According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Bears QB Andy Dalton has taken every 1st-team rep in training camp. “I have a ton of experience, I’ve seen so much in this game, in this league,” Dalton said via SI. “I’m trying to help him [Justin Fields] out as much as I can, but also, I’m not worried about what he’s doing. I’m worried about what I’m doing, and how I’m gonna help this team win games. Now, there are times when he’ll take a rep and I’ll see something and I can help along the way. But at the end of the day, I’m not focused on Justin. I’m focused on me and what I can do to help this team win.” As expected, Fields has handled all 2nd-team reps ahead of Nick Foles. And according to Breer, HC Matt Nagy’s plan is to play Fields “a lot” in the preseason. That’ll at least give the rookie a chance to close the gap.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce returned to practice on Monday. He missed 4 days with what the team called back and hip tightness. We'll keep an eye on him, but consider Kelce's fantasy stock unaffected.
Colts QB Carson Wentz will undergo foot surgery and is expected to be out 5-12 weeks, HC Frank Reich announced Monday. Wentz's injury reportedly dates back to high school, but a broken bone recently came loose and is causing pain. The surgery will remove that piece of bone. The timeline is wide-ranging and would have Wentz back anywhere between early September and late October. That means Wentz has an outside chance to be ready for Week 1 -- or could be out for about half the season. We'll be on the lookout for updates on his surgery and rehab. But at this point, Wentz isn't worth drafting in lineup-setting leagues and should be considered just a QB3 in best ball. His situation also adds risk to Indianapolis' skill-position players, namely RB Jonathan Taylor and WRs Michael Pittman, T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell.
Update: Reich added that he expects to have a better idea of Wentz's return date in about 2-3 weeks.
Eagles WR DeVonta Smith is expected to be out 2-3 weeks with a sprained MCL, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Even the long end of that timetable would have Smith back well before the start of the regular season. But the rookie will miss valuable training camp reps and seems unlikely to play in the preseason. That could mean that he gets off to a slow start this year. We'll see how he fares when he gets back on the field.
Dolphins WR DeVante Parker was activated from the PUP list and practiced on Monday. He ends up missing less than a week with his undislosed injury. Durability remains a concern with Parker, but he's healthy for now. And a healthy Parker should be locked into a top-3 WR role in Miami.
Washington HC Ron Rivera said Monday that RB Antonio Gibson has "bounced back" from his turf toe injury. Gibson was still bothered by that 2020 injury this spring but "looks good so far" in camp, according to Rivera. We'll continue to keep an eye on Gibson's health -- but the toe isn't impacting his spot in the RB rankings.
Ravens WR Marquise Brown is sidelined with a hamstring injury. HC John Harbaugh said it's "a little more serious" than he was told initially. We'll see exactly how serious and how long Brown is out. Rookie WR Rashod Bateman also missed Monday's practice with what Harbaugh called "muscle tightness." Sammy Watkins has been Baltimore's best WR in camp so far according to multiple sources.
SI Chargers reporter Fernando Ramirez says Chargers coaches believe Mike Williams "is a WR that corners can't cover ... and they feel a big breakout is coming this season," according to NFL.com's Michael Florio. We can certainly see that kind of path for Williams in his 2nd year with QB Justin Herbert. He already has a 10-TD season behind him (2018) and looks set for positive regression in that area after catching just 2 of 12 end-zone targets last year.
Eagles WR DeVonta Smith is "week to week" with a knee sprain, according to ESPN's Tim McManus. Smith sustained the injury in Sunday's practice but reportedly stayed on the field. An MRI later diagnosed a sprain. We'll see exactly how long Smith remains out, but any missed time can't be good for a rookie wideout and a QB (Jalen Hurts) heading into his 1st full starting season. Smith could become a value if this knocks his ADP down the board. He presents risk around the bottom of WR3 territory for now, though, while his absence leaves target opportunity for others.
As expected, the Giants signed RB Alfred Morris on Monday. The 32-year-old averaged 4.3 yards on 55 carries for the G-Men last season. He's mere backfield depth for the team this summer as they continue to monitor RB Saquon Barkley's rehab.
