49ers RB Trey Sermon is dealing with an ankle injury, per HC Kyle Shanahan. The issue popped up in practice on Thursday. It must be minor, though, as Sermon rushed 5 times (for 8 yards) in a preseason game on Saturday.
Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle hasn't practiced in ~10 days with what’s believed to be a “minor soft tissue injury,” per insider Adam Beasley. He’s sat out both preseason games. The team isn’t “outwardly concerned” about Waddle’s ability to play Week 1, but we’ll track the 2nd-year WR’s progress leading up to the opener vs. New England.
Chargers RB Isaiah Spiller left Saturday night's preseason game against the Cowboys with an ankle injury and was deemed questionable to return. That designation might indicate it's not serious, but we'll watch for a specific diagnosis. Spiller has been fighting Joshua Kelly and Larry Rountree for the #2 job behind Austin Ekeler.
The 49ers started RB Trey Sermon in the backfield in Saturday's 2nd preseason game against the Vikings, but 2 other RBs also saw touches on the team's 1st drive. San Francisco sat Elijah Mitchell and Jeff Wilson Jr., along with QB Trey Lance and some other starters. Sermon led the RBs who did play, but JaMycal Hasty and Tyrion Davis-Price joined him for 1 carry apiece amid the team's 4-play 1st drive. Sermon was the only RB to garner touches over the next 2 drives and finished the 1st half with 5 carries and 2 targets. vs. 2 total opportunities for each of his teammates. None generated much yardage in that span. Even if Sermon enters the season ahead of Davis-Price and Hasty on the depth chart, he might still sit 3rd behind Mitchell and Wilson in touch distribution. The primary takeaway here should probably be that this remains a crowded backfield.
Steelers rookie QB Kenny Pickett worked 2nd behind Mitchell Trubisky in Saturday's preseason game against the Jaguars, and he fared quite well. The 1st-round pick completed 6 of 7 passes for 76 yards and a go-ahead TD with time running out at the end of the 1st half. He logged a near-perfect 151.5 passer routing and worked with Pittsburgh's starting pass-catchers. HC Mike Tomlin seemed impressed afterward with Pickett driving the team for the late-1st-half TD. "It's probably who he is," Tomlin said, referring to Pickett's ability to perform under pressure. "I know he did it next door [in college]. He probably did it in high school, and he probably did it in little league. Some things, people are born with." Tomlin also said that he thought Trubisky "played well" and that the team needed to protect him better and run the ball more effectively to give a "fair evaluation" between the QBs. When asked whether there would be any movement on the QB depth chart, Tomlin declined to make any "knee-jerk reactions." From our vantage point, Pickett certainly seems to be building his case for taking over the job at some point this year -- even if he doesn't claim it by Week 1.
Steelers RB Benny Snell started Saturday's 2nd preseason game against Jacksonville, working ahead of rookie Jaylen Warren. That's noteworthy because Warren has generated plenty of training-camp buzz. That included at least 1 Steelers writer positing this week that he believed Warren has already earned the #2 job. Saturday's usage, of course, doesn't necessarily mean that Snell remains the backup to Najee Harris. But it does mean we'll need to continue watching before anointing the new guy. Anthony McFarland is also in the mix for roles behind Harris. We'll see whether all 3 backup candidates make the regular-season roster.
Bears LB Roquan Smith practiced with his team for the 1st time in training camp Saturday, ending his "hold in." Smith has reportedly decided to play out the final year of his rookie contract. It's not a shocking move, as Smith has little leverage in his quest for a contract extension. We haven't move him down our rankings through the hold in. We'll see what happens with Smith and the Bears beyond this season.
Bears rookie S Jaquon Brisker recently had surgery to address the thumb injury he suffered in the team's preseason opener, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Brisker reportedly has a decent chance to return for Week 1.
Bears RB Trestan Ebner left Friday night's preseason game with an ankle injury and remained out for Saturday's practice, according to SB Nation's Windy City Gridiron. We'll see about the severity.
Bears RB Khalil Herbert left Saturday's practice on a cart, according to multiple reports. We have yet to see any details beyond that but will certainly be watching for more.
