Giants WR Kadarius Toney is “still banged up” with a right leg injury, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Toney reportedly grabbed the back of his leg during portions Wednesday's workout. Nagging injuries are nothing new for Toney, who appeared in only 10 games as a rookie. The upside remains enormous here, but the Florida product will be tough to trust as an early-season WR3 or flex.
Chargers WR Josh Palmer has cleared the league’s concussion protocol. He took part in individual drills on Wednesday. Palmer, 23 next month, remains a WR5 to target in fantasy drafts.
Bucs OC Byron Leftwich praised RB Rachaad White on Wednesday. "He's a man's man,” Leftwich said. “To be a young guy, he's really thorough. He's really aware, really smart and plays the game in a physical way. He takes notes like a quarterback. He's a real smart kid that has an understanding and feel for football.” NFL insider Albert Breer tweeted Wednesday that the rookie “will have a role,” adding that White “might be the best pass-game RB” Tom Brady’s had in Tampa Bay. There’s certainly PPR intrigue, especially if you can roster White as an RB5.
Raiders HC Josh McDaniels wouldn't commit on Wednesday to TE Darren Waller being ready for the start of the season. according to The Athletic's Tashan Reed. Waller has missed basically all of training camp with a hamstring injury. "He is working his butt off," McDaniels said. "He knows he is going to be a big part of our team." Waller still has about 2-and-a-half weeks before the opener, but this has become a situation to keep a close eye on. We wouldn't blame you for shying away from Waller at ADP until he gets back on the field.
NFL insider Albert Breer tweeted Wednesday that Buccaneers WR Julio Jones “is playing fast, looks smooth [and] has clicked with Tom Brady.” Breer recently visited Bucs camp and observed the coaching staff limiting Jones’ practice reps. (No surprise there.) Despite injury risk, the veteran is an intriguing bench stash alongside Brady.
ESPN's Mike Reiss believes the Patriots might deploy both Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson as 3-down backs this season. The idea is that they'd rotate series -- like they did in the 2nd preseason game -- but stay on the field for 3rd downs. Reiss believes RB Ty Montgomery might play "when it's a two-minute offense type of situation." If Reiss is right, Harris and Stevenson would be just RB3s in fantasy lineups when both are healthy. But if either gets hurt, the other would become a strong fantasy play.
Discussing the Chiefs' backfield, ESPN's Adam Teicher writes, "one thing is clear: [Clyde] Edwards-Helaire is atop the depth chart." That's been the feeling out of Chiefs camp and in the preseason, with Edwards-Helaire starting both games. But Teicher adds that, "It certainly seems as if [Jerick] McKinnon and [Isaiah] Pacheco can carve out significant roles, McKinnon as a third-down back and Pacheco more generally." Based on preseason usage, it looks like McKinnon will open the season as the primary pass-catching back. That'd obviously hurt Edwards-Helaire's upside -- although he can still pay off his 6th- or 7th-round price tag.
Giants WR Sterling Shepard has been activated from the PUP list and will practice on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan. Shepard tore his left Achilles a little over 8 months ago. "Have heard only positives about Shepard's rehab," Raanan tweeted. "He's looked good running and cutting on the side in recent weeks." It's still uncertain when Shepard will be ready for game action -- and whether he can rediscover pre-injury form. We'll keep a close eye on him but aren't ready to consider him a fantasy-draft target.
If you've been getting excited over the upside of Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins in the wake of Gus Edwards landing on the regular-season PUP list, then you might want to pump the brakes. "Even if Dobbins suits up for the season opener, he won't get a full workload," ESPN's Jamison Hensley says. "It's too early to predict when Dobbins will get back to receiving double-digit touches in games." Hensley adds that Mike Davis "could get the most carries early in the season and remain part of Baltimore's game plan throughout the season." We still wouldn't select Davis before the late rounds of fantasy football drafts. But this potential role is certainly worth noting -- if for nothing else other than helping to set realistic expectations for Dobbins.
