Panthers WR D.J. Chark is sidelined with a hamstring injury, according to The Athletic's Joe Person. HC Frank Reich declined to give a timetable for Chark's return but said the team isn't planning any “big moves” at the position. Carolina is also without WRs Terrace Marshall (back), Laviska Shenault (concussion), and Damiere Byrd (hamstring). That's left Jonathan Mingo and Adam Thielen as the clear top two healthy receivers. We'll see when these other guys are able to get back on the field.
Vikings WR Jordan Addison (concussion) returned to practice on Wednesday and appeared to be a full-go, according to The Star Tribune's Andrew Krammer. If Addison hasn't been fully cleared yet, he's close. The rookie will be ready to go in plenty of time for Week 1. Consider his fantasy value unaffected by the concussion.
Saints TE Juwan Johnson has emerged as one of QB Derek Carr's "most reliable targets," ESPN's Katherine Terrell writes. “I think he’s developed a nice little rapport with Derek,” HC Dennis Allen said. "He seems to be where Derek wants him, when he wants him there. When you do that, you kind of get rewarded and the ball comes your way." Johnson is coming off a breakout 42-508-7 line last year. That TD rate is a near lock to regress, but there's potential for Johnson to improve his catch and yardage totals. He's an intriguing TE2 target in fantasy drafts.
Jets RB Israel Abanikanda is expected to be out "a couple of weeks" with his thigh injury, HC Robert Saleh said Tuesday. When healthy, the rookie will be New York's third or fourth RB. He's off the redraft radar.
Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle (midsection) was in uniform for Tuesday's practice but remained on the rehab field, according to NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe. HC Mike McDaniel said that the team is being cautious with Waddle, with the goal to have him ready for Week 1. Waddle has been out since August 9. But, at this point, there's no reason to believe he won't be ready for the season opener.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said Tuesday that WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba has a "slight fracture" in his wrist and that the team is "optimistic on a 3-4 week timeline," per insider Corbin Smith. Carroll is about as unreliable as they come in terms of injury updates, so take this with a giant grain of salt. But we're a little less than three weeks away from Seattle's season opener, so it sounds like JSN is likely to at least miss Week 1. We'll continue to look for updates on his status.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport here's that there's "optimism" that Commanders WR Terry McLaurin (toe) will be ready for Week 1. "More day-to-day than anything, with the scans showing no major injury," Rapoport adds. We'll keep a close eye on McLaurin over the next few weeks. For now, we're not moving him down the WR rankings.
Browns HC Kevin Stefanski shared on Tuesday that RB Jerome Ford (hamstring) will not practice with the team this week, per beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot. This ailment has kept Ford out of practice for almost two weeks at this point. However, Stefanski added that Ford is progressing toward returning from injury and that the team is hopeful he'll be available for their season opener vs. the Bengals on September 10. Should Ford not be ready to go for Week 1, RB Demetric Felton would be in line for backup duties behind starter Nick Chubb. We'll keep an eye on this situation as more information becomes available.
On Tuesday, the Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. wrote that he projects Bengals RB Chris Evans as the team's starting passing-downs back. Fellow Bengals RBs Chase Brown and Trayveon Williams appear on this list as backups. Dehner Jr. adds that Evans has "shown well in pass protection and improved running the ball downhill" compared to last preseason. Evans seizing this role would make him the replacement for Samaje Perine, now with the Broncos, and bring his fantasy appeal up to the level of a late-round PPR target in deeper leagues. We'll be sure to keep track of this RB2 battle as the preseason comes to an end. See where these Bengals' backs sit in our current RB rankings.
On Tuesday, ESPN's Mike Reiss tweeted that Patriots RB Ezekiel Elliott saw "a notable uptick in work" in practice behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson. Reiss specified that Elliott received increased usage as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Granted, this is only one report. We don't want to overreact or make any big takeaways here. The former All-Pro saw a career-low 23 targets with the Cowboys last season and likely won't be too much of a threat to Stevenson in that department. That said, we'll keep an eye on future reports should Elliott continue being utilized as a pass-catcher in practice as it could cut into the point scoring ceiling of Stevenson. He fell a smidge in our PPR RB rankings following Zeke's signing, but we still feel confident Stevenson will be the clear RB1 in this offense. Check back for further updates as we get more information.
Patriots RBs Pierre Strong (concussion) and Ty Montgomery (leg) returned to practice on Tuesday. Strong isn’t yet cleared for full contact, per reporter Zack Cox. Montgomery sustained an undisclosed leg injury on day 2 of training camp. Neither guy is on the fantasy radar in standard-size leagues following the arrival of Zeke Elliott.
Patriots TE Mike Gesicki (shoulder) returned to practice on Tuesday. He wore a red, non-contact jersey. The former Dolphin isn’t someone we’re counting on for anything close to TE1 production. Hunter Henry, who made our list of undervalued fantasy football players, is the TE target in New England.
Panthers WR Laviska Shenault was placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol. The injury took place on Monday, per reporter David Newton. Shenault remains a late-round flier for those in deep formats.
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba is having surgery on his left wrist in Philadelphia on Tuesday after breaking a bone Saturday night against Dallas. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the rookie "still could have a chance to be ready for the start of the regular season." The team should know more about his return timeline after the surgery. We'll await that news before judging whether to move JSN in our 2023 PPR rankings.
The Titans signed K Michael Badgley. Kickers Caleb Shudak and Trey Wolff were released in a corresponding move. Badgley, who's made 81.7% of his career FG attempts, isn’t a late-round target.
Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles announced Tuesday that QB Baker Mayfield will be the starter. It's the news we've all been waiting for, and Mayfield's projection has sat well ahead of Kyle Trask's ever since our fantasy football rankings came out. Mayfield, of course, played his way into getting replaced by Deshaun Watson in Cleveland and then played his way out of Carolina in just part of 2022. Although the former No. 1 overall pick has also flashed positively at times, it's tough to get excited about him. Let's hope he can at least do enough to support the weekly fantasy values of WRs Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, and RB Rachaad White. Trask remains a decent stash for superflex and dynasty rosters, in case Mayfield plays his way out of another starting gig.
Titans WR Kyle Philips is expected to miss about six weeks with a sprained MCL, insider Paul Kuharsky reports. That'll knock Philips out for the first few games of the season. He was seemingly in line to be Tennessee's starting slot receiver but wasn't a legitimate fantasy option.
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin is believed to be dealing with a toe sprain, or turf toe, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The injury is "not thought to be overly serious, but he’ll have an MRI today to determine the full extent," Rapoport adds. It's relatively good news, although turf toe has a tendency to linger. We'll look for further updates on McLaurin's status. For now, we're not moving him down the WR rankings.
Update: Rapoport reports that McLaurin's MRI showed "no major injury" and that the WR is "more day-to-day than anything." The team is optimistic he'll be ready for Week 1.
The 49ers got RB Elijah Mitchell back at practice Monday after a nearly three-week absence for an adductor injury. According to Jack Hammer (yes, really) of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, Mitchell "looked explosive." Expect Mitchell to remain No. 2 on the RB depth chart, barring any setbacks. See where he sits in our RB rankings.
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin left Monday night's game against the Ravens with a toe injury on his right foot. X-rays were negative, and he left the sideline under his own power without a noticeable limp. We'd guess this isn't a serious issue but will certainly watch for details.
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