Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb was back at practice on Wednesday. He missed about a week with a cut to his foot that required stitches. "Came out good," HC Mike McCarthy said after Wednesday's workout. Consider this a non-issue going forward.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll told 710 ESPN in Seattle on Wednesday that QB Geno Smith will start the preseason finale and that Drew Lock will play "a lot." Lock was reportedly on track to start the previous exhibition before coming down with COVID. Carroll added that Smith starting this contest doesn't necessarily mean he'll start the regular-season opener. But you'd think the coach would want to see Lock open at least 1 preseason contest with the 1st team before handing him the Week 1 reigns. We'll bet on Smith starting the opener. We also wouldn't bet on either guy starting every game this season. We'll see how these final 2 weeks play out.
Cowboys LT Tyron Smith tore his left hamstring in Wednesday's practice, ESPN reports. That is expected to cost Smith "multiple months," which sounds like it could even wind up a season-ender. Losing Smith will obviously hurt Dallas in both run-blocking and pass protection. The team did play without him for 6 games last year, however, and 14 games the year before. Smith actually enters this year having missed 3+ contests in 6 consecutive seasons. It's not a killer to the fantasy football draft values for Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott and others. But's definitely an added hurdle.
Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Smith suffered an avulsion fracture of his left knee, which means "the hamstring tendon that sits at the back of the knee pulled off the bone." Smith will have surgery and won't play until at least December -- if at all this season.
There's been some positive buzz on 49ers RB Trey Sermon this month, but insider Matt Maiocco believes he's on the roster bubble. "If Sermon were not a third-round pick a year ago, there probably would not be much of a conversation about his status," Maiocco writes. He has RBs Elijah Mitchell, Ty Davis-Price and Jeff Wilson as locks to make the team, with Sermon, JaMycal Hasty and Jordan Mason fighting for the final spot. There's no clear-cut handcuff to Mitchell, but Davis-Price and Wilson are better last-round fliers than Sermon.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Wednesday that WR Michael Gallup will avoid the regular season PUP list. Such a move would have cost him the first 4 games. Gallup only started running routes last week and admitted that it’s unrealistic for him to play in the opener vs. Tampa Bay. But it certainly sounds like he’ll return soon thereafter.
Giants WR Kadarius Toney is “still banged up” with a right leg injury, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Toney reportedly grabbed the back of his leg during portions Wednesday's workout. Nagging injuries are nothing new for Toney, who appeared in only 10 games as a rookie. The upside remains enormous here, but the Florida product will be tough to trust as an early-season WR3 or flex.
Chargers WR Josh Palmer has cleared the league’s concussion protocol. He took part in individual drills on Wednesday. Palmer, 23 next month, remains a WR5 to target in fantasy drafts.
Bucs OC Byron Leftwich praised RB Rachaad White on Wednesday. "He's a man's man,” Leftwich said. “To be a young guy, he's really thorough. He's really aware, really smart and plays the game in a physical way. He takes notes like a quarterback. He's a real smart kid that has an understanding and feel for football.” NFL insider Albert Breer tweeted Wednesday that the rookie “will have a role,” adding that White “might be the best pass-game RB” Tom Brady’s had in Tampa Bay. There’s certainly PPR intrigue, especially if you can roster White as an RB5.
Raiders HC Josh McDaniels wouldn't commit on Wednesday to TE Darren Waller being ready for the start of the season. according to The Athletic's Tashan Reed. Waller has missed basically all of training camp with a hamstring injury. "He is working his butt off," McDaniels said. "He knows he is going to be a big part of our team." Waller still has about 2-and-a-half weeks before the opener, but this has become a situation to keep a close eye on. We wouldn't blame you for shying away from Waller at ADP until he gets back on the field.
NFL insider Albert Breer tweeted Wednesday that Buccaneers WR Julio Jones “is playing fast, looks smooth [and] has clicked with Tom Brady.” Breer recently visited Bucs camp and observed the coaching staff limiting Jones’ practice reps. (No surprise there.) Despite injury risk, the veteran is an intriguing bench stash alongside Brady.
ESPN's Mike Reiss believes the Patriots might deploy both Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson as 3-down backs this season. The idea is that they'd rotate series -- like they did in the 2nd preseason game -- but stay on the field for 3rd downs. Reiss believes RB Ty Montgomery might play "when it's a two-minute offense type of situation." If Reiss is right, Harris and Stevenson would be just RB3s in fantasy lineups when both are healthy. But if either gets hurt, the other would become a strong fantasy play.
