Please don’t let Slivon’s corny phrasing distract you from the fact that Hurst is playing well in the X-receiver role that the team drafted him to fill. While WR Jalen McMillan (knee) sits out, Hurst is reportedly displaying “amazing body control” while making leaping grabs, effectively “using his 6-foot-4 height to his advantage.” The third-round rookie is a no-brainer dice roll as a late-round draft target. He is not guaranteed to be a hit, but reports continue to be positive, and in-season rookie breakouts are always a big fantasy factor down the stretch.
Colts coach Shane Steichen did not indicate who will start the game, nor did he rule out QB Daniel Jones (Achilles). Per Erickson, holding Jones would be unsurprising. Richardson was recently seen working with the third-team offense, so Leonard could have the inside track to start on Thursday.
The full quote is a bit winding, but Hensley said, “in 27 years of covering the Ravens, I’m not sure I’ve seen a rookie have a training camp quite like wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane.” This is high praise, though the qualifying language verges on hyperbolic. Regardless, Hensley adds that Lane “produces a highlight-making catch” every day and teammates are celebrating his successes. The Ravens’ offense generally supported two fantasy-relevant pass catchers under former OC Todd Monken. Repeating the feat with new OC Declan Doyle, whom QB Lamar Jackson is excited about, seems plausible. Could Lane step up and be the No. 2 pass catcher behind WR Zay Flowers? Only time will tell. The team was celebrating Lane’s red zone abilities back in May. Perhaps a FLEX-worthy season is possible.
Dobbs’ deal includes $475,000 in guarantees. The Lions needed a reliable backup quarterback after QB Teddy Bridgewater told the team earlier today that he plans to step away from football. Dobbs fills that void. Fantasy managers will remember Dobbs’ surprisingly positive play with the Vikings in 2023. Whether he could return to that form, if need be, in his age-31 season is unknown, but for now his signing addresses a team need.
The former Packers practice squad player has played neither on offense nor on special teams since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2024. He might be a practice squad candidate in Detroit if the team signs him and he can demonstrate some level of value this month.
Johnson went down while running a route in practice on Saturday and immediately grabbed at the back of his right leg. He appeared to be grabbing at the lowest section of his hamstring, but both the back of his knee and the highest point of his calf are possible. Johnson logged a 65 percent third-down snap share and a 56 percent two-minute-drill snap share last season. Starting RB James Cook (19 percent and 31 percent) and fellow backup RB Ray Davis (16 percent and 13 percent) were also involved in both scenarios. If this is a serious injury that causes Johnson to miss time, it could meaningfully raise Cook’s fantasy-scoring ceiling.
This comes a day after Watson spent a second consecutive day with the first-team offense after previously rotating days with Shedeur Sanders. Watson, 30, has reportedly strung together a solid few days after getting off to a slow start and could finally be separating himself from Sanders in camp. Both quarterbacks are expected to get at least one start in the preseason after it was reported last week that the team planned on alternating starters in the preseason, but it sounds like the Browns are trending toward naming Watson as their starter while Sanders would serve as his backup. Regardless of who wins the job to begin the season, we would expect to see both quarterbacks under center at some point as the team looks to evaluate what it has at the position before the 2027 offseason.
Downs has missed two-straight days of practice with the injury, but Steichen said on Sunday that he could return on Tuesday when the Colts have joint practices with the Patriots. This is good news for Downs and his fantasy managers, as the fourth-year receiver is expected to take on an expanded role with Michael Pittman now on the Steelers and the Colts experimenting with him more on the outside.
Hopefully, we’ll get a clearer recovery timeline for Burden in the coming days, but it doesn’t sound like things were as bad as people initially feared after he was seen limping off the practice field on Saturday morning. The second-year receiver is expected to see a nice uptick in usage this season after having another year to work with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams, and has an easier path to targets with DJ Moore now in Buffalo. We will be sure to check back in with any updates on his injury.
Radunz becomes the second Saints player to suffer a torn ACL in camp, with DT Bryan Bresee being the other. Radunz started in 10 of the 15 games he appeared in last season, playing almost exclusively at left guard. The sixth-year lineman signed a two-year deal with the team this offseason and was expected to serve as a depth piece for the offensive line. He will likely be placed on IR in the coming days and set his sights on returning in 2027.
The 33-year-old signal-caller was in line to back up Jared Goff, but now he will likely call it quits. Bridgewater threw for 62 yards last season while serving as Baker Mayfield’s backup. The former No. 32 overall pick has thrown for over 15,000 yards in his career while tossing 75 touchdowns to 47 interceptions. The Lions are expected to take a look at several QBs to find a replacement for Bridgewater in the coming days.
