Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (ACL rehab) said he’s unsure about playing Week 1. “Still some things I need to go through ... I need to see how I recover and practice consistent days in a row,” the 32-year-old said. “I gotta earn the trust of my teammates, the coaches, I don't expect them to just plug me in there and say 'this is Zach, for the past 10 years, he's gonna be the same in year 11,'" Ertz said. "I look forward to proving myself each and every day. And whether that's game one, game three, whenever I'm out there, I expect to be a difference maker.” Visit the TE rankings, and you'll see Ertz is currently projected for 13 games.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow was on the practice field on Wednesday for the first time since hurting his calf on July 27. Burrow has been expected to be ready for Week 1 all along, and all reports on his recovery has been positive. Burrow has about a week-and-a-half to get ready for Cincinnati's opener vs. the Browns. We're projecting him to be a full-go for that one.
The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt believes WR Randall Cobb will "likely start in Week 1." The scenario would have Cobb in the slot between Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard -- and leave Mecole Hardman as the No. 4 WR. We'd still rather take a shot on Hardman than Cobb at the end of fantasy drafts, but neither guy is an appealing pick.
Jets WR Allen Lazard (shoulder) returned to practice on Tuesday. He ended up missing about a week but will be good to go for the season opener. Lazard should be New York's No. 2 WR this season, behind Garrett Wilson.
Jets HC Robert Saleh says the team has to "be smart" with RB Breece Hall as he comes back from last year's torn ACL. "I think in his mind, he probably feels like he can take 30 touches, but we just have to be smart with him, make sure we're constantly communicating with him and just being diligent." We're currently projecting about 10 total touches for Hall in Week 1 but will continue to keep an eye on the Jets' plans. Hall's volume figures to grow throughout the season, perhaps quickly and significantly.
Panthers WR Laviska Shenault has cleared the concussion protocol. He'll be ready for Week 1, barring a setback. There's been talk of new HC Frank Reich using Shenault out of the backfield this year, but he remains unlikely to emerge as a viable fantasy option.
Garrett Downing of the Ravens' official website expects RB J.K. Dobbins to be heavily involved in new OC Todd Monken's offense. "We've seen throughout training camp that the RBs are catching a lot of passes," Downing says. "I think that bodes really well for J.K. Dobbins. He has nice hands out of the backfield. ... I expect him to have a big role in that regard in this offense." Dobbins has totaled just 25 catches in 23 NFL games. But he wasn't asked to do much in the passing game in previous OC Greg Roman's offense. That'll change under Monken. And remember that Dobbins caught 71 balls in three college seasons.
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba was on the practice field on Tuesday for the first time since breaking a bone in his wrist on August 19. His left hand was heavily wrapped, but JSN was catching passes. It's encouraging news, although his availability for the start of the season is still uncertain. Stay tuned for updates.
Dolphins RB De'Von Achane (shoulder) returned to practice on Tuesday, although he was sporting a non-contact jersey. The rookie went down in Miami's second preseason game 10 days ago. It looks like he has a shot to be ready for the regular season opener, but Achane won't be a viable Week 1 fantasy play. He got zero first-team reps in the preseason.
Browns RB Jerome Ford returned to practice Tuesday for the first time since injuring his right hamstring back on Aug. 7. Ford still has more than a week before the Sept. 10 opener against the Bengals. He also has added competition after Cleveland traded for RB Pierre Strong. We'd still stash Ford ahead of Strong in fantasy football drafts. Both are late-round options but could present significant upside in the case of a Nick Chubb injury.
The Broncos released WRs Lil'Jordan Humphrey and Marquez Callaway. That leaves only four WRs on the active roster: Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, and Brandon Johnson. It might be a sign that Denver expects Jeudy to be available for the season opener. We'll keep an eye on Jeudy's progress -- and if the Broncos make any other moves at WR.
The Giants released WR Cole Beasley. NFL Network's Mike Garofolo tweeted that Beasley is "expected to stick around," so it sounds like he'll land on the Giants' practice squad. Regardless, he's well off the fantasy radar.
On Tuesday, Broncos GM George Patton said WR Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) will avoid beginning the 2023 season on short-term IR. This is undoubtedly good news, considering the injury he sustained last Thursday required Jeudy to be carted off the practice field. Still, this doesn't mean he'll be a slam dunk to be healthy for Week 1. We'll update the situation as more information becomes known, though avoiding IR brings moderate relief. In Jeudy's absence, Courtland Sutton and rookie Marvin Mims figure to be the top wideouts for Denver.
Per multiple reports, UDFA RB Deneric Prince was waived by the Chiefs on Tuesday. The former Tulsa back was a surprise standout throughout the early parts of OTAs and training camp. Unfortunately, his performances were not enough to secure a spot on the final 53-man roster. The Chiefs also cut RB La'Mical Perine from the team. The defending Super Bowl champions will carry Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire into the regular season. Pacheco stands as our highest-ranked back on the Chiefs, but don't be surprised to see McKinnon return flex value in PPR formats in 2023. See where each of these players appear in our current RB rankings.
On Tuesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the Patriots have cut RB Kevin Harris. The 2022 sixth-round pick saw minor involvement as a rookie, tallying 18 carries for 52 rushing yards and a single TD in five games. The team also released veteran Ty Montgomery. These moves come two days after New England traded fellow 2022 rookie Pierre Strong Jr. to the Browns, leaving the depth behind RBs Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott as somewhat of a question mark. It's unclear who will be the depth behind the aforementioned pair, though the RB3 on the Patriots' depth chart is probably not fantasy-relevant without injury, anyhow.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted Tuesday that the Patriots have waived backup QB Bailey Zappe. The 2022 fourth-round pick appeared in four games last season (including two starts), compiling 65 completions on 92 attempts for 781 passing yards, 5 TDs, and 3 INTs. The team also cut rookie Malik Cunningham in a corresponding move, making the QB2 job in New England a totally wide-open spot. We'll be sure dynasty superflex managers in the loop once we learn who the backup to starter Mac Jones is.
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle) will remain on the PUP list, knocking him out for the first four games of the season, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Taylor would be forced to stay on the PUP list even if he's traded. At least two teams have made trade offers for Taylor, but no deal has materialized yet. Keeping Taylor on the PUP list undoubtedly hurts his trade value, making it a curious move by the Colts. We'll continue to keep a close eye on this situation, but Taylor's 2023 fantasy value obviously takes a significant hit with this news. The Colts are now set to enter the season with RBs Zack Moss (who's still working back from a broken arm), Evan Hull, and Deon Jackson. See how the Taylor news has altered the RB rankings.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, TE Albert Okwuegbunam is being traded from the Broncos to the Eagles in exchange for a late-round draft pick. Schefter noted that the Broncos intended to place the fourth-year player on waivers, "but before they officially turned his name into the league office, they got interest from the Eagles." Okwuegbunam is still far off the redraft radar, though this move takes his dynasty value off life support.
The Ravens released RB Melvin Gordon. They'll carry RBs J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, and rookie Keaton Mitchell into Week 1.
The Eagles released RB Trey Sermon. Philly will carry RBs D'Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell, Rashaad Penny, and Boston Scott into Week 1. We're expecting that to be the order in terms of snaps to start. But this figures to be an ever-evolving backfield throughout the season.
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