According to multiple reports, the Raiders are signing RB Damien Williams. Las Vegas has obvious backfield questions, with Josh Jacobs not yet signing his franchise tender or returning to practice. It's not surprising that the team added a RB. It's interesting that the Raiders chose Williams, who is 31 and logged just 58 total touches over the past two seasons. Dalvin Cook, Kareem Hunt, Ezekiel Elliott, and Leonard Fournette remain on the open market (along with others, of course). So signing Williams might indicate the Raiders aren't too concerned about their backfield (or Jacobs?) and just need a cheap camp body. We'll certainly keep watching the whole situation. Just don't expect Williams' arrival to shake up our RB rankings.
According to multiple reports, the Bills' MLB job has come down to Tyrel Dodson vs. Terrel Bernard. And HC Sean McDermott has indicated it's even heading into the preseason games. The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia reports that Bernard left Thursday's practice with a hamstring injury. That's likely to keep Bernard out of Saturday night's exhibition opener, which could give Dodson an early advantage. It's also noteworthy that third-round rookie Dorian Williams is not in on this competition. We've had Bernard projected as the favorite in our IDP rankings, but Matt Milano might be the only Bills LB fit for most fantasy football leagues.
Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic says that Bills RB James Cook has "separated himself" from Damien Harris and Latavius Murray in training camp, furthering the notion that Cook is headed for the clear lead role. Buscaglia adds that Murray is pushing Harris for the No. 2 job with a good camp, while Harris has also dealt with injury. Buscaglia also throws in that RB Nyheim Hines was a "borderline favorite" to be the Bills' No. 2 before suffering his ACL tear. That's especially interesting because Hines garnered only six total carries and nine targets across nine games with the Bills last year after arriving from the Colts via trade. The Hines bit plus the Murray praise could signal an iffy outlook for Harris, who signed for less than $2 million on a one-year deal in free agency. Harris has already moved down our RB rankings since the start of training camp.
The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt says Jets RB Zonovan Knight has "had a really good camp -- he's quite clearly been their best RB." That's, of course, with Breece Hall not yet practicing. But it's noteworthy that Knight earns such praise over Michael Carter and rookie Israel Abanikanda. We're not betting on another Jets RB being starter-worthy in fantasy whenever Hall is active. But Hall's still-progressing recovery from the 2022 ACL tear enhances the available opportunity for the rest of the backfield. Knight has been going basically undrafted by best ball ADP this offseason and sits well down our RB rankings. We'll see whether a big adjustment needs to happen.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell highlighted RB Ty Chandler as a standout in Thursday night's preseason opener vs. the Seahawks. "I thought Ty Chandler jumped out, because any time he had the ball in his hand, very rarely was he tackled by the first defender," O'Connell said. Chandler finished with 11 carries for 41 yards and caught all four of his targets for 29 yards. He got three-down usage with the starters -- which did not include QB Kirk Cousins, RB Alexander Mattison, WR Justin Jefferson, or TE T.J. Hockenson. RB Kene Nwangu was also held out with an injury, while RB DeWayne McBride only spelled Chandler on occasion in the first half. It was a strong showing from Chandler and has him looking like the favorite to open the season as Minnesota's No. 2 RB behind Mattison.
Colts RB Deon Jackson missed Thursday's practice with a quad injury and is expected to sit out Saturday's preseason opener against the Bills, according to the team website. Indy, of course, was already without RB Zack Moss (wrist) and RB Jonathan Taylor (feelings, ankle?). That leaves recent signee Kenyan Drake and fifth-round rookie Evan Hull as the top healthy competitors for playing time. We'll see how long Jackson remains out. Taylor has been the only Colts back in draftable range in our RB rankings, but he has fallen during his training-camp absence. It's a tough situation to buy into at all in current fantasy football drafts. Indy also signed RB Jason Huntley this week.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh likes what he's seen from WR Rashod Bateman (foot) in his first couple of practices since being activated from the PUP list. “I think we'll see as we go, but it's very promising right now," Harbaugh said. "He looked good to me, and I'm excited to see him out there. Obviously, it's big for us.” Bateman missed a ton of reps in new OC Todd Monken's offense this spring and summer. But he still has a month to go before the start of the season. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his health and standing in the offense.
Speaking with CBS reporters Thursday, Broncos HC Sean Payton said RB Javonte Williams is "100% right now." He added that he doesn't know how much he'll play Williams in the preseason opener. But that Payton is even considering playing Williams in the exhibition aligns with all the positive reports on Williams' return from the 2022 knee-ligament tears. The RB has been climbing ADP charts lately but remains at the bottom of RB2 territory -- and still outside it in many places. There will still be risk to drafting Williams, but we're on board at cost. Williams has moved up our RB rankings since the start of training camp.
Bills WR Trent Sherfield has been working in with the first-team offense throughout training camp, along with WRs Khalil Shakir and Deonte Harty, according to The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia. Those three are battling for the No. 3 WR job, behind Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis. And "among the three, Sherfield has had the strongest training camp," Buscaglia writes. Preseason performance might ultimately decide who opens the season as Buffalo's No 3. We'll keep a close eye on the situation.
