Chiefs WR Justyn Ross returned to practice Wednesday after leaving with a leg injury the day before. The second-year wideout is clearly good to go.
The Seahawks have activated LB Jordyn Brooks off the physically unable to perform list, where he opened camp while working back from a Week 17 ACL tear. It's a pretty remarkable turnaround for Brooks to return to the field nearly a month ahead of the regular-season opener. And he's certainly moving up our IDP rankings as a result. But we'll remain cautious with Brooks' outlook in fantasy football drafts.
Buccaneers WR Russell Gage suffered a non-contact knee injury in Wednesday's joint practice with the Jets and needed to be carted off. NFL Network reports that "the belief heading into exams is that the severe injury will end his season." That's an especially big blow to Gage, who dealt with hamstring issues throughout last year, his first in Tampa Bay. We don't see much fantasy impact, though. Gage was set to be no more than the WR3 in what we expect to be a lackluster passing offense. His injury could mean more time in the slot for Chris Godwin. Deven Thompkins and rookie Trey Palmer look like candidates for the No. 3 WR role.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson will miss a couple of weeks with a soft tissue injury. HC Arthur Smith said he’d have a clearer picture of Patterson’s status following Week 3 of the preseason. Even if the veteran gets on track for Week 1, he’s only a fantasy factor for your best ball strategy.
Lions WR Jameson Williams exited practice on Wednesday with an apparent right hamstring injury. Williams walked to the locker room with team trainers, and we’ll pass along an update when we learn more.
Per The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf, Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson “has done nothing that would cause him to relinquish” the starting job. Rookie Luke Schoonmaker has enjoyed “some solid moments” since returning from a foot injury, but a big early-season role isn’t likely. Consider Ferguson a deep sleeper to star on your fantasy cheat sheet.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith used the phrase no fantasy owner likes to hear when discussing his 2023 backfield plans: "hot hand." Here's Smith: “We may have the idea that we want to get guys a certain number of carries and then all of a sudden [Tyler] Allgeier gets a hot hand and what you’re doing with him is working. Don’t be rigid. We have to win the game.” Drafters are clearly expecting RB Bijan Robinson, who has a first-round ADP, to dominate the backfield touches this season. But Allgeier might stay involved just enough to keep Robinson from hitting his ceiling. It's worth noting that The Athletic's Josh Kendall projects Robinson for 215 carries and 86 targets this year to Allgeier's 158 carries and 12 targets. Check out our projections for the Falcons backfield.
Ravens WR Zay Flowers' impressive August has continued in joint practices against the Commanders this week. “He showed me he can do it against anybody else, not just our team,” QB Lamar Jackson said after Tuesday's practice. “He was making some crazy moves, great route running, great in and out of his cuts, and he was catching the ball, so he was looking pretty good out there." It continues to look like Flowers is ready to make an immediate impact -- and potentially even lead Ravens WRs in fantasy points this season.
Saints offensive weapon Taysom Hill strained his oblique in Tuesday's practice, HC Dennis Allen said. Allen added that the injury isn't believed to be serious. We'll let you know when Hill gets back on the field.
Saints RB Kendre Miller (knee) will travel to Los Angeles with the team for joint practices with the Chargers and has a "chance" to play in Sunday's preseason game, HC Dennis Allen said Tuesday. It's excellent news after Miller went down with a knee injury in the preseason opener. Whether or not he plays in this weekend's game, he's clearly on track to be available for the start of the regular season.
Browns WR Elijah Moore (ribs) returned to practice on Tuesday. It sounds like he was limited to individual drills. But the fact that he's back on the field means that he's in no danger of missing the start of the season. Consider Moore's fantasy value unchanged.
Jets HC Robert Saleh said Tuesday he's "very confident" RB Breece Hall will be ready for Week 1, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini. This falls in line with everything else we've heard from Saleh about Hall, as well as his Tuesday activation from PUP. We'll obviously keep watching the RB throughout August and into the season. Hall did move down our RB rankings after the Dalvin Cook addition.
