August 2021 4for4 Player News Articles

Xavier Jones (ankle) was waived/injured by the Rams on Tuesday, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.

The Rams backfield has been beset by injuries this summer, with Cam Akers (Achills) and Raymond Calais (foot) already on IR and Jones set to join them.

Related players: Darrell Henderson, Sony Michel, Jake Funk

Assuming Jones clears waivers, he will have a chance to return at some point this season once his left ankle is healthy. For now, Los Angeles will rely on Henderson (thumb), Sony Michel and Jake Funk at running back.

Texans cut WR KeKe Coutee.

A name that has fluttered on the depth chart now officially out in Houston.

Related players: Brandin Cooks, Nico Collins, Chris Conley

The release of Coutee is a bit of a surprise considering the Texans aren't necessarily loaded at the position. Outside of Cooks, a lot of playing time and targets will be up for grabs and among them should be Collins and Conley at this point.

Bears RB Tarik Cohen transferred to reserve/PUP list meaning he will miss at least the first 6 games of the season.

Related players: David Montgomery, Damien Williams

Back in early August we reported there was no exact time frame for Cohen's return, but HC Matt Nagy suggested it would more like weeks vs. days. Turns out it will be several more weeks. Montgomery and Williams should handle a bulk of the work with Cohen out.

Nick Sirianni on Jalen Hurts:

"Jalen knows nobody else got any reps with the 1's so you could really argue that we named our starter a while ago. ... Jalen's our starter. I consistently saw a player that got better every single day. He did exactly what we wanted him to do."

Related players: Joe Flacco, Gardner Minshew

Hurts got all the reps with the ones, but Sirianni also said it was a QB competition from the start of camp with Flacco. But regardless of the length of time it took to make this official, the news certainly comes as no surprise. Hurts is ranked as a low-end QB1 and is 10th on our list, but could also improve on that with the weapons around him, including first round pick DeVonta Smith, and his running ability.

Eagles actually waived Travis Fulgham, per Mike Garafolo.

Related players: DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward, John Hightower, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside

Petersen said he didn't see this coming, and doubts Fulgham clears waivers so the Eagles can keep him on the practice squad. Fulgham flashed for a couple of weeks last year, but pretty much vanished with the return of Alshon Jeffery. He never really was able to find that form again. It's likely good news for Ward, Hightower and maybe even Arcega-Whiteside.

The Vikings have solved their TE issue, as they are trading for promising Jets TE Chris Herndon.

Related players: Irv Smith, Tyler Kroft, Ryan Griffin

The Jets will get draft pick compensation, sources say. As the tweet says, Herndon steps right in following Smith’s knee injury. Smith's timetable is still up in the air and the Vikings needed to address the position. Herndon has been highly-touted, but never really lived up to the hype after a rookie season where he caught 39 balls for over 500 yards and four TDs in 2018. He was hurt for 2019 and last year caught 31 balls for 287 yards and three TDs and recently fell behind Kroft in the pecking order.

As for the Jets, this is not a shocking move. Kroft has been one of the bigger surprises of the spring. He has seen a lot of time with the starting unit and caught two TD passes from Zach Wilson against the Packers a couple of weeks ago. Griffin is the Jets TE2.

Still uncertainty with Evan Engram (calf) for Week 1, per Joe Judge.

Related players: Kyle Rudolph, Kaden Smith

The tweet went on to say there is some “gray area” on Engram and his calf. The team plans to see how Engram does this week. Rudolph is just coming off the PUP list after having foot surgery so there is also some uncertainty there. Smith is next up on the depth chart.

There will be no decision on Saquon Barkley for the opener until next week.

Related players: Devontae Booker

The tweet went on to say Barkley will need to get through a few more key practices before any decision is made. Barkley has been trending in the right direction since coming back to practice but his status for Week 1 is still up in the air for now. Booker looks like he stands to get a fantasy-worthy workload should Barkley not be available.

Ravens OC Greg Roman acknowledges what was obvious after J.K. Dobbins’ injury: Gus Edwards will get a much bigger workload. “He’s our kind of guy. He’s built for what we do.”

Related players: Justice Hill vs Ty'Son Williams

While it's not shocking news, it's still nice to hear for Edwards owners. The one knock on Edwards is his pass-catching, but as we've pointed out it's not that he can't catch the ball, he just hasn't been asked to. He's caught 18-of-22 career targets for almost 11 yards per catch. Getting Edwards more involved in the pass catching game will certainly elevate his fantasy value. Without proven backups in Williams and Hill, it's certainly possible Edwards sees some targets.

HC David Culley says Texans will have a running back by committee approach in games, much like in the preseason.

Related players: David Johnson, Mark Ingram, Phillip Lindsay

While this hasn't changed, something that has is reports seem to indicate it will be Ingram on the early downs with Johnson as the third down back, now leaving Lindsay as the perhaps the odd man out or the change of pace back. This backfield looks to be more of a mess than anything and none of the backs really present any must-have fantasy value at this point. There's certainly a chance one of them steps up to have value once the season gets going, but they will likely still be risky fantasy plays in this offense.

Saints’ WR Michael Thomas, who underwent off-season foot surgery, is expected to land on PUP.

Heading to the PUP list means Thomas will at least miss the first six weeks, per sources. As Schefter also pointed out, the Saints have an early bye, placing Thomas on PUP would sideline him for at least the first five games. Other reports seem to indicate Thomas will be ready to go after that. He may be worth a stash on your roster, especially if you can hide him away on an IR spot.

The Texans are not expected to trade QB Deshaun Watson before today’s 4 pm cut down day deadline, sources tell me and Tom Pelissero.

Related players: Tyrod Taylor, Davis Mills

Rapoport said barring a dramatic turn, Houston is now positioned to keep him into the regular season — at least. A story we had here at 4for4 yesterday said the team is planning to make Watson inactive every week of the season. Other suggested they could try to place him on IR, and save a roster spot. Taylor is expected to start the season at QB, but no one would be surprised to see the team turns things over to Mills at some point this year.

The Washington Football Team has released RB Peyton Barber, source said. A bit of a surprise.

Related players: Jaret Patterson, Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic

Those in the dynasty world of fantasy football probably aren't surprised, though. The team will now likely keep undrafted free agent Patterson as the result of Barber's release. There was all kinds of positive feedback on Patterson's camp this season, and he looked good in preseason games on top of that. He now looks to be in a possible RB3 role and backup to Gibson while McKissic is the change of pace and pass-catching option.

The quarterback battle in New England has officially ended. According to Jim McBride of The Boston Globe, the Patriots have released veteran quarterback Cam Newton. This comes as all NFL teams are required to trim down their preseason rosters to the opening 53 men. With Newton gone, this now points to first-round rookie Mac Jones -- who competed with Newton this summer -- being named the starter to begin the 2021 regular season.

Related players: Brian Hoyer, Jarrett Stidham

It wasn't that long ago the Patriots said someone would have to pass Newton in camp to earn the starting job. But it was just over the weekend where the team changed their tune, saying decisions needed to be made about the starting QB job among other positions. We considered Newton a sneaky pick, figuring he had a little more upside than most first-round QB picks usually offer. Now Jones takes over. He looked impressive at times but will likely take some lumps this season as most rookies do. But he'll at least offer lower-end QB2 fantasy value and could enter the streaming conversation if the Patriots are more pass-heavy than expected. He doesn't offer much as a runner, though. Damien Harris gets a bump due to higher touchdown expectations but he hasn't had much of a role in the passing game. That's James White's role, and Rhamondre Stevenson and J.J. Taylor have produced in camp as well. Jakobi Meyers may be able to produce fantasy WR3 numbers with Jones at quarterback, while Jonnu Smith seems to be best positioned to make a run at TE1 numbers.

Titans have waived running back Javian Hawkins, per source.

Related players: Derrick Henry, Brian Hill, Darrynton Evans

Hawkins looked to be the team's fourth running back but was likely battling Hill for the RB3 role. It could be a bit of good news for Evans, who was talked about as a back who could see a much bigger role this season. But Evans got hurt in a preseason game and has missed time. If anything, this could at least mean Evans is on the mend and poised to see an RB2 role on the Titans. He's expected to be involved in the passing game.

More RBs on the market:

Saints have released running back Devonta Freeman, per source.

Related players: Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray, Tony Jones

This isn't necessarily a surprise, but there were those who thought Murray would get cut due to his cap hit. But Murray survives as of now, however, his role is still in doubt as many predict Jones will be the RB2 behind Kamara. The Saints RB2 at least as some standalone fantasy value, but the real value would come with a Kamara injury, so this is a key handcuff situation to monitor.

49ers’ QB Trey Lance has a small "chip" in his finger and is expected to miss about a week, per HC Kyle Shanahan.

Related players: Jimmy Garoppolo

This may quiet the rotating QB talk for a bit at least. Other outlets say it's a microchip injury in one of his fingers, but the team didn't indicate which finger it is. The injury is considered worse than a jammed finger, according to Shanahan. He can't take snaps right now but the hope is he'll be back next Monday.

The Chiefs have waived Darwin Thompson, a source tells The Star.

Related players: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon, Darrel Williams

The Chiefs will run with CEH, McKinnon and Williams as their top-three backs. In the 10 games where CEH played at least 40 snaps (roughly 56% snap share), he averaged 19.1 touches for 97 yards and 0.30 touchdowns per game. That equates to 13.0 fantasy points per game, which are solid RB2 numbers. Le’Veon Bell was enough of a headache to make Edwards-Helaire a shaky start on a weekly basis, but he’s since been released, so CEH’s snap share should rise in his second season.

Marquise Brown’s absence from the field finally came to an end on Monday. He worked with the rest of the team and will presumably work to ramp his workload up to a point that he’s ready to go against the Raiders in Week 1.

Brown hurt his hamstring at a practice early in training camp and initial word was that it wouldn’t be an extended absence from the field. Brown’s outlook was downgraded a short time later and he wound up missing more than a month.

Texans are prepared to have Deshaun Watson on the 53-man roster and inactive every week, according to multiple league sources.

Watson, who has issued a standing trade request, would be paid his $10.54 million salary, the tweet went on to say. The tweet also said there is no deal imminent. Several reports came out over the weekend saying the Texans could trade Watson by Tuesday. Other reports say he didn't approve a deal to the Eagles and still others say he wants to go to the Dolphins. The Broncos and Panthers have also been linked according to other reports.

“Whether it’s in their mind or not, that’s up to them,” HC Kyle Shanahan said. “But we’ve got two guys who can play. And we’ve been doing it in practice a little bit, wanted to do it out there in the game. And I think it’s always going to be an option.”

Related players: Jimmy Garoppolo, Trey Lance

The basis of the story was it was fun to watch. The players were interviewed and agreed it was fun. But realistically both would probably rather play every snap and be the QB1 vs. alternating play-to-play, like was done at times against the Raiders in preseason Week 3. It's also not fun for fantasy owners wondering who to plug in lineups week-to-week. Because Shanahan said this could be an option, fantasy owners may have to wait this out a little bit before inserting either QB into their Week 1 starting lineups. At this point, maybe the 49ers aren't going to let Lance just sit on the bench and take it all in.

The Indianapolis Colts continue to be hit hard by COVID-19 issues.

The team announced Monday it has placed quarterback Carson Wentz, center Ryan Kelly and wide receiver Zach Pascal on the COVID-19 list. They will miss an undetermined amount of time depending on the reason they were placed on the list.

Wentz is in a race to get ready for the season opener on Sept. 12. We just head a beat writer report Monday it looked like Wentz should be ready to go for Week 1. But there was no word how being placed on the list could hinder Wentz's progress as he tries to recover from a foot injury.

Gus Edwards’ backup is Ty'Son Williams, a second-year player out of BYU.

The story said Williams leapfrogged Justice Hill on the depth chart. Williams impressed the Ravens with his physicality, the story added. It's definitely worth noting for those who own Edwards. The knock on Edwards is his pass catching, although the story said Edwards has slimmed down a bit and has looked faster. But it's not clear if the team will look to Williams or Hill as a third down/pass catching back. It's also possible they add a back after rosters are trimmed down.

I’m going to really go out on a limb here and say that neither Latavius Murray nor Devonta Freeman make this roster, at least not at the expense of Tony Jones unless the Saints want to keep Dwayne Washington for special teams and go with five (in that case I would leave Murray on the roster over Freeman).

Last week, there was a report HC Sean Payton said Jones was going to be his number two back, at least at the time of his interview. The author said Freeman and Murray certainly haven’t done anything to dispel that notion, and that's been consistent with reports all summer. The story said the Saints do treat Murray like he’s going to be on the roster sometimes. The author is skeptical they’d pay him $4 million to be the third running back, so it all comes down to how much they like Jones. Kamara owners wanting to handcuff him should take note here. If possible, it may be a good idea to pick up Jones, however roster spots are tough to come by with the season not even underway. Those currently holding Kamara and Murray may have to act fast if they want to get Jones later vs. sooner.

Vikings TE Tyler Conklin has the wrapping off his injured hamstring.

Related players: Irv Smith Jr.

Thomasson added all indications are Conklin could be doing some practicing this week. He also added that's good news with Smith Jr. hurt and potentially missing some time. We have Conklin next up on the depth chart behind Smith Jr.

It's my sense that you can reasonably expect Carson Wentz and Quenton Nelson to play on opening day.

The author admitted he's reading between the lines when tweeting what he did, and that can be dangerous. But reports say Wentz has looked good since his return to practice about a week ago. Other reports have been saying he was on track to play Week 1 after his foot injury, and this at least confirms he's still on that pace.

New York Giants tight end Evan Engram, who made it through his first season injury-free last year, suffered a calf injury in the second quarter of the Giants’ preseason finale against the New England Patriots.

Related players: Kyle Rudolph

Engram sat on the bench after limping off the field and was attended to by team trainers while holding his head in his hands, the story said. Newcomer Kyle Rudolph was supposed to add some firepower to the league’s 31st ranked scoring offense this season. Rudolph, who had off-season foot surgery, was just activated off the PUP list last week after passing his physical but was not active for the preseason finale.

"No. We still have a lot of decisions to make." - Bill Belichick when asked if he had made a decision on the starting QB yet.

Related players: Cam Newton, Mac Jones

It wasn't that long ago that Belichick said someone would have to pass Newton to win the starting job. We considered Newton a sneaky pick in fantasy drafts this year and we think he offers more of an upside. While this could be coach-speak, anything is possible in New England.

First of many cuts this week is a notable one: Lions have released WR Breshad Perriman, per source.

Related players: Tyrell Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Quintez Cephus, Geronimo Allison, Kalif Raymond

We ranked Perriman as the team's third WR in our rankings, but with him gone, it now opens up a spot for the WR3 spot behind Williams and St. Brown. While it's not a highly-desired fantasy option, it could mean those next up on the depth chart, Cephus, Allison or Raymond, could have a bit of a larger role.

Colts head coach Frank Reich spoke regarding WR T.Y. Hilton’s neck injury and said “It was a disc issue, so that's a complicated issue. More meetings, more evaluation to come, more opinions to come….He will miss some games, we don't know exactly how many. We're optimistic it's not season-ending.”

So it sounds like Hilton will miss at least the first two games against the Seahawks and Rams. We’ll see down the line if he can perhaps be ready for the Colts’ first division game Week 3 against the Titans. Michael Pittman Jr. and Parris Campbell will lead the charge in Hilton’s absence, with Zach Pascal and Mike Strachan behind them. And the team is still unsure whether it will be Carson Wentz or Jacob Eason starting Week 1, maybe things even more complicated for the Colts.

Washington QB Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the starting quarterback “in Week 1 and going forward”.

This was always the direction Washington was likely headed and now it’s set. Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen were battling for the backup role behind Fitzpatrick. Washington kicks off the season in two weeks against the Chargers. Fitzpatrick is currently our No. 15 quarterback.

Sunday’s MRI for Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins confirmed he did tear his ACL and is out for the season.

The initial diagnosis was a worrisome one and the MRI confirmed the worst. Dobbins is done for 2021 and Gus Edwards now springs into RB2 territory as the lead back, with Justice Hill also in the mix.

