It would be really nice to see Evans consistently practice in full at this point, but both Inman and ESPN’s Nick Wagoner appear mostly unconcerned by today’s development. Per Wagoner, Evans stopped practicing after running a deep route on Sunday. Evans “seemed to be moving fine” after exiting. Wagoner adds that it is “clear he and the Niners want to be cautious to get him to the regular season ready to go.” Evans’ soft tissue concerns remain present, but as long as he takes the field on game day, he is a WR2 with WR1 upside.
The Jets also brought aboard EDGE Anthony Dunn and S Tanner Wall. The Jets correspondingly waived WR Caullin Lacy, RB Sam Scott and EDGE Nate Voorhis with injury designations. It is possible the team will re-sign all three to injured reserve.
According to the California Post’s Vincent Bonsignore, the Raiders “gathered as a team to acknowledge the injury” after Jeanty was helped off the field. ESPN’s Ryan McFadden believes it is a right knee injury. This sounds bad. We will provide an update as soon as possible. Raiders rookie RB Mike Washington is his direct backup and would likely operate as the team’s starter if Jeanty misses time.
Odum, 32, was a standout special teams player for much of his career, earning first-team All-Pro (2020) and second-team All-Pro (2022) with the Colts and 49ers. He sandwiched three seasons in San Francisco between two stints in Indianapolis. If he makes the team, he is unlikely to play on defense.
Second-year Browns QB Shedeur Sanders outplayed veteran QB Deshaun Watson on Saturday. Watson then followed up his poor performance with an ill-advised press conference, in which he briefly touched on the fan base’s “disrespectful” reaction to his 2024 Achilles tendon rupture, among other things. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier today that the team must decide whether Watson is “in a good enough space to be the leader for this team,” adding that Sanders’ “presence” and “aura” have helped him curry favor with people in the Browns’ organization. At the end of the day, Sanders is likely the better bet to provide the requisite passing game stability for a couple of Browns’ pass catchers to maintain weekly starting consideration in fantasy, though Sanders himself is unlikely to be anything more than a QB2 in superflex leagues.
The most important takeaway is that McCaffrey has resumed practicing. Whether the planned aspect is true or not is secondary. That said, one wonders why the team chose to say their star running back was sidelined by “tightness,” rather than simply telling reporters he was taking veteran rest days, which is quite common for a 30-year-old player. McCaffrey said the team wanted him to “ramp up pretty big” early on, before taking time off, and later initiating another ramp-up period, “so we’re fresh for the duration.” McCaffrey says he feels “fresh” after taking nearly two weeks off. We would hope so. He’s a locked-in RB1 at this time.
Harris missed a few practices last week with an undisclosed injury, and the team kept him inactive for Thursday’s preseason game against the 49ers. Reports on the matter have been sparse, but it appears as though Saturday’s limited session was his first action since the week prior. According to ESPN’s Kris Rhim, Harris snagged “a bunch of catches” before exiting team drills and spent “most of the day” working off to the side with Chargers trainers. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper has viewed Chargers WR Quentin Johnston as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver. Johnston dealt with a minor ankle injury last week, but Rhim says Johnston looks “healthy” after observing him come down with “a leaping touchdown grab during a red zone period.” Harris is attempting to unseat him, yet would still warrant a late-round fantasy draft pick even if he begins the season in his current No. 3 role.
Things are still up in the air on this one. Harbaugh said it’s “a possibility” that Nabers ditches the red non-contact jersey, but added that he doesn’t think it’s “a necessity” to do so this week. The season opener is exactly three weeks away, so delaying the decision by a week might be fine. Nabers is seemingly on track to face the Cowboys in Week 1.
Second-year Browns QB Shedeur Sanders outplayed veteran QB Deshaun Watson on Saturday. Watson then followed up his poor performance with an ill-advised press conference, in which he briefly touched on the fan base’s “disrespectful” reaction to his 2024 Achilles tendon rupture, among other things. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier today that the team must decide whether Watson is “in a good enough space to be the leader for this team,” adding that Sanders’ “presence” and “aura” have helped him curry favor with people in the Browns’ organization. At the end of the day, Sanders is likely the better bet to provide the requisite passing game stability for a couple of Browns’ pass catchers to maintain weekly starting consideration in fantasy, though Sanders himself is unlikely to be anything more than a QB2 in superflex leagues.
