August 2025 4for4 Player News Articles

The Panthers signed WR Hunter Renfrow to their active roster Saturday.

Renfrow was among the final cuts for the Panthers as he competed for a role on the depth chart but was just squeezed out. The Panthers and general manager Dan Morgan had kept open the possibility of bringing Renfrow back in some capacity. Renfrow also essentially moved up a spot on the depth chart with the Panthers having since traded Adam Thielen to the Vikings and Jalen Coker suffering a quad injury Thursday and being placed on injured reserve. Renfrow likely mans tbe slot position at least until Coker returns, which he is expected to miss about 4-6 weeks.

Talking on @953WDAE, Bucs GM Jason Licht frames Chris Godwin’s return as likely October (Week 5 or later), saying Tristan Wirfs might be a little sooner.

Related Players: Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan

This is about the timeline that we thought he'd be on, but it's still a little confusing why the team took him off of PUP. Regardless, we should consider Evans a WR2 and Egbuka a WR3 as we head into drafts this weekend.

Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright had a minor procedure. Goal is “Septemberish” return per HC Mike McDaniel. Expected to miss multiple weeks.

Miami signing RBs JaMycal Hasty & Jeff Wilson to practice squad.

McDaniel: De’Von Achane (calf) & Tyreek Hill (oblique) on track to play WK1.

Related Players: Jaylen Waddle, Malik Washington

After a summer filled with bad vibes, it's good to see Hill back out on the practice field. He's been a bit of a shy-away through most of drafting season, but now he's often falling into the fourth round, it makes selecting him a little easier to swallow. With or without Hill, Waddle is a sneaky upside target after a down year.

Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright had a "small procedure" done that isn't season-ending but will take some time to recover from, per McDaniel

Miami has signed RBs Jeff Wilson and JaMycal Hasty in response

Related Players: De'Von Achane, Ollie Gordon

This looks like wheels-up for Ollie Gordon, who has been steamed up after Wright missed time this preseason. Achane is still the back we want in this backfield, but Gordon looks like a great double-digit stab who could mix in enough to warrant FLEX appeal during bye weeks.

Jim Harbaugh said Najee Harris will practice this week and there’s a “possibility” Harris will be ready for Week 1.

Related Players: Omarion Hampton, Hassan Haskins

Haskins is the only other running back on the roster outside of FB Scott Matlock, so maybe there's a chance we see a move in the final week. Regardless, Harris can safely remain on the bench even if he does suit up, and should be taken in the RB5 range if you still haven't drafted.

Texans general manager Nick Caserio was noncommittal about whether Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon will play in 2025.

Caserio was asked Wednesday morning if Mixon would suit up at all this season but did not provide any clarity on the status of the team's leading rusher from last season.

"We'll see. We'll take it one day at a time," Caserio said. "We'll evaluate those players after four weeks and see where they are in their progression and then make a determination."

Related Players: Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Woody Marks, Dare Ogunbowale

Mixon has been undraftable for a while now, but even stashing him away seems to be a hard pill to swallow at this point. Chubb will hold the RB1 title for now, but he looked pretty rough upon returning from a major injury last season. Woody Marks is one of the best last-round picks you can make at the moment.

NFL is aiming for at least a potential six-game suspension for Chiefs WR Rashee Rice for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, sources tell ESPN. The suspension would kick in at the start of this season.

Related Players: Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Travis Kelce

Presumably, the "aiming" part means that six games isn't locked in stone, but we can safely assume that four games is the floor. Rice is still very much draftable, but this is an obvious boost to the rest of the receiving corps, and Kelce could be the biggest beneficiary if the team isn't "saving" him for the postseason. This is a far better outcome for Rice than if it were going to be in the middle-to-late part of the season, which is what was originally bandied about.

Dolphins RB De'Von Achane will be ready for Week 1 vs the Colts, per GM Chris Grier

Related Players: Jaylen Wright, Ollie Gordon

Looks like the jury's still out on whether Wright will be set for W1, but this is great news for Achane drafters, particularly for his year-long availability. If he stays healthy for the entire year, he has legit overall RB1 upside.

Homecoming: Panthers and Vikings are finalizing a trade for WR Adam Thielen to return to Minnesota, sources tell ESPN.

The trade: Vikings get Thielen, a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.

Panthers get a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick.

Thielen starred for the Vikings from 2013-2022. Now he returns.

Related Players: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker

This is a good move to ease J.J. McCarthy into the league with Jordan Addison suspended for the first three games. Thielen is heading into his age-35 (!!) season and doesn't offer nearly the run-after-catch ability as he did in his heyday, but he can operate as a consistent option for the young QB. He's unlikely to hit double-digit targets as he did a couple times last year with JJ and T.J. Hockenson around, but he could be playable for desperate deep-league managers.

Back in Carolina, this helps clear the runway for Jalen Coker to operate as the Panthers' primary slot option after a pretty impressive rookie season for a UDFA. He's an interesting stash.

The Jags acquired Tim Patrick in a trade with the Detroit Lions, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday morning, per a source informed of the deal.

The 31-year-old receiver, who missed all of 2022 and 2023 due to ACL and Achilles' injuries, respectively, played 16 games in Detroit last season, corralling 33 passes for 394 yards and three touchdowns.

Related Players: Dyami Brown, Isaac TeSlaa

This likely impacts TeSlaa more than anyone else, who has shot up the depth chart since being selected in the third round of this year's Draft. He's probably not going to make much of a fantasy impact as a week-to-week starter, but he has been an interesting last-round dart throw in best ball stacks.

Chris Godwin. Their presence means that they have passed physicals and won’t remain on the Physically Unable to Perform list for the first four weeks of the regular season.

Related players: Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, Sterling Shepard

Godwin reportedly won’t play until October. He’s expected to start practicing in Week 2, the story went on to say. With Godwin out, Egbuka is poised to take over the WR2 role behind Evans. Next up could be the veteran Shepard.

Ravens did not place TE Isaiah Likely on injured reserve, which means he’s eligible to play in Baltimore’s first four games.

Related players: Mark Andrews

Likely suffered a small fracture in his foot in late July and has yet to return to practice. It’s unclear how Baltimore will divvy up tight end targets with a healthy Andrews back, but Likely has shown enough to earn a bigger role. If Harbaugh follows through and the Ravens get creative with two-TE sets, Likely could flirt with low-end TE1 numbers, especially if Andrews were to miss time.

There is some positive news on Chargers running back Najee Harris as the club goes down to 53 players.

Via NFL Media, Harris is being placed on the active roster off of the non-football injury list.

Related players: Omarion Hampton, Najee Harris, Kimani Vidal

Harris has been on NFI with an eye injury suffered in a fireworks accident over the summer. He has been running and doing some work on the side, but to this point has not been practicing with the team, the story said. Harris and Hampton will likely see a bulk of the running workload this season but it remains to see how the workload is split up.

WR Christian Watson among the players placed on the Reserve/PUP list.

Related players: Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Savion Williams

Watson will miss the first four games but it could be longer. We reported the Packers say Watson will be ready to go after the four weeks, but it remains to be seen if he's cleared. The Packers are pretty loaded at the WR position, at least when everyone is healthy, so Watson not only has to overcome his injury but probably climb the depth chart a bit as well.

Browns Stefanski said Dillon Gabriel is the backup quarterback.

Related players: Shedeur Sanders, Joe Flacco

This shouldn't come as a shock based on the way the Browns treated their QB rotation. The team's QB saga is over for now with the trading of Kenny Pickett. Deshaun Watson should be out for a most of this season, but things will again get interesting once Watson is cleared to play.

49ers placed WR Brandon Aiyuk and S​ Malik Mustapha on the Physically Unable to Perform List.

Related players: Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, Skyy Moore, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey

This news comes as no surprise. Aiyuk's timeline to return is around Week 6 as we previously reported. Jennings is dealing with a calf injury/contract issue, which means the Niners are without their top-two WRs, at the moment. Pearsall, Kittle and McCaffrey should carry the load in the passing game at least to start the season.

Entering his second year, the former sixth-round pick Malik Washington has been one of Tua Tagovailoa's top receivers this summer, with Tyreek Hill missing the past three weeks of practice with an oblique injury. After Miami's preseason finale, during which he scored an impressive 25-yard touchdown, Washington said the chemistry he's built with Tagovailoa is the result of a deliberate effort on his part.

Related players: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Darren Waller

Washington has earned the team's WR3 job this summer, which could be worth noting for fantasy rosters. Hill and Waddle have had injuries in the past, and with Waller a bit of a question coming out of retirement to play TE, Washington could get his chances. Many quickly forget Washington was a sixth round pick last season and considered a sleeper in dynasty leagues.

A year ago, the New York Jets wanted Malachi Corley so much that they traded up and selected him with the first pick in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft.

On Tuesday, they cut him, a source confirmed to ESPN.

There were jobs available in the Jets' receiving corps, but Corley was leapfrogged by a handful of players, including rookie free agents. He played 53 offensive snaps in the preseason, fifth among the New York receivers, but managed only one catch for 8 yards. He also returned four kickoffs for 101 yards, the story said.

The Seahawks plan to release wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Tuesday.

Valdes-Scantling, 30, had been viewed as a candidate to be traded or released even though Seattle guaranteed him $3 million for 2025.

Related players: Tory Horton

MVS played the entire first half of the Seahawks final preseason game, the story pointed out, which wasn't a good sign. But, Valdes-Scantling was outperformed over the summer by rookie fifth-round pick Horton, among others, and his chances of making the 53-man roster as anything but the third receiver seemed slim considering he doesn't play special teams, the story added.

The Steelers will place rookie QB Will Howard, their sixth-round pick, on injured reserve at some point, though not necessarily immediately, per sources

Dynasty managers can take note here. Howard will land on IR sometime before the season starts. He didn't get any time in the preseason thanks to his injury so the Steelers will stash him away and he'll miss the first four games of the season.

Browns released veteran kicker Dustin Hopkins.

Related players: Andre Szmyt

The Browns will go with Szmyt as their kicker to start the 2025 season.

The Saints quarterback competition is officially over.

Head coach Kellen Moore announced in his Tuesday press conference that Spencer Rattler is the team’s starter to begin the season, with Rattler winning the battle over Tyler Shough.

Moore said that Rattler and Shough made the decision hard because they were so close. Moore cited Rattler’s experience as one of the factors in his winning the competition. Moore added that he doesn’t want to debate the QBs throughout the season, so the plan is to have Rattler as the starter and Shough continue to develop.

Cowboys RB Deuce Vaughn is getting waived.

Related players: Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders, Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah

Watkins went on to post the Cowboys had Vaughn on practice squad last year for a bit. Might return to that in 2025. RB room was top heavy with vets this year and the emergence of rookie Blue. This likely also means the team is keeping Sanders. Even with Mafah on the IR, as reported yesterday, Vaughn wasn't able to crack the top-three.

The Saints plan to terminate the contract of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, per source

Related players: Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller, Devin Neal

On Monday, the Saints released Cam Akers and with the release of CEH today it leaves Kamara, Miller and Neal as their top three backs.

Sources: Titans RB Tyjae Spears, who suffered a high ankle sprain earlier this month and was spotted in a walking boot this weekend, is being placed on injured reserve.

Related players: Tony Pollard, Julius Chestnut, Kalel Mullings

Spears will now miss the first four games of the season. It should mean more touches for Pollard. As our own John Paulsen points out, Pollard’s workload increased from 16.4 touches per game with Spears to 24.2 touches in the five games that Spears missed last season.

Rookie Andy Borregales has won the #Patriots kicker job.

The rookie Borregales beat out veteran Parker Romo, who has been released, the post went on to say.

Vikings and Panthers have tried to work out a trade for Carolina WR Adam Thielen.

Related players: Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor

Schefter's post said Thielen would like to return to Minnesota, but the two sides continue to struggle to agree on compensation. The Vikings could use help at WR with Addison suspended. Thielen would likely be the team's WR3 when at full strength in a couple of weeks, probably pushing Nailor down the depth chart. In Carolina, Thielen could be considered the team's WR2, but if he departs Legette likely takes that role behind McMillan with Coker moving up to the team's WR3 role. Whatever the hurdles seem to be, one would think this deal gets done at some point.

Browns are sending QB Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders, per sources.

Related players: Geno Smith, Aidan O'Connell, Joe Flacco, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel

As Schefter summarized, the Raiders needed another backup for Smith with O'Connell fracturing his wrist in the preseason finale and being expected to miss 6-8 weeks. As for the Browns, they had a logjam at the position so it makes sense Pickett would be the one moved. Now the Browns will need to settle their QB depth chart behind starter Flacco.

Head coach Sean McVay told reporters in his Monday press conference that Matthew Stafford is on track to start the Week 1 matchup against the Texans.

“I can’t see into the future, but if you look at what the last week has entailed, feel really good,” McVay said, via Gary Klein of the L.A. Times. “There’s nothing that would leave me to believe, unless we have an unforeseen setback, that he’s not going to be ready to roll against the Texans.”

Stafford was able to practice again today. Of course, Stafford has been dealing with a disc injury in his back that kept him out of practice for the first few weeks of training camp. He returned to the field last week and was able to fully participate in the sessions, the story pointed out.

The Bucs plan to release quarterback Kyle Trask, per source.

Related players: Baker Mayfield, Teddy Bridgewater

Trask will revert to IR with a shoulder issue, then work out a settlement or release and look for a new team, the post went on to say. The move means the team will stick with Bridgewater as the QB2 behind Mayfield.

Broncos have waived RB Audric Estime per source.

Related players: RJ Harvey, J.K. Dobbins, Jaleel McLaughlin

This probably doesn't come as much of a surprise given Estime doesn't offer much in the pass-catching game. The Broncos are fresh off drafting Harvey and signing Dobbins. Estime was drafted just last year in the fifth round by the Broncos.

