NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that the injury that's sidelined Titans WR Julio Jones for the past 4 days is "nothing major." Rapoport adds that Tennessee plans to manage Jones' practice reps throughout the season. Smart. Jones has played all 16 games in just 4 of 10 NFL seasons and remains 1 of the bigger injury risks at WR heading into 2021. But he also remains a good bet for at least WR2 production when he's on the field.
The Athletic's Aaron Reiss names WR Nico Collins 1 of the "risers" in training camp so far. "Collins has consistently made catches both on the sideline and over the middle during Texans camp," Reiss writes. The 3rd-round rookie has reportedly been getting lots of reps with the 1st-team and looks like the favorite to open the season as a starting outside WR opposite Brandin Cooks. Collins is worth considering as a late-round flier in fantasy drafts.
Fox Sports' Jay Glazer hears that the Colts are tentatively expecting QB Carson Wentz (foot) to be back on the shorter end of his 5-12 week timetable. "They'll know more in about 2 weeks," Glazer added. Wentz's projected return date remains murky, but there's at least a chance that he's back right around Week 1.
Fox Sports' Jay Glazer hears that the Cowboys "fully expect" QB Dak Prescott to be ready for the start of the season. Glazer also reported that Prescott's injury is rare for a QB. "It's kinda under the armpit ... more of a baseball injury," Glazer said. Dallas' training staff has reached out to the Texas Rangers for help with the issue. We'll continue to keep an eye on the situation, but the big takeaway is that Prescott is expected to be out there come Week 1.
Per beat writer Nick Underhill, Saints WR Tre’Quan Smith has been out of practice since Tuesday with an apparent leg injury. HC Sean Payton downplayed the injury, but Smith’s absence is a missed opportunity with Michael Thomas sidelined. In his absence, more reps have gone to guys like Deonte Harris, Marquez Callaway and Lil’Jordan Humphrey. Harris is likely to miss the first 2 games following a July DUI.
Bills WR Emmanuel Sanders missed practiced on Thursday with a foot injury. No word yet on the severity. Sanders has a history of foot issues — including fractures in both feet — but they came early in his career (2011). We’ll provide an update when we learn more.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins has been activated from the COVID list. He was a close contact of QB Kellen Mond, who tested positive for the virus. As of now, Cousins is not vaccinated, which adds some risk to his 2021 fantasy profile.
Raiders RB Jalen Richard is out "indefinitely" with a foot injury, The Athletic's Tashan Reed reports. Richard's role has dwindled the past couple of years -- and that was already likely to continue with the offseason addition RB Kenyan Drake. Richard is off the fantasy radar.
Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill (knee) returned to practice on Thursday. He missed the previous 2 practices with what HC Andy Reid described as knee tendinitis. It never sounded like something to worry about. Hill remains our top-ranked WR.
Giants WR Kenny Golladay is expected to miss 2-3 weeks with a hamstring pull, per beat writer Pat Leonard. That puts him back at practice well before New York’s opener against Denver. Still, it’s worth noting that Golladay missed 5 games with a hamstring injury in 2017; 2 last fall. He’s shaping up as a WR3, albeit not one we’re particularly excited about.
Lions rookie WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has seen "consistent work" rotating in with starters as a slot receiver so far in camp, according to Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic. The 4th-round pick has reportedly displayed strong route-running that has challenged any position trying to cover him and been 1 of the team's top rookies in early workouts. Baumgardner writes that St. Brown getting open underneath has "been a constant" and that he's "likely going to see a bunch of targets underneath this season, especially early." A shaky deep-passing game and lackluster WR depth chart overall can only help St. Brown in that pursuit. The rookie sits outside the top 70 WRs in ADP across FFPC draft formats right now, making him a low-risk bet late in drafts.
According to Zac Jackson of The Athletic, Browns WR Donovan Peoples-Jones is "absolutely lighting up training camp." The 2nd-year wideout is reportedly impressing with his size, speed and hands, and showing a good connection with QB Baker Mayfield. This unpadded portion of workouts is ideal for WRs to stand out, of course, but DPJ could be winning the #3 job. He's competing primarily with Rashard Higgins, who returned on a 1-year deal in free agency. We certainly liked the athletic upside on Peoples-Jones, who arrived as a 6th-round pick despite a stellar Combine workout. He's at least worth hanging onto in dynasty leagues where possible. Another injury to Odell Beckham or Jarvis Landry this year would present intriguing opportunity.
