Fantasy Football News

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said WR Diontae Johnson is working through a hip flexor. (Source: Brooke Pryor on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Johnson was not able to finish practice on Monday. He should be considered as day-to-day for now, but the injury does not sound serious as of now.

Broncos offensive coordinator Justin Outten said he expects the Broncos running backs to be on a "pitch count" throughout the season. (Source: Zac Stevens on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: This should come as no surprise. Denver brought back Melvin Gordon for a reason this offseason. With that being said, it doesn't mean Javonte Williams can't see even a slightly bigger role heading into his second season. He was firmly an RB2 as a rookie last year despite splitting the workload with Melvin Gordon for the majority of the season. If the split can even jump to a 60/40 split in favor of Williams, he can offer RB1 upside from a fantasy perspective and Gordon can still offer value as well. They can both be relevant in a Broncos offense that projects to significantly improve with Russell Wilson undercenter.

Chargers coach Brandon Staley confirmed Donald Parham Jr. suffered a hamstring injury during practice Friday and that he "should be out, for sure, this week." (Source: LA Times on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Parham had reportedly been one of the biggest standouts in Chargers camp early on and hamstring injuries are never ideal. This should lead to a bigger opportunity for Gerald Everett to see more key reps with the Chargers offense while Parham is sidelined.

Jets RT Mekhi Becton is expected to miss "significant time" after suffering a knee injury during practice Monday. (Source: Connor Hughes on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Becton reportedly suffered a small, chip-sized fracture to his knee cap after it originally seemed like he avoided a serious injury. The former No. 11 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft played in just one game last season and there is a chance his entire 2022 season might be in jeopardy as well.

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.

According to Nate Taylor of The Athletic, RB Isiah Pacheco has received praise from Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who noted his abilities as a pass-catcher and hard-nosed runner. He has been seeing work in the passing game, particularly in the slot, as well. (Source: Nate Taylor, The Athletic)

Fantasy Impact: According to Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire has consistently seen the first-team work, while the other running backs have mixed in behind him. James Palmer of NFL Network has also said Pacheco has been getting some time in with the 1s recently, though, and the rookie out of Rutgers has been turning heads as he continues to get more buzz each day. With Pacheco earning passing work in the slot on top of him earning more touches on the ground over time, the Chiefs are potentially working him toward being an important piece of the offense. Pacheco should be on the radar of all dynasty leagues as a late-round pick, and both RBs Ronald Jones and Jerick McKinnon's stock could be dropping.

Minnesota Vikings rookie G Ed Ingram saw work as the first-team right guard as he continues to compete for the spot with G Jesse Davis and Chris Reed. (Source: Kevin Seifert, ESPN)

Fantasy Impact: Ingram was drafted at No. 59 out of LSU where he started for four years along a national title-winning offensive line. Ingram was a member of the All-SEC Second Team and played in 45 games, competing at the Senior Bowl in 2022. He has a chance to start this season and Seifert suggests he may take over the job as the season goes on.

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.

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels squashed any speculation that the team has been or is currently shopping running back Josh Jacobs according to RaidersNation.com's Vincent Bonsignore. (Source: Vincent Bonsignore on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Rumors have been popping up that Las Vegas was trying to move Jacobs via trade but, for now anyways, those rumors have been put to rest by McDaniels. The Alabama product rushed for 30 yards on five carries and caught two balls for an additional 14 yards in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night. Jacobs finished 2021 with 872 rushing yards on 217 carries (4.0 ypc) and nine rushing touchdowns. He added another 348 receiving yards on 54 catches out of the backfield. Jacobs is backed up on the depth chart by the Raiders' 2022 4th Round pick, Zamir White, and Kenyan Drake, it didn't make much sense to move the clear bell cow back unless he has become a lockerroom cancer which there is no evidence of. Jacobs' situation is one to monitor as the preseason goes on, but draft him with expectations of hi being in Vegas, and being the primary back.

According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, rookie S Lewis Cine saw first-team reps with the Minnesota Vikings as S Harrison Smith rotated in and out of the team's lineup. (Source: Kevin Seifert, ESPN)

Fantasy Impact: Smith and S Camryn Bynum have been the first-team safeties the majority of camp, but the Vikings are finding time to fit Cine into the rotation. Seifert says we could expect to see Cine push for the starting role in Minnesota this season. As the No. 32 pick out of Georgia, Cine had 73 tackles, one interception and nine pass deflections his junior year.

