Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie was back on the practice field on Sunday. He looked "very close to being a full go," The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia said. It looks like McKenzie is trending toward being ready for Thursday night's opener vs. the Rams, but we'll continue to keep an eye on him.
Patriots HC Bill Belichick said TE Jonnu Smith had a "really good offseason." Smith was a major disappointment in his Pats debut last year, but he drew positive buzz throughout the summer and notably matched TE Hunter Henry in snaps and routes in the preseason finale. "His fundamentals and technique look good," Belichick said "He's put himself in position I think to go out and play well." Smith is worth a look late in fantasy drafts of 18+ rounds and should be on your waiver-wire watch list.
Broncos TE Albert Okwuegbunam said he's dealing with a "lower-body" injury. He was held out of the preseason finale but said he could have played if it was a regular-season game. It sounds like Okwuegbunam will be fine for Week 1, but we'll keep an eye on his practice participation this coming week.
Bucs WR Russell Gage (hamstring) is "on track" to play vs. the Cowboys next weekend, HC Todd Bowles said. Gage missed about 3 weeks with a hamstring injury but got back on the practice field on Thursday. With WR Chris Godwin still working his way back from last year's torn ACL, Gage figures to open the season as 1 of Tampa's top 3 WRs, along with Mike Evans and Julio Jones.
Benjamin Allbright, a Broncos insider for KOA Radio in Denver, says those who draft RB Javonte Williams are "gonna be mad." He says it "looks like a 55/45" split between Williams and Melvin Gordon, "with some Mike Boone sprinkled in." Allbright adds that Gordon "is getting the situational work (GL, short yardage, etc)." The fact that we're getting varied reads on the situation from different reporters points to no one really knowing for sure what the Broncos' plan is. The sheer uncertainty adds risk to Williams at his Round 2 ADP and value to Gordon in Round 8.
Rams RBs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson are "good to go," HC Sean McVay said Friday. Both backs missed time in August with soft-tissue injuries but got back on the practice field earlier this week. They're both on track to play in Thursday night's season opener vs. the Bills. Then we'll start to get an idea of what the backfield split will look like.
ESPN's Dan Granziano believes Broncos RB Javonte Williams "takes control of the backfield" this season. "I think [RB Melvin] Gordon, who has had a strong camp by all accounts, still has a role, but that it's a far more secondary role than he had last year," Graziano adds. It seems certain at this point that Williams will lead this Denver backfield. What we don't know is if it will be something like a 55/45 split, or more like a 70/30 split. You're banking on something closer to the latter if you're taking Williams in the 2nd round of fantasy drafts.
NESN's Zack Cox expects Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson to open the season as the "1B to [Damien] Harris' 1A." But, Cox adds, "it wouldn’t shock me if [Stevenson] eventually leapfrogs Harris and becomes New England’s top early-down option." Cox also says he expects "a much larger role in the passing game" for Stevenson this season. He'll be just a RB3 in fantasy lineups out of the gate, but there's upside well beyond that as we move deeper into the season.
Giants WR Kenny Golladay had a "procedure" this offseason, GM Joe Schoen said Thursday. It sidelined Golladay through the spring, but Schoen gave no other details. Perhaps that explains why Golladay has played "with the stiffness of a mannequin" this summer, as ESPN's Jordan Raanan wrote. We continue to avoid Golladay in fantasy drafts.
Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel said Thursday that he's “very, very, very confident” WR Jaylen Waddle will be ready for Week 1. Waddle has been sidelined for about 3 weeks with what's believed to be a lower-body injury. McDaniel has downplayed the situation all along, so we'll see. We're monitoring the situation but haven't moved Waddle in the WR Rankings.
The Patriots placed WR Tyquan Thornton (collarbone) on IR, knocking him out for at least the first 4 games of the season. It's a procedural move with Thornton expected to be sidelined until mid-October. The rookie could make an impact in the 2nd half of the season, but he's not worth stashing on redraft benches.
The Texans signed TE O.J. Howard. Once a promising fantasy prospect, Howard has totaled just 25 catches over the past 2 seasons and couldn't make a Bills team with nothing at TE behind Dawson Knox. We'll keep an eye on him, but Howard isn't a good bet for 2022 fantasy value. Brevin Jordan remains the TE to target in Houston.
The Giants have surprisingly released veteran LB Blake Martinez. According to ESPN's Jordan Ranaan, the "decision was mutual." We'd bet on Martinez landing elsewhere, and we'll see exactly what the replacement plan is with the Giants. But this is a big move for the top of the current LB rankings.
The Eagles on Thursday claimed RB Trey Sermon off waivers. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the team had previously discussed a trade with the 49ers. Sermon took less than 2 full years to bust his way off the roster of the team that drafted him in Round 3. So it's tough to bet on a big impact from him. But he's immediately the heaviest RB in the Philly backfield. We'll see whether than can make Sermon a quick factor in short-yardage situations.
As expected, the Buccaneers have re-signed DB Logan Ryan. They released the vet earlier this week to leave room for C Ryan Jensen on the regular-season roster so he could be designated to return from IR. It looks like Ryan will come in behind S Antoine Winfield Jr. and S Mike Edwards in playing time.
The Falcons on Thursday placed LB Deion Jones on IR. It's a surprising move, given that Jones had recently come off the PUP and played in the team's preseason finale. Jones had shoulder surgery early in the offseason. We'll see whether the team reveals how long it expects him to be out. Jones' deactivation leaves Rahsaan Evans and Mykal Walker looking like the best bets for playing time among Falcons LBs.
The Texans re-signed RB Royce Freeman after dumping him at final cuts. Houston now has Freeman, Rex Burkhead and Dare Ogunbowale behind Dameon Pierce -- plus Marlon Mack on the practice squad.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Titans EDGE Harold Landry suffered an ACL tear in Wednesday's practice. That would obviously end the season for Tennessee's top pass-rusher, an especially big blow for that defense. Landry had ranked inside the top 10 D-linemen in our IDP rankings, where he carries that designation.
Eagles RB Miles Sanders (hamstring) returned to practice on Thursday. He'd been sidelined the past 2-and-a-half weeks. But, barring a setback, he should be ready for next weekend's season opener vs. the Lions.
Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie suffered an undisclosed injury on Saturday and hasn't practiced since, according to ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg. GM Brandon Beane only said, "we'll see" when asked about McKenzie's availability for the Thursday night season opener vs. the Rams. We'll keep an eye on this and get Buffalo's first official injury report on Monday. Jamison Crowder would step in as the Bills' slot receiver if McKenzie can't go.
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