The Raiders are signing free-agent receiver Amari Cooper to a one-year deal.

Related players: Jakobi Meyers, Jack Bech, Dont'e Thornton, Tre Tucker, Brock Bowers

Cooper had interest from multiple teams, including the 49ers, but elects to sign with Las Vegas. With Meyers recently asking for a trade, it's hard to tell just how the Raiders WR room with shake out. Bech and Thornton look to be at the top, but both are rookies. Tucker should be a factor but doesn't have a lot of experiencer either. There looks to be a path for Cooper's fantasy value, especially if the Raiders do move on from Meyers at some point soon. Cooper is 31.

The Cowboys will place rookie RB Phil Mafah (shoulder) on Injured Reserve, per sources.

Related players: Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders, Jaydon Blue

The plan is for him to return during the season, the post went on to say. Mafah had 15 carries for 59 yards and one touchdown in the preseason. Mafah didn't quite have the hype of the Commanders Jacory Croskey-Merritt, but many thought there was an opening for him to be the team's early down back with also some upside in the passing game. With Mafah on IR, it opens the door for Sanders to make the team. Williams looks locked in as the team's RB1 with Blue likely getting passing down work.

Due to an inability to agree to a contract extension with the Raiders, WR Jakobi Meyers has requested a trade, per source.

Related players: Jack Bech, Dont'e Thornton, Tre Tucker, Collin Johnson, Brock Bowers

The post went on to say Meyers is going into the final year of his deal and is set to make a base salary of $10.5M in '25. This is certainly a situation to monitor as we head into the meat of draft season. Should Meyers get moved off the Raiders, rookies Bech and Thornton could very well be the team's top-two WRs with Tucker likely also in the mix behind TE Bowers. Thornton has turned more heads than Bech so far this summer, but Bech would likely have to have some role in the offense and does have more draft capital as well.

Kicker Jason Sanders is not going to be available at the start of the season but not season-ending.

The timeline for Sanders looks to be about 4-5 weeks, according to other reports. Look for the team to bring in another kicker.

Jaylen Wright likely won't play Week 1 but "not too far off .. after that," McDaniel said.

Related players: De'Von Achane, Ollie Gordon, Mike Boone

The rookie Gordon should slot in behind Achane as the team's RB2. It could be something to keep an eye on later in fantasy drafts. Wright didn't look good in the preseason and the Dolphins are looking to improve in short yardage situations with the loss of Alexander Mattison, so Gordon will likely have some fantasy value right from the start - with the potential to keep the RB2 job even when Wright comes back.

Sources: The Lions are releasing QB Hendon Hooker.

Related players: Jared Goff, Kyle Allen

Allen will now be the backup to Goff. The Lions were hoping Hooker would take over the QB2 duties, but it wasn't a good sign when Hooker played behind Allen in the final preseason game. Hooker is a former third round pick.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans declined to give an update on running back Joe Mixon’s status at a press conference on Monday, but the Texans provided one a little later in the day.

Mixon was placed on the non-football injury list at the start of training camp and the team announced that he will be placed on the reserve version of the list at the cut to 53 players on Tuesday. The move will make Mixon unable to play in the first four games of the season.

Related players: Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Woody Marks, Dare Ogunbowale

Mixon injured his foot while he was away from the team ahead of camp, the story went on to say. Chubb is in line to be the starting running back in Week 1, but he didn't look great last year and was likely still recovering from his knee injury. However a hot start could make it tough for Mixon to get his job back, the story speculated. Those who follow the team feel Chubb, Pierce, Marks and Ogunbowale will all make the team if Mixon has to miss time.

The New Orleans Saints released veteran running back Cam Akers, the Saints announced Monday.

Related players: Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Devin Neal

This news is really about who is still remaining to possibly claim the RB2 spot behind Kamara. Miller and veteran Edwards-Helaire still remain as does the rookie Neal, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury this summer. Miller is just 23-years-old while CEH is 26, and it's looking like it could be one of the two with Neal likely behind. The RB2 will also steal some carries as well, so this is a situation to monitor if you own, or plan to own, Kamara on your fantasy roster.

QB Matthew Stafford (back) is taking 11 on 11 reps again today.

The daily Stafford watch continues with his owners holding their breath he's at least able to start Week 1. It's obviously good news - for the Rams, his fantasy owners and those owning fantasy stock in anyone on the Rams offense - any day we get this kind of alert.

The Commanders and Terry McLaurin have agreed to a 3-year contract extension, source confirms.

Related players: Deebo Samuel, Noah Brown, K.J. Osborn, Luke McCaffrey, Jayden Daniels

The deal is said to be a 3-year extension worth over $96M, according to other sources. Daniels will get his top target back before Week 1 and pushes the rest of the team's WRs down the depth chart, including Samuel who now looks to be the WR2. McLaurin finally delivered a true breakout season - 82 catches, 1,096 yards, and 13 touchdowns - finishing as the WR6 last season.

Joe Mixon suffered a non-football injury that hasn't been disclosed, but Aaron Wilson who follows the team, says he has had a tough and complicated recovery.

Related players: Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Woody Marks, Dare Ogunbowale

There is no structural damages but Mixon has dealt with shots and breaking up scare tissue. Wilson added the team wouldn't have to pay Mixon because it was a non-football injury, but likely won't go down that road and cause issues. Wilson said there should be clarity soon, but Mixon doesn't seem to be ready in his opinion. Wilson thinks Mixon will likely start on the non-football injury list.

Kyle Shanahan was firm about Brian Robinson's expected role after San Francisco sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Washington Commanders for him last week.

"We brought him here to be our [No.] 2 back," Shanahan said. "I've always been a big fan of Brian. Loved him coming out of college. ... We were pumped that he was available and pumped that we were able to get him."

In 2024, Robinson was third in the league on a third or fourth down of 3 or fewer yards (7.8 yards per carry), though the sample size was just 14 attempts.
Christian McCaffrey will remain the focal point of San Francisco's running game, but Robinson provides an experienced backup who could offer some value in short-yardage situations.

Related players: Isaac Guerendo

The story said the 49ers were 18th in the league in short-yardage situations, averaging 3.2 yards per rush. The story went on to say Guerendo has struggled to stay healthy. Though he just got back from a shoulder injury, he had a pair of fumbles in a recent practice and is more likely to have an early-season spot on various special teams units.

Last season, the Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. linked up 62 times on 114 targets for 885 yards and eight touchdowns. Boosting those numbers could determine Arizona's offensive fate this season.

Thus far, Harrison said he can see the improved connection he and Murray have had this training camp.

"So, I definitely like where we're at," Harrison said. "We just got to go out there and put it on the field."

Those numbers were far behind many QB-WR combos the story pointed out. But the author noted through camp, the preseason and a joint practice with the Denver Broncos, the Murray-Harrison connection appears to have improved. The story went on to say In the first preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, their only preseason action together, Murray hit Harrison on a 15-yard pass with Harrison coming out of the slot. Murray threw the pass on a straight arrow in front of him and Harrison ran to the pass, which was thrown between three Chiefs defenders. The story also pointed out that Harrison said the duo put in a lot of work this offseason.

Jauan Jennings' lingering calf injury and long contractual stalemate with the 49ers could combine to send him to the injured reserve list this week, multiple NFL sources indicated over the past few days.

That wouldn't quite be the nuclear option for the 49ers, who, to this point, have not signaled that they're ready to trade or cut Jennings in the same way they offloaded Deebo Samuel and several others last spring.

The story indicated talk of IR could also be a threat for Jennings to get back to practice. The story added there is growing frustration on both sides as Jennings continues to miss practice and management continues to show little interest in restructuring his contract and giving him a big pay raise for the second time in a little over a year. A move to IR for Jennings means he misses four games and would hurt Jennings financially by severely reducing his chances at triggering incentives and game bonuses and also would leave the 49ers dangerously thin at wide receiver at the start of the season, the story went on to say. Needless to say, this seems like a tense situation with a very unclear ending right now.

Rams GM Les Snead also said the Rams have discussed using more 12 personnel, and said they can do a better job of giving veteran TE Tyler Higbee breaks with Terrance Ferguson in the fold now.

Jackson posted that Snead praised the rookie Ferguson's ball-tracking and body control and said the young TE fits what the Rams want to do offensively. Ferguson can be had at the end of drafts if owners want to take a chance. He's a familiar name for dynasty owners, but doesn't appear to have much fantasy value for redraft leagues right now. Still, it's interesting the Rams could go with more two-TE formations. It could give a boost to the run game as well, especially with QB Matthew Stafford dealing with a back injury.

The Browns believe QB Kenny Pickett is healthy enough to remain on the active roster, furthering the belief that the team will keep four quarterbacks.

Joe Flacco is entrenched as the starter (for now) and the Browns have continued to lean towards keeping both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Fowler also reports the Browns haven’t gotten “knee-deep” into how the depth chart will look and who will backup Flacco in Week 1. Perhaps a trade could be in play down the line, but for now, the Browns look like they will keep four quarterbacks when they cut down to 53.

The Vikings signed quarterback Carson Wentz and traded quarterback Sam Howell to the Eagles.

The Vikings had worked out Wentz recently and have now added him to the roster. To make room, Howell was traded to an Eagles team that in search for a short-term backup to Jalen Hurts, as Tanner McKee is dealing with an injured finger and his status for the start of the season is unclear.

The move is also a sign of the confidence the Vikings have early on in rookie Max Brosmer as the potential backup to J.J. McCarthy. At the very least, he’ll stick around as the No. 3 after a solid preseason.

This is the third time in about a year and a half that Howell has been traded. He went from Washington to Seattle in March 2024 (after starting 17 games in 2023), then from Seattle to Minnesota back in April and now from Minnesota to Philadelphia.

Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz said Saturday night that running back Najee Harris is feeling “great” and that he is hopeful the vet can play Week 1 against the Chiefs.

Harris has been out with an eye injury stemming from his July 4 fireworks mishap, sitting on the non-football injury list. Harris has been working on the sidelines with trainers for the past week-plus. The Chargers brought in Harris during free agency before spending a first-round pick on UNC RB Omarion Hampton. If healthy, he’ll at least be part of a committee in Los Angeles with Hampton leading the charge. Harris is currently RB41 on the consensus rankings.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is expected to practice Monday, according to head coach John Harbaugh.

Jackson had a minor foot issue after having it stepped on during practice Wednesday. Harbaugh gave a simple “Yes, absolutely” answer when asked if he thinks Jackson will be good to go for Monday. All systems are back on for the reigning MVP and either QB1 or QB2 in fantasy drafts. The Ravens are now focused on getting revenge on the Buffalo Bills in Week 1.

Browns general manager Andrew Berry told reporters Saturday it’s “not much of a decision” in regards to keeping four quarterbacks on the roster.

“We have a room that we like all the guys in there,” Berry said. “We don’t really see that as a problem. We more see it as an opportunity.”

The Browns had already announced Joe Flacco as the starter for Week 1 against the Bengals. Even with Kenny Pickett missing time, he seemed likely to stick around and the Browns didn’t give the sense they were going to cut either rookie quarterback in Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that all four quarterbacks start at least one game this season and that their quarterback of the future is somewhere playing on Saturdays this season.

Commanders RB Bill Croskey-Merritt was among 33 players listed as not playing in Saturday’s preseason finale against the Bengals.

Safe to say the Commanders have some kind of plan for their 7th-round rookie. The trade of Brian Robinson Jr. to the 49ers made that point pretty clear. This move almost certainly makes that crystal clear as the team is keeping their starters healthy for the regular season, which starts in a little over two weeks against the Giants. BCM will work in tandem with Austin Ekeler with Chris Rodriguez perhaps sprinkled in, but Croskey-Merritt has quickly gained steam as a solid mid-round pick in fantasy drafts.

Trade: Commanders are trading RB Brian Robinson to the 49ers in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick, sources tell ESPN.

Related Players: Austin Ekeler, Jacory Crosky-Merritt, Christian McCaffrey, Isaac Guerendo

This is awful news for Guerendo drafters, but with all the injuries to the 49ers' running back room, they needed a dependable body in the room. This dings McCaffrey a little bit, but his passing-game involvement should be enough to secure another top-10 (or higher finish), while Robinson will pick up most of the slack and deliver as a FLEX play in tough weeks.

Back in Washington, Crosky-Merritt should be boosted out of low-end RB4 territory into an RB3 while Ekeler has some sneaky upside to finish in the same range.

Vikings have inquired about trading for Panthers WR Adam Thielen, per league sources.

With WR Jordan Addison serving a three-game suspension and Jalen Nailor dealing with a hand injury, Thielen could wind up starting opening night for the Vikings if they can complete the trade.

We're projecting a pretty run-heavy approach for Minnesota this season, so it's hard to imagine Thielen providing a lot of long-term fantasy production. This does help McCarthy's floor as a low-end QB2.

John Harbaugh says Lamar Jackson is sore after getting stepped on Wednesday, so they kept him out of practice today. "But he's fine, he's gonna be good."

Seems like there's nothing to worry about here despite Jackson leaving practice yesterday. We'll keep an eye on things but it doesn't seem like anything to r concerned about.

Jaylen Wright is being walked to the Baptist Health facility with a limp and it doesn’t look good. Not saying season ending, but this isn’t a “I’ll bounce back” limp. But at least he’s walking.

Related Players: De'Von Achane, Ollie Gordon, Alexander Mattison

If this really is serious, it could leave Gordon and Mattison in line for legit work with Achane also nursing an injury. We'll keep an eye on both injuries and a potential RB move if one takes place.

Sources: Buccaneers plan to activate WR Chris Godwin off the Physically Unable to Perform list and have him on their 53-man roster to start the season, but only to begin his ramp-up process for games, not to immediately play in them. Godwin still is unlikely to play until October as he continues recovering from the fractured ankle he suffered in Week 7 vs. the Ravens last season. He is expected to start practicing in Week 2, but the team thinks he is right where he should be at this time and is pleased with his recovery.

