Bills TE Dawson Knox sat out Saturday's preseason game with a finger injury. Beat writer Joe Buscaglia labeled him as "day to day.” Even at full health, Knox isn’t a priority target in fantasy drafts.
Dolphins RB Devon Achane injured a shoulder in Saturday's preseason game vs. the Texans, HC Mike McDaniel said afterward. We'll look for more details on the severity and a timeline for Achane's return. The rookie got zero snaps with the first-team offense on Saturday, so he's not shaping up as an early-season fantasy option.
Saints TE Jimmy Graham was arrested on Friday night for suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance and resisting, delaying, and obstructing a police officer, TMZ reports. The team has since released a statement claiming that Graham had a "medical episode," believed to be a seizure, which resulted in him becoming disoriented. He was admitted to a hospital after being taken into custody and is now back with the team. We'll see where this goes, but Graham was already a long shot to be a 2023 fantasy factor.
The Athletic’s Paul Dehner projects Bengals RB Chris Evans as the “passing-down starter.” He’s taken advantage of missed time from RB Trayveon Williams (ankle). Per Dehner: “The story of the third-down job has been dominated by the rise of Evans. He’s shown well in pass protection and improved running the ball downhill over last year’s disappointing preseason to become the frontrunner with Williams sidelined.” Current Bronco Samaje Perine ran 239 routes for the Bengals last year and turned them into 38 receptions. We’re not forecasting that type of role for Evans right now. But the third-year back -- with high-end athleticism — is a name to monitor in deep PPR setups.
Giants TE Darren Waller caught three balls for 30 yards in Friday night's preseason game, getting open at will vs. the Panthers defense. More importantly, Waller ran a route on 80% of QB Daniel Jones' dropbacks and was targeted on four of Jones' nine passes (44.4%). That elite usage follows a buzzy training camp. If his health cooperates, Waller is in for a big 2023 season. He's climbing our TE rankings.
Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard injured an ankle in Friday night's preseason game, HC Frank Reich said afterward. Hubbard started that game with RB Miles Sanders out with his groin injury. We'll see when these guys are able to get back on the field. Carolina's healthy RBs are now Raheem Blackshear, Spencer Brown, and rookie Camerun Peoples.
The Ravens are signing Edge Jadeveon Clowney to a one-year deal. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says he'll "complement" Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo, so expect a rotation here. Clowney has yet to reach 10 sacks in a season since arriving as the No. 1 overall pick back in 2014. Expect him to help the Baltimore defense more than your IDP lineup. But it's a good landing spot for Clowney to turn more hidden pressures into sacks. Justin Houston enjoyed a rebound in his age-33 campaign last year in the spot that now goes to Clowney. We have Baltimore high in our 2023 DST rankings, especially because of some friendly early matchups.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott talked about the growth he's seen from second-year TE Jake Ferguson. “I think he’s close to becoming a big-time guy," Prescott said, per The Athletic's Jon Machota. "As far as a playmaker, he’s there. ... And then you see him make a great catch in that preseason game, with a back-shoulder (catch). I think that just shows you, ‘Hey, you throw it to this guy, he wants to make the play and he expects to make the play.’ I think that’s where he takes this next step from just a playmaker to becoming a big-time player in this league.” Ferguson has taken full advantage of rookie TE Luke Schoonmaker's absence for much of the offseason and is primed to enter the season as Dallas' lead TE. He's a worthwhile late-round target in fantasy drafts.
Ravens WR Odell Beckham missed practice for the second straight day Friday, according to ESPN's Jamison Hensley. We haven't seen a reason for the absence yet. The absences on the verge of the team's second preseason game makes it appear unlikely Beckham will play. He also didn't play in the first. Let's hope we get a look at the veteran wideout before the regular season. Reviews have generally been positive on his training-camp performance. Beckham sits third among Ravens WRs in our 2023 fantasy football rankings, though.
The Lions have waived WR Denzel Mims. He arrived via trade about one month ago, but Detroit will let him go with an injury designation (calf, ankle).
49ers RB Jordan Mason “appears” to be the favorite for the RB3 role, per beat writer Jack Hammer. Mason's main competition is 2022 Round 3 pick Tyrion Davis-Price. “The second-year back is a more fluid runner and does a better job of setting up his blockers than Ty Davis-Price,” Hammer writes. “He has also looked much better in pass protection, squaring up defenders consistently.” We’ll see what the rest of the preseason brings. But the RB3 role in San Francisco figures to have some fantasy relevance this season — especially with No. 2 Elijah Mitchell already battling an adductor injury.
