiveness. Sanders seems to be in store for a big season as only Scott and Clement are behind him on the depth chart at this point, although the Eagles have been linked free agent RBs.

Pass-catching back James White will also have a heavy role and could be in for a monster year if quarterback Cam Newton wins the starting job, considering the way Newton wore out Christian McCaffrey during their time together with the Panthers.

Related players: Sony Michel, Damien Harris, Lamar Miller

The story was mostly about Michel and the uncertainty around his foot injury. He's on the PUP list and may remain there into the season, missing the first six games. The story added all eyes will be on Harris who has been hurt by injuries but the team still seems high on him coming from Alabama and playing in the SEC, according to the story. We rank White the highest among the New England backs but the thinking is White will only have flex value in PPR leagues. But based on this story, White maybe ends up with a bigger role.

Dolphins running backs coach Eric Studesville says it's too early to conclude how his room will share the workload given they haven't even practiced in pads. But Matt Breida looks to be the lightning of the room while Jordan Howard can be the thunder. The key for both backs will be staying healthy, as each dealt with injury issues last season.

The author of this story gave his prediction of how things could get split - just for us fantasy owners. He said Howard, the bruiser, could get 50% of backfield touches, with Breida taking 35% and the other running backs sharing the remaining 15% - if both lead backs stay healthy and play up to expectations. The difference comes in how the Dolphins might split those touches with Howard a better fit on early downs while Breida is likely to be the third-down and passing-down back who should lead this room in receptions. Breida could even line up at receiver to get him more action in the passing game, the story went on to say. We rank Breida 33rd and Howard 42nd in our PPR RB rankings.

A.J. Brown, who finished third in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year category a year ago, said he feels like a different player heading into training camp compared to last year, when he spent a good part of the offseason getting ready for the NFL Draft.

Earlier this offseason, Brown said part of his plan includes catching 1,000 footballs a day.

"I am definitely in a better place (physically), and I'm in a better shape mentally as well," Brown said. "Last year I was flying and going places, and I never could really sit still and put in the work."

We've heard this from rookies before, how their second season training and not having to worry about the draft is a big deal for progress. The story said Brown felt tired in the fourth quarter and is working to fix that and feels overall he's in better shape. We think he's a nice, fourth-round value in fantasy drafts.

Jason Witten really emphasized that the "fit" with the Raiders is what really drew him to the organization. When asked specifically what his role with the club is going to be, he pointed to being a veteran presence in the tight end room and eventually evolving into some solid on-field production.

Related players: Darren Waller

That would suggest that Witten is embracing the idea of taking a backseat to Waller, who started all 16 games for the Raiders last season and totaled 1,145 yards receiving, and being a mentor to the 27-year-old. While this is something we probably all figured, it's possible Witten becomes another red zone target and could steal some TDs away from Waller, as we project Waller with a 76-973-2.9 line this season. In the end, Waller is the obvious guy to own but it looks like he could take a step back.

The Giants did not put Evan Engram on the physically unable to perform list, a good sign he is fully or nearly fully recovered. He is taking part in the limited work allowed on the field and on Wednesday is expected to join his teammates for Phase 2 activities, which allow players to wear helmets and “approved protective shirts’’ for practice.

Engram said he feels great but wouldn't go into detail as far as what he'll be able to do in practice. Engram just needs to stay on the field and he'll be among the TE1 options most, if not every week. He played a career-low eight games last year and missed 14 of 48 games in three years with the Giants.

It’s still too early to know if Sony Michel (foot surgery) will be ready for the regular season.

Related players: Lamar Miller, Damien Harris, James White

Thus the reason for the signing of Miller. The Pats were also hurt by the opt-out of Brandon Bolden so they were a little short at the position. As always, the Patriots RB situation will be one to watch for fantasy owners. White is the back to own in PPR leagues.

Former Texans’ RB Lamar Miller and the Patriots reached agreement on a one-year deal, pending a physical.

Related players: Sony Michel, Damien Harris

With Michel still on the PUP list because of his foot, Miller should provide some insurance if Michel has to miss time to start the season. Remember, Miller tore his ACL and MCL last season playing for the Texans. This probably isn't good news for Harris who was expected to possibly get Michel's work. Miller becomes worth a pick later in fantasy drafts as we await Michel's status to open the season.

Allen Lazard enters this training camp as the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 2 receiver opposite Davante Adams.