Related Players: Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan

Great news for Godwin's 2025 outlook but it doesn't sound like we'll be in a position to start up at the beginning of the season as he ramps up. Evans and Egbuka, in general, will be great early-season targets, and Cade Otton should be on streaming radar for drafters who missed out on the TE position.

Trade! The Chiefs send Skyy Moore to the 49ers. The teams will swap sixth- and seventh-round picks in 2027.

Related Players: Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, Rashee Rice, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jalen Royals, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Jordan Watkins, Demarcus Robinson, Brandon Aiyuk

Both of these teams are dealing with wide receiver issues/injuries, so maybe this points toward good news for Worthy and Brown, who have been dinged up this summer, and/or Rice receiving a shorter suspension than initially thought.

Moore will benefit a 49ers room that is dealing with bad injury luck themselves, including Jennings' calf, Watkins' ankle, and Robinson's three-game suspension. Moore can be left on waiver wires in all but the deepest Dynasty leagues.

And another trade! The Denver Broncos are sending WR Devaughn Vele to the New Orleans Saints for a 2026 4th-round pick and a 2027 7th-round pick, per sources.

Related Players: Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Mason Tipton, Brandin Cooks, Cedrick Wilson

That's a lot of related players, but the biggest impact is probably on rookie Pat Bryant, who has played well enough to make Vele expendable in Denver.

The Saints will presumably employ the 6'4" Vele as a rotational threat, which makes him a little more interesting in super deep leagues for a team that is projected to be playing from behind a ton.

49ers WR Demarcus Robinson has been suspended three games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, HC Kyle Shanahan told @KNBR.

Related Players: Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, George Kittle

This is almost assuredly going to be the Jennings-Pearsall-Kittle show, with ample Christian McCaffrey sprinkled in, at least until Brandon Aiyuk comes back into the picture. They are all easy targets at their current ADPs, and Pearsall might get a little bit extra while Robinson is sidelined.

When Lamar Jackson left practice he appeared to be flexing his wrist.

But a Ravens spokesman said Jackson got his foot stepped on and he’s fine.

Related Players: Cooper Rush, Devin Leary

We'll keep our eye on this to make sure it's not more than a stepped-on foot, but this doesn't sound like anything to be alarmed about.

This is why the Texans felt it was necessary to go out and get Nick Chubb in free agency. Chubb will likely serve as the lead back until Joe Mixon returns, whenever that may be.

Related Players: Dameon Pierce, Woody Marks

Pierce saw a lowly 16.4% of the team's snap share in 2024, and Marks is a Day 2 rookie, so this makes sense. With that said, Marks still makes a very interesting late-round dart throw, as Chubb has dealt with his own major injury in the recent past and it's clear the coaching staff doesn't think too highly of Pierce.

The last I reported was that Joe Mixon would miss the entire preseason and maybe longer. What I would say is no one has expressed major concern to me about him being out for the entire season. There has been caution about him returning in Week 1. So I do think it’s possible he could begin the regular season on the physically unable to perform/reserve list, in which case he’d miss the first four games.

He hasn’t been seen out at practice, nor has he worked off to the side, which would indicate he’s not two to three weeks away from returning from the foot or ankle injury he suffered off the field this past offseason.

Related Players: Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Woody Marks

The foot/ankle injury was enough of a worry for the team to go out and get Chubb, and it doesn't seem like there has been any change in the following weeks/months. Mixon should be avoided until we get clarity on the matter, but any further dings to his efficiency would make him a stay-away anyways.

The Dolphins have activated TE Darren Waller off the physically unable to perform list, and he will practice for the first time since the trade/unretirement.

It's still hard to say exactly what type of role he'll play in Miami, considering he was out of football a couple of months ago, but there are worse offenses to be tied to. We'd consider him more of a deep streamer than an every-week fantasy option, though we could see some spike weeks along the way as a red zone option on a team with smaller-stature receivers.

I just got back from Broncos practice. There’s buzz around several players, but one name I haven’t seen mentioned enough is second-year WR Troy Franklin. The staff loves what they’ve seen, and he looks poised for a bigger role.

Related players: Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Devaughn Vele, Pat Bryant, Troy Franklin

The post went on to say Franklin's understanding of the position, overall toughness and strong hands should help make him a key target for QB Bo Nix. Schultz went on to say Denver believes it has multiple WRs ready - including Mims Jr. - to step up alongside Sutton. For what it's worth, we have Franklin a bit buried down the WR depth chart in Denver. Behind Sutton we have Mims, Vele and the rookie Bryant ahead of Franklin. But with really no clear-cut WR2 in that group, it really could be anyone's job and would certainly have some fantasy value.

From The Insiders on NFL Network: The Commanders will likely move on from RB Brian Robinson Jr., a rare starting RB available.

Related players: Austin Ekeler, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jeremy McNichols, Chris Rodriguez

This isn't really a surprise, but there was some talk that made it seem like the door may still be open for Robinson to stay when the news first broke. But that no longer appears to be the case. It seems, according to Rapoport, the team just doesn't want to extend Robinson, and nothing necessarily happened between the two sides. Rapoport said the Commanders could eat some salary to get a better draft pick in return. The Commanders will likely turn the RB duties over to Ekeler, Croskey-Merritt, McNichols and Rodriguez.

With Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr.'s future in flux following Tuesday's decision to name Daniel Jones the team's starting quarterback, Richardson's agent reacted with disappointment in the move and said he's unsure of his client's future with the club.

The agent, Deiric Jackson, stopped short of demanding a trade, but he wondered aloud whether coach Shane Steichen's quarterback decision might have been predetermined when the Colts signed Jones in March to a one-year, $14 million contract.

"We have a lot to discuss," Jackson told ESPN of his impending conversations with the Colts.

Jackson said he believes Tuesday's decision and some previous situations involving Richardson have damaged the team's credibility, according to the story. As the story pointed out, Richardson was benched for two games last season, with Steichen saying at the time that Richardson needed to improve his game preparation. The team quickly reinserted the 2023 No. 4 draft pick into the starting lineup after suffering two straight losses with veteran Joe Flacco under center. The Colts say, according to the story, that Richardson still has a future with the team.

Head coach Kellen Moore told reporters at a Tuesday press conference that the competition will continue through Saturday’s game against the Broncos. Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough have started the first two preseason games and Moore said he could not give any indication of where things stand at this point because the coaching staff has not made any decisions.

The story said Moore didn’t say who would start against Denver, but shared that Rattler and Shough will continue to split first-team reps in practice this week. Moore added the competition is really close. Those who follow the team have said in the past Shough didn't look ready and the team would likely have to go with Rattler to start the season. So, it's possible Shough has closed the gap in Moore's eyes.

RB Isaac Guerendo returned to practice and had an active day. So as Patrick Taylor and Corey Kiner exit due to injuries, Guerendo comes back.

Related players: Christian McCaffrey, Jordan James, Jeff Wilson

It's always news when a potential CMC handcuff is back on the field. Guerendo missed time with a shoulder injury and the rookie James is still out, so Guerendo could secure his RB2 role behind McCaffrey, who has looked good and close to his 2023 form so far in camp, according to reports. Still, those owning CMC likely want to have protection - just in case. Guerendo proved he can do the job last season.

The pecking order for Texans WRs as of right now.
Nico Collins and Christian Kirk got the two top spots.
Xavier Hutchinson appears to be the next guy up. But Jayden Higgins will rotate in there.
Same with Jaylin Noel.

The top-two names aren't really a surprise, but it gets interesting seeing Hutchinson's name mentioned as the team's WR3, a spot many assumed would go to Higgins. We reported a few weeks ago that Noel was a quality WR for the team, but there just wasn't a spot for him in the lineup, and that seems to remain the case. This could be a situation to keep an eye on, especially if Hutchinson continues to be mentioned as the WR3. It's hard to believe Higgins won't be among the team's top-three WRs at some point sooner than later.

Jalen McMillan will be placed on injured reserve after suffering a “severely sprained neck,” against the Steelers and could be out past the Bucs Week 9 bye week, the Times has learned.

Related players: Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Sterling Shepard, Trey Palmer

This is a bit of an update from our previous item about McMillan. The post went on to say the team still feels fortunate the injury wasn’t worse and that they have depth at WR starting with Evans and Egbuka. Godwin will eventually return from a dislocated ankle, the story pointed out. Egbuka is likely pressed into a high-impact role from the start for the Bucs. Shepard and Palmer are a couple of other names to keep an eye on in this offense, especially if Godwin isn't able to start the start the season on the active roster.

Another day, another Week 1 starting quarterback has been named.

According to NFL Media, Daniel Jones has gotten the nod over Anthony Richardson.

Related players: Anthony Richardson, Riley Leonard

As the story points out, it's a stunning move considering the investment the Colts put into Richardson. The competition was reportedly close, but still doesn't seem like good news for Richardson's future in Indy. However, the door probably isn't closed for a change at some point, given the struggles Jones had to end his career with the Giants. Our own John Paulsen reminds us, however, that Jones has had a couple of competent seasons. He threw 24 touchdowns versus 12 picks as a rookie, and had a 15:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio back in 2022 when he went 9-6-1 as the Giants' starter. Given Jones’s ability to run the ball, he’s still an intriguing value pick. Any sort of recovery in his passing numbers would vault him into the QB2 conversation.

The Buccaneers have not activated Chris Godwin from the physically unable to perform list yet and head coach Todd Bowles announced on Tuesday that they will definitely be missing another wideout for the start of the regular season.

Bowles said at a press conference that Jalen McMillan has a severe neck strain and that he will not be ready to play for the team’s Week 1 game against the Falcons.

Related players: Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka

Bowles did not say how much more time McMillan will miss. If he goes on injured reserve, he will have to miss four games before being eligible to return of, course. As the story pointed out, with McMillan out and Godwin questionable at best, the Bucs will likely be giving first-round pick Egbuka a sizable role alongside Evans at wideout to kick off the year. Egbuka has looked good with all the chances he's getting in camp, according to reports, and may be able to secure a more permanent role in the offense at this rate.

Ian Rapoport said it was a "big deal" that Rams QB Matthew Stafford was able to bounce back after throwing and practice on Monday.

Stafford is dealing with a disc issue in his back. He was finally able to practice after throwing. The first time he threw, he wasn't able to bounce back and practice, which we all remember from last week. Rapoport said the team took it easier on him this time around. The hope is Stafford won't have any setbacks, and he'll be "upright" for Week 1. The whole vide of the video may not give Stafford fantasy owners a warm and fuzzy feeling. The big question is, how will Stafford respond the first time he gets hit, which likely won't be until the first game he's on the field. Hopefully, that is Week 1 of the season.

Tyler Warren was described by the Colts' brass as an "easy" selection at 14th overall. And nothing that's happened in the intervening months between the draft and now suggests they were wrong.

The story said Warren has displayed sure hands and physical running after the catch, as well as developing as a blocker, and that the Colts could not be more pleased with their pick. The story added members of the team think Warren's overall toughness and physicality will set a tone for the team this coming season. The story finally added we should look for the Colts to give Warren plays that give him an opportunity to gain yards after the catch. The Colts projected Warren to be a player who would thrive in the open field, and those projections are proving true, the story said. Rookie TEs usually come with risks, or they used to, but we already have Warren ranked 10th among our TEs, making him a low-end TE1 who can be had in the middle of the ninth round.

Veteran Austin Ekeler remains a key piece of the offense and special teams as Washington’s lead kick returner.

Related players: Chris Rodriguez, Jeremy McNichols, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Brian Robinson

The Commanders RB room has been a hot topic this week and it's only Tuesday. Robinson was held out of Monday night's preseason game amid trade rumors. The story discussed how an AFC GM said the team made Robinson available last year already. Rodriguez had a big run in the Monday night game and rookie sensation Croskey-Merritt had a long TD run as well. The story called McNichols the team's best blocking back. The story didn't mention how much of a role Ekeler would have in the offense, but needless to say it's a crowded RB room right now, with all four of those backs expected to make the team. If the Commanders do trade Robinson, this situation will need to sort itself out. But right now, Rodriguez and JCM are popular pickups in leagues that already had their drafts.

Jeremy McNichols re-signed in the offseason on a one-year deal, giving offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury another versatile option who is also the team’s best blocking back. (His blitz pickups last season warranted more headlines.)

Coach Jim Harbaugh said earlier this camp that Ladd McConkey has become “uncoverable” in one-on-one situations. Monday featured example after example of that.

Related players: Tre’ Harris, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Keenan Allen

The story has high praise for McConkey and his potential for 2025. It said the passing offense is going to flow through McConkey this year and even with the return of Allen to the Bolts, it's McConkey's room. The story also believes McConkey is poised to reach even greater heights in his second season. We currently rank McConkey 12th among our WRs and he looks to be available in the early third round of drafts so far this summer.

The Dolphins are keeping one of their key offensive players sidelined for at least the next few practices.

Head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters in his Monday press conference that De’Von Achane is unlikely to practice this week due to a calf issue.

Related players: Ollie Gordon, Jaylen Wright

But McDaniel noted that Achane getting held out of practice is precautionary, the story went on to say. We also just posted a news story about how Gordon and Wright are battling for the team's RB2 role, which the Dolphins would like to see go to more of a power back. As far as Achane goes, it sounds like it's not serious and he should be fine before Week 1.

But does Dolphins rookie running back Ollie Gordon II, who rushed for 50 yards on 10 carries in last Saturday’s 24-17 victory over the Lions, provide everything that’s necessary as RB2 behind starting running back De’Von Achane and ahead of second-year running back Jaylen Wright?