Vikings TE Irv Smith Jr. will undergo surgery for a meniscus injury and is expected to miss at least the start of the season.

There is no timetable for Smith’s return, but this certainly puts a minor damper on what was looking like a breakout season for the third-year tight end. Tyler Conklin is next in line at the position until Smith returns. He’ll likely miss the opener against the Bengals, then we’ll keep an eye out for Week 2 at Arizona.

Colts WR T.Y. Hilton has an undisclosed injury and is expected to miss multiple weeks.

Holder reports information is still being gathered and a timeline for Hilton’s return has not been determined, but it is not expected to be season-ending. Hilton was injured during Wednesday’s practice, but later returned. Hilton signed a one-year deal with the Colts in free agency. Without Hilton, the Colts will rely on Michael Pittman Jr., Parris Campbell, Zach Pascal and one of the stars of the preseason, Mike Strachan. It may also be Jacob Eason throwing the ball to those receivers in Week 1 if Carson Wentz is not ready. Indianapolis opens the season in two weeks against the Seahawks.

Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins suffered a likely season-ending knee injury during Saturday’s preseason game against Washington.

Dobbins is undergoing an MRI to determine the full extent of the knee problem, but the expectation is that his season is over. Gus Edwards will take over, at least for now, the lead role in Baltimore with former fourth-round pick Justice Hill behind him.

JK Dobbins now being carted to the Ravens’ locker room.

Our injury expert Adam Hutchison saw the video and is worried. He thinks the best case scenario is around eight weeks and worst case is that Dobbins has a tear and will be out for the year. If Dobbins misses extended time, then Gus Edwards will likely post low-end RB1 numbers. He had the No. 5 PFF run grade last year and owns the fifth-highest yards per carry (5.18) since 2019. He's not a great pass-catcher but he's not a total dud, either. If Dobbins is ruled out for the year, Edwards joins David Montgomery, Chris Carson and James Robinson in the premium RB2 tier, and one could argue that he should lead tier given Baltimore's offensive line and run-heavy attack. Justice Hill would likely serve as his backup and becomes an interesting attrition pick in the double-digit rounds.

The Philadelphia Eagles have traded for quarterback Gardner Minshew. Philadelphia surrendered a conditional sixth round pick to acquire the signal-caller. The pick becomes a fifth round selection if Minshew plays 50% or more of the snaps in three games this season.

The Eagles needed to address their backup quarterback situation and have found an answer in Garnder Minshew. Minshew has starting experience and will make for a solid spot starter if needed. Jalen Hurts' fantasy value is not affected by this acquisition. He remains a potentially elite fantasy option and is currently our 10th ranked quarterback. Trevor Lawrence's fantasy value also remains the same as the 'competition' in Jacksonville was always viewed with skepticism.

When discussing final roster predictions, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times wrote that D'Wayne Eskridge fit in as the team's third receiver after returning to practice last week. His consistency with the offense despite time off bodes well for the rookie.

The names after Eskridge are less than appealing. It also helps that Seattle spent draft capital on the Western Michigan prospect and have given him every opportunity to succeed. The rookie is John Paulsen's WR82.

Giants rookie WR Kadarius Toney is likely out for Sunday's preseason finale due to lingering COVID-19 effects, according ton Darryl Slater of NJ.com. Toney was spotted standing on the sidelines during Friday's practice and not participating in any sort of work or drills.

Slater also added this in his Friday column:

"(Giants head coach Joe)Judge didn’t say this, but there’s basically no chance Toney plays Sunday. Among the factors Judge said he is considering for Toney’s status Sunday: “Is it the best thing for him and is it the best thing for our team to put a guy out there who hasn’t had a lot of reps?”

And if you read between the lines of Judge’s comments, you also shouldn’t expect Toney — who has barely participated in camp — to have much of a role early in the season."

“It’s unfortunate, but there’s a number of young guys that we haven’t been able to get them as many reps as we want to this training camp, to really get them ready for the season,” Judge said. “As a young player, you can’t lay back on years of experience."

Toney has been living the worst-case scenario of a rookie skill position player ahead of his first season. The expectation of him contributing from Week 1 are nil and with talented options ahead of him at receiver, he could be a healthy scratch or similar well into the season. Toney is a fade in re-draft and will at most be a dart throw as a waiver option.

Joe Judge told reporters Friday that WR Kenny Golladay with miss the team's preseason finale against the New England Patriots.

Golladay has struggled with injuries for the last season-plus and is in danger of missing the start of the 2021 NFL season. In his stead, Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton will be the receivers QB Daniel Jones favors.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley will not play in New York's preseason finale against the New England Patriots, according to Art Stapleton of The Record. Barkley will not log a snap in the preseason.

This is not surprising news but continues to put a damper on Barkley's upside heading into the regular season. His lack of reps in practice and preseason games locks in worry for a Week 1 appearance.

In his Friday column, Orlando Ledbetter took a look at the Atlanta Falcons roster and predicted its 53-man roster. In it, he has Mike Davis, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Keith Smith as running back locks ahead of Qadree Ollison. “Those guys are competing, and they all ran pretty hard,” Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said. “Certainly, all of them, Q (Ollison), Caleb (Huntley) … and (D'Onta) Foreman ... there’s good competition there.”

In the words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast my friends!" Majority of the offseason has been spent figuring out who amongst Ollison and recently cut Javian Hawkins would back up Davis, but Ledbetter, a trusted Falcons reporter, is here to pour cold water on the Ollison back-up hype train. Ollison's value was already only tied to a Davis injury, so rostering him at all at the moment seems unwise.

The New Orleans Saints have named Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Related Player: Taysom Hill

Winston won the job after a strong performance this past Monday during the Saints' preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Winston is John Paulsen's QB29 at the moment. His passing floor and ceiling were always higher than Hill's, but the role Hill plays in the Saints offense still makes him a potential streamer in Superflex and 2QB leagues.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers continued to praise Randall Cobb as a football player and suggested that he will be staring in the slot.

Rodgers personally lobbied for Cobb, so he likely knew first hand that the former Packer still had gas left in the tank. Rodgers suggested that Cobb is ticketed for the slot role while noting that he is happy with the top four receivers in Davante Adams, Cobb, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Allen Lazard. With Adams locked into a near every snap role, the Packers could rotate Lazard and MVS on the outside, with MVS stepping into the slot when Cobb needs a breather. Rodgers also noted that while Amari Rodgers has had his moments, he has also had his rookie hiccups. This suggests that he may be brought along slowly and that the top four he mentioned should all play meaningful roles this season. 64th in our wide receiver rankings, Randall Cobb, could provide a strong return on his current ADP if he can carry this momentum into the season.

According to The Athletic, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth has looked more impressive than Eric Ebron, both as a receiver and a blocker.

Freiermuth has outplayed incumbent starter Eric Ebron, throughout camp and appears ticketed for a meaningful role. Ebron remains penciled in as the starter, but this is evidence that the rookie may push him for the role sooner than expected. The Athletic noted that the Steelers frequently use two tight end formations, so who the starter is in name does not matter as much as it may for some other teams. Ebron is currently our TE24, but should Freiermuth get the tap as the starter at some point leading up to/or during the season, he will boast higher weekly upside. This is a situation to monitor.

According to Stephen Holder of the Athletic, Indianapolis Colts rookie tight end Kyle Granson 'will be a featured pass-catching tight end' this season.

Granson has been making waves in camp and appears to have solidified a role in an offense that will make frequent use of multiple tight ends. This is what Holder had to say "While Doyle and Alie-Cox will have significant blocking responsibilities — especially with left tackle Eric Fisher on the mend from an Achilles injury — Granson will be a featured pass-catching tight end. He’s already been very involved in training camp. He has the potential to have a big year if he can consistently avoid drops." While this by no means suggests that he will pace the position in targets, this is news to remember when eyeing a potential TE2 for those who play in leagues with deeper rosters. Jack Doyle is the only one of these tight ends currently in our top 200, but with a strong showing to start the season, Granson has the chance to leapfrog him on the depth chart when the Colts are in obvious passing situations. This will be a situation to monitor throughout the season due to Carson Wentz's affinity for targeting the tight end position.

According to Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, running back Darrell Henderson will still have a big role despite the addition of veteran running back Sony Michel.

McVay offered that the team wanted to bring someone in with big-time game experience when referring to the addition of Sony Michel before adding that "Darrell’s still going to have a very big role. Doesn’t really change the outlook for him." While the addition of Michel certainly dampens the excitement for the talented Memphis product, Henderson was always likely to be involved in some sort of committee with Jake Funk and/or Xavier Jones. Now that Michel is on the roster, the goal will be for the two backs to form a 1-2 punch. Henderson remains a solid RB2 target and is currently our RB3. Michel got a value boost with the move to Los Angeles and is currently our RB44.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been placed on the reserve/COVID list and will miss the next 5-10 days.

According to reports, Tannehill is indeed vaccinated and can only be isolated for a positive test or due to displaying symptoms. This is unwelcomed news for any player and fanbase. With very little in the form of competition on the roster, Tannehill has taken all of the first-team reps this offseason, which has helped him develop a rapport with new weapons like Julio Jones. While missing any practice time matters when trying to build chemistry, our main concern here is Tannehill's health. This news should not affect his draft stock as he remains on track to be ready for the regular season. Tannehill is currently ninth in our quarterback rankings for the 2021 season.

The Denver Broncos have named Teddy Bridgewater the starting quarterback for Week 1, according to Field Yates of ESPN.

Related Player: Drew Lock

Drew Lock may have the better arm, but Bridgewater has been safer with the football and supported two wide receivers in fantasy last season with Carolina. Prior to today's news, John Paulsen had Bridgewater at QB31 and Lock QB34.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is expected to throw during 7-on-7 drills today, according to Dan Helman of the Dallas Cowboys. It will be his first competitive work since the first week of training camp.

The Cowboys have preached patience and have talked down the severity of Dak's shoulder injury, and his expected participation will help ease some worried in the fantasy community. Prescott is not out of the woods and he has not played in the preseason so there is still legitimate concern about the short and long-term severity of the injury.

Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer told reporters Wednesday that WR Marvin Jones has an AC sprain.

Injuries continue to pile up for the Jaguars. In the short-term without an injury timeline established, this puts Laviska Shenault, Collin Johnson, and Phillip Dorsett in three-wide sets with Jones and D.J. Chark on the shelf.

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced that QB Trevor Lawrence will start Week 1 against the Houston Texans, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

This was foretold by the fantasy football gods and is now set in stone barring injury.

Lawrence is QB16 in John Paulsen's preseason rankings.

The New Orleans Saints will be without TE Nick Vannett (knee) for 2-4 weeks, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. He joins Adam Trautman on the sidelines for the immediate future.

Related Player: Juwan Johnson

Bad news for Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill. Trautman was/is expected to be the main catching tight end, while Vannett the main blocking tight end. Word out of camp has Juwan Johnson as a wild card following an impressive showing the past few weeks and could be the starting tight end to open 2021. The converted wide receiver saw a snap increase during New Orleans's Week 2 preseason game following injuries to Trautman and Vannett.

The Buffalo Bills have signed WR Steven Sims according to the team's Public Relations Twitter account.

Big news? Not really, but with injuries to Isaiah McKenzie and Marquez Stevenson, the Bills needed depth at the position and for returning duties. Short of a rash of injuries, Sims has no value in re-draft leagues.

Patriots are trading RB Sony Michel to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for two late-round conditional draft picks, per sources.

New England gets back two picks, the Rams get needed talent and depth at running back.

Sony Michel joins a backfield lead by Darrell Henderson, and will be fighting for a roster spot and work with Xavier Jones, Jake Funk and Otis Anderson. This is a fresh start for Michel who hasn't seemed to reach his potential in his three years in New England.

Ian Rapoport is reporting Jameis Winston is the "leader in the clubhouse" for the Saints starting quarterback spot.

Related players: Taysom Hill

Rapoport said it wasn't just about piling up stats in the game against Jags recently. Rapoport showed a video with throws Winston made, claiming "Drew Brees hasn't been able to make in years." Winston also made the kind of big plays HC Sean Payton "has been dying see," according to Rapoport. Rapoport added if Winston starts, Hill would do similar "gadget stuff" like he's done in the past, which could certainly limit Winston's upside, much like it did with Brees at times last year.

Bills receiver Isaiah McKenzie injured a shoulder in Tuesday’s practice, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.

McKenzie is having an MIR to determine the severity of the injury.

Related players: Stefon Diggs, Emmanuel Sanders, Cole Beasley, Gabriel Davis

McKenzie is behind Diggs, Sanders, Beasley and Davis on our WR list as far as Bills WRs go.

And no sooner did I tweet this and it was announced that Travis Homer has passed his physical and can practice starting today. So, Seattle's RB competition gets a little more interesting.

Related players: DeeJay Dallas, Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny

We had a great story on this a week or so ago from the Athletic and it broke down the Seattle RBs: Carson will be the main back with Penny his backup and a change of pace, perhaps a second half closer situation. Dallas and Homer look to be the third down backs, but Homer is a much better blocker while Dallas is the pass catcher.

Josh Jacobs will still get the majority of touches.

Related players: Kenyan Drake, Jalen Richard

The author went on to say he thinks people have gotten a little crazy with the Drake talk. The story said Jacobs looks tougher and faster this camp, if that's even possible. The story predicts Drake will be moved around on third downs and in the red zone, and Richard will be a distant third in terms of usage.

Dolphins wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. limped off the field with a hamstring injury during a joint practice with the Falcons last week and he won’t be back on the field for Miami at all this year.

The Dolphins put Bowden on injured reserve Tuesday as they cut their roster down to 80 players. Bowden will not be eligible to return this season unless the Dolphins release him and he signs with another team.

Bowden was a Raiders third-round pick in 2020 and he was traded to the Dolphins before the start of the season. He had 28 catches for 211 yards and nine carries for 32 yards in 10 games as a rookie. He was part of a crowded and talented WR group in Miami.

Four days before his potential preseason debut, nearly three weeks before the Ravens’ regular-season opener, Lamar Jackson was locked in. His passing was accurate. His timing was on. His mood was upbeat. Only a handful of presnap penalties on the Ravens’ offensive line and skill position players had soured coach John Harbaugh’s mood.

Related players: Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin, Deon Cain, Sammy Watkins, Rashod Batemon, James Proche II, Devin Duvernay, Tylan Wallace

The story went on to say now Jackson has to find people to throw to. Brown (hamstring), Boykin (hamstring) and Cain continued to rehabilitate from early-camp injuries. Watkins missed his third straight practice. Bateman (groin) remains out until at least September. Proche II sat out his first practice of camp after appearing to tweak his back Monday. That left just two draft picks at the position available — Duvernay (20 catches as a rookie) and Wallace, a rookie this season.

Colts are waiving kicker Eddy Pineiro, per source, meaning Rodrigo Blankenship wins Indy’s kicking job.

Schefter said Pineiro did not miss a kick this preseason and could draw interest on waivers with some teams struggling at kicker right now. The knock on Blankenship is his range, but he wins the job and is ranked 8th among our kickers this year.

Julio Jones was fully dressed and took part in what was termed a jogthrough against scout team defenders in addition to work in individual drills.

A.J. Brown did light work on the side.

As the story said, Jones left practice early after an awkward fall on Aug. 2, head coach Mike Vrabel said the team would “see where he’s at tomorrow and see how he looks.” Jones wound up spending the next three weeks out of practice.

The Jared Goff, T.J. Hockenson connection looks ready.

The tweet went on to say the two worked on routes off to the side Tuesday. It was just them. In the 11-on-11 sessions, Goff repeatedly found his Hockenson, both over the middle and on out routes. Right now, Hockenson's the guy Goff seems to trust most in a tight window. It's not the first time we've the two had a connection. We have Hockenson ranked sixth among our TEs this season.

Stefon Diggs back at Bills practice and looking like Stefon Diggs.

Diggs was dealing with a knee injury and while his return was expected, it's still nice to see. Diggs finished No. 3 in 2020 and is a good bet to repeat his finish in the top five since the Bills are unlikely to move away from their pass-happy offense.

