Unsigned Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Commanders TE Logan Thomas has missed two straight practices with a calf injury. The veteran missed three games with a calf strain in October. We’ll let you know when he’s back at practice.

Darin Gantt of Panthers.com says it's "increasingly clear during camp that the passing game is going to be diverse." He says WR D.J. Chark has "made daily highlights" but adds that Adam Thielen caught a deep TD Saturday and that "several other wideouts were making plays." The fantasy takeaway here is that you shouldn't expect any Panthers WR to dominate target share. "Diverse" here means that QB Bryce Young is spreading the ball around, which makes sense given the WR corps. Fortunately, the ADP for everyone in the corps is low enough that we don't need a target dominator. Thielen remains the leader of the group in our WR rankings. We're not ignoring the recent Chark buzz, though.

The Raiders released TE O.J. Howard. Once an exciting fantasy prospect, Howard's dynasty value is on life support. He's totaled just 24 catches in two seasons since tearing his Achilles. We'll see if the 28-year-old latches on elsewhere before Week 1. The Raiders move forward with Michael Mayer and Austin Hooper as their top two TEs.

Bengals RB Trayveon Williams suffered a "mild ankle sprain" in Tuesday's practice, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Williams is expected to be sidelined "a couple of weeks." It's relatively good news after Williams was carted off with what sounded like a more serious injury. He should be available come Week 1, but the missed time will hurt his chances of beating out rookie Chase Brown for the Bengals' No. 2 RB job.

"It's been clear early in training camp that Justin Fields has a strengthened trust in Chase Claypool. Feeding him the football, even in tight coverage, and they're connecting." That tweet comes from Chris Emma, a reporter for 670 The Score in Chicago. There's never been much question about Claypool's talent. It's been preparation and attitude. Fields spoke earlier this offseason, though, about Claypool showing improvement on that front. Of course, the big remaining question for fantasy is passing volume. The Bears ranked way behind the rest of the league in pass share in 2022. But they traded for Claypool and then paid even more for D.J. Moore. They clearly plan to pass more. How much more? We probably won't know until the season starts. Claypool will have a tough time being relevant for weekly redraft lineups. But he's interesting in the very late rounds of best ball drafts. See where all the Bears' wideouts sit in our WR rankings.

Eagles RB Rashaad Penny said he’s currently tipping the scales at 231 pounds, seven pounds under his playing weight in Seattle. Per beat writer Chris Franklin, Penny wants to get close to his college playing weight of 220. “This is a fresh start for me,” Penny said. “Playing with an offense like this, I get to unleash something that a lot of people probably have never seen me do. I have the chance for more big plays and more catches, being a part of this offense and taking pride in what they do here.” Penny’s big-play talent makes him a worthwhile mid-round target.

The NFL has suspended Cowboys RB Ronald Jones for the first two regular-season games for violating the PED policy. That's no big news for fantasy football drafts, but his absence won't help Jones' case for working ahead of Malik Davis or Deuce Vaughn. It might even factor into whether he makes the regular-season roster. Of course, if he hasn't appealed yet, Jones could point to totaling just 92 yards over a full season with the Chiefs as evidence that he didn't enhance a thing.

Lions WR Marvin Jones has been activated from the non-football-injury list. He missed the first week of camp but will now look to carve out an early-season role while WR Jameson Williams serves his six-game suspension. The 33-year-old Jones is not an exciting fantasy pick.

The Giants have activated WRs Sterling Shepard and Jamison Crowder from the Non-Football Injury List. They’re practicing today, but both veterans remain off the redraft radar.

Bucs WR Russell Gage returned to practice on Sunday. He missed the team's first three sessions with a leg injury, per reporter Greg Auman. The veteran is just a late-round flier in fantasy drafts.

Rams RB Sony Michel informed HC Sean McVay that he intends to retire, The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrique reports. Michel turned just 28 in February but has endured a litany of injuries. With Michel out of the picture, the Rams are back to Cam Akers, Kyren Williams, and Zach Evans as their top three RBs.

