Texans rookie RB Dameon Pierce ran for 37 yards and a TD on 6 carries in Thursday night's preseason finale against the 49ers. Pierce started the game and handled Houston's first 4 RB carries before giving way to Rex Burkhead for a 2nd-down run on the opening possession. Pierce then converted the 3rd-and-1 play that followed and later scored the 1-yard TD run to close the drive. That marked the end of Pierce's night, with Burkhead, Marlon Mack and other playing on. HC Lovie Smith tried to temper the buzz on Pierce ahead of the game. “We’re talking a lot about Dameon, but I’m going to say the same thing for, we like what Marlon has done, Royce, Rex, Dare," he said Wednesday, per Texans Wire. "We have a good group. We have a good strong running back room.” It's pretty clear that the rookie will lead that room into the season. Just how much work Pierce gets will be the question we can't answer. And it's worth keeping in mind that no one expects this offense to rank in the top half of the league. Still, there's a case to be made for Pierce anywhere beyond the top 24 RBs in fantasy football drafts right now. The rookie moved up our RB rankings a little this morning.
Broncos WR K.J. Hamler will play a “couple snaps” in the team’s final preseason game. “Him getting into football shape and being out there in full pads, watching him run, you feel some of that speed that he has and he brings,” HC Nathaniel Hackett said. “There’s also an attitude he brings that you love to have out there. He’s just got to continually build into it.” Hamler missed most of last season following hip and ACL surgery. A fine best-ball pick at ADP, Hamler figures to be an inconsistent performer in lineup setting leagues.
ESPN's Field Yates reports that the Chiefs and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster have adjusted the wideout's contract to double his per-game roster bonus from $30,000 to $60,000. Smith-Schuster signed his original 1-year deal before the team traded WR Tyreek Hill to Miami, so clearly he has gained value to the Chiefs simply because of that move. This seems like a relative good-faith gesture: We'll reward you better if you produce. We're not sure there's any projections adjustment needed on this news, though.
Rams-Bengals joint practice Thursday ended early because of an embarrassing brawl. That included Rams DT Aaron Donald swinging a helmet, an action that now has many calling for the vet to be suspended. One issue getting in the way of swift movement on this front is that the NFL reportedly isn't in charge of player behavior at practices. That responsibility falls to the teams. So the Rams would need to take action against Donald. We'll see whether their hand is forced -- or if nothing happens to Donald. We obviously can't adjust our fantasy outlook for him until something happens. It's at least a situation to be aware of in the thick of fantasy football draft season, though.
Update: The Rams tell ESPN's Sarah Barshop that "the incident will be addressed internally, and any discipline will remain in house." Doesn't sound like they'll be doing much.
ESPN’s Jon Keim writes that Commanders WR Jahan Dotson “has been sharp since the spring.” Keim points out the rookie’s “veteran route-running savvy” and “excellent hands.” In addition, Washington reportedly believed that Dotson was one of the most “pro-ready players” in the draft. While a surprise pick at 16th overall, the team clearly has high hopes for the 22-year-old. Which version of Carson Wentz we get might ultimately decide Dotson's 2022 fantasy value.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini believes rookie WR Garrett Wilson will hold a “significant role” in 2022. “Even if he's not a starter, per se, he will be heavily involved in a four-man rotation at receiver,” Cimini shared. Wilson’s struggled with drops at parts of training camp, but he’s also flashed the dynamic ability that made him the 10th overall pick. He’s a fringe WR4 in fantasy drafts.
Per ESPN’s Michael Rothstein, Falcons WR Drake London hasn’t practiced since suffering a knee injury in the preseason opener. That was 2 weeks ago. Rothstein writes that “the goal still is for him to be ready” by the regular season opener, but we’ll check the rookie’s status up through game day. He reportedly showed well in practice — especially in contested catch situations — before the injury.
HC Lovie Smith spoke highly of rookie S Jalen Pitre after Thursday night's preseason-closing win over the 49ers: “What we notice, is when you’re making a whole lot of big flash plays. Jalen has been consistent throughout. He’s a smart player. He’s been like a sponge as far as learning. But he’s going to be around the ball. That’s what we’ve seen since OTAs. I’m excited about going forward with him and him lining up for us when Indy comes into town.” Pitre brings the versatility to fill varied roles in the Houston defense, which could include plenty of snaps in the box. He's an upside pick late in deep-ish IDP drafts.