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.

According to John Shipley of Jaguar Report, Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell praised No. 1 pick edge rusher Travon Walker for his "get-off and power" in Thursday's Hall of Fame game. (Source: John Shipley on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Caldwell said he is happy so far with what he's seen of Walker, who got a sack during the team's first preseason game. Reports had mentioned the Jaguars intended to use Walker on the outside as an edge rusher, and that's where he spent his time during the game working on his rushing ability. Walker will be an important piece to turning around Jacksonville's defense that finished in the bottom half of the league in most statistics last season.

Taysom Hill returned to practice on Monday in a limited capacity according to ESPN's Katherine Terrell. (Source: Katherine Terrell on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Hill participated in "walkthrough, individual [drills and] routes on air" but left practice early as planned. Saints head coach Dennis Allen said it was "all part of the ramp-up process" as Hill returns from a rib injury. Allen intends to utilize Hill all over the field at multiple positions, including tight end, wide receiver, and quarterback to maximize his impact and take advantage of mismatches against opposing defenses. Hill will also reportedly be used at times on special teams. Hill's situation is one to monitor as Allen appears to be dedicated to getting the most out of Hill which should lead to a much more fantasy-relevant season, much closer to his 2020 season than he had in 2021 where his QB-only eligibility made him a hard start in anything other than two-QB leagues.

According to multiple tweets from Camryn Justice of News 5 Cleveland, rookie K Cade York has impressed the Cleveland Browns' staff and team with his strong leg. (Source: Camryn Justice on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Justice shared a video of York kicking a ball that would end the practice, easily clearing the 45-yard distance. York has hit multiple kicks of 50-plus yards, some nearly as far as 60 yards. York was a fourth-round pick out of LSU, and the first kicker taken in the 2022 NFL Draft. He also received praise from the team's special teams coordinator Mike Priefer, who acknowledged York's maturity for his age.

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.

According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, CB Cortez Davis is working out with the Arizona Cardinals. (Source: Aaron Wilson on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Davis went undrafted out of Hawaii in the 2022 NFL Draft before signing with the Denver Broncos, eventually getting waived. Davis then worked out with the Atlanta Falcons recently and is now with the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are pretty thin in the secondary and could use additional depth if they sign Davis, who was a two-time second-team All-Mountain West member.

K Elliott Fry is in a dead heat for the starting kicker job in Jacksonville, according to special teams coordinator Heath Farwell via John Shipley. (Source: John Shipley on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Elliott has played for three teams in the last two seasons after going undrafted out of South Carolina. He is 5-of-6 on career field-goal attempts and 5-of-7 on extra-point attempts. He has a chance to become the starter in Jacksonville if he outperforms K Ryan Santoso down the stretch.

Baker Mayfield appears to be winning the Panthers' QB battle against Sam Darnold, though HC Matt Rhule states no official announcement will be made for a couple of weeks. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Most sources believe the reluctance to give the job to Mayfield officially is due to garnering trade interest for Darnold. The 27-year-old QB started a little slowly, but he has impressed coaches through the first two weeks of training camp. He is currently being drafted as the 25th quarterback off the board, though he is an intriguing QB2 option with the weapons he has around him in Carolina.

According to John Shipley of Jaguar Report, Jacksonville's special teams coordinator Heath Farwell says the race for starting kicker is a dead heat between Ryan Santoso and Elliott Fry. (Source: John Shipley on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Santoso was an undrafted rookie in the 2018 NFL Draft and has bounced around both the NFL and CFL over his career. He has attempted five field goals in the NFL, making four, and has served as a kickoff specialist as well. In college at Minnesota, Santoso was a two-star kicker before converting to a punter as an upperclassman. He will have a chance to be the Jaguars' starting kicker in 2022.

According to Maddy Glab of buffalobills.com, Buffalo Bills CB Taron Johnson missed his second day of practice as he deals with soreness. (Source: Maddy Glab on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Johnson has been a valuable piece of the Bills' defense as the team's nickel corner. Last season, he tied career highs of one interception, seven pass deflections and one forced fumble while allowing a career-low 55.1% completion percentage while being targeted, according to Pro Football Reference. Johnson should be good for the season and will be an important piece after playing 85% of the team's snaps last year.