Lazard won't have to worry about making the team like he has past camps, so he'll have a different mindset. The story went on to say starting with the Detroit game, Lazard caught 35-of-52 passes (67.3 percent) for 477 yards (13.6 average) and three touchdowns over the final 11 games. Projected to 16 games, that works out to 51 receptions, 694 yards and four touchdowns. Lazard finished second on the team in third-down receptions (13). He had more third-down catches that resulted in first downs (12) then fellow receivers Geronimo Allison (six) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (five) combined, so QB Aaron Rodgers trusts Lazard, the story added.

T.Y. Hilton says "maybe a couple more days" before being ready to come back from the hamstring.

Hilton said he is feeling good. He added the training staff has been conservative with him, which makes sense given it's still August, but Hilton denies he'll be held back by injuries this season.

Antonio Gibson played receiver in college, however, he also aligned at running back and carried the ball 33 times last season for Memphis. Washington considers him a "Swiss Army Knife" player, able to align wide and run routes or to carry the ball. At 6-foot, 228 pounds, Gibson has good size. But he's also highly inexperienced at the position.

RB coach Randy Jordan said it'll take time for him to learn protections and to diagnose blitzes, which is obviously a big deal for rookie RBs. He's also sitting in on meetings with the receivers so it sounds like he has a lot on his plate. While it could take time, Gibson is the one who could fill the role they hoped Derrius Guice would after drafting him.

The Ravens are expected to sign veteran return man Kenjon Barner, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

De’Anthony Thomas opted out of the 2020 season leaving a hole for the Ravens. Barner has 555 career punt return yards and 1,124 career kickoff return yards.

The onus will fall on OC Greg Roman, running backs coach Matt Weiss and the rest of the offensive coaching staff to get and keep all four backs involved. It will require a delicate balance of getting everybody touches while also riding the hot hand and making sure the right back is on the field at the right time when there is a football game to be won.

“We’ll find ways to make it work, for sure,” Roman said. “To have that kind of backfield is a blessing. We definitely want to get into training camp and work through it and kind of evolve as we go. As far as how we are actually going to deploy them, who we are going to emphasize and how, I think that’s going to happen on the fly every day in training camp, and (we’ll) get a better feel for that. But I love problems like that. I mean that sincerely.”

Related players: Mark Ingram, J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Justice Hill

The story said the team could ride the hot hand week to week, but the piece also mentioned it doesn't mean Ingram will have a reduced roll. We touched on the Ravens RB situation a few weeks ago. Ingram and Edwards are expected to be free agents after this season, so the future very much could be Dobbins and Hill. But for this year, it's going to take some sorting out and it's possible all four backs have fantasy value.

Jonathan Taylor is expected to share carries with starter Marlon Mack, but don’t be surprised if the rookie has a few breakout games and HC Frank Reich stays with him.

The story said the coaches are impressed by Taylor's physical appearance and the rookies have been in the building longer than anyone so coaches are getting good looks. It added Reich likes riding the hot hand, so if Taylor is giving a defense trouble, the author thinks Reich will keep calling his number.

Sammy Watkins agreed to a restructured deal that will pay him $9 million, down from an original $14 million.

Watkins wanted to stay with the Chiefs and be in a winning situation. Watkins has been the Chiefs' third-leading receiver in each of his two seasons in Kansas City behind Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. He had said he was willing to accept such a role as long as the Chiefs were winning.

Ke'Shawn Vaughn has been activated from the Buccaneers' reserve/COVID-19 list, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

Related players: Ronald Jones

Reports have come out saying HC Bruce Arians called Jones his "main back," but he also called Vaughn a three-down back back in February. Jones isn't expected to catch many passes so Vaughn's way to a bigger workload could start as a third down back. We're high on Vaughn but he's now fallen behind a bit being on the COVID list, but there's still a lot of time for him to catch up now that he's off. Arians likes his three-down back so Vaughn certainly has potential.

The team announced on Saturday that tight end T.J. Hockenson, cornerback Amani Oruwariye and punter Arryn Siposs have been activated from the list.

We rank Hockenson 20th among TEs. Not much has changed in Detroit, so Hockenson should compete with Danny Amendola to be the third option behind Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones.

The Dolphins now have signed former Colts’ WR Chester Rogers to a one-year contract.

Related players: DeVante Parker, Preston Williams, Isaiah Ford, Jakeem Grant

Having lost WRs Allen Hurns and Albert Wilson to opt outs, the Dolphins find some depth with Rogers. At best, Rogers could see a WR3 role behind Parker and Williams but will at least have to battle with Ford and Grant for that spot.