It appears to me that he does. Gordon, this year’s sixth-round pick from Oklahoma State, at this point seems better equipped to serve as Achane’s primary backup than Wright, last year’s fourth-round pick out of Tennessee.

Keep in mind, this is just the opinion of the author. However, with Alexander Mattison now missing the season, the team is looking for a power back to perhaps get short-yardage and goal line carries. The author said Gordon (6 foot 2, 225 pounds) provides more power than Wright (5-10, 208). The author added Gordon hits holes faster and more decisively, he has better hands and more special teams value. He also shows a knack for double-digit gains on the ground and in the air. It remains to be seen what direction the Dolphins go in for this role. Achane is currently missing time with an injury, so both Gordon and Wright are getting plenty of chances to show their stuff.

Yes, Browns running back Quinshon Judkins could still be suspended, even though he won’t face criminal charges arising from recent allegations of domestic violence.

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that the Browns and the 36th overall pick in the 2025 draft have yet to reach an agreement. They possibly won’t until the NFL has concluded its internal investigation.

Related players: Dylan Sampson, Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr.

This implies that an investigation will happen, which is normal practice even when criminal charges aren’t pursued, the story said. The other complicating factor is that Judkins is in line for a fully-guaranteed contract, according to the story. The story added, Judkins’s only leverage at this point is to sit out the season and re-enter the draft. The story went to ponder, if he doesn’t sign a contract until next year, would any suspension be served based on games missed this year. From a fantasy standpoint, those who drafted Sampson look like they may profit off this situation, especially if Judkins opts to sit out and re-enter the draft. Ford would likely be a big contributor in the offense as well, assuming Judkins isn't a part of it.

Christian McCaffrey … if he’s not back to his 2023 form, he’s pretty close to it.

The story was part of a mailbag of questions and the author added that McCaffrey should be heavily involved in the passing game, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone considering the injuries they are dealing with at WR. CMC hasn't really been in the news as of late, so it's at least nice to get an update that he's nearly back to his old form. We still rank McCaffrey sixth among our RBs, but the bigger questions for fantasy owners is his injury risk worth his upside when it comes to your first round pick.

Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is set to return to the field.

Jefferson has been out since the second practice of training camp with a hamstring injury, but head coach Kevin O’Connell said at a Monday pre-practice press conference that the wideout is going to resume participating in practice. O'Connell added it will be a ramp up and he'll take part in bits and pieces of practice, at least to start.

Amid speculation about his future with the Commanders, RB Brian Robinson Jr. will not play tonight against the Bengals, sources say.

Related players: Austin Ekeler, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jeremy McNichols, Chris Rodriguez

The post went on to say it’s a mutual decision between Robinson and the team, as a trade before the cut to the 53-man roster remains a possibility. This situation seems to be escalating quickly. Those in dynasty leagues are likely no stranger to Crosky-Merritt, whose stock seems to be skyrocketing. If Robinson is dealt, Croskey-Merritt could find himself as the team's RB1 with Ekeler and McNichols perhaps the change of pace options. Rodriguez would also be an option to get early down work. However, Crosky-Meritt has been a sneaky-good prospect for a while now so he's a name to keep an eye on.

The Browns are naming QB Joe Flacco as their starter, the end of a training camp competition that never really was.

Flacco quickly emerged as QB1, while the others battled injuries. The player who led them to the playoffs in 2023 is back.

Related players: Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel

This isn't really shocking news. The thing to watch will now be how the rest of the QBs align behind Flacco as we get closer to the season. Both Sanders and Gabriel didn't look bad in their preseason games in Weeks 1 and 2, but both have dealt with injuries. The team has a lot of options, and this will need to sort itself out by the start of the season. The Browns Week 3 preseason game could go a long way to determine the rest of the order.

Matthew Stafford out at practice.

The sky was beginning to fall in terms of Stafford and his back injury as well as his delay in returning to the practice field. The video, posted by the Rams X account, showed Stafford walking on to the field in his gear, which is seemingly great news for the veteran QB - and of course his fantasy owners. We'll likely get an update later about just how much Stafford was able to do, but he appeared to be ready to take part in team drills.

Packers QB Jordan Love returned to practice.

Related players: Malik Willis

Schneidman went on to post that Love is doing phantom handoffs and throws while Willis takes the first snaps of the day. We’ll see how limited he ends up being today, but a return, nonetheless, according to Schneidman. Love had surgery on his left, non-throwing thumb and is expected to be ready to go for Week 1, but his status is still worth monitoring through the rest of camp to see how he progresses.

Eliot Wolf on Stefon Diggs: “He’s ahead of schedule injury wise.”

Related players: Kyle Williams, Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins

Diggs tore his ACL back in Week 8 last year, and so far seems to be on track to start the season, not suffering any setback as far as reports have indicated at least. Diggs is poised to be the Pats top target this season among a group of relatively young WRs. At least on our depth chart, rookie Williams is second followed by Douglas and Boutte. Overall we have Diggs 37th on our WR list and he should be available starting late in the seventh round of drafts.

According to head coach Kellen Moore, both tight end Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill are not close to a return to the field. Rather, “they’re not ready to get on the field any time soon”, via Moore. The depth at TE for Moore’s offense is a notable concern due to these injuries.

Related players: Juwan Johnson, Jack Stoll

As the story pointed out, Johnson is the clear starter for the Saints at the TE position. Stoll is set for a legitimate offensive impact as of now, but is considered more of a blocker, the story went on to say. As for Hill, he is trying to recover from an ACL tear at 34-years-old. Hill is expected to remain on the PUP list and miss the first four games of the season. Given his age and the injury, he's obviously a risky bet in fantasy this season. But if you like to take chances and take advantage of IR spots, Hill is at least someone you can stash there and maybe pick up late in drafts.

Ben Johnson on the best stretch he's seen from Caleb Williams in training camp: "He’s really been locked in. Any time you’re a young player, there’s usually a couple steps forward and one step back, and that’s really been the story of his training camp. He and I have been really open and honest about that as we’ve gone through. He’s had some really good practices and he’s had a couple where it’s like, that’s not good enough. I thought, really, the three days of practice we had this week and this game were the most he’s stacked up – good days in a row – right now. The challenge is going to be keep pushing in that direction."

Williams had a nice showing against the Bills in a blowout win Sunday night, throwing for 107 yards and a TD and completing 6-of-10 passes. There will likely continue to be up and down moments for Williams this season, but the comments from Johnson and Williams' performances should give owners hope for their young fantasy QB. We have Williams ranked 16th among our QBs, but he certainly has the coach, the talent, and weapons around him to exceed expectations if things fall into place. At least right now, Williams makes for a solid QB2 option.

The Commanders have been shopping running back Brian Robinson Jr. to teams around the NFL.

Robinson is entering the final year of his contract and the Commanders have been enamored with 7th-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Chris Rodriguez is also still in the mix. Those two are combining to start making Robinson expendable. Robinson will likely fetch a late-round pick.

The Eagles acquired WR John Metchie from the Texans in exchange for TE Harrison Bryant. The teams are also swapping day three picks in 2026.

The Texans were looking for a tight end after Brevin Jordan suffered a season-ending knee injury last week and Metchie was starting to become buried on the depth chart in Houston. For the Eagles, Metchie will compete with the likes of Jahan Dotson, Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith for roles behind the top two of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

Giants WR Malik Nabers has been held out of practice for 11 days with a minor back issue, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.

One source told Raanan the injury is characterized as “normal camp tightness.” The Giants are likely being very cautious with their star wide receiver and may end up sitting him the entire preseason. Nabers should be good to go for the season opener in three weeks against the Commanders. Nabers has also missed time in the spring with a toe injury. As long as he is healthy, Nabers is one of the top receiver options in fantasy, currently a top-ten overall player in consensus rankings.

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Sunday that the team is still running tests on WR Jalen McMillan, who is listed with a back injury and was evaluated for a possible concussion.

McMillan was hurt following a leaping catch in the second quarter of Saturday’s preseason game against the Steelers. He was able to walk off the field under his own power. He was wearing a neck brace after the game. The Bucs already have Chris Godwin likely starting the season on the physically unable to perform list. McMillan was set to be a good piece to the Buccaneers’ offense this season and has been having a nice camp. McMillan is going late, if not undrafted in fantasy drafts to this point.

Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh told reporters Saturday WR Quentin Johnston suffered a concussion during Saturday’s game against the Rams.

Johnston took a hard shot in the first quarter and his head hit the field hard. He was taken out on a medical cart and eventually taken to a local hospital as a precaution. Johnston will now have to clear concussion protocol before returning to play. KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who filled in for Johnston, also went to the locker room with an injury.

When asked for confirmation on a Saturday workout for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, team officials declined to comment.

This weird story on Stafford takes another turn. Head coach Sean McVay is scheduled to speak to the media Monday. It seemed like Stafford would return to practice this week, and was reportedly set to have his workout Saturday following a workout last Saturday but now the outlook is as cloudy as ever. There’s no telling at this point when, or even if, Stafford will play again. A back injury for a 37-year old quarterback is very difficult to deal with. Stafford is starting to become a major fade in fantasy circles.

Chargers WR Quentin Johnston left Saturday’s game against the Rams after taking a hard hit near the head.

Johnston was eyeing a long pass that was deflected before taking the hit and having his head hit hard off the turf. We’ll keep an eye on this one, as this could be a concussion for Johnston. Ladd McConkey, rookie Tre’ Harris and the returning Keenan Allen are the top options if Johnston misses time. Rookie KeAndre Lambert-Smith has also shown flashes this preseason.

Colts HC Shane Steichen said Saturday he hopes to make a decision on his starting quarterback soon and that’s he’s “very close.”

Daniel Jones started Saturday against the Packers and played two series before the Colts turned to Anthony Richardson. Jones went 7/11 for 101 yards. Richardson led three drives and went 6/11 for 73 yards. Neither quarterback has separated themselves. The Colts have one more preseason game next Saturday against the Bengals. They open the regular season home against the Dolphins on September 4.

Dolphins RB De’Von Achane is dealing with a lower body soft tissue injury and will miss between “days and weeks” according to head coach Mike McDaniel.

Achane’s preseason is likely over but McDaniel didn’t seem concerned about the availability of Achane for Week 1 against the Colts. Achane did not play in Saturday’s preseason game against the Lions. The Dolphins have already lost Alexander Mattison for the season with a neck injury. Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon are next on the depth chart.

The Saints announced Saturday that rookie quarterback Tyler Shough will start Sunday’s preseason game against the Jaguars.

Spencer Rattler started the first preseason game, so the Saints are simply giving Shough his opportunity as the quarterback battle continues between the former South Carolina quarterback and the rookie second-round pick out of Louisville. Shough threw for 165 yards, a touchdown and an interception last week against the Chargers.

The Browns are starting Dillon Gabriel at quarterback in Saturday’s preseason game against the Eagles.

Gabriel missed the first preseason week with hamstring tightness but returned to practice this week. Gabriel should see plenty of work Saturday as fellow rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders suffered an oblique injury this week and will miss the game. Kenny Pickett (hamstring) is working his way back but has not yet participated in team drills. Joe Flacco and Tyler Huntley are the other healthy quarterbacks in Cleveland.

The Commanders officially activated WR Terry McLaurin from the physically unable to perform list Saturday.

On Friday, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said it was time for on-field work for McLaurin. That time has come. Still no word on a new contract for McLaurin, but he can now take the next step in his progression on the field as he recovers from his ankle injury. The main issue is obviously the contract talks, but McLaurin can now take part in more on-field activities with the season about three weeks away. McLaurin is a consensus top-20 wide receiver in fantasy drafts.

The Jaguars may hold Travis Hunter out of preseason game 2, as he deals with an upper body injury. Just a precaution, per coach Liam Coen.

Related Players: Brian Thomas Jr., Dyami Brown, Parker Washington

This shouldn't impact the regular season as it stands, but we'll keep an eye on it. Hunter is current ranked as a fringe WR2/3.

The Colts held their 13th and final training camp practice at Grand Park on Thursday, bringing to a close this chapter of their competition between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson Sr.

The book, however, does not have an ending yet.

"We'll work through that," head coach Shane Steichen said of a decision on the Colts' Week 1 starting quarterback. "We had today, we got a preseason game (Saturday), we have some practices next week and we'll work through that. I don't have an exact timetable on it, but sooner rather than later would be nice."

Hopefully the "sooner" means next week, but there's no way of knowing at this point. It seems like Richardson has the slight edge here, and he would be instantly startable as a fantasy asset, but the raw targets would go down across the board. If Jones wins the job, he'll be a fringe QB2/3.

Former Texas WR Isaiah Bond announces he has signed with the Browns.

Related Players: Cedric Tillman, Jamari Thrash, Jerry Jeudy, Diontae Johnson, DeAndre Carter

After legal issues factored into the former Texas receiver going undrafted, the case was "no-billed", meaning no further criminal charges will be faced, and he's heading to Cleveland. The script writes itself sometimes.

The speedy receiver spent a lot of time in the slot in Alabama before wrapping up his career as an outside burner in Austin. If he makes the Browns' final roster, he'll fight for a rotational role in the WR room.

QB Matthew Stafford (back) will work out on Saturday, Sean McVay said. The workout will be similar to what he did on Aug. 9.

“Hopefully [his back] responds a little bit better,” McVay said.

Related Players: Jimmy Garoppolo

Barshop followed up this tweet with;

Sean McVay on Matthew Stafford's back injury: "We're trying to get our hands around this as well, so I don't really have much more information other than think we're trying some different things that are hopefully going to be in alignment with getting him back out on the field."

These aren't glowing reviews regarding his availability for Week 1, but it'd be all speculation to guess when he gets on the field at this point. Keep Stafford low in the QB2 pecking order until we get some better news.

Browns rookie RB Quinshon Judkins will not face any formal charges, as prosecutors have declined to move forward with the case.

