NFL news is coming in … in a hurry. It’s on us to figure out what is worth reacting to and what’s best to ignore. There are credible sources. There are non-credible sources. There are also credible sources who are merely sharing an opinion in that particular blurb, tweet, or video. I’ll do my best to read between the lines. After grinding blurbs at Rotoworld for years, I like my list of sources and have learned when a writer is suggesting something without directly saying it. This column was so much easier to track with Underdog NFL, Rotoworld, Coachspeak Index, and 32 Beat Writers constantly hitting the feed with notes. And make sure you have a subscription to ESPN+ and The Athletic to read the full reports. Their work is pay-walled for a reason. It’s quality information and worth our wallets.
We’ll be reacting all August long over on YouTube. Here’s our intro into the fantasy football season:
Through August 4th. News will be roughly ordered by Underdog Fantasy ADP.
Through July 28th. News will be roughly ordered by Underdog Fantasy ADP.
CeeDee Lamb and Ja’Marr Chase are not practicing for contractual reasons. Players don’t miss regular seasons anymore under the new CBA because the fines are too expensive. These ownership groups are simply wasting time and costing themselves money each day they wait to pay their elite WRs top of the market money. There’s no reason to panic in fantasy yet.
Brandon Aiyuk is holding in while looking for a new contract. The 49ers obviously don’t want to trade their lone downfield target, and it’s unlikely that they will. San Francisco has history of extending their stars before Week 1. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted, “The 49ers intend to keep Brandon Ayiuk, not trade him.” It makes sense to keep this Super Bowl contending roster in-house during the cheap Brock Purdy years. That means they have to sort out All Pro LT Trent Williams‘ holdout, too. They both should be paid more if you ask me.
The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue reported, “Kyren’s their guy, Kyren is Sean’s guy. If he could sign himself over to be Kyren’s godfather, he would.” Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson shared the same belief. We won’t get preseason action from the Rams starters most likely, so all we have to go off are reports like this one. Kyren Williams is available in Round 3 on Underdog Fantasy, but I have him ranked 16th overall. He’ll be one of my most-drafted players based on his proven upside. I’m willing to take on his risk, especially with a bag full of Blake Corum. ESPN’s Mike Clay listed Kyren as one of his 5 players to draft this year:
Malik Nabers, from what I have picked up on X, is balling.
Jalen Hurts is healthy and acing the offense under new OC Kellen Moore. They couldn’t handle pressure last year, but ESPN, Philly Voice, and other outlets have reported that Hurts has a good feel for the incoming changes. Moore even said this himself: “Jalen has been really smooth the first couple days. He’s been excellent, just his operation. You can tell he’s just in command, he’s in control.” Somehow available in Round 4 on Underdog Fantasy, Hurts is a way-too-obvious target, especially when stacked with A.J. Brown and (to a lesser extent) DeVonta Smith. Moore stated that both receivers will move around the formation more this year than they did in the past. What the Eagles need is a new No. 3 WR after DeVante Parker retired months ago. It’s a battle between training camp starting slot Parris Campbell , giant rookie Johnny Wilson, and normal-sized rookie Ainias Smith are the most in the mix right now.
Lamar Jackson was sick (again). What is going on?
Anthony Richardson (shoulder) was a full participant from the get go. Equally as important, coach Shane Steichen said the team isn’t going to shy away from having Richardson run in 2024. It shocks me that anyone would think otherwise. He’s one of my top-3 most-drafted QBs on Underdog Fantasy while going in Round 5.
Dalton Kincaid is going to be featured far more in his 2nd season, especially after the Stefon Diggs trade. But The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia reminded us that Dawson Knox is not going to be fully benched either. These two will rotate at times, potentially favoring Knox in some blocking situations. Kincaid may just miss out on the full-time job that the true fantasy elites have. Buscaglia notes Kincaid played 56% snaps during the last 6 games with Knox available. I’ll clearly take the higher on that number. To compare, Sam LaPorta dna Trey McBride played 89% snaps over their final 6 games last year. Knox’s contingent-upside appeal and TD-or-bust standalone value aren’t much different than Isiah Likely if you’re looking for a new Round 18 option on Underdog Fantasy.
