Colts owner Jim Irsay told ESPN's Stephen Holder on Thursday that the team hasn't offered RB Jonathan Taylor a contract extension. That helps explain Taylor's frustration with the team -- and why he hasn't participated in training camp yet. “We love Jonathan, we need Jonathan," Irsay said. "Our hope is Jonathan has an outstanding year and that we have a good year as a team and then we get his next contract done. That's the hope. We think the world of him as a person, as a player. It's just timing. When your time comes to get paid, then you get paid.” We'll continue to keep a close eye on the situation. For now, we're not projecting Taylor to sit out regular-season games.
Ravens WR Odell Beckham said he has "no real limitations" as training camp gets underway. "I don't know percentages; I just feel good," Beckham said. "I feel like I'm going to continue to work to get back to who I know I truly am." Beckham has played just 21 games over the last three seasons -- and none since tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl in February 2022. But he's had a healthy offseason and has bounce-back potential in what should be a pass-heavier Ravens offense under new OC Todd Monken.
Vikings OC Wes Phillips highlighted RB Alexander Mattison's versatility on Thursday. "[It's] the consistency of who he is every day, what he's put on tape every opportunity he's gotten: his multifaceted run game, pass protection and then his hands in the pass game — his route-running ability," Phillips said. "I think we're going to see a lot of good things, and maybe people didn't realize how good a player Alex Mattison really is." HC Kevin O'Connell made similar comments back in May, calling Mattison a three-down back. All signs continue to point toward Mattison getting a heavy workload in a strong Minnesota offense. See where he sits in the updated RB rankings.
Bills WR Gabe Davis suffered a high ankle sprain in practice ahead of the team's Week 2 game last season. He missed only that contest, but the injury likely impacted much more of his season. The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia reports that Davis "felt like he 'lost a step' ... and that impacted his whole year." The report adds that Davis "feels fully back to normal and healthy now." Even with that issue, Davis finished 35th among PPR WRs last season. That's higher than his WR41 ADP so far this year. We like the fourth-year wideout as a best ball value. Check out his standing in our 2023 WR rankings.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport updated the reports on Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey's left knee injury. He says Ramsey is expected to get a full meniscus repair, which would keep him out until December "if all goes well." This will be confirmed (or altered) at his Friday surgery. If you play in an IDP league where CBs are relevant, then you should treat Ramsey as though he's not playing this season. We've knocked his projection down to three games in our IDP rankings. Cam Smith and Kader Kohou look like candidates to compete for the vacated starting role opposite Xavien Howard.
Update: Friday's surgery confirmed this path. Ramsey had the full repair and is expected to be out until December, according to Rapoport.
Rams rookie WR Puka Nacua has continued to be heavily involved on offense with the start of training camp. Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic called it a "substantial workload" Thursday. That came minutes before Stu Jackson of the team website called it "very apparent the Rams are continuing to test and give [a] big workload" to Nacua. This follows buzz on the rookie in spring workouts. Nacua recently landed among our dynasty rookie sleepers. The Rams' thin receiving corps gives him a shot at immediate fantasy relevance as well, from a no-risk ADP. We'll keep watching his progress -- and ADP -- through summer. For now, the rookie remains low in our 2023 WR rankings.
SI's Albert Breer reports that Bengals QB Joe Burrow suffered a right calf strain. "Early signs are good it's not worse than that," he adds. That's obviously good news vs. what could have been wrong with Burrow's leg. We'll see about his expected return timeline.
Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey left the field late in Thursday's practice with a left knee injury. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Ramsey will have surgery on the knee and is expected to "miss the start of the regular season." The corner's ACL is reportedly "intact," however. We'll watch for more on just how long Ramsey will be out.
Update: NFL Network reports that Ramsey is expected to miss at least 6-8 weeks for the meniscus injury. "Doctors will have to determine whether the ligament can be repaired or must be removed, which would increase the cornerback's recovery timeline," the report says.
Bills OC Ken Dorsey called RB James Cook a “three-down back” at practice on Thursday. The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia believes the Bills have “cleared the deck” for Cook to “take a major leap” in Year 2. Cook has consistently been the first RB up in team drills, ahead of Damien Harris. Don't be surprised if Cook's Underdog Fantasy ADP (RB31) rises quickly.
Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic is hearing “positive mutterings” about fifth-round TE Davis Allen. He’ll get an extended look early in camp, as veteran newcomer Hunter Long (groin) is on PUP. File Allen’s name away as a deep dynasty sleeper. Tyler Higbee, now 30, enters a contract season.
Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley says he’s not worried about learning a new playbook. “I take this stuff very seriously,” Ridley said. “I’m learning it pretty fast, I think. It’s not that hard. Just got to really study it, work hard, put in the extra hours, and it’ll be all right. I’ve played football all my life. This is normal.” The former Falcon added that he feels “100% healthy" after a year-long ban. The early returns have been promising, and there's major rebound potential alongside QB Trevor Lawrence.