Lions running back D'Andre Swift has been struggling with a groin injury, and it’s unclear how soon he’ll be back to 100 percent.

Detroit head coach Dan Campbell told reporters today that he’s concerned about Swift’s ability to get himself in football shape by Week 1.

Related players: Jamaal Williams

The story went on to say Campbell has said he’d love to see the Lions’ offense use Swift and Williams the way the Saints used Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram when they were teammates and Campbell was an assistant coach in New Orleans. But if Swift isn’t ready to go Week 1, Williams would be the bell cow. Williams could have had stand alone value even with Swift in the lineup, so he's worth targeting in upcoming drafts.

Robby Anderson was scheduled to make $8 million in 2021, but with extension the Panthers added $4.5 million to this season to make his 2021 salary $12.5 million. He will get $13 million in 2022 and $12 million in 2023, per a league source.

Related players: D.J. Moore, Terrace Marshall

Anderson is coming off a big year in which he caught 95 balls for 1,096 yards and three TDs. Anderson will at least run second behind assumed WR1 Moore, but will also compete with rookie Terrance Marshall, who the team said will have a role this year. RB Christian McCaffrey is also a top target in the passing game, who was missing much of last year. But Anderson does have the benefit of working with Sam Darnold, who should be the QB starter. The two were together with the Jets. We rank Anderson 29th among our WRs.

Bucs coach Bruce Arians said kicker Ryan Succop went out to dinner indoors with some Titans players and did test positive for COVID-19.

Laine's tweet went on to say Succop is out this week. The team said Succop is the only one added to the list and he is vaccinated.

Jaguars rookie RB Travis Etienne is likely out for the season with a Lisfranc injury, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Related Player: James Robinson

With Etienne likely out for the year, the Jacksonville backfield should be evaluated with Robinson as the lead back and Carlos Hyde as a solid No. 2 with a significant backup role. Robinson was a bellcow back last season, which led to a top 10 finish, but he is unlikely to see 20+ touches per game with Hyde around. Still, Robinson should see 16-19 touches per game in a lead back role and that should include 3-4 catches per game, since he'll have to take over part of Etienne's role as a pass-catcher. He should be added to a solid group of fantasy RB2s that are going in the 3rd-4th rounds.

The Jacksonville receivers all get a small bump as there are more catches up for grabs with Etienne out. - John Paulsen

Jerry Jones reiterates to 105.3 The Fan that Dak Prescott can and would play in regular-season game today.

It's "just not worth the gain out here in practice to not get him the rest," Jerry says of Dak's pitch count. "Very common for pulls, muscle pulls, soft tissue-type injuries."

Epstein went on to tweet the Cowboys reiterated the belief is Dak's injury is from single incident, and they are not compensating for last year's ankle injury. The tweet quoted Jones as saying, "Any type of restriction he’s having right now in his routine 100% is about later in the season. I have no compunction about him going out and playing against Tampa."

Bills’ WR Cole Beasley was sent home from the team’s training facility.

Beasley will have to spend five days away from the team. The tweet added he was in close contact with a Bills trainer who tested positive for COVID.

ESPN's MNF broadcasters said Sean Payton raved about RB Tony Jones Jr. in pre-game production meetings and even said "If you’re asking me today, my No. 2 RB is Tony Jones." Payton used Jones a lot with the 1s to evaluate whether he'll move him ahead of vets Latavius Murray, Devonta Freeman.

Related players: Alvin Kamara

Kamara owners take note. While the first thought is this could be coach-speak, we had a recent news story that Murray and Freeman have both looked unimpressive at times, especially in preseason Week 1. One beat writer speculated Freeman may end up passing Murray on the depth chart, but at this point it looks like Jones has a shot to blow by them all. The Saints RB2 can have stand alone value, but could have RB1 value should Kamara miss time. This battle is worth monitoring, especially Kamara owners.

Logic would suggest that Urban Meyer wouldn’t pop the hood on Jacksonville’s full scheme in preseason games against the Browns, Saints and Cowboys. But it’s not as if the opponents are emptying the playbook, either, and for the second consecutive game, it was painful to watch the first offense the Jaguars put on the field. The tempo was sluggish.

Related players: Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne

The story said Meyer's frustration maybe stems from not having better players than everyone else, like he's used to. The story added Lawrence still held the ball too long at times, the protection was faulty and the receivers couldn’t get separation. To make matters worse, first-round tailback Etienne left the game with a foot injury. He was in a boot Monday night, and ESPN reported Tuesday that Etienne is out indefinitely with a foot sprain. We reported earlier it's a potential Lisfranc injury.

“I think [Marquez Callaway]’s just an incredible football player,” Jameis Winston said. “I mean, the guy was undrafted, right? Who missed out on that guy? I’m happy that we were able to get him. It speaks volumes of our organization and how they see talent."

Related players: Michael Thomas, Tre'Quan Smith

The Saints have been without wide receivers Thomas and Smith this summer due to injuries, but Callaway, you can argue, has been one of the most talked about WRs in summer camp this season - maybe even right up there with the Jets Elijah Moore. Callaway played on all 10 of the team's first 10 snaps as well, according to some of Tuesday's tweets. Callaway probably isn't an unknown anymore. But he's ranked 55th on our WR list and is available late in drafts. At this point, he certainly looks like he's worth the late-round pick.

For me, Courtland Sutton is the No. 1 receiver until he proves he isn’t. Jerry Jeudy has made a couple splash plays in the preseason and that should carry over to the regular season if Sutton returns to form.

The Broncos have been cautious with Sutton’s work during training camp, but all indications are that he will be ready for full duty Sept. 12 at the New York Giants, about 51 weeks removed from his torn ACL, the story said. It's great news for Sutton and his fantasy owners. The author added Sutton has fought off rust but has also looked dynamic at times.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Adam Trautman injured his foot, and while he received good news initially from on-site X-rays he will receive an MRI on Tuesday to identify what’s causing him “mild pain.”

Related players: Juwan Johnson

The fact that Trautman was able to move around under his own power — until the trainers gave him a lift on the cart to the locker room — suggests he avoided major injury, the story said. But the piece added this isn’t something we’ll really know much more about until the results from his MRI come in on Tuesday. Johnson would be next up on the depth chart at TE for the Saints.

A source was able to confirm that RB Darrell Henderson sprained his thumb.

Related players: Xavier Jones, Jake Funk

Rodrigue went on to tweet there is no ligament damage. It's great news for Henderson as it could have been a lot worse. According to the source, Henderson is day to day; he left Monday's practice partway through and did not return. It's probably still a good idea to back up Henderson with Jones, who has made a name for himself in camp this summer with the injury to Cam Akers.

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne, spotted on crutches after the game, suffered a Lisfranc injury.

Related players: James Robinson, Carlos Hyde

Etienne will have further tests today, source said to Rapoport. Rapoport went on to say X-Rays were negative so the belief is it’s just a sprain but the exams Tuesday will determine how long he’s out. Robinson should at least get a huge short-term boost here and it's worth monitoring to see of Etienne's injury is the type that's going to keep him out several weeks.

With the season opener now less than 21 days away, Derrick Henry is ramping up his work.

The Titans running back participated in team drills Monday for the first time in training camp, Ben Arthur of The Tennessean reports.

Previously in training camp, Henry took part only in individual drills and occasional sandpit work. He had become more involved in walk-through sessions recently, the story said.

Robert Saleh trusts Zach Wilson’s process.

Saleh made an eye-opening statement during the weekend when he said that Wilson’s "process is light years ahead of" most rookies. Saleh said Monday he didn’t mean how Wilson processes the game, but his preparation.

"I’ve been fortunate to coach some of the best linebackers this game has ever had, and those guys were swimming their first year and were grabbing at things to try and figure out," Saleh said. "This young man has a tremendous process on how he gets to Game Day. It’s that process that we trust is why he’ll continue to grow and fix mistakes that he may have."

"His process is phenomenal," Saleh said. "Game day might happen and we’re like, ‘Damn, he hit the wrong wall.’ But what we trust is he’s going to be able to reset on Monday, go through that process that he has and find ways to get better from the week before."

Wilson has led the Jets’ first-team offense on four scoring drives in six series in the preseason. He was 9-for-11 for 128 yards and two touchdowns Saturday against Green Bay, with two TDs to Tyler Kroft. Seventy of the yards were to Corey Davis. Thus far, it’s been against second-team defenses, the story pointed out. But Saleh sees something that can continue to build. How Wilson "goes about his day-to-day business" is a big reason for the optimism. We have Wilson 21st on our QB list, which makes him low-end QB2.

Darrell Henderson hurt his thumb, per McVay (who is literally just off the field) and he doesn’t have a sense of how bad it is/next steps yet. Henderson did not return to practice.

Related players: Xavier Jones, Jake Funk

This is obviously something to keep an eye on. Either way, if you have stock in Henderson it seems like a really good idea to back him up with Jones, who is having a good camp.

Cam Newton will miss time after a mix-up involving COVID testing.

Related players: Mac Jones

Newton left the New England area for a club-approved medical appointment but there was a misunderstanding about the COVID tests conducted away from NFL facilities, according to the statement. Newton can return on Thursday, after the mandatory five-day period. Jones will get extra snaps at a key point of camp, but the Patriots recently indicated no one has passed Newton for the starting QB job so far in camp.

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb, S Malik Hooker and rookie S Israel Mukuamu are the three players added to COVID-19 protocol.

In addition defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and defensive tackle Carlos Watkins were added to the list last week. Beat writer Calvin Watkins tweeted a source told him Lamb is vaccinated. The Cowboys had virtual player meetings on Monday, it was reported.

Cincinnati Bengals fans may not see center Trey Hopkins or Joe Burrow dress for a preseason game. And that’s OK.

What Hopkins and Burrow have shown Zac Taylor in practice has been enough. The third-year head coach is confident he’ll have both in the starting lineup on Sept. 12 when the Bengals host the Minnesota Vikings, regardless of if they take a preseason snap or not.

The story said Burrow could see preseason action this week but that's yet to be determined. Taylor said the team will take a couple of more days to decide but they seem just fine giving Burrow more rest leading up to Sept. 12. Burrow tore his ACL and MCL back in Week 11 of the 2020 season.

Cody Parkey won’t be kicking for the Browns in 2021.

Parkey hurt his quad in Sunday’s game against the Giants and Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Monday that the veteran is headed for injured reserve.

The story said he won’t be able to return to the Browns active roster, but could wind up elsewhere if healthy and released off injured reserve.

It’s still too soon to say who wins the New Orleans Saints quarterbacks competition, but Sean Payton hopes to have his answer sooner rather than later. NBC Sports’ Peter King reports that a lot is riding on Jameis Winston’s opportunity to run the starting offense on Monday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars, following Taysom Hill’s time with the starters a week ago in Baltimore. King wrote:

“Payton told me he hopes to name his starter before the final preseason game Saturday against Arizona, so Winston’s performance with the first team for multiple series will be the most important game he’s played since he lost his job in 2019 in Tampa Bay.”

The story went on to say: Unlike Hill, Winston should get full exposure with the strongest members of his supporting cast — Payton said last week that the team plans to dress several starters who sat out the preseason opener like Alvin Kamara and bookend tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk. The Times-Picayune Advocate’s Jeff Duncan adds that the Saints are approaching this as “their big preseason tuneup” with most starters expected to rest in the preseason finale with Arizona. At this point, it looks like it could be Winston's job to lose.

Zach Ertz has 39 targets, third most on the team in training camp. Unless the Eagles get an amazing offer it would be foolish to trade him -- especially after running so many reps in training camp with him as a big part of the offense.

Related players: Dallas Goedert

Shorr-Parks went on to say that while Ertz has been good, so has Goedert, and Goedert's "quietly having an outstanding training camp." Goedert has the most catches (39), targets (46) and touchdowns (6) of any player on the roster Eagles, according to Shorr-Parks. Having Ertz around for anther year may help the Eagles offense, but it's bad news for Goedert fantasy owners who were counting on Ertz being moved well before this point of camp. With an improved WR group, the Eagles TE targets could at least take a little bit of a hit this season.

Carson Wentz asked if he'd still play at less than 100% in Week 1:

"It’s gonna be up to doctors, for sure. But as long as there’s nothing I can do to injure myself, (I'll do it)."

Wentz went on to say, "I know I’ve played through a lot worse, but it’s going to come down to what the doctors say." Wentz looked pretty good in videos posted to Twitter Monday. He's been trending in the right direction for a while now as far as Week 1 goes.

Joe Judge says the priority will be to continue ramping up Saquon Barkley this week, but whether he will play in Sunday’s preseason game hasn’t been decided.

“He keeps progressing and showing us that he can do more,” said Judge in the tweet. The fact that he's being considered to play in a preseason game seems to be good news for his Week 1 regular season status. While nothing is official as far as Week 1 goes, we'll continue to monitor the situation.

"Corey Davis is a reliable, trustworthy receiver. He's gonna do the right things, you know he's gonna be where he's supposed to be, you know he's gonna get separation," Jets HC Robert Saleh.

Related players: Zach Wilson

Saleh's quote went on to say that Davis and Wilson are constantly working, and that relationship is growing. The duo looked pretty good on Saturday against the Packers. While it was Tyler Kroft who caught two TDs from Wilson, it was Davis who caught four balls for a team-high 70 yards, the longest a 27-yard completion.

The Bears are indeed taking a step forward with the development plan of Justin Fields.

Related players: Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney, Jimmy Graham, Andy Dalton

The tweet said the Bears are getting Fields snaps with top targets like Robinson, Mooney and Graham. But Fields has not actually run the first-team offense in team drills yet. Dalton remains in that place. As of now, the Bears still plan to go with Dalton.

Titans’ WR A.J. Brown is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.

Brown has been dealing with a knee injury that sidelined him during recent practices, per source. Even with the addition of Julio Jones, we ranked Brown as a low-end WR1.

Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry also in full pads.

Callahan added we'll have to see what their participation levels are on Monday, but it's certainly a good sign. The hope is both should be ready to go for Week 1, but from a fantasy point of view it could take some time to see where the value is for both players.

Even more convinced now than I was two hours ago that it’ll be Carson Wentz under center in Week 1 for the Colts.

There have been videos of Wentz doing drills going around Twitter on Monday. As Keefer said, setbacks can happen for sure, but Wentz absolutely looked like a guy today who’ll be ready to go in three weeks.

“The fact that Cam Newton started last year, and he’s here, somebody would have to play better than him. Training camp is all about competition,” Belichick said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.

Related players: Mac Jones

The story wen on to say Belichick said Newton is “way more comfortable” than he was in his first year with New England and noted that the offseason has brought explosive players and better offensive balance to the team. It sounds like the Patriots are moving toward giving Newton a chance to play with those new arrivals to kick off the regular season, but nothing’s been set in stone in New England at this point, the story concluded.

Total RB snaps:
Mark Ingram 6
Phillip Lindsay 4 (started)
David Johnson 3 (all third downs)

It looks like Johnson's role will be on third downs. We had a story last week that indicated Ingram will make the team and perhaps backup Lindsay, who should get the early-down work as the starter. The Texans aren't expected to be a good team, so the RB usage will be risky for fantasy owners this season, and will maybe need some time to sort itself out.

I asked Kyle Shanahan specifically if the QB dynamic has changed much since he opened camp saying Jimmy Garoppolo is the clearer starter.

His answer: "No. I haven't seen that. I would love for it to be more and more each week. But I think the situation's pretty similar right now."

Related players: Trey Lance

Kawakami broke it down even further, saying his interpretation is Garoppolo is going to start Week 1, and he put it as a 75% chance now. He thinks Lance is going to start at some point this season and feels very confident about that.

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel announced Sunday that he tested positive for COVID.

This off the heels of the Titans having a preseason game and joint practices with the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers. Vrabel will now be in quarantine. He needs two negative tests in a 48-hour span, otherwise he’ll be out ten days. Either way, he should be good to go for Tennessee’s opener on September 12 against the Cardinals.