Discussing the Chiefs' backfield, ESPN's Adam Teicher writes, "one thing is clear: [Clyde] Edwards-Helaire is atop the depth chart." That's been the feeling out of Chiefs camp and in the preseason, with Edwards-Helaire starting both games. But Teicher adds that, "It certainly seems as if [Jerick] McKinnon and [Isaiah] Pacheco can carve out significant roles, McKinnon as a third-down back and Pacheco more generally." Based on preseason usage, it looks like McKinnon will open the season as the primary pass-catching back. That'd obviously hurt Edwards-Helaire's upside -- although he can still pay off his 6th- or 7th-round price tag.
Giants WR Sterling Shepard has been activated from the PUP list and will practice on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan. Shepard tore his left Achilles a little over 8 months ago. "Have heard only positives about Shepard's rehab," Raanan tweeted. "He's looked good running and cutting on the side in recent weeks." It's still uncertain when Shepard will be ready for game action -- and whether he can rediscover pre-injury form. We'll keep a close eye on him but aren't ready to consider him a fantasy-draft target.
If you've been getting excited over the upside of Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins in the wake of Gus Edwards landing on the regular-season PUP list, then you might want to pump the brakes. "Even if Dobbins suits up for the season opener, he won't get a full workload," ESPN's Jamison Hensley says. "It's too early to predict when Dobbins will get back to receiving double-digit touches in games." Hensley adds that Mike Davis "could get the most carries early in the season and remain part of Baltimore's game plan throughout the season." We still wouldn't select Davis before the late rounds of fantasy football drafts. But this potential role is certainly worth noting -- if for nothing else other than helping to set realistic expectations for Dobbins.
Pro Football Focus' Doug Kyed reports a league source told him the Dolphins have "brought up" TE Mike Gesicki in trade talks with other teams. Such a move would make sense for Miami, with Gesicki set to play on the franchise tag and seemingly about to play out of position as an in-line TE. Gesicki has operated much more as a slot receiver thus far in his career and looks much better suited for that type of role. Given the reports this preseason on his deployment as a blocker, a trade would probably be good for Gesicki's 2022 fantasy outlook. We'll see if something materializes.
Pro Football Focus' Doug Kyed reports that "multiple league sources" identified Cardinals RB Darrel Williams as a potential surprise candidate to be cut or traded. Williams' usage through 2 preseason games has seemed to indicate he might be ahead of Eno Benjamin and others on the RB depth chart, but that has also accompanied persistently positive reports on Benjamin's performance. We'll see how this one plays out over the next week plus, with roster cutdowns progressing. For now, there's at least risk to adding Williams late in fantasy football drafts. We'd hold off on selecting him to best-ball rosters with no in-season management.
Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes: "The first three completions in Tuesday’s practice went to the same player: Brandon Aiyuk. In other words, the still-sizzling wide receiver finished camp the way he started, and he appears poised for a breakout third NFL season.” The buzz has followed Aiyuk for weeks and pushed his ADP up some. He still resides well into WR3 territory in most cases, though, a level that allows for plenty of upside room. Aiyuk's potential ascension could lower the ceiling for WR Deebo Samuel by siphoning target share in what we expect to be 1 of the league's most run-leaning offenses. We've been much more interested in Aiyuk than Samuel at their relative draft costs.
Insider Jordan Schultz hears that the Chargers are "ecstatic" with WR Josh Palmer's progress and expects an "expanded role with more targets" for the 2nd-year wideout. “He’s got the complete route-tree and he’s hyper-competitive attacking balls," a team source told Schultz "Major worker: One of the best players in camp." Palmer appears locked into the Chargers' #3 WR job. He faces stiff target competition from WR Keenan Allen, WR Mike Williams and RB Austin Ekeler. But QB Justin Herbert should elevate Palmer's per-target production. He's a nice bench stash on fantasy rosters.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid didn't sound concerned about WR JuJu Smith-Schuster's sore knee and expects him to be ready for the start of the season, according to insider Herbie Teope. Smith-Schuster has been sidelined since the day after Kansas City's preseason opener but recently "turned the corner" in his recovery, Reid said. We'll keep an eye on JuJu but haven't adjusted his 2022 projections.
The Jets on Tuesday released K Eddy Pineiro, leaving Greg Zuerlein as the team's kicker. Set your rankings.
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