ESPN's Josh Weinfuss reports that the Cardinals have added bonus money and incentives to S Budda Baker's contract. The veteran requested a trade in the offseason. This pay increase should solve any lingering issues for 2023. His deal runs through 2024 but doesn't appear to have any guaranteed money left in that final season. We'll see whether this is Baker's final year in Arizona.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow was carted off the practice field on Thursday. He went down as he escaped the pocket and grabbed at his right calf, which already had a sleeve on it. Here's video of the play. We'll update Burrow's status as soon as we know more.
Update: Burrow's injury is to his calf, HC Zac Taylor said.
Cowboys WR Michael Gallup is seeing extra snaps in the slot, per HC Mike McCarthy. Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News says the “goal is for [Gallup] to develop into more of a moving piece.” Gallup ran only 8% of his routes from the slot last year and hit the same number in 2021. We're not expecting a major spike, but it's nice for Dallas to add more versatility to Gallup's role -- especially with Brandin Cooks in town. Gallup profiles as a fantasy WR5.
Jets WR Garrett Wilson suffered an ankle injury in practice on Thursday, sending him off the field with a trainer. After practice, The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt reported that Jets HC Robert Saleh isn't overly concerned, saying that Wilson will be okay. The 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year seems to have dodged significant damage, allowing fantasy managers to breathe a sigh of relief. We anticipate a big year from Wilson following a campaign that saw him finish ninth in Pro Football Focus receiving grade, 16th in yards per catch, 14th in yards after catch per reception, and 23rd in yards per route run among 41 WRs who saw 40+ targets in 2022. We'll keep an eye on this situation should anything more serious develop. See where Wilson lands in our current WR rankings.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, free agent RB Dalvin Cook is flying to New York today in anticipation of a visit with the Jets. The veteran back has received interest from multiple teams this offseason, and whatever backfield he ends up in will have a significant shakeup on their hands. When asked about the Cook visit, Jets HC Robert Saleh said he's "excited" but made clear that it's not meant to imply the health of incumbent RB Breece Hall (ACL) is a concern. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler separately reported that Cook and the Patriots are also in talks for a potential visit. It might be a while until we know where the four-time Pro Bowler suits up in Week 1, but the market is heating up meaningfully. We'll address the fantasy fallout once a definitive landing spot is known.
49ers QB Brock Purdy reportedly received all of the first-team reps in 7-on-7 drills at practice on Thursday. Purdy hasn't thrown in a public setting with the team since sustaining a UCL injury in the NFC Championship vs. the Eagles that required surgery in March. QBs Trey Lance and Sam Darnold split reps as the QB2 in practice as well. The position battle between Purdy and Lance for the starting job in San Francisco will carry significant ramifications for fantasy managers this season, and to see Purdy work as the starter upon return is notable. It's still early yet, though a smattering of offseason quotes from GM John Lynch and others indicate this is Purdy's job to lose. Keep up with us here at Draft Sharks as we learn more about this battle over the course of training camp.
Per James Palmer of NFL Network, Broncos RB Javonte Williams has been cleared for contact to open training camp. Williams, who tore his ACL and LCL against the Raiders in Week 4 last year, also avoided landing on the PUP list to begin camp just seven months after surgery. These pieces of news certainly bode well for his chances to make a fantasy impact as the lead back in a Sean Payton-led offense. Any RB returning from a multi-ligament injury requires keeping a close eye on, so we'll be sure to watch his progress as we get closer to the beginning of the season. We have Williams placed conservatively in our current RB rankings, but he could be a riser if we get further positive reports further into August.
Rams QB Matt Stafford appears to be throwing a full workload in training camp, according to The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue. That wasn't the case the past two summers, as Stafford dealt with injuries. “I feel a lot better physically,” Stafford said. “I feel really healthy compared to where I was at this point last year, so that’s fun for me.” There's bounce-back potential here given better health for Stafford, WR Cooper Kupp, and the Rams' offensive line.
Broncos HC Sean Payton fully believes that QB Russell Wilson will bounce back this year. “He’s still got gas in the tank," Payton said, blaming Denver's ugly 2022 season on the previous regime. “There’s so much dirt around that. There’s 20 dirty hands, for what was allowed, tolerated in the fricking training rooms, the meeting rooms. The offense. I don’t know [former HC Nathaniel] Hackett. A lot of people had dirt on their hands. It wasn’t just Russell. He didn’t just flip. He still has it. This B.S. that he hit a wall? Shoot, they couldn’t get a play in. They were 29th in the league in pre-snap penalties on both sides of the ball.” On top of what should be a much-improved coaching staff, the Broncos also bolstered their offensive line with the additions of Mike McGlinchey and Ben Powers. And the pass-catching corps remains strong. In short, all the pieces are in place for a Wilson bounce back.
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