Tim Twentyman of the team website lists Lions rookie DB Brian Branch as a player who has "stood out" early in training camp. Branch, a second-round pick, has been working in with the first team. He saw time in CB and safety roles at Alabama before dropping to Round 2 after running slow at the Scouting Combine. Detroit presents opportunity for Branch to earn a regular-season role in either position group. We'll keep watching for more specifics on what role he might fill. We've gone ahead and added him to the IDP rankings, though.
Cowboys TE Luke Schoonmaker (foot) recently suffered a setback, per HC Mike McCarthy. It’s “nothing major,” according to beat writer Jon Machota, but the team isn’t sure on a return time. Jake Ferguson should lead Cowboys TEs in snaps come Week 1.
Saints WRs Rashid Shaheed and Tre'Quan Smith left Saturday's practice early with groin injuries, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football. We'll see about the severity of each issue, but it seems particularly noteworthy for Shaheed. He's not only expected to run ahead of Smith on the depth chart, but Shaheed also missed June minicamp with what was deemed a minor groin injury. Even if this instance also proves minor, we haven't been excited about Shaheed's 2023 fantasy football outlook. He'll need an injury to Chris Olave or Michael Thomas to pull him up our WR rankings.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton has "consistently been quarterback Russell Wilson’s top target in training camp," The Athletic's Nick Kosmider writes. "He is fully healthy and has demonstrated more explosiveness than in any training camp since 2020, when he was dominant in practices leading up to his ACL injury." Kosmider adds that HC Sean Payton believes that Sutton can "thrive as an outside receiver in his system." Jerry Jeudy was Denver's best WR by basically any metric last season. But it's worth noting that the target split between Jeudy and Sutton was relatively close -- 69 to 61 in favor of Jeudy in their nine healthy games together. Jeudy sits well ahead of Sutton in our 2023 fantasy football rankings. But Sutton could certainly prove to be a value at his WR40 ADP.
Texans TE Dalton Schultz was back on the practice field on Friday, participating in full-team drills, per insider Aaron Wilson. Schultz missed a few days with an undisclosed injury, but consider his fantasy value unchanged.
Kenneth Gainwell has been the Eagles' "featured RB during the two-minute drill" in training camp, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Josh Tolentino. Gainwell has played plenty in that role over the past two seasons, but it's surprising to hear he's still in it after the Eagles acquired RB D'Andre Swift. Losing that work would be a blow to Swift's fantasy value. We'll see if preseason action reveals anything else about the Eagles' backfield plans.
The Cardinals signed RB Marlon Mack. Since tearing his Achilles in September of 2020, Mack has totaled just 185 yards on 44 carries. Arizona has only RBs Keaontay Ingram, Corey Clement, and Ty'Son Williams behind James Conner, but Mack still isn't guaranteed a roster spot. He's not worth a roster spot in fantasy football.
Seahawks WR D'Wayne Eskridge has been suspended six games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Eskridge's agency revealed in a statement that he was involved in a domestic violence incident in February. Eskridge was not convicted but has enrolled in domestic violence counseling. The 2021 second-round pick has mustered just 17 catches through two NFL seasons. He's completely off the redraft radar and has very little dynasty value left.
The Colts signed RB Kenyan Drake to a one-year deal. In theory, he adds backfield depth with Jonathan Taylor (PUP) and Zack Moss (broken arm) sidelined. The 29-year-old performed decently as a rusher last year in Baltimore (109-482-4). Even if the Colts trade Taylor, Drake is an unlikely fantasy factor.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh said WR Rashod Bateman “has a chance to be out there pretty soon.” It’s not much of an update…but we’ll take it. The former Round 1 pick hasn’t practiced at training camp due to a foot injury. See how low he sits in our WR rankings.
The NFL is suspending Saints RB Alvin Kamara for the first three games of the regular season over the assault case that stemmed from a February 2022 incident in Las Vegas. This is half the length of the six-game suspension that many have assumed heading into this season. We'll see whether Kamara appeals but wouldn't expect it, with the announcement coming two days after what was reported as a "good" meeting between the RB and commissioner Roger Goodell. Expect Jamaal Williams and rookie Kendre Miller to split work in Kamara's absence, with the veteran likely reclaiming the lead role upon his return. This news moves Kamara up our fantasy football rankings. His per-game upside has made him a solid-to-good value all along at a depressed ADP.