Colts QB Carson Wentz (foot) is set to return to practice Monday on a limited basis.

This is certainly a positive change from the initial outlook of Wentz’s injury when he was thought to be sidelined 5-12 weeks. It may still be a bit before he’s 100 percent but Wentz seems to be well ahead of schedule after getting his surgery. This is also good news for the Eagles, who get a first-round pick in 2022 if Wentz plays 75 percent of the offensive snaps or 70 percent and the Colts make the playoffs.

N’Keal Harry injured his shoulder in the Patriots’ Thursday preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles after dropping an open deep ball from Mac Jones. Originally he was given a week-to-week timetable but now is expected to miss up to four weeks.

Competing with Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Meyers for a role in the passing game, this timetable would potentially impact New England’s wide receiver depth chart heading into their week one matchup against the Miami Dolphins.

In his Friday article following Thursday's preseason loss to the New England Patriots, Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice broke down his thoughts on who makes the team, and WR Travis Fulgham is on thin ice. "And then there's Fulgham, who has done nothing in camp to prove that he should be on the team, much less an important part of the receiving corps," Kempski wrote. "I still believe he'll stick on the final 53, but it's not the certainty it seemed to be a few weeks ago."

Fulgham lost snaps last season to Greg Ward and now it appears Jalen Reagor and Quez Watkins have usurped him for snaps. Reagor makes sense with draft capital attached to him, but Watkins has been one of the better stories out of Eagles camp. Fulgham's fantasy relevance is waning on a team that was desperate for any talent to shine.

According to a source close to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Dolphins WR Lynn Bowden Jr. has a strained hamstring after an MRI showed no structural damage. Bowden Jr. has no timetable for a return.

The second-year player is buried on the Dolphins receiver depth chart but was dynamic enough as a running back to be switched to wideout. If anything this hurts his chances of establishing himself as a depth option/kick and punt returner. Bowden Jr.'s value is tied to injuries which is an issue for the collected group of players.

Jets WR Corey Davis feels like he and rookie QB Zack Wilson are connecting as training camp goes on according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. “I feel like it’s definitely getting there,” Davis said. "...Zach is a lot more comfortable in the pocket, delivering the ball really accurately. My part, I’m getting open, creating a lot more space for him to make it easy. We’re definitely getting there.”

No need to go overboard with excitement about the connection being established but Wilson's comfort targeting Davis shows positivity for both. Davis was brought in to be a WR1 for the rookie and has taken to the role. It also shows that Davis has not let his walk year be the high bar for what he accomplishes. There should be a lot of growing pains for the Jets offense but an established chemistry between these two is a good start.

According to The Athletic, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Byron Pringle continues to hold the lead for the number three receiver role for the 2021 season.

Pringle has been impressing throughout camp and appears to have passed Demarcus Robinson on the depth chart. Pringle showed flashes last season but did not receive enough playing time to produce on a consistent basis. That figures to change this year as the former UDFA is projected to see starters snaps in one of the most potent offenses in the entire NFL. Pringle is a potential lottery ticket, making him a solid late-round target in all redraft formats. He is currently our 84th ranked wide receiver.

According to the Athletic, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow continues to operate as Derek Carr's most trusted wide receiver.

While his teammates have received more of the buzz this offseason, Hunter Renfrow remains his quarterback's top wide receiver target. The offense will continue to feature Darren Waller, but the rapport Renfrow has continued to develop with Derek Carr may finally translate into consistent production for the underrated wideout. Bryan Edwards, Henry Ruggs, John Brown, and Renfrow all figure to rotate snaps this season, but if he can play at the level he has this summer once the regular season begins, Renfrow may lead the receiving corps in receptions. Currently 93rd in our wide receiver rankings, the third-year wideout may prove to be an exceptional draft day value for those in deeper leagues.

Reuben Franks of NBC Sports Philadelphia wrote an entire piece dedicated to WR Jalen Reagor and his improvement as a receiver. "There’ve been a lot of encouraging things in these first two weeks of camp, but Reagor’s emergence and his ability to consistently make plays has been eye-opening," Frank wrote. "Now, whether he can carry it over to the games remains to be seen. We won’t begin to get an answer to that until next month...But there’s no question the Jalen Reagor we’re seeing this summer is a different guy than the one we saw last year. More comfortable. More confident. More focused. More accountable."

Reading the entire piece is recommended and what should be taken from it is more positive than negative. One aspect that has stood out for the Eagles is the return to health across the board, and that helps Reagor the same as everyone else. The competition for snaps at receiver is wide open and Regaor is competing with another 1st-round pick and to pass catchers that had strong spurts with the team in 2020.

Reagor deserves our attention as the Eagles get ready for their second preseason game.

Washington Football Team RB Antonio Gibson told reporters that he should have approached a few plays differently in their preseason game against the New England Patriots. “In that situation you have to hit it downhill,” he said. “... I could have easily got that. My size, my speed could easily gotten the first down. We would have been in a better situation, given a better play call for coach."

WFT head coach Ron Rivera called Gibson a complete back and hopes he continues to want to improve and become a three-down back.

It is amazing to see how good Gibson was last season after playing receiver in college. He showed raw skill as a back and has shown with his words that learning the running back position is something he takes seriously. John Paulsen has Gibson ranked as his #12 running back in half-point PPR.

After practice Wednesday, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers told reporters that being in year three of Matt LaFleur's system has really made a difference in his preseason performance, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Rodgers said he is more efficient and not grinding through changes over the offseason like he had in previous years.

Improved performance is always positive and the last things the remaining NFL teams need to know is how set Rodgers is for 2021. Despite the loss of GIF-able Rodgers moments when he is frustrated, comfort with the offensive scheme could help prevent Rodgers's efficiency from 2020 crater.

Rob Demovsky of ESPN noted on Twitter Wednesday that Packers WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling is easily having his best camp as a Packer. Demovsky later tweeted that QB Aaron Rodgers hit MVS for a 33-yard touchdown during their two-minute drill in a joint practice against the New York Jets.

For all his faults, MVS has remained within arm's reach of Aaron Rodgers's trust circle and appears to have cemented a coveted spot inside it. The Packers have a gaping hole at WR2 behind Davante Adams, and the field-stretching wideout looks to be the favorite to secure a large portion of receiver snaps.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow told reporters Wednesday that comfort in the pocket was part of completing his preseason recovery from ACL and MCL surgeries, according to Ben Baby of ESPN. "We're good to go now," Burrow said.

Multiple Bengals reporters had noted Burrow's timidness in the pocket earlier in camp. Reps help with chemistry so it appears Burrow is comfortable with his linemen to the point he can run the Bengals offense.

Packers RB A.J. Dillon is not practicing Wednesday because of a calf injury, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. Schneidman calls the decision precautionary.

Monitor his practice reps ahead of Green Bay's next preseason game especially with it being considered the dress rehearsal for the regular season. Dillon will have a role in the Packers offense and is considered one of the best RB hand-cuffs in fantasy football.

Eagle TE Tyree Jackson will miss 8-10 weeks because of a fractured bone in his back, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94 WIP Sports Radio. The injury will not require surgery.

Related Players: Dallas Goedert, Zach Ertz

Why does this matter? It more than likely means Zach Ertz remains with the Eagles and puts a damper on Dallas Goedert's upside. Drafting Goedert at ADP is officially unwarranted. Goedert is ranked 8th and Ertz 24th in John Paulsen's half-point PPR rankings.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters that QB Dak Prescott will continue to be limited at practice. “There’s a good chance he probably won’t play” Saturday against Houston, McCarthy said.

Prescott will continue to strengthen his arm but at some point concern for him being in game shape will set in. The good thing for Dak is he has a full, healthy stable of offensive talent surrounding him.

Colts QB Carson Wentz has been at practice the past six days without a protective boot or cast according to Zak Keefer of The Athletic. This fits the most recent news that Wentz could be ready for Week 1 of the regular season.

While Wentz being free of restrictive protection is as positive as it gets, the process to getting into game shape is what matters with Wentz's return. Fingers crossed his timeline isn't rushed with the constant positive news and we get a full season of the new Colts quarterback.

If the Texans plan to keep Deshaun Watson in the fold but not on the field pending the resolution of his legal issues, they need to set the stage for putting him on injured reserve. By citing injuries when he didn’t practice earlier in camp, they seemed to be doing so.

On Tuesday, coach David Culley blew a hole in that plan.

“No, he’s not injured,” Culley said. “We come up each day and we have a thing for him, and basically we got done what we needed to get done yesterday in practice.”

Culley said Watson is in the building and doing what is asked of him and should "be back out here pretty soon," according to the story. The story also added that Culley’s claim that Watson isn’t injured, if not an instance of Culley misspeaking (or inadvertently telling the truth), could mean that the team is preparing to tell Watson that it’s time to earn his money.

Steelers WR Chase Claypool did not suffer a significant injury in practice today, sources say.

Many who saw the injury did say it looked bad and Claypool needed help getting off the field. Reports said the injury was to his ankle but Garafolo didn't have an update on that in his tweet. Other outlets say the injury was a minor sprain to his ankle.

Kerryon Johnson being released. Eagles backs as of now will probably be:

Miles Sanders
Boston Scott
Jordan Howard
Kenny Gainwell
Jason Huntley

The tweet went on to say it should means Howard makes the team. Reports are he's dropped some pounds and has looked good in camp this summer. Howard is one of those guys who seems like he's been around forever but is still just 26-years-old. Scott and Sanders are expected to carry a lot of the load and Gainwell is a rookie. The author added Huntley is on the roster bubble.

When a coach singles you out, as was the case with Trent Sherfield and Jauan Jennings, that’s a terrific sign that they’ll make the roster.

We know Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are locks to make the roster. So let’s add Mohamed Sanu to the list, which leaves one spot for Jalen Hurd, Nsimba Webster, River Cracraft, and Richie James.

The story says the 49ers top guys should remain at the top of the depth chart, but it's possible Shanahan was trying to get the attention of Samuel and Aiyuk, the author went on to say. It's seems to be a crowded position, but keep an eye out for Sherfield and Jennings.

Chase Claypool went down at the end of practice, looks lower body.

Ben Roethlisberger and Eric Ebron helped him over to the sideline so he wasn’t putting any weight on the injury, according to the tweet. Other reports said it looked to be something with Claypool's left ankle and looked like something more than a minor injury.

Saquon Barkley just wore a red non-contact jersey in some slight contact 7-on-7 stuff.

The tweet went on to say it's the most the media has seen from him so far. Barkley's status for Week 1 is still in question but as the story said, it's been a steady, slow progression.

Michael Strachan's ascent the past few weeks has been startling. Strachan, a seventh-round pick out of D-II Charleston, has been among the biggest surprises of camp.

Put simply, the kid can play. He proves it every time he’s out there.

CB Xavier Rhodes has praised the most, but it's easy to find positive Strachan updates this offseason. Rhodes especially praised Strachan's physical makeup. It's a crowded WR group in Indy so maybe don't expect Strachan to see much time this season.

Dolphins coach Brian Flores said on Tuesday that veteran wide receiver Allen Hurns will eventually be placed on injured reserve after a Monday report that he will likely miss three months with wrist surgery. This comes as Miami has had Will Fuller out since the first practice of training camp, been without DeVante Parker for more practices than he’s participated in, had Albert Wilson miss the past week-plus and Preston Williams on the physically-unable-to-perform list since the start of camp.

“We’ll see about [Wednesday]. They’re day to day. They’re all working to get back,” Flores said. “Those become pretty competitive practices, very competitive practices. With guys who have been out, you kind of want to ease them back, so if they are back, I wouldn’t expect too much out of them. But getting closer, I would say.”

Related players: Jaylen Waddle, Mack Hollins, Lynn Bowden

The story went on to say Parker, Fuller, Wilson and Williams continued to sit out Tuesday, which was a lighter walkthrough session before the Dolphins welcome the Atlanta Falcons for joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday. With the slew of top wideouts missing, the Dolphins started Waddle with Hollins in Week 1 of the preseason. Bowden ended up leading wide receivers later in the game with four receptions for 47 yards.

Giants GM Dave Getleman on the erratic start to camp for rookie WR Kadarius Toney: "It doesn’t make us any less enthused about him. The kid’s a tremendous talent."

Related players: Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Kenny Golladay

Toney has got off to a slow start in camp, missing time after being on the COVID-19 list. But even when he was on the field, he didn't stand out according to many other reports. He's also missed time with an undisclosed injury. The critics have been saying he's spent more time with trainers than on the field. With Shepard, Slayton and Golladay in the fold, Toney may struggle for snaps.

Darren Waller is back at practice for the Raiders.

Waller has been out for a couple of weeks with an ankle injury. Waller was expected to be ready to go for Wee 1 of the regular season, but it's still nice to see his return to the practice field.

Kyle Allen says Washington is trying to push Antonio Gibson into a similar role as Christian McCaffrey played in Carolina.

Related players: J.D McKissic, Jaret Patterson, Peyton Barber

That's a big role, as the tweet went on to say. But Rivera would know the role well, coming from Carolina. He's compared Gibson to McCaffrey in the past so it may not be a big surprise. But as we learned last year, McKissic is very nice pass catching back who could ease some of that workload, and undrafted free agent Patterson has looked good as well. He was recently compared to Darren Sproles. But this is certainly good news for Gibson and his potential workload.

DeVonta Smith getting back to team reps is a big deal. Very positive news for the Eagles.

Smith was limited Monday so he continues to improve. The Eagles offense had a nice day against the Patriots defense on Monday in live drills, and that was without Smith in the lineup. Since 2010, the seven receivers drafted inside the first 10 picks who played at least 13 games have seen an average of 113 targets as rookies. Moreover, they’ve averaged 61 catches for 915 yards and 6.9 touchdowns. This is the sort of production we're expecting from Smith.

From general manager George Paton to coach Vic Fangio and on down, the Denver Broncos say they don't hear the clock ticking on their quarterback decision. Eventually the calendar will demand they make one, though.

Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater have been in the swirl of a competition since Bridgewater's arrival in April. They have traded good days, bad days, touchdowns, turnovers, mistakes and plenty of the-decision-is-not-up-to-me missives along the way. But August is rolling along and September is on the horizon.

Paton said they don't have a timeframe, according to the story. He added the team loves the competition that's happening between the two. Each QB will get a preseason start, which means it's Bridgewater's turn in Week 2 after Lock started Week 1. As the story said, just because the team says they don't have a timeframe doesn't mean they don't have a plan and have been working on it behind closed doors.

The emphasis on getting Rashaad Penny outside the tackles reinforces the team’s belief in him as a home-run hitter. The change-of-pace, potential game-breaker they plan to deploy after they open games using Chris Carson to smash the defense in the face.

Related players: Travis Homer, DeeJay Dallas

This story does a nice job of breaking down the roles for Seahawk RBs: Carson will be the main back with Dallas and Homer the third down backs. Dallas looks to be the main receiver while Homer is the better pass blocker. That leaves Penny as the primary backup to Carson, who will see that change of pace role, perhaps especially in the second half or later in games when Carson has worn down the defense. Penny also seems to have handcuff value to Carson based on these roles.

Tylan Wallace, WR: With several of the top receivers still sidelined, last week was a major opportunity for the rookie fourth-round pick to break out. However, he had another relatively quiet week of practice and then he was held without a catch in his preseason debut. He also muffed a punt, which he’s done in practice, too.

The story added Wallace nearly made a heck of a catch on a pass on the sideline, but couldn’t get two feet in. It went on to say Wallace really needs to make a few big plays, whether it’s in practice or the preseason, to start gaining some momentum. Wallace’s roster spot is secure. He’s playing to prove that he should be active on game days and he has work to do in that regard.

Quintez Cephus was back today, after missing about a week.

Related players: Breshad Perriman, Tyrell Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown

The tweet said Cephus had a nice TD grab on a slant from the slot during a 7-on-7, red-zone drill. The tweet also added that Cephus might not be exactly what this regime wants, athletically, but he's still an inside/outside WR who runs really sharp routes. We have Cephus ranked fourth among the Lion receivers. The good news is, the Lions will likely be playing from behind a lot this year so there could be opportunity to climb the rankings.

