Browns WR Odell Beckham took part in 11 on 11 at Thursday’s practice. While we won't see OBJ this preseason, Thursday marks another positive step in his return from November ACL surgery. Cleveland opens the regular season with a huge matchup at Kansas City on September 12.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley (knee) participated in live drills in joint practice with the Patriots on Thursday and said he "felt good." Barkley was still sporting a non-contact jersey but said he wasn't thinking about his surgically repaired knee. It's another important step as he pushes to be cleared for Week 1.
Jets beat writer Connor Hughes of The Athletic sees the team’s backfield as a “3-man rotation.” “Tevin Coleman, Ty Johnson and Michael Carter will all see their share of snaps in the regular season,” Hughes writes, “with La’Mical Perine working in as the goal-line, short-yardage back.” It’s tough to buy Perine as a factor, but a Jets RB rotation has largely been the theme all summer. Look for the situation to remain fluid throughout the year.
Jets QB Zach Wilson has made big strides from spring workouts to now, The Athletic's Connor Hughes writes. "He has a much firmer understanding of the playbook and is much more comfortable within this scheme," Hughes says. "That’s allowing his athleticism and passing ability to shine." Wilson has looked good this preseason, especially when completing 9 of 11 passes for 128 yards and 2 scores vs. the Packers last week. (And he did that without WR Elijah Moore.). Wilson certainly looks capable of emerging as a spot-start fantasy option as a rookie.
49ers RB Raheem Mostert left Wednesday's practice with "apparent back pain," according to insider Cam Inman. "Mostert winced as he reached the sideline and was checked on by trainers, then watched most of the remaining plays from a knee," Inman adds. We'll see how serious of an issue this ends up being. Mostert, of course, has struggled staying healthy over the past 3 seasons -- although he's never had back trouble.
The Titans announced Thursday that QB Ryan Tannehill has landed on the COVID list. It's not yet clear whether he tested positive or was merely a close contact, so he'll miss anywhere from 5-10 days. Either timeframe should still have him back on the field ahead of the regular-season opener. We'll pass along any further updates on the situation.
Patriots QB Cam Newton returned to practice Thursday after spending 5 days away following a mixup in COVID testing protocol. According to practice observers, Newton jumped right back in front of Mac Jones for lead reps with the 1st team. We'll see whether anything changes by the regular-season opener, but continue treating Newton as the New England starter for now.
Lions WR Tyrell Williams is currently sidelined with a groin injury but is expected back at practice next week, HC Dan Campbell said Wednesday. This doesn't sound like a serious issue, but we'll keep an eye on Williams leading up to Week 1.
The Packers placed WR Devin Funchess on IR after he went down with an undisclosed injury last week. Funchess opted out of the 2020 season and played in just 1 game in 2019 before suffering a season-ending broken collarbone. He's still just 27, but Funchess' NFL career is on life support.
Browns WR Odell Beckham (ACL rehab) took his first reps in 7 on 7s on Wednesday. That marked the first time he’s moved beyond individual/positional drills. “I think he’s done a nice job in the meeting rooms, walk through, has a much better understanding in Year 2 of the scheme or that type of thing,” HC Kevin Stefanski said. “And then he’s getting good work in. It’s work that happens in the building, happens out on the practice fields. It’ll increase as we go but I think he’s working really hard everywhere – meeting room, stuff they’re doing in the weight room. I think it just keeps showing up. The guy is battling. He’s working very hard.” OBJ remains on track to play Week 1 against Kansas City. We’ll see if we get any word on whether he’ll be limited as Cleveland’s opener draws near. Beckham carries some appeal at a WR30 price.
The Cowboys on Wednesday activated K Greg Zuerlein from the PUP list. He had been out recovering from offseason back surgery but should be good to go for the regular season now.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott (shoulder) is expected to throw in 7-on-7 drills in Wednesday's practice, David Helman of the team's official website reports. It'll be Prescott's 1st competitive reps since the 1st week of training camp. He continues to trend toward being ready to rock come Week 1.