Saints QB Taysom Hill arrived to camp “noticeably slimmed down,” per Katherine Terrell of The Athletic. The change was intentional. “I think as a thrower it’s important to have a stronger backside than it is your frontside shoulder, and it’s natural to work your frontside muscles than it is your backside,” Hill said. “I can tell you for me historically when I get sore it’s all your (decelerating) motions from taking so many reps and throwing so many balls. So throughout my career here, I was always trying to find that balance of being strong enough to do what I was going to be asked to do, but still be able to throw a ball and so forth. So there was definitely a transition there.” This is the first time as a pro that he’s exclusively worked at QB, so the change in regimen makes sense. Last year alone, Hill lined up as a QB, RB, WR and TE — plus he held various special teams roles. No clear favorite has emerged as the QB1 in the early portion of training camp.
According to Jess Root of Cards Wire, Cardinals RB James Conner has sat out team drills in recent days with an unspecified injury. Jonathan Ward has reportedly stepped in for Conner's reps with the 1st team. We haven't seen any other report of a Conner injury, so we're not concerned about the situation just yet. But it'll be one to monitor, given Conner's injury history.
Benjamin Allbright of KOA Radio in Denver tweeted this week that "Melvin Gordon is CLEARLY RB1 for this team so far." That likely comes from the usage of Gordon vs. Javonte Williams over the 1st few days of training camp. It's early, of course, when many coaching staffs defer to veterans. It's noteworthy, though, that Gordon didn't appear to lose standing for the OTAs he skipped. We'll certainly be watching the usage in this backfield through the rest of camp and preseason. We're not currently excited about drafting any Denver RB in fantasy football.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman has "continued his ascension" early in training camp after a strong spring, The Athletic's Nate Taylor writes. "Known for his rare speed, Hardman has produced more consistent repetitions while polishing his route-running ability in the middle of the field," Taylor adds. "Hardman has run routes from each of the Chiefs’ main three receiver positions ... The first three practices have featured Hardman executing shorter routes, the types where he has to be precise in both his release and his cuts to give [QB Patrick] Mahomes a clear throwing window." Mahomes, meanwhile, has praised Hardman's improved maturity and comfort in the offense. This sure sounds like a guy ready to take a big step forward in year 3. Hardman is an upside pick at his 10th- or 11th-round price tag.
Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki has been placed on the COVID list, along with TEs Adam Shaheen and Cethan Carter. All 3 were reportedly close contacts of OC George Godsey, who tested positive for the virus. This shouldn't impact Gesicki's status for the start of the season, but we'll let you know when he's cleared to get back on the field.
Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic writes that Ravens WR Sammy Watkins looks “fresh, explosive, motivated and more importantly, healthy” early in training camp. Zrebiec also noted his the veteran’s ability to get open and make plays “all over the field.” This jives with OC Greg Roman’s recent comment about Watkins being “one of the best receivers in the NFL.” Volume is an obvious concern for the run-heavy Ravens. Watkins, though, is essentially free as the WR77 in FFPC best balls.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Colts QB Carson Wentz will "try to rest and rehab his foot injury over the next few days" in hopes that will be enough to get him ready for the season opener. "If it doesn't improve, the answer may be surgery," Rapoport adds. We'll see where this goes for Wentz. From this report, it seems we should know by the end of the week whether surgery is coming.
Vikings TE Irv Smith has been a frequent target of QB Kirk Cousins in camp so far, according to insider Judd Zulgad. "It’s become clear that Kirk Cousins is very comfortable throwing to Smith — more than he was throwing to Kyle Rudolph — and that could result in a big season for the tight end entering his third season," Zulgad writes. The Smith hype quieted a bit after HC Mike Zimmer talked up a bigger role for TE Tyler Conklin back in June. But Smith was always most likely to lead Vikings TEs in targets and fantasy points this season. He has top-10 upside.
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said Sunday that WR Amari Cooper (ankle) "looks great ... Everything has been extremely positive from the strength staff." Cooper, of course, remains on the active PUP list after January ankle surgery. The tentative plan is to have him get on the practice field in mid-August. McCarthy's words are nice -- but we can't feel totally confident drafting Cooper until we see him in action.
According to SB Nation's Arrowhead Pride blog, the Chiefs "have their No. 1 and No. 2 backs in place in starter Clyde Edwards-Helaire and third-down back Darrel Williams." That would leave Jerick McKinnon fighting for 3rd on the depth chart, with Elijah McGuire, Darwin Thompson and Derrick Gore as competitors. This might be more opinion than fact, but it's also likely based on the team's usage of its RBs so far in training camp. If you're drafting, Darrel Williams should be the 2nd Chiefs RB off the board. Don't get too high on anyone other than CEH at the position for K.C., though. There's also still the possibility that the Chiefs add another RB.
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