Kyle Pitts looks healthy to me, based on the videos I’ve seen of him. He didn’t look right in camp last year, foreshadowing a forgettable 2023 campaign. Being another year removed from a serious knee injury could be all it takes for him to return to the elite TE tier. Here’s to hoping that the rest of camp goes smoothly. I’m going to move him ahead of Kittle and Kincaid in my rankings after being patient with the uncertainty of his injury.
Marquise Brown led the team in targets during a key part of Chiefs practice, leading to this Patrick Mahomes quote: “No one told me like how much he can actually do on the football field. He can run those over-the-middle routes. He can run really good routes— and he can run deep. It’s not like ‘fast’ is the only thing that he can do.” We’re still waiting on the news of Rashee Rice‘s criminal trial date and what that’ll mean for his odds of a 2024 suspension. Xavier Worthy was on the receiving end of one of the all-time training camp throws from Mahomes, too. Imagine not drafting Mahomes at the Round 4/5 turn right now.
Curtis Samuel is being used everywhere in camp, including on the perimeter in 3-WR sets and out of the backfield as a manufactured touch player. That’s exactly what he did with OC Joe Brady while they were together in Carolina years ago. Samuel is the favorite for targets in the WR room, especially with 2nd-round rookie Keon Coleman being brought along slowly. Coleman may lose X-receiver snaps to Mack Hollins and MVS early in the year. He has Post Bye Rookie Bump written all over him. Expect Khalil Shakir to remain in the slot. I’m collecting a huge Samuel bag. Expect his price tag to continue to climb, eventually flipping the rookie. As a reminder, Samuel hasn’t played with a good passing QB ever:
Brian Thomas Jr. reviews have been mixed. On one hand, all reports suggest he’s picking up the playbook and is already in 3-WR sets with the 1st-team offense. Bar cleared. But Thomas isn’t exactly piling up a bunch of targets early on. Thomas’ route tree will likely be skewed towards deep downfield, so it could merely be hard to track how well he’s going to do on his probably lower-target role this early into camp. I’m not moving my spike-week flex expectations for the rookie yet. This is just one to monitor. Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley believes Thomas will be 4th in the target pecking order, including TE Evan Engram. Speaking of Shipley, his notes on how poor the offense has looked as a whole have made me chuckle. Is that just his writing style, or is that self coping for my heavy Jaguars bags on Underdog Fantasy? It’s hard to say.
The Packers are rotating their WRs still. With the help of Andy Herman‘s Twitter account, it’s obvious that all 4 WRs are in the “starter” mix. It was Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs in 2-WR sets on July 27th, but Jayden Reed and Christian Watson have been in starting lineups when the team was practicing in 3-WR packages. It’s notable that Reed wasn’t a starter in 2-WR sets, after not playing in them as a rookie either. To pay off his Round 5 price tag on Underdog Fantasy, that has to change.
Chris Godwin is moving back to the slot. That’s a much better fit for his skillset.
Panthers coach Dave Canales said, “As we build our offense, we really try to feature someone. And for us right now: ‘Where is Diontae Johnson at?'” Shoutout to Josh Norris for digging up that quote. Johnson was the team’s biggest offseason acquisition in the skill group and projected really well in my personal 2024 player projections. He’s an ideal scheme fit as an early-route separator who can play X receiver. That should allow Byrce Young to get the ball out quickly. The total upside will be capped by the Panthers’ very low team totals, but Johnson could easily be a volume-based top-30 receiver this year. Just like Adam Thielen was on an even worse version of this offense last season.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said Jameson Williams is “a more mature guy, he’s bought in and he’s putting in the work. Because of that, he’s just continued to get better and better.” The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner tweeted Williams “literally looks like a different player from a year ago today”, as he competes for a 2-WR set starter role. He’s only being challenged by Donovan Peoples-Jones and Antoine Green right now. Green, the former 7th-rounder, is currently operating as the starter X receiver after figuring out OC Ben Johnson’s playbook last year. I have my homework on learning Green’s game. This is my signal to cool it on Amon-Ra handcuff Kalif Raymond in Round 18 of Underdog Fantasy drafts.