Browns WR Jarvis Landry (hip) was activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list Saturday

Landry is recovering from offseason hip surgery but passed his physical Saturday, allowing him to come off the list. He’s our current WR29 in half-PPR. His health looks good and he will still be a solid part of the Browns offense, under new head coach Kevin Stefanski. He’s been going around the 6th-7th rounds.

Washington RB Derrius Guice has been released by the team, according to the Washington Football Team's Twitter account.

From a fantasy perspective, the obvious winner here is Antonio Gibson, an exciting and versatile prospect that Ron Rivera compared to Christian McCaffrey on draft night. He averaged 15.6 yards per touch last year and led all skill position players in yards after contact per attempt. Adrian Peterson may begin the season as the RB1, and showed last year (211 carries, 898 yards in 15 games) that he's still capable of holding down the fort.

Washington Football Team RB Derrius Guice was arrested Friday afternoon on domestic violence-related charges, including one count of strangulation.

Texans WR Kenny Stills was placed on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list with an illness.

Details are scarce but Stills' status is worth monitoring with camps opening.

Titans WR Corey Davis had surgery on his big toe during the offseason and is on the Physically Unable to Perform List (PUP). He is expected to be ready for the beginning of the season.

Davis is expected to have a sizable role for the Tennessee Titans despite their run-first mentality. This is a situation to monitor as Davis has been a receiver to consider toward the end of drafts.

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr had high praise for rookie receiver Bryan Edwards, and even went as far as to compare him to his college teammate Davante Adams.

Derek Carr had this to say about his rookie receiver: “Bryan is a very violent route runner and that’s a good thing. He’s very violent and aggressive in his cuts, in and out of his cuts. He’s someone…He reminds me of, when the ball is in the air, of Davante [Adams]. Great ball skills.” While the Bryan Edwards hype machine has been consistent in terms of his projected dynasty value, recent comments from Derek Carr and offensive coordinator Greg Olson suggest that he may be thrust into a larger rookie than expected. It is becoming clear that the Raiders, possibly at Derek Carr’s behest, will try to get Edwards onto the field as often as possible. He makes for an interesting late round flier at his current ADP as the 78th receiver off the board.

According to Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson, rookie wide receiver Henry Ruggs will start the season in the slot.

This is potentially value draining news for Hunter Renfrow, but is huge news for Henry Ruggs. Already a mismatch on the outside due to his blazing speed, Ruggs should absolutely terrorize defenses on his slot snaps. Ruggs is familiar with the slot, playing 218 snaps there in his final two seasons at Alabama, a number that could have been higher if he was not rotating snaps with three other first round talents at wideout. Ruggs will not be lining up exclusively in the slot, as Olson remarked that the goal is to be able to move ‘all of them around to different spots; the one, two or three position at the wide receiver’. This news is also a boost to Bryan Edwards’ fantasy value, as he is the receiver most likely to take outside snaps when Ruggs moves to the inside. Hunter Renfow, our 103rd ranked receiver prior to this news, is now more of an extremely deep best ball flier at best.

The Raiders cut RB Jeremy Hill on Wednesday.

Hill only lasted a couple of days before getting cut, meaning he was likely only signed as an insurance policy for the running back room in this unique offseason. Hill could turn up as a veteran option somewhere else given the uncertainty surrounding this season, but he is unlikely to pay fantasy dividends as he has not played in the NFL since 2018 and is coming off a torn ACL.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians announced that RB Ronald Jones will be the "main guy" in the Tampa Bay backfield this season and will "carry the load" while the other backs find their role.

The Buccaneers signing of LeSean McCoy last week had fantasy drafters worried about Jones' fantasy prospects but Arians cleared up any uncertainty on Wednesday when he explicitly annointed Jones as Tampa's lead back, at least for early-down rushing work. Rookie RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn sparked intrigue in the fantasy community when he landed in Tampa, but he remains on the reserve/COVID list and is clearly behind Jones on the depth chart. It still seems unlikely that Jones gets a true workhorse role this season, but Arians' latest comments should instill confidence regarding his rushing workload and give his ADP a slight bump.

Dolphins WR Albert Wilson announced that he is opting out of the 2020 season.