This clears the way for him to return to the team, and I’m told that should likely happen in the near future.

Related Players: Jerome Ford, Dylan Sampson

This is huge news, but doesn't necessarily mean he will completely avoid league discipline. He's got some ground to make up, but this is at least moving in the right direction to get him on the field for the regular season. Sampson is still probably who we should be leaning toward for touches in the early going, with Judkins a borderline RB3 option once he gets up to speed.

Chiefs WR Rashee Rice is expected to have his disciplinary hearing with the NFL on Tuesday, Sept 30 in New York. This means that Rice now is likely to be able to play the first four weeks of this season before any potential discipline is imposed for his role in a multi-car crash in Dallas during the 2024 offseason.

Related Players: Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, Skyy Moore, Jalen Royals, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Travis Kelce

This is actually pretty miserable timing, as it means a potential suspension could be pushing up against the fantasy playoffs. Regardless, fantasy managers will get the Chiefs WR1 for the first four games of the season, and the suspension could be anywhere from 4-8 games. It'd be nice to have that information as we head into the season, but we'll have to roll with the punches following the hearing.

This could change at any moment but the answer, for now, is second-year wideout Ricky Pearsall. Pearsall has moved past the hamstring injury that kept him out in the spring and has begun stringing good practices together. Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said by the end of last season Pearsall was the team's best receiver when it came to beating man coverage. He's continued to sharpen his route running and with many of the other wideouts dealing with injuries, including Jauan Jennings (who would be the answer here if healthy), there are plenty of opportunities for Pearsall to build on his strong finish to last season early in 2025.

Related Players: Brandon Aiyuk, Jacob Cowing, Demarcus Robinson

Things seemed to be heading in this direction, which is probably why the ADPs of Pearsall and Jennings have shifted much closer together over the summer months. Jennings had a massive 175-yard performance in the first month of last season, but Pearsall also closed the year out well and has his first full offseason under his belt after being shot (with a gun) last August. Both options look like they should be in the fantasy WR3 range for now.

Braelon Allen received 28% of the running-back carries last season, and that number will increase in 2025. The Jets want to be a run-oriented offense and, while Breece Hall will likely get the most touches, the plan is to give Allen a bigger role. Head coach Aaron Glenn loves his power and downhill running style.

Related Players: Isaiah Davis

This falls in line with the whispers around the Jets' backfield all offseason, including rumors earlier in the year that the team might have been trying to move on from Hall. Allen profiles as the rare handcuff option, and also has a little standalone value if the team can keep games close this season.

It's trending heavily in favor of Tyrone Tracy, in part because Cam Skattebo has missed the past two weeks with a minor leg injury. Skattebo may be getting closer to a return, but the setback put a halt to his charge for significant carries early in the season. Tracy has taken first-team reps, almost exclusively, this summer, while Skattebo took only a handful. The rookie did flash an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and excel in open space. That is what Skattebo's role likely will be early in the season, with the carries split being somewhere in the 70-30 range in favor of Tracy.

Raanan got some pushback from Skattebo fantasy drafters when he said this was "100%" Tracy's backfield, and he's doubling down now. The ADP has already started to push the backs further apart, and if this is really a 70/30 split, it's probably not far enough.

Perhaps Ray Davis could be a bit more of a factor, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see a similar split to last season among the Bills' three backs. The team put James Cook on the field for 47.6% of offensive snaps, with Davis getting opportunities (24.3%) and Ty Johnson seeing the field often on third downs (29%). Despite Cook "holding in" for much of camp before reaching a contract extension on Wednesday, the Bills did not show anything in practice to indicate a different approach this season.

Looks like Davis will continue to be mostly an arbitrage play in fantasy, though we have to assume some regression from Cook's 16 rushing touchdowns, so maybe the sophomore can snag some of those. He's still an interesting pick for RB-needy teams in the double-digit rounds.

The Bucs will be without Chris Godwin to start the season. I would be shocked if he doesn’t start the year on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list. Therefore, that opens up a roster spot at wide receiver. We know Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, and Jalen McMillan will be the top three receivers to start the season, but Tampa Bay will need two to three more receivers to start the season.

If Godwin does end up on PUP, that means he's out for at least the four games of the season, which would clearly impact his season-long fantasy propositions. Things are really lining up for Egbuka to find a role in the passing game from the jump (whether that's on the inside or the perimeter), and this would boost Evans' target share as well.

Browns QB Shedeur Sanders injured his oblique in practice today, early on, and will be evaluated. That may take him out of the next preseason game — the latest in a string of Cleveland nagging QB injuries.

Related Players: Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel

Pickett is also sidelined at the moment, so the next preseason game might be between Gabriel and recently signed Tyler Huntley. We still expect Flacco to begin the regular season as the starter.

Bills now have officially signed RB James Cook to a four-year contract extension through 2029.

Related Players: Ray Davis, Ty Johnson

It's a four-year, $48M extension after Cook scored 18 combined touchdowns last season. We can still expect Davis and Johnson to rotate in (and Josh Allen could always take some of those rushing touchdowns for himself), but Cook remains a very solid RB2 option in 2025.

Jauan Jennings, 28, is entering the final year of a two-year, $15.4 million extension that he signed with the franchise in May 2024. Despite Jennings wanting a new contract, it doesn't appear that an extension is imminent. Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard reported Tuesday that the "two sides are not close on a new agreement," citing the timing of the contract request.

Related players: Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins

Jennings hasn't practiced since July 27 due to a calf injury which came less than two weeks after a report surfaced that Jennings wants a new contract and is open to a trade if he isn't compensated adequately, the story said. Some are questioning the calf injury, according to the story. Watkins is going to miss a month and Aiyuk should start the season on the PUP list, so the Niners are looking thin at the WR position as we get closer to the season.

The ball skills that made Jahan Dotson a 2022 first-round pick by the Washington Commanders are showing up more in his first full training camp in Philly. Among the signs, Dotson hauled in a contested catch on Tuesday against rookie cornerback Mac McWilliams along the right sideline. There’s a growing sense that Dotson could contribute more than the 19 catches for 216 yards that he fielded on short notice last season.

“I’ve always had a lot of confidence in Jahan,” Eagles wide receiver coach Aaron Moorehead said. “We really liked him coming out (of the draft) and was super excited when Howie traded for him last year and just thought that he adds a great dimension to the offense as a third guy."

Related players: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Johnny Wilson, Ainias Smith, Terrace Marshall, Saquon Barkley, Dallas Goedert

There isn't much behind Brown and Smith, of course besides Barkley, as a pass-catching threat. Goedert has been good at times, but is 30-years-old, and the Eagles haven't traditionally got a lot from their WR3 over the years. So, it's certainly possible Dotson has a bigger role, especially of Goedert starts to show some age at the TE position. Dotson isn't getting drafted in most leagues so he should be around very late in drafts if you want to take a chance.

Greg Roman said that even if Najee Harris isn’t ready to go Week 1, RB Omarion Hampton will rotate with another back. Who that other back is, Roman says is wide open.

Related players: Kimani Vidal, Hassan Haskins

Hampton would still be the back to play if Harris isn't ready for Week 1, but who he would rotate with shouldn't be a huge threat to his touches anyway. However, it may take time for Hampton to be more heavily involved with or without Harris in the lineup. Harris is slowly working his way back but it's tough to tell if he'll be ready to go Week 1.

Vikings receiver Rondale Moore will not be able to play in 2025.

Minnesota confirmed Moore will miss his second consecutive year after suffering a season-ending knee injury during the club’s preseason opener over the weekend.

Moore went down after he was tackled on a punt return.

Related players: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, Tim Jones, T.J. Hockenson

Moore is still only 25-years-old and he spent last season on the Falcons’ injured reserve following a season-ending knee injury. With Moore not in the picture, and Addison suspended the first three games of the season, guys like Nailor and Jones may see a lot more work. It also means TE Hockenson could be in store for a ton of targets with the team a bit short at receiver.

A source said that quarterback Jordan Love's surgery went "perfect".

The Packers are hopeful he can do some things in practice next week, the post went on to say, but as expected, his first game action won't be until the regular-season opener. However, it's at least good news he should be ready to go for Week 1.

Romeo Doubs is getting medical attention after nearly coming up with a deep ball.

Related players: Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Dontayvion Wicks, Christian Watson

Demovsky went on to post Doubs was crouched over for a few minutes and walked off holding his lower back. It's significant because Watson is likely to be placed on the PUP list to start the season and the team is practicing without Wicks and Reed, leaving only the rookie Golden among their top WRs. On top of that, it was reported today that QB Jordan Love had surgery on his left thumb.

Matthew Stafford is not out with the other quarterbacks to start practice.

Related players: Jimmy Garoppolo, Stetson Bennett

It was reported Monday that Stafford wasn't ready to practice after the team said he threw around 60 passes over the weekend and would be set to go on Monday for team drills. There haven't been any other details about Stafford's situation, which gets a bit more stressful for fantasy owners each day that passes. The Rams said they will be flexible with Stafford going forward, so there is still hope he's just giving himself some extra team.

Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs did not play in the preseason opener for what head coach Mike Vrabel described as a coach's decision. But Patriots wide receivers coach Todd Downing says that decision in no way reflects any concerns about Diggs' status as he recovers from a torn ACL.

"I think where he’s at in his process right now is where we want him to be," Downing said. "He’s working hard when he’s out there with his reps and you see him making some plays. The big thing with him is understanding that we can’t confuse results with the process. So if there's a day he doesn’t have a whole bunch of production, that doesn’t mean he didn’t do his job and get open."

Diggs has been cleared for full participation in practice, and Downing said that Diggs is doing what the Patriots want him to do, even when not playing in the preseason or sometimes not getting a lot of balls thrown his way in practice, according to the story. The story said the team wants him to continue to learn the system and be where he's supposed to be. Diggs is our WR39, and available in the late 7th round.

The Dolphins opted to sign Mike Boone and Aaron Shampklin on Monday upon the bad news for Alexander Mattison. Neither is the power runner Mattison is, but they were the choices over Jamaal Williams, who is known to bulldoze his way between the tackles.

“When we work out guys, we base it on the facts in front of us,” said McDaniel, indicating the roster spots were earned in the tryout.

Related players: Jaylen Wright, Ollie Gordon II, De'Von Achane

Perhaps the most important thing to note is McDaniel also said the team selected capable short-yardage backs in the past two drafts in Wright and Gordon II, along with key run blockers. If the Dolphins do feel strongly about that, it's more likely one of those two backs takes over the role Mattison may have had. But then one has to wonder, why weren't they in that position before the team felt the need to sign Mattison. Outside of Achane, this will be a situation to monitor.

Miami Dolphins wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle remain day-to-day as the team shifts from Chicago to Detroit on its 11-day preseason trip through the Midwest.

While the team’s top two receivers sat as most other starters played in Sunday’s preseason opener at the Chicago Bears, Hill and Waddle could see reps against the Lions in joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday.

“They’re definitely in the conversation, for sure,” McDaniel said of their prospects of practicing against the Lions.

The story said Hill was revealed last week to be dealing with an oblique injury as he was sidelined for the joint session with the Bears on Friday and then Sunday’s exhibition. The story added Waddle was involved in the practice and took a hard hit from Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.

Jets coach Aaron Glenn told reporters that QB Tyrod Taylor had a knee procedure and they hope he’ll be ready for Week 1. But his preseason is over.

Related Players: Justin Fields, Brady Cook, Adrian Martinez

Those looking to backup Fields on their fantasy roster will need to keep an eye on this situation. It's good news he should be ready to go for Week 1, but just in case, Cook or Martinez would likely serve as the team's QB2 - unless the Jets make another move.

Here is Raheem Morris' update on WR Darnell Mooney.

"Kind of just waiting and rolling. Kind of a week-to-week basis. I feel good about getting him back healthy and ready to go. When? I don’t know. We’ll have him back healthy this year, though."

Interpret as you will.

Related players: Drake London, Ray-Ray McCloud, KhaDarel Hodge, Casey Washington, Michael Pitts, Bijan Robinson

Mooney owners could be waiting a while to get back their receiver for fantasy lineups, depending on how you read into these comments. With Mooney out of the lineup, it could mean more work for McCloud, Hodge and maybe even Pitts. McCloud shined at times last season, especially in a three game stretch where he caught 18 passes for 239 yards on 23 targets in weeks 11-14. Hodge was limited to 7 catches for 131 yards all season, most of which came in a 2-67-1 line in a Week 5 game against the Buccaneers. Robinson and the running backs could also get more involved.

Brian Gutekunst says Christian Watson will likely start the season on PUP. After those four games are up? Gutekunst says Watson will “chomping at the bit” to return then.

“It’s gonna take a lot of us to hold him back.”

Related players: Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks

It's possible Watson's injury keeps him out longer than four weeks however. The Packers are a bit banged up on offense. As we just reported, Jordan Love is getting surgery on his left thumb and Reed's status for Week 1 is up in the air due to his foot injury. The rookie Golden has been a bright spot in camp and it's possible he starts Week 1 as the team's WR1. It's a pretty fluid situation for the Packer offense right now, so we'll all have to continue to monitor as we get closer to Week 1.

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said QB Jordan Love is undergoing a procedure on his left thumb. It’s a ligament issue.

Related players: Malik Willis, Sean Clifford

The injury happened Saturday against the Jets in the preseason game. Demovsky went on to say that’s why Love had had his thumb taped Monday in practice. While there is no mention of his Week 1 status, the hope, according to the post, is for Love to return to practice next week. This will be worth monitoring as the rest of camp goes on. While Love could certainly play through a left thumb injury, it can still affect handing off the ball and taking snaps under center. However, the team doesn't think this will affect their QB long-term.

Bills HC Sean McDermott tells reporters he’s confident that RB James Cook will practice today noting "things have changed.”

