Insider Albert Breer calls Raiders RB Ameer Abdullah a "camp revelation" and believes he's set to play the James White role in HC Josh McDaniels' offense. Abdullah quietly caught 35 balls in 11 games for the Panthers last year and tested as an 87th percentile athlete prior to getting drafted in 2015. Vegas' backfield is murky right now, but if Abdullah is truly pegged for the "James White role," it'd be bad news for RB Josh Jacobs and would leave RB Kenyan Drake undraftable.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Raiders TE Darren Waller has been missing practice with a hamstring injury. He's been out since July 30, but Schefter says the injury is "not considered serious." We'll see when Waller is able to get back on the field. We're not adjusting his 2022 projections as of now.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins tested positive for COVID and will be away from the team for at least 5 days. We'll see exactly when he gets back on the field, but this shouldn't impact his 2022 fantasy value.
The Bears this week activated LB Roquan Smith off the PUP list, but he remains out of practice. The veteran, of course, has been staging a "hold in" throughout camp in search of a contract extension. We still have yet to see any word on what "injury" landed him on the PUP in the 1st place. HC Matt Eberflus deflected questions on why Smith remains out of practice and whether the team will now fine him for not taking part. This is a nasty situation that seems likely to impact Smith's regular-season outlook -- barring the trade that he recently requested.
It shouldn't surprise anyone that Seahawks HC Pete Carroll announced QB Geno Smith as his starter for Saturday's preseason opener at Pittsburgh. Smith has remained atop the depth chart throughout the offseason and training camp. But it also sounds like the competition is far from done. “We’ll see what happens,” Carroll said Thursday, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. “There’s a lot of things that can happen when we go out there. We’ve just got to wait and see and we’ll put it together. We’d love to see the guys execute, and they’ve done really well on the practice field. We’d love to see a carry-over. But at the quarterback position, there are opportunities and if there are opportunities how do they seize them? Do they come through and make the play, make the big throw in the red zone or if it’s third down or whatever it is. We just have to wait and see.” We're most interested to see if either QB can look good enough to ease any concerns over the fantasy football outlooks for WRs D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, and TE Noah Fant.
Niners HC Kyle Shanahan sounds like he's happy with how RBs Trey Sermon and Jeff Wilson Jr. have performed in training camp so far. "Trey Sermon's come back and he's doing a great job and has improved on so many things from last year," Shanahan told Sirius XM this week. "Jeff Wilson's the healthiest he's been since 2020." Shanahan also highlighted RBs JaMycal Hasty and Jordan Mason just after that, and the whole answer followed a question on the importance of adding Tyrion Davis-Price. The primary takeaway is that Shanahan seems pleased with the depth of this year's backfield, which we expect to be led again by Elijah Mitchell. Don't forget Sermon and Wilson in the final rounds of deep fantasy football drafts, though.
The Commanders plan to play QB Carson Wentz and other starters for about 15-20 snaps in the preseason opener against the Panthers, according to The Washington Post. We'd bet on that increasing for the 2nd exhibition. We'll be interested to see how Wentz fares with his new WRs, as well as rookie RB Brian Robinson's role and performance.
Ravens backup QB Tyler Huntley says that Baltimore's preseason winning streak is no accident. "It means a lot to the culture, just to show that we're a winning team," Huntley said after Thursday night's victory over the Titans, according to ESPN. "And we don't care what kind of game it is, the Ravens are going to fight to get a win." This obviously doesn't matter for the regular-season fantasy outlook of Huntley or any other Raven. But it's relevant if you're plotting out preseason DFS lineups. Baltimore is playing to win (without putting regular-season starters at elevated risk).
