Ravens HC John Harbaugh said he keeps in contact with RB J.K. Dobbins but remains unsure about a potential return. "I don't know. It's a fair question," Harbaugh began. "And there is a point when it becomes a concern because - and he knows - JK and I talked last night. We talk a lot. He wants to be out, and he needs to be out there, just like any player does. Other than that, there's nothing else that I can really add because I don't know when he's gonna come back. But I know I'm gonna be really happy when he does.” Baltimore opens up the preseason on the 12th vs. Philadelphia.
Per beat writer John Shipley, Jaguars WRs Christian Kirk and Zay Jones “have picked up where they left off [last season].” Kirk and Jones enjoyed career years, finishing at PPR WR12 and WR26, respectively. A healthy Calvin Ridley figures to limit target volume. But the Underdog Fantasy ADPs on Kirk (WR27) and Jones (WR49) put them in a draftable range. See where they sit in our updated WR rankings.
Bears WR Darnell Mooney said QB Justin Fields's biggest area of growth is his knowledge of the playbook. "There's no confusion there at all,” Mooney said on Wednesday. Per beat writer Courtney Cronin, Fields has called plays himself in walk-throughs during two-minute drills — something he didn’t do in 2022. Entering Year 2 in the same system, it’d be a disappointment if Fields wasn’t showing growth. The arrival of WR D.J. Moore simply adds to his passing ceiling.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Wednesday that he expects Saints RB Alvin Kamara to be suspended for his role in a 2022 fight in Las Vegas. Rapoport throws out 2-, 4-, and 6-game suspensions as possibilities -- depending on how Kamara's meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell goes. It's looking like we'll get a resolution to this situation soon.
Commanders HC Ron Rivera noted how WR Curtis Samuel’s skill set fits the new offense. Washington is now under the direction of OC Eric Bieniemy. “I think it fits in very well,” Rivera said. “Go back and get an opportunity to look at the stuff that they did in Kansas City and look at how creative and inventive they have been over the years with the receivers that they've had. Everything from running the jet sweeps to going vertical to working underneath, and the coverages against the coverages. You know, it's about getting the ball into the hands as quick as possible in as much space as possible, allowing these guys to make plays.” Highlighting Samuel’s catch-and-run ability makes sense. But we’re likely talking about the No. 3 option for an offense with QB concerns. Samuel, 27, projects as a bench stash to begin the season.
None of the Vikings' backup RBs have stepped up in camp so far, according to The Athletic's Alec Lewis. RB Ty Chandler has "lacked consistency," RB DeWayne McBride "faces a tall task in trying to learn the offense in short order," and RB Kene Nwangwu is unlikely to "shoulder a massive load," Lewis writes. It continues to look like RB Alexander Mattison will handle a high percentage of Minnesota's backfield touches this season. We'll see if one of these other guys gets rolling -- or if the Vikings add a veteran to the backfield.
Cowboys rookie TE Luke Schoonmaker worked off to the side but in full pads Tuesday, according to ESPN's Todd Archer, "normally a sign a player is close to getting on the field for practice." The second-round pick has been out with plantar fasciitis. We'll see if he's back in time for preseason games. He'll likely still face a tough battle with Jake Ferguson for playing time.
Packers HC Matt LaFleur praised WR Christian Watson for his growth in Year 2. "He just seems like a much more confident player and I think we saw that kind of take shape last year, about halfway through the season," LaFleur said. "You gotta remember… I think any time you're a young player and you miss all of training camp essentially, that's tough. That's difficult, so just him being healthy, he had a really good offseason and just his knowledge with our offense, he is one of the most intelligent players that I've ever been around.” (Note: Watson missed most of the ’22 camp following offseason knee surgery.) Now healthy, the 24-year-old brings enticing fantasy upside at a current ADP of WR25.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah came away from Cowboys training camp “concerned” about the O-line. LT Tyron Smith “looked a little bit old,” per Jeremiah. He also noted the absence of G Zack Martin (contract). It’s a storyline to follow, but we’re not too worried about this unit limiting Dak Prescott and company. See why in our recent piece on O-line play and fantasy production.