Alvin Kamara is not holding out of training camp despite looking for a new contract, and Kendre Miller (hamstring) is back in the doghouse. Coach Dennis Allen said, “That’s a player who needs to figure out how to stay healthy because you can’t make the team in the training room.” Their ADP’s are trending in opposite directions, even if they break the age-related norms. If Miller can’t get back onto the field soon, Jamaal Williams will open the year as the grinder back. Don’t expect Kamara or Williams to be efficient behind a potentially disastrous offensive line.
Jonathon Brooks (ACL) will “be brought along slowly” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He can be elevated from the NFI List at any point, but there hasn’t been an indication that it’s going to happen soon. Brooks has until August 27th to be activated from the NFL List before he’ll be forced into missing the first 4 games of the year. Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders are battling for snaps currently.
Joe Burrow (wrist) was a full participant during the first two practices, then didn’t throw on the third day per ESPN. He had a very rare wrist surgery on November 27th that he’ll have to manage. He said it was a more difficult rehab than his ACL tear and is still working on improving the mobility per The Athletic. It’s making me a tad nervous about Burrow’s long-term health once his non-contact jersey is off. The addition of total stud 1st-round RT Amarius Mims eases those concerns a bit.
Chase Brown is getting reps with the Bengals 1st-team offense. Some reporters (who I have never heard of) have even reported that Brown is getting the most of them. As a tip, be careful that these “reps” aren’t for a specific situation, which is why we’ll keep on evaluating these snap counts. Either way, it’s a real battle between Brown and reliable veteran Zack Moss. The Athletic’s Paul Dehner (who I very much have heard of) called Moss the “starter” in his 53-man predictions just days ago. Bengals “GM” Duke Tobin said Brown would “have an opportunity to be the guy, or the second guy, or in tandem with Zack [Moss].” Thanks, sir. To get the best out of each of their flawed profiles, the Bengals should use Moss as the primary short-yardage rusher and on pass-protection snaps (see: Joe Mixon), while allowing Brown’s raw speed shine on designed targets and early-down outside carries. We talked about this training camp battle here:
Javonte Williams received the bulk of 1st-team reps and is down 11 pounds after coach Sean Payton asked him to lose weight. Broncos reporter Benjamin Allbright believes cut candidate Samaje Perine has “the toughest climb” to make the roster with Audric Estime (early downs) and Jaleel McLaughlin (passing downs) rounding out the depth chart. If Payton can find someone trustworthy to replace Perine’s pass-blocking skills, then this 3-RB rotation makes sense. This offense will heavily utilize their backs in the receiving game, so get ready to PPR scam. In half PPR best ball, I like Estime’s price tag the best and even ranked him highly in my 2024 RB prospect rankings. He’ll have to steal Williams’ starting job to pay off, however. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes it’s Williams, then everyone else.
Nick Chubb (ACL, MCL, menisus) is on the PUP list and is working off to the side of Browns practices, as expected. ESPN’s Dan Graziano reports that Chubb isn’t likely to be ready for the season and “has begun working on change-of-direction stuff in addition to full-speed sprinting.” If he’s just starting out with football-like moves as the report insinuates, then Chubb is probably far out. A return around Halloween seems reasonable. The team is not setting a timetable for his return. It’ll be Jerome Ford on passing downs with D’Onta Foreman in the goal-line role that Kareem Hunt had last year. Pierre Strong Jr. is also in the mix.
