Rams RB Darrell Henderson practiced on Tuesday with a non-contact jersey and a "large wrap" on his injured left thumb, according to The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue. Henderson will be able to maintain his conditioning as he rehabs that thumb injury. He's fully expected to be ready for Week 1.
Bills LB Matt Milano will miss at least the next 5 days as a close contact to the staff member who tested positive for COVID. It’s the same situation affecting WRs Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis, which means Milano is also unvaccinated. Fellow Bills LB A.J. Klein is out for the same reason. As long as both guys test negative, they’ll be back after the 5 days. We’ll see where the situation goes from here
Titans WR Julio Jones took part in practice Tuesday for the 1st time since an Aug. 2 spill took him off the field. It sounds like Tennessee was limited in its activity Tuesday, so we’ll see how much Jones participates in the next full workout. This is obviously a positive development, though.
Raiders beat writer Vic Tafur writes that RB Josh Jacobs looks “tougher and faster this camp.” It’s worth noting that Jacobs — entering his 3rd season — is only 23. Tafur also described Kenyan Drake as someone who’ll be "moved around on third downs and in the red zone.” No surprise there. Both RBs are viable picks at ADP, but it’s clear that Drake’s presence will limit Jacobs’ fantasy ceiling.
Saints TE Adam Trautman avoided a "major injury" to his foot or ankle, according to insider Nick Underhill. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport adds that the Saints are still seeking additional medical opinions on Trautman's situation. So he's not out of the woods yet, but it's good news so far. We'll continue to keep you updated.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Jaguars RB Travis Etienne will have surgery to repair a Lisfranc tear in his left foot and "likely" miss the entire season. That obviously delivers a big boost to James Robinson, who had been coming off the board well into RB3 range. It also brings Carlos Hyde into late-round view in fantasy football drafts. Robinson now looks like a RB2 with RB1 upside -- which he showed last year -- for fantasy.
Update: The Jaguars have put Etienne on IR, officially ending his season. A player must be on the 53-man roster as of 4 p.m. on Aug. 31 to be eligible for short-term IR.
Dolphins WR Will Fuller (leg) was on the practice Tuesday for the 1st time since July 28. We still don't know much about his injury, but the team reportedly expects him to be ready come Week 2, after serving the final game of his suspension. We'll continue to keep an eye on him.
Patriots TE Hunter Henry (shoulder) was on the field for Tuesday's practice. Per NESN's Zack Cox, Henry didn't participate in team drills. So he's still not a full-go but is clearly making progress in his return from that shoulder injury. Henry should be ready for Week 1.
After returning to practice on Monday, Colts QB Carson Wentz (foot) said he's "optimistic" about his Week 1 availability. “Honestly, it’s not fully my call," Wentz conceded. "It’s going to come down to the doctors and surgeons and trainers and seeing how we feel. A lot will depend on how I respond and how the foot feels day after day after being out there. … But as long as there’s nothing I can do to injure myself, (I’ll play). I know I’ve played through a lot worse, but it’s going to come down to what the doctors say." We'll continue to keep you updated on Wentz's progress.
Jets WR Elijah Moore (quad) returned to practice on Tuesday and told reporters afterward that he plans to play in Friday's preseason finale. The rookie ended up missing a little less than 2 weeks with his quad injury, but it sounds like he'll be good to go for the start of the regular season.
Lions TE T.J. Hockenson has been dealing with an injury to the AC joint in 1 of his shoulders, HC Dan Campbell said Tuesday. Campbell added that he's not worried about Hockenson's Week 1 availability. We'll keep an eye on the situation but aren't adjusting our projections for Hockenson.
Titans WR A.J. Brown (knee) returned to practice Tuesday and was "looking A.J. Brown-ish," according to Joe Rexrode of The Athletic. That's good news on the heels of the Adam Schefter report saying only that Tennessee expected Brown to be ready for the regular-season opener. We haven't adjusted our outlook for Brown at all.
The Panthers and WR Robby Anderson have agreed to a 2-year, $29.5 million contract extension. Anderson was set to hit free agency next offseason but is now signed in Carolina through the 2023 campaign. It's confirmation that he remains a big part of the Panthers' passing game after ranking 8th among WRs with 138 targets last year.
The groin issue for Lions RB D'Andre Swift has been downplayed throughout camp, but HC Dan Campbell says he doesn't yet know what the injury will mean for the regular-season opener. "We don't know if he's gonna be there," Campbell said, via Chris Burke of The Athletic. "We don't know, even if he is, how much we're going to get out of him." Campbell said the team would work him hard in practice Tuesday to test his conditioning. We'll watch for further indications of Detroit's plan leading up to Week 1. In the meantime, Jamaal Williams remains a high-upside play in low-RB3 to RB4 range of fantasy football drafts.
Bills WRs Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis have been placed on the COVID list as close contacts to a staff member who tested positive for the virus. Beasley and Davis, of course, are unvaccinated so must stay away from the team for 5 days. This particular instance won't impact their 2021 campaigns -- but both guys come with elevated risk because they're unvaccinated.
The Cowboys have started rookie Micah Parsons and converted S Keanu Neal at LB in each of their past 2 preseason games. It looks as though that pair will lead the playing time at the position. Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch did mix in heavily with the 1st-team defense against Houston on Saturday, though. The ascension of the 2 new guys is noteworthy. Smith has been a full-time player and carries 1 of the league's largest cap numbers among off-ball LBs (nearly $10 million), and LVE is a former 1st-round pick who has dealt with injuries the past couple of years. Parsons, of course, arrived in Round 1 of this year's draft. Neal has history with new DC Dan Quinn, having played for him in Atlanta. The exact playing-time breakdown in this crowded corps is likely still working out, so we're wary of over-committing to any Dallas LB in IDP leagues. Parsons looks like the player with the highest upside and makes for a nice LB3 option (if he lasts). Neal could be a worthwhile late flier in deeper drafts. We've updated our projections for the group this week.
K Rodrigo Blankenship has won the Colts’ starting job. Per Adam Schefter, the team waived veteran K Eddy Pineiro this morning. Blankenship was awesome last year — connecting on 32 of 37 kicks — so this move isn’t a surprise. He sits 6th in our kicker rankings.
Bears HC Matt Nagy told reporters Tuesday morning that QB Justin Fields will start the 3rd and final preseason game and play about 2 quarters. Don't get too excited, though. Nagy also said QB Andy Dalton will sit "because he's the Week 1 starter," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. We'll gladly take the extra exposure for Fields anyway. Even with Dalton still on track to open the season, it's just a matter of time before Chicago shifts to its new franchise QB.
Saints QB Jameis Winston got the start in Monday night's preseason game vs. the Jaguars and took full advantage of the opportunity. He completed 9 of 10 passes for 123 yards and 2 TDs to WR Marquez Callaway across 3 possessions. QB Taysom Hill came on in relief, finishing 11-of-20 for 138 yards and a score. HC Sean Payton declined to name a starter after the game. But, at this point, it'd be a major surprise if Winston wasn't under center for the opener vs. the Packers.
Saints TE Adam Trautman will get an MRI on the foot he injured in Monday night's preseason game vs. the Jaguars, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. X-rays on the foot came back clean. We'll continue to keep you updated on Trautman's status, but we'd avoid him in fantasy drafts until we know more.
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