"It’s been a struggle to get [TE Mike Gesicki] involved in the new offense so far this summer," ESPN's Cameron Wolfe said Saturday. It was part of a tweet pointing out that Gesicki was the last Miami starter still playing late in the 2nd quarter of the 2nd preseason game. Basically an oversized WR listed as a TE, Gesicki always looked like an awkward fit in HC Mike McDaniel's offense, which requires the TE to block quite a bit (think George Kittle). Throw in the increased target competition with the arrival of WR Tyreek Hill, and it's tough to like Gesicki as a fantasy-draft target.
The Titans opened eyes by starting undrafted free agent RB Julius Chestnut over 4th-round rookie RB Hassan Haskins in the 1st preseason game. On Saturday night, though, Haskins got into the game 1st. RB Dontrell Hilliard started (after sitting out the preseason opener as a healthy scratch) and got the only RB touch on Tennessee's 1st drive. Then Haskins took the field for the 2nd and 3rd possessions, with Chestnut entering for the 4th. The Titans are probably still sorting out the RB depth chart behind Derrick Henry and Hilliard. We wouldn't recommend prioritizing either rookie in the handcuff range of fantasy football drafts.
Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton is expected to miss about 8 weeks with the collarbone injury he suffered in Friday's preseason game, according to NFL Network's Mike Giardi. That'd put Thornton back sometime around Week 6 or 7. It'll likely be another few weeks beyond that before Thornton has any chance of being a real fantasy factor. The rookie can be left on the waiver wire in all redraft leagues.
The Washington Commanders had RB Brian Robinson in the backfield to open Saturday's 2nd preseason game against the Chiefs. Antonio Gibson worked in for 1 carry on the 1st drive, but his 2nd didn't come until Taylor Heinicke's 1st drive. Robinson carried 8 times before Gibson's 2nd rush. Washington also had Gibson back as kick returner to open the game. We'll see what coaches have to say afterward and whether anything changes for the final exhibition, but this is not great for Gibson's outlook. Expect Robinson to keep moving up fantasy football draft boards over the coming week.
The Panthers have activated LB Shaq Thompson from the PUP. The veteran had a "little cleanout" on a knee in the offseason. Barring a setback, Thompson should have time to get ready in time for Week 1.
Panthers HC Matt Rhule told reporters Saturday that QB Matt Corral suffered a "significant" Lisfranc injury. That seems likely to wipe out the rookie season for Corral, who wasn't pegged for immediate playing time anyway.
The Athletic's Chad Graff lists WR Kendrick Bourne as a "faller" and WR Nelson Agholor as a "riser." Graff believes Bourne is now behind Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker and Agholor on the depth chart. Agholor "has been the Patriots’ best wide receiver in most practices and has shown an improved connection with Jones," Graff writes. We're not overly interested in any of these guys as draft targets, but we'll continue to monitor the pecking order.
There's "optimism" that Eagles RB Miles Sanders will be ready for the start of the season, according to The Athletic's Bo Wulf and Zach Berman. The fact that there's only "optimism" is a bit surprising considering the team has downplayed the severity of the issue. "There’s much intrigue about Sanders’ status, considering he’s been bothered by this type of injury before," Wulf and Berman write. "It’s hard to speak in definitive terms about a hamstring injury to a running back, but with three weeks to go before a meaningful game, the early word is Sanders should be back on the field by then." We'll keep a close eye on Sanders' status.
Giants QB Daniel Jones revealed that he underwent a "non-football-related procedure" on his neck this offseason. "I saw there was something about it," Jones added. "It was completely unrelated, but I feel good. Neck is great." Jones, of course, missed the final 6 games of last season with a disc injury in his neck. Whether this procedure was related to that injury or not, it's worth remembering that Giants insider Dan Schneier told us on the Draft Sharks podcast that Jones appears to have lost velocity on his throws this summer. It'll be something to watch closely early this season. Jones is no more than a risk/reward QB2 in fantasy drafts.
Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton suffered a collarbone injury in Friday night's preseason game, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Rapoport doesn't say Thornton's collarbone is broken, but it sure sounds like that's the case. Thornton's season is "now put on hold, though based on his timetable, the injury to the speedster is not season ending." We'll look for a more concrete timeline, but Thornton isn't worth a roster spot in redraft leagues. His absence leaves Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor as New England's clear top 4 WRs.
Update: NFL Network's Mike Giardi reports that Thornton is expected to miss "around 8 weeks."
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