Don't be surprised if Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. has a quiet start to training camp. “With Odell, very similar to a lot of guys, they have an individual plan that’s tailored to them and where they are in their rehab,” HC Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “We’ll bring him along at the discretion of our doctors, our medical team, and Odell, and see how he’s feeling. I had a good meeting with him last night. He’s doing well.” We'll keep an eye on Beckham reports going forward, but it's obviously good that he avoided the PUP list to begin camp. Offseason reports on the health of his knee have been positive as well.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the Cowboys hope "just a few days" rest will get QB Dak Prescott's right shoulder strain "under control." The issue is considered a "slight" strain. We'll certainly keep tracking the situation closely.
Raiders WR Henry Ruggs said during his Wednesday press conference that he packed on 13 pounds this offseason. “It was my focus. It’s a man’s game now and I’m not the biggest guy, but I have to get to where I can compete with grown men now,” Ruggs said. “So that was one of my biggest things that I hammered on was getting bigger, eating all the time, and just hammering down in the weight room. And people [have been] saying I look noticeably bigger, so I guess it’s paying off.” We've seen some speed guys in the past try to add weight and lose some of the speed that set them apart, so we'll be interested to see Ruggs in action. The 2nd-year wideout seems mindful of that. “Even in the weight room, you work on different things, but when you’re gaining weight, you still have to do the little-guy things that I’m known for,” Ruggs said. “So, still hammered on those things and just got better in the things that I needed to work on.” Ruggs remains outside the top 50 WRs in ADP, so there's little risk in betting he can step into Vegas' top role.
Insider Nick Underhill reports that Saints WR Deonte Harris was arrested earlier this month and charged with DUI. Underhill notes that these situations usually result in a 2-game suspension. Harris caught just 20 balls last year but became more important in New Orleans after the Michael Thomas news. He remains off the redraft radar, especially with the impending suspension.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and the team Wednesday downplayed the significance of his shoulder strain. David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports that a "mild or Grade 1 strain" of the latissimus muscle -- which connects the upper arm to the spine -- "typically requires a couple of weeks to heal." Prescott has said it'll be a day-to-day question for his availability. Whether Dallas brings in another QB could be telling. For now, Garrett Gilbert will fill in with the starters.
ESPN's Josh Weinfuss believes Cardinals RBs Chase Edmonds and James Conner will "split the primary reps to start, with whoever has the hot hand getting the ball." Fantasy drafters are clearly expecting Edmonds to lead this backfield, taking him about 3 rounds ahead of Conner. We'll see if we get more clarity on the situation over the next month, but Conner is probably the better shot at ADP right now.
Bears HC Matt Nagy said Wednesday that he anticipates TE Cole Kmet's role growing in 2021. His playing time spiked late in his rookie year, with Kmet registering a 70+% snap rate in each of final 8 games (including playoffs). But the production didn't follow. Kmet averaged just 5 targets, 3.1 catches and 22.5 yards per game over that stretch. There's plenty of room for those numbers to grow this year, especially in Chicago gets better QB play from Justin Fields and/or Andy Dalton.
The Raiders have placed RB Kenyan Drake on the non-football injury list to open training camp. The team didn't announce what injury is keeping Drake out. He was seen working on the side with trainers at Wednesday's practice, though. We'll keep an eye on his status in the coming days. RBs Jalen Richard and Theo Riddick, meanwhile, landed on the COVID list. Maybe Josh Jacobs will get a few more chances to show Vegas coaches he can catch passes.
Update: Drake returned to practice on July 30.
The Cardinals placed DE J.J. Watt on the PUP list Wednesday after the veteran experienced hamstring soreness following Tuesday's conditioning test. According to ESPN's Josh Weinfuss, Watt said he doesn't expect to practice Thursday and isn't sure when he'll return to the field. "We're gonna take it very slow and be very smart about it," Watt said. We'll keep an eye on the situation, but there's no reason for panic at this point.
If you're still worrying about Titans WR A.J. Brown's offseason knee surgeries, you can stop now. From The Tennessean's Ben Arthur: "Any concerns about Brown being limited to start training camp because of the knee surgeries were quickly put to rest. He practiced without any bands or braces on his knees and looked dominant throughout practice." Brown is coming off a top 7 finish in fantasy points per game last season and projects as a mid-range WR1 again in 2021.
The Athletic's believes 49ers RB Trey Sermon might play a role similar to the one Tevin Coleman played back in 2019. "The 49ers liked to begin games with Tevin Coleman at tailback, which both tenderized the defense and kept the 49ers’ home-run hitter, Raheem Mostert, fresh." That season, Coleman out-carried Mostert 137 to 112 in their 14 games together. Such a split would be a win for Sermon in his rookie season. The takeaway here, though, is that it'll be a committee attack in San Francisco's backfield this year.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has a muscle strain in his right shoulder, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. Prescott had an MRI after experiencing some soreness in his throwing arm. He’ll get day-to-day treatment and evaluation of the latissimus in the shoulder, per Archer’s report. We’ll keep an eye on the QB’s status. This doesn’t yet seem like a major concern, though. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to knock Prescott down a spot or 2 among QBs in current drafts. “Better to be cautious and smart about it,” Prescott said, per NFL Network’s Jane Slater. “I don’t see this as any kind of serious setback. We’ll treat it on a daily basis, and I’ll be fine.”