Justin Jefferson (shoulder) already back in pads today.

The tweet said Jefferson got minimal 11-on-11 work, which is great news. He even caught a swing pass the tweet added.

The Detroit Lions spent a lot of their offseason trying to build a viable running game. Now with training camp headed for the home stretch, they’re finally about to get a look at it.

Starting running back D’Andre Swift is expected to return to practice on Tuesday evening, according to head coach Dan Campbell.

Related players: Jamaal Williams

Swift has been slowed by a sore groin that has held him out of the majority of team drills during camp, the story said. Williams, the former Packers running back who signed a two-year deal with Detroit this offseason, has repped as the No. 1 running back for the majority of camp. He’s looked good doing it too, the story sent on to say. Williams should still have a significant role this year.

Phillip Lindsay, who received five carries on the Texans’ first possession Saturday, should also make the roster. In fact, he might lead the team in carries.

Related players: Mark Ingram, David Johnson

If one preseason possession is any indication — and it isn’t necessarily — Johnson will be the Texans’ third-down back while Lindsay takes most of the early-down snaps, the story said. At least that was the case Saturday in the one series the two running backs played, it went on to say. The author thinks by the team not playing Ingram, they could be saving his legs for the regular season, and the assumption is he'll have a role as well. It's look like the dreaded committee situation on what will probably be a bad team.

David Culley did not have an update on the severity of WR Anthony Miller’s shoulder dislocation, but he said he is hopeful Miller will play this season.

Related players: Brandin Cooks, Nico Collins

The injury was called a “slight dislocation” immediately after the game. Miller previously underwent surgeries on his left shoulder after experiencing dislocations, however this injury was to his right shoulder. This will obviously set him back for any kind of significant playing time upon his return.

“Pick one and put them in. We like all three guys. They do some things,” HC Brian Flores on his thought process for the backs rotation.

Related players: Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed, Malcolm Brown

Twitter was buzzing during the Dolphins game as Brown got the start and a majority of the touches. Beat writers pointed out that while Brown has had a good camp, Gaskin has been just as good, if not better, according to those reporters. The Dolphins were rumored to draft or bring in a bigger name at the position, but that didn't happen and the hope by many would be that Gaskin would be the lead back. That could still happen, but at least for now, there is some coach-speak that the team likes all of their backs.

It was a rough night for veteran running backs Latavius Murray and Devonta Freeman.

The duo combined for only 12 yards on 11 carries. Murray missed a block on a blitz pickup in the first quarter. Both players lost a fumble. Murray and Freeman could be battling each other for a roster spot, even though I assume Murray will make the team.

Related players: Alvin Kamara, Tony Jones Jr.

It's hard to believe Murray wouldn't be the team's RB2, at least based off last year's production. Whoever wins the job, it's worth noting especially for those wanting to handcuff Kamara. But, the team's RB2 could also have stand-alone value in certain leagues as well. Meanwhile, Jones Jr. stole the show among the running backs, according to the story, with 82 rushing yards on seven carries, including an 18-yard touchdown. The story added, at worst, Jones should be a practice squad player for the Saints.

Marquez Callaway looked the part of a primary pass catcher for the Saints with Michael Thomas, Tre’Quan Smith and Deonte Harris on the sideline. He snagged three receptions for 61 yards.

Callaway is having a great camp and he's getting noticed - maybe not quite on Elijah Moore level, however. With Thomas scheduled to miss part of the season, Callaway certainly has a chance to earn significant time and could be worth a later-round pick.

"I can just tell you we feel good about where we're at right now," said HC Frank Reich about Carson Wentz.

Related players: Jacob Eason

Keefer went on to say in his tweet that Wentz begins rehab this week. While it's positive news, Reich also declined to specify if the team has any update on where he'll fall in the 5-12 week timetable. Reports have said Wentz has a shot to be ready Week 1.

Peter King told Fox's Colin Cowherd if Aaron Rodgers doesn't want to play for the Packers after this season, he can request a trade, but can't demand where he wants to be traded. Rodgers can also play out the contract for the next two years for Green Bay and become a free agent in 2023 at the age of 39. King said Rodgers would be what Tom Brady was at the age of 42.

At that point, Rodgers can play wherever he wants. King said it's possible Rodgers could then sign a free agent contract with the Packers, and play out his career. King said Rodgers isn't "kicking and screaming" right now, even off the record. Rodgers seems to be playing in the moment and hasn't made a decision about 2022, mostly because he can't according to King, because Rodgers doesn't know what the 2021 season will bring.

Baltimore Ravens backup quarterback Trace McSorley will miss the rest of the preseason with a back injury.

With McSorley sidelined, Tyler Huntley is now the frontrunner to become the backup quarterback to Lamar Jackson.

McSorley injured his back picking up a box on Saturday, just hours before the Ravens' preseason opener. He played with back spasms, completing 11-of-18 passes for 86 yards and one interception.

Dak Prescott is on track to potentially take the field when the Dallas Cowboys play host to the Houston Texans on Saturday.

Prescott had a second MRI, which the team said was scheduled, but still caused panic. The story said Prescott has resumed throwing in measured amounts and feels no soreness, but the Cowboys wanted one additional MRI to make sure all is well before allowing him to formally get back to throwing in team drills in practice.

The Cardinals announced several roster moves on Monday, notably activating running back James Conner off the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Related players: Chase Edmonds

Conner went on the list on Aug. 12 as a high-risk close contact. This season, only players who have not been vaccinated are placed on the COVID-19 list for being in proximity with someone who has tested positive. Conner is expected to split the workload with Edmonds this season.

But the rookie who shined brightest Sunday was wideout Terrace Marshall, who pulled in three passes for 88 yards, including a 60-yard gain on a scramble play by P.J. Walker.

Related players: David Moore, D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson

The story said David Moore didn’t have a bad day (two catches for 26 yards), but Marshall seemingly has a leg up on the No. 3 WR competition. Marshall will still be behind D.J. Moore and Anderson, and of course RB Christian McCaffrey when it comes to pass catching, but Marshall's certainly a name to watch. We had a story on Marshall last week that said the Panthers do have big plans for him.

Robert Saleh says Elijah Moore not expected back this week.

Moore, who has been one of the more popular names in all of the NFL this summer, has a chance to be back next week. The tweet went on to say the team isn't worried about his Week 1 status.

Denver Broncos rookie running back Javonte Williams looked sharp in his NFL debut on Saturday evening, rushing five times for 29 yards in a 33-6 preseason win over the Minnesota Vikings. The second-round draft pick also rushed for a touchdown, but the score was nullified by a holding penalty.

Related players: Melvin Gordon

The story said the team wanted to see Williams and his ability to break tackles and felt he was able to do that in his first preseason game. Williams is trending to be the team's Week 1 starter despite Gordon still being around. Gordon was a no-show for OTAs and the team traded up to get Williams so things are beginning to add up. It's a battle to keep an eye on this summer before drafts.

Zack Moss practices and participated in team drills.

Related players: Devin Singletary

Moss was dealing with a hamstring injury. We think Moss has the potential to be an RB2, but certainly has a lot in his way, especially QB Josh Allen who is the team's goal line back most of the time. The good news is Moss was out-snapping Singletary last year when both players were healthy and since the team traded up to get Moss in 2020, the feeling is that should continue in 2021. We think if Moss can get 65% of the snaps, he'll get to that RB2 value.

Ron Rivera said Curtis Samuel practiced off to the side because they didn't want to risk him slipping on the field during the rain.

Keim went on to say that he didn't really notice anyone slipping on the turf Monday in the rain, so it seems the WFT is being really safe with Samuel. The team said Sunday they don't plan to rush him back, but they are comfortable because Samuel is familiar with Rivera's system.

Packers QB Jordan Love, who had a clean MRI on his shoulder this weekend, is not expected to practice today, source said.

Related players: Aaron Rodgers

Rapoport said Tuesday is a walk-through for the Packers, so it will be a few days off for Love.

Listen to Urban Meyer talk about how the offense missed "juice" without D.J. Chark.

The good news for the Jags is Chark was seen at practice with a helmet. As Shipley said, it would be a big return to an offense that missed his speed.

Ravens WR Sammy Watkins left the practice field early with a trainer.

Related players: Marquise Brown, Rashod Bateman

There wasn't any more specific news on Watkins, but perhaps most important thing to note is the Ravens were without their top-three WRs for the last hour of practice, and perhaps longer if the injuries linger. Brown (hamstring) and Bateman (groin) are also sidelined.

DeVonta Smith (knee) is limited today.

The tweet added Smith is at least participating in individual drills. He's dressed in full pads as well, but the Birds are doing joint practices today with the Patriots. It's at least good news he's making his way back.

The plan is still for Andy Dalton to be the Week 1 starter, Matt Nagy said. Justin Fields is the 2.

Plans can change, as Fields looked pretty good in his debut on Saturday. But chances are Fields will have to show a lot more to unseat Dalton, who also has been productive in camp.

TE Jonnu Smith sustained a low left ankle sprain early in Sunday’s practice.

Related players: Hunter Henry

There is no firm timetable on his return, according to the tweet. But based on the initial diagnosis, it isn’t considered a serious injury the tweet went on to say. The Pats spent heavily on TE this offseason bringing in Smith and Henry, but now both are missing time leading up to the season.

The biggest point to remember for now is that there’s no timeline, and that the criminal process definitely doesn’t care about the football calendar. With no team likely to trade anything of value for Watson while the criminal process is unresolved, the Texans will soon have to make a decision about Deshaun Watson’s status pending further developments.

Subpoenas are being issued for a grand jury regarding the 10 criminal complaints. As the story understands it, it’s not a grand jury that specifically has been convened for the purposes of exploring the allegations against Watson. Instead, it’s simply part of the normal process of preparing cases for potential presentation to the four separate grand juries that consider potential indictments of alleged crimes in Harris County, Texas on a quarterly basis.

The story added two primary options exist: (1) shift Watson to injured reserve and pay him not to play; or (2) tell him it’s time to start getting ready to earn the contract he was given last year, unless and until the league office puts him on paid leave. The Texans reportedly are hoping he comes to the conclusion that it’s time to suit up and play without being pressured to do so.

Washington WR Curtis Samuel (groin) was activated off the Physically Unable to Perform list Sunday.

Washington head coach Ron Rivera stated the team will not rush Samuel back. Samuel continues to work on the sideline, in pads, with trainers. He has not fully practiced since June OTAs. As Jhabvala also tweeted, "Ron Rivera said Curtis Samuel does 'not necessarily' need preseason reps for them to feel comfortable with where he's at 'but he'll be out there.' Rivera reiterated that they're not going to rush him back." Washington also released WR Kelvin Harmon.

Dolphins RB Malcolm Brown started over Myles Gaskin in Miami's first preseason game. He finished with 16 snaps yielding an unimpressive nine carries for eight yards. Gaskin saw seven snaps resulting in six touches for 28 yards.

Myles Gaskin is being drafted as RB21 (half-PPR) while Malcolm Brown is sitting at RB51. This is a backfield to monitor as early reports suggest the Dolphins favor Brown as their starting running back and today's preseason game supports this outlook.

Titans RB Darrynton Evans started in place of Derrick Henry in their first preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons. On his fourth carry he pulled up on and outside run and didn't return per a clip from Josh Norris of Underdog Fantasy.

Darrynton Evans missed 10 games his rookie season with a strained hamstring and while the reports have said knee the video shows "either a hamstring or (less likely) proximal calf” [credit @DrJesseMorse]. Tennessee holds Brian Hill, Jeremy McNichols and Mekhi Sargent behind Henry and Evans, this will be a backfield situation to monitor going forward.

According to Tanner Reed of The Athletic, Las Vegas Raiders superstar tight end Darren Waller is expected to be ready for the regular season.

Waller has been sidelined since August 2nd with an ankle injury but is expected to be ready for the Raiders regular season opener. Both the coaching staff and quarterback Derek Carr do not appear to be too concerned with the prolific tight end missing time, largely due to the pre-existing rapport the quarterback and tight end have proven on the field. Waller's absence has allowed Carr to gain more trust in his other weapons, namely, Henry Ruggs, Bryan Edwards, and Foster Moreau. Fantasy managers should proceed as normal as far as it pertains to targeting Waller in fantasy drafts. Waller is currently ranked as our TE2 for the season.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson has a chance to play a significant role this season.

The Van Jefferson hype machine took a hit when the Los Angeles Rams signed veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Still, according to Fowler, Jefferson may earn the number three wide receiver role and spell Robert Woods or Cooper Kupp in two wide sets. Fowler added that DeSean will still have his packages but that 'the Rams won't overload his snaps.' Currently 69th in our wide receiver rankings, Jefferson may see a value increase if/when he is officially named the number three. This news makes him an intriguing late-round flier, and someone who those who have already drafted may want to check the waiver wire for. DeSean Jackson's already tenuous value will take a hit if Fowler's prediction comes to fruition. This is a situation to monitor.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is headed for a second MRI on his right shoulder strain.

Dak is dealing with a more uncommon injury for NFL quarterbacks, which spurred the organization to reach out to the Texas Rangers for more information. He is still expected to be ready for the season opener at this time, especially since he has already resumed light throwing. Still, this is a situation to monitor for a player who is expected to have a big season. Currently, our 10th ranked quarterback, Dak, has the weapons, opportunity, and projected gamescript to provide a solid ADP return on investment.

According to Connor Hughes on Twitter, New York Jets rookie wide receiver Elijah Moore is being evaluated for a quad injury and will undergo an MRI.

Elijah Moore had been making waves in camp, so hopefully, for everyone involved, the injury does not force him to miss any significant time. He is indeed at risk of missing the Jets' first preseason game this Saturday, but as long as he can return by the final preseason contest, he should still open the season as a three-wide starter. The Jets starters are not expected to play more than a series or two this weekend, so Moore will not be missing many live game reps if he can make it back for next week. Following his ascension to the first-team offense, Moore became a trendy sleeper and should prove to be an ADP bargain. Stay tuned for further updates.

According to Jeff Zrebiec on Twitter, Baltimore Ravens rookie wide receiver Rashod Bateman will require surgery for his injured groin and will be sidelined 'until some point in September'.

This is a tough blow for the promising rookie wide receiver. 38th in our wide receiver rankings before the news, Bateman will see both his ranking and ADP take a tumble. There is no definitive timeline for his return available. Zrebiec speculated that the Ravens might choose to place him on designated to return I.R., which would keep him sidelined until at least Week 4. Bateman was expected to compete for a significant role in a Ravens passing attack that was expected to open up the playbook. Marquise Brown and Sammy Watkins are now locked in the top two receiver roles when healthy, but this also means that Tylan Wallace, Devin Duvernay, and perhaps James Proche have an opportunity to open the season as the third wide receiver.

The Houston Texans unofficial depth chart on their website lists WR Chris Conley as the second starting wide receiver, according to Aaron Wilson. Anthony Miller and and KeKe Coutee are listed second behind Conley and Brandin Cooks. Nico Collins is as a WR6.

This is not a surprise according to Wilson, but on a team that is unsettled at the position, it is noteworthy to see Conley as a starter. The Texans should be an avoid in all drafts as long as Deshaun Watson is not under center.

Bears WR Allen Robinson did not practice Wednesday with a hamstring issue, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Wednesday was a joint practice between the Bears and Miami Dolphins.

Hamstrings are the rage in training camp. Robinson was a late scratch ahead of practice and not much else is known as of early Wednesday afternoon.

Giants WR Darius Slayton told reporters that he and QB Daniel Jones has natural chemistry and see the game the same way according to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.

"Slayton flies under the radar right now as a key part of this offense, even if his role will be different with more bodies at the position," Leonard tweeted.

The third-year receiver accumulated 11 more receiving yards than his rookie season, but averaged six fewer yards per game. It is unknown how targets will be distributed with the arrivals of Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney, but a strong connection is valuable between a receiver and quarterback. Slayton is John Paulsen's WR81, 17 spots ahead of Toney and 26 spots behind Sterling Shepard.