The Cowboys on Tuesday activated DE Demarcus Lawrence from the PUP list, after he passed his physical. Lawrence had offseason surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back, which he said caused him some leg issues last season. “I feel like I’m in Phase 3 of the rehab out of four phases,” Lawrence told The Athletic. “I feel like I’m progressing real well. It’s all about getting the legs back and attacking and working myself in with the boys.” We'd rather have Lawrence be in Phase 4 by this point, but there's still time for him to round into shape. We'll see about reports on Lawrence's readiness as the season draws closer. There's a chance he plays healthier this season than last, which would obviously be good for his production.
Jon Machota of The Athletic reports that Cowboys WR Amari Cooper has actually been working his way back from a pair of ankle injuries. Cooper had January surgery to remove loose bone spurs from his right ankle, and the wideout said that procedure made him aware of another issue. “Because my foot was jammed up and not as flexible, I didn’t really feel the other injury I had in my bone,” Cooper says. “But when they took the spurs out, my ankle got more flexible and I was able to really feel that injury.” It's not clear exactly what the "other" injury is, but that revelation makes his extended return timeline a bit easier to understand. According to Machota, Cooper being Vitamin D deficient has also made the healing take longer. We'll see if the veteran receiver stays on track for the expected mid-August return -- and then how he looks when he does get back onto the field. Cooper remains a risky prospect at ADP.
Eagles WR Jalen Reagor could use a strong training camp after a lackluster debut season, but it doesn't sound like things are going particularly well for him. The Athletic's Bo Wulf says Reagor has been "underwhelming" so far and hasn't capitalized on any extra opportunity afforded by DeVonta Smith's knee sprain. "Travis Fulgham, Quez Watkins and John Hightower have each made more splashy plays since Smith's absence, and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Greg Ward have been steadier," Wulf writes. He adds that it's "hard to imagine" Reagor not claiming a starting spot come the regular season, but we'd obviously like to hear better things about the 2020 first-round pick. Reagor belongs in the later rounds of drafts -- where his ADP has been so far -- until something changes.
Chargers insider Gilbert Manzano believes TE Donald Parham is in for an expanded role this season. Parham spent most of last year working behind TE Hunter Henry but tallied 5 catches for 84 yards and a score over the final 2 weeks with Henry out. Now Henry is gone to New England. The Chargers signed TE Jared Cook in free agency, but it sounds like Parham has been seeing lots of run with the starters in camp. "Parham has kept pace with Cook as one of [QB Justin] Herbert’s favorite targets in practice," according to Manzano. We'll be keeping a close eye on how Parham and Cook are deployed with the 1st-team offense in preseason action.
Titans WR Julio Jones missed his 2nd straight practice on Wednesday with an undisclosed injury. HC Mike Vrabel had no timeline for Jones' return and suggested that Jones might not practice much in camp, according to Jim Wyatt of the team's official website. We haven't heard anything to suggest that Jones' injury is serious, but we'll keep an eye on him.
"Everything," Patriots RBs coach Ivan Fears responded when asked what RB Rhamondre Stevenson needs to improve. "What do I like about him? He’s here. I like that he’s here," Fears continued. "Other than that, everything’s got to improve. That’s what we have to get done. He’s got a lot to learn. He’s talented, we’ll see what he can do in the games, but right now, he’s got a lot to learn — a lot to learn.” Some tough love from a team that tends not to give rookies significant roles out of the gate. Stevenson is looking like a long shot for 2021 fantasy value, although an injury to RB Damien Harris could change that.
Broncos OC Pat Shurmur said Wednesday that RB Javonte Williams has been "terrific" early in camp. “His running ability is very obvious, but the things that we see are his instincts as a football player," Shurmur continued. "Some people just ‘get it’ and we’ve all been around people who just don’t quite ‘get it’ and they wake up every morning and start over. He gets it and it shows up in his pass protection, it shows up in being able to get lined up (and) his awareness. He’s got a really bright future.” The pass protection praise is especially noteworthy for a rookie RB. Melvin Gordon has reportedly been running as Denver's clear starter so far, but there's plenty of time for Williams to change that.
ESPN's Kevin Seifert expects Randall Cobb to beat out Amari Rodgers for the Packers' starting slot receiver job this season. "Aaron Rodgers' long and clear history of favoring veteran receivers should be the guiding light of this discussion," Seifert writes, noting that no Packers rookie WR has topped 68 targets in a season with Rodgers. Cobb, of course, spent his first 8 NFL seasons with Rodgers. And he remained reasonably effective with the Texans last year. He has a real shot to finish 2nd on the 2021 Packers in targets and is worth considering late in PPR drafts.
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