Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy didn't rule out WR Michael Gallup (knee) for Sunday night's opener vs. the Bucs when asked Thursday. "We’ll talk about it,” McCarthy said, adding that Gallup "looks really good." We're still not expecting Gallup to play Week 1, but he should be back by the end of September.

Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reports that Cowboys WR Michael Gallup won't practice this week or play in the regular-season opener. This doesn't come as a surprise and doesn't signal a setback for the WR coming off an end-of-season ACL tear. "He's hit every target to date," HC Mike McCarthy says, per Gehlken. "He looks really good." Noah Brown looks like the best bet to run as Dallas' #2 WR in the opener.

Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said Wednesday that WR Michael Gallup is "getting close" in his return from his torn ACL. “Looks excellent,” McCarthy said. "He’s hit every target. His rehab is going very smooth. Just staying on the plan." Owner Jerry Jones said that Gallup could play next week if it was the Super Bowl. "We’re going to be cautious — not cautious, but conservative — with him," said Jones. "He won’t be out there more than likely against Tampa, but if it were the Super Bowl, he would be out there. He’s that ready.” It sounds like we should expect Gallup to make his 2022 debut before the end of September. He's worth stashing on fantasy benches.

Niners QB Trey Lance and HC Kyle Shanahan each acknowledged that the preseason finale proved disappointing. "Some ugly stuff out there, for sure," Lance said, per 49ers Webzone. Shanahan said he had hoped for a "cleaner" outing and that he extended Lance's playing time by 1 series because of how quickly the first 2 possessions passed. Each also downplayed the importance, of course, of a single, 3-drive appearance. We're certainly not altering our outlook for Lance, who's upside is primarily driven by his rushing ability. Consider the game a reminder, though, that San Francisco's new starter might mix in a few rough outings this year.

The hope for anyone drafting Cowboys RB Tony Pollard in a fantasy football league is that he opens the year with a significant increase in receiving work. It sounds like OC Kellen Moore wants that, too. “There is a ton of it on film. A lot of it is coming back to him,” Moore told ESPN's Todd Archer, referring to the receiving skills Pollard displayed in college. “I think he does have more than just that. He’s not going to run [just] the running back route tree, the quick game and just kind of the completion plays. He can stretch people vertically, and I think that will be a huge advantage for him to put people in conflict of how they want to handle him.” There is room for Pollard to factor into a passing game that lost Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson, and will at least see Michael Gallup (ACL) limited to open the year. Obviously, the ultimate ceiling for Pollard would include an Ezekiel Elliott injury. But he sits higher in our RB rankings than previous years because of the expected growth in his receiving role.

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb was back at practice on Wednesday. He missed about a week with a cut to his foot that required stitches. "Came out good," HC Mike McCarthy said after Wednesday's workout. Consider this a non-issue going forward.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Wednesday that WR Michael Gallup will avoid the regular season PUP list. Such a move would have cost him the first 4 games. Gallup only started running routes last week and admitted that it’s unrealistic for him to play in the opener vs. Tampa Bay. But it certainly sounds like he’ll return soon thereafter.

Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said Tuesday that WR Michael Gallup is doing “really well” and has avoided any setbacks in his rehab from a torn ACL. Gallup suffered the injury in Week 17 of last season, but he’s had a relatively smooth recovery since then. Already out for Week 1, we're still not counting on the 26-year-old as an early-season fantasy contributor.

How do the Cowboys feel about QB Dak Prescott's play this summer? “I thought he’s had his best camp that I’ve seen him have since he’s been a Cowboy,” VP Stephen Jones says, according to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. “Velocity, his accuracy, the whole thing. Obviously, as the quarterbacks get older, they get better. The good ones do. They get better every year. There’s no question in my mind, I think he’s had his best training camp he’s ever had.” We're not altering our projections on praise from the team's front office, but it's certainly good to hear -- especially considering that Prescott has to deal with losing WR Amari Cooper and likely opening the year without WR Michael Gallup (ACL recovery). Prescott sits in low-QB1 territory in our fantasy football rankings and hasn't been a specific target of ours in drafting so far. But he has displayed the upside to outperform that level and is worth a look when he stays on the board into that range.

Cowboys WR Michael Gallup ran routes on Thursday for the first time since tearing his ACL last January, according to insider Michael Gehlken. “It felt great," Gallup said afterward. Gallup is still likely to open the regular season on the PUP list and miss at least the first 4 games. But he's at least making progress in his rehab.

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb was sidelined for Wednesday's joint practice with the Chargers. He told insider Clarence Hill that he suffered a cut to his foot that required stitches. Lamb wouldn't say how it happened. We'll see exactly how long he's out, but we're not expecting this to impact Lamb's availability for the start of the season.

