Jets WR Garrett Wilson is dealing with a low-ankle sprain, HC Robert Saleh said. Wilson went down in Thursday's practice and has been sidelined since. He might miss another week or two, but he shouldn't be in any jeopardy of missing the start of the season. Consider Wilson's fantasy value unchanged for now.
The Rams signed RB Royce Freeman. He replaces the recently retired Sony Michel on the roster. Freeman has totaled just 132 carries over the past three seasons and is unlikely to be a 2023 fantasy factor.
Seahawks TE Noah Fant passed his physical and was removed from the PUP list on Sunday. The veteran missed only a few practices with a knee issue. He projects as a low-end fantasy TE2.
The Athletic's David Lombardi writes that 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk “continues dominating” at training camp. Aiyuk brings undeniable talent, and he should be hitting his prime at 25 years old. Volume looks like an issue, though. And we’ll have to see how QB Brock Purdy performs in live action following March elbow surgery.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini doesn’t expect Jets QB Aaron Rodgers to play in the preseason. No surprise there, as Rodgers hasn’t suited up for preseason play since 2018. New York opens the regular season September 11 vs. Buffalo.
Texans beat writer Jonathan M. Alexander believes the ground game will be the “focal point” of new OC Bobby Slowik’s offense. RB Damien Pierce leads the attack after an eye-opening rookie campaign. “For us to be a good offense, we have to have Dameon at his A-game,” Texans HC DeMeco Ryans said. “Dameon has been having a great offseason from OTAs to even now. He looks great and in shape. Every time he touches the ball, you see the speed and physicality.” Now, Pierce has his eyes set on hitting 1,000 rushing yards. “I definitely want to cap 1,000 (yards rushing),” Pierce said. “Slowik expects that, everybody around me expects that and I’m going to try everything in my power to get that.” The 23-year-old hits our fantasy RB rankings as a top-24 option.
Bucs reporter Jenna Laine believes QB Kyle Trask has improved his processing and decisiveness since minicamp. “The QB competition is a lot closer than it was back then,” Laine tweeted. Trask and Baker Mayfield are splitting first-team reps in training camp. We might not get a Week 1 starter named until after the preseason.
The Giants have activated WRs Sterling Shepard and Jamison Crowder from the Non-Football Injury List. They’re practicing today, but both veterans remain off the redraft radar.
Panthers LT Ikem Ekwonu has “quickly become a force,” per The Athletic’s Joseph Person. A 2022 Round 1 pick, Ekwonu struggled early in his rookie season —particularly in his debut against Browns DL Myles Garrett. But he made strides from there, and it sounds like he’s further improved this offseason. Overall, Bryce Young’s O-line looks like an above average unit. For more, read about the relationship between O-line play and fantasy production.
Bucs WR Russell Gage returned to practice on Sunday. He missed the team's first three sessions with a leg injury, per reporter Greg Auman. The veteran is just a late-round flier in fantasy drafts.
The Vikings and Edge Danielle Hunter have agreed to a one-year, $20 million deal, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The pact ends offseason negotiations that included reports of Hunter being on the trade market. Hunter will play out his age-29 season in Minnesota. He has remained high among D-linemen in our 2023 IDP rankings.
Jets RB Breece Hall (ACL tear) remains on the PUP list. But the team is still “optimistic” he’ll suit up for Week 1, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. The Jets are hosting free agent RB Dalvin Cook this weekend, a development that might seem to run counter to Cimini’s statement. Hopefully, we get word on Cook’s new team this week.
Rams RB Sony Michel informed HC Sean McVay that he intends to retire, The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrique reports. Michel turned just 28 in February but has endured a litany of injuries. With Michel out of the picture, the Rams are back to Cam Akers, Kyren Williams, and Zach Evans as their top three RBs.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray said Saturday that he was a fan of WR Michael Wilson before the team drafted him. "I saw what he did at the Senior Bowl ... I like his releases, I liked how he moved. His one-on-ones at the Senior Bowl looked good," Murray said. "I was already fond of him before we drafted him." Wilson has gotten some buzz early in training camp and is already getting first-team reps. The rookie has a chance to be a factor this season, especially when Murray gets back on the field.
Chargers WR Mike Williams is kicking inside to the slot more often in OC Kellen Moore's offense, according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper. “People are going to have game plans and matchups associated with where he lines up,” Moore said of Williams. “The more you can line him up in different spots, it just makes it more challenging for other teams to focus on him.” Popper writes that, "the results have been impressive thus far." Consider this a reminder that, despite the addition of first-round rookie WR Quentin Johnston, Williams will remain a big part of this high-scoring Chargers offense. He's a value at his WR26 ADP.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Colts RB Jonathan Taylor has requested a trade following a meeting with team owner Jim Irsay on Saturday. For context, Irsay took to social media on Wednesday to comment on the current landscape of the RB market. He shared in a tweet that the current collective bargaining agreement "took years of effort and hard work and compromise in good faith by both sides," calling the attempts by RBs to negotiate for higher pay "inappropriate" and referring to actions by their agents as "selling 'bad faith.'" It's not difficult to see how this situation unfolded from there. Taylor is coming off a year in which he only appeared in 11 games due to an ankle injury that required surgery. He still had a pretty strong season, logging a 192-861-4 rushing line behind a Colts offensive line that ranked 22nd in Football Outsiders' Adjusted Line Yards. A potential trade would send shockwaves through both the NFL and fantasy football landscape wherever Taylor ultimately lands. For now, we're operating under the assumption he'll be in Indianapolis to open 2023. See where he sits in our current RB rankings.
Free agent RB Ezekiel Elliott reportedly visited the Patriots on Saturday, per multiple reports. The team hosted fellow free agent RB Leonard Fournette on July 18, and are rumored to be linked to Dalvin Cook as well. HC Bill Belichick and company seem keen on adding veteran depth to this backfield to accompany incumbent starter Rhamondre Stevenson. The more this possibility drifts toward reality, Stevenson looks like a potential fantasy loser just one year after recording career bests in touches (279), total touchdowns (six), and scrimmage yards (1,461). Though Elliott has slowed down in recent years, he's posted at least 230 carries in every season of his career dating back to 2016. How good the former All-Pro will be entering his age-28 season is its own matter. Regardless, we'll be sure to monitor this situation should any sort of deal materialize. See where each of these players appear in our current RB rankings.
According to The Athletic's Matt Schneidman, Packers QB Jordan Love "had his best day of camp" on Saturday. The newly-minted starter reportedly "looked in rhythm, crisp and tight with his throws and capable of throwing on the move," completing 16 of his 22 pass attempts in all 11-on-11 drills. Taking over for long-time starter and former NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers undoubtedly puts much pressure on Love. He's only appeared in parts of 10 games, with just one start in his career thus far. We truthfully don't know much about how Love will be as an NFL starter. Because of this unknown, we don't have the former first-round pick placed very high in our current QB rankings, but he'll be an intriguing option in superflex leagues should we continue to see positive reports like this one out of camp. The potential for Love being a later-round value pick is immense. We'll be sure to keep tabs on Love throughout the preseason.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said Saturday that he's "very pleased" with TE Kyle Pitts' progression from offseason knee surgery. "Every day he's doing more," Smith added. Pitts is practicing with a brace on that repaired knee and doesn't look quite 100% to us. But he still has six weeks before the start of the regular season. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his status.
Bears HC Matt Eberflus is “pleased” with the health of WR Darnell Mooney following last year’s ankle fracture. Mooney’s still seeing limited reps, per reporter Chris Emma. The contract-year WR projects as a volatile fantasy player, given Chicago’s run-heavy attack and the addition of D.J. Moore.
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