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.
Vikings TE Irv Smith practiced Monday for the 1st time since thumb surgery 3 weeks ago. That aligns with previous reports that he was on track to be ready for Week 1. Smith has remained high in TE2 territory in our fantasy football rankings.
Chargers WR Josh Palmer sustained a concussion in Saturday's preseason game, HC Brandon Staley said. He should be cleared in plenty of time for Week 1, but we'll keep an eye on his progress through the league's protocol.
The victim in the assault case against Saints RB Alvin Kamara and others is filing a civil lawsuit, with Tony Buzbee as his lawyer. Buzbee represented 24 women who filed suit against Browns QB Deshaun Watson. “The attack on Mr. Greene was unprovoked and extremely violent,” Buzbee says. “We call on the appropriate authorities to exact swift punishment against all parties involved in the attack. We also encourage the NFL to take immediate action. As appropriate, we will make Mr. Greene available to the authorities and the NFL, to the extent they wish to speak with him.” We'll see whether this development pushes the league into action. For now, though, we're not adjusting Kamara's fantasy football outlook.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the Raiders plan to release RB Kenyan Drake. It's not a surprise given recent signals that Amber Abdullah has been garnering passing-down work ahead of him. We'll see whether the 28-year-old can find a meaningful role anywhere else.
Rams DL Aaron Donald told NBC's Peter King that he's committed to the Rams at least through 2023. His latest contract extension runs through 2024 but includes no penalty for leaving after 2023. Donald turned 31 in May, and there was some rumor this offseason of him contemplating retirement.
Chargers HC Brandon Staley labeled RB Isaiah Spiller "week to week" with the ankle injury he suffered in Saturday's preseason game. Spiller's availability for Week 1 is uncertain, Staley added. That kills any chance the rookie had of winning the #2 RB job to open the season. RB Joshua Kelley is the favorite for that spot, although he's still an underwhelming fantasy pick.
Giants rookie EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux suffered only an MCL sprain in the right knee that got bent in by a low block in Sunday night's preseason game. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the team expects Thibodeaux to miss only 3-4 weeks and is even hoping he'll be ready by the regular-season opener. It's obviously a much better outcome than many feared after watching the hit that knocked him out. The Giants could use the pass-rushing skills of the rookie, who has reportedly had a good training camp.
The Chargers on Monday activated LB Kenneth Murray from the PUP list. He opened training camp there after having surgery in April on the injured ankle that ended his 2021 season. The former 1st-round pick is no lock to reclaim a staring job this season after struggling through his 1st year under HC Brandon Staley. Kyle Van Noy and Drue Tranquill have looked like the top 2 non-edge LBs for the Chargers.
Bucs WR Mike Evans was back on the practice field on Monday, about 2-and-a-half weeks after hurting a hamstring. HC Todd Bowles said Evans did "a little bit," so it sounds like he was limited. We'll keep an eye on his progress. But, barring a setback, he should be ready to roll come Week 1.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin participated in 11 on 11s for the first time on Monday. He wore a non-contact jersey, but it’s still another step forward for the 26-year-old. Godwin remains a question mark for Week 1.
Lions beat writer Kyle Meinke writes that there is "no doubt” Austin Seibert will enter Week 1 as the team’s kicker. Seibert, who boasts a stronger leg than competitor Riley Patterson, is an 82% FG kicker for his career. He isn’t one of our top kicker targets.
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