Wilson joins teammate Allen Hurns in opting out. Wilson has largely disappointed in Miami during his two seasons there, but he was poised to benefit from Hurns' absence and the Dolphins' receiver depth chart is now reduced to Jakeem Grant, Isaiah Ford, Mack Hollins and Gary Jennings behind starters DeVante Parker and Preston Williams. Wilson's opt out could mean a small uptick in targets for Parker and Wilson and further involvement in the passing game for RB Matt Breida.

Ron Rivera refuses to name Dwayne Haskins the starting quarterback for the Washington Football Team, but listening to the coach's comments about the second-year passer, it sure sounds like it's Haskins job.

"He’s done a great job of studying, preparing and getting himself ready for this. He’s been great," Rivera said Tuesday morning. "He’s been on the field, doing the things we’ve asked of him. He’s done the extra stuff that he and I talked about in the offseason. He’s done the things that, I think, puts him right there where he needs to be at this junction of where we are in our training, having only been able to do zoom and now only having four days of work on the field."

Related players: Alex Smith, Kyle Allen

A lot of the news has been about Smith this offseason and how good he's looked to this point, but he still has a long way to go the story said. Allen played for Rivera last year in Carolina and got off to a hot start before coming back to reality a bit. According to this story at least, it sounds like the job will be Haskins even though Rivera is advertising an open competition.

Rookies and veterans are working out together this week as the Cincinnati Bengals go through the acclimation period of training camp. The acclimation portion of camp features on-field walk-throughs, which means Joe Burrow is tossing his first passes to A.J. Green this week.

“He's one of the best receivers in the league. I couldn't be more excited to work with him,” Burrow said of Green.

The story said Green hasn’t entered a season with a rookie starting quarterback since he and Andy Dalton both started as first-year players in 2011. The wideout caught 65 footballs for 1,057 receiving yards and had seven touchdowns with Dalton throwing him the football in 2011. Factor in a new coach, too, and Green is going off the board in the sixth round which is the latest we've seen in years.

Since the Las Vegas Raiders drafted Lynn Bowden Jr. with the No. 80 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, rumors have swirled as to how Coach Gruden and the Raiders' offensive braintrust will use the former Kentucky Wildcat.

"Right now, we have him working out of the running backs room," Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson told reporters Tuesday. "He's meeting with Kirby Wilson, the running backs coach, but also he's had to learn a lot of things that we do at the quarterback position."

Bowden, who won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation's most versatile college football player, famously took over at quarterback halfway through his senior season and set a slew of program records while also leading Kentucky in both rushing and receiving. His 160.7 all-purpose yards per game ranked fifth in the country. So there's no doubt that Bowden can do a little bit of everything, the story said.

Mohamed Sanu’s stay on the New England Patriots’ physically unable to perform list was short-lived. The Patriots wide receiver was removed from active/PUP on Tuesday, according to the NFL’s transaction wire.

Sanu had offseason ankle surgery but had been spotted working out with Patriots quarterbacks this offseason, the story said.

The Vikings activated Justin Jefferson (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday.

Jefferson spent roughly one week on the COVID list after either testing positive for the virus or having contact with someone who did before reporting to the Vikings. With the situation behind him, the rookie first-rounder can focus on locking down the No. 2 wide receiver spot behind veteran Adam Thielen.

The Detroit Lions have removed quarterback Matthew Stafford from the reserve/COVID-19 list.

In a statement released by the team, the Lions insisted that Stafford never had COVID-19 — disputing an earlier report from MMQB’s Albert Breer — and that his test was a false-positive result. Stafford’s next step is to report for a physical and then he can begin the team’s strength and conditioning program.

Allen Hurns is opting out.

Hurns said in a tweet he has a baby on the way and doesn't want to take any chances.

There are two ways an NFL player can opt out of the 2020 season after the 4 p.m. ET Thursday deadline.

The conditions are as follows: 1. New diagnosis he has a high-risk condition or 2. A player’s family member dies, is hospitalized or otherwise moves to a medical facility because of COVID-19 or related condition.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger says, “My arm feels really good. I threw a lot of balls yesterday.”

Perhaps even better news is the tweet added Big Ben felt just as good the next day. Roethlisberger has been throwing more this offseason than usual. He will have a “pitch count” during this unusual camp the tweet also said.

What happens if a player is diagnosed with COVID-19 or quarantined on the night before or morning of a game this season?

The NFL will permit clubs to elevate a practice squad player with notice to the league office up until 90 minutes before kickoff, per source.

