Titans rookie QB Will Levis warmed up ahead of Saturday's preseason game against the Vikings but sat out the contest because of a lower-body injury sustained in practice earlier in the week. The fact that they had him test it ahead of the game points to the issue being minor. Missing the game likely didn't help Levis in his competition with Malik Willis for the No. 2 role. Willis did nothing special with his opportunity, completing 10 of 17 passes for just 85 yards (5.0 per attempt). He threw for 1 TD and 1 INT. Willis also ran for 91 yards on 11 carries. That, of course, would be his primary avenue to fantasy upside if pressed into regular-season duty. Willis has seemed to be trending at least slightly ahead of Levis for the backup job to date. He's an interesting late pick in superflex fantasy football drafts.
The Commanders are releasing K Michael Badgley. That means Joey Slye is retaining the job. He spent all of last season in that role for Washington after arriving late in 2021. Slye went 25-of-30 on FGs and 24-of-28 on extra points. Adjust your kicker rankings.
The Patriots are unsurprisingly happy so far to have RB Ezekiel Elliott on board. (Otherwise, why would they have signed him?) Coaches have praised his football intelligence and communication with new teammates. The most noteworthy comment, though, seems like OC Bill O'Brien telling ESPN's Mike Reiss, "I do think he's a three-down back." Elliott's receiving fell way off last year, from 2.8 receptions per game in 2021 to just 1.1 in 2022. He also saw the second-fewest pass-blocking reps of his career, according to Pro Football Focus, trailing only a 2017 season in which Elliott was suspended for six games. This might be a throwaway comment from O'Brien. We'd be shocked if New England actually treated Elliott like a challenger to Rhamondre Stevenson's pass-game snaps. But we'll also keep watching for specifics on the new old guy's role. There remains plenty of separation between Stevenson and Elliott in our 2023 PPR rankings.
Jets RB Israel Abanikanda left Saturday's preseason game with an injury to his right thigh. ESPN's Rich Cimini said the rookie RB was putting no weight on the leg as he left the field early in the fourth quarter. We'll look for more info on his outlook. The rookie likely wouldn't be heading for much regular-season work even if healthy, though, after the Dalvin Cook signing.
Update: HC Robert Saleh said after the game it's merely a thigh contusion, Cimini reports. This shouldn't be a long-term issue.
Texans WR Tank Dell was held out of Saturday’s preseason game with a tight leg muscle. In other words, he shouldn’t miss much practice time. “[He] felt a little tightness there… Tank will be fine,” HC DeMeco Ryans said. “We didn’t think it would be smart to put him out there, but Tank will be fine.” Dell remains an intriguing late-round flier in PPR setups.
Bills TE Dawson Knox sat out Saturday's preseason game with a finger injury. Beat writer Joe Buscaglia labeled him as "day to day.” Even at full health, Knox isn’t a priority target in fantasy drafts.
Dolphins RB Devon Achane injured a shoulder in Saturday's preseason game vs. the Texans, HC Mike McDaniel said afterward. We'll look for more details on the severity and a timeline for Achane's return. The rookie got zero snaps with the first-team offense on Saturday, so he's not shaping up as an early-season fantasy option.
Saints TE Jimmy Graham was arrested on Friday night for suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance and resisting, delaying, and obstructing a police officer, TMZ reports. The team has since released a statement claiming that Graham had a "medical episode," believed to be a seizure, which resulted in him becoming disoriented. He was admitted to a hospital after being taken into custody and is now back with the team. We'll see where this goes, but Graham was already a long shot to be a 2023 fantasy factor.
The Athletic’s Paul Dehner projects Bengals RB Chris Evans as the “passing-down starter.” He’s taken advantage of missed time from RB Trayveon Williams (ankle). Per Dehner: “The story of the third-down job has been dominated by the rise of Evans. He’s shown well in pass protection and improved running the ball downhill over last year’s disappointing preseason to become the frontrunner with Williams sidelined.” Current Bronco Samaje Perine ran 239 routes for the Bengals last year and turned them into 38 receptions. We’re not forecasting that type of role for Evans right now. But the third-year back -- with high-end athleticism — is a name to monitor in deep PPR setups.
Giants TE Darren Waller caught three balls for 30 yards in Friday night's preseason game, getting open at will vs. the Panthers defense. More importantly, Waller ran a route on 80% of QB Daniel Jones' dropbacks and was targeted on four of Jones' nine passes (44.4%). That elite usage follows a buzzy training camp. If his health cooperates, Waller is in for a big 2023 season. He's climbing our TE rankings.
Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard injured an ankle in Friday night's preseason game, HC Frank Reich said afterward. Hubbard started that game with RB Miles Sanders out with his groin injury. We'll see when these guys are able to get back on the field. Carolina's healthy RBs are now Raheem Blackshear, Spencer Brown, and rookie Camerun Peoples.
The Ravens are signing Edge Jadeveon Clowney to a one-year deal. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says he'll "complement" Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo, so expect a rotation here. Clowney has yet to reach 10 sacks in a season since arriving as the No. 1 overall pick back in 2014. Expect him to help the Baltimore defense more than your IDP lineup. But it's a good landing spot for Clowney to turn more hidden pressures into sacks. Justin Houston enjoyed a rebound in his age-33 campaign last year in the spot that now goes to Clowney. We have Baltimore high in our 2023 DST rankings, especially because of some friendly early matchups.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott talked about the growth he's seen from second-year TE Jake Ferguson. “I think he’s close to becoming a big-time guy," Prescott said, per The Athletic's Jon Machota. "As far as a playmaker, he’s there. ... And then you see him make a great catch in that preseason game, with a back-shoulder (catch). I think that just shows you, ‘Hey, you throw it to this guy, he wants to make the play and he expects to make the play.’ I think that’s where he takes this next step from just a playmaker to becoming a big-time player in this league.” Ferguson has taken full advantage of rookie TE Luke Schoonmaker's absence for much of the offseason and is primed to enter the season as Dallas' lead TE. He's a worthwhile late-round target in fantasy drafts.
Ravens WR Odell Beckham missed practice for the second straight day Friday, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley. We haven't seen a reason for the absence yet. The absences on the verge of the team's second preseason game makes it appear unlikely Beckham will play. He also didn't play in the first. Let's hope we get a look at the veteran wideout before the regular season. Reviews have generally been positive on his training-camp performance. Beckham sits third among Ravens WRs in our 2023 fantasy football rankings, though.
The Lions have waived WR Denzel Mims. He arrived via trade about one month ago, but Detroit will let him go with an injury designation (calf, ankle).
49ers RB Jordan Mason “appears” to be the favorite for the RB3 role, per beat writer Jack Hammer. Mason's main competition is 2022 Round 3 pick Tyrion Davis-Price. “The second-year back is a more fluid runner and does a better job of setting up his blockers than Ty Davis-Price,” Hammer writes. “He has also looked much better in pass protection, squaring up defenders consistently.” We’ll see what the rest of the preseason brings. But the RB3 role in San Francisco figures to have some fantasy relevance this season — especially with No. 2 Elijah Mitchell already battling an adductor injury.
Per Saints beat writer Kat Terrell, coaches “plan to expand” the route tree of WR Rashid Shaheed. The second-year undrafted free agent is currently rehabbing a groin injury, but he should be fine for Week 1. “From the time we got him last year and he got healthy enough to go through practice, we started to see some signs, and each day I've seen him continue to get better,” HC Dennis Allen said. “He's always had great speed, and he's always had the ability to transition at the top of the route, but I think you're seeing some technique things here where he's kind of understanding how to run a route and how to get himself open.” Shaheed should at least supply a few spike weeks for best ball drafters.
Commanders HC Ron Rivera named QB Sam Howell the Week 1 starter. There was never much doubt that Howell would get the nod to open the season. The question is whether he'll play well enough to keep backup QB Jacoby Brissett off the field. Howell has had a nice training camp by all accounts and looked good in Washington's preseason opener.
Saints insider Jeff Duncan writes that WR Michael Thomas has had a "mixed" training camp. "At times, he has looked like the guy who dominated NFL defenses... In other instances, he’s looked like a shell of himself, a guy who has struggled to beat press coverage from reserve DBs and had to be reminded to not catch the ball with his body." That shouldn't come as a surprise. Thomas has played just 10 games over the last three seasons and is 30 now. Especially with the presence of ascending superstar WR Chris Olave, Thomas is unlikely to re-emerge as a dominant fantasy force.
Browns K Cade York made FGs of 43, 37, and 43 yards in Thursday night's preseason game vs. the Eagles. But he missed a 46-yarder that was negated by a penalty -- and then missed the subsequent 41-yarder. York is now officially 3 for 6 on FGs this preseason and might be in danger of losing his job. Avoid him in fantasy drafts for now.
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