The "initial belief" is that Saints TE Adam Trautman will be out 1-3 weeks with his foot injury, according to insider Nick Underhill. Trautman is visiting a foot specialist on Thursday to get another opinion. We'll look for further updates. But, for now, it looks like Trautman has a chance to be ready for Week 1 and will miss a couple of games at worst.
Broncos HC Vic Fangio informed the team this morning that Teddy Bridgewater has won the starting QB job over Drew Lock. It looked like a dead heat until Bridgewater turned in an excellent outing in the 2nd preseason game, going 9 of 11 for for 105 yards and a TD. Bridgewater sits 10th among 80 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus' preseason passing grades. Lock ranks 37th. Bridgewater isn't an exciting player or high-upside fantasy option. But he's steady and accurate. And Denver's strong group of pass-catchers could turn him into a spot-start option for fantasy teams this year. We like this news for the fantasy value on the Broncos' pass-catchers, especially WR Jerry Jeudy.
Jaguars WR Marvin Jones is dealing with an AC joint injury in 1 of his shoulders, HC Urban Meyer said. Jones is questionable for the final preseason game vs. Dallas but "should be fine" for Week 1, per Meyer. We'll keep an eye on the situation but aren't adjusting Jones' projections.
Appearing on SiriusXM radio this morning, ESPN's Adam Schefter said Sony Michel will "probably be the lead back" in Los Angeles. It sounded like much more opinion than report -- but Schefter is obviously 1 of the most plugged-in reporters in the industry. Although he's struggled with injuries through 3 NFL seasons, it's worth remembering that Michel was the 31st overall pick of the 2018 draft. He's still only 26 years old. And he averaged 5.7 yards on 79 carries last year, ranking 26th among 76 qualifying RBs in Pro Football Focus' rushing grades. RB Darrell Henderson, by the way, finished 17th on that list. We'll be keeping a close eye on this backfield over the next couple of weeks. But, for now, both Henderson and Michel look like risk/reward RB3 targets in fantasy drafts.
Giants TE Kyle Rudolph (foot) has been activated from the PUP list and will return to practice, the team announced. Rudolph had foot surgery shortly after signing with the G-Men in March and had been sidelined since. The 31-year-old caught just 28 balls in 12 games for the Vikings last year. But the Giants surprisingly gave him a 2-year, $12 million deal. We'll see exactly how Rudolph factors into the team's plans.
The Patriots traded RB Sony Michel to the Rams in exchange for a pair of late-round conditional picks, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. The Rams always seemed likely to add to the backfield after losing Cam Akers for the season. Even if they believe in RB Darrell Henderson, the depth behind him wasn't NFL-caliber. Henderson still figures to get the 1st crack at lead duties in Los Angeles. But expect Michel to be involved, potentially serving as a short-yardage and goal-line back. Michel ripped off 5.7 yards per carry last year and has looked good this preseason. Rams RBs Xavier Jones and Jake Funk are obviously undraftable now. Meanwhile in New England, Damien Harris is now even safer as the clear lead ball-carrier -- although he'll continue to lose almost all the passing-down work to James White. Michel's departure also makes rookie Rhamondre Stevenson a more interesting late-round flier.
Broncos TE Noah Fant missed practice Tuesday with a “leg issue,” per HC Vic Fangio. NFL Network’s James Palmer spotted Fant jogging with a sleeve on his left leg, and the belief is that the injury is minor. We’re not altering his 2021 projection.
Lions RB D'Andre Swift had a good practice on Tuesday, according to The Athletic's Chris Burke. "Broke a long run, cut well," Burke tweeted. "Made a *great* jump cut to turn a short run off the right side into a long TD and didn't seem at all hesitant between the tackles. A step forward." This comes on the same day that HC Dan Campbell conceded that he's not sure what kind of shape Swift will be in for Week 1 after missing most of August with a groin issue. Swift will be 1 of the more important players to monitor over the next couple of weeks.
Search