Pro Football Focus' Doug Kyed reports a league source told him the Dolphins have "brought up" TE Mike Gesicki in trade talks with other teams. Such a move would make sense for Miami, with Gesicki set to play on the franchise tag and seemingly about to play out of position as an in-line TE. Gesicki has operated much more as a slot receiver thus far in his career and looks much better suited for that type of role. Given the reports this preseason on his deployment as a blocker, a trade would probably be good for Gesicki's 2022 fantasy outlook. We'll see if something materializes.
Pro Football Focus' Doug Kyed reports that "multiple league sources" identified Cardinals RB Darrel Williams as a potential surprise candidate to be cut or traded. Williams' usage through 2 preseason games has seemed to indicate he might be ahead of Eno Benjamin and others on the RB depth chart, but that has also accompanied persistently positive reports on Benjamin's performance. We'll see how this one plays out over the next week plus, with roster cutdowns progressing. For now, there's at least risk to adding Williams late in fantasy football drafts. We'd hold off on selecting him to best-ball rosters with no in-season management.
Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes: "The first three completions in Tuesday’s practice went to the same player: Brandon Aiyuk. In other words, the still-sizzling wide receiver finished camp the way he started, and he appears poised for a breakout third NFL season.” The buzz has followed Aiyuk for weeks and pushed his ADP up some. He still resides well into WR3 territory in most cases, though, a level that allows for plenty of upside room. Aiyuk's potential ascension could lower the ceiling for WR Deebo Samuel by siphoning target share in what we expect to be 1 of the league's most run-leaning offenses. We've been much more interested in Aiyuk than Samuel at their relative draft costs.
Insider Jordan Schultz hears that the Chargers are "ecstatic" with WR Josh Palmer's progress and expects an "expanded role with more targets" for the 2nd-year wideout. “He’s got the complete route-tree and he’s hyper-competitive attacking balls," a team source told Schultz "Major worker: One of the best players in camp." Palmer appears locked into the Chargers' #3 WR job. He faces stiff target competition from WR Keenan Allen, WR Mike Williams and RB Austin Ekeler. But QB Justin Herbert should elevate Palmer's per-target production. He's a nice bench stash on fantasy rosters.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid didn't sound concerned about WR JuJu Smith-Schuster's sore knee and expects him to be ready for the start of the season, according to insider Herbie Teope. Smith-Schuster has been sidelined since the day after Kansas City's preseason opener but recently "turned the corner" in his recovery, Reid said. We'll keep an eye on JuJu but haven't adjusted his 2022 projections.
The Jets on Tuesday released K Eddy Pineiro, leaving Greg Zuerlein as the team's kicker. Set your rankings.
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said Tuesday that WR Michael Gallup is doing “really well” and has avoided any setbacks in his rehab from a torn ACL. Gallup suffered the injury in Week 17 of last season, but he’s had a relatively smooth recovery since then. Already out for Week 1, we're still not counting on the 26-year-old as an early-season fantasy contributor.
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said Tuesday that kicker Brett Maher has won the team’s starting job. McCarthy pointed out Maher’s leg strength and recent confidence as reasons for choosing him over Lirim Hajrullahu. Maher figures to be a viable streaming option this season.
ESPN reports that Jets QB Zach Wilson is still likely to miss at least the regular-season opener. But Dianna Russini says the team feels "really good" about his chances of getting back onto the field soon, perhaps even ahead of Week 1. It's certainly possible that Wilson is technically cleared to play in the opener but the Jets opt for Joe Flacco and led the 2nd-year QB ease back in. We'll keep an eye on the situation. Don't expect it to alter our projections for other in the Jets' offense, though.
Chargers CB J.C. Jackson had ankle surgery Tuesday and is expected to miss the next 2-4 weeks, according to multiple reports. Sounds like a relatively minor procedure, but this timeline obviously could spill over into missed regular-season games.
The Falcons cut WRs Auden Tate and Geronimo Allison -- among others -- Tuesday. Each guy has had moments where he stirred minor fantasy interest with previous teams, but neither generated buzz this summer.
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