Davis got the start in Saturday’s preseason game against the Cardinals, rushing five times for 29 yards while adding one catch for eight yards and a touchdown. The 27-year-old back has gained steam in recent weeks as the favorite to win the Cowboys’ RB2 job out of camp, but Machota also said he believes “Jaydon Blue takes (the RB2 job) during the season.” Blue rushed 15 times for a team-high 75 yards in Saturday’s win over the Cardinals, ripping off multiple chunk gains on the day. While we still have one preseason game left to go, it sounds like fantasy managers looking for the handcuff to Javonte Williams should target Davis in the late/final rounds of drafts at this point.
This is worth keeping an eye on. Mitchell’s preseason usage indicates he is the Chargers’ clear-cut No. 2 running back, operating in what could be a FLEX-viable role. Mitchell played on 10-of-10 possible snaps across the Chargers’ second and third drives in last week’s preseason game before taking a trip to the blue medical tent. He avoided a trip to the locker room and was allowed to return to the sidelines thereafter. Although the latter aspect is encouraging, today’s absence suggests he is at least a minor injury. The coaching staff is not required to divulge injury information until Week 1 practices begin. Hopefully, someone digs up something useful on this, though. For now, keep drafting him as planned, but be on the lookout for updates.
Slater resumed practicing in a limited capacity yesterday after taking two weeks off due to a “little flare-up” in his surgically repaired knee. Slater, 27, suffered a season-ending patellar tendon rupture in August last year. A few weeks ago, the Chargers’ left tackle was reportedly working toward taking three reps in a row while improving his conditioning. It is unclear what type of progress, if any, he was able to make during his two-week absence, but we should find out soon enough. Coach Jim Harbaugh said he hopes to play his starters through two full drives in Thursday’s preseason game against the Rams. Hopefully, Slater accomplishes that feat without issue. Stay tuned.
Biadasz sustained “damage to his ACL” during a joint practice with the 49ers last week and is now out for the season after seeking out multiple opinions on the injury. The veteran center signed a three-year deal with the Chargers earlier this offseason after being a surprise release by the Commanders and was expected to solidify the interior of an offensive line that dealt with multiple injuries last season.
It has been reported multiple times this offseason that Kittle could have a chance to be ready in time for the 49ers’ Week 1 game against the Rams in Australia. The decision to activate him from the PUP list on Sunday is the most encouraging sign we have seen to date that a Week 1 return is possible, as the team will now prepare to ramp him up in the coming weeks to see how his surgically repaired Achilles holds up. Kittle underwent surgery to repair his Achilles in mid-January, so he’s just over seven months removed from a surgery that typically sidelines players for 9-12 months. The 32-year-old tight end would be a welcome addition to a receiving corps that’s been decimated by injuries in camp, so his progress will be one to monitor in the weeks ahead.
Price was dealing with some “upper-leg soreness” a few weeks ago, but returned to last week’s joint practice with the Titans in a limited capacity. The rookie first-rounder, however, won’t be on the field when the Seahawks face the Titans on Sunday night, and he’ll also forego the team’s final preseason game against the Chiefs before suiting up for Week 1 when the Seahawks play host to the Patriots. Price has taken first-team reps with the Seahawks in camp and has been working on his pass-catching abilities. While we don’t quite know what to expect for his role early in the season, we would expect him to fall somewhere in the RB2 conversation for fantasy purposes this season.
On the same day the Niners saw George Kittle return from his Achilles injury, the team also got back McCaffrey, who had been sidelined since August 10th due to his “tightness.” Assuming he doesn’t miss any more time and we don’t hear anything else about this injury or a new one, McCaffrey appears to be in good shape to be ready in time for the Niners’ Week 1 opener when they take on the Rams in Australia 18 days from now.
Wright was carted from last Thursday’s practice and has been diagnosed with a ruptured Achilles. The fifth-year DE has been a key player on the Browns’ defensive line since being drafted 78th overall in 2022. Over the last three seasons, Wright has totaled 11.5 sacks in 34 games, along with 19 TFLs, while also forcing three fumbles. Wright signed a three-year, $33 million contract extension last November and is under contract through 2028. Assuming his rehab goes well in the coming months, he should be back in time for the start of training camp next season.