Chiefs WR Justyn Ross suffered a leg injury in Tuesday's practice. ESPN's Adam Teicher reports that HC Andy Reid didn't offer specifics afterward. We'll see how long the second-year wideout remains sidelined. He hasn't been worth consideration outside of the final rounds in a best ball draft anyway, though.
Colts HC Shane Steichen announced Tuesday morning that they've named QB Anthony Richardson the regular-season starter. It's not a surprising move, but it's noteworthy that Steichen announced it after just one preseason game. Whether that signals more confidence in how far along Richardson already is or just a desire to commit to him earlier doesn't really matter. Richardson also doesn't need to be as "good" at football as most QBs to contribute fantasy value. Even with sack yardage subtracted (per college stat practice), Richardson still averaged 54.5 rushing yards per game across 12 starts in his only full season as Florida's starter. Combine that with a big arm and displayed aptitude for throwing deep, and you have a QB with immediate upside into the top 12. Check our fantasy football QB rankings to see where Richardson lands after this announcement.
Patriots TE Mike Gesicki suffered a "mild" dislocated shoulder in Monday's practice, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "While nothing is given, the hope is he’s back for Week 1 despite the AC joint injury," Rapoport adds. We're not adjusting Gesicki's projections for now but will keep a close eye on his recovery from this injury.
Jets RB Breece Hall (knee) has been activated from the PUP list. He'll be a limited participant in Tuesday's practice, according to The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt. Hall is now nearly 10 months removed from his torn ACL. He's been setback-free in his rehab by all accounts and is now seemingly on track to play in the season opener. Exactly how big a role Hall plays out of the gate -- especially after Monday's addition of RB Dalvin Cook -- remains uncertain.
SNY TV's Connor Hughes notes that there's been a concerted effort to get Giants RB Saquon Barkley more involved in the passing game in camp. "Not just as a check-down guy (think Le'Veon Bell in Pittsburgh), either, but wideout-light," Hughes adds. "The Giants have motioned Barkley out in the slot or split wide, then gotten him the ball, multiple times this summer." Even in his strong 2022 campaign, Barkley's receiving production felt a tad underwhelming. He caught 57 balls but averaged a career-low 5.9 yards per catch with 0 TDs. There's lots of room for those marks to grow in 2023.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh said Monday that RB J.K. Dobbins is "100% healthy." He spent the first 2+ weeks of training camp on the PUP list, but this is basically confirmation that his absence was contract-related. With Dobbins evidently resigned to playing out 2023 under his current contract, he's primed to take over as the clear lead back in new OC Todd Monken's offense. Dobbins has been a big value in Round 6 or 7 of recent drafts. We'll see where his ADP moves from here.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that new Jets RB Dalvin Cook is still "at least a week away" from being cleared to practice after undergoing shoulder surgery in February. It sounds like Cook should be ready in time for Week 1, but the missed practice time isn't ideal as he works to settle into a new offense. We'll see when he's able to get on the field. Teammate Breece Hall, of course, remains on the PUP list.
The Jets have agreed to a one-year deal with RB Dalvin Cook. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that Cook is getting "up to $8.6 million ... with the majority guaranteed." He adds that it's the largest annual average of any deal for a RB free agent this offseason. This seems to signal a few things: First, the Jets like Cook much better than any of their current RB backups and were iffy enough on that crew to make a significant upgrade. Secondly, it also indicates they want to make sure not to overwork Breece Hall in his return from the ACL tear. Hall has yet to take the field in training camp, though reports have said they expect him to be ready for the regular season. Even if that holds true, expect Cook to cut way into the available work. That moves Hall down our RB rankings and gives Cook nice contingent upside, in case Hall misses further games. The rest of the Jets' current RBs are no more than end-of-draft fliers. At least one among Michael Carter, Zonovan Knight, and Israel Abanikanda probably isn't making the regular-season roster.
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