Cowboys RB Tony Pollard has been "privately tutored" on playing slot receiver by offensive quality control coach Kyle Valero this offseason. "Just details like route-running, getting in and out of breaks, why we’re running certain plays and what’s the meaning behind them,” Pollard said. “We’re getting into the depth of why we’re doing the things that we’re doing, so it will make more sense in the big picture. …It just shows the hard work that I’ve put in. In the offseason, during the season, it’s not going unnoticed. Guys are noticing the things that I can do with the ball to help the team, just knowing that I can contribute more and more to the team.” Pollard ranked 3rd in yards per route run last year among 51 qualifying RBs, and the Cowboys are dangerously thin at WR to open the season. So we're buying some slot usage for Pollard. That'll give him a chance to be a fantasy starter even behind a healthy Ezekiel Elliott.

Jon Machota of The Athletic named Cowboys WR Simi Fehoko as the “biggest surprise” in training camp. Machota mentions WR Noah Brown as another strong candidate, but it’s Fehoko who’s mentioned as looking “ready to contribute in year 2.” The Stanford product made only 5 appearances as a rookie and didn’t catch a ball — hardly a surprise as a Round 5 pick on a (then) strong WR corps. Injuries to Michael Gallup and James Washington, plus the trade of Amari Cooper, have given guys like Fehoko a shot to emerge. The 24-year-old goes 6’4, 222 pounds with sub-4.5 speed, so he has some intriguing tools to work with.

Cowboys OC Kellen Moore confirmed his plans to increase RB Tony Pollard’s role in 2022. “He’s a guy that we want to get the ball to,” Moore said of the contract-year back. “He’s had a ton of success when he does get those opportunities. I think the running back role is one thing, certainly when Zeke and him can kind of tag-team that role, but then it’s another opportunity for him to expand that role and play in some different positions, out in space and some of the things that certainly he’s capable of doing. I think the more we expand those roles, the more opportunities he’ll be able to get out there and get touches.” Pollard, with an ADP at mid-Round 7, is one of our favorite RB3 targets.

Jon Machota of The Athletic writes that Dallas’ O-line “has more question marks than it ever has in [Dak] Prescott’s career.” Of note, LT Tyron Smith has made only 13 appearances over the past 2 seasons. Overall, the O-line will be an area we monitor closely as Dallas enters preseason action.

Cowboys WR Michael Gallup (knee) admitted that he won't be ready to play Week 1, calling it "not a reasonable possibility.” It's a rare honest injury assessment from a player -- but it's not a surprise. Gallup didn't undergo surgery on his ACL until early February, so the typical 9-month recovery timeline would have him back in early November. We'll see if he can beat that timeline, but we're expecting Gallup to open the season on reserve PUP and miss at least the first 4 games.

The Cowboys used RB Tony Pollard in a multitude of ways on the 1st day of training camp and are "committed to making Pollard a viable weapon in the offense," insider Clarence Hill writes. "Pollard opened 11-on-11 drills with the first-team offense as slot receiver. He ended practice as the primary third-down back in the 2-minute drill with [Ezekiel] Elliott on the sidelines." Hill adds that he expects Dallas to use Elliott and Pollard on the field together this season. We hear that a lot this time of year, but it certainly makes sense in this situation considering how good Pollard is and the fact that the Cowboys lost WR Amari Cooper and will likely be without WR Michael Gallup early on. We know Pollard is at least an elite fantasy handcuff, but he's also capable of providing standalone value this season.

Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said Wednesday that WR Michael Gallup is in the "4th quarter" of his ACL rehab. "He hasn’t had a setback," McCarthy added. "He looks really good." McCarthy wouldn't give a timetable for Gallup's return, though. Considering he underwent surgery in early February, there's still a good chance that he misses at least the first 4 games of the season on the PUP list. Gallup even admitted today that it would be a stretch for him to play Week 1.

Cowboys WR Michael Gallup (knee) has been place on the PUP list. No surprise as he continues to recover from early-February surgery to repair a torn ACL. We'll see if Gallup remains on the PUP list to start the season, which would cost him the first 4 weeks. Owner Jerry Jones admitted earlier this offseason that Gallup is iffy for Week 1.

If there was any remaining doubt as to who will be the 49ers' starting QB this season, HC Kyle Shanahan put that to rest on Tuesday. "We have moved on to Trey Lance," Shanahan said. "This is Trey's team." QB Jimmy Garoppolo remains on the roster as he recovers from shoulder surgery, but the 'Niners are hoping to trade Garoppolo "as soon as we can," Shanahan added. Lance remains mostly an unknown as a passer. But he's in a favorable scheme with strong weapons. Throw in his high-end rushing upside and he's an attractive target at his QB13 ADP.