This could change at any moment, but according to Buscaglia, the Bills’ top four receivers are “clearly” DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and Joshua Palmer. Buscaglia notes that Bell’s separation skills and releases from the line of scrimmage have been good, but that the rookie’s “ball skills have held him back” thus far. The Bills used the 125th overall pick in the draft to select Bell in April. Once thought of as a deep sleeper for the 2026 fantasy season, it sounds like he has some work to do before he can get on the field and make an impact on Sundays.
The Browns have been alternating their QB1 on a daily basis in camp, giving both Watson and Shedeur Sanders a chance to work with the first-team offense during this summer’s camp battle. While Saturday would have been Sanders’ day to work with the ones, Watson instead worked exclusively with the first-team offense for a second straight day. A team spokesperson said after the practice that this decision was based on head coach Todd Monken wanting to see Watson with certain personnel groupings, but The Athletic’s Zac Jackson believes this could be “the first strong sign that Monken views Watson as the clear leader” in the camp battle. Watson has also reportedly strung together three straight solid days of camp after getting off to an underwhelming start. It was reported earlier that the team plans to alternate preseason starters, so we would assume this camp battle has a few weeks left to go before a QB1 is named for Week 1’s game against the Jaguars.
This is the second-straight missed practice for Downs, who is managing a groin injury. The team has not provided any additional updates on Downs’ status or how long they expect him to be sidelined, so this will be something we continue to monitor until we get more information on how long he could be out. Downs is one of two starting receivers currently sidelined for the Colts, as Alec Pierce (ankle) continues to recover from offseason surgery.
Legette suffered a reported “stinger” on Tuesday and hadn’t been heard from since. On Sunday, the third-year receiver made his return to the field as he looks to continue competing for targets in a receiver room that’s headlined by Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker
Tunsil suffered a torn triceps in Saturday’s practice and is expected to miss most or all of the regular season. Coleman, who has started 14 games at left tackle in his career, is currently competing for the starting job at left guard, but could slide over to tackle with Tunsil now sidelined. Per PFF, Coleman allowed nine sacks and 30 QB pressures during the 2024 season while earning a 65.3 pass-blocking grade. Other internal options included veteran tackle Andrew Wylie and 2025 first-rounder Josh Conerly Jr., who currently occupies the starting right tackle slot. It wouldn’t be surprising if we saw multiple players get a shot at filling the massive void left by Tunsil in the coming days/weeks.
Per ESPN’s Turron Davenport, Ayomanor was in the huddle early at today’s practice, which is a good sign. The second-year wide receiver left practice early yesterday after seemingly injuring his left shoulder. He appears to be good to go and will now resume competing for a starting role.
Bateman, 26, has never quite lived up to his first-round draft capital, lining up on the perimeter on 88.4 percent of his career receiving snaps. Allowing him to line up in the slot and as the Z-receiver could help him out, although true sixth-year breakouts are uncommon in the NFL. He can only be viewed as a late-round, boom-bust option.
No surprise here as the Tush Push has been an extremely effective play for the Eagles over the years. Mannion, Philadelphia’s third OC in the last three years, is sure to change things with the offense. When it comes to the Tush Push, however, that’s one area that doesn’t need to be fixed. QB Jalen Hurts should continue to be the main beneficiary of the short touchdowns the Tush Push provides.
The good news: Eagles GM Howie Roseman didn’t seem overly concerned that Lemon wasn’t practicing during an interview with Kay Adams on Friday. Lemon also was seen catching passes from the JUGS machine on Saturday. Still, it’s the fourth consecutive missed practice for the rookie receiver who also missed time during minicamp. Lemon is starting from behind, but it’s important to remember how long the 17-game NFL season is. The Eagles will certainly need production from Lemon at some point as the team revises its passing attack without A.J. Brown.
Smith continues to miss practice with a hamstring injury. While the injury isn’t considered to be serious, the Eagles still aren’t going to push Smith in practice just yet. He figures to be the top target in the Eagles new offense under new OC Sean Mannion in the wake of the Eagles trading A.J. Brown this offseason.
Burden got tangled with a defender and fell awkwardly during a one-on-one red zone drill at practice on Saturday. The 22-year-old wide receiver limped to the locker room slowly with a trainer. It’s unclear if Burden is dealing with a significant injury. We’ll continue to monitor the situation until more information is known.
Giddens appeared to have the inside track on the No. 2 RB job behind Jonathan Taylor at the end of July. With Taylor out looking for a new contract, Giddens took the majority of first-team reps during minicamp. Now Giddens is out dealing with a hamstring injury and seventh-round rookie Seth McGowan is getting the reps behind Taylor. It could be an uphill battle for Giddens, who the Colts selected in the fifth-round in 2025, once he returns from injury.
Reporters noticed Downs in street clothes on the sideline at the beginning of practice. He’s dealing with a groin injury, according to the team. There should be an update on Downs’ status following the conclusion of Saturday’s practice. For now, it’s not a great sign that Downs is dealing with an injury so close to the start of the regular season, though it’s unclear if he’s dealing with a long-term injury.