There were no specifics as to what has changed exactly, but one can speculate his hold-out or hold-in is - hopefully - over. Cook wants a new deal and missed several practices and also declined to play in the team's last preseason game.

Tory Horton, who had his final college season cut short due to multiple injuries in his leg, has played as well as any of the young guys through three weeks of camp. He’s earned many reps with the first-team offense beside Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp.

It's just another day of positive reports when it comes to Horton, who looks like he'll at least be the team's WR3 to start the season. As we talked about many times before, it's also easy to see Horton passing Kupp on the depth chart as well, should everything fall into place for the rookie. The story went on to say: because of Horton's shiftiness, soft hands, athleticism, catch radius and speed, Horton is in the mix to be the punt returner. He'll be a player to keep an eye on in the team's next preseason game against the Chiefs, and it looks like he should be someone to keep an eye on later in redraft leagues.

As Bo Nix enters his second season as Denver’s starting quarterback, piloting a team that has been outspoken about its championship aspirations, the Broncos have no plans to meddle with his running instincts. However, they are emphasizing an important caveat.

“The audit would be more in regard to protecting himself at the end of those plays and the timing of when (the run) is a got-to-have-it versus (not),” Payton said. “So we’re comfortable with (Nix scrambling); it’s a strength. When the combine came, he didn’t shuttle. He didn’t do a number of these drills that I thought he would be exceptional at."

The story said because Nix didn't run at the combine, the team was surprised about his overall speed. The story added there may be a natural decline in Nix’s scramble attempts due to his increased familiarity with the offense and a better understanding from his receivers about how their quarterback prefers to make plays when he leaves the pocket. Nix had 26 scrambles in the first seven games of his rookie season. He had only 24 across his final 10 as he finished more of his pocket-escaping plays with throws to receivers who did a better job mirroring his scrambles, the story added. We are projecting Nix to have 86 rushes for just about 400 yards this season, and overall we have him ranked ninth among our QBs.

D.J. Moore has been lining up in the backfield from time to time as the Bears try to find as many ways as possible to get the ball into the hands of one of their most dynamic players. On Monday, Moore said it has been “daunting” to learn a new position but added that it’s why he gets “paid the big bucks” so he’s going full speed in his embrace of the new twist to the offense.

Related players: Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, D'Andre Swift

Moore was quoted as saying he wants to, ‘‘Just do it all and just attack it.’’ It should be a great sign for his fantasy owners as any time an offense wants to find more ways to get a player touches is never a bad thing. In this case, it's a pretty crowded offense in terms of overall talent, but it looks like the Bears want to keep Moore involved.

Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker missed practice for the second straight day on Monday, but head coach Mike Macdonald said it’s part of the team’s approach to making sure Walker is good to go for the start of the season.

“We have a plan for Ken, and we’re sticking to the plan,” Walker said, via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com.

Related players: Zach Charbonnet

Walker missed time with foot soreness earlier in camp and Macdonald said that the rest is part of the team’s desire to manage his workload heading into September, the story said. Anyone who owns Walker may want to make an effort to have Charbonnet on their roster as well. Walker's ADP is the early 4th round and Charbonnet's is the 10th. Charbonnet, as we talk about in his profile, has produced elite numbers when given extended work.

The 49ers don’t know for sure when wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will be ready to return from last season’s knee injury. But it should be around the middle of the season.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said today that there’s still a range of potential outcomes, but Week 6 is a potential target date he’s thinking of, not just for Aiyuk to make his 2025 debut, but also for quarterback Kurtis Rourke and safety Malik Mustapha, both of whom are also recovering from knee injuries.

Shanahan said it could be Week 5, or Week 10, but he knows it won't be Week 1, according to the story. Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL on October 20 of last season in a game against the Chiefs. The 49ers’ Week Six game is against the Buccaneers on Oct. 12, so if that’s Aiyuk’s return date, he would have missed just under a full year, the story pointed out.

Ahead of camp, I believed there were dozens of ways the quarterback competition could play out. Two weeks before the preseason ends, it’s still impossible to predict much of anything outside of Joe Flacco probably being the opening-day starter.

Related players: Shedeur Sanders, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel

The story went on to say, until we see Sanders get practice reps with the No. 1 offense, we can’t believe the Browns view him as having much of a shot to be the No. 2 when the season begins. The story added because of Pickett's injury, his time is running out to have a chance at the starting position. And the same can be said for Gabriel. The author said the coaching staff sees Gabriel ahead of Sanders in the pecking order, but the author said, "but rarely in training camp has that position matched what we’ve seen on the field." The author also added that "no reasonable person thinks Sanders will be fully ready to lead a team and consistently attack a complicated NFL defense three weeks from now." The story said Sanders has shown enough talent and growth and has a chance to develop into a starting-quality player. So while Flacco seems like a safe bet, with three other QBs in the mix it seems to be anyone's guess how the rest of the order shakes out.

Sean McVay said QB Matthew Stafford (back) didn’t end up practicing today as expected because he didn’t feel good enough coming into today. Rams opted for cautious approach.

It's a bit more information that begins to leak out as to why Stafford didn't practice today, as was expected. McVay added, “We’re going to be flexible and fluid.” McVay said Stafford wants to be out there more than anybody, according to the post. There was no more detail as to what made Stafford feel the way he did, but more will likely be coming out.

Dolphins running back Alexander Mattison’s season is over.

Mattison underwent season-ending neck surgery on Sunday in Chicago, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Mattison hurt his neck during Sunday’s preseason game against the Bears and had the surgery at a nearby hospital after the game.

Related players: De’Von Achane, Jaylen Wright, Ollie Gordon, Jamaal Williams

The seriousness of the injury stands in contrast to what Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said after the game when he said he was doing well and had some neck and shoulder soreness, the story pointed out. Mattison was looking good early in camp according to reports, and seemed like he could be a viable change of pace and goal line option for Achane. The team was hosting Williams to perhaps take that role.

Rams QB Matthew Stafford (back) is in street clothes today.

Stafford was expected to return to practice with the team today. Stafford did make at least 60 passes in a workout on Saturday, according to Pro Football Talk, with HC Sean McVay saying he was able to move around and had no limitations with his types of throws. We'll continue to update this story as we learn more, but as it looks now, it appears on the surface at least, it could be bad news unless we get another explanation.

It's no secret the Bengals' offense is geared around Burrow and the passing attack. From the way they play to their respective skill sets, the top three running backs the Bengals have in their offense this year complement that approach.

That's why Cincinnati's running backs always get the same message from their position coach before they break for the summer.

"Obviously we're going to run the ball when we can, but we're going to throw the ball and win games," Bengals assistant coach Justin Hill told ESPN. "And if you can't protect and if you're not a viable option in the pass game, you're going to have a hard time being successful in this offense as a running back."

Related players: Chase Brown, Tahj Brooks, Samaje Perine

The story said Brown is cemented as the featured back. Cincinnati also swapped out Zack Moss for rookie Brooks, a sixth-round pick out of Texas Tech, and also brought back veteran Samaje Perine, who was valued for his receiving skills and pass protection during the team's deep playoff runs in 2021 and 2022. The story added Brown has really worked on his pass catching skills and he's likely to have a big role in the passing game. With Moss out of the picture, it's easy to see how the rookie Brooks can be the team's RB2 behind Brown so Brown owners may want to really pay attention to this battle if you're looking to handcuff Brown.

Javonte Williams continues to see the most reps with the starters. Miles Sanders has been sidelined with a knee injury, so the door has been opened for rookie Jaydon Blue to get more opportunities with the first team. Blue suffered an ankle injury last week that kept him out of practice and Saturday’s preseason game.

Related players: Phil Mafah, Hunter Luepke

The story added Mafah has been much more noticeable since the pads have come on and he's been a name to watch so far. Fullback/tight end Luepke continues to play a variety of roles, making it highly unlikely that he would be part of the roster cuts. It's been widely said that Blue could have a big role, but has never been a carry-the-load kind of back, so it's likely to be some kind of committee. Mafah has been a more popular name lately and he could end up emerging as the early-down option, even if Williams continues to get the most reps.

Jaylin Noel: Can't really figure out how he gets on the field a ton right now.

Related players: Nico Collins, Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins

The post went on to say with Kirk in the mix and Higgins ticketed for outside work, there isn't really a spot for Noel. However, the post went on to say there is confidence Noel is a good player who would shine if given opportunities in this offense. Right now, Noel seems more like a very late sleeper pick in redraft leagues, and a guy you maybe tuck away in dynasty leagues until he gets his chance. It could take an injury for Noel to get his chance, especially if Kirk continues to play well.

The Jaguars' running back room has been one of the biggest talking points of the early stages of the Liam Coen era, and the Jaguars seemingly made a revealing decision when it comes to the running back room this weekend.

When the Jaguars' starting offense took the field on Saturday, it was Travis Etienne who got the nod for the only drive -- not Tank Bigsby. Bigsby played with the second-team offense, seemingly a change-up from what the Jaguars had displayed throughout most of training camp.

Related players: Bhayshul Tuten

Etienne only touched the ball three times while making the start, but this included a 10-yard catch-and-run on a screen that converted a first-down and showed Etienne's potential value in Coen's offense. The story went on to say Etienne's ability as a pass-catcher could be what separates him from Bigsby, who has struggled on passing downs in his NFL career. There have been other reports floating around X saying Bigsby is well ahead of the rookie Tuten on the depth chart as well. There is still a way to go, but Etienne could be the leader in the clubhouse as we inch closer to the season, however Bigsby will likely still have a role in the offense, at the very least subbing in on early down or in short yardage and goal line situations.

Tory Horton continues to make plays -- and get reps with the No. 1 offense.

Related players: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Marquez Valdes-Scantling

The rookie WR caught a red zone TD pass from Sam Darnold in the team's first preseason game. Valdes-Scantling was again working a lot with the second team, the post went on to say. Horton has been a name to keep an eye dating back to right after the NFL Draft, thanks to our friend over at DLF. There is a path for Horton to climb up to the team's WR2 if Kupp's struggles and injury issues from last season creep into this season.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen confirmed Sunday that quarterback Daniel Jones will start the second preseason game against the Packers and play a few series and Anthony Richardson will replace him and play the rest of the first half.

Richardson returned to practice Saturday after dislocating his pinky in Thursday’s preseason opener against the Ravens. He’ll get the “bulk of the work” Saturday according to Steichen. The Colts want to get more of a look at Richardson after the injury cut his reps short in Week 1, giving Jones more reps in the first game. Neither quarterback has separated himself from the other with less than a month before the season starts. Saturday may bring us closer to finding the answer in Indianapolis.

Buccaneers RB Rachaad White is dealing with a groin injury and will undergo further testing Sunday to determine the extent of the injury.

Bucky Irving was already a hot fantasy commodity this season and this only bolsters his outlook early on, if White does miss some time following his injury Saturday. This also opens the door for Sean Tucker, whom head coach Todd Bowles said he’d like to get the ball to more. We’ll find out more Sunday regarding how long White will be out.

Jets WR Allen Lazard was wearing a sling following Saturday’s preseason game against the Packers are suffering a right shoulder injury.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said Lazard will undergo further tests to determine the severity of his injury. Lazard’s time with the Jets has been up and down but a new-look offense and a new quarterback could put a spark back in his game. For now, no Jets receiver not named Garrett Wilson offers much upside. Lazard is our second best wide receiver on that team and he is WR78 in our draft rankings.

Titans RB Tyjae Spears suffered a high-ankle sprain during Saturday’s preseason game against the Buccaneers and will miss a few weeks, according to head coach Brian Callahan.

Spears has a chance to be ready for Week 1 when the Titans visit the Broncos. That’s a positive update after Spears was carted to the locker room during the game. If Spears does have to miss any time, Tony Pollard will likely handle most of the work with Julius Chestnut sprinkled in, making Pollard an RB2.

Vikings WR Rondale Moore suffered what is being described as a “pretty significant” left knee injury during Saturday’s game against the Texans.

Moore left after the first play. If he does in fact miss the season, it will be his second straight season lost due to an injury. A right knee injury caused him to miss the 2024 season. Injuries have unfortunately been a major factor in the career of the 2021 second-round pick, which also included missing nine games in 2022 with the Cardinals. Moore was pushing for a role behind Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison (who is suspended three games) and Jalen Nailor.

Packers WR Jayden Reed is dealing with a left foot injury. Head coach Matt LaFleur said he is hopeful Reed can play Week 1.

Reed did not play against the Jets Saturday and is considered “day-to-day” with his foot sprain. LaFleur notes this is a different injury than the one that initially landed him on the non-football injury list. He hopes to have Reed back before the regular season starts September 7 against the Lions. Reed is currently our WR31. Any missed time for Reed opens the door for rookie Matthew Golden and Romeo Doubs.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (back) threw over 60 passes during a workout Saturday and was not limited on the types of throws he was making.

Stafford, who has yet to practice in camp, received an epidural for his back soreness. It seems to be helping as Rams head coach Sean McVay said after Saturday’s preseason win against the Cowboys, “Looking forward to progressing him back into practice on Monday.”

Stetson Bennett was the main quarterback Saturday, as the Rams also didn’t play Jimmy Garoppolo.

Jaguars kicker Cam Little nailed a 70-yard field goal at the end of the first half of Saturday’s preseason game against the Steelers.

It felt like only a matter of time before someone was successful from 70 yards. Unfortunately, Little doesn’t go into the record books since this is only the preseason. But he at least showed he has the leg for it. Little is our No. 22 kicker.

Titans RB Tyjae Spears was carted off the field with an apparent lower leg injury.

Spears missed three games last season with a hamstring strain and also was bothered by an ankle sprain. Hopefully it’s not a serious injury for Spears but he limped to the sideline before being carted to the locker room. If Spears misses time, Tennessee’s running back room includes Tony Pollard, Julius Chestnut and Kalel Mullings.

