On Tuesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the Patriots have cut RB Kevin Harris. The 2022 sixth-round pick saw minor involvement as a rookie, tallying 18 carries for 52 rushing yards and a single TD in five games. The team also released veteran Ty Montgomery. These moves come two days after New England traded fellow 2022 rookie Pierre Strong Jr. to the Browns, leaving the depth behind RBs Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott as somewhat of a question mark. It's unclear who will be the depth behind the aforementioned pair, though the RB3 on the Patriots' depth chart is probably not fantasy-relevant without injury, anyhow.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted Tuesday that the Patriots have waived backup QB Bailey Zappe. The 2022 fourth-round pick appeared in four games last season (including two starts), compiling 65 completions on 92 attempts for 781 passing yards, 5 TDs, and 3 INTs. The team also cut rookie Malik Cunningham in a corresponding move, making the QB2 job in New England a totally wide-open spot. We'll be sure dynasty superflex managers in the loop once we learn who the backup to starter Mac Jones is.
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle) will remain on the PUP list, knocking him out for the first four games of the season, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Taylor would be forced to stay on the PUP list even if he's traded. At least two teams have made trade offers for Taylor, but no deal has materialized yet. Keeping Taylor on the PUP list undoubtedly hurts his trade value, making it a curious move by the Colts. We'll continue to keep a close eye on this situation, but Taylor's 2023 fantasy value obviously takes a significant hit with this news. The Colts are now set to enter the season with RBs Zack Moss (who's still working back from a broken arm), Evan Hull, and Deon Jackson. See how the Taylor news has altered the RB rankings.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, TE Albert Okwuegbunam is being traded from the Broncos to the Eagles in exchange for a late-round draft pick. Schefter noted that the Broncos intended to place the fourth-year player on waivers, "but before they officially turned his name into the league office, they got interest from the Eagles." Okwuegbunam is still far off the redraft radar, though this move takes his dynasty value off life support.
The Ravens released RB Melvin Gordon. They'll carry RBs J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, and rookie Keaton Mitchell into Week 1.
The Eagles released RB Trey Sermon. Philly will carry RBs D'Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell, Rashaad Penny, and Boston Scott into Week 1. We're expecting that to be the order in terms of snaps to start. But this figures to be an ever-evolving backfield throughout the season.
The Dolphins released WR Chosen Anderson. He appeared to be running as Miami's No. 4 WR this summer, but the Fins are evidently going with Cedrick Wilson in that spot instead. Braxton Berrios is expected to be the No. 3, slot receiver in 3-WR sets.
The Vikings released RB DeWayne McBride. A favorite of some in the analytics community, McBride sunk to the seventh round of this spring's draft and didn't make any noise in August. He's miles away from fantasy relevance at the moment. Ty Chandler will open the season as Minnesota's No. 2 RB behind Alexander Mattison.
The Cowboys released RB Malik Davis. They'll roll with RBs Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn behind starter Tony Pollard to open the season. Neither Dowdle nor Vaughn figure to have fantasy value behind Pollard. And a Pollard injury would likely result in a committee backfield.
Panthers WR Terrace Marshall (back) returned to practice on Tuesday. He wound up missing about two weeks. Marshall projects as the No. 4 in a healthy Carolina WR corps, but WR D.J. Chark is still sidelined with his hamstring injury.
The Titans are sending a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Patriots for K Nick Folk, according to NFL Network. That moves last year's No. 8 kicker in total fantasy points to a negative situation. Randy Bullock ranked last among regular kickers in fantasy points per game as the Titans' primary guy last year, despite missing only three FG attempts and going perfect on extra points. You can find the aftermath of this bombshell in our fantasy kicker rankings.
RB Dalvin Cook practiced with the Jets for the first time on Tuesday. He signed a little over two weeks ago but still needed to be medically cleared from offseason shoulder surgery and was away for the birth of his first child. ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms that Cook is expected to play in the season opener vs. the Bills. How snaps are split between Cook and RB Breece Hall is one of the biggest fantasy questions of Week 1.
The Saints' trade of K Wil Lutz to Denver leaves Blake Grupe as the starter. Insider Luke Johnson reports that Grupe beat out Lutz for the job in camp. Grupe is an undrafted rookie who spent four seasons at Arkansas State before transferring to Notre Dame last year. He converted 74.3% of his college FGs. Grupe is not a viable fantasy option early in the season.
The Broncos swung a trade for K Wil Lutz from New Orleans. Lutz reunites with former Saints HC and current Broncos HC Sean Payton. How strong a fantasy option Lutz will be this season depends entirely on whether Payton can help lead Denver's offense to a bounce-back season.
The Cardinals released RB Corey Clement. It's confirmation that Keaontay Ingram has won the No. 2 RB job behind James Conner. Ingram is worth a look near the end of deeper fantasy drafts.
The Giants are releasing WR Jamison Crowder, according to NFL Network. It's not surprising given the glut of slot receivers on that roster -- especially with Wan'Dale Robinson coming off the PUP list. We'll see who remains at WR after the final cuts.
Colts TE Jelani Woods still hasn't returned to practice after going down with a hamstring injury on the fourth day of training camp. He also missed much of the spring with hamstring trouble. "Hopefully sooner than later," HC Shane Steichen said Monday when asked when Woods would be back. We'll see if Woods lands on the active roster or is placed on reserve/PUP to open the season. He remains an intriguing talent but won't be an early-season fantasy option.
The Chiefs are expecting "big things" from WR Justyn Ross, according to NFL Network's James Palmer. "Ross has had a very good camp," Palmer adds. We've seen plenty of highlights from Ross' camp performance, but he didn't get many first-team reps this preseason. He's not a viable fantasy option out of the gate but is an intriguing stash in deep fantasy leagues.
NFL Network's James Palmer hears that there's "optimism" that WR Kadarius Toney (knee) will be ready for next Thursday night's season opener vs. the Lions. He's been out since undergoing knee surgery in late July but is expected back at practice by the end of this week. "This week is gonna be very important," Palmer added. "They think he's doing great in terms of his recovery, but how he practices this week would be big." We'll keep an eye on Toney's progress, but he shouldn't be in your Week 1 fantasy plans coming off the extended absence.
On Monday, CBS Sports' Josina Anderson tweeted that "at least two teams are still actively working to construct" a deal to acquire Colts RB Jonathan Taylor. Various reports have confirmed one of the teams in on Taylor is the Dolphins, while the other is unknown. Anderson also adds these teams are "willing to give Taylor a market contract," a notable piece of information given the clash he and Colts owner Jim Irsay had earlier this month surrounding a lack of a long-term deal. ESPN's Stephen Holder reported last week that the team has given Taylor until this Tuesday to find a trade partner, so we'll know soon how this situation resolves. Stay tuned for further updates.
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