Team news: Los Angeles Chargers | Page 10

Baltimore is expected to leave RB Keaton Mitchell on the Physically Unable to Perform List, which means he will be ineligible to play the first four games of the season.

Related players: Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Rasheen Ali

Mitchell burst onto the scene last year and was a very popular pickup that paid off for a couple of weeks before he went down for the season. Hill will likely get the call to compliment Henry, and Ali could get a chance as well. Ali was a popular, late-round dynasty name this past spring.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that running back Dalvin Cook is heading to Dallas on Monday night to meet with the team.

Related players: Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Royce Freeman, Deuce Vaughn.

As the story said, Cook was coming off shoulder surgery last year, so the Cowboys may be hoping he can rediscover his form and bolster their running back group. The Cowboys were expected to make moves at RBs long before now, but instead opted to bring back Elliott and Dowdle. For the most part, those who follow the team lean toward a split between the two as far as workload goes, which isn't all that exciting from a fantasy perspective. This news could cause a lot of owners to pickup Cook off the wire, but it remains to be seen if the Cowboys sign him, and if they do, what's left in his tank. Keep in mind, Cook hasn't drawn a lot of interest up to this point.

Justin Herbert practicing for the first time since July.

Last week reports said Herbert was out of his walking boot and today there was a video of him throwing in warmups. Herbert is dealing with plantar fascia, but hopefully looks to be back on track to play in Week 1. We'll likely know more based on his activity in practices going forward, but for now seems to be heading in the right direction.

I left Kimani Vidal off my 53-man roster projection after Week 1 of the preseason. My grade at that stage was “incomplete.” He had missed a week of practice, including the joint session with the Rams, before not playing in the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks. You have to earn your spot in the NFL, and that will especially be the case under Harbaugh. Vidal had a strong week of practice last week. He followed that up with a solid performance in his first game action. I have moved him ahead of Isaiah Spiller and onto the 53-man in my running projection.

Related players: Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Jaret Patterson

If you remember, we reported on this a few weeks ago when this writer left Vidal off the team's 53-man roster. Vidal was at least a popular dynasty selection up to this point, given the Chargers state at RB. However, Vidal looks to be making a move up the depth chart with solid, recent practices and preseason game showing. Edwards and Dobbins appear to be leading the way at the position with Patterson also having a nice camp. Vidal looks like he still has a lot of work to do to at least be the team's RB3.

Jaret Patterson has impressed the coaching staff, and he appears to have grasped the RB3 role right now.

Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Kimani Vidal, Elijah Dotson, Isaiah Spiller

Much like they did in Baltimore, Edwards and Dobbins will look to form the 1-2 punch. While Patterson seems to be in the lead for the RB3 role, the author of this story seems to think rookie sixth rounder Vidal could be left off the roster. He said of the four backs competing behind Edwards and Dobbins, Patterson has gotten the most reps with the first team in practice. He was also the first running back in the game Saturday, ahead of both Spiller and Dotson. The story went on to say Vidal was in uniform for warmups but did not dress for the game. Vidal has also been dealing with an injury and missed four full days of practice earlier this month, according to the story, including the joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams. The author ended by saying this competition is still wide open and things could change by the end of camp.

Following yesterday’s practice, Justin Herbert was diagnosed with an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot.

Doctors have recommended approximately two weeks in a boot — followed by a graduated return to play protocol — with the expectation that he will be ready for the start of the regular season.

Related Players: Easton Stick, Max Duggan

Ah yes, just what we needed; more bad news for the Chargers' passing game. Easton Stick should be stashed away in (very) deep SuperFlex Dynasty leagues, but doesn't move the needle in redraft leagues. If Herbert misses time in the regular season, the entire offense needs to be downgraded in fantasy.

It’s one day in pads but Rico Dowdle is the best RB here and there’s not a lot to argue about there.

Related players: Royce Freeman, Ezekiel Elliott, Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn

It was just a day ago it looked like, based on comments from Stephen Jones, Freeman may end up as the team's RB2 behind Elliott, and Dowdle might be battling with Davis to just make the final roster. It was just one day, but it's another example how quickly things can change. This will be a situation to watch because Elliott isn't expected to dominate the backfield like in days past, so the RB2 should have some fantasy value.

Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said on 1053 The Fan that veteran RB Royce Freeman has “really impressed.”

“We were just talking about it last night at the scout dinner, ‘What in the hell was he doing sitting around out there?’ An interesting guy to just have been sitting there. He’s a great 2-3 combination in terms of what he can do as a backup. He’s a big, thick guy. And he’s a hell of a special teams player as well. He’ll be a good addition and great complement to (Ezekiel Elliott). And then we’ll let these young guys between (Rico Dowdle and Malik Davis) and those guys battle it out.”

The post said the Cowboys were surprised Freeman was available when they signed him to a one-year deal in April. This could be just talk, but the thought by many was the Zeke and Dowdle would be the Cowboys 1-2 punch at running back. However, the comment by Jones indicates that Freeman could have a much bigger role. For those of you in dynasty leagues, and Freeman is on the wire, he may be worth picking up just in case.

I see Gus Edwards as the clear lead back. The secondary touches are open for competition, though if J.K. Dobbins is healthy, I think he wins that job. Edwards was nursing an injury in the spring, but according to Harbaugh, he should be ready for camp.

Related Players: Kimani Vidal

"If he's healthy" is what we've been saying throughout the entirety of Dobbins' career. He has sadly had multiple major lower-body injuries, and the Chargers signed him to a very minimal contract. Vidal remains an interesting late-round fantasy addition for an L.A. team we are expecting to run the ball a ton.

Dak Prescott gives an update on why he was recently wearing a walking boot. He says there’s “absolutely nothing” wrong with his ankle.

Related Players: Cooper Rush, Trey Lance

The QB dismissed concerns about his surgically-repaired ankle, writing off soreness due to a couple hard practices. It seems like the boot was more precautionary than anything, but it's a situation we'll keep an eye on.