Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray is sidelined for the start of OTAs with what insider Calvin Watkins calls a "tweaked" hamstring.  He did some rehab work off to the side on Tuesday and is expected to be back with the team next week.  It's obviously a minor injury that shouldn't impact Murray this season.  But it's worth mentioning considering this guy's durability problems.  Murray entered the league with an "injury-prone" tag and has missed 9 games over his first 2 seasons.  He'll be a risky pick in 2013 fantasy drafts -- albeit one with considerable upside.

Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray has had trouble staying healthy dating back to his college days at Oklahoma.  He's missed 9 games across his first 2 NFL seasons.  It sounds like Dallas is looking to reduce Murray's workload in order to keep him on the field.  “In this league, you have to have more than one back,” VP Stephen Jones said. “Obviously, we developed DeMarco Murray but you also have to look at the fact he hasn’t been healthy yet in terms of for a full season. I think we need a back."  Felix Jones is a free agent and not expected back in Dallas.  And Jones views Lance Dunbar and Phillip Tanner as "more third backs than second backs.”  The team is looking to bring in a change-of-pace option through free-agency or the draft.  “You probably just want a guy that’s going to come in and complement him in the way maybe of just being, maybe more of a jitterbug type guy,” RBs coach Gary Brown said.  The quality of back the Cowboys bring in will be a good indication of just how much work Murray could lose in 2013.  We're still expecting him to see at least 15-18 touches per game. 

Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray took a surprising 23 carries in his return to action against the Eagles this past Sunday night.  While he avoided a setback with that bum foot, Murray admits that he's still not at 100%.  "I think I was off a little bit," he said. "There were some times I felt good, and some times I could tell I'd been off for six weeks without full contact. I'm back, and we'll see next week. Hopefully, I'll be better next week."  Murray looked a bit hobbled in the open field, but still displayed plenty of burst.  And he should only get better as he works back into game shape.  He's returned to must-start status for the fantasy playoffs.

Bills WR Stevie Johnson practiced with the team on Tuesday.  He had previously been sidelined with a lower back injury.  "It was great to see him," OC Nathaniel Hackett said. "He looks great in a uni. It was great to see him run some routes instead of being on the side. We've just got to work him back in."  The back issue was never considered serious and shouldn't be an issue this season.  Johnson has played in all of Buffalo's 48 games over the past 3 seasons.

Bills WR Stevie Johnson has been unable to participate in this week's minicamp because of a back strain suffered in April.  “I feel very comfortable with what Stevie has done in the past," HC Doug Marrone said. "It’s more important to get him healthy and get him well than it is to push him to get on the field." Johnson seems to always be dealing with some sort of nagging injury.  But he hasn't missed a single game the past 3 seasons.  As long as he's ready for training camp, the back won't be a concern.

As expected, Bills WR Stevie Johnson (hamstring) is active for today's game against the Rams.  The hammy tightened up on him last week but was never likely to keep him out today.  Still, Johnson is just a WR3 in fantasy at less than 100% against a tough St. Louis secondary.

Former NFLer Ross Tucker believes it's "ambitious" to believe Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski will need only 10 or 11 weeks to recover from surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back.  Tucker underwent a similar procedure in 2004.  "I was able to come back in 12 weeks, but I didn't feel right," Tucker said.  "I didn't feel good, and it led to other issues.  I partially tore my hamstring.  I hurt my neck.  I was not totally right 12 weeks later.  I really didn't feel good or normal until a full year later.  And even then, I'll maintain that I was never the same player."  Scary stuff for Gronk's short and long-term outlooks.  And remember that this will be his 2nd back surgery in the last 4 years.  Gronk is expected to meet with doctors in 3-4 weeks to confirm that this latest surgery is needed.  That already puts us into mid June.  The regular season kicks off 13 weeks after that.  Based on Tucker's timeline, Gronk won't be at 100% by then.  We'll continue to track his status throughout the summer.

Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski is infection free, according to doctors.  They completed today the 4th surgery on the left forearm he broke last season.  No more infection means the troublesome arm can finally heal, with still more than 2 months to go before training camp starts.  Of course, Gronkowski still needs back surgery.  Pro Football Talk reports that he'll get a consultation on that one in 3-4 weeks.  As we've said before, we'll be watching this situation all summer.  We still tentatively expect Gronk to be ready to go for the regular season.  His dominance at the position continues to make him a risk worth taking early in  your fantasy draft -- regardless of format.