This move comes after the Browns lost DE Alex Wright for the season to a torn Achilles. Barnett, who has spent the last three seasons with the Texans, has totaled five sacks in each of the last two years and earned a PFF pass rush grade of 69.7 last season. While the addition of Barnett does soften the blow that the loss of Wright brings to the defense, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Browns continued to look for additional help on defense before the start of the season. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Barnett can earn up to $5.5 million on his deal with the Browns.
After missing last week due to an undisclosed issue, Washington was back on the field Sunday, participating in drills and working in seven-on-sevens. Whatever he was dealing with doesn’t appear to be anything too serious, which is a good sign for the fourth-year receiver who is looking to build on last year’s breakout campaign.
Meyers was spotted with some sort of brace on his right hand at Friday’s preseason game against the Panthers, but we have not yet received word on what he’s dealing with. Hopefully we’ll get some answers from Liam Coen the next time he speaks to the media, but between what we saw on Friday and his absence on Sunday, it’s fair to wonder whether the veteran receiver is dealing with something that could cause him to miss some time. Meyers has reportedly had a nice camp in his first offseason with the Jaguars and is vying for WR2 duties this season.
Allen saw action through the first three quarters of play. His 29 snaps were the third-most of any Chiefs receiver, while his 23 routes run were the second-most on the day. All three of his catches came in the short areas of the field, as evidenced by the -1.7 ADOT he averaged on his three receptions, per TruMedia. One of the most hyped players of this training camp season, the rookie fifth-rounder has a 5-27-0 receiving line on 10 targets in his two preseason games thus far.
McCarthy appeared on four for series, playing on 18 snaps while going 5-for-10 passing for 81 yards. According to KOC, he would have preferred to play McCarthy longer, but the third-year QB “was a little hobbled,” which led to the decision to pull him. O’Connell said he expects McCarthy to be fine and will look to provide an update soon, but given some of the hits he took from the Ravens on Saturday, this news doesn’t come as much of a surprise. McCarthy will get one more look this preseason in next week’s game against the Broncos if he’s able to go.
Simpson sat the entire first half of Saturday’s game and didn’t get on the field until midway through the third quarter, thanks to a long opening drive by the Saints after halftime that ended in a pick-six by the Rams’ defense that immediately gave the ball back to New Orleans. In the 34-0 win, Simpson wasn’t asked to do too much. He dropped back to pass on 14 of his 26 offensive snaps and stuck mostly to short completions, as only three of his attempts on the day traveled 10 or more air yards. Both Simpson and Stetson Bennett, who started this game, will see extensive work in next week’s game against the Chargers before the real games begin in Week 1 with the Rams playing “host” to the 49ers in Australia.
Blue led all Cowboys running backs in snaps, but played on just two snaps on the team’s opening drive of the game compared to Malik Davis’ 10. Davis would see just four snaps the rest of the way compared to Blue’s 24, but the second-year back made the most of his opportunities. Blue’s 75 rushing yards led all Cowboys players, with eight of his carries going for five or more yards. His usage, which extended into the third quarter, suggests Blue is battling with Phil Mafah and Israel Abanikanda for the RB3 role, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise after it was reported last week that Blue was the fourth player up in drills. It was a strong showing for Blue, who will need another convincing outing in the team’s preseason finale next week against the Saints.
It was another tough day at the office for Rattler, who remains in a battle for the Saints’ QB2 job with Zach Wilson. After losing a fumble last week, Rattler drove the Saints all the way down the field to the Rams’ six-yard line this week, only to throw an interception to Alex Cook in the end zone that was returned 100 yards for a touchdown. Rattler tried to force a pass to tight end Treyton Welch through what nearly looked like quadruple coverage, only for Cook to jump the route and run untouched to the end zone. Zach Wilson, who made the start, didn’t fare much better, completing 6-of-12 passes for 55 yards and an interception. Both QBs should see plenty of work in the Saints’ preseason finale next week against the Cowboys.