Bucs OC Dave Canales said Tuesday that the competition for the team's starting QB job is even tighter now than it was earlier this offseason. QB Kyle Trask has had a nice start to camp, while QB Baker Mayfield has already tossed five INTs. “The first couple of days, I think the experience that Baker brings – just playing in games, being in camps, going through installs – you can see where the offense was gelling really well,” Canales said. "But it just took a couple of days for Kyle to really settle in. And then what we saw is the last two practices, Kyle really showed what he can do, stretching the field with his arm, getting the ball out quickly, making decisions. So I’m really excited about both of those guys and the progressions they’ve made throughout the last couple of days.” This battle figures to ultimately be decided in preseason action. Stay tuned.
Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley suffered a toe injury at Tuesday's practice, HC Doug Pederson said. Pederson added that Ridley will be limited in Wednesday's practice -- so it's clearly not a serious injury. We'll keep an eye on him, but Ridley isn't moving in our WR rankings.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta left practice Monday with a "minor" ankle injury, according to Justin Rogers of the Detroit News. LaPorta is reportedly expected to "test" that ankle at Wednesday morning's practice. We'll see how that test goes, but the quick return leaves us not overly worried about the situation. The rookie isn't moving in our TE rankings.
Rams WR Cooper Kupp left Tuesday's practice with a hamstring injury. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports he had an MRI and that the team expects him back "for scrimmages in a few weeks." We'll watch for more detail on that end of it, but the Rams have obvious reason to be cautious with Kupp's health.
Buccaneers rookie DT Calijah Kancey is expected to miss four weeks after straining his right calf. That would cost the first-round pick all three preseason games but give him a shot at being ready for the opener. We wouldn't bet on Kancey getting near full playing time early under that scenario. The rookie already sat low in our 2023 IDP rankings. We'll keep an eye on his status upon his return from this injury.
Insider Josina Anderson reports that the Raiders are "open to restarting talks with RB Josh Jacobs, with the hopes of getting him to rejoin the team, which still remains the goal for the organization." RB Saquon Barkley's one-year deal with the Giants should help lay some groundwork for an agreement between Jacobs and the Raiders. We're still not projecting him to sit out any regular-season games.
Regarding Seahawks RBs Ken Walker (groin) and Zach Charbonnet (shoulder), ESPN's Dan Graziano writes, "I don't get the sense that the Seahawks are overly concerned about either of these injuries bleeding into the regular season at this point." That reads more like an educated guess than a report. But it's encouraging as we wait for more details on both injured RBs. We'll keep you updated on the situation.
The Bucs see "star potential" in RB Rachaad White, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler writes. "Not only will he get a heavy workload rushing, but the Bucs have been expanding his route tree, believing he can inflict damage as a receiver," Fowler adds. We have little doubt that White can excel as a receiver. He looked like the best pass-catching RB in the 2022 draft class and then caught 50 balls as a rookie. The bigger question is whether White can get it done on the ground after an underwhelming 2022 in that department. But it sounds like the Bucs plan on giving him every chance to prove himself. White sits well ahead of ADP in our fantasy football rankings.
The Raiders released TE O.J. Howard. Once an exciting fantasy prospect, Howard's dynasty value is on life support. He's totaled just 24 catches in two seasons since tearing his Achilles. We'll see if the 28-year-old latches on elsewhere before Week 1. The Raiders move forward with Michael Mayer and Austin Hooper as their top two TEs.
Bengals RB Trayveon Williams suffered a "mild ankle sprain" in Tuesday's practice, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Williams is expected to be sidelined "a couple of weeks." It's relatively good news after Williams was carted off with what sounded like a more serious injury. He should be available come Week 1, but the missed time will hurt his chances of beating out rookie Chase Brown for the Bengals' No. 2 RB job.
Per NFL Network's James Palmer, Broncos RB Javonte Williams "hasn't been limited in any capacity so far in camp" as he returns from a torn ACL and LCL suffered in Week 4 of last season. Palmer also adds that despite being given an off day tomorrow, Williams plans to dress in full pads and engage in conditioning on the side. It's only the beginning of August, but to see a player returning from a multi-ligament injury being given the green light is just about the best news possible. Williams, who we have lower down in our current RB rankings, is starting to put together a case for being a riser up draft boards. We'll be cautiously optimistic for now. There's still a lot of time between now and Week 1 of the regular season. Hopefully, Williams doesn't press himself too hard and risk a setback. Check back for further updates on the third-year RB.
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