The Athletic's Matt Barrows believes Jeff Wilson will open the season as the 49ers' #2 RB behind Elijah Mitchell. Barrows goes on to suggest that rookie Ty Davis-Price might eventually claim that #2 job. But, for now, it sounds like Wilson is the Mitchell handcuff.
The Athletic's Chad Graff expects Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson to get the "bulk" of the passing-down snaps early in the season, assuming RB Ty Montgomery (ankle) is out. "And his performance in the first few weeks could dictate how much Montgomery sees the field," Graff writes. We're expecting Stevenson and Damien Harris to split carries fairly evenly this year, but Stevenson's pass-catching upside makes him the more appealing fantasy pick.
The Athletic's Nate Taylor believes Mecole Hardman will open the season as the Chiefs' #2 WR -- behind JuJu Smith-Schuster but ahead of Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore. "Because he’s the fastest in the group and has been in the Chiefs’ system the longest," Taylor writes. We'll be keeping a close eye on the route and target counts in this group early in the season. But Smith-Schuster will be the only reliable Week 1 fantasy starter.
The Athletic's James Boyd expects Alec Pierce to emerge as the Colts' 2nd most targeted WR. Boyd believes Pierce's combination of size and speed will make him a more valuable weapon for QB Matt Ryan than WR Parris Campbell, especially in the red zone. We ultimately like targeting both these guys near the end of fantasy drafts.
The Broncos and QB Russell Wilson agreed to a 5-year, $245 million contract extension with $165 million guaranteed, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Wilson is now the league's 2nd-highest-paid QB, behind only Aaron Rodgers. More interestingly, he's now signed for the next 7 seasons. Wilson will have just turned 40 when his current contract is up. We'll see if he's able to play through the life of it.
Bucs insider Rick Stroud gives WR Chris Godwin (knee) a 55% chance to play in the season opener vs. the Cowboys. It's just a guess -- but it's an educated guess and worth noting. Godwin shouldn't be in your Week 1 fantasy plans. But if he plays and looks good, he could be an option as early as Week 2.
The Bears placed WR N’Keal Harry on IR. Harry will now miss at least 4 games with his ankle injury. Even in deep formats, the former Patriot is well off the fantasy radar.
The Commanders placed RB Brian Robinson (leg) on the reserve/non-football injury list. While he’ll miss the first 4 games of the season, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says there's a "chance” Robinson suits up for Week 5. Note that Washington's bye isn't until Week 14.
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said Wednesday that WR Michael Gallup is "getting close" in his return from his torn ACL. “Looks excellent,” McCarthy said. "He’s hit every target. His rehab is going very smooth. Just staying on the plan." Owner Jerry Jones said that Gallup could play next week if it was the Super Bowl. "We’re going to be cautious — not cautious, but conservative — with him," said Jones. "He won’t be out there more than likely against Tampa, but if it were the Super Bowl, he would be out there. He’s that ready.” It sounds like we should expect Gallup to make his 2022 debut before the end of September. He's worth stashing on fantasy benches.
Packers HC Matt LaFleur suggested Wednesday that there won't be a clear #1 in the WR corps this season. "I don't think anybody's clear cut in front of the other guy," LaFleur said. "I think it's gonna be very much the ball's gonna get spread around and we're gonna try to feature different guys in different spots." Allen Lazard, Romeo Doubs, Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb all figure to get significant snaps early in the season. Lazard is the best fantasy bet for now, but don't treat him as more than a WR4.
The Cowboys placed WR James Washington (foot) on IR, knocking him out for at least the first 4 games of the season. With WR Michael Gallup (knee) unlikely to be ready for Week 1, Dallas will roll out CeeDee Lamb, Noah Brown and Jalen Tolbert as its top 3 WRs.
Eagles RB Miles Sanders remains out of practice with a hamstring injury. He hasn’t practiced since August 14, per reporter Zach Berman. We still expect Sanders to be active for Week 1, but we’ll learn more when Philly’s injury report comes out next week.
Colts LB Shaquille Leonard hit the practice field Wednesday for the 1st time since his June back surgery. That doesn't necessarily mean he'll be ready for the regular-season opener, but it's another sign that his full return is approaching. We'll watch the official practice reports on Leonard leading up to Week 1 and see if HC Frank Reich offers further status updates.
Giants beat writer Dan Duggan tweeted Wednesday that WR Kadarius Toney “looks 100%” in practice. Of course, the challenge is for Toney to stay that way going forward. The 2nd-year man remains a highly volatile fantasy asset.
The Texans have cut RB Royce Freeman. With Marlon Mack on the practice squad, Houston’s depth now turns up Rex Burkhead and Dare Ogunbowale behind rookie Dameon Pierce.
ESPN's Field Yates reports that the 49ers have waived RB Trey Sermon. That leaves 4 RBs on the roster: Elijah Mitchell, Tyrion Davis Price, Jeff Wilson Jr. and Jordan Mason. We'll see exactly how things sort out behind (or alongside?) Mitchell. Kyle Shanahan backfields have been productive enough that all 4 players are worth a look in fantasy football leagues of varying sizes.
The Chargers announced Wednesday that they have signed RB Sony Michel. Cut this week by the Dolphins, Michel now has a chance to quickly work his way to the #2 role in a Chargers backfield that has looked bad behind Austin Ekeler. The Chargers released RB Larry Rountree in a corresponding move, leaving Michel, Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller behind Ekeler.
Raiders TE Darren Waller returned to practice on Wednesday. The veteran previously missed time with a hamstring injury. He also remains in pursuit of a new contract and recently signed on with super agent Drew Rosenhaus. “Darren’s good, Darren’s good to go,” HC Josh McDaniels said early Wednesday. “You’ll see him today. I don’t really know anything about that whole situation yet. He’ll be out there today and we’re excited about moving forward here with our whole group and trying to get guys in positions where we feel like they’re going to be as we head into the opening week next week.”
The Texans on Wednesday claimed WR Tyler Johnson, who failed to make Tampa Bay's regular-season roster. Whereas Johnson got nudged out by a loaded Buccaneers WR depth chart, he faces much more opportunity in Houston. Only WR Brandin Cooks exceeded 60 targets for last year's squad, and WR Nico Collins is the only other returnee who reached 40 looks. Second-round pick John Metchie is out following his leukemia diagnosis. So there's room for Johnson to climb as high as 3rd on the Houston WR depth chart. He'll likely need an injury to Cooks or Collins to have a real shot at fantasy relevance, though.
The Vikings are waiving WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette in the wake of trading for Jalen Reagor. Smith-Marsette garnered just 6 targets as a 5th-round rookie last year, though this spring brought some mild buzz that he might push for a larger role. If Minnesota is looking to put him on the practice squad, the 23-year-old will first need to pass through waivers unclaimed.
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