Team news: Los Angeles Rams | Page 41

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Texans running back Duke Johnson is considered week-to-week with the ankle sprain he suffered last Thursday, and is unlikely to play this week against the Ravens.

Related players: David Johnson, Buddy Howell

There’s some hope Duke could return for Week 3 at the Steelers, so the news could be worse. Duke Johnson had five carries against the Chiefs before leaving with the injury, while David Johnson had 109 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in his first game with the Texans. David could get a bigger workload. Howell is next up on the depth chart and the Texans could make a move for another back at some point this week.

The end-of-game sequence was symbolic of an outing in which Jimmy Garoppolo seldom threw to his wide receivers and often was a tick off when he did. Three plays before the final incompletion to Trent Taylor, Garoppolo saw Kendrick Bourne all alone in the right corner of the end zone. His throw had too much loft, however, allowing cornerback Patrick Peterson to recover and break up the play.

Bourne and Taylor combined for four catches for 41 yards and were the only 49ers wideouts to catch a pass. The team’s would-be starters, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, were ruled out with injuries, and Samuel won’t be back until October at the earliest after going on injured reserve on Saturday.

The 9ers mainly targeted tight ends and running backs the story said. The story also added Aiyuk, who is recovering from a hamstring strain, was close to playing against the Cardinals.

The Broncos have the players to roll two tight ends in and out of the game. Nick Vannett and Noah Fant would be the starters in “12.” Jake Butt is healthy and versatile. Rookie Albert Okwuegbunam is a receiving threat. And Andrew Beck can play fullback and tight end.

Projected third receiver K.J. Hamler (hamstring) remains out. The first month of the season presents edge rushers Jadeveon Clowney (Titans), T.J. Watt (Pittsburgh) and Shaq Barrett (Tampa Bay), which means using the tight end in protection. And the best way to ease a young offense into the season is by having an effective running game. The extra tight end helps there, too, the story all said.

The Athletic interviewed three unnamed scouts who broke down Anthony Miller:

Anthony Miller has been hyped by Matt Nagy and Scout B says, “Anthony Miller needs to step up. I really liked him in college. I thought he was similar to Jarvis Landry coming out, but he hasn’t stayed healthy. Then again, this is only his third year. Davante Adams took off his third year, maybe he can too.”

Scout A likes Miller’s talent, but not his consistency thus far.

“He hasn’t put it together,” he says. “He’s small, and he plays small. He runs good routes underneath, and he’s savvy, but he’s had some careless drops.”

The scouts agree Miller hasn't put it together yet and needs to step up, however they seem to think it's still possible he can. Miller is ranked want down our list at 45 among WRs so he's perhaps a later-round target in you fantasy draft. QB play will likely play a factor this season when it comes to Miller's fantasy production.

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

Related players Noah Fant

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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