Panthers HC Frank Reich said RB Miles Sanders "tweaked" his groin in Wednesday's practice and will be held out of the preseason opener. This doesn't sound like a significant injury, but we'll see when Sanders is able to get back on the field.
49ers TE George Kittle is expected to miss a week with an adductor strain, HC Kyle Shanahan said Thursday. So it shouldn't impact his availability or readiness for the start of the season. But it's an inauspicious start to the summer for a guy with a lengthy injury history. Kittle is an avoid at his fifth-round ADP.
Jesse Newell of the Kansas City Star reports that Chiefs WR Skyy Moore has worked consistently ahead of teammates Rashee Rice and Justyn Ross. He says Moore "has been with 1st every rep at training camp when KC has had 2 WRs." Rice and Ross, meanwhile, "have occasionally mixed in with 1st but overwhelmingly been with 2s." Kadarius Toney, of course, has been out since suffering a setback with the knee that has needed two operations since the end of last season. So it looks like Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling as the Chiefs' top two WRs at least for now. Keep that in mind for your fantasy football drafts. Moore leads all Chiefs in our WR rankings and sits much further ahead of Rice there than he does in best ball ADP.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson will start Saturday's preseason opener vs. the Bills, HC Shane Steichen said. That's certainly not a bad sign for Richardson's chances of earning the Week 1 starting nod. The rookie has seemingly had more ups than downs in camp so far and remains a high-ceiling fantasy pick.
"Signs are pointing to a running back by committee in Philadelphia," ESPN's Tim McManus writes. Five Eagles RBs -- D'Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott, and Trey Sermon -- have received first-team reps in camp. McManus expects Swift, Penny, and Gainwell to all be in the mix for regular-season touches, "with matchups and in-game performance likely to sway how much each player is utilized in a given week." That sounds like a fantasy nightmare. On the plus side, we know this will be a productive offense and running game. And an injury to any one of those top three would make the other two much better fantasy plays. This is still a backfield to invest in at the right price. Penny remains our favorite value on the bunch, with an ADP in late Round 9.
After attending 11 training camp practices, Bobby Skinner of Talkin' Giants writes, "I don’t know how you could make an argument for any WR but Darius Slayton leading the room in receiving." Slayton is coming off a WR49 finish in half-PPR points per game and got a two-year, $12 million deal from the Giants this offseason. For some reason, he's the fifth Giants WR in ADP, going 86th among all WRs. He sits much, much higher in our 2023 WR rankings.
Jaguars insider John Shipley writes that the coaching staff has "seemingly thrown water on the idea of [RB Tank] Bigsby having a massively expanded role, at least this early on in his career." The rookie has had a strong training camp and already earned the No. 2 RB job. "But for now it seems that the No. 2 role is as large as it will get for Bigsby, at least early on in his career," Shipley writes. "Perhaps that changes during the season as Bigsby gets more experience, but the Jaguars are a playoff team with a veteran running back already entrenched as the starter. As a result, there might not be an overbearing pressure to expand Bigsby's role early in his career." Shipley adds that one specific area where Bigsby could contribute this season is at the goal line, which would obviously be a boon to his fantasy value and an issue for RB Travis Etienne. But it doesn't sound like Bigsby is in line for enough volume to be a reliable play in lineup-setting fantasy leagues. Consider him more of a high-end handcuff than standalone fantasy asset.
Bears WR Chase Claypool picked up a hamstring injury in Wednesday’s practice. It’s minor by all indications, but we’ll see when the 25-year-old returns to the field.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said Wednesday that RB Ken Walker (groin) has resumed running full speed, per ESPN's Brady Henderson. Walker is expected to resume cutting later this week. He's been sidelined for close to two weeks now, but it sounds like he's on track to be ready for the start of the season. We'll keep you updated on Walker's status.
Jets beat writer Brian Costello believes the team must be "concerned" about the O-line, “particularly at the tackles.” This unit has struggled at training camp, including in today's joint practice with Carolina. Likely LT Duane Brown is on the PUP list. And RT Mekhi Becton remains a major wild card. “With Duane, he’s going to play well,” Rodgers said. “We got to figure out who the first five is going to be. So, a lot of guys in competition right now. It seems like they’re switching the tackles left and right, just about daily with Max [Mitchell] and Billy [Turner], just looking for consistency with those guys. I feel like the interior has been a bright spot, pretty consistent for us both the first and second group, we just need a little more consistency on the edge.” The Jets open the regular season vs. a deep Buffalo D-line.
Bills RB Damien Harris left practice Monday with knee soreness and has yet to return, according to Matt Parrino of NewYorkUpstate.com. Latavius Murray has been filling in. We'll see how long the absence lasts and whether we get an official diagnosis. This doesn't sound like a serious issue, though, and hasn't affected Harris to date in our fantasy football RB rankings.
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