Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett likes the progress TE Albert Okwuegbunam has made in the offense. “Earlier on in OTAs, picking up the system took him a while,” Hackett said. “He’s been absolutely splendid going out there right now. He’s been going out there and we’ve been putting him all over the place, from motioning, playing wide, playing ‘F’ and doing all kinds of different things.” Broncos insider Andrew Mason wonders if Okwuegbunam could help replace WR Tim Patrick, who will miss the season with his torn ACL. Okwuegbunam has TE1 upside with Patrick's targets up for grabs in this Russell Wilson-led offense.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth was a full participant in Tuesday's practice, according to Steelers Depot's Alex Kozora. Freiermuth dealt with a hamstring injury early in camp, but it looks like a non-issue going forward.
Rams QB Matt Stafford (elbow) threw in full-team, 11-on-11 work in Tuesday's practice for the 1st time in training camp, ESPN's Sarah Barshop reports. The Rams have Stafford on a pitch count as he deals with a right elbow issue that we still don't know much about. But if the team was truly concerned, they wouldn't have him throwing at all in early August. We'll continue to keep an eye on this situation, but it hasn't impacted our Rams projections yet.
Rams WR Van Jefferson has started the rehab process after undergoing knee surgery and "has a chance" to play Week 1, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. That jibes with a previous report from The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue. We'll continue to monitor Jefferson's progress leading up to the Thursday night opener vs. the Bills.
WR Equanimeous St. Brown is listed with the 1st-team offense on the Bears' initial depth chart. These early-August depth charts are notoriously unreliable, so we're not reading much into this. But it at least looks like St. Brown has a shot to claim a significant role in a WR corps that's wide open behind Darnell Mooney. Byron Pringle and rookie Velus Jones are listed as the 2nd-team WRs.
The Cowboys released K Jonathan Garibay and signed K Brett Maher on Tuesday. Garibay had reportedly struggled mightily in camp. Maher and K Lirim Hajrullahu will duke it out for the starting job over the next month. It's a situation to avoid in fantasy drafts until we get a winner.
The Cardinals are using WR Rondale Moore all over the formation in camp. “We’ve played him outside and we’ve played him inside, so he’s gotten work at both the X and the H inside,” WRs coach Shawn Jefferson said. “You’re going to see him in a bunch of positions, even in the backfield, coming out of the backfield. He’s one of those guys who can do it all." We'd be surprised if the 180-pound Moore played much on the outside this season, but it's at least encouraging to hear that his role has expanded from a mostly quiet rookie season. Moore is well worth a shot at his 13th-round ADP.
Insider Peter King believes WR Skyy Moore will be a "Swiss army knife" for the Chiefs this season. "He has played all over the map," King said after attending Chiefs camp. "In the backfield, in the slot, set out wide, running the jet sweep stuff. He's going to be a really interesting weapon for a team that is kind of reinventing itself on the fly." We've seen numerous videos of Moore taking handoffs from the backfield in camp. WR Tyreek Hill averaged 15.5 carries over his 6 seasons in Kansas City, so perhaps Moore can pick up some of that work. The rookie remains an intriguing pick at his 11th-round ADP.
Jets HC Robert Saleh told reporters Tuesday that RT Mekhi Becton is likely done for the season, according to ESPN. Becton suffered what is believed to be an injury to his right patella. Although the team has yet to reveal specifics, it sounds like Becton tore the patellar tendon in that knee, which also required season-ending surgery last year. Losing Becton isn't a killer, but it hurts an offense that already had O-line questions.
Saints HC Dennis Allen said Tuesday that QB Jameis Winston is "day to day" after spraining his right foot Monday, according to ESPN's Mike Triplett. The team reportedly doesn't believe it's anything significant but will keep Winston out of the preseason opener. We'll keep an eye on the situation but are not adjusting Winston's fantasy outlook.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence says left-shoulder surgery last February kept him from getting into optimal shape in his rookie season. "I didn't really feel like I could get my body in shape the way I wanted," he said at a Monday press conference. "I was in shape, but as far as my arm, I would've liked to be a little sharper. I feel like my arm got a lot stronger this offseason." That's good to hear from a 2nd-year QB whose upside we already liked. Jacksonville's upgrades to the coaching staff and surrounding talent make Lawrence an intriguing pick anywhere in QB2 territory of fantasy football drafts.