Giants QB Daniel Jones saw his 1st game action Thursday night since a November neck injury ended his 2021 season. “It felt good to get out there and it was just like it used to be,” Jones said afterward, according to ProFootballTalk. “I didn’t think a whole lot about the neck or anything like that. I felt good and it was just football.” Jones said he thought the offense got off to a good start. The QB went 6-of-10 for 69 yards over 2 series before leaving. The Giants came away with 1 FG over that span. Jones also ran once for 6 yards. He was going without Kadarius Toney, who figure to be the top WR come Week 1. We'll keep evaluating Jones as the regular season approaches.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh said after Thursday night's preseason opener that WR James Proche didn't play because of an unspecified "soft-tissue deal." The coach indicated that it's minor and said the young wideout will miss "a week or 2." We'll keep an eye out for more details.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson has proposed an 8-game suspension and $5 million fine, according to the Associated Press. The league has reportedly been pushing for a full-season ban. It's unclear if the sides are in settlement talks. We'll continue to keep you updated on the situation and will hopefully have a final outcome soon.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll complimented rookie RB Kenneth Walker. Carroll really focused on Walker’s improvement in pass protection. "He could play all three downs, and we'd feel comfortable with it,” Carroll shared. Rashaad Penny is currently batting a minor goin injury, but the veteran remains on track to start Week 1. How long that lasts, however, is certainly in question. Neither guy projects for big pass volume -- but the 3rd-down/receiving down role appears up for grabs here.
The Browns announced this week that QB Deshaun Watson will start Friday night's exhibition opener against the Jaguars. The pending status of his suspension has no bearing here, since that will apply to regular-season games.
ESPN's Mike Reiss reports that QB Mac Jones "and most Patriots starters" aren't expected to play in tonight's preseason opener against the Giants. It would be nice to see Jones in action amid negative camp reviews, but we'll have to wait.
Colts HC Frank Reich said QB Matt Ryan will play the 1st quarter of Saturday's preseason opener against the Bills.
Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett says it's merely a foot contusion that currently has RB Melvin Gordon out of practice, according to Mike Klis of 9News. That doesn't sound like an issue that should impact his regular-season outlook. We'll keep an eye on how long the veteran misses.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard has been "privately tutored" on playing slot receiver by offensive quality control coach Kyle Valero this offseason. "Just details like route-running, getting in and out of breaks, why we’re running certain plays and what’s the meaning behind them,” Pollard said. “We’re getting into the depth of why we’re doing the things that we’re doing, so it will make more sense in the big picture. …It just shows the hard work that I’ve put in. In the offseason, during the season, it’s not going unnoticed. Guys are noticing the things that I can do with the ball to help the team, just knowing that I can contribute more and more to the team.” Pollard ranked 3rd in yards per route run last year among 51 qualifying RBs, and the Cowboys are dangerously thin at WR to open the season. So we're buying some slot usage for Pollard. That'll give him a chance to be a fantasy starter even behind a healthy Ezekiel Elliott.
NFL Network's James Palmer hears that Broncos RB Melvin Gordon's foot injury is "not serious." Gordon remained sidelined for Thursday's practice and surely won't play in Saturday's preseason opener. We'll see when he's able to get back on the field. We've haven't adjusted Gordon's projections as of now.
Adam Jahns of The Athletic writes that Bears QB Justin Fields “seems to be stacking more good throws and moments in camp.” Chicago’s rolled out a number of combinations at WR and along the O-line, largely due to injuries. So it hasn’t been the easiest environment for the 2nd-year passer — especially when he's also been tasked with learning new OC Luke Getsy’s system. It’s the talent-thin pass catching corps that leaves Fields as a QB2 to open the season.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins continues to be eased into practice after offseason shoulder surgery. But HC Zac Taylor has no concerns about his readiness for the start of the season. “On the physical part of things, he’s ready. I know he feels great. I know he’s ready to go, and trust me, he tells me every day," Taylor said. "But it’s good to slowly integrate him in there, so he’s been doing the one-on-ones. He’ll do seven-on-sevens going forward. I think that he feels really good, and man, he’s really attacked that rehab the right way and looks really good.” Higgins is safe to draft in the late 2nd or early 3rd round of fantasy drafts.
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