The Boston Herald's Karen Guregian has confirmed that Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski will undergo a 4th forearm surgery on Monday at 2 pm ET.  Doctors will go in and determine whether or not the infection has cleared.  But contrary to previous information, Guregian reports that Gronk will need a 5th surgery regardless.  If the infection has cleared, that procedure to replace the plate in his forearm will take place in about a week.  Gronk would then begin a 10-11 week recovery phase.  If the infection is still present, "it's back to square one, and the possibility of missed games creeps into the equation," Guregian writes.  We'll continue to stay on top of this situation.

Despite the additions of Jason Campbell and Brian Hoyer, it's sounding more and more like Brandon Weeden is the strong favorite for Cleveland's starting QB spot.  New OC Norv Turner spoke highly of Weeden on Monday.  "Brandon is a one-year player in the NFL who did a lot more good things than people give him credit for," Turner said. "I like his composure, the way he competes, he's worked awfully hard. He's got to be one of the hardest-working guys on our team. So you look and say, 'Hey, you hope there's a big upside.' He's got a big arm. He's very intelligent. He makes good decisions. He throws the ball up the field the way we would like to, but he's very accurate underneath."  Weeden would need to tank this summer to lose the starting gig.  We'll see if he can up his game enough to get into the QB2 discussion.

New Browns HC Rob Chudzinski told 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland that he's "pleased" with the progress of QB Brandon Weeden and lauded his "outstanding" approach. He also decided not to say that he's committed to the 2nd-year player as the 2013 starter. "We’ll just see as we go forward," Chudzinski said. "I expect both of these guys to compete. I don’t know any other way." Weeden will have to beat out veteran Jason Campbell to keep his job. Of course, neither should be competing for a spot on your fantasy roster.

Browns QB Brandon Weeden thinks he's a good fit in new HC Rob Chudzinski's offense.  "I think this offense possesses a lot of the strengths that I have,'' he said. "I think we’re throwing the ball down the field, we’re throwing deeper routes, I’m going to be in the shotgun a little bit more."  Weeden's arm strength is one of his biggest assets.  But he wasn't able to put that on display enough in last year's West Coast scheme.  Weeden's 6.5 yards-per-attempt average ranked just 27th league-wide.  Expect that number to rise in 2013.  It's unlikely to make Weeden anything more than a low-end fantasy backup, but we're hopeful that his progress in the new offense can help WR Josh Gordon take another step forward.

HC Pete Carroll told the Tacoma News Tribune that Seahawks QB Russell Wilson is "a million miles ahead" of where he was last season.  Carroll specifically mentioned Wilson's ball placement on deep throws and cadence at the line.  A smarter Wilson should scare most of the league.  He proved excellent in leading Seattle to the playoffs as a rookie but threw just 393 passes.  Look for Seattle to let Wilson fling it much more, especially with WR Percy Harvin in town.  Wilson looks like a perennial top 10 fantasy football QB going forward.  He's also shaping up as a strong value in early drafting.

The Seahawks have officially named QB Russell Wilson their Week 1 starter. The rookie has thoroughly outplayed QB Matt Flynn through 3 preseason games, completing 67% of his passes with 5 TDs and 1 INT. Wilson has put his plus athleticism on display too, picking up 150 yards and a score on 10 carries. It’s that rushing ability that makes Wilson an intriguing fantasy prospect. Of course, he’s also shown that he can get the job done through the air. We’re targeting Wilson as a high-upside fantasy backup at the tail end of drafts.

The word on the street was that Russell Wilson could move into the lead for the Seahawks' starting QB job with an impressive showing against the Chiefs on Friday night.  Wilson got it done.  Drawing his first start, the rookie went 13 of 19 for 185 yards with 2 TDs and 0 INTs.  He added 58 yards on the ground, highlighted by a 31-yard scamper.  QB Matt Flynn, meanwhile, sat out with a sore arm.  Wilson has had one of the most impressive preseasons of anyone in the league.  He's completed 67% of his passes with 5 TDs and just 1 INT.  He's added another 150 yards and a score on the ground.  Wlson brings playmaking ability to the Seahawks offense.  It'll take some guts to roll with him as the starter, but HC Pete Carroll has never been afraid  to make a bold move.  If Wilson does get the job, he'd be an intriguing late-round flier, thanks mostly to his rushing ability.