Mike Williams (ACL) reportedly needs a “few more weeks” before he’ll come off of the PUP list. That’s left little behind Garrett Wilson. Current slot starter Xavier Gibson will also miss 1-2 weeks with a leg injury. If we don’t hear anything from 3rd-round PPR scam Malachi Corley during their absenses, then he might need a redshirt before earning the trust of Aaron Rodgers. Coach Robert Salah said Corley “has a long way to go.” Yikes, but not a surprise after watching the routes he ran at Western Kentucky.
2nd-round rookie Ja’Lynn Polk is already a 1st-team starter in camp. It’s a low bar to clear, but he’s cleared it early. Polk is the latest a team’s No. 1 receiver gets drafted on Underdog Fantasy. He’ll be one of my most-drafted players. Polk can play inside or out, meaning his path to near full-time snaps is relateively safe compared to his price tag.
Kirk Cousins (achilles) was practicing from the get go, even going 15-of-16 in an 11-on-11 drill at camp. That’s as good of a start as possible, especially with new WR2 Darnell Mooney getting in the mix with a team-high 5 targets. Meanwhile, Michael Penix took all the 2nd-team snaps ahead of Taylor Heinicke.
Deshaun Watson (shoulder) has thrown in 3-straight practices per ESPN. That wasn’t the case earlier in the offseason. That’s a promising start for an offense I project to expload in pass attempts. I wrote about the reasoning here.
Ray Davis has impressed as the Bills RB2.
Chargers 6th-round RB Kimani Vidal is at least behind Gus Edwards (undisclosed), J.K. Dobbins, and Jaret Patterson right now, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper. He has his work cut out to be in the starter mix by Week 1, but OC Greg Roman said the preseason will be Vidal’s “time to shine” and he’s liked his vision so far. Roman saw the same trait on his college tape. Even if Vidal officially climbs ahead of Patterson soon (here’s a clip of Vidal getting a handoff from Herbert in a scrimmage setting), it may not matter if Dobbins truly surprises. He’s talking a big game and is working with the 1st-team offense in full to open training camp. This staff is quite familiar with Dobbins, who has suffered multiple career-threatening injuries to date. His $50k guaranteed contract is a reminder of what he’s coming back from, but the optimistic reports are relentless right now. In fact, Dobbins says he’s actually faster after tearing his achilles.
Quentin Johnston worked with the 2nd-team offense, notably playing behind D.J. Chark according to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper. It’s early — real early — but every rep behind Chark in the year of our lord 2024 is not a good sign. I’m not bothering with either of them in fantasy. All of my eggs are in the Ladd McConkey and Josh Palmer baskets right now. Coach Jim Harbaugh has been very impressed with McConkey.
Demarcus Robinson is the Rams’ No. 3 WR to open camp and is drawing positive reviews from coach Sean McVay. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue went as far to say he is “locked in as the #3” and joked that he’s “aging in reverse.” D-Rob did nothing throughout his career until late last year when he was a deep threat and red zone option for Matthew Stafford. He’s a sleeper with contingent upside. TuTu Atwell is their 4th option, but it’s possible the Rams opt for more 2-TE sets than normal after adding multiple players to that room over the last calendar year.
Jermaine Burton is mixing in with the 1st-team offense, but Bengals WR coach Troy Walters said, “You want to get your best three players on the field. Right now, Andrei Iosivas is probably No. 3 and playing well. We had to find a way to get him on the field. He processes quickly and does everything you ask. He’ll probably grow into that role and see if he can handle it.” Iosivas and Burton will continue to battle things out in camp, and it’s hard to say if the team is looking for a slot or flanker because Ja’Marr Chase can play inside or out. Iosivas is getting some hype as a potential slot receiver, a position Burton rarely played in college. There were upside flashes on Burton’s college tape, but he is a 3rd-round rookie after all. Iosivas ran 152 routes as a 6th-rounder out of Princeton last year.