Colts TE Kylen Granson got work with the 1st-team offense in Wednesday's training-camp practice. In fact, he caught a team-high 3 passes from QB Carson Wentz. "Granson may be more involved than I initially thought," Sports Illustrated's Jake Arthur writes. "He was very much in the mix throughout practice and is the clearest choice for the Colts' athletic 'Y' tight end." It's rare for a TE to make a fantasy impact as a rookie. But Granson might be an exception. The Colts absolutely love him, HC Frank Reich's offense tends to target the TE at an above-average rate, and TEs Mo Alie-Cox and Jack Doyle aren't exactly stiff competition. Keep an eye on Granson over the next month.
Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny is not on the active PUP list to open training camp. He had a clean-up knee surgery this offseason and missed spring workouts -- but he's evidently ready to hit the field now. A healthy Penny remains the clear favorite for the #2 RB job in Seattle. We'll see if he can dodge the injury bug this season.
A foot injury has landed Seahawks WR D'Wayne Eskridge on the active PUP list to open training camp. The rookie missed time this spring with a toe issue. It's unclear if this new injury is related. Regardless, it's a less-than-ideal start to Eskridge's pro career. He has a shot to win Seattle's #3 WR job this year but needs to get on the field.
Jets TE Chris Herndon opened training camp with the 2nd-team offense, according to multiple reports. It was TE Tyler Kroft working with the starters. This isn't a big surprise if you were paying attention to OTAs and minicamp, when Herndon was reportedly out-played by both Kroft and TE Ryan Griffin. At this point, Herndon is only draftable at the tail end of deep best-ball drafts. We'll see if he can turn things around over the next month.
Dolphins WR DeVante Parker will open training camp on the PUP list. No word yet on the specifics, but it’s a rough start nevertheless for a WR with his injury history. Miami brought in serious target competition this offseason — Will Fuller and Jaylen Waddle — making Parker a long-shot for WR3 value.
WR Randall Cobb tweeted that he's been traded to the Packers, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirms that the deal will be done once Green Bay gains cap space to make room. Cobb spent his first 8 seasons with QB Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, finishing as a top 30 fantasy WR 3 times (2012, 2014 and 2015). He posted a 55-828-3 line and WR42 PPR finish with the Cowboys in 2019. Then in Houston last year, Cobb tallied 38 catches, 441 yards and 3 scores in 10 games. He finished 60th in PPR points per game. But Cobb ranked a respectable 26th in yards per target, 52nd in yards per route run and 50th in Pro Football Focus receiving grade among 99 WRs with 40+ targets. Rodgers clearly had a big say in this move -- and we'd expect him to make sure Cobb is the starting slot receiver this season. That'll leave Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard and rookie Amari Rodgers fighting for the last spot in 3-WR sets. In Houston, meanwhile, Cobb's departure frees up the starting slot job. Consider newly acquired WR Anthony Miller the favorite to win that.
Let's just let ESPN's Adam Schefter explain why the Ravens will practice Wednesday without their starting QB: "Lamar Jackson is not practicing today in a COVID-related case the league still is trying to process, per Jamison Hensley and me. Jackson, who tested positive on Thanksgiving, had another test that NFL officials flagged. NFL now going through science, and Ravens awaiting answers." We'll see where this situation goes. It's impossible to tell at the moment whether this is something that will only cost Jackson a day or 2 -- or an issue we should be concerned about. Jackson, of course, had the positive test last November that cost him a game. But we hadn't heard of any related issues since. For now, we're not adjusting Jackson's fantasy outlook.
Sterling Shepard is expected to be the Giants' primary slot receiver this season, according to The New York Post's Ryan Dunleavy. “I love the slot,” Shepard said from training camp on Tuesday. “It’s where I’m super comfortable. I just like the space that you have. I’m able to go all the way across the field, come back out, do the short-intermediate routes, which I enjoy running.” Shepard played 82% of his snaps in the slot as a rookie back in 2016. That rate has steadily declined over the past 4 seasons, bottoming out at 34% last year. Shepard's most efficient seasons in terms of yards per target came in 2017 and 2018, when he played 74% and then 55% of his snaps in the slot. Consider more slot snaps good news for Shepard's 2021 outlook. But we'll have to see if he stays on the field and kicks outside when the Giants go to 2-WR sets. This news also means New York's 3-WR sets figure to feature Kenny Golladay and Darius Slayton on the outside. Rookie Kadarius Toney is expected to play mostly in the slot, so it looks like he's is line to open the season no better than 4th on the depth chart.
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