Vikings TE Irv Smith will undergo surgery for a meniscus injury, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The 3rd-year TE is expected to miss at least the Week 1 opener vs. Cincinnati, but a specific timeline isn’t yet known. Tyler Conklin, the #2 TE, has already missed time this summer with a hamstring injury. If healthy, Conklin will profile as a potential spot-starter out of the gate.
Bills RB Devin Singletary got the start in Saturday's preseason finale and played all 12 snaps on the 1st possession. RB Zack Moss ended up leading the backfield with 16 snaps with QB Josh Allen, though. Singletary played 15 and RB Matt Breida 7. Breida, interestingly, played 6 of those 7 snaps in the slot or split out wide. This is looking like at least a 2-man, and potentially a 3-man committee heading into Week 1.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Sunday that QB Dak Prescott (shoulder) is "good to go" for the start of the season after a nice week of practice. “He really turned it loose and was none the worse for it," Jones said. Prescott got limited practice reps this offseason as he rehabbed ankle and then shoulder injuries. But he's returning to the same offense with the same group of weapons. There's more risk with Prescott than the rest of the top-end fantasy QBs -- but his ceiling easily climbs into the top 3.
Texans K Ka'imi Fairbairn sat out Saturday night's preseason finale against the Buccaneers after a "minor leg muscle pull" during pregame warmups, according to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790 in Houston. HC David Culley said afterward that Fairbairn could have played if they needed him to. Wilson reports that it's not expected to affect the kicker's Week 1 status.
Stephen Holder of The Athletic reports that WR T.Y. Hilton is expected to miss "multiple weeks" with an injury he initially suffered in practice last Wednesday. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that he's being evaluated for an "upper back/neck injury." We'll see about the specific diagnosis and return timeline. Hilton already didn't sit high in the rankings, so he's not worth much attention in typical fantasy football drafts. Hilton's absence will help the target outlooks for WRs Michael Pittman, Parris Campbell and Zach Pascal.
According to multiple reports, the Ravens are assuming RB J.K. Dobbins will miss the season because of the left knee injury he suffered Saturday night. The 2nd-year back is having an MRI to confirm the diagnosis today, but NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the team believes Dobbins tore the ACL. His loss obviously boosts Gus Edwards, Justice Hill and Ty'Son Williams. Don't be surprised, though, if Baltimore adds another RB as rosters get trimmed down around the league.
Update: Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Dobbins is officially out for the season with an ACL tear.
The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec confirms that Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins has a "potentially serious" knee injury. "At this point, anything short of Dobbins being declared out for the season Sunday would have to be considered a win for the Ravens," Zrebiec adds. It's speculation based on reactions from Dobbins, Ravens players and Ravens coaches on Saturday -- but this doesn't look good. We should get a more concrete diagnosis on Dobbins after he gets his MRI on Sunday. If you're drafting in the meantime, we wouldn't consider him until the double-digit rounds.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton hauled in 2 of 3 targets for 27 yards and a score in Saturday night's preseason finale vs. the Rams. It was Sutton's 1st live action since tearing his ACL last September. He looked good to us -- and ESPN medical expert Stephania Bell noted that Sutton cut well off his surgically repaired knee. His fantasy value is trending up after this outing. Sutton brings plenty of profit potential at a 7th- or 8th-round price tag.
"The belief among Ravens powers that be is that the [J.K.] Dobbins knee injury is indeed serious," insider Michael Silver tweeted on Saturday night. That's the only update we've seen on Dobbins since he had to be helped off the field and carted back to the locker room after hurting his left knee in Baltimore's final preseason game. Stay tuned.
Eagles insider Rueben Frank expects RB Kenneth Gainwell to play "a lot" this year. He got off to a slow start in camp but has seemingly gotten rolling lately. He had a nice preseason, capped by a 5-32-1 rushing line and 4-27 receiving line in Friday night's finale. We'll see exactly how Gainwell fits in a backfield that also includes Miles Sanders and Boston Scott. The rookie is just a late-round flier in drafts but could be a drain on Sanders' fantasy production.
