Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster missed several practices this week with what the team deemed a "sore knee," according to Chiefs Wire. HC Andy Reid said Thursday that Smith-Schuster is progressing, though it seems unlikely he'll play in Saturday's 2nd preseason game. We'll keep an eye on the situation beyond that, but the issue doesn't appear serious.
Patriots rookie WR Tyquan Thornton left Friday night's preseason game with a shoulder injury. The team has provided no details to this point, with HC Bill Belichick saying he doesn't know yet whether Thornton will be available for the team's next exhibition. We'll keep an eye on the situation, but there's not much relevance for redraft fantasy football leagues here.
According to multiple accounts, Patriots TE Hunter Henry left Tuesday morning's practice early. We have yet to see details on an injury but will keep watch for updates.
Commanders RB Antonio Gibson was working on the punt protection team in Tuesday's practice, according to ESPN's John Keim. This, of course, follows a rough preseason opener that saw Gibson get yanked after losing a fumble on his 2nd carry. For what it's worth, Gibson played zero snaps on special teams across his first 2 NFL seasons. We'll see exactly where this goes, but Gibson is trending in the wrong direction.
Patriots HC Bill Belichick said Tuesday that RB Rhamondre Stevenson "has done a real good job improving his pass-game skills," especially as a pass protector. Stevenson said back in June that his primary focus this offseason was in the passing game, and it sounds like the work has paid off. New England's pass-catching role is up for grabs with RB James White's retirement. It sounds like Stevenson, Ty Montgomery and rookie Pierre Strong are the top contenders for that job.
The Athletic’s Nate Taylor believes JuJu Smith-Schuster has been the Chiefs’ best WR in training camp. Taylor describes the former Steeler as “a smooth route runner who has been consistent.” There’s some post-hype appeal to JuJu, who turns just 26 in November. Given the lack of proven targets in Kansas City, WR2 totals are well within his range of outcomes.
Chiefs starters played 1 possession in Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears. JuJu Smith-Schuster led the WRs with 11 snaps, followed by Marquez Valdes-Scantling (9), Mecole Hardman (4) and Justin Watson (1), according to Pro Football Focus. Skyy Moore did not get onto the field with that unit. We'll see how that usage pattern develops through the preseason.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes Titans TE Austin Hooper “should see a healthy red-zone [target] share.” Hooper’s never topped 6 TDs in a season. But he joined a Titans squad this summer that lost ~45 red zone targets to trade (A.J. Brown) and free agency. QB Ryan Tannehill has also posted a top-3 TD rate in 2 of the past 3 seasons (2019 and 2020). Ultimately, Hooper enters the year as a TE2.
ESPN's Kevin Seifert writes that Vikings WR K.J. Osborn "is having a breakout training camp in his own right." That came within an article focused on Adam Thielen's productive role in complement to WR Justin Jefferson's quick rise. We won't overrate 1 reporter's choice of adjectives, but it's clear that Minnesota's #3 wideout is having a good training camp after last year's 50-655-7 receiving line and WR39 finish in PPR. Osborn remains an easy value at his WR64 Underdog ADP.
Those around Patriots 2nd-round WR Tyquan Thornton say he has showed impressive growth through his 1st training camp. "He's gotten better every single time he's stepped on the field," WRs coach Ross Douglas told ESPN's Mike Reiss. "He truly has a lot of gifts. It's not just his speed. His ability to change direction, ball skills. He has a good attitude and the guys in the room have embraced him. His development will be key and we'll get him there." Reiss adds that Thornton has been primarily working behind WRs Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, and that those 4 appear "locked in atop the depth chart." We're not betting on a big fantasy football return from Thornton in his rookie season. We'll see, though, whether he can buck the lackluster trend of early-round WRs under Bill Belichick over the next few years.