Colts QB Anthony Richardson is back at Colts practice and was throwing and taking part in drills Saturday following his pinky dislocation Thursday against the Ravens, ultimately getting a full practice in.

Richardson left the game early after taking a hard sack which bent his pinky. The injury wasn’t ever thought to be too serious and the fact he is throwing at practice Saturday echoes that sentiment. The Colts are expected to start Daniel Jones Saturday against the Packers with Richardson also getting playing time. This camp battle could go down to the wire.

Giants QB Russell Wilson went 6/7 for 26 yards in one drive in his preseason debut against the Bills.

Firmly entrenched as the starter, Wilson saw some early game action for the first time as the Giants quarterback and led a drive that resulted in a 53-yard field goal. The Giants felt one drive was enough for Wilson and went to first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart, who has thrown a touchdown pass.

Tyreek Hill (oblique) not in pads

Also not suited up here for Miami Dolphins

Mo Kamara (protocol) Alec Ingold (protocol) Austin Jackson, Andrew Meyer, Byron Matos, Ashtyn Davis, Cam Smith, Dante Trader

Related Players: Jaylen Waddle, Malik Washington, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

It's been quite the tumultuous calendar year for Tyreek, who has buried his running back at one point, his whole team at another, and has been called out by his quarterback on a third occasion. This all comes after arguably his least efficient season of his career. Hill should be considered a mid-tier WR2, even if he doesn't miss any time.

Jake Ferguson is dealing with a back contusion suffered Thursday, according to a source. Not considered serious so the Cowboys avoid a scare with their starting tight end.

Related Players: Luke Schoonmaker

Good news for Ferguson here. As a clear option to be the No. 3 pass-catcher in a pass-heavy offense, he should be considered as a fantasy asset in the fringe TE1/2 range.

Colts QB Anthony Richardson, who dislocated his pinky last night, checked out fine and is considered day-to-day. Good news after a night cut short.

Related Players: Daniel Jones

Positive result for Richardson here, and the murky Colts QB situation gets even more murky. The initial pictures of his finger didn't look great, so we'll see how quickly he can return to practice. Both he and Jones can be safely avoided for now in all but the deepest of leagues, but Richardson has a lot of fantasy value if we ever get clearance that he's the Week 1 starter.

Colts QB Anthony Richardson (finger) won't return to the game tonight, team says.

Related Players: Daniel Jones

It looked to be a dislocated finger on his throwing hand, but that's only speculation at this point. Hopefully we'll know more after the game or in the morning. Daniel Jones would be the starter if Richardson misses any time.

49ers rookie RB Jordan James broke his finger and is getting surgery. Will be out "a couple weeks", Shanahan said

Related Players: Christian McCaffrey, Isaac Guerendo, Corey Kiner, Ameer Abdullah

Guerendo is already sidelined with a shoulder injury so things are pretty thin in the RB room right now. If CMC wasn't already slated for a giant workload, that looks just about locked in at this point. He's an easy first-round click.

Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said Micah Parsons remains with the team even though he wasn’t at today’s practice.

More evaluation needed on RB Jaydon Blue and TE Jake Ferguson but they don’t think either injury is significant

Related Players: Luke Schoonmaker

Sounds like a rough day at practice for the Cowboys, but we shouldn't bump Ferguson down the ranks until we hear it's a more serious injury than it looks. As a clear option to be the No. 3 pass-catcher in a pass-heavy offense, he should be considered as a fantasy asset in the fringe TE1/2 range.

Jaydon Blue spent time in the injury tent and just walked off the field on his own power.

Looks like he might be done for today.

Related Players: Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders

Sounds like something minor, but all fantasy eyes will be on him as we continue to try to make sense out of this backfield. Williams seems like the frontrunner to start the season as RB1, but with his and Sanders' inefficiency in recent years, the rookie is a very interesting target late in drafts.

McVay said at a press conference that Matthew Stafford will work out on Saturday ahead of the Rams’ preseason game against the Cowboys. If all goes well in that session, Stafford will be in line to practice with the team on Monday.

Related Players: Jimmy Garoppolo

Even if Stafford is truly 100% by Week 1, he can still be ignored in typical redraft leagues with the possibility open to streaming him later in the season. The team does have a perfectly capable backup in Garoppolo, so we could see him snag a start or two before Stafford's shoulder is all the way back to normal.

Bears RB Roschon Johnson, who met with reporters after Tuesday's practice, was held out today with a foot injury.

Related Players: D'Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai

Hopefully this is just a minor setback, as Johnson had been seeing some work with the 1's in training camp, along with Swift. If Johnson is healthy by Week 1, there's a good chance he's being undervalued as a late-round option as a goal-line option with pass-catching opportunities.

49ers GM John Lynch “doesn’t think” WR Brandon Aiyuk will be cleared for Week 1, but no official timetable set for ACL/MCL comeback.

Related players: Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, Brock Purdy, George Kittle

This comes as no surprise, as we hadn't expected him to return until sometime in mid-season. Aiyuk should be passed over until late in drafts until we get some sort of concrete timetable, which may hint that he doesn't become fantasy-viable until at least the second half of the season. Jennings and Pearsall remain great mid-round picks.

Bills HC Sean McDermott said he’s being told as of now that WR Khalil Shakir should be on pace to return for the start of the season.

Shakir is dealing with a high ankle sprain.

Related Players: Joshua Palmer, Keon Coleman, Elijah Moore, Curtis Samuel

It would be fantastic news if Shakir were able to suit up to kick off the season, as we're still expecting him to pace the team in targets. If he has a fully healthy season, there are signs pointing to a potential true breakout, making him an intriguing WR3 at a WR4 price. That all depends on volume though, so any missed time makes him a less valuable pick due to a lack of "blow-up" games.

Darren Waller has yet to practice for the Dolphins and it's a "tricky" situation, according to head coach Mike McDaniel.

Wednesday was the Fins' final home practice before embarking for the Midwest, as Miami will have a joint practice with the Bears ahead of the teams' preseason opener on Sunday. Thereafter, it's on to Detroit, where more joint practicing awaits before a preseason Week 2 matchup with the Lions

Related Players: Julian Hill, Pharaoh Brown

Fantasy drafters are also in a "tricky" situation, as Waller was quite literally done playing football a couple months ago before his un-retirement. He'd probably be a pretty easy stay-away if it weren't for Jonnu Smith's monster TE4 performance in Miami one short year ago. Even with the fantastic opportunity, Waller is best viewed as a streaming option in 2025.

The reason why Rashee Rice didn't practice today -- which was mostly held indoors & without fans -- is because he has a groin injury, per the team.

Related Players: Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, Skyy Moore, Jalen Royals, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Travis Kelce

This seems to be a new injury and adds to Worthy (concussion protocol) and Brown (ankle) receiving their own bruises in practices over the last week or so. There are no further updates to Rice's injury at the time, so we won't speculate further until we receive more information.

Despite RJ Harvey being listed as the Broncos' last RB on their first unofficial depth chart, it's pretty clear he's their No. 2 RB behind J.K. Dobbins.

What's notable about the RB depth chart is Jaleel McLaughlin is ahead of Audric Estime.

The depth chart Stevens is referencing has Harvey listed behind Tyler Badie and Blake Watson, which would be hilarious. We still have Harvey far ahead of Dobbins in our rankings, with eyes toward the back-half of the season.

Sources: Rams QB Matthew Stafford is dealing with an aggravated disc and has received an epidural to help him deal with it.

Los Angeles has called him week-to-week, being cautious, but with plans for him to be ready for Week 1.

Related Players: Jimmy Garoppolo

Even if Stafford is truly 100% by Week 1, he can still be ignored in typical redraft leagues with the possibility open to streaming him later in the season. The team does have a perfectly capable backup in Garoppolo, so we could see him snag a start or two before Stafford's shoulder is all the way back to normal.

Roschon Johnson feels like a lock to be the Bears' short yardage/goal-line running back again this year, but also on third down (where he was utilized on 51% of offensive snaps in 2024). "I think it'll just help us out when we get in those tough games, when we get in those situations where we really need to home something in and scheme something up," Roschon Johnson said. "I think the playbook is definitely detailed enough for us to do that."

Related Players: D'Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai

This kinda squashes any hype surrounding Monangai, but as a seventh-round rookie, those expectations should have been tempered anyway. We could still see him rotated in, and Swift is still the No. 1 option, but this opens up some fantasy goodness for Johnson, who is being taken deep in the double-digit rounds, but could be an RB3/4 if the Bears offense gets rolling. We currently have him ranked as a low-end RB4.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba plays everywhere. More importantly, he’s targeted from everywhere.

Related players: Cooper Kupp, Tory Horton, Marquez Valdes-Scantling

The author added that there is a notable distinction between lining up everywhere and getting targeted everywhere - "because sometimes you can line up guys everywhere for the sake of calling your players versatile, but they’re not really a threat to the defense," Dugar said. Smith-Njigba took a massive leap in his second season, finishing as the WR8 after a modest WR46 rookie campaign. JSN seized a featured role in the Seahawks’ passing attack, posting 100 catches for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns. He's 14th among WRs in our rankings.

Reunion: Six-time Pro Bowl WR Keenan Allen is signing with the Chargers on a one-year, $8.52 million deal.

Related players: Ladd McConkey, Tre' Harris, Quentin Johnston, KeAndre Lambert-Smith

The Chargers don't have a lot of sure things behind McConkey, so Allen could certainly be a fantasy-factor being back with the Chargers. It seems like every day we see a Johnston drop in camp, Harris is just a rookie this season and Lambert-Smith has been mentioned as a sleeper, but Allen definitely fills a need in the Charger offense and could help as a WR3 on your fantasy team.

Sean McVay said QB Matthew Stafford (back) "feels good" and is "making good progress."

According to the post, McVay added, "We've been able to kind of increase some things behind the scenes. And so he's in good spirits." The team is calling Stafford week-to-week and are likely taking things slow with their starting QB.

Kellen Moore says that Saints rookie RB Devin Neal will miss “a couple weeks” with a hamstring injury.

Related players: Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller, Cam Akers, Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Neal was hoping to earn the team's RB2 role behind Kamara, but missing that much time likely will cost him that job for now. Miller looks to be the favorite, but he'll need to fend off some familiar names in Akers and CEH.

Going into the 2025 season, the Cincinnati Bengals already have one of the most loaded offenses in the NFL, so adding another weapon seems almost unfair at this point, but the team might just have an emerging weapon in Tahj Brooks, a player they found near the bottom of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Brooks was taken in the sixth round with the 193rd overall pick.

Related players: Chase Brown, Samaje Perine, Gary Brightwell

Brooks fell to the bottom of the draft despite a college career at Texas Tech that saw him rush for 4,560 yards, which ranks as the fourth-most in Big 12 history, the story said. The only players ahead of him on the all-time list are three NFL names you might recognize: Cedric Benson, Ricky Williams and Darren Sproles, according to the story. Brooks has been drawing high praise at camp and the team recently released Zack Moss, so Brooks looks to solidly be the RB2 on a high-powered Bengal offense.

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is officially a member of the Buccaneers.

Bridgewater visited with the team on Tuesday and took a physical that went well enough for the Bucs to announce his signing. Punter Jake Julien was waived to make space for Bridgewater on the roster.

Related players: Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask, Michael Pratt

Pratt is currently injured, according to the story, so Bridgewater will likely challenge Trask for the QB2 job behind Mayfield. The story mentions Bridgewater has a history with offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard. Both of them were with the Dolphins during the 2022 season, so Bridgewater may have an edge.

Shedeur Sanders, the Browns’ fourth-team quarterback who has yet to take a snap with the first-team offense, is expected to start the game, a league source tells cleveland.com.

Related players: Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, Tyler Hundley

There may not be much news here to be quite honest. Both Pickett and Gabriel are dealing with injuries and Flacco doesn't need to see time in a preseason game ... so Sanders gets his chance. A lot was made about the Browns recently-released depth chart and so Sanders can maybe make a move upward with a solid performance. Recently-signed Tyler Hundley will also likely see time in the game.

Anthony Richardson will start Thursday’s game against the Ravens, according to Shane Steichen. Daniel Jones will start Week 2 vs Green Bay.

It's tough to tell just how much this means for the Richardson vs. Jones battle going on in camp, but one almost has to think Richardson has a leg up, and now needs to show something to keep things that way.

Discipline: NFL suspended Vikings WR Jordan Addison for the first three games of the 2025 regular season for violating the league’s Substances of Abuse Policy.

Related players: Justin Jefferson, Jalen Nailor, Rondale Moore, T.J. Hockenson

Addison now will miss games at Chicago, vs. the Falcons and vs. the Bengals, the post went on to say. We just posted a news story the Vikings were preparing for a three-game suspension and that's exactly what they got. With Addison out, Jefferson will dominate the targets but Nailor now becomes the WR2. Moore is the team's WR3, but it's possible Hockenson ends up being the second receiving target.

Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin is still rehabbing from the ankle injury he suffered in Week Seven of 2024, and it’s too soon to say whether he’ll be ready for Week One of 2025.

Tampa Bay G.M. Jason Licht was asked today if Godwin will be on the active roster when the season starts and answered, “That, we don’t know yet.”

Licht did indicate that the team is satisfied with the progress Godwin has made in recovering from the injury.

Licht said Godwin is, “doing very well. He’s advancing through his protocols, he’s exactly where they anticipated and hoped he would be at this point. We’ve still got a ways to go.” As the story added, the Bucs are confident enough that Godwin will recover fully that they signed him this offseason to a three-year, $66 million contract that has no language that protects the team in the event that Godwin’s ankle prevents him from playing.

Drew Rosenhaus says his client Darren Waller WILL be ready for Week 1. The TE is on the PUP list working back into “football shape” after taking a year off.

