The Colts have had “multiple conversations of late” with reps for RB Nyheim Hines, per The Athletic. The 24-year-old is entering a contract season. He’s yet to miss a game as a pro, and it sounds like he wants to continue that trend as a Colt. “I hope to be the Darren Sproles of Indy,” Hines said via The Athletic. “The Nyheim Hines of Indy. I’m really driven to leave a legacy. That’s something I think about every day.” Our current projections have Hines for only 73 carries, but his reception upside puts him in the PPR flex conversation.
Broncos OLB Bradley Chubb is out of practice this week because of an ankle injury. “He tweaked his ankle last week in practice; still bothering him a little bit so we’re going to give him this week to get it right,” HC Vic Fangio said Wednesday, via Aric DiLalla of the team website. It's reportedly not the ankle that Chubb had surgery on this offseason. We'll see if he returns to practice next week, ahead of the regular-season opener.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley practiced with contact Thursday for the 1st time since his ACL tear last September. "We did a normal practice safely and just talked to the guys and [they] gave me some good shots," Barkley said, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan. "But it's [about] route running and running routes just to get me back in the flow of things, so I guess you could say yes [I took my first hit]." It doesn't sound like he took a lot of contact, but any change on that front is a positive development.
Giants WR Kenny Golladay "did not sound confident at all" when discussing his recovery from his hamstring injury and status for Week 1, according to insider Ralph Vacchiano. Golladay, who just returned to practice after going down on August 4, admitted that he's still trying “to get my legs up under me.” He added that hamstrings are “tricky” and “you’ve got to be smart and patient with them." We'll continue to keep an eye on Golladay, but he ideally won't be in your Week 1 fantasy plans.
Colts WR T.Y. Hilton is expected back before mid-season but will “probably” miss more than 3 games, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Hilton, of course, is coming off surgery to alleviate a disc issue in his neck. We’ll see about further updates on his exact return. His absence probably helps the outlooks for WRs Paris Campbell and Zach Pascal most.
The Chiefs on Thursday placed LB Willie Gay Jr. on IR with a toe injury he suffered in the team's final preseason game. The IR designation means Gay will miss at least 3 games, but it doesn't sound like they expect the issue to linger much beyond that. According to Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star, there was "initial optimism" that the injury wasn't serious. Anthony Hitchens figures to lead the LB playing time for K.C. while Gay is out.
The Panthers have claimed RB Royce Freeman off waivers from the Broncos. He joins a thin depth chart behind Christian McCaffrey. Freeman's not likely to find fantasy relevance in Carolina, but he could challenge rookie Chuba Hubbard for touches behind McCaffrey.
Washington HC Ron Rivera is "very confident" that WR Curtis Samuel (groin) will be able to play in next weekend's opener vs. the Chargers. He's missed the majority of the offseason and remained limited in Thursday's practice. But Rivera expects Samuel to participate in team drills starting Monday. We'll continue to track his progress, but Samuel will be a risky Week 1 fantasy play.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb has been activated from the COVID list. He'll be ready to rock for next Thursday's opener vs. the Bucs.
There's a "strong chance" Giants RB Saquon Barkley (knee) plays in next Sunday's opener vs. the Giants, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "Team won't decide until next week and has been cautious so could still hold him back. But there is optimism," Fowler adds. Barkley has been trending in the right direction for the past few weeks, so we're expecting to see him out there come Week 1. The question will be how big a workload he'll be able to handle. We'll continue to keep you updated.
Per Jets HC Robert Saleh, WR Jamison Crowder is day to day with a groin injury. The Jets open September 12 at Carolina, and Crowder's expected to suit up. It’s been a quiet offseason for the veteran WR, but if healthy, he figures to have a home in 3-WR sets. There’s just not much fantasy upside to chase.
Jaguars RB Travis Etienne is having surgery to repair his Lisfranc injury on Thursday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Etienne is expected to be sidelined for 4 months. So he'll miss his entire rookie season but should be able to participate in most or all of next offseason's practices.
Bucs RB Gio Bernard is dealing with a "mild" high-ankle sprain, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. Pelissero adds that Bernard is expected to be ready for the season opener vs. Dallas. But this would need to be an extremely mild high-ankle sprain for that to be the case. We'll keep an eye on Bernard's status. His absence would open up passing game work for RB Leonard Fournette (and maybe a bit for RB Ronald Jones.
Colts QB Carson Wentz, WR Zach Pascal and C Ryan Kelly were activated from the COVID list on Thursday. Wentz seems to be on track to start next weekend's opener vs. the Seahawks -- but he'll do so with very little practice time under his belt.
Ravens WR Sammy Watkins (undisclosed) returned to practice on Wednesday. He missed over a week of action but appears on track for Week 1. The 28-year-old could supply some deep league value early on while Rashod Bateman is sidelined.
49ers QB Trey Lance is "trending in the right direction" in his recovery from a small chip to 1 of the fingers on his right hand, GM John Lynch said Wednesday. The 'Niners are still hoping to get Lance back at practice on Monday -- although Lynch admitted that's "kind of the optimistic" timetable. This injury has likely killed any chance Lance had of winning the Week 1 starting job. But we're still expecting to see the rookie under center by the midway point of the season.
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman (core) has been placed on IR. That means the rookie will miss at least the first 3 games of the season. HC John Harbaugh had previously said that he hoped to get Bateman back “sometime in September," but the earliest he could be back now is the very end of the month. We'll keep an eye on his progress, but Bateman is only worth stashing in deep fantasy leagues and leagues with IR spots. Ravens WR Miles Boykin was also placed on IR
The Patriots placed WR N'Keal Harry (shoulder) on IR. He'll miss at least the first 3 games of the season. The former 1st-round pick was reportedly having a nice camp before the shoulder injury. But he'll return no higher than 4th on the depth chart behind Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports that the Cowboys are signing RB Corey Clement to the active roster. The former Eagle spent training camp and the preseason with the Giants but didn't make the 53-man roster. He'll obviously land behind Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard on the Dallas depth chart, but that 3rd spot is open. We're not particularly interested in Clement for any fantasy football format, though.
Colts WR T.Y. Hilton had surgery this week to alleviate his disc issue, according to Stephen Holder of The Athletic. The team has placed the veteran wideout on IR, but GM Chris Ballard reportedly said they expect Hilton back "sooner than later." The IR stint means Hilton will miss at least 3 games, but it sounds like he might not be out much longer than that. Expect Michael Pittman, Parris Campbell and Zach Pascal to work as the top 3 WRs while Hilton is gone.
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