Free agent RB Ezekiel Elliott reportedly visited the Patriots on Saturday, per multiple reports. The team hosted fellow free agent RB Leonard Fournette on July 18, and are rumored to be linked to Dalvin Cook as well. HC Bill Belichick and company seem keen on adding veteran depth to this backfield to accompany incumbent starter Rhamondre Stevenson. The more this possibility drifts toward reality, Stevenson looks like a potential fantasy loser just one year after recording career bests in touches (279), total touchdowns (six), and scrimmage yards (1,461). Though Elliott has slowed down in recent years, he's posted at least 230 carries in every season of his career dating back to 2016. How good the former All-Pro will be entering his age-28 season is its own matter. Regardless, we'll be sure to monitor this situation should any sort of deal materialize. See where each of these players appear in our current RB rankings.

Ravens WR Odell Beckham said he has "no real limitations" as training camp gets underway. "I don't know percentages; I just feel good," Beckham said. "I feel like I'm going to continue to work to get back to who I know I truly am." Beckham has played just 21 games over the last three seasons -- and none since tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl in February 2022. But he's had a healthy offseason and has bounce-back potential in what should be a pass-heavier Ravens offense under new OC Todd Monken.

Cowboys WR Michael Gallup is seeing extra snaps in the slot, per HC Mike McCarthy. Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News says the “goal is for [Gallup] to develop into more of a moving piece.” Gallup ran only 8% of his routes from the slot last year and hit the same number in 2021. We're not expecting a major spike, but it's nice for Dallas to add more versatility to Gallup's role -- especially with Brandin Cooks in town. Gallup profiles as a fantasy WR5.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, free agent RB Dalvin Cook is flying to New York today in anticipation of a visit with the Jets. The veteran back has received interest from multiple teams this offseason, and whatever backfield he ends up in will have a significant shakeup on their hands. When asked about the Cook visit, Jets HC Robert Saleh said he's "excited" but made clear that it's not meant to imply the health of incumbent RB Breece Hall (ACL) is a concern. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler separately reported that Cook and the Patriots are also in talks for a potential visit. It might be a while until we know where the four-time Pro Bowler suits up in Week 1, but the market is heating up meaningfully. We'll address the fantasy fallout once a definitive landing spot is known.

WR John Ross was placed on the reserve/retired list. The 9th overall pick in 2017, Ross battled for a back-end roster spot in Kansas City this summer. He totaled 62 catches, 957 yards, and 11 TDs for his career.

Ravens HC John Harbaugh gave his early assessment of WR Odell Beckham. “It seems to me that Odell has a good plan,” Harbaugh said Wednesday. “I see him working himself on a schedule to be ready to start the season. He’s definitely not where he’s going to be, but you could see the step (up) from minicamp…it was a good step in the right direction.” Beckham, 30, recently told The Athletic that he’s approaching 2023 like it’ll be his final season. If he can stay healthy, spot-start WR3 value is within reach given a more aggressive Baltimore offense.

The Giants are starting WR Sterling Shepard on the PUP list for training camp. That's no shock. Shepard's 2022 ended with a torn left ACL. And that followed a 2021 Achilles' tendon tear. We'll see how soon Shepard can return to action in 2023. Don't be surprised if he has a low-impact season in a suddenly crowded WR corps, though.

The Commanders are signing WR Byron Pringle to a one-year deal, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Pringle spent last season with the Bears but managed just 10 catches for 135 yards on 16 targets across 11 games. Injuries limited his chances to contribute at various points. Pringle has exceeded 13 receptions in just one of his four NFL seasons. So don't bet on a significant contribution in Washington -- barring injury to at least one starter.

Saints WR Michael Thomas is expected to be a full participant for the start of training camp on Wednesday, according to insider Nick Underhill. The key for Thomas will be staying healthy throughout the rest of the year. He's played just 10 games over the past three seasons due to an assortment of injuries. We're skeptical that Thomas can regain pre-injury form or production, especially competing for targets with WR Chris Olave. But Thomas is certainly capable of paying off his ninth-round, WR44 ADP.