Bengals OC Brian Callahan repeated his thoughts on RB Joe Mixon, saying the 5th-year back “has the ability and the skill set to be a 3-down player. “Joe has a really unique ability because he’s so big and fast and strong,” Callahan continued (via The Athletic). “He also catches the ball well, so there’s a place for him in the pass game. The third part of playing running back besides running and catching is protection. They’re a huge part of protection on third down. Joe has grown and improved in that area, really through his career. It’ll be asked of him a bunch this year to be able to do that. He’s an advantage for us because he’s so big. A lot of those blitzing DBs don’t really wanna run through Joe. They don’t like tackling him, then they gotta blitz against him. So there’s some things that he brings that his skill set allows you to have a little bit more of an advantage in pass protection.” Mixon’s rebounded well from his mysterious 2020 foot injury. Now, we’ll see when Joe Burrow’s able to recapture his pre-injury form.
Bills RB Zack Moss has "consistently been the best running back at training camp," according to The Athletic's Matthew Fairburn. "From what we’ve seen, Moss should have a path to a bigger role this season. But [OC] Brian Daboll is intent on dividing carries and riding the hot hand, so it’s too soon to push the panic button on [Devin] Singletary." This will be a committee backfield in 1 of the league's pass-heaviest offense, so there's not a ton of fantasy production to be mined here. But Moss continues to look like a better bet than Singletary.
A source tells The Athletic's Vic Tafur that Raiders TE Darren Waller is "fine" and whatever has kept him out of practice is "nothing serious." Waller has missed the past 4 practices but has been spotted in the weight room. We'll continue to keep an eye on this but aren't adjusting expectations for Waller.
Lions QB Jared Goff and TE T.J. Hockenson have been "dialed in" throughout training camp, Tim Twentyman of the team's official site writes. "Hockenson made plays all over the field Saturday, and that could be an indication of what's to come for the third-year tight end out of Iowa in 2021," Twentyman added. An ascending player on a team with 1 of the weakest WR groups in the NFL, Hockenson is in for big volume this season.
Ravens WR Marquise Brown (hamstring) missed his 7th straight training-camp practice on Saturday. He was at least spotted doing some conditioning work off to the side. "You don't want to come back and re-injure it, as we've seen before," HC John Harbaugh said. We're still over a month away from the start of the season, but it'd be nice to see Brown string a few healthy weeks together before Week 1.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson is considered "day-to-day" after hurting his left shoulder in Friday's practice, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "Tests came out as good as possible," Rapoport adds. "All positive news." It sounds like we should fully expect Jefferson to be ready to go come Week 1.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson suffered a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder in Friday's practice. ESPN’s Adam Schefter cites a source saying the injury is “nothing serious.” Further testing is scheduled for this weekend, though. We'll pass along an update when it's available. For now, we're not moving Jefferson in the WR rankings.
Giants RB Corey Clement has outplayed RB Devontae Booker in camp so far, according to insider Zack Rosenblatt. "Booker is still the top backup," Rosenblatt concedes. "But he’s not necessarily performing like it." The Giants gave Booker a 2-year, $5.5 million deal in free agency vs. Clement's 1-year deal worth a little less than a million. So the team was likely banking on Booker winning the backup job behind RB Saquon Barkley. But that contract isn't big enough to guarantee him anything. We'll continue to monitor this situation, but there's no strong handcuff to Barkley right now.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson was activated from the COVID list on Friday. He tested positive for the virus in late July and had to spend 10 days on the COVID list as an unvaccinated player. Jackson still has over a month to get ready for the season opener. But the fact that he's unvaccinated does add some risk to his 2021 fantasy profile.
The Bills signed QB Josh Allen to a 6-year extension through the 2027 season, per ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. The deal carries a total value of $258 million and gives Allen more guaranteed cash ($150 million) than Patrick Mahomes ($141 million). It’s only striking because Allen has just 1 season of high-end production to his name. Of course, Buffalo’s all-in on the 25-year-old — and fantasy drafters are, too. He’s coming off the board 2nd among QBs in all FFPC formats.
