ESPN's Field Yates reports that the 49ers have waived RB Trey Sermon. That leaves 4 RBs on the roster: Elijah Mitchell, Tyrion Davis Price, Jeff Wilson Jr. and Jordan Mason. We'll see exactly how things sort out behind (or alongside?) Mitchell. Kyle Shanahan backfields have been productive enough that all 4 players are worth a look in fantasy football leagues of varying sizes.
The Chargers announced Wednesday that they have signed RB Sony Michel. Cut this week by the Dolphins, Michel now has a chance to quickly work his way to the #2 role in a Chargers backfield that has looked bad behind Austin Ekeler. The Chargers released RB Larry Rountree in a corresponding move, leaving Michel, Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller behind Ekeler.
Raiders TE Darren Waller returned to practice on Wednesday. The veteran previously missed time with a hamstring injury. He also remains in pursuit of a new contract and recently signed on with super agent Drew Rosenhaus. “Darren’s good, Darren’s good to go,” HC Josh McDaniels said early Wednesday. “You’ll see him today. I don’t really know anything about that whole situation yet. He’ll be out there today and we’re excited about moving forward here with our whole group and trying to get guys in positions where we feel like they’re going to be as we head into the opening week next week.”
The Texans on Wednesday claimed WR Tyler Johnson, who failed to make Tampa Bay's regular-season roster. Whereas Johnson got nudged out by a loaded Buccaneers WR depth chart, he faces much more opportunity in Houston. Only WR Brandin Cooks exceeded 60 targets for last year's squad, and WR Nico Collins is the only other returnee who reached 40 looks. Second-round pick John Metchie is out following his leukemia diagnosis. So there's room for Johnson to climb as high as 3rd on the Houston WR depth chart. He'll likely need an injury to Cooks or Collins to have a real shot at fantasy relevance, though.
The Vikings are waiving WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette in the wake of trading for Jalen Reagor. Smith-Marsette garnered just 6 targets as a 5th-round rookie last year, though this spring brought some mild buzz that he might push for a larger role. If Minnesota is looking to put him on the practice squad, the 23-year-old will first need to pass through waivers unclaimed.
The Vikings are acquiring WR Jalen Reagor from the Eagles. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Minnesota is giving a 7th-round pick in 2023 (acquired from Houston in a separate trade this week) and a conditional 4th-rounder in 2024. That part will probably be determined by Reagor's performance in at least the coming season. The former 1st-round pick busted his way out of Philadelphia. He interestingly now becomes teammates with Justin Jefferson, whom Minnesota selected just after. It's tough to see Reagor climbing higher than 4th on the Vikings' WR depth chart without injury to someone in the top 3. So don't expect fantasy relevance this season.
Cardinals WR Rondale Moore is dealing with an undisclosed injury. HC Kliff Kingsbury said he's hoping to "get something out" of Moore early next week as preparation begins for the season opener vs. the Chiefs. We'll keep an eye on Moore's status. Arizona, of course, is without WR DeAndre Hopkins for the first 6 games of the season.
Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury said Wednesday that he's hoping to "get something out" of TE Zach Ertz (calf) early next week. There's been very little talk of Ertz's injury, but he's been dealing with it since August 4. Kingsbury insinuated that Ertz isn't a lock to be available for Week 1. We'll continue to keep an eye on this, but Ertz carries added risk in fantasy drafts over the next few days.
RB Marlon Mack is expected to join the Texans practice squad, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. That means Mack couldn't find another team willing to sign him to the active roster. We'll see if Mack ends up getting called up in Houston, but he's obviously not a big part of the team's plans. He can be left on the waiver wire. RB Dameon Pierce will open the season as the Texans' lead runner.
The Panthers signed K Eddy Pineiro. He'll replace K Zane Gonzalez, who landed on IR with his groin injury. You should be able to do better than Pineiro for your fantasy squad.
The Bills have placed CB Tre'Davious White on the regular-season PUP list, meaning he'll miss at least the first 4 games. White is still working back from a Nov. 25 ACL tear. Dane Jackson will start at 1 corner, with rookies Kaiir Elam and Christian Benford competing for the other outside spot. Taron Johnson returns as the lead slot man. Missing White certainly doesn't help the Buffalo defense. It does help the individual matchup for opponent #1 WRs.
The Steelers released RB Anthony McFarland. The 2020 4th-rounder never seemed to make a push for the #2 RB job this offseason. Pittsburgh is rolling with RBs Jaylen Warren and Benny Snell behind RB Najee Harris.
ESPN's Mike Reiss says RB Ty Montgomery is "likely" headed to short-term IR with the ankle injury he suffered in the preseason finale. That'd cost Montgomery at least the first 4 games of the season and leave RB Rhamondre Stevenson as the favorite for pass-catching work. We'll let you know if Montgomery ends up on IR.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that free-agent RB Sony Michel is visiting the Chargers today. That points to L.A. being unsatisfied with the RB depth chart behind Austin Ekeler. Rookie Isaiah Spiller has so far failed to separate from Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree, neither of whom made significant impacts in last year's backfield. We'll watch for what happens here, but take it as another signal to not bother with Spiller in current redraft.
The Commanders kept RB Brian Robinson on their 53-man roster Tuesday. It's not yet clear when Robinson will be ready to play, and he could still be a candidate for short-term IR. Washington cut RBs Jaret Patterson and Reggie Bonnafon on Tuesday. The team kept Jonathan Williams as the 4th RB with Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic and Robinson. We'll see how Robinson's situation develops. At the least, Gibson and McKissic should be in for early-season touch boosts.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll confirmed Tuesday that Geno Smith is more the leader in the QB competition than the winner, because it's ongoing. "Yeah, I think that they understand that, that it's always on," Carroll told The News Tribune. The team planned to start Drew Lock in the 2nd preseason game before COVID knocked him out for it. He then tossed 3 INTs in the finale. "He's disappointed," Carroll said of Lock. "But I know he knows how we think of him, and how we trust he's got a big future." Carroll has sounded at multiple points as though he wants Lock to emerge and expected it to happen. We'll see where this goes in season, for a team that's tied for the 3rd-lowest Vegas projected win total.
Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker (hernia) "feels way better," HC Pete Carroll said Tuesday. "He’s moving around," Carroll added. "It’s just going to be one day at a time.” We still don't have the details on Walker's surgery -- Carroll called it "uncharted territory" -- but it at least sounds like he's trending in the right direction. Walker's status for the season opener is still in doubt, though.
Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny (COVID) returned to practice on Tuesday. He missed the required 5 days but remains on track to open the season as Seattle's lead back.
Chargers RB Isaiah Spiller (ankle) returned to practice on Tuesday. He ended up missing 9 days with the ankle injury. Spiller was still sitting 4th on the depth chart when he went down, so he's unlikely to be an early-season factor. But the rookie still has a shot to eventually emerge as the Chargers' #2 RB.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid commented on the progress of RB Ronald Jones. The former Buc managed to make the 53-man roster following cutdowns on Tuesday. “I thought RoJo did a nice job down the stretch, and we know what he's capable of. It's a matter of him being comfortable in the offense,” Reid said. [We] throw a lot at the running backs, and it looked like he was starting to get it down the stretch there. Good football player.” Jones’ Week 1 role remains a mystery, but he’s at least trending in the right direction.
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