While talking to reporters Wednesday, Jets head coach Robert Saleh said that the Jets are “absolutely not” giving up on WR Denzel Mims.

This after he had one of his better days at practice.

The Jets depth chart says otherwise, Robert. Based on practice reports and the unofficial chart on the Jets website, Mims is the WR5. Mims was a draft pick of the previous regime and is behind the team's two outside receiver free agent signings - Corey Davis and Keelan Cole. With the ups and downs expected from the Jets offense, it is difficult to consider Mims a fantasy contributor short of injuries wiping out the team's receiving depth.

In his '10 Takeaways' column, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic wrote that RBs Najee Harris and Anthony McFarland will be the team's one-two punch in the backfield. "McFarland has shown the most promise of all the competitors," Kaboly wrote. "He fits into Matt Canada’s scheme, which is a plus, and his running abilities are notably better than a year ago."

Kalen Ballage was mentioned as a similar runner as Harris.

Two things to take from here. 1) McFarland will have a steady role as a pass catcher and runner. 2) If Harris were to be out for any amount of time, Ballage would likely take his role.

If you are of the handcuffing persuasion, Ballage is the Harris handcuff according to Kaboly.

In Cameron DaSilva's 'Stock Up, Stock Down' column, he noted RB Xavier Jones as a player whose stock is up. Rams head coach Sean McVay said Tuesday that he thinks Jones is “going to carve out a role for himself” and someone the Rams are “expecting to count on throughout the season.”

McVay also said Jones is a willing pass protector.

With Darrell Henderson Jr. as the unquestioned RB1 for the Rams, Jones appears set to be the favorite to back him up. The second year back is ahead of Jake Funk, who has also impressed McVay according to DaSilva.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that rookie WR Rashod Bateman has a soft tissue injury and will be out weeks. Harbaugh is still hopeful for Bateman to play Week 1.

Big yikes. Bateman was looking like a Swiss Army knife-type player for the Ravens but now is tough to roster ahead of the regular season. The only healthy receiver of note for the Ravens is Sammy Watkins. Fingers crossed Bateman only deals with this injury now and it does not linger into the regular season.

Bills RB Zack Moss will not practice Wednesday due to a hamstring injury. Moss was also on Tuesday's injury report with the same injury.

Not ideal for Moss to be dealing with an injury in the midst of a strong camp in which he has outplayed Devin Singletary. If this is more of a day-to-day issue, then clearly there is less concern. The issue is hamstring injuries are not created equally.

Colts QB Carson Wentz is trending to start Week 1. Chris Mortensen of ESPN tweeted Wednesday morning that Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger are practicing/competing for the back-up quarterback job, which puts Wentz's recovery timeline closer to five weeks than 12 as originally expected after foot surgery.

The same goes for OG Quenton Nelson who underwent the same surgery days later. While a return for the start of the NFL season is the best case scenario for Wentz, concerns about his mobility and game readiness will deservedly be questioned. A healthy Wentz is also great news for the offensive weapons on the Colts.

I thought it was Joe Burrow’s best day yet. Confident, scrambling at times, and making good intermediate throws for 1st downs. By my count, 10-for-15 in full team drills including a drive that ended with a short Joe Mixon TD run.

I also thought it was Ja’Marr Chase’s best practice so far with a TD in 7-on-7s.

It's good to see from the Bengals, as we've seen several reports this summer about their offense struggling. We also had a report about Chase on Monday that painted a picture of him struggling with separation and drops. So it's perhaps a turning point for the Bengals today.

Kyle Shanahan said Jalen Hurd just “didn’t feel right” this morning and that’s why he was doing work on the side. Shanahan says he hopes Hurd can consistently be back on the practice field before the 49ers have to make roster decisions.

49ers WR Wes Welker took it a step further in a Nick Wagoner tweet, saying this about Hurd: "He’s a smart guy and he understands the plays and all that stuff. But you can know it all you want. If you don’t practice, it’s just really hard to make our football team." Hurd's roster spot looks to be in question.

Ravens first round WR Rashod Bateman suffered a soft tissue injury at practice today, source said.

He’ll have tests and the severity isn’t known, Rapoport went on to say, but it’s not structural. Bateman is a fantastic prospect, though his 2021 outlook is muddled thanks to the Ravens’ run-oriented attack, the presence of Marquise Brown (and Sammy Watkins) and Mark Andrews as the team’s most dependable receiver.

Amari Cooper has been activated from the PUP list by the Cowboys -- after passing his most recent physical.

Walker went on to tweet the expectation isn't that Cooper will be fully unleashed in practice immediately, but instead ramped up to make sure he's full speed for Week 1 without risking a preseason setback. But he's good to go at the moment.

I’ll add my thoughts to the general Josh Reynolds discussion… it’s not crazy to think that Marcus Johnson or Chester Rogers could emerge as the Titans WR3 given how camp has gone. He’s making $762,500 more than Johnson, it’s not like they’re super committed to him financially.

Related players: Dez Fitzpatrick

It's not that long ago Reynolds was a popular fantasy target and a potential WR2. But now Julio Jones is opposite A.J. Brown and Herndon went as far to say that it wouldn't be jaw-dropping if Reynolds doesn't make the cut. Herndon added Reynolds has some work to do the rest of camp.

Ravens RB coach Craig Ver Steeg says J.K. Dobbins is a natural pass catcher. His drops last season had to do with a lack of “seasoning.”

Related players: Gus Edwards

The tweet went on to say Dobbins has caught everything thrown his way this camp. We rank Dobbins 21st among our RBs in PPR leagues, but we think he has a real shot at fantasy RB1 numbers since he’s a very productive runner and the Ravens’ running game is top-notch. HC John Harbaugh indicated that he wants to involve the running backs in the passing game more often this season and Dobbins did have a sizable receiving role while at Ohio State. Edwards will still be a factor but if Dobbins can stand out in the passing game he could shoot up the rankings.

"Quez Watkins. Quez is having an awesome camp, making plays down the field. He's been consistent. He's been working hard on and off the field. I'm going to keep working him and helping him reach his potential," said Eagles DB Darius Slay.

Related players: Jalen Reagor, DeVonta Smith, John Hightower, Travis Fulgham, Greg Ward

Slay isn't the only one who has praised Watkins as of late, the beat writers are noticing too. A recent story by NBC Sports Philly said, "Watkins has been the best overall receiver at Eagles training camp this summer and just had a tremendous night in front of nearly 26,000 Eagles fans on Sunday at the Linc." The only real lock at WR is Smith for the Eagles, who is still trying to find his way back on the practice field. So, it's easy to think Watkins will get a chance to make contributions if he keeps up this pace.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, wide receiver: Do with this observation what you wish, but Valdes-Scantling’s hands have been noticeably better so far in camp. Not just on blatantly catchable balls, some of which he has dropped in the past, but on passes he has no business catching, too. If he keeps this up, he’s the clear-cut No. 2 wideout behind Davante Adams.

Related players: Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard

The story said Valdes-Scantling isn’t just a deep-ball threat anymore, and that’s scary for defenses that have largely been able to game plan for a one-dimensional receiver in the past. Perhaps the biggest thing to take away is "if he keeps this up." We currently rank MVS as the team's WR4 behind Cobb and Lazard.

Kylin Hill, running back: The rookie seventh-rounder has a little burst to him, and he’s also the front-runner to return kickoffs. Being able to contribute on special teams will be a requirement of the third running back.

Related players: Aaron Jones, A.J. Dillon

Maybe the biggest note to take away is the author speculated Hill could get 15-20% of the snaps as the team's RB3. The author said last year as the RB3, Dillon got a little less than 10% of the snaps, so the additional snaps will have to come from somewhere if Hill gets that kind of percentage.

"Really encouraging" is how Joe Judge described how Saquon Barkley came out of his first practice.

Raanan noted the work Barkley did is an extension of his rehab. Raanan added Barkley also won't be participating in 11-on-11 live drills next week in joint practices vs. Cleveland, per Judge. The jury is still out on if Barkley will be ready for Week 1. Barkley has been quoted as saying he really doesn't know his Week 1 status at this point. Other reports have said he'll return by Week 3.

Patriots TE Hunter Henry now is expected to miss “a couple of weeks” with the shoulder injury he suffered last weekend.

Related players: Jonnu Smith

The good news, according to the rest of Schefter's tweet, is the injury isn't serious. But in the meantime, Smith will perhaps get a leg up on Henry at the position.

No position has been hit harder than receiver, where Tyrell Williams (groin/dislocated finger), Breshad Perriman (hip), Quintez Cephus (head) and Damion Ratley (unknown) have all missed time in recent days.

Williams was back on the field Monday, the story said, but Perriman, Cephus and Ratley remained out. The story went on to say that forced the Lions to promote Kalif Raymond and Victor Bolden to the starting lineup on Monday, plus sign free agent Darius Jennings.

Add running back to the positions that have been hit by the bug as well, after rookie Jermar Jefferson left practice on Monday with a leg injury. D’Andre Swift also has missed significant practice time while nursing a sore groin.

Related players: Jamaal Williams

The story said it's a big blow for Jefferson, who has been having a nice camp and figured to play a large role in the preseason opener on Friday against Buffalo. As for Swift, the story said he’s suited up almost every day, but rarely has participated in seven-on-seven or 11-on-11 work. That's left Williams as the main back for the Lions.

The informal unveiling of the Seahawks’ new offense could not have gone much better Sunday. Russell Wilson and the No. 1 offense needed just three minutes to cover 82 yards on eight plays, an opening drive that ended with a Chris Carson 1-yard touchdown run.

Wilson acknowledged after the mock game that he essentially called all the plays at the line of scrimmage during the opening drive.

This is what Wilson wanted all along.

Wilson has expressed a desire to get the offense going faster, the story said. Over the past two seasons, the offense was often at its best in no-huddle, two-minute situations. But a counter to this is when it doesn't work and it puts more pressure on the Seahawks defense when the offense plays fast and goes three-and-out. The story added HC Pete Carroll likely won't stand for that so it so it will be interesting to see how much patience he has.

Nick Sirianni has been very specific on what the Philadelphia Eagles have been working on with Jalen Hurts throughout training camp. Footwork has been the driving force of the coaching staff, as the Eagles believe Hurts will be more consistent with the proper technique -- and deliver better throws as a result.

The Eagles aren't trying to develop Hurts into a pocket passer, but they want him to be better in the pocket, the story said. What makes Hurts a starting quarterback in the NFL is the ability to extend the play with his legs. The story went on to say Hurts often took off running last year after his first read was covered, so the Eagles are looking to work on that. Hurts is considered a low-end QB1, ranked 10th on our list.

The 49ers also have been pleasantly surprised by Trey Sermon’s route-running and pass-catching ability, which he got to display early in his college career at Oklahoma but not as much last season at Ohio State. He’s shown unexpected wiggle to shake free of the 49ers’ linebackers in one-on-one drills.

Related players: Raheem Mostert

The story made an interesting point, saying Sermon has already won over position coach Bobby Turner. And something to keep in mind is it’s Turner, the most veteran member of Kyle Shanahan’s staff, who determines the running back pecking order and the workload for each tailback during a game. The story did say Sermon is currently the team's RB2 behind Mostert.

Unless the Falcons bring in another change-of-pace RB to compete with Javian Hawkins, I'd actually say his place on the 53-man roster is pretty safe.

Related players: Mike Davis, Qadree Ollison

Knight pointed out the Falcons already cut his biggest competition in Tony Brooks-James. Ollison will also be involved in the offense but as of now it looks like Davis is going to be the team's main back coming off a pretty good 2020 filling in for Christian McCaffrey. As we point out though, Davis has just a 3.7 YPC average for his career, so the guys behind him could end up getting chances.

Cowboys WR Michael Gallup is enjoying his increased work in slot. “That’s a whole different route tree than playing outside. ...Everybody labels me as just a ‘deep-ball threat,’ but I know I can do a whole lot more.” Been focused on route-running, conceptual details this camp.

Related players: Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb

Gehlken went on to tweet that all three Cowboy WRs can play from the slot, which will add a new wrinkle to the offense. As Gallup said, corners won't be able to follow anyone and will have to change up the defense. Gallup could have some later-round fantasy value with his ranking of 49th and an ADP of the ninth round in 12-team leagues.

A thought existed that Ja'Marr Chase could walk on to the Paul Brown Stadium practice fields and dominate from the first snap. His skill set is that unique. You see flashes of that early, but you also see somebody tentatively getting used to a new offense, new league and not playing football since January 2020. He has endured a string of drops, on short and long passes, with another coming Sunday. He has not shown as much separation as you’d hope, and the contested balls haven’t gone his way much, either.

Chase is ranked 20th among our WRs right off the bat. But as the story said, this isn't to say he won’t start picking that up with more reps over the next month, and the story isn't trying to sound an alarm. The good news is, Chase is working after practice every day and, by all accounts, taking it seriously, and his skills and history are too impressive to think he won’t find a groove once he starts playing off instincts instead of constantly having to think about what he’s doing every play, the story said. It went on to say, most of this is all part of being a rookie receiver and improving as you go. But after 10 practices, Chase is clearly still fighting the rookie learning curve.

Stefon Diggs missed Bills practice today with a knee injury.

There wasn't any other information from Fetes about Diggs, but a tweet by Matthew Bove showed a video of Diggs coaching up his teammates during practice today, so it doesn't appear to be anything serious.

Justin Jefferson should be back 'soon,' HC Mike Zimmer said.

Zimmer added "it's not a tweak" as far as Jefferson's shoulder injury goes. The tweet also said Zimmer wouldn't confirm the reported AC joint sprain. Whatever the issue is, it sounds like Jefferson avoided something major and will be back sooner than later.

Lots of people talking about Michael Carter, but Tevin Coleman is having a really good camp, too.

Hughes said Coleman is still really fast and on Monday took a screen to the house outrunning the entire defense up the right sideline. While Carter is the hot name and a rookie, and having a good camp as well, signs have indicated this could be more of a split at RB for the Jets this season. However, we rank Carter at 25th among our RBs, which is well ahead of Coleman's rank of 60th. We think Carter is the back to own here.

Remember, the goal is going to be to maximize Darrell Henderson’s availability, and his ability.

Related players: Xavier Jones, Jake Funk

The story went on to say it will be a "likely fluid, likely situational snap count" in which he’ll be complemented by Jones and Funk. Henderson has continued to look good in camp but so have the other backs. It sounds like the Rams want to do their best to keep Henderson healthy for the long haul. Jones seems like he'll be a solid handcuff for Henderson owners.

Saints WR Marquez Callaway continues to be one of the biggest standouts in camp.

Related players: Tre'Quan Smith, Deonte Harris

Callaway caught a red-zone TD from Jameis Winston on a quick comeback route in front of Marshon Lattimore on Monday — after catching a TD from Taysom Hill in red-zone drills Saturday. With Michael Thomas out for a while, the order of the Saints WRs could be anyone's guess this season. Smith is our highest ranked Saint WR, but Harris and Callaway look like they are going to be in the mix for snaps and targets.

Laquon Treadwell has been among the Jaguars' most-consistent wide receivers thus far in camp. Every day walking off the practice field there has been talk of a Treadwell catch or touchdown that got fans and his teammates cheering.

Related players: D.J. Chark, Marvin Jones, Laviska Shenault

Treadwell, a first-round selection by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2016 NFL Draft, had a standout collegiate career at the University of Mississippi – but was not as productive as he wanted in four seasons in Minnesota and last season with the Atlanta Falcons. At best, he could end up as the team's WR4 heading into the season, which means he'd be a possible injury away from significant time. It will need more time to sort itself out, but Treadwell is perhaps a name to keep in mind.

HC Bruce Arians on O.J. Howard: "He's getting back, but he's not there yet. He had a chance to make a couple of grimy catches in the end zone and didn't come up with them. I expect him to make those. He's still catching up to the speed of it, the physicality of it."