The post went on to say HC Mike McDaniel will not comment on players that are not active. Waller, of course, has come out of retirement, after the Dolphins traded for him, and after trading Jonnu Smith to the Steelers, so it's expected that Waller will be the team's TE1. But Waller hasn't played much recently, and not at all last season, playing in 32 games total his last three active seasons. We think Waller has weekly upside at least, and is ranked as a low-end TE2 who should be around very late in drafts.

Jordan Raanan, who follows the Giants said, "It's 100% Tyrone Tracy," when asked who the team's starting running back is.

Related players: Cam Skattebo, Devin Singletary

Tracy is going to start and get a majority of the carries, according to Raanan. Raanan added, "there is no competition," and that Skattebo isn't healthy right now anyway. Raanan went on to call Skattebo more of a "complimentary piece," and maybe a third down, passing-type back. Tracy is our RB30 and going off the board in the mid-eighth to early-ninth round, so he at least presents some volume-based value depending how good, or bad the Giants offense is this season.

The Rams have agreed to a three-year extension with RB Kyren Williams, a source confirms.

Related players: Blake Corum, Jarquez Hunter

As Grosbard went on to say, the Rams lock in a key culture piece and their workhorse back for the long term. The initial numbers indicate the deal is worth $33 million with $23 million guaranteed according to Pro Football Talk. Williams' workload has been doubted for a couple of years now, but he continues to prove everyone wrong. He survived the drafting of Corum last season and must do so again with the addition of Hunter. The only thing that gives us pause is Williams' propensity to fumble the ball. He had five fumbles last year and three the year before, but in the season after the Rams drafted Corum, Williams handled a career-high 350 touches for 1,481 total yards and 16 touchdowns. Corum only averaged 3.6 yards per carry, so he didn’t do anything to justify a lead-back role in 2025. We rank Williams 12th among our RBs and it looks like he can be had in the early to mid third round of drafts.

Saints reporter Nick Underhill said he has some concerns about rookie QB Tyler Shough starting, and thinks it would be an easy decision to go with Spencer Rattler at QB.

Related players: Jake Haener

The video went on to say it would make sense to start Rattler, who would be the safe pick, vs. starting Shough and having to pull him if he struggles early in the season. The video said Shough has not looked more ready than a second round pick should. Underhill, in other posts, has also said Rattler has clearly outplayed Shough so far in camp. The video went on to say Haener is clearly the third option right now. Granted it's still early and there is time, but starting Rattler early in the season makes the most sense versus throwing Shough into the fire if he's not ready.

Fast forward to the 10th practice of Dallas' training camp on Monday, Javonte Williams is still in pole position and being creatively utilized in 11-on-11 team drills: he lined up on a pass play as the outside wide receiver with wide receiver George Pickens lined up inside in one formation.

Related players: Miles Sanders, Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah

On Monday we posted a story about how Blue has been impressing in camp. In this story, it was another rookie in Mafah who earned comments about his performance so far. This is one of the bigger situations to watch because things seem pretty wide open at the RB position.

“[Tory Horton is] making multiple plays every day,” coach Mike Macdonald said after Saturday’s practice.

Enough to make a climb on the team’s depth chart.

In Saturday’s open practice at Lumen Field, Horton typically worked as the starter in three-receiver sets along with veterans Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp and ahead of veteran free agent signee Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

Teammates of Horton have already been impressed and are calling him the "steal of the draft," which is the basis of the story. Our friends at Dynasty League Football have said to target Horton in dynasty league drafts, at least in the middle rounds. As for redraft leagues, he still has some climbing to do on the depth chart to have value in typical leagues, but it's not totally out of the question he could end up passing Kupp, who struggled last year and has been hit with injuries as well. Horton will be someone to keep and eye on in camp and preseason games.

There's a lot of excitement within Patriots' circles about rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson. Everyone knew about his home-run speed and explosiveness, but multiple team sources have also emphasized his elite pass-catching and pass-protection abilities.

Related players: Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson

Schultz went on to say words like "special" and "difference-maker" have been used to describe Henderson and added that it feels like New England has a super dynamic young back for Drake Maye to lean on. Right now, Henderson is a late fifth to early sixth round pick in drafts, but we think he could quickly leapfrog Stevenson and push for lead-back duties. For now, Henderson profiles as a high-end, upside RB3 with the potential to be a weekly RB2 if he grabs the top spot in what should be an improving offense.

Kevin O’Connell said J.J. McCarthy will play in the Vikings preseason opener on Saturday. That’d been the expected plan for the young QB, as the Vikings get him his first game action since last year’s opener.

Exactly how much McCarthy will play is still TBD.

Goessling went on to post that O’Connell said the Vikings will “will more than likely use” the joint practices with the Patriots “as our our real days,” meaning McCarthy is unlikely to play in the second preseason game. The Titans game will depend if O’Connell feels McCarthy needs a little more work, the post added. While it's been the plan all along, it hasn't helped that reports say McCarthy has struggled up to this point in camp.

Hit hard by injuries up and down the roster in the first two weeks of training camp, the Niners released veteran kicker Greg Joseph on Monday. That clears the decks for incumbent Jake Moody to retain the job as he enters his third NFL season.

Moody made just 11 of 20 field goal attempts after returning from a high ankle sprain in Week 10 on his way to ranking 35th in the NFL in field goal percentage among kickers with at least 10 tries, the story said. The story added the Niners have too many injuries right now and couldn't afford the luxury of having a kicker battle.

49ers RB Isaac Guerendo is expected to miss “a few weeks” with a shoulder injury, per Kyle Shanahan.

Related players: Christian McCaffrey, Jordan James, Patrick Taylor

With Guerendo missing that much time, it could open the door for the rookie James, who has already looked good in camp, according to those who follow the team. Guerendo certainly did enough last year as a rookie to still be in the mix. The 49ers are a CMC injury away from having someone else step in and get an RB1 workload, so fantasy owners will want to keep an eye on the team's RB2 battle in camp.

The Jaguars plan to keep four running backs and to use a committee approach there as well. They see Travis Etienne Jr. as a potentially very dangerous part of Coen's screen game. Tank Bigsby is viewed as more of a physical pounder, so maybe that means he's the short-yardage and goal-line option. Rookie fourth-rounder Bhayshul Tuten, who pulled a hamstring in the practice I attended, is the speed merchant and home run threat at the position. And seventh-round rookie LeQuint Allen Jr. is a player they see evolving into a third-down back due to his pass-catching and pass protection abilities.

As the story concluded, it's a situation to stay away from in fantasy most likely. While there certainly seems to be roles for each back, Etienne at least appears to be the leader of the four especially for PPR leagues. This will be an RB group to monitor as camp goes on.

The coaches are very high on [Calvin Austin III]. Tomlin calls his trajectory "really exciting," and people I've talked to with the team noted that he gets open often. Austin just doesn't have the numbers (36 catches, 548 yards, 4 touchdowns) to reflect that ability. The offense will heavily feature DK Metcalf and the tight ends, but Austin will have chances with splash plays.

Related players: DK Metcalf, Robert Woods, Roman Wilson, Jonnu Smith

Austin is being asked to get open on vertical passing plays the story said as the offense is built around taking advantage of matchups. The Steelers WR2 may end up slotting in as the third option at best in this offense, however, with the addition of Smith at TE.

[The Buccaneers] love [Bucky Irving], and while they also like Rachaad White and have a role planned for him, Irving is viewed by people in the building as special enough to warrant a high-volume RB1 role. That includes pass-catching work.

The blurb quoted QB Baker Mayfield talking about how Irving's vision makes him special. Mayfield added, "He's just tough to bring down. He's strong, he's got great vision, he understands it, and then also you add in the ability to catch too. He's well-rounded." Irving is our RB8 with an ADP of the late second or early third round.

The Broncos, with so many starters from 2024's playoff team returning, don't really have the traditional training camp battle anywhere between Player A or Player B. What they have instead are battles for situational snaps.

At running back, there is at least a battle to see who will get the ball in the most situations. J.K. Dobbins, who was signed during the team's June minicamp, has spent plenty of time in team drills with the starters in training camp's early going. His reliability as a pass catcher and pass blocker gives him the inside track on much of the third down work.

Related players: RJ Harvey

The blurb added that Harvey has flashed quality vision and quickness through the hole thus far, so much so coach Sean Payton has said "he's doing exceptional.'' The story added there will be a lot to sort out and much can change, but Dobbins looks, at the moment, to check the most boxes in the most down-and-distance situations.

The running back group has been an interesting one to monitor. Javonte Williams entered camp as the probable No. 1 guy. Miles Sanders then started to stand out a little more. With those two being the veterans, they could get the bulk of the touches early in the season. But lately, Jaydon Blue has been standing out more and more.

The story added Blue has been getting some first-team reps, and added when given the opportunity, he’s been taking care of the football, showcasing his speed, athleticism and quality hands. Each day that goes by, Blue appears to be getting more comfortable with the offense and speed of the NFL game, the story went on to say. The scouting report on Blue before and after the draft has been mixed. But, it's hard to imagine Williams and Sanders dominating this backfield all season, so with Blue standing out, it's very possible he starts to get a bigger role as the season goes on. Blue can be had later in drafts and may be a potential sleeper for your roster.

Back in 2023, the Ravens' run game got a jolt from a speedy 21-year-old running back named Keaton Mitchell, who ran for 396 yards and averaged 8.4 yards per carry in a six-game stretch before tearing his ACL in a December game in Jacksonville. Mitchell made it back from the injury to play in five games last season but never looked like himself.

This summer, he appears to have his speed back, and the Ravens are excited about it. Derrick Henry will be the primary ball carrier, of course, but Mitchell adds a different element to this run game. Expect him to have a role in the offense.

Related players: Derrick Henry, Justice Hill

Mitchell exploded on to the scene a couple of years ago with all kinds of big plays. This summer, his highlights can be found all over X especially from recent days. We all know Henry is going to get a bulk of the run-game work for the Ravens, but last year Hill played a key role in the offense, and it's possible Mitchell takes over that role. You can likely get Mitchell very late in drafts if you want to take a chance.

A looming issue at Vikings camp is Jordan Addison's availability to start the season. My sense after asking around is the Vikings are bracing for roughly a three-game suspension for Addison, who in July pleaded no contest to a lesser charge to resolve a 2024 DUI citation. The team's projection is based in part on the league's recent precedent for three-game suspensions for DUI-related offenses.

Addison owners are likely already prepared too, but the good news is the story went on to say Addison is preparing to take the next step by becoming a "better all-around receiver." The Vikings' WR1 spot is unquestioned: That belongs to Justin Jefferson. But after nearly 1,800 yards and 19 touchdowns through two seasons, Addison believes he has the capacity to be one in ability if not by title, the story added.

Bills running back James Cook has been open about his desire for a new contract, but he reported to training camp and was taking part in practice until Sunday.

On Sunday, Cook watched the session in street clothes and said after it was over that “business” was the reason why he was not on the field with the rest of the team. During an appearance on WGR Monday, Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said that Cook’s plan was “not something they were fully aware of until shortly before practice” and that he hopes to have Cook back on the field soon.

The story went on to say Beane said there has been “constant communication” with Cook about an extension. Beane also noted that both sides have to agree in order for the deal to come together and that the team has to make sure it “all fits under an umbrella, not in a silo.” The Bills don't seem to be in a hurry as Beane also said a deal can still get done before Cook becomes a free agent.

Rams QB Matthew Stafford (back) will not participate in Monday’s joint practice with the Cowboys, according to head coach Sean McVay.

Stafford is considered week-to-week after he was thought to only miss the first few days of camp. The Rams are being cautious with their signal caller with over a month left until their September 7 season opener against the Texans. McVay also would not commit to Stafford taking part in next week’s joint practice with the Chargers. Stafford is currently our No. 23 ranked quarterback.

Packers TE Tucker Kraft is not practicing Saturday due to a groin injury.

Saturday is the annual Family Night at Lambeau Field for the Packers, but this year is more of a modified practice rather than a scrimmage, as has typically been the case. We don’t know the extent of the injury other than this is a new injury for the team. Perhaps the Packers are just being cautious with Kraft, who enters the fantasy season with plenty of upside. Well keep an eye on this one.

Browns QB Shedeur Sanders was held out of team drills Saturday due to shoulder soreness.

Sanders was getting more work in camp with Kenny Pickett out with a hamstring injury. His absence Saturday meant Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel took all the reps in practice. We'll see if Sanders misses any valuable practice time and what the Browns' plan is for him in the preseason. The Browns open the preseason Friday on the road against the Panthers.

WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (knee) is absent for a second straight Cardinals practice.

Related Players: Michael Wilson, Trey McBride, Greg Dortch, Zay Jones

This pass-catching group is incredibly thin behind Harrison and McBride, so either of them missing time wouldn't look great for Kyler Murray. No reason to panic yet but we'll keep an eye on the sophomore WR throughout training camp.

Six-time Pro Bowl WR Keenan Allen is visiting the #Chargers today, and there is mutual interest in a potential reunion.

Allen, 33, played his first 13 NFL seasons for the team before spending last season in Chicago. Now, he could be back in L.A.

Related Players: Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, Tre Harris, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Derius Davis

A reunion would make sense to bolster the WR depth, but with McConkey's home in the slot, we wouldn't expect a huge fantasy output from the aging veteran. He's best left on waiver wires in all but the deepest of leagues if he does indeed sign back in LA.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield won’t practice today after suffering a contusion on his throwing hand Thursday, per source.

Mayfield underwent scans as a precaution and ruled out a more significant injury. He’s day to day.

Related Players: Kyle Trask

We don't want to see Mayfield miss anytime, but it's great news that it's not more significant. We don't expect this to linger into the regular season at this point, so we should continue to consider him a top-10 option at the position.