Niners QB Trey Lance and HC Kyle Shanahan each acknowledged that the preseason finale proved disappointing. "Some ugly stuff out there, for sure," Lance said, per 49ers Webzone. Shanahan said he had hoped for a "cleaner" outing and that he extended Lance's playing time by 1 series because of how quickly the first 2 possessions passed. Each also downplayed the importance, of course, of a single, 3-drive appearance. We're certainly not altering our outlook for Lance, who's upside is primarily driven by his rushing ability. Consider the game a reminder, though, that San Francisco's new starter might mix in a few rough outings this year.
The hope for anyone drafting Cowboys RB Tony Pollard in a fantasy football league is that he opens the year with a significant increase in receiving work. It sounds like OC Kellen Moore wants that, too. “There is a ton of it on film. A lot of it is coming back to him,” Moore told ESPN's Todd Archer, referring to the receiving skills Pollard displayed in college. “I think he does have more than just that. He’s not going to run [just] the running back route tree, the quick game and just kind of the completion plays. He can stretch people vertically, and I think that will be a huge advantage for him to put people in conflict of how they want to handle him.” There is room for Pollard to factor into a passing game that lost Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson, and will at least see Michael Gallup (ACL) limited to open the year. Obviously, the ultimate ceiling for Pollard would include an Ezekiel Elliott injury. But he sits higher in our RB rankings than previous years because of the expected growth in his receiving role.
The Bears' WR depth chart is "clear," according to The Athletic's Adam Jahns. "It’s [Darnell] Mooney followed by Byron Pringle ... Equanimeous St. Brown and Velus Jones Jr.," Jahns writes. Mooney remains the only WR in Chicago likely to have 2022 fantasy value. Pringle and Jones are only worth shots late in fantasy drafts of 18+ rounds.
Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie sustained a concussion in Thursday night's preseason finale vs. Green Bay. The rookie still has 2 weeks to make it through the league protocol before the regular-season opener. He's expected to start if ready.
The 49ers plan to place S Jimmie Ward on short-term IR, and he's expected to miss at least 4 games. GM John Lynch announced the plan Thursday night, for a hamstring injury that HC Kyle Shanahan had previously deemed "significant."
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman played in Thursday night's preseason finale. He suffered a groin injury in practice a little over a week ago but is obviously over it now. Hardman looks like the favorite to open the season as Kansas City's #3 WR. We'll see how long he can hold off rookie Skyy Moore.
The Steelers are happy with the progress QB Kenny Pickett has made over the past month. The rookie struggled early in camp but has been excellent in 2 preseason games, completing 86.4% of his passes with 3 TDs and 0 INT. “The thing that stood out with Kenny from the games is that it hasn’t been too big for him,” QBs coach Mike Sullivan said. “He has gone in and performed very well and not been overwhelmed by the circumstances and the situations and the pressure. Secondly, he has shown a knack, particularly in this second game, to have poise and anticipation. He made some throws with defenders right up in his face." Pickett might not be named Pittsburgh's Week 1 starter, but we're expecting him to take over before long. He's worth a look as a QB3 in Superflex leagues and 1-QB best-ball leagues.
Per HC Pete Carroll, Seahawks WR Dee Eskridge will play in Week 3 of the preseason following a “very good” week of practice. He had been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury in Seattle’s first training camp practice. Eskridge could eventually run as Seattle’s WR3, but he’s off the redraft radar right now — even in deep formats.
Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny is sidelined with COVID, HC Pete Carroll said Thursday. Penny isn't experiencing any symptoms and should be back "in a day or so," Carroll said. We'll see when Penny is cleared, but this shouldn't impact his 2022 fantasy outlook.
Eagles insider Adam Caplan said this week that according to "multiple sources" and "my own eyes," LB Kyzir White was the best player on the field in joint practices with the Browns. White signed a 1-year deal in free agency with Philly, looks poised to start and appears to be the strongest candidate to lead the group in snaps. Rookie Nakobe Dean, meanwhile, remains behind at least T.J. Edwards. There's certainly room for Dean to climb the depth chart this season, but we'd pass on him in redraft outside of deep IDP leagues.
Colts DE Kwity Paye hurt his left knee in Wednesday's practice. Despite initial fears, however, the 2nd-year player suffered only a bone bruise "and should be fine," according to ESPN's Stephen Holder. We'll see whether the issue threatens Paye's Week 1 status.
This isn't a bad thing to hear from HC Nick Sirianni, about Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, according to NBC Sports Philly's Reuben Frank: "Jalen's practice yesterday was the best practice he's had as an Eagle, or at least since I've been here. What he was going with the football and being able to go through reads and progressions that fast and getting the ball where it needed to go was unbelievable." It's possible the Philadelphia passing offense throws significantly more often than we're projecting. We're already excited about the fantasy upside for Hurts and TE Dallas Goedert. The volume boost, though, would be key for A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to pay off at their ADPs.
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