Roman Wilson isn’t guaranteed a role based on draft capital (3rd round). He’s currently behind Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin, per The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo, as the Steelers desperately look for depth behind George Pickens. He’s at least working in with the 1st-team offense, specifically in the slot as expected. The drumming you do hear in Pittsburgh is from Pat Freiermuth‘s drumsticks. He’s apparently lighting it up in camp. OC Arthur Smith has a deep history of targeting his tight ends.
Michael Wilson is starting over Zay Jones. No surprise here. It should be slot Greg Dortch in 3-WR sets over Jones, too. Jones is the only one not draftable on Underdog Fantasy right now. I mix in the two youngsters.
Marvin Mims (5’11/182) and Troy Franklin (6’2/176) are tiny, so it’s weird that coach Sean Payton is obsessed with “size” in his WR room. That’s potentially good news for Josh Reynolds ($4.2M) and Tim Patrick ($7.2M), though this will likely turn into a rotation behind big alpha Courtland Sutton. I draft a ton of Sutton. I’ll let you guys deal with the rest of these dart throws.
Daniel Jones (ACL) was cleared for contact on Day 1 of training camp and is getting all of the 1st-team reps. All of them. There have been some clips of him connecting with 1st-round baller Malik Nabers already. Jones hasn’t had a talent like him — or anything close to him — during his Giants’ tenure. He’s one of my most-drafted players in the very last part of Underdog drafts.
Drake Maye already splitting 1st-team snaps with respected veteran Jacoby Brissett means this competition is close with plenty of time to get sorted out. The Patriots have a lot to sort out across the offensive line and at receiver, so they still may opt to ride with the veteran early. I just wouldn’t rule out the rookie surprising in camp and earning a Week 1 starting job. There are few dual-threat upside QBs available in Round 17-18 nowadays. Maye is one of the exceptions. Draft accordingly.
Bo Nix isn’t perfect, but reports suggest he looks as advertised while competing in 3-way committee. Coach Sean Payton said that will be cut down to two QBs shortly before declaring a starter. It’d be an upset if Nix isn’t the winner, at least by the start of October. His competition is Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson after all.
Russell Wilson (calf) hasn’t practiced since picking up a minor injury during the Steelers conditioning test. That’s allowed Justin Fields to take the 1st-team reps. Coach Mike Tomlin said Wilson was out of practice out of an “abundance of caution.”
Sam Darnold is getting “the majority” of 1st-team reps to open training camp, while 1st-round rookie J.J. McCarthy is primarily operating as the QB3 behind Nick Mullens. The NFL has a fetish for Darnold, who enters (by far) the best coaching, WR, and OL environment of his career. Coach Kevin O’Connell coached Mullens and Josh Dobbs to big fantasy outings last year. Darnold seems like a way too obvious Geno Smith or Baker Mayfield candidate this year. He’s my new low-drafted Round 18 dart throw, especially on Justin Jefferson teams. JJ can drag just about anyone to passing yards.
Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew are rotating with the Raiders’ 1st-team offense.
Tyrone Tracy was called a “sleeper” by ESPN‘s Jeremy Fowler, who called out the rookie’s hands and smoothness. He made sure to reiterate this is Devin Singletary‘s backfield to start the year.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire re-signed for $1.7M practically guaranteed this offseason, but that doesn’t guarantee that he’ll be Isiah Pacheco’s backup. To start camp, Deneric Prince ($0 guaranteeed as an exclusive rights free agent) was working ahead of CEH and getting reps with the 1st-team offense. Prince is a former UDFA who played all 15 of his NFL snaps on special teams so far. The Chiefs are known to mix things up and try things out, but this is one worth tracking. Prince doesn’t have the profile of a draftable fantasy asset, but he is 6-foot, 216 pounds and is attached to Patrick Mahomes. The major difference between the two, aside from overall pedigree, is experience on passing downs. Prince has 44 receptions since 2016 (27 in high school, 17 in college, 0 in the NFL). I’ll still on team CEH for now, admitting that I didn’t think a real competition was even on the table heading into camp.
