Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said Tuesday that WR Michael Gallup is doing “really well” and has avoided any setbacks in his rehab from a torn ACL. Gallup suffered the injury in Week 17 of last season, but he’s had a relatively smooth recovery since then. Already out for Week 1, we're still not counting on the 26-year-old as an early-season fantasy contributor.
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said Tuesday that kicker Brett Maher has won the team’s starting job. McCarthy pointed out Maher’s leg strength and recent confidence as reasons for choosing him over Lirim Hajrullahu. Maher figures to be a viable streaming option this season.
ESPN reports that Jets QB Zach Wilson is still likely to miss at least the regular-season opener. But Dianna Russini says the team feels "really good" about his chances of getting back onto the field soon, perhaps even ahead of Week 1. It's certainly possible that Wilson is technically cleared to play in the opener but the Jets opt for Joe Flacco and led the 2nd-year QB ease back in. We'll keep an eye on the situation. Don't expect it to alter our projections for other in the Jets' offense, though.
Chargers CB J.C. Jackson had ankle surgery Tuesday and is expected to miss the next 2-4 weeks, according to multiple reports. Sounds like a relatively minor procedure, but this timeline obviously could spill over into missed regular-season games.
The Falcons cut WRs Auden Tate and Geronimo Allison -- among others -- Tuesday. Each guy has had moments where he stirred minor fantasy interest with previous teams, but neither generated buzz this summer.
The Ravens have placed RB Gus Edwards (ACL) on the Reserve/PUP list. That means he'll miss at least the 1st 4 games of the regular season. His absence leaves room for J.K. Dobbins to operate as likely the clear backfield leader at least early in the season. We wouldn't be surprised, though, if Baltimore avoids overworking Dobbins off his own ACL tear. Mike Davis currently appears headed for the #2 RB role early in the year, though we'll see how that sorts out over the next couple of weeks.
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan confirmed Tuesday that RB Elijah Mitchell is "on schedule” to play Week 1. He’s missed time with a hamstring injury, but it’s not expected to be a long-term issue. He remains a fringe RB2.
We haven't heard much about Saints RB Alvin Kamara's camp performance, which is generally a good thing for an established veteran. But HC Dennis Allen assured us recently that Kamara looks as good as ever. "I think he's had as good a camp as I've seen, you know, since I've been here," Allen said. "I think he's in a good place mentally. I think he looks exceptionally explosive. He's in great shape. Great condition." There's still some suspension risk hanging over Kamara. But he remains a good bet for RB1 production when he's on the field this season.
The Lions have moved WR Jameson Williams (knee) to the Reserve Non-Football-Injury list. That knocks the rookie out for at least the first 4 games of the season -- but it'll likely be longer than that before he makes his NFL debut. "The hope is he’ll be ready to play around midseason," NFL Network's Tom Pelissero tweeted. We currently project Williams to play 11 games this season.
Chad Graff of The Athletic writes that RB Pierre Strong “has a ways to go” to earn the team’s 3rd-down role. “[Ty] Montgomery is the better receiver and Rhamondre Stevenson is the better runner, making it tough to supplant either of them on third downs,” Graff writes of the rookie. Strong might open the season as the kickoff returner, but he’ll need a lot to break right to gain fantasy relevance in 2022.
Washington has moved DE Chase Young to the Reserve/PUP list, knocking him out for at least the 1st 4 games of the regular season. It's not a surprising development, given that he has yet to get back to the practice field and that HC Ron Rivera had intimated the PUP was a possibility. You should not have Young prominent in the 2022 plans for your IDP fantasy football league. We'll see if he has a shot at getting back to full strength later this season. James Smith-Williams looks poised to start in Young's place, opposite Montez Sweat.
The Athletic's Dan Duggan wonders if the Giants will reduce WR Kenny Golladay's role. The team would lose $4.3 million in cap space by cutting Golladay, so his roster spot is safe. But, as Duggan points out, the new Giants regime has no ties to Golladay, who's been disappointing in camp and preseason action. We'll keep an eye on his early-season role, but we're not targeting Golladay in fantasy drafts.
