Steelers QB Kenny Pickett got the majority of 2nd-team reps in Monday's practice, the 1st since Pickett went 13-of-15 for 95 yards and 2 TDs in the preseason opener. OC Matt Canada said Monday's work was not a promotion, though, but rather part of the team's plan. “Yeah, we’ve got a system in place,” Canada told Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. “Coach, we’ve had this thing mapped out since I don’t know when. We’ll continue to stay right on our plan and see where it goes.” Canada did add that performance can shake up the plan: "How you play does matter. I don’t act like we’re just going to stick to it no matter what happens. But we have a plan, and until something drastically changes it, we’re going to continue to methodically go through our plan as we see it." We'd still bet on Mitchell Trubisky opening the regular season as Pittsburgh's starter. But we'll see what the play of all 3 Pittsburgh QBs does to affect that.
Giants HC Brian Daboll said Tuesday morning that QB Tyrod Taylor "probably will get snaps at some point this preseason with the first team offense," according to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. Daboll followed that by saying the team has "full confidence" in QB Daniel Jones. But this seems like more than a just in case of injury scenario. Reports on Jones out of training camp haven't been good. We have to at least consider it possible that he gets yanked for Taylor at some point this season if the struggles spill over into the real games.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh says he has been pleased with the progress of RB J.K. Dobbins. The 3rd-year player returned to practice Monday after getting the weekend off. "He looked good," Harbaugh told the team website afterward. "He's kind of back on track, and I thought he looked a little better than he did before – last week. So, he continues to improve, and we'll see where it goes." The coach added that it "remains to be seen" exactly how they'll ramp up Dobbins' workload en route to the regular-season opener. With nearly 4 weeks until that 1st game, Dobbins appears to be on track. But we'll continue to monitor his progress.
If you've been waiting for Russ to cook, then your time might have come. Here's what Peter King heard from an unnamed source: "Coach [Nathaniel Hackett] and Russell [Wilson] are not coach-player. They're partners." And Wilson seems to agree. "It's the ownership of the players owning our own offense," the QB said. "This has to be a player-ran kind of team. Coach Hackett gives us the keys to do that." Take this as confirmation of what we all hoped Wilson would be getting from the move out of Seattle.
The Broncos activated EDGE Randy Gregory off the PUP list Monday. He has been working back from offseason shoulder surgery, but it was an issue known to the team before Gregory signed a big-money deal in free agency. "(The shoulder issue) was something I've been dealing with for 2, 3 years now," he said, according to The Denver Post. "We got to the point where it was kind of hindering my play, so (the surgery) was something that was important for me to do long term, for the good of the team." Gregory added that he expects to be ready for the regular-season opener.
It's been a quiet training camp for Vikings WR Adam Thielen. (Quiet is good for a 31-year-old veteran.). But The Athletic's Arif Hasan writes that Thielen "looks more like his previous self" after missing the end of last season and undergoing ankle surgery in December. "His play is reminiscent of his most productive stretch from 2016 to 2018," Hasan adds. "After some injury-shortened seasons and limited production when healthy, this might be big news." Thielen was sitting 8th among WRs in half-PPR points per game through Week 12 last year and is a nice value at his current 6th-round price tag.
Broncos RB Melvin Gordon was back on the practice field on Monday. "Appears to be a full participant," insider Zac Stevens tweeted. Gordon missed less than a week with what was reported as a foot contusion. We'll keep an eye on him going forward, but consider Gordon's fantasy stock unaffected.
The Eagles traded J.J. Arcega-Whiteside to the Seahawks in exchange for DB Ugo Amadi. Arcega-Whiteside, of course, has been a colossal bust after going 57th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. He'd been transitioning to TE in Philadelphia and will reportedly be a hybrid WR/TE in Seattle. Regardless of position, he's a long shot to make any fantasy impact going forward.
The Ravens released RB Corey Clement. He lasted just a few weeks with the team. With RB Gus Edwards (knee) likely to open the season on the PUP list, the Ravens are currently slated to head into Week 1 with RBs J.K. Dobbins, Mike Davis, Justice Hill and Tyler Badie.
Rams HC Sean McVay told reporters after Monday’s practice that QB Matthew Stafford had been a full participant. That came in a shorter-than-usual session. But ProFootballTalk reports that McVay said the plan will be the same for Tuesday’s longer workout. It’s obviously good news for Stafford, who has seen managed workloads while he deals with right-elbow trouble
Rams RBs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson are dealing with “soft tissue” injuries, per HC Sean McVay. Neither guy will practice until they can be “full speed” in team drills, per reporter Sarah Barshop. No timeline was given by McVay. We’ll track this situation, but it’s at least a bit worrisome considering the injury histories on both guys. We’ll let you know when they’re back in action.
The Athletic’s Nate Taylor believes JuJu Smith-Schuster has been the Chiefs’ best WR in training camp. Taylor describes the former Steeler as “a smooth route runner who has been consistent.” There’s some post-hype appeal to JuJu, who turns just 26 in November. Given the lack of proven targets in Kansas City, WR2 totals are well within his range of outcomes.
The Browns on Monday activated CB Denzel Ward from the PUP list. Ward has been sidelined with a foot injury throughout training camp so far, but he still has plenty of time to get into form ahead of the regular season.
Niners S Jimmie Ward is dealing with a hamstring injury. According to ESPN's Nick Wagoner, HC Kyle Shanahan called it "worse than others" and said Ward is in danger of missing Week 1. It's not a big storyline for IDP purposes, but Ward has a place in deep leagues. His absence would be a slight knock on the team defense as well.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Monday that it’s becoming “more and more unlikely” that Saints RB Alvin Kamara faces a 2022 suspension. A 2023 suspension wasn’t ruled out, but fantasy owners can breathe a bit easier for now. Kamara’s next court date is scheduled for late September.
The Eagles held RB Miles Sanders out of practice Sunday because of "leg soreness," according to Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal. That certainly doesn't sound like a serious issue. But it also doesn't seem great if Sanders actually needed the break in the 1st practice after Philly's Friday night preseason opener. Sanders, of course, also sits tied with Dalvin Cook for the highest probability of injury among RBs heading into the season -- with more projected missed games despite a smaller projected workload. Sanders is still going late enough in drafts, at least, to mitigate the health risk. We'll watch his status for upcoming workouts.
Giants HC Brian Daboll said Sunday that WR Kadarius Toney (leg) is unlikely to practice this week. The feeling prior to today was that Toney would return sooner, so perhaps he encountered a setback. The 2nd-year WR made only 10 appearances as a rookie and underwent offseason knee surgery. We'll let you know when he returns to the field.
The Athletic's Daniel Popper believes RB Joshua Kelley has "taken the lead" in the battle for the #2 RB job after the preseason opener. Kelley started that game, finishing with 3 carries for 16 yards and 3 catches for 28 yards. "Kelley looks like a really confident player," Popper writes. "He was decisive and explosive in the run game, hitting holes with a north-south mentality." RB Larry Rountree rotated in with the starters, while RB Isaiah Spiller didn't hit the field until the 2nd quarter. We're still expecting Spiller to eventually emerge as the #2 RB, but that might not happen before the start of the season.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said Sunday that WR Drake London's knee injury is "not a long-term thing." Smith added that London will likely be sidelined this coming week but is fully expected to be ready for the regular season. We'll see exactly when the rookie is able to get back on the field.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow practiced Sunday for the first time since his late-July appendectomy. Per The Athletic’s Paul Dehner, the Bengals will gradually increase Burrow’s practice load over the next few days. Based on some highlights from today, though, Burrow certainly looks close to 100%. We’re not concerned about his effectiveness for Week 1.
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