Kadarius Toney is “getting plenty of repetitions with the projected starters” per The Athletic’s Nate Taylor. That’s been at both WR and RB. This would be classic coach Andy Reid if Toney is a part-time player in a gadget role despite a load of mistakes in 2023.
Trey Sermon continues to take the Colts’ RB2 snaps, per Destin Adams. What can go wrong? Hand up, I do have to admit to sprinkling in some Round 18 Sermon. It’s sickening.
Tank Bigsby should be the RB2 “to start” the year, per Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley.
Texans coach Demeco Ryans said Dameon Pierce will “be in a much better spot this year than he was last year.” Pierce is battling rookie Jawhar Jordan for Joe Mixon’s backup job. Whoever wins that should be drafted well before Round 18 later in August.
Kenneth Gainwell is mixing in with the Eagles’ 1st-team offense ahead of 5th-round rookie Will Shipley, per Brandon Lee Gowton. But Shipley received some 1st-team snaps on July 27th. The winner of this battle is worthy of a Round 18 selection on Underdog Fantasy. It’s unclear who that will be, but I’ve personally seen enough from Gainwell’s NFL career to exclude him from the upside bucket.
Isaac Guerendo‘s hamstring injury has prevented him from practicing. He’s on pace with Trey Sermon and Tyrion Davis-Price as 49ers’ 3rd-round RBs so far. Elijah Mitchell is CMC’s backup and one of the more obvious late-round targets on Underdog Fantasy.
Juwan Johnson (foot) isn’t practicing yet, but he’s at practice without a boot. That likely means he avoided the most serious of the foot surgeries. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Saints are hopeful he’ll be ready for Week 1. His ADP completely tanked after news broke months ago, but that could be an overreaction. Last time I checked, we get zero (0) fantasy points in June and July.
Post-hype sleeper Greg Dulcich is practicing and ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote, “The Broncos are expecting a big year from tight end Greg Dulcich.” Dulcich is the highest-upside receiving option of the group, with ex-Saint blocking types surrounding him on the depth chart. The Broncos will likely have one of the lowest depths of target this year, so he’s on the radar in the deepest of leagues. He just needs to stay healthy. So far, so good.
Panthers starting TE Tommy Tremble (hamstring) will miss time. 4th-round rookie Ja’Tavion Sanders has had a “quiet” offseason so far. Neither should be drafted often on Underdog Fantasy right now.
Devontez Walker is making mistakes in camp, as most 4th-round rookies do. The Ravens are looking for a No. 3 receiver, but Walker may have his hands full beating out veteran Nelson Agholor ($3.7M). I’d take the lower-drafted Agholor in Round 18 of a Lamar stack, rather than deal with the higher-drafted rookie. I wasn’t a fan of Walker’s junior tape with Drake Maye last year. He’s a freestyler as a route runner.
Rondale Moore is behind Ray-Ray McCloud and other WRs you’ve never heard of in Falcons camp.
Jalen Nailor is in the lead for the Vikings WR3 job, ahead of Brandon Powell, per Sports Illustrated’s Will Ragatz. Coach Kevin O’Connell said, “We’re all very optimistic about Jalen because he’s proven what he is as a football player. It’s not a question of that.” It’s an underrated role for Round 18 drafters with T.J. Hockenson (ACL) and Jordan Addison (suspension) expected to miss time at various points of the year. As O’Connell alluded to, Nailor never eclipsed even 10 games while at Michigan State. Hopefully his injury luck turns around.
Treylon Burks has lost weight. That was a necessary step in a potential post-hype revival. Tyler Boyd is only making $750k guaranteed this year as the distant No. 3 option in Tennessee. Burks could steal that.
Michael Gallup unexpectedly retired. He’s a reminder that even in 2024, returns from major surgeries aren’t a given. Gallup was a quality starter before his ACL tear. He’s now out of the league at 28 years old.