Steelers WR Chase Claypool played 18 snaps in Friday night's preseason finale, catching 1 of 2 targets for 18 yards and carrying once for 11 yards. The big takeaway is that Claypool played -- a little over a week after injuring his ankle in practice. That's obviously not an issue going forward. Claypool is a fine target at his 6th-round ADP.
Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins injured his left knee in Saturday's preseason game. He was in obvious pain and needed assistance to get off the field and into the medical tent. He was eventually carted back to the locker room. We'll update Dobbins' status as soon as we know more.
The Panthers have released K Joey Slye. No surprise there, as the team recently acquired K Ryan Santonso via trade. Slye, only 25, will likely resurface this season.
The Jaguars have traded QB Gardner Minshew to the Eagles for a conditional 2022 sixth-round draft pick. Philly also released QB Nick Mullens, positioning Minshew as at least the 3rd QB on the depth chart. He'll need only to work past Joe Flacco to become Jalen Hurts' backup. That's a nice spot for the 25-year-old Minshew, whose rookie contract runs through 2022. Jacksonville, meanwhile, has C.J. Beathard and Jake Luton around as backups to Trevor Lawrence.
Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman started Friday night's preseason finally with Tyreek Hill in a 2-WR package. He would go on to play 9 of Patrick Mahomes' 15 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, vs. 14 for Hill and 11 for Demarcus Robinson. Byron Pringle was the only other WR to see 1st-team work, but he played just 1 snap. We'll take that level of involvement for Hardman. It would be nice to have him as the clear 2nd wideout ahead of Robinson, but even splitting that role while clearly working among the top 3 should present enough playing time to help Hardman approach his high weekly fantasy ceiling. He's a risk-reward pick in the middle rounds of your fantasy football draft. Robinson is well worth a look near the end of drafts. Pringle looks like he'll need an injury ahead of him to make him relevant.
The Jets rested starters Friday night in their preseason finale vs. Philadelphia. That meant no action for RB Tevin Coleman. Michael Carter and Ty Johnson played, however, and Johnson took the field 1st. Carter did mix in for the 1st drive but saw just 1 carry vs. 5 for Johnson. The work evened out between them by halftime: 8 carries, 1 target for Johnson; 7 carries, 1 target for Carter. The rookie then sat out the 2nd half, while Johnson remained heavily involved. That last point could be a positive for Carter. But he's clearly opening the year at least behind Coleman. Keep that in mind as you decide where to draft any Jets RBs over the next couple of weeks.
The Lions held QB Jared Goff and many other starters out of Friday night's preseason finale. Fourth-round rookie WR Amon-Ra St. Brown played, however, and continued to see just limited action. He spent just 7 snaps on the field, while the game's starters played 26. According to Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke, St. Brown "hasn't played a single snap" in 2 WR sets through 3 preseason contests. There's certainly room for his role to grow through the season, but the rookie doesn't look like a player you should bother with in redraft fantasy football leagues.
Panthers QB Sam Darnold opened the final preseason game with 6 straight completions against the Steelers en route to a productive night. He finished 19 of 25 for 162 yards and 2 TDs. Darnold found Terrace Marshall and Robby Anderson for 2nd-quarter red-zone scores, while D.J. Moore led all Panthers with 6 catches and 48 yards on a team-high 6 targets. Carolina opens the season with a favorable schedule, including a home date with the Jets in Week 1 and a Week 3 visit to Houston. Keep Darnold in mind as a late-round fantasy football option -- especially if you wait on addressing QB in your draft. As for the WRs, Anderson and Moore operated as the clear leaders, playing 38 snaps apiece among Darnold's 41, according to Pro Football Focus. Marshall worked in for 23. TE Dan Arnold played 30 snaps, with TE Ian Thomas taking the field for 22.
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk is dealing with a "slight hamstring" injury, HC Kyle Shanahan said. Aiyuk won't play in Sunday's preseason finale but should be back next week, per Shanny. This sounds minor, but we'll keep an eye on it. Hamstrings can be tricky.
The Bills on Friday activated WRs Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis from the COVID list. That comes less than a week after each player got deactivated, which means neither tested positive at all.
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