This is an important change for fantasy owners to take note of. It's going to require everyone to check, or at least be aware of possible changes for their teams leading up to games on any day of the week. The old deadline was 4 p.m. the day before a game.

The Jaguars have activated QB Gardner Minshew II and S Andrew Wingard from our Reserve/COVID-19 list and have moved CB D.J. Hayden off the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list.

Minshew is now on the active roster. We rank Minshew 25th on our QB list but feel he offers good value at that spot. He averaged 16.6 fantasy points per game last year, which would have ranked 15th among QBs.

Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said Monday he wants RB Joe Mixon in a black and orange uniform long term. Tobin views Mixon as a cornerstone piece to the franchise.

Mixon is looking for his third-straight 1,000-yard season in 2020. The running back is in the final year of his rookie contract. He’s set to earn $1.2 million in base salary this season.

Now official: Deadline for NFL players to opt out is Thursday at 4 pm EST, per source.

4for4.com's Jennifer Eakins is tracking all the opt-out players as well as those on the COVID list.

Rashaad Penny officially going on PUP, as had been long expected. Carroll said today he won't report to Seahawks until Thursday.

Related players: Chris Carson, Carlos Hyde, DeeJay Dallas

Carson is expected to get his share of the workload again this year, but has had fumbling issues. The team signed Hyde in the offseason and drafted Dallas. Penny is expected to remain on PUP and miss at least the first six weeks of the season.

Pete Carroll with rave reviews about Will Dissly's (Achilles) recovery.

Related players: Greg Olsen

Dissly has already passed his physical, but the Seahawks will still ease him back slowly, the tweet went on to say. Dissly was having a great start to his season before the injury last year, and was a popular free agent pickup as a result. The team signed Olsen in the offseason.

Former Washington Football Team Pro Bowl TE Jordan Reed reached agreement on an incentive-laden, one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers, sources tell ESPN.

Schefter summed it up: Reed is 30, has a history of concussions, but when healthy - as he is now - he is one of the game’s elite tight ends. Reed will have to prove his worth by staying on the field.

WR Dontrelle Inman will sign with Washington, according to multiple reports.

The 31-year-old Inman spent time last year with the Patriots, Chargers and Colts but rarely got on the field, catching a total of just 12 passes in 2019. In his best season, in 2016, Inman caught 58 passes for 810 yards.

Miami Dolphins receiver Preston Williams was the team’s most productive rookie last season — before suffering a season-ending knee injury in November — and appears to be in position to pick up where he left off.

Williams flashed a ton of talent and upside in the eight games he started as a rookie, catching 32 passes for 428 yards and three touchdowns before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He did not begin training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list and has been training with his teammates during the early stages of this season’s workouts, the story said. There is concern Williams will need to learn the new playbook, but from a fantasy standpoint, he's a cheap option late in drafts.

The Lions are just two years removed from selecting Kerryon Johnson in the third round of the draft and one year past making him their "running back of the future." Finishing 21st in the league in rushing yards and 29th in rushing touchdowns forces a change in philosophy, which is part of the reason why the team took D'Andre Swift in the second round this year -- he was too good to pass up at No. 35 overall.

Based on Swift's draft selection and how productive he was at Georgia, it's expected he'll take over the role as primary ball carrier at some point.

We think Swift has three-down ability and agree that Swift is likely the lead back in what will at least be a committee to start the season. We rank Swift 27th in our PPR rankings at RB.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, the team confirmed.

With Pederson set to be quarantined for at least five days, Duce Staley, the team’s assistant head coach/running backs coach, will be in charge of the day-to-day operations at the NovaCare Complex, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to NJ Advance Media. Pederson will take part in online meetings from his home. Staley has been an Eagles coach since 2011.

The Patriots have placed RB Sony Michel (foot), WR Mohamed Sanu (ankle) and special teams ace Brandon King on PUP, per source.

Related players Damien Harris

Reports say Michel is in danger of missing the start of the season, but Sanu is expected to be ready to go for Week 1. Harris could take over Michel's role if he's not ready to go. As for Sanu, we have him behind Julian Edelman and N'Keal Harry as far as Patriot receivers go.

Jags have placed RB Ryquell Armstead, TE Charles Jones, QB Gardner Minshew II, WR Michael Walker and S Andrew Wingard on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

With Nick Foles out of the picture, Minshew is slated to start for the Jags this season after an impressive rookie season in 2019. Being on the list means he tested positive or was in contact with someone who did.