The Saints have agreed to a two-year extension with Edge Cameron Jordan. The deal includes $27.5 million guaranteed, a particularly noteworthy number given that Jordan is already 34. He's coming off significant declines by nearly all measures last season, traditional stats and advanced metrics. This pact says New Orleans believes Jordan will remain a big part of the defense at least through this year, though. With a contract that now runs through 2025, Jordan's presence for 2024 seems like a lock as well. We'll see beyond that. Jordan doesn't sit as high in our IDP rankings as previous years. But he's also likely to go in value range of your drafts.
NBC's Peter King made the Ravens the sixth training camp he has visited this week and had this to say afterward: "The most impressive rookie I have seen in six camps in Zay Flowers. Why? He lines up across from a corner, and unless they literally interfere with him or hold him, he has tremendous separation on almost every cut." Flowers remains low in WR4 territory in ADP. That's higher than he currently sits in our WR rankings, across formats. But we expect the Baltimore offense to lean a lot more toward the pass than it has in the past. We can only guess at just how high that pass rate will climb. And we can only guess at how a renovated WR corps will spread the target shares. There's plenty of room for Flowers to outperform our ranking and his ADP. We're in on him as a player and the Ravens as a high-upside offense this year.
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers gushed over WR Garrett Wilson in an interview during Thursday night's Hall of Fame Game. "Garrett has the potential to really be special in this league for a long time," Rodgers said. "Because he's got all the right things you need. He's got incredible talent. He's got a great work ethic. And he's a freakin' great kid. ... Carries himself like a seasoned vet." Rodgers also compared Wilson's "traits" to WR Davante Adams' for the second time in the past few weeks. It sure sounds like Rodgers and Wilson are already vibing, which can only help Wilson's chances of building off an impressive rookie season.
Rams OC Mike LaFleur said Thursday that WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring) is day-to-day and "he'll be fine," according to Turf Show Times. We'll keep watching for more on this situation at least until Kupp returns to the field. For now, he hasn't budged in our WR rankings.
The Bears are signing Edge Yannick Ngakoue to a one-year, $10.5 million deal, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He spent 2022 with the Colts after being traded by the Raiders. Ngakoue totaled 19.5 sacks over the past two seasons but has exceeded 10 just once in seven pro seasons. He has also topped 30 total tackles just once, back in 2017. Ngakoue has primarily been a low-impact IDP factor, especially since leaving the Jaguars (after 2019). He should, at least, step into a starting gig in Chicago. There's upside for deeper big-play leagues.
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said he no longer thinks about Brock Purdy’s offseason elbow surgery. This comment came on the heels of Purdy’s "sharpest practice” of camp, per beat reporter Matt Maiocco. “That’s completely off my mind. He’s healed; he’s healthy,” Shanahan said. “Guys got to get into throwing shape and they got to play and get used to that, and that takes time. But I’m not thinking about his injury.” Purdy and the 49ers travel to Pittsburgh for Week 1. The second-year QB should only factor into your superflex strategy for that one.
Texans QBs C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills remain in an “interchangeable rotation as starters during practice,” per reporter Brooks Kubena. Houston’s been serious about making Stroud earn the starting job. We see the second overall pick under center come Week 1, but we’ll watch him closely come preseason play.
Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet (shoulder) returned to practice on Thursday. He’ll participate in Friday’s mock scrimmage, per HC Pete Carroll. The rookie will also soak up extra first-team reps with Kenneth Walker nursing a groin injury. See where both Seahawks sit in our fantasy RB rankings.
49ers RB Elijah Mitchell is dealing with an adductor strain that’ll sideline him for about one week, per HC Kyle Shanahan. Mitchell’s extensive injury history remains a concern in Year 3. He should still fill a part-time role behind Christian McCaffrey when healthy, though. Current projections have Mitchell for about 8 touches per game.
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