Fantasy Football News

The Athletic's Matt Barrow writes that 49ers WR Deebo Samuel is "not going to be close to an every-down player" this season. Barrows adds that Samuel is expected to "take over a portion" of Ricky Pearsall's 'Z' role and also get some snaps in the backfield.

Niners rookie WR De'Zhaun Stribling did not draw the first two targets from QB Brock Purdy in Thursday night's exhibition game against the Chargers. Those first two passes went toward WR Deebo Samuel, with one completion for 4 yards. But Purdy did target Stribling on his next three attempts and complete all of them. The second-round pick finished the first quarter with 4 catches for 46 yards on 5 targets, snagging his last reception from QB Mac Jones. No other Niner caught more than one ball in the first half.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that 49ers TE George Kittle got a good report Wednesday from Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the surgeon who repaired the Achilles' tendon he tore in January.

Cyrus Allen continues to make headlines as one of the Chiefs' offensive standouts this training camp. Most recently, he beat the team's first-round defensive back, Mansoor Delane, during 1-on-1 drills, with the video coming courtesy of Fox 4 Kansas City's Harold Kuntz.

Just days after returning to practice from a leg injury, Jaylen Waddle is already starring again. Broncos beat reporter Zac Stevens said Bo Nix hit Waddle for a 60-yard touchdown, and Sean Payton added afterward that Waddle is “doing good.”

In what is one of the final remaining starting quarterback battles in the league, Browns' Deshaun Watson looked impressive in their joint practice with the Bills. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN shared a video of Watson hitting KC Concepcion in the middle of the field for a roughly 30-yard gain.

Fernando Mendoza is expected to make the first preseason start of his career, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. After essentially playing a half last week, entering for Kirk Cousins after the opening touchdown drive and staying in through the end of the third quarter, the Raiders’ first overall pick is expected to get a similar workload this time as the starter.

Eagles WR Makai Lemon was limited in Thursday's joint practice with the Patriots, according to insider Jeff McLane. It was the rookie's first practice of any kind in more than two weeks. He also missed time this spring with hamstring trouble.

Bears WR Rome Odunze sparked concern in June when he talked about a "new normal" after injuring his left foot last season. But he clarified those comments at the start of camp and has shown no lingering effects on the practice field, according to The Athletic's Dan Wiederer. "After 15 camp practices, Odunze has 15 made positive deposits into his 2026 development bank," Wiederer writes. "And if there were any concerns that the foot injuries that limited him last season and eventually caused him to miss the final five regular-season games would linger, they have disintegrated."

Lions HC Dan Campbell said Thursday that TE Sam LaPorta is dealing with a hip injury after taking a hit in practice earlier this week. The injury doesn't sound serious, but Campbell admitted he's not sure if it'll impact LaPorta's Week 1 availability, per insider Tim Twentyman.

Colts TE Tyler Warren is expected to miss about a week with the groin injury he suffered in Wednesday's practice, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "No worries for Week 1," Rapoport adds. The Colts open their season vs. the Ravens in 24 days. Barring a setback, Warren's 2026 fantasy outlook is unaffected. We'll keep an eye on him but have not moved for the groin injury in the TE rankings. Warren did take a slight hit when Indianapolis signed WR Keenan Allen earlier this week.

Commanders RB Rachaad White has missed "the last few days" of practice because of a hamstring injury, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. White reportedly sustained the injury in a joint practice with the Dolphins last week, before Friday night's preseason opener.

SI.com's John Shipley reports that Jaguars RB Bhayshul Tuten delivered a strong performance in Wednesday's joint practice with the Panthers. His review just might provide worthwhile info about both Tuten and the Jacksonville defense.

Jacksonville's Travis Hunter played 28 snaps on defense and just 2 on offense in 11-on-11 work in Wednesday's joint practice with the Panthers, according to ESPN's Michael DiRocco. That fits the recent camp trend: Hunter has been playing much more defense than offense.

Patriots WR A.J. Brown turned in what Mass Live's Mark Daniels called his best practice of training camp Wednesday. It's probably no coincidence that it came against his former team, the Eagles. Brown caught all 7 of his targets, including "multiple highlight-reel catches," per Daniels.

Carnell Tate collided with Kevin Winston Jr while making a catch on Monday that caused him to leave practice early. Turron Davenport of ESPN reported that Tate has been held out of practice since. Titans head coach Robert Saleh offered a different reason for Tate’s absence, saying he was held out of practice due to stiffness rather than the collision from a couple days prior, per Jon Burton of NC5 Nashville.

Christian McCaffrey has missed several practices dating back to early last week due to “tightness.” Unsourced speculation suggested that McCaffrey was sitting out for a new extension in response to the recent lucrative deals handed out at his position to Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, and Jahmyr Gibbs. But 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan dismissed the idea, saying “I think they make a lot of assumptions, and that would be one that they’re wrong on,” per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

After signing with the Titans in his first stint in free agency, Wan’Dale Robinson appears primed for another high-target season. Titans beat writer Easton Freeze, who was at training camp practice this morning, said that “Robinson hauled in at least five balls by my count, with more than that in terms of targets.”

A few days ahead of the Colts’ second preseason game, Tyler Warren left practice with what appeared to be a groin injury, according to ESPN's Stephen Holder. Shortly after, Holder followed up: “He’s now back with teammates on the sideline, still in uniform, but without a helmet,” suggesting it doesn't seem to be a major injury.

Steelers WR Michael Pittman is dealing with a "minor" hamstring injury, according to Penn Live's Nick Farabaugh. Pittman has been out for a week and a half but expects to be ready for Week 1, per Farabaugh.