QB Jameis Winston has been named the Saints' starter, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Winston and QB Taysom Hill seemed to play to a draw in training camp, but Winston won this job with his 123-yard, 2-TD performance in Monday night's preseason game vs. Jacksonville. Having Winston under center is good news for RB Alvin Kamara and New Orleans' WRs. But Winston himself isn't a very attractive fantasy option. He'll be working with an underwhelming group of pass catchers until WR Michael Thomas returns. And Hill still figures to steal snaps, especially in the red zone.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler confirms that Saints QB Jameis Winston "appears well-positioned to start opening day vs. Green Bay." HC Sean Payton has yet to officially name a starter, but it'd be a surprise if it wasn't Winston after his impressive showing in the 2nd preseason game. "Winston is receiving significant locker-room support this week for the Saints starting QB job, with many teammates treating him as if he is the starter or giving indications he will get the job," Fowler adds. If you're drafting this weekend, assume Winston is the Saints' starter. He's not an appealing fantasy option -- but Winston being under center is good news for RB Alvin Kamara and the rest of New Orleans' skill guys.
Scott Bair of the Falcons official site believes Mike Davis will see “200 plus carries.” “They'll use several [RBs] in the rushing attack,” Blair says, “though I think Davis ends up the workhorse.” Our current RB projections have Davis down for 205 rush attempts, so it's a reasonable take. We’ll keep an eye on Atlanta adding another RB as teams make cuts to get rosters down to 53 by 4pm Monday. For now, Qadree Ollison looks like the team’s #2 rusher.
The Broncos don't expect TE Noah Fant to miss any regular-season time with his lower left leg injury, according to NFL Network's James Palmer. Fant has missed the past few days of practice and won't play in the preseason finale. But this doesn't sound like a serious issue. We'll keep you updated.
Rams HC Sean McVay talked about his new-look backfield of Darrell Henderson and Sony Michel on Thursday. “Wanted to make sure that we got somebody else that’s played in big-time games," McVay said of Michel, per NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano. “The goal is to get him ready to go and have him a big-time contributor on the 12th (Week 1)." Of Henderson, McVay said, "Darrell’s still going to have a very big role. Doesn’t really change the outlook for him." We at least expect Henderson to open the season as Los Angeles' lead back. But it could be a fluid situation.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton is expected to play in Saturday's preseason finale vs. the Rams. It'll be his 1st game action since tearing his ACL last September. “I definitely want to be able to go out and play fast and just not think about anything,” Sutton said. “That was one of my biggest things going into camp — I wanted to go build that confidence in myself that my leg is completely fine and I can be who I am at a high level. I think that’s exactly what I want to do Saturday and moving forward with the rest of the season.” We're excited to see how Sutton looks this weekend -- especially after early-August reports that he was hesitant on that knee.
Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase has had a "fantastic week" of practice, The Athletic's Paul Dehner writes. It's certainly noteworthy after an early-August report that he was struggling in camp and then a 3-drop 2nd preseason game. We're not worried about Chase's on-field performance. It's the target competition and volume projection that's keeping him suppressed in the WR rankings.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is back to full practice participation. “I thought he looked great,'' OC Kellen Moore said Thursday, referring to Prescott's Wednesday workout. "We’re not looking at anything from a limitation standpoint ... We're just playing ball at this point. We're fired up." Obviously, there's always chance of a re-injury, but Dallas has clearly been playing it cautiously with their franchise passer. It sounds like we should feel confident in drafting Prescott in fantasy football leagues.
Browns WR Odell Beckham took part in 11 on 11 at Thursday’s practice. While we won't see OBJ this preseason, Thursday marks another positive step in his return from November ACL surgery. Cleveland opens the regular season with a huge matchup at Kansas City on September 12.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley (knee) participated in live drills in joint practice with the Patriots on Thursday and said he "felt good." Barkley was still sporting a non-contact jersey but said he wasn't thinking about his surgically repaired knee. It's another important step as he pushes to be cleared for Week 1.
Jets beat writer Connor Hughes of The Athletic sees the team’s backfield as a “3-man rotation.” “Tevin Coleman, Ty Johnson and Michael Carter will all see their share of snaps in the regular season,” Hughes writes, “with La’Mical Perine working in as the goal-line, short-yardage back.” It’s tough to buy Perine as a factor, but a Jets RB rotation has largely been the theme all summer. Look for the situation to remain fluid throughout the year.
Jets QB Zach Wilson has made big strides from spring workouts to now, The Athletic's Connor Hughes writes. "He has a much firmer understanding of the playbook and is much more comfortable within this scheme," Hughes says. "That’s allowing his athleticism and passing ability to shine." Wilson has looked good this preseason, especially when completing 9 of 11 passes for 128 yards and 2 scores vs. the Packers last week. (And he did that without WR Elijah Moore.). Wilson certainly looks capable of emerging as a spot-start fantasy option as a rookie.
49ers RB Raheem Mostert left Wednesday's practice with "apparent back pain," according to insider Cam Inman. "Mostert winced as he reached the sideline and was checked on by trainers, then watched most of the remaining plays from a knee," Inman adds. We'll see how serious of an issue this ends up being. Mostert, of course, has struggled staying healthy over the past 3 seasons -- although he's never had back trouble.
The Titans announced Thursday that QB Ryan Tannehill has landed on the COVID list. It's not yet clear whether he tested positive or was merely a close contact, so he'll miss anywhere from 5-10 days. Either timeframe should still have him back on the field ahead of the regular-season opener. We'll pass along any further updates on the situation.
Patriots QB Cam Newton returned to practice Thursday after spending 5 days away following a mixup in COVID testing protocol. According to practice observers, Newton jumped right back in front of Mac Jones for lead reps with the 1st team. We'll see whether anything changes by the regular-season opener, but continue treating Newton as the New England starter for now.
Lions WR Tyrell Williams is currently sidelined with a groin injury but is expected back at practice next week, HC Dan Campbell said Wednesday. This doesn't sound like a serious issue, but we'll keep an eye on Williams leading up to Week 1.
The Packers placed WR Devin Funchess on IR after he went down with an undisclosed injury last week. Funchess opted out of the 2020 season and played in just 1 game in 2019 before suffering a season-ending broken collarbone. He's still just 27, but Funchess' NFL career is on life support.
Browns WR Odell Beckham (ACL rehab) took his first reps in 7 on 7s on Wednesday. That marked the first time he’s moved beyond individual/positional drills. “I think he’s done a nice job in the meeting rooms, walk through, has a much better understanding in Year 2 of the scheme or that type of thing,” HC Kevin Stefanski said. “And then he’s getting good work in. It’s work that happens in the building, happens out on the practice fields. It’ll increase as we go but I think he’s working really hard everywhere – meeting room, stuff they’re doing in the weight room. I think it just keeps showing up. The guy is battling. He’s working very hard.” OBJ remains on track to play Week 1 against Kansas City. We’ll see if we get any word on whether he’ll be limited as Cleveland’s opener draws near. Beckham carries some appeal at a WR30 price.
The Cowboys on Wednesday activated K Greg Zuerlein from the PUP list. He had been out recovering from offseason back surgery but should be good to go for the regular season now.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott (shoulder) is expected to throw in 7-on-7 drills in Wednesday's practice, David Helman of the team's official website reports. It'll be Prescott's 1st competitive reps since the 1st week of training camp. He continues to trend toward being ready to rock come Week 1.
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