Related players: Rob Gronkowski, Cameron Brate

Howard owned the No. 13 per game average before going down with an Achilles injury in Week 4. If Gronkowski continues to decline or the Bucs just want to limit his snaps, Howard could surprise. He cleared 49 yards and/or found the end zone in three of four games last year. Keep in mind, Brate had a nice postseason last year, too, but we have Howard just behind Gronk in our TE rankings. However both are considered TE3 options right now and could cancel one another out.

On Deshaun Watson: Texans have not given up on him being their QB this year. They’re not taking lowball offers. This is why they aren’t being overly communicative with teams. Barring a strong offer, Texans brass will to try to get him back into the fold before the season begins.

Robinson acknowledged another beat writer, John McLain, who tweeted Watson will never play another down for the Texans. But Robinson is just reporting the team is taking one last shot at a possible Aaron Rodgers-type solution. Robinson said this all may not be likely, but the Texans "haven't folded up shop" just yet when it comes to Watson playing for them this season. For what it's worth, Watson is taking part in drills today and another tweet showed Watson hitting Anthony Miller in a 1-on-1 drill.

Robby Anderson missed 2nd practice with a family issue in Florida. More reps for Terrace Marshall who team has big plans for.

Related players: David Moore, D.J. Moore

Marshall is expected to win the WR3 job ahead of Moore and it sounds like he's taking advantage of his time. Keep in mind, Christian McCaffrey will also be heavily involved in the passing game and Marshall will play behind Anderson and D.J. Moore.

Giants star running back Saquon Barkley is expected to be activated off the Physically Unable to Perform List and will practice this week, possibly as soon as Monday afternoon.

Barkley tore his ACL on Sept. 20 last year against the Chicago Bears, ending his season after only two games. The 24-year-old had been rehabbing ever since and it was unclear when exactly he’d return, as the Giants had insisted all offseason that they’d be taking it slow. He's expected to be limited at first but should eventually ramp up to a full-go, the story said.

Patriots TE Hunter Henry injured his shoulder in Sunday's practice, and is having an MRI, per a source.

Related players: Jonnu Smith

Reiss went on to say the initial indications are that the injury doesn't appear serious. But the bad news is the injury is painful and Henry could miss time in the preseason from what Reiss is saying. It will open the door a bit for Smith.

Washington head coach Ron Rivera said there is currently no timetable for a return for WR Curtis Samuel (groin).

“There's no timetable for Curtis. He's been in the system, he knows it. Yeah, you'd love for him to catch a few reps maybe in the last preseason game, but we're not going to rush him out there,” Rivera said Sunday. It certainly sounds like there’s a pretty good chance we don’t see Samuel at all during the preseason, especially now that it’s only three games. The hope is he’ll be back for Week 1 against the Chargers. The time lost also means lost opportunities to build an early connection with new quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. This will certainly be worth monitoring over the next few weeks.

Jaguars WR D.J. Chark underwent surgery for a hairline fracture in his finger, but is expected to be ready for Week 1 against the Texans.

Chark missed the last two practices with the injury and had a metal plate inserted in his finger. Early signs in camp are that Chark showed up in great shape and is ready to bounce back from a disappointing 2020 season on what is a contract year for Chark. Chark currently comes in at No. 48 in our half-PPR rankings, not far behind teammate Laviska Shenault (No. 44).

Washington WR Curtis Samuel (groin, Covid reserve list) will return to the practice field Sunday.

He’ll be on the side field working with trainers. He has been on the active/PUP list with a groin injury that has kept him out of practice since June. Certainly a good sign, nonetheless, that he is getting work, even if on the side, as he is seemingly inching towards being fully activated. Samuel is currently our No. 35 WR in half-PPR.

Vikings WR left Friday's practice with a sprained AC joint according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

The injury is not considered serious according to Schefter's source, but video from practice did not give fantasy players a good feeling. This could have been worse (think broken collarbone) so this is "good news." More on this injury as it becomes available.

The Green Bay Packers are not treating rookie 3rd-round pick Amari Rodgers like a rookie according to Tom Silverstein of PackersNews.com. "Almost every practice, Rodgers gets a considerable amount of snaps and a good portion of them are with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback," wrote Silverstein.

“He will be more in the slot, and then we'll use him doing some of the jet sweep stuff and whatnot,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said. “But I'm excited about where he could go. And we got a very, very, very competitive room."

Rodgers will have competition in the slot with Randall Cobb back in town, but Cobb is helping mentor Rodgers. The two are connected by Rodgers' dad Tee Martin, who coached Cobb in college. Silverstein is a locked in reporter and is watching Amari handle first-team snaps daily. What is unknown if this puts Rodgers in a snaps heat with Cobb, or help lock Rodgers in to a larger role than Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard and company.

49ers head coach told reports Friday that rookie QB Trey Lance will play 'situationally.'

"That doesn’t mean he’s go be the starter or anything," Shanahan said. "But he’s going to get plays.”

Taysom Hill is nodding his head in approval.

Trey Lance is the future for the 49ers, much to Jimmy Garoppolo's chagrin. Lance also has something Jimmy G wishes he had - excellent rushing capabilities. Shanahan also said Lance will get first-team reps so the offensive line can get used to working with him.

What Shanahan did Friday was add gasoline to the Trey Lance fire, and we are here for it.

Eagles insider Reuben Franks talked about RB Boston Scott in his August 6 '10 Thoughts' column. "When the Eagles drafted Kenny Gainwell, claimed Kerryon Johnson and brought back Jordan Howard, a lot of people assumed that’s it for Boston Scott," wrote Frank. "But if anything, Scott might have even a bigger role this season than he’s had the last two."

"He gets a ton of reps with the first offense, Hurts loves throwing to him, the coaching staff seems to really appreciate his versatility and he’s probably the best receiver in the running backs room, something this coaching staff really values."

If you like a crowded running back room, do I have a team for you! Praise for Scott is also damning for Miles Sanders and Kenneth Gainwell, the 2021 rookie pick of Philadelphia. If Scott does secure the passing work out of the Eagles backfield, he will be a later round PPR lock.

Giants RB Saquon Barkley will likely be back by Week 3 according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. While on 'Good Morning Football.' Rapoport also said Barkley will not be rushed and could play Week 1.

Thanks Ian! ACL recovery is usually around 12 months with more time off likely, so while this is not breaking news a more concrete timeline appears to be set for Barkley. Once a near-lock to go in the 1st round of re-draft leagues, Barkley is now a 2nd round back with more questions about his health than answers.

Giants RB Corey Clement has looked like the best running back in camp, according to Zack Rosenblatt of NJ.com. "Friday, he had one more carry than Booker in team drills (six to five) and is clearly the more elusive player, while Booker seems to prefer to seek out contact," wrote Rosenblatt. "Clement at one point evaded defenders and burst upfield for what would’ve been a gain of 10 or more yards."

Rosenblatt put some water on the Clement blaze by stating Devontae Booker is still the main back-up option behind Saquon Barkley. Booker and Clement were both free agent signings and are direct competition for touches. The winner of this competition could also start early in the season for the Giants with news of Saquon Barkley potentially out for the first few weeks on 2021.

Steelers WR James Washington has requested a trade according to multiple sources including Adam Schefter of ESPN. Dave Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com also writes that the additions of Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool via the NFL Draft and JuJu Smith-Schuster re-signing add to Washington's request. Ray-Ray McCloud played ahead of Washington during the Hall of Fame game August 5.

It also matters that Pittsburgh drafted Najee Harris with the expectation of running the ball more. Washington is a starting-caliber receiver that stretches the field. If he does end up being moved, Washington will go from fantasy irrelevancy to late-round flyer depending on his landing spot.

According to the Athletic, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Bryan Edwards has been enjoying a strong summer and has kept it up in training camp.

Bryan Edwards has been the recipient of off-season praise from beat writers, coaches, and teammates alike, all summer, most recently from quarterback Derek Carr and head coach Jon Gruden. Carr once again compared the second-year wideout to former Fresno State teammate Davante Adams, noting that his body control and strong hands remind him of the Green Bay Packers superstar. Head coach Jon Gruden offered this: 'Edwards has great ability … he looks like T.O.,” Gruden said on NFL Network last week. “He looks like one of the No. 1 wideouts in the league'. While hearing coaches talk up younger players is nothing new for this time of the year, this is a reminder that Edwards has a chance to emerge as a top option in the Raiders passing attack, especially if Carr's affinity for the wideout continues to grow. Currently 87th in our wide receiver rankings, Edwards could scream up draft boards with a strong showing during the preseason.

According to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic, Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton has flashed since returning to the practice field.

Courtland Sutton has been making a number of exciting plays in training camp, so much so that Kosmider opined that Sutton is flashing his Pro Bowl form. It is great news that Sutton has started turning heads after a slow start to camp. Fantasy managers can now feel more confident that he is trending towards a full recovery and will still be the same receiving threat he was before the injury. Currently, our 36th ranked receiver, Sutton, has the tools to outperform his ADP as the 31st receiver off the board by a fair margin.

Giants head coach Joe Judge told reporters that WR Kenny Golladay is seeing a doctor to determine the extent of his hamstring injury and that he appeared to have 'missed' the 'worst-case scenario.'

“In terms of a worst-case scenario, I think we’ve kind of avoided that, in terms of dealing with it," said Judge. "But we’ll see what the timetable looks like. Injuries are different for every player, so we’ll have to see how his body responds and make sure we do right by him.”

Golladay has had soft tissue injuries in the past and is coming off a prolonged absence in 2020 while with the Detroit Lions. It is realistic to not expect Golladay on the practice field for a large chunk of August.

Falcons WR Olamide Zaccheus has been the standout wide receiver for the Falcons with Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage leading the depth chart, according to Kevin Knight of 'The Falcoholic' of SB Nation. "Zaccheaus has also notably been lined up both in the slot and outside, so there’s a chance he could be the starting outside WR opposite Calvin Ridley when the Falcons are in 12 personnel packages," wrote Knight.

The last line is important to note as Russell Gage has worked best from the slot. Zaccheus could also line up opposite another Falcons receiver if Atlanta wants Ridley to get looks inside away from potential shadow coverage. The Falcons may have to throw more unless RB Mike Davis can impress similarly as he did with Carolina in 2020. That could mean more snaps and targets for Zaccheus after showing signs of talent when injuries took away some of Atlanta's receiver depth last season.

Bengals QB Joe Burrow has been struggling to connect with receivers so far in camp, according to Jay Morrison and Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. "Throws that felt like layups last year are dropping harmlessly away from receivers or easily broken up by multiple defenders. There might be a multitude of reasons for the struggles, but this has been ugly.

Burrow also appeared to lift his left leg - the one that he had ACL and MCL surgery on - to keep it from getting hit during one play.

Morrison and Dehner speculate that Burrow may be thinking about getting hit, which is natural coming off major surgery but also a concern that could plague the second-year quarterback as he tries to get ready for the season.

Offensive continuity is more likely to improve as camp progresses, but Burrow's potential concerns with his left leg is a must-watch in the coming weeks.

Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times has pinpointed RB Damien Williams as the under-the-radar player that has been the most impressive after one week of training camp. "After a year off, he doesn’t seem to have lost a step," writes Finley. "With Cohen still out, Williams has seized his opportunity to be a mismatch nightmare in the pass game."

The Bears are still without RB Tarik Cohen as he recovers from ACL surgery, so the addition of Williams has kept the Bears running back room with an experienced back-up, especially in the passing game. Williams has experience in the Matt Nagy offense with it being similar to the offense Andy Reid runs in Kansas City. As long as Williams remains healthy, he has late-round value in PPR formats and has major upside if David Montgomery were to get hurt.

Matt Breida’s speed has been mentioned by coaches and teammates as the main asset that he brings to the team. But he’s proving that his receiving ability could be the best way to unleash that speed.

Related players: Devin Singletary, Zack Moss

The story said the Bills threw the ball 63-percent of the time in early-down, neutral game-script situations a year ago. They’re going to throw the football a lot. So the most useful running back on this team might be the one who can consistently make big plays in the passing game. Moss has made a few of those plays, and so has Breida. Running backs can be tough to judge at this stage in camp, but Breida should get a chance to show what he can do in the preseason, the story went on to say.

Overall, in terms of quality reps and performance, this was the first practice of camp when Cam Newton truly looked like the starter. Coach Bill Belichick, of course, recently noted Newton is the starter at the moment, and there’s no disputing that based off Newton leading off every competitive team period.

Related players: Mac Jones

The story added this was the first time Newton had a distinct advantage in reps with starting-caliber teammates around him on offense and defense. Newton was 5 of 7 in 11-on-11s against the starting defense, while Jones was 0 of 4 with an interception in 11-on-11s against the starters and 1 of 2 against the backups.

If tight end Pat Freiermuth has any ability to block whatsoever (which we don’t quite know yet), he’s going to be a hell of a player as early as this year.

He has proven to be a tough matchup for linebackers and safeties, Kaboly went on to say. His signature so far is the double move. He got Ulysees Gilbert a couple of times with it and caught one pass up the seam. Gilbert then compared Freiermuth to Travis Kelce after practice. Stay tuned for Freiermuth blocking updates.

Matthew Stafford is running the first team offense in the first padded team period today, so another great sign for that thumb.

Great news. The Rams got a scare yesterday when Stafford hit his throwing thumb against a helmet. The indication was Stafford would be OK, but no one would have been surprised if he sat out a day and played it safe. That isn't the case and he's back at it today.

Darrell Henderson Jr. is penciled in as the Rams’ starting running back after Cam Akers tore his Achilles before training camp. That much we know.

What isn’t as clear is who will back up Henderson.

The Rams have Xavier Jones, Jake Funk, Raymond Calais and Otis Anderson on the 90-man roster right now, but they’ve combined to play zero offensive snaps in their NFL careers. So needless to say, there isn’t much experience at running back behind Henderson.

The story said Jones is the favorite to back him up after sticking with the Rams last season as an undrafted rookie. He’s getting more work in camp this year due to Akers’ absence and though it’s early, Sean McVay is encouraged by what he’s seen from Jones, as well as the Rams’ other backup running backs.

Cowboys WR Amari Cooper said he weighs 215 pounds now. Wants to play at 210. Faster.

Related players: CeeDee Lamb

Cooper said he has been 225 the past three seasons. Cooper’s goal is to have best season of his football career. Not just words, he said. Actions been intentional, the tweet all said. For fantasy purposes, he may be trying to hold off CeeDee Lamb, who is getting drafted ahead of Cooper in some leagues.

Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill didn’t practice today because of tendonitis in his knee.

After practice, Kansas City head coach Andy Reid said Hill’s tendonitis just appeared today and the team decided not to take any chances with Hill. Reporters on the scene said Hill did have pads on to attend practice but moved to the side of the field for conditioning work, the story said.

Calvin Ridley apparently accomplished that on a foot he called “not good last year.” But after offseason surgery, Ridley said this week that his foot is “totally, definitely fixed.”

“In the offseason, I was really worried about myself,” Ridley said, via Michael Rothstein of ESPN. “But now, the best thing I could have did was get the surgery and it really helped.”

Ridley started 15 games, making 90 catches for 1,374 yards with nine TDs last season.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has “taken a step back” in his return from shoulder strain, coach Mike McCarthy said.

McCarthy went on to say: “We’re being more conservative with his timetable.” Prescott won’t throw today and won’t play in Hall of Fame Game, according to the tweet. The team trying to avoid it becoming “something bigger,” also according to the tweet. The team still feels the same about the injury, just adjusting the timetable.

A source w knowledge said that Matthew Stafford’s X-rays were negative.

Rodriguez went on to say she doesn't think anybody is panicking in the Rams camp about the injury. It's possible Stafford could be held out for a day at least as an extra precaution. Looks like good news.

HC Mike Tomlin says Najee Harris needs the process of game prep and to ultimately play.

Related players: Kalen Ballage, Anthony McFarland, Benny Snell Jr.

Tomlin went on to say the team is going to make sure he participates in all preseason opportunities - whether game prep or actually playing in the game. It's hard to imagine Harris won't overtake the likes of Ballage, McFarland and Snell, but Harris is worth monitoring in preseason games to see how he progresses. Harris is ranked 13th on our RB list.

