49ers HC Kyle Shanahan likes what he's seen from QB Brock Purdy in camp so far. "I think he's done great," Shanahan said. "He has come back. He's had no arm troubles. He's been totally healthy. I think he's getting all his timing back, his rhythm. I was really impressed with him in his two practices." Purdy remains the favorite to open the season as San Francisco's starter.
Rams Wire's Cameron DaSilva says "no one should sleep on [Demarcus] Robinson or [Tyler] Johnson as the Rams' No. 3 receiver." He adds that either has a chance to "leapfrog" Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell, and Puka Nacua in pursuit of that third spot, joining Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson. We wouldn't recommend investing heavily into any of those competitors -- and we're not even especially interested in Jefferson. But we'll be watching to see who emerges as that No. 3 wideout.
Jets HC Robert Saleh expects RB Breece Hall (knee) to return to practice in 2-3 weeks. "He's coming along good," Saleh said, adding that he still expects Hall to be available come Week 1. Saleh's timeline would give Hall 3-4 weeks to ramp up ahead of the opener. We'll continue to keep you updated on his status.
Jets WR Allen Lazard was back on the field for Sunday's practice, according to insider Connor Hughes. Lazard ended up missing a few days with a left leg injury, but it shouldn't be a concern going forward. Lazard and Corey Davis are seemingly battling for the No. 2 outside WR spot behind Garrett Wilson.
Arrowhead Pride's Pete Sweeney believes RB Deneric Prince "should be written in ink on the Chiefs’ 53 [-man roster]." Prince is "locked in as the kick returner" and has continued to impress in the passing game. The undrafted rookie had a buzzy spring and has carried that momentum into training camp. We'll see if he continues ascending throughout the preseason. For now, Prince is still more of a dynasty stash than redraft target. But we're keeping a close eye on him.
Demario Douglas has been the only Patriots rookie WR to get work with the first-team offense in camp so far, according to The Boston Herald's Doug Kyed. “He’s a smart kid,” HC Bill Belichick said Friday. “He picks things up well, learns quickly, so all things that work in his favor, but we’ll see how it goes when things get more competitive next week.” WRs Tyquan Thornton and Kendrick Bourne are reportedly off to slow starts in camp, opening up more opportunity for Douglas. The sixth-round rookie is still much more of a dynasty stash than redraft target, but we'll continue to keep an eye on him.
The Colts are "considering" placing RB Jonathan Taylor on the non-football injury list, according to insider Mike Chappell. Taylor is currently on the PUP list. Chappell reports that Taylor suffered "some type of back injury while working out on [his] own in Arizona," which would presumably allow the Colts to move him to the non-football-injury list. The drama between these two sides is far from over. We'll keep you updated. We recently moved Taylor down the RB rankings.
Seahawks RBs Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet are both sidelined with injuries, HC Pete Carroll said Sunday. Walker has a groin injury and may remain out "a while," Carroll said, per NFL Network's Taylor Bisciotti. It's worth noting that Walker had hernia surgery during camp last year, although it's unclear if this is related. Charbonnet is dealing with a shoulder injury and is "out indefinitely" while it's getting checked out, Carroll said. We'll keep you updated on both guys. Their absences leave DeeJay and rookie Kenny McIntosh as Seattle's top two RBs.
Update: More Carroll on Walker, per insider Curtis Crabtree: "It's not a terrible injury or anything like that. We just don't want to aggravate it now and make it be something that lingers through camp."
Lions WR Jameson Williams got back on the practice field on Sunday after going down with a leg injury on Monday. It was a "jog through" practice, per HC Dan Campbell, so Williams might not be full speed quite yet. We'll see if the second-year WR can string together a few healthy weeks leading up to the start of the regular season. He's suspended for the first six games for violating the league's gambling policy.
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.
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