Per Saints beat writer Kat Terrell, coaches “plan to expand” the route tree of WR Rashid Shaheed. The second-year undrafted free agent is currently rehabbing a groin injury, but he should be fine for Week 1. “From the time we got him last year and he got healthy enough to go through practice, we started to see some signs, and each day I've seen him continue to get better,” HC Dennis Allen said. “He's always had great speed, and he's always had the ability to transition at the top of the route, but I think you're seeing some technique things here where he's kind of understanding how to run a route and how to get himself open.” Shaheed should at least supply a few spike weeks for best ball drafters.
Commanders HC Ron Rivera named QB Sam Howell the Week 1 starter. There was never much doubt that Howell would get the nod to open the season. The question is whether he'll play well enough to keep backup QB Jacoby Brissett off the field. Howell has had a nice training camp by all accounts and looked good in Washington's preseason opener.
Saints insider Jeff Duncan writes that WR Michael Thomas has had a "mixed" training camp. "At times, he has looked like the guy who dominated NFL defenses... In other instances, he’s looked like a shell of himself, a guy who has struggled to beat press coverage from reserve DBs and had to be reminded to not catch the ball with his body." That shouldn't come as a surprise. Thomas has played just 10 games over the last three seasons and is 30 now. Especially with the presence of ascending superstar WR Chris Olave, Thomas is unlikely to re-emerge as a dominant fantasy force.
Browns K Cade York made FGs of 43, 37, and 43 yards in Thursday night's preseason game vs. the Eagles. But he missed a 46-yarder that was negated by a penalty -- and then missed the subsequent 41-yarder. York is now officially 3 for 6 on FGs this preseason and might be in danger of losing his job. Avoid him in fantasy drafts for now.
The Athletic's Mark Kaboly lists WR George Pickens as one of the winners of Steelers training camp. "That proverbial next step by a second-year receiver appears to be in progress," Kaboly writes. "He’s no longer just a deep-ball or highlight-catch guy like we saw last camp and last season. He has transformed into a more polished receiver with an expanded route tree, and that will do nothing but help [QB Kenny] Pickett and this offense." Pickens made plenty of highlight-reel contested catches as a rookie last season. But the knock on him was that he didn't create much separation, leading to a relatively low target-per-route rate. It sounds like Pickens is on track to earn more volume this season, which would be a big boost to his fantasy production.
Chargers LB Kenneth Murray has looked like a bust through three NFL seasons, after the team drafted him in Round 1 in 2020. The Chargers declined the fifth-year option on Murray's rookie contract this April. But new DC Derrick Ansley is hopeful. “This is really going to be the year, I think, he can break out,” Ansley told The Athletic's Daniel Popper. New LBs coach Jeff Howard also made a point of connecting with Murray early, and they've made a point to simplify Murray's duties within the scheme. The LB, meanwhile, is coming off his first full, healthy offseason since entering the pros. That can only help. And veteran LB Eric Kendricks has reportedly mentored Murray since arriving as a free-agent this offseason. Murray should be so far down IDP draft boards -- likely even going undrafted in many leagues -- that he carries only upside as a fantasy prospect. We've added him to our IDP rankings after initially leaning toward rookie Daiyan Henley as the likely starter next to Kendricks.
Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey had surgery Wednesday for a nagging issue. "It's been a lingering thing and they took a look at it and said ... 'That's something we want to take care of now instead of waiting,'" HC John Harbaugh said Wednesday, according to the team website. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the team hopes Humphrey will return "in a little over a month." He adds that Humphrey will likely miss the "first couple games." We'll watch for more on Humphrey's expected return as it draws closer. But one of our highest-projected CBs is falling down the IDP rankings. Baltimore is signing CB Ronald Darby to a one-year deal to help a banged-up secondary. Starting CB Rock Ya-Sin is dealing with a knee issue but expected back soon. A couple of reserve corners are also expected back soon from minor issues.
Saints RB Kendre Miller (knee) returned to practice on Thursday. He ended up missing just a few days with the knee injury he suffered in the preseason opener. We'll see if the rookie plays in this weekend's exhibition, but he's clearly on track to be ready for Week 1.
The Packers have "big plans" for TE Luke Musgrave, The Athletic's Matt Schneidman writes. That's not a surprise if you've been paying attention to Packers training camp and preseason action, where Musgrave has been a fixture with the first-team offense. "Musgrave is special, and the Packers seem hell-bent on making the most out of him," Schneidman adds. "The rookie second-round pick is running jet sweeps, go routes and everything in between as he flashes his potentially lethal combination of freakish athleticism and contested catch prowess." Musgrave has emerged as one of the best late-round TE targets in fantasy drafts.
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