The Eagles announced Monday that they have activated S Rodney McLeod from the PUP list. He had been on it since the start of camp while working back from a 2020 ACL tear. His activation ahead of the team setting the 53-man roster points to McLeod being ready early in the season -- perhaps in time for the opener. Philly would have had to keep him on the PUP list if the team wanted to have him open the season on it.
Vikings HC Mike Zimmer expects TE Tyler Conklin to return to practice next week. He's been sidelined since injuring his hamstring on August 16. With TE Irv Smith out at least for the start of the season -- and potentially much longer -- Conklin is atop Minnesota's depth chart. We'll see if the Vikings add to the position.
Vikings HC Mike Zimmer said Monday that TE Irv Smith will have surgery this week to repair his meniscus injury. Unfortunately, he had no update on how long we should expect Smith to be out. "We'll just see where he's at," Zimmer said, per ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "A lot of times you can't really tell anything until you get in there. We really won't know until they get in there." We'll watch for updates after the surgery.
The Colts have placed QB Carson Wentz on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Indy also placed WR Zach Pascal and C Ryan Kelly on the same list. We’re not sure if Wentz was a close contact or if he tested positive, but it’s a setback regardless. Per team insider Mike Chappell, HC Frank Reich wanted to see Wentz “shoulder a heavy load going into next week.” That's not happening now. We’ll update you when we learn more.
Update: NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that all 3 players were close contacts with a Colts staffer who tested positive. That means they could return in 5 days if they test negative and remain symptom-free.
Ravens WR Marquise Brown (hamstring) is practicing on Monday. It marks the first time he’s practiced since July 28. Odds are he’ll be ready for Week 1, but we’ll see if we catch word of a potential snap restriction. Baltimore opens up against the Raiders.
49ers RB Raheem Mostert got the start in Sunday's preseason finale and played all 10 snaps on the 1st possession. RB Trey Sermon then played all 14 snaps on the 2nd possession. Those 2 will open the season sharing backfield work. The exact split between them remains uncertain.
Patriots QB Mac Jones capped off an impressive preseason by going 10 of 14 for 156 yards and 1 TD over 5 series in Sunday night's finale vs. the Giants. That came after QB Cam Newton got the start and struggled, completing just 2 of 5 passes for 10 yards and an INT on 2 series. Jones finishes the preseason with a 92.2 Pro Football Focus passing grade -- 2nd highest among 101 QBs that threw a pass. Newton finished 13th with a 78.0 grade. HC Bill Belichick declined to name a starter after the game. Newton might still get the Week 1 nod out of veteran deference. But expect to see Jones in there sooner than later. He looks ready.
ESPN's Jamison Hensley confirms that Ty'Son Williams is now the Ravens' #2 RB. The former undrafted free agent has passed RB Justice Hill on the depth chart. While Hill has missed parts of August with an ankle injury, Williams has impressed on the practice field and with a 5.4 yards-per-carry average in preseason action. We'll see if Baltimore makes an addition to the backfield over the next couple of weeks, but Williams is worth considering as a late-round flier in fantasy drafts.
The Lions have released WR Breshad Perriman. It's not a shocking move after an offseason and camp that provided only negative reports on the veteran wideout. But Detroit did guarantee $2 million on the 1-year, $2.5 million deal Perriman signed this offseason. Cutting him despite having to pay that money highlights how poor a summer Perriman has had. Tyrell Williams, Quintez Cephus and Amon-Ra St. Brown seem likely to run as the top 3 wideouts in Detroit. We'll see exactly how the group shakes out as the Lions get down to their 53-man roster by Tuesday.
Update: Lions insider Jeff Risdon tells us that WR Kalif Raymond is the favorite for the outside spot opposite Tyrell Williams. Neither Raymond nor Cephus is worth a spot on fantasy rosters.
Chargers TE Donald Parham played 23 snaps in Saturday night's preseason finale, catching his only target for 5 yards. He missed the 2nd exhibition with a tailbone injury but is good to go for Week 1. Parham will open the season as Los Angeles' #2 TE behind Jared Cook.