Panthers OC Ben McAdoo said Tuesday that rookie QB Matt Corral is "slowly and quietly improving," according to Darin Gantt of the team website. "He has a unique skill set," the coach added. "He has some juice to him, personality wise." The trade for QB Baker Mayfield likely killed any shot Corral might have had at starting early in his rookie year. And this sounds like a coach offering measured optimism. Corral still makes for an interesting dynasty stash, with neither Mayfield nor Sam Darnold signed beyond this season.
Buccaneers WR Scotty Miller says he added 10-15 pounds of muscle this offseason, looking to rebound from an injury-derailed 2021. "I've always been undersized, so this year I really focused on gaining a couple pounds to show the coaches I can do a lot of different things in the offense," he told Pewter Report. "I just feel more explosive and really fast. The fastest I've ever been." Miller will have trouble reaching fantasy relevance, with Julio Jones joining an already loaded top 3 at WR: Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage. But he flashed with Tom Brady in 2020 and count present enough versatility to earn a roster spot. At 25, Miller is heading into his 4th NFL season.
Bears LB Roquan Smith announced Tuesday morning that he has requested a trade. The former 1st-round pick is in the final year of his rookie contract and has been unsatisfied with the team's extension offers. "The new front office regime doesn't value me here," Smith wrote. "They've refused to negotiate in good faith. Every step of this journey has been 'take it or leave it.' The deal sent to me is one that would be bad for myself and for the entire LB market if I signed it." This sure doesn't sound like an impasse that can be worked out, with Smith saying he has been trying since April to get a "fair" deal. We'll see whether a trade market materializes. Otherwise, we might see the 25-year-old hold out into the regular season.
Raiders TE Darren Waller has been sidelined since July 30 with an undisclosed injury, according to The Athletic's Tashan Reed. We're not panicking with the regular season still a month away, but hopefully Waller is able to get back on the field soon. He missed about 2 weeks last summer with an ankle injury and then lost 6 games and most of a 7th with ankle and knee injuries.
The Athletic's Tashan Reed believes that, among the Raiders' RBs, rookie Zamir White "is the closest to pushing [Josh] Jacobs for his role as the lead back." White looked good in his NFL debut in last week's Hall of Fame Game, running 11 times for 52 yards and catching 3 of 4 targets for 23 yards. "This guy just plays hard. He loves football," HC Josh McDaniels said. "You saw how he finishes runs. He’s a physical player. He’s a tough guy; he adds that element to our team." We'd still consider White a long shot to overtake Jacobs as Vegas' lead back this season. But White could earn a big enough role to dent Jacobs' fantasy value.
Packers HC Matt LaFleur announced Monday that QB Jordan Love will start the preseason opener. There's obviously nothing to read into this from a roles standpoint, as Aaron Rodgers is locked in for as long as he wants to be. According to The Athletic, LaFleur said he'll decide after the team's 2nd preseason contest whether Rodgers will play at all in the exhibitions. Don't be surprised if we get extended playing time from Love, who has plenty to prove and might even get showcased for potential trades. He's worth keeping in mind if you're playing preseason DFS.
Broncos TE Greg Dulcich has had his early training-camp time limited by a hamstring injury that he suffered during offseason work, according to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. The rookie made it back to team drills last week, but Monday found him back on a side field. "Hamstrings are so weird; they are very difficult to get through," HC Nathaniel Hackett said. "As he goes through that, we're just making sure we're doing things the right way."
Bengals HC Zac Taylor said Monday that he's "not going to make any predictions" on when QB Joe Burrow returns to the field following his July appendix surgery, according to The Athletic. The team is reportedly optimistic, though, and doesn't expect him to miss the regular-season opener. We'll keep an eye on Burrow's progress.
Patriots QB Mac Jones has struggled in training camp so far, according to Evan Lazar of the team's official website. "Jones looks out of sync and sometimes uncomfortable with what's happening around him," Lazar writes. "In passing situations with the field spread, Jones looks more like his usual self, and the glimpses we've seen of Mac's deep throws show signs of improvement. But the ball isn't coming out of his hands as quickly or decisively as in the past." We still have a month to go before Week 1, but this is a situation to monitor as the Patriots break in Matt Patricia as play caller.
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