It’s never too early to check in on player injury statuses ahead of the 2022 season, and our news desk has you covered. Let’s take a look at the latest injury news and notes around the NFL.
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Jameis Winston (foot) appears to have avoided serious injury
Saints QB Jameis Winston left Saints practice early Monday with a foot injury, but one source said, ““he’s doing well and feels fine. So nothing to really worry about.” (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Winston will almost certainly miss some practice time, but it sounds like he did not suffer a major injury. This will be a situation to continue to monitor nonetheless as the Saints should have another update on Winston in the next couple of days or so.
Rashod Bateman returns to practice from undisclosed injury
Rashod Bateman was seen back at practice on Monday. Bateman missed the last two practices due to an undisclosed soft-tissue injury. The injury was deemed to be minor. (Source: Jeff Zrebiec on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Bateman is back at practice which should make him available for Baltimore’s first preseason game. With Marquise Brown traded to Arizona, Bateman will continue his pursuit of being a breakout wide receiver in year-two of his career. A lot of people believe in Bateman’s impending breakout but with Lamar Jackson healthy, the run-rate of Baltimore will likely return to 53-percent or higher. In 2021 the team’s run rate was 43.63-percent, the lowest since 2017. Last season Bateman struggled with an injury at the beginning of the year, but played 12 games and posted 46 receptions for 515 yards and one touchdown.
Chase Claypool (shoulder) returns to practice on Monday
Chase Claypool was in full pads during Monday’s practice. Claypool injured his shoulder on July 29th but looks on track to be ready for the team’s first preseason game. (Source: Brooke Pryor on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Claypool’s injury did not seem like a severe one, according to head coach Mike Tomlin. It looks like that remains the case for Claypool as he was back in practice on Monday without any major injuries. Claypool will continue his battle for the WR2 spot in this offense. With teammate Diontae Johnson signing an extension, and the Steelers drafting two rookie wide receivers in the 2022 draft, it feels like Claypool could be pushed out the door when his contract expires following the 2023 season. Thus 2022 could be a make-or-break season for the third-year wide out. In his first two seasons Claypool has combined for 214 targets, 121 receptions, 1733 receiving yards and 13 total touchdowns.
Gus Edwards (knee) ‘probably doubtful for Week 1’
Gus Edwards, who tore his ACL leading up to the 2021 season, was already in danger of missing a ‘chunk of time’ in 2022 according to ESPN. Now beat writer Jeff Zrebiec has reported that Edwards is “probably doubtful for Week 1.” (Source: Jeff Zrebiec on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Edwards’ recovery is trending much slower than expected from the fantasy community. Now that he is likely to miss one-or-more games, his RB52 (147 overall) ADP will likely take a tumble until we get positive news. With this development Edwards will maintain his dynasty value while losing value in best ball formats; he loses the most value in redraft leagues. Edwards was already a touchdown-dependent player that provided boom-or-bust weeks. Dealing with a prolonged recovery from a major injury could make him more “bust” than “boom.” His most recent active season in 2020, Edwards had 144 rushing attempts for 723 yards and six touchdowns.
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