Giants WR Darius Slayton left Sunday's preseason finale against the Patriots with an ankle/foot injury. The team deemed him questionable to return. We wouldn't expect him to return to the contest, but that designation makes the outlook seem better than if the team had labeled him otherwise. We'll see about the official diagnosis. Slayton is no more than a late consideration in deeper formats, so he's probably not worth drafting in most fantasy football leagues.
Giants TE Evan Engram left Sunday's preseason finale against the Patriots with a left calf injury. It was a non-contact injury, and the team ruled him out for the game. That's not a good sign. We'll see about the official diagnosis. Pass on drafting Engram if your league drafts tonight. Kyle Rudolph would be worth later consideration if Engram is set to miss significant time.
Update: HC Joe Judge said after the game there is "optimism" that the injury is minor, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Engram will undergo testing Monday to determine the extent of the damage, so we should know more by Monday night.
Bengals beat writer Paul Dehner Jr. tweeted Sunday that RB Chris Evans will have a “small role on third downs.” He adds that Evans’ role could grow as the year goes on. (Of course.) The Michigan rookie caught a long TD from backup QB Brandon Allen in Sunday's preseason game and has drawn camp praise for his pass catching work. A high-end athlete, Evans is a name to monitor in deep formats.
We now know a little more about the injury that is sidelining Colts WR T.Y. Hilton. HC Frank Reich confirms that it’s a “disc issue” in Hilton’s neck, Zack Keefer of The Athletic reports. "He will miss some games — we're optimistic it's not season-ending,” Reich says. That indicates a long absence remains in the range of possible outcomes. We’re avoiding Hilton in nearly all fantasy football drafts at this point.
The Jets on Sunday sent a late-round draft pick to the Texans for DE Shaq Lawson. It’s a sensible move for a team that has lost DE Carl Lawson and DE Vinny Curry for the season. Shaq Lawson, though, has already washed out with 3 NFL teams: the Bills, who drafted him; the Dolphins, who signed him for big free-agent money; and the Texans, who traded (minimal value) for him. Odds are against Lawson being an edge-rushing savior for either the Jets or IDP rosters.
Vikings TE Irv Smith will undergo surgery for a meniscus injury, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The 3rd-year TE is expected to miss at least the Week 1 opener vs. Cincinnati, but a specific timeline isn’t yet known. Tyler Conklin, the #2 TE, has already missed time this summer with a hamstring injury. If healthy, Conklin will profile as a potential spot-starter out of the gate.
Bills RB Devin Singletary got the start in Saturday's preseason finale and played all 12 snaps on the 1st possession. RB Zack Moss ended up leading the backfield with 16 snaps with QB Josh Allen, though. Singletary played 15 and RB Matt Breida 7. Breida, interestingly, played 6 of those 7 snaps in the slot or split out wide. This is looking like at least a 2-man, and potentially a 3-man committee heading into Week 1.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Sunday that QB Dak Prescott (shoulder) is "good to go" for the start of the season after a nice week of practice. “He really turned it loose and was none the worse for it," Jones said. Prescott got limited practice reps this offseason as he rehabbed ankle and then shoulder injuries. But he's returning to the same offense with the same group of weapons. There's more risk with Prescott than the rest of the top-end fantasy QBs -- but his ceiling easily climbs into the top 3.
Texans K Ka'imi Fairbairn sat out Saturday night's preseason finale against the Buccaneers after a "minor leg muscle pull" during pregame warmups, according to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790 in Houston. HC David Culley said afterward that Fairbairn could have played if they needed him to. Wilson reports that it's not expected to affect the kicker's Week 1 status.
Stephen Holder of The Athletic reports that WR T.Y. Hilton is expected to miss "multiple weeks" with an injury he initially suffered in practice last Wednesday. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that he's being evaluated for an "upper back/neck injury." We'll see about the specific diagnosis and return timeline. Hilton already didn't sit high in the rankings, so he's not worth much attention in typical fantasy football drafts. Hilton's absence will help the target outlooks for WRs Michael Pittman, Parris Campbell and Zach Pascal.
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