Team news: Seattle Seahawks | Page 11

Rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy is not participating in the Vikings’ Monday night practice.

Coach Kevin O’Connell said McCarthy reported right knee soreness to the team’s medical staff.

Related players: Sam Darnold

McCarthy played 30 snaps in the preseason opener and went 11-of-17 for 188 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He was scheduled to receive more snaps with the first-team offense this week, O’Connell said in the story. The team said they sat him out of precaution and also wanted to run more tests.

Giants QB Drew Lock is dealing with a bad bone contusion and strained oblique from last night’s preseason game. He’s expected to miss some time, but no surgery is required.

Coach Brian Daboll said NYG could potentially add another QB with Lock sidelined a bit.

Related Players: Daniel Jones

This could indirectly give Daniel Jones a little extra job security. Jones remains an interesting deep pick in 2QB/Superflex leagues.

As the third week of camp nears an end, Sam Darnold has received all but two of the first-team reps in 11-on-11 drills. J.J. McCarthy got the other two. This should be no surprise to anyone who has listened to coach Kevin O'Connell talk about the position. While McCarthy is clearly the club's future quarterback, team leaders are in agreement that his ascension will not be rushed.

Any doubts that Darnold will start the season as QB1 seem to be out the window at this point. The Vikings do have a tough opening schedule, with the 49ers, Texans, Packers, and re-vamped Jets coming before their Week 6 Bye. McCarthy could be a play by the second half of the season, so we'll see how he looks for streaming purposes if/when that time comes.

During an appearance on NFL Network Monday, Cooper Kupp said that his good health and the chance to work out with quarterback Matthew Stafford has him feeling primed for a return to his desired form.

“I feel good. We got a lot of good work in this offseason,” Kupp said. “The best thing about this last year was just being able to feel healthy and have a full offseason of work, not just for myself in terms of working out and building my body back up but also having that time with Matthew, being able to get on the field and work through things together.

The key for Kupp has been his ability to get a normal offseason under his belt. Kupp ended the 2022 season on injured reserve and then started the 2023 season the same way, which has helped make it feel like it’s been even longer since he was the NFL’s offensive player of the year, the story said. The story added this offseason has been a lot smoother for Kupp. He returned from a hamstring injury to play 13 games last year and he’s been able to work without any health concerns since the Rams’ season ended against the Lions in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Looks like Puka Nakua, Cooper Kupp and a bunch of other Rams players reported to camp last night, but QB1 (Matthew Stafford) wasn't one of them...

All eyes on No. 9 today.

Today is the actual day Ram players are required to show up for camp, so Stafford could still arrive today. Stafford, of course, would like a contract extension and both sides have been silent. Another beat writer, Jourdan Rodrigue, pointed out that Stafford did take part in camps all spring, so there is little reason to believe he won't show up for the start of training camp.

QB Sam Darnold will take the majority of first-team snaps when camp opens, Kevin O'Connell reiterated.

Related players: J.J. McCarthy

Darnold was expected to be the bridge quarterback when the team signed him and also drafted McCarthy in the first round. McCarthy should also see first-team reps, but it seems like the Vikings are sticking with Darnold as the QB1 plan, at least early on in the season.

Bucs have said they’ll use Chris Godwin in the slot, after shifting him outside last year with an eye on avoiding injuries. It’s the role Cooper Kupp had with the Rams when Coen was there.

Related Players: Mike Evans, Trey Palmer, Jalen McMillan

Godwin had been around the 70% slot range over the previous three seasons before logging only 37% of his snaps from inside last year. If he returns to that role in 2024, we might not see a ton from rookie Jalen McMillan to begin the season. Through four years at Washington, McMillan lined up in the slot nearly two-thirds of the time, including a 92% rate in '22.

Godwin's explosive games have lessened recently, but he still makes an intriguing low-end WR3 in fantasy.

Sam Darnold will continue as the Minnesota Vikings' lead quarterback when training camp opens next month, coach Kevin O'Connell said Wednesday as the team wrapped up its final OTA of the spring.

O'Connell stopped short of projecting anything beyond that, saying he plans for a "competitive" training camp at many positions. The Vikings have three other quarterbacks on their roster: Rookie J.J. McCarthy and veterans Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall.

Even if Darnold begins Week 1 as the starting quarterback, we shouldn't assume that continues deep into the season. McCarthy can still be targeted (very) late in best ball drafts, while neither option should be in consideration for typical 1QB redraft leagues.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is already back on the field practicing during OTAs and has no doubt he will be ready for Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings, despite tearing the ACL in his right knee late last year.

Jones showed no ill effects while participating in individual and 7-on-7 drills Thursday, just six months after injuring that knee in a November loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Related Players: Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito

Jones -and the entire Giants offense- had an incredibly disappointing 2023. Of five complete games in which he attempted at least 20 pass attempts, he threw a touchdown in only one. Though he did show his ceiling in Week 2 when he threw his two '23 touchdowns and scored 30+ fantasy points. He is an interesting deep SuperFlex option with a bona fide WR1 (Malik Nabers) on the roster.

Chargers are trading WR Keenan Allen to the Bears for a fourth-round pick.

Related Players: Quentin Johnston, Joshua Palmer, D.J. Moore, Tyler Scott, Velus Jones

The Chargers pass-catching group now looks very dire. There is no doubt that they will be loading up wherever they can through the draft but the offense looks questionable heading into 2024.

Velus Jones is all but guaranteed to lose the slot role he was pegged for in Chicago, as their WR room is starting to look pretty great. Caleb Williams could be in for an exciting rookie season, were the Bears to go that route.