The Philadelphia Eagles have used a running back-by-committee approach throughout the Doug Pederson era. But Miles Sanders became the primary running back and helped carry the Eagles to the NFC East title, allowing Philadelphia to move on from Jordan Howard and make the 2019 second-round pick the primary ball carrier.

"I'm excited about Miles. I'm excited about him handling the full load. I don't see Miles as a guy that you have to monitor his touches," running back coach Duce Staley said (via the Eagles website). "I think you put him in, and you let him go."

The Eagles have used a committee approach over the years, including their Super Bowl win in 2017. Sanders finished eighth in the NFL in all-purpose yards (1,641) and recorded six touchdowns in his rookie season last year and pretty much took over the job with Howard injured. This is something to take note of as Sanders has proved to be a dual threat out of the backfield.

Running back Jeremy Hill says he has signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, announcing the move in a tweet.

He last appeared in an NFL game in the 2018 season, when he tore his ACL in the New England Patriots' season-opening victory over the Houston Texans. He was placed on injured reserve and missed the rest of that season. He did not play in the NFL last season.

Detroit Lions receiver Geronimo Allison has decided to opt out of the 2020 season, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday.

The Lions signed Allison, 26, to provide depth behind outside receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones. Detroit gave him a one-year, $910,000 deal with a $137,500 signing bonus when he signed.

The Browns have placed WR Jarvis Landry (hip) on active/PUP.

Trotter went on to say there has been no setback, and Landry is still on schedule to return from offseason hip surgery. The Browns are conducting physicals this weekend for veterans who passed three rounds of Covid testing last week. Landry has said he’d be hoping and expecting to get cleared sometime during training camp, before the start of the season.

The Steelers put two more players on their reserve/COVID-19 list on Sunday.

Running back Jaylen Samuels and wide receiver James Washington have been placed on the list.

Washington led the team in receiving yards last season and Samuels was thrust into a bigger role at times with RB injuries. As the story said, the list is for players who have tested positive for the coronavirus or are quarantined after close contact with an infected person.

Carson Wentz arrived at the NovaCare Complex this week with a new body.

The biceps were bigger. The chest was bigger. He was carrying more weight. Good weight.

Wentz has dealt with his share of injuries in his career, starting with getting knocked out of the 2017 season while looking like a favorite to win the MVP. While he played all 16 games last year, he had a very banged up group of receivers that was eventually led by unknown Greg Ward. Wentz was knocked out in the Eagles opening round playoff game against Seattle with a concussion this past season, and with this new body he's hoping to bring it all together in 2020.

Raiders WR Henry Ruggs said on a conference call he's 100 percent after his leg injury.

"I feel totally like myself, if not better. ...I'm ready to go," the tweet went on to say. Ruggs was the first WR off the board back in April. Ruggs said he was 'hard headed' doing more than doctors told him to do. He got ahead of schedule and is fully ready to go. Ruggs should see starter’s snaps from day one. Since 2000, the first receiver drafted has averaged 44.7 catches for 618 yards and 4.1 touchdowns, or 8.0 half-PPR fantasy points per game. Since 2010, those numbers have been slightly better (49.6-684-4.2, 8.2 PPG).

The Indianapolis Colts today placed wide receiver T.Y. Hilton on the Active/Non-Football Injury list.

Hilton is dealing with a minor hamstring issue according to reports. He's on track to play Week 1 but it's always something to watch.

Just a little more than a week after getting medically cleared by his own surgical team sources tell NBC Sports Washington that Alex Smith impressed during on-field workouts for the Washington Football Team.

Related players: Dwayne Haskins

Sources say Smith participated in four consecutive days of on-field workouts with trainers and performed well. Perhaps more importantly, Smith suffered no setbacks after the on-field work, the story said. It's expected to be an open competition for the starting job in Washington.

The Cowboys moved to the 80-player limit with four moves that included the release of kicker Kai Forbath.

Related players: Greg Zuerlein

Last season, Forbath made all 10 kicks after replacing Brett Maher and was re-signed in the offseason to a one-year deal, but he became expendable when the team signed Zuerlein to a three-year deal worth $7.5 million, the tweet went on to say. Given the success of the Cowboys offense last year, Zuerlein should be a target for fantasy owners.

Browns’ TE David Njoku has had “some good meetings with the new Browns’ organization including GM Andrew Berry and he has decided to give the team his full commitment right now and go from there,” said his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

Related players: Austin Hooper
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