Rookie WR Dyami Brown probably won't be a Day 1 starter.

No. 3 WR spot will come down to Adam Humphries or Cam Sims behind Terry McClaurin/Curtis Samuel. Ex-Patriot DeAndre Carter involved as a returner.

One more note: I'm not sensing any major concern over WFT FA addition WR Curtis Samuel, who's on PUP and COVID lists.

Brown has been a name to watch. The tweet said he's making plays, catching on quickly and his speed jumps out. As for Samuel, he's looking to get back on the field, but Kyed reminds us Samuel played in Scott Turner's system in Carolina and should be able to hit the ground running.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is the starter. No question there.

Related players: Taylor Heinicke

Obviously this is just an opinion, but it's an opinion that comes on a big day couple days for Fitz at camp. The team is looking to keep the competition going with Heinicke it seems, but looks like at least the eye test is leaning toward Fitzpatrick.

No exact time frame as to when RB Tarik Cohen will return, but Matt Nagy suggested more like “weeks away” as opposed to “days away” (from returning).

Related players: David Montgomery, Damien Williams

Also, there's no guarantee he’d be thrown right back into punt returning when he does get back, the tweet went on to say. The Bears will role with Montgomery and Williams, and Williams is certainly capable of at least taking over the third down and pass catching role Cohen usually occupies.

Titans wide receiver Julio Jones made an early exit from Monday’s training camp practice and he’s not working on Tuesday either.

Jones was slow to get up after trying for a pass from Ryan Tannehill on Monday and head coach Mike Vrabel said that the training staff advised against having him continue in the workout, the story said.

Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is not on the practice field today. He got his ankle/foot examined by a trainer yesterday

Watson reported to training camp to avoid $50,000 daily fines and has a standing trade request as well as a no-trade clause in his $156 million contract. The injury isn't considered serious according to Wilson.

Tyrell Williams came back from the locker room with his pinky and ring fingers taped together on his left hand.

Williams’ day is done a little early as a result of the injury.

WR Kenny Golladay just walked inside with a trainer not long after this play. You can see him kind of grab the back of his leg.

Raanan posted a video of Golladay. Golladay has also been plagued with some drops this season so far in camp according to reports. We'll be sure to keep an eye out for updates.

With weight training facilities no longer closed off to players due to COVID-19 restrictions, Deebo Samuel has put in work during this offseason. The third-year wideout has added yoga to his training program to increase his flexibility, hopefully to eliminate any hamstring and lower body issues.

Coach Kyle Shanahan has noticed the difference in Samuel.

“I've been very happy with Deebo,” Shanahan said on Monday. “He came into camp in as good a shape as I've seen him. You know, he left OTAs not quite there yet, but trending there. And so I was really curious of how he was going to be these 40 days away. And just being in shape and stuff, it's the best I've seen him.”

The story said through a week of training camp practices, Samuel has been seen as a ball carrier in jet sweep plays but also a further away from the line of scrimmage. The wideout’s bread and butter has been making the most out of every play, primarily in yards after catch. Samuel nearly totaled 1,000 his rookie season in 2019 but was hit with injuries last year: a Jones fracture in his foot during the offseason kept him off the field until Week 4, then a hamstring injury in Week 7 before aggravating the hamstring injury which ended his season after one snap in in Week 14.

Elijah Moore working with the first-team offense on the first play of practice.

Related players: Keelan Cole

According to the tweet, it's the first time this has happened. As Hughes added, it was only a matter of time and it's getting harder to keep him off the field. As we said yesterday, it doesn't take a lot of effort to find positive Moore news. If this trend continues, Cole could be the odd man out as Corey Davis and Jamison Crowder figure to be the Jets other top targets.

Through the first five padless days of camp, a few themes have emerged. Specifically, players say the offense is emphasizing a quicker pace, both in terms of taking less time between snaps but also in increasing the number and types of plays that get the ball out of Wilson’s hands more quickly.

Related players: Russell Wilson, D.K. Metcalf

Shane Waldron has taken over the offense for the Seahawks. Waldron has brought with him some staples of the Rams offense — notably, running the same play out of multiple formations, and using more presnap motion, each tactic designed to confuse the defense, the story said. The zone read will also remain, the story said.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford slammed his surgically repaired right thumb into a defender’s helmet during a throw Monday, ending his day early and leaving the Rams’ sideline to hold its collective breath.

The Rams had no substantive update on Stafford’s status after practice, but Rams coach Sean McVay said he was hopeful “everything will be OK there.”

“We’ll see,” McVay said. “He’s so tough as it is. Look at what he played through all last year to get the thumb cleaned up. He’s a tough guy. We’ll see what they say and take it one day at a time.”

Related players: John Wolford

We first reported this story Monday night and it sounded like there wasn't too much concern. But it's the same thumb Stafford had surgery to repair a partially torn ligament in early March, shortly after the Rams acquired him from the Detroit Lions. We'll continue to update. Wolford took the rest of the first team snaps but Stafford did walk off the field gripping his helmet with his right hand.

Still, overall, the Eagles likely felt pleased by what they saw from Jalen Hurts on Monday. The quarterback has gotten better each day of camp so far, and considering this is his first training camp as the starter, that has to be encouraging for the coaches.

The story said the biggest improvement was Hurts' intermediate throws. That was a change from what reporters have seen so far from him in camp. Hurts has mostly been either checking the ball down or going deep. On Monday, however, Hurts had no issue completing passes in the middle of the field. Hurts sits at 10th in our rankings and should be available around the middle of drafts for owners who want to wait.

The Rams got a scare when QB Matthew Stafford hit his throwing thumb on a helmet near the end of practice.

The tweet went on to say Stafford left the field with the thumb wrapped, but holding his helmet with that hand. "I don't know anything yet," coach Sean McVay said. "I think he'll be OK." We'll continue to update as we learn more. It's worth noting, as Modesti also added, Stafford had surgery last winter to repair a torn ligament in the thumb after hurting it in a November game, an injury he played through the rest of the Lions' season.

Even without the pads on, it's clear second-round pick Javonte Williams has the talent to be a dynamic player for Denver's offense.

His practice on Monday was not unlike others throughout the first five days of training camp, as he made an impact both on the ground and in the passing game. Williams said he worked on his receiving abilities this offseason, citing the need to be an all-around back.

Related players: Melvin Gordon

HC Vic Fangio said, "He's showing his versatility. He can run a route as well as carry the ball. We think he can block, although that hasn't been tested yet to the nth degree. We like him. He's done everything that we expected up to this point." So far, most, not all, seem to agree that Gordon remains the RB1, at least for now. But the Broncos traded up to get Williams so it may only be a matter of time. But Gordon had 1,144 total yards and 4.7 YPC, so it may not be that easy for Williams to pass him.

Chase Edmonds, the fourth-year pro out of Fordham, who will get every opportunity to prove he can be Arizona’s bell cow and primary running back.

Related players: James Conner

The story said Conner will get his share of carries as well, but it looks like the team will at least give Edmonds a chance to be the primary back. The story added there has been speculation from outside critics that he won’t be able to last a full season as a No.1 running back because of his smallish, 5-foot-9 stature. Edmonds added a few pounds of muscle this offseason, bulking up his legs and upper body. Even in a split, it should be Edmonds getting the passing down work giving him the edge in fantasy leagues.

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan doesn’t currently have plans to give Lance first-team reps.

Related players: Jimmy Garaopollo

Shanahan says that the 49ers have two more days offensive install — 7 total, and today is 5. He repeats that he doesn’t anticipate Lance being able to look better than Garoppolo before the season opener.

Antonio Gibson's opportunities will only increase as he continues to find other ways of being useful to the offense. He can be used more on third downs, and the coaches can put him in different personnel packages to spread out the defense. It means that Gibson will be on the field more often, and if last year is any indication, there's nothing wrong with that.

The turf toe is no longer an issue for Gibson, according to the story. The piece also said Gibson is just dipping his toes in the water when it comes to the nuances of the passing game, and the team doesn't want to give him too much at one time. But HC Ron Rivera said in the story he thinks Gibson can handle it, so as the season goes on, it's possible Gibson sees more snaps. Gibson is ranked 12th among our RBs.

Between how he’s absorbing the playbook and sharpening his route running while adapting to the NFL, Nico Collins figures into the Texans’ equation as a large outside wide receiver who can go up and get the football and defeat press coverage to gain separation on deep passes.

Collins opted out of Michigan's 2020 season, but that hasn't seemed to be a big issue thus far in camp. Collins is primarily an outside wide receiver and has been characterized by some as an old-school No. 1 wide receiver because he’s larger than most downfield targets. He's made some big play so far in camp, but the knock on him is he needs to do it more often and more consistently. He may be a name to watch, but the Texans QB situation could certainly hold him down this year.

The more Gang Green uses Elijah Moore the better, because through five days of training camp, Moore has been unstoppable.

The second round pick has been one of the best players through camp. At this rate, there’s no way the Jets can keep him out of the starting lineup as he has done nothing but create big plays.

Related players: Keelan Cole

It's hard to go to Twitter and not see a Moore update. Right now, the battle for the other outside receiver spot is between Cole and Moore, the story said. Those two have rotated with the first team. Moore has received reps in the slot too, but the path to the starting role will be on the outside since Jamison Crowder and Corey Davis have their spots locked up.

Rookie wide receiver Terrace Marshall has been the sparkling surprise among the offensive rookies in camp, drawing comparisons in stature to former Carolina receiver Mushin Muhammad and Hall-Of-Famer Michael Irvin.

Related players: David Moore, Robby Anderson, D.J. Moore

Marshall has turned in some impressive catches through the first week. Marshall has been competing for the slot position alongside veteran David Moore, but HC Matt Rhule said Monday his top two receivers are still unquestionably D.J. Moore and Anderson.

Vikings TE Irv Smith Jr. is a popular breakout candidate this year and he’s living up to the hype in camp.

His routes have been sharp and his catch radius is impressive, according to the tweet. Another beat writer said Smith has been moving well in and out of breaks and creating mismatches. He's ranked 15th among out TEs and could be a solid TE2 option in leagues where you need TE depth.

Vic Fangio on QB battle: "Still even-steven, there's been no separation. And we're going to keep the rotation these next 3 days the same as it's been."

Related players: Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater

Klis added to his tweet that Bridgewater had the better practice today. He completed a higher percentage than Lock and had more 20+yard completions, highlighted by first-rep deep TD to Diontae Spencer.

Lamar Jackson (COVID-19) hasn't practiced yet and won't return until Friday-Saturday at earliest.

Zrebiec tweeted that much of the Ravens' talk coming into camp was about how this would be an important time to get some momentum with their passing game. That's been tough to do given circumstances, he said.

Minnesota placed quarterbacks Kirk Cousins, Kellen Mond and Nate Stanley on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Monday. Rookie receiver Myron Mitchell has also been placed on the list.

Related players: Jake Browning

Mond recently tested positive for COVID-19, and Cousins and Stanley are considered high-risk close contacts under the NFL and NFLPA's COVID-19 protocols, leading to their removal from activities Saturday. Browning is the lone QB not on the list and is expected to get the reps.

Update on Eagles’ first-round pick DeVonta Smith: He is expected to miss two to three weeks.

Smith is dealing with a sprained MCL, per sources and according to Schefter. Smith underwent an MRI on Sunday that revealed the injury.

Julio Jones left practice early today.

The tweet said Jones dropped a contested pass in end zone, got up slowly and walked gingerly away. Hopefully we'll find out more later today regarding Jones's status.

There is a significant gap between CeeDee Lamb and everyone else. He’s having the best camp of anyone on the roster. When coach Mike McCarthy talks about noticing several second-year players making the leap in Year 2, Lamb has to be at the top of the list. Every practice seems to include at least one impressive Lamb highlight to go along with a handful of other noteworthy plays that he makes look effortless.

Lamb is a popular pick when it comes to wide receivers who are ready to make a huge jump. We rank Lamb 14th, right behind Amari Cooper at 13. While Lamb is the guy going before Cooper, we're not totally convinced that's the right call. In four games last year with Dak Prescott under center, Cooper out-targeted Lamb 23.4 to 16.7.

The decision has been made to undergo surgery and remove it. 5-12 weeks.

Related players: Jacob Eason

HC Frank Reich says Wentz had an old foot injury dating back to perhaps high school according to doctors. Over time, the broken bone came loose and caused pain. Reich said the decision on surgery was very clear cut for their doctors and outside doctors, according to the tweet. Other tweets on the matter have the Colts optimistic Wentz can return on the earlier end of the timeline. Wentz will be able to throw during walkthroughs and the team added in 2-3 weeks they should have a better idea of Wentz's overall timeframe. For now, Eason is the team's QB1.

Eagles WR DeVonta Smith week to week with knee sprain.

The MRI revealed relative good news, as Fowler put it. It's a sprain instead of something that could have been much worse. Smith will still miss valuable time as he tries to learn the offense and connect with QB Jalen Hurts.

Saw Saquon Barkley running routes, cutting hard and sprinting full speed on Thursday. Coach Joe Judge explained today that he’s “very pleased” with where Barkley’s at.

Raanan added in a tweet that Barkley's at the point where he is mirroring practices to build up confidence for when he returns. Judge added Barkley is “making a lot of strides.” Giants see tangible progress every day, according to Raanan, but Judge won't say how close he is to returning to practice. The team signed Alfred Morris today just in case Barkley isn't ready for the start of the season.

Giants have re-signed veteran running back Alfred Morris.

Related players: Devontae Booker, Saquon Barkley

With the news Barkley could be iffy for Week 1, the Giants are giving themselves some insurance by brining back Morris. If Barkley isn't ready to go, Morris and Booker would carry the load.

I see Michael Carter as RB1, Ty Johnson & Tevin Coleman as RB2, and Coleman as 3rd down/pass catching back.

Glaser doesn't see any Jet back going over 1,000 yards rushing, but the trio could hit 1,500 yards rushing in his opinion. The rookie Carter is known for his receiving skills, too, so there's a chance he could have a bigger role as the season goes on, however pass protection is always a concern for a young RB.

The notion that Trey Lance could overtake Jimmy Garoppolo early in the season, which seemed so farfetched on draft day and after OTAs, appears far more realistic today.

In short, Lance has been aggressive, which has to please head coach and play caller Kyle Shanahan, who — you may have read about this once or twice — prefers an always-attacking mentality, the story went on to say. Keep in mind, there have only been four practices, and Shanahan likely will be stingy in his praise of Lance. He’ll want to keep the pressure on the rookie the story said. This is certainly worth watching.

As he enters his third season with the Tennessee Titans, Anthony Firkser is set for a much bigger role this year.

Firkser, who had 39 receptions a year ago in a role mostly as a third-down option, is expected to become the Titans’ primary receiving tight end with the departure of Jonnu Smith to New England as a free agent.

According to a lot of reports, Firkser has had a great offseason. While he should see an increase in targets, the addition of Julio Jones keeps Firkser's ranking in check as he sits at 21st on our list. The story said Firkser is not to be overlooked in the offense, though, and he should benefit greatly from favorable matchups and should build on last year’s production with increased playing time. He'll be available later in drafts.

Colts QB Carson Wentz will rest and rehab his foot injury over then next few days, rather than have immediate surgery.

The hope is the rest will allow Wentz to avoid surgery and be on track to play in Week 1 against the Seahawks. If the rest doesn’t immediately help, then surgery may be the answer and it’s unknown how long he would be out for if he does have to get surgery. Jacob Eason I has been getting time running as the first-team quarterback while Wentz is out and the Colts also signed Brett Hundley. At the very least, the connections on offense could be a bit shaky from the outset once Wentz does return and gets the timing down with the offense.

The Dolphins placed TEs Mike Gesicki, Adam Shaheen and Cethan Carter on the reserve/COVID-19 list Sunday.

All three are likely on the list as close contacts, as co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach George Godsey (who is vaccinated) did test positive for Covid. The players should likely see a short stay on the reserve list as just close contacts and if they test negative. Godsey was sent home after his positive test result.