After attending Rams practice on Wednesday, insider Peter King said QB Matt Stafford's arm "has not fallen off." Added King, "He really threw the ball well. ... The zip on the ball was very good. I think the reports of the death of his arm have been greatly exaggerated." It's certainly sounding like Stafford's right elbow issue is more of a pain-management thing, and not something that'll impact his play this season.
Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles said Thursday he wasn't sure when QB Tom Brady will be returning from his leave, ESPN's Jenna Laine reports. Back when Brady left the team, Bowles said they expected the QB back after the 2nd preseason game. That's Saturday night at Tennessee. Is it time to worry yet about Brady's absence? We're not too concerned about his readiness. But Tampa Bay is missing a lot of reps for a group of pass-catchers with some new faces.
"The Bills’ running back corps has all the potential to devolve into a muddy three-person committee dependent on the situation and riding the hot hand," The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia writes. We know RBs Devin Singletary and James Cook will have a role in this backfield, but Buscaglia believes RB Zack Moss could be an "early-down threat to Singletary" and the goal-line back. That, of course, would put a major dent in Singletary's fantasy value. Buscaglia also says that Cooks' role "could be smaller than some expect."
Following a settlement between the Browns and the league, QB Deshaun Watson will be suspended 11 games. He’ll pay a $5 million fine and be required to enter a treatment program. Watson’s now scheduled to make his Browns debut in Week 13… at Houston. The 11-game suspension makes Watson undraftable outside of deep 2-QB leagues and maybe as a last-round pick in best-ball tournaments. The fantasy values of guys like Nick Chubb, Amari Cooper and David Njoku also take a hit with the news. We'll see if Cleveland makes a move for QB Jimmy Garoppolo.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Thursday that TE Irv Smith is "on track" for Week 1. Smith is recovering from August 2 thumb surgery. It sounds like rehab has gone well, but it's still concerning that Smith will miss most of August -- after missing the entire 2021 season with a knee injury. He'll be tough to trust in fantasy lineups early in the season, although there's still top-12 upside here.
Jaguars HC Doug Pederson said Thursday that the "expectation" is that RB James Robinson will be ready for Week 1. That was implied when Jacksonville left Robinson off the PUP list to open training camp. Still, it'd be an impressively quick recovery from a guy who tore his Achilles on December 26. Of course, it remains to be seen how much work Robinson is able to handle and how effective he'll be out of the gate. We're not overly interested in him as a draft target. But Robinson's status certainly impacts RB Travis Etienne's fantasy value.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid said Thursday that WR Mecole Hardman was knocked out of Wednesday's practice with a groin spasm. Hardman is "making progress," according to Reid, and might even be able to play in Saturday's preseason game vs. the Commanders. It doesn't sound like the groin will be an issue by the time Week 1 rolls around.
WR Will Fuller remains unsigned as of mid-August. Yahoo's Charles Robinson spoke about why that might be the case on the Underdog Football Show. "He's a deep-field player when he's at his best. I don't know if teams necessarily feel like he can still be that player," Robinson said. "I think people think that injuries have taken their toll on him. Obviously there have been issues with suspension. I don't think he's what you would consider a 'clean signing.' ... What's been relayed to me is some of it is physical. It's the thought process that physically he does not look like a player that can hold up and has really lost a little bit." Even if Fuller signs before Week 1, he'd be a long shot for early-season fantasy value. At this point, he's nothing more than a last-pick flier in best-ball drafts.
Despite coming off the PUP list last week, Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins' availability for Week 1 is still uncertain, HC John Harbaugh admitted Wednesday. "He's made some good progress this week," Harbaugh said. "We measure times of how fast he runs, how fast he decelerates, how fast he changes direction. You can see the improvement is tangible. So, we'll see." The decision to remove Dobbins from the PUP list means the Ravens expect him back by at least Week 4. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his progress.
Rams QB Matt Stafford said Wednesday that his right elbow "feels good" and is "right on track." He admitted that he's not sure when the soreness in that elbow will go away, but he doesn't think it'll impact his performance. "I'm just going out there, doing my work [and] trusting the process that we have," Stafford said. "I know that I'm able to go out there and function at a high level right now. So whatever it feels like, hopefully, continues to keep getting better as it has. But I know that functionally, I feel like I can do everything I need to do. So just trying to continue on that road."
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb was sidelined for Wednesday's joint practice with the Chargers. He told insider Clarence Hill that he suffered a cut to his foot that required stitches. Lamb wouldn't say how it happened. We'll see exactly how long he's out, but we're not expecting this to impact Lamb's availability for the start of the season.
Raiders TE Darren Waller returned to practice on Wednesday. He'd been out since July 30 with a hamstring injury. Barring a setback, though, consider Waller's fantasy stock unaffected.
"The plan is for [Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker] to be out there Week 1 if all goes well," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "Walker underwent surgery to repair a hernia — not what is sometimes called a 'sports hernia' or core muscle injury — and he’s expected to make a full recovery," Rapoport adds. We'll track Walker's rehab. But, considering the rookie will miss the rest of the preseason and a bunch of practice time, he won't be a viable Week 1 fantasy option. RB Rashaad Penny's early-season fantasy stock gets a boost with the news.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said Wednesday that rookie RB Kenneth Walker is having a "procedure" but that his injury is not a sports hernia, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. We'll watch for word on how long the team expects him to be out.
After some positive buzz at the start of training camp, Titans WR Treylon Burks is heading in the wrong direction again. He was buried in the pecking order in the preseason opener and didn't play particularly well. “Just being able to take the progress — some of the improvements that we saw in practice, and carry them over into the game. I don’t think that happened enough," HC Mike Vrabel said afterward. "Treylon will have to come out here and have a good week.” Burks then missed some reps in Wednesday's joint practice with the Bucs. It's looking like we won't be able to trust the rookie in fantasy lineups early in the season. There's still longer-term upside here, but Burks shouldn't be considered more than a WR4 at this point.
When asked about RB Javonte Williams getting the first snaps at practice, RB Melvin Gordon said, "The want 'Vonte to be the guy," per insider Zac Stevens. That, of course, doesn't tell us anything specific about how snaps and touches will be divvied in this backfield. But it at least seems like confirmation that Williams will lead the way. We'll see if we get any clues on workload distribution in Denver's final 2 preseason games.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins returned to practice on Wednesday. He ended up missing the minimum 5 days with COVID. His fantasy stock is unaffected.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow spoke to the media on Wednesday about his recovery from his appendectomy. He said he's eating "everything" to gain back 20 pounds, per insider Mike Petraglia. Burrow added that he'll return to 11-on-11 work in Wednesday's practice. And, while he won't play in the preseason, he feels confident that he'll be ready to go for Week 1. We'll continue to monitor Burrow's progress, but we haven't altered his 2022 projections.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman suffered an apparent left leg injury in Wednesday’s practice, per beat writer Nate Taylor. He limped off the field for evaluation. We’ll pass along an update when it’s available.
UPDATE: Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Hardman's injury is to his groin.
Rams RB Cam Akers' soft-tissue injury is not considered serious, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "Rams taking preventative measures by holding him out of preseason practices but that’s the extent of it," Fowler adds. He makes no mention of the severity of RB Darrell Henderson's injury. We'll see when the Rams backs are able to return to practice.
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