Saints TE Adam Trautman underwent a pair of operations a month before training camp started, per beat writer Nick Underhill. The 2nd-year TE had his appendix removed and a cyst removed in his lower back. Beat writer Mike Triplett tweeted Friday that Trautman is “up to speed now.” The Saints are counting on him to take a step forward, especially with Michael Thomas set to miss regular season games. Trautman remains an enticing draft day target.
Steelers WR James Washington has requested a trade, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Washington is buried behind Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and JuJu Smith-Schuster on Pittsburgh's depth chart, playing just 44% of the team's offensive snaps last year. Washington was the 60th overall pick of the 2018 draft, is still just 25 and has averaged 14.9 yards per catch through 3 NFL seasons. Getting out of Pittsburgh would give him a better shot at 2021 fantasy value. We'll see where this goes.
Multiple Saints beat writers mentioned on Friday how good Saints WR Marquez Callaway has looked in training camp so far. "He really has impressed as a potential WR 1/2 so far," ESPN's Mike Triplett tweeted. With both Michael Thomas (ankle) and Tre'Quan Smith (leg) currently sidelined, Callaway is getting a big opportunity as the de facto #1 WR. And it sounds like he's taking full advantage. We'll see when Smith is able to get back on the field. But with Thomas expected to miss the first handful of games, Callaway has a chance to be a fantasy factor.
Raiders TE Darren Waller has missed the past 3 practices. That's all we know at this point. It's not even clear if Waller is injured or away from the team for another reason. We'll pass along an update as soon as we know more. For now, we're not moving Waller in the TE rankings.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that, "The Giants will likely see RB Saquon Barkley by Week 3 and although no one will rush him, no one has completely ruled out Week 1, either." Both Barkley and the Giants coaching staff have hinted all offseason that the star back might be not ready come Week 1 -- but this is the first real timetable for a debut we've gotten. "This is a long-term play," Rapoport adds. "No one is gonna rush Saquon on the field." A healthy Barkley still has a fantasy ceiling that rises near the top of his position. But fantasy owners should plan to potentially be without him for the first game or 2. And he probably won't be back to 100% until October at the earliest.
Eagles RB Miles Sanders has had "far too many drops" in training camp so far, NBC Sports Philadelphia's Dave Zangaro writes. Sanders' receiving production fell off a cliff last year, when he posted a 28-197-0 line after a 50-509-3 as a rookie. His 8 drops were part of the problem. Zangaro adds that Sanders is having a good camp as a runner, looking "quick, explosive and agile." He's a safe bet to operate as Philly's lead ball-carrier this season. But his role in the passing game is in question. We'll see if he can clean up the drops going forward.
Ravens RB Gus Edwards has been activated from the COVID list. He missed the first 10 days of training camp after contracting the virus. We'll keep an eye on Edwards, but he should be ready to rock come Week 1 as the 1B to J.K. Dobbins' 1A.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that the injury that's sidelined Titans WR Julio Jones for the past 4 days is "nothing major." Rapoport adds that Tennessee plans to manage Jones' practice reps throughout the season. Smart. Jones has played all 16 games in just 4 of 10 NFL seasons and remains 1 of the bigger injury risks at WR heading into 2021. But he also remains a good bet for at least WR2 production when he's on the field.
The Athletic's Aaron Reiss names WR Nico Collins 1 of the "risers" in training camp so far. "Collins has consistently made catches both on the sideline and over the middle during Texans camp," Reiss writes. The 3rd-round rookie has reportedly been getting lots of reps with the 1st-team and looks like the favorite to open the season as a starting outside WR opposite Brandin Cooks. Collins is worth considering as a late-round flier in fantasy drafts.
Fox Sports' Jay Glazer hears that the Colts are tentatively expecting QB Carson Wentz (foot) to be back on the shorter end of his 5-12 week timetable. "They'll know more in about 2 weeks," Glazer added. Wentz's projected return date remains murky, but there's at least a chance that he's back right around Week 1.
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