According to The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider, TE Greg Dulcich’s Week 1 status is “in doubt.” Dulcich hasn’t been healthy all camp due to a nagging hamstring issue. At this point, the rookie is unlikely to make an early-season impact.
The Packers are trying to catch 2nd-round WR Christian Watson up with the offense after he missed much of training camp with a knee injury. Watson has been working in with both the 1st- and 2nd-team offenses, according to the Packers' website. QB Aaron Rodgers says he has been pleased with Watson's mental development: "The thing that I've seen with him is just mentally the improvement from day to day. I'm going to test him every single day and give him adjustments and things that they might not have talked about, maybe they've talked about, see what the recall is and see how well they can adjust on the fly." HC Matt LaFleur added that "you could definitely feel his size and speed out there," after Sunday's team workout. It's certainly worth remembering that Green Bay drafted Watson 2 rounds ahead of classmate Romeo Doubs. We'll see how much depth-chart climbing Watson can do before Week 1.
Bengals S Jessie Bates has re-joined the team to play out the season under the franchise tag, according to multiple reports. Bates skipped training camp after he and the team failed to work out a longer-term extension. (It wasn't technically a holdout, because he wasn't under contract.) Returning now still gives him a little more than 2 weeks to be ready for the regular-season opener. We haven't moved Bates down our IDP rankings at all through his absence. We'll watch to make sure he's on track for a full start to the year.
Falcons QB Marcus Mariota played just 13 snaps in the 1st preseason game, attempting only 2 throws (he completed both). He then gave way to rookie Desmond Ridder for triple the playing time in that one. Mariota played just 15 snaps in Monday night's 2nd exhibition, against the Jets, but he went 6-of-10 passing for 132 yards, 1 TD and a 137.5 passer rating. “I’m pleased with Marcus,” HC Arthur Smith told reporters afterward, according to Pro Football Talk. “He got into a good rhythm. The only drive I thought wasn’t very good was where we tried to simulate a two-minute situation, we got backed up and it wasn’t really clean there, but other than that I thought he was really cleaned when he was in there. I think he got into the offense, got into a rhythm, made a big-time throw.” Expect Mariota to hit the regular season as the starter. We'll see about Ridder's progression and whether he's in for a shot this year.
Per NFL insider Adam Caplan, Panthers WR Robbie Anderson has “kind of revived his career at training camp.” Following an offseason tweet suggesting retirement, Anderson’s reportedly been rejuvenated by new QB Baker Mayfield. Citing Panthers sources, Caplan shared that the team knew Mayfield had earned the starting gig after 2 weeks of practice. The QB upgrade and a clear path to the #2 role makes Anderson a nice late-round flier.
Saints HC Dennis Allen conceded that QB Jameis Winston was "a little rusty" in his return Monday after losing 13 practices to a foot sprain, according to ESPN's Katherine Terrell. Allen said he hadn't decided yet whether to play Winston in the final preseason game Friday against the Chargers. But he added that he'd be "comfortable" with Winston entering the season without that game action. Winston, of course, hasn't played in a game since October's ACL tear. Don't be shocked if he -- and the Saints passing game -- start a little slowly/inconsistently in the regular season.
ESPN's Jamison Hensley believes TE Isaiah Likely has become a "leading candidate" for the team's #3 pass-catcher role behind TE Mark Andrews and WR Rashod Bateman. It's rare for a rookie TE to be a fantasy factor. And it's rare for a team to produce 2 fantasy-relevant TEs. So Likely would be the exception to a couple of rules. But the guy has been phenomenal this preseason, catching all 12 of his targets for 144 yards and a score on 42 snaps. And Baltimore's WR depth chart is weak behind Bateman. Likely has our attention as a possible last-round flier in fantasy drafts.
Chargers S Derwin James took part in team drills Monday for the 1st time in training camp. James had been "holding in" until signing his recent contract extension. It's nice to see his participation ramping up still well ahead of Week 1. James remains the clear top DB in our IDP rankings.
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