Patriots DB Kyle Dugger did not start in Friday night's simulated intrasquad scrimmage. NESN reports that he rotated in with slot CB Jonathan Jones on the "blue" team, which featured 1st-stringers. It's obviously early in the process, but this doesn't seem good for the playing time of the 3rd-year player. Dugger spent most of last season playing near full time. He came in short of 75% playing time just twice across the 1st 12 games, exceeding 80% 6 times. But his final 3 regular-season outings checked in at just 56%, 63% and 51%. Dugger rebounded to 83% in the playoff loss at Buffalo. If he continues to be more of a sub-package player through the preseason, Dugger might be hard pressed to reach 70% playing time consistently without injury to a teammate. That, in turn, would make it tough for him to deliver regularly useful fantasy points. We've knocked Dugger way down the IDP rankings for now.
NJ.com's Chris Franklin has Quez Watkins and Zach Pascal as the Eagles' 3rd and 4th WRs right now, behind the obvious lead duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. That leaves 3rd-year WR Jalen Reagor fighting Greg Ward, Britain Covey and Deon Cain for what's expected to be the final 2 spots at the position. Reagor should certainly hold an edge at that level, but this standing doesn't bode well for his chances of finding fantasy football relevance.
New Titans TE Austin Hooper has been getting extra reps with QB Ryan Tannehill after practice. "Chemistry is just repetitions over time," he told reporters afterward. Titans TEs have disappointed with their target shares over the past couple of years, and Hooper might face a challenge from buzzy rookie TE Chig Okonkwo. But he also faces nice opportunity in a Tennessee offense that traded away WR A.J. Brown and released WR Julio Jones since last season. Hooper has consistently gone in TE3 range of drafts.
Commanders RB Antonio Gibson (hamstring) returned to position drills Monday, according to Ben Standig of The Athletic. We'll keep an eye on his status -- as well as specific role -- going forward.
Arif Hasan of The Athletic writes that Vikings WR K.J. Osborn has appeared to lock down the team’s #3 WR role. Osborn, who enjoyed a mini breakout last year (50-655-7), is running ahead of guys like Bisi Johnson, Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Albert Wilson. It’s not a surprise, but it’s nice to get confirmation with Minnesota breaking in a new coaching staff. With the Vikings expected to feature more 3-WR looks, Osborn could enter the spot-start mix in deep leagues.
"My guess after being around this team a little is that Rhamondre Stevenson probably will get the bulk of the carries," NBC Sports' Peter King said after attending Patriots training camp. It's a tepid prediction -- and King reminded us that "you're not gonna have any Patriots RB run it 300 times. That's just not the way Bill Belichick wants to use his personnel in the backfield." But it's still noteworthy considering RB Damien Harris is going a round or 2 ahead of Stevenson in fantasy drafts. We'll be keeping a close eye on this backfield in the preseason.
Pats RB Rhamondre Stevenson has slimmed down to 225 pounds, per insider Doug Kyed. He’s listed at 230 pounds on NFL.com, so it’s not a drastic cut. The move is believed to be because of an increased emphasis on the passing game. Per Kyed, Stevenson said he has a better understanding of 3rd-down concepts entering year 2. With James White’s health a question mark, Stevenson looks like the Pats’ primary receiving back in 2022.
Commanders RB Antonio Gibson worked on a side field on Wednesday as he recovers from a hamstring injury. HC Ron Rivera said they'll "ramp up" Gibson and slowly work him back into practice. This injury sounds minor, but Gibson has had trouble staying healthy over his first 2 NFL seasons. We'll keep an eye on him.
Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson ran with the 1st-team offense on Wednesday, while RB Damien Harris was with the 2s, according to multiple sources in attendance. It's the 1st day of Patriots training camp, so we're not overreacting or even adjusting projections for the backfield yet. But it's a situation to keep a close eye on through the rest of camp and preseason action.
Commanders RB Antonio Gibson has dropped 7 pounds and several points from his body-fat percentage with the help of a dietician and a physiotherapist this offseason. Gibson says he played last year around 235 pounds -- 10 pounds heavier than he'd like. "I’m so used to being twitchy … and I feel like I lost a good bit of that," Gibson said. "So I wanted to cut some weight and get back to that and show people what I’m really capable of.” Gibson faces lots of touch competition this season after Washington re-signed RB J.D. McKissic and drafted RB Brian Robinson. But his ADP has sunk into the late 5th round of recent FFPC drafts.
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