Market Report: Week of August 16

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Market Report: Week of August 16

Our Training Camp Market Report is intended to be a one-stop shop for the most important news from around the NFL during training camp. I’ll post a new Market Report every week during August to help our subscribers to keep the pulse of what’s happening in the fantasy marketplace. I’ll update this article on a daily basis during the week so make sure to check back for the latest training camp buzz.

This article will focus mostly on news, beat reports, and injuries coming out of team practices. Be sure to check out Scott Barrett’s Preseason Reviews for key takeaways on player performances and playing time implications from preseason action.

Note: All ADP data used in this article is courtesy of our partners at the NFFC and the data is used from drafts in the last 14 days.

CATCH UP ON PREVIOUS TRAINING CAMP MARKET REPORTS

Market Report: Week of Aug. 9

INJURY UPDATES FROM PAST MARKET REPORTS

Dak Prescott (QB, Dal) — ESPN’s Todd Archer reported that Prescott’s right latissimus strain, which shut him down from throwing for two weeks, is healing well. Dak returned to practice in a limited fashion on Aug. 16 but it’s unknown if he’ll play in the preseason. The Cowboys opened training camp wanting to get Prescott some live-action reps before they open the NFL season but HC Mike McCarthy said on Aug. 16 that “there’s no urgency” to play him in the preseason. He’s set to ramp up his workload in practice next week.

Carson Wentz (QB, Ind) — Wentz has attended the last six consecutive practices (as of Aug. 18) without a boot or cast on his surgically repaired foot, and he’s started walkthrough reps. However, he hasn’t started the intense part of his rehab and HC Frank Reich ideally wants two weeks of practices with Wentz before the season opener — Week 1 is 25 days away. Wentz still has an outside shot to be ready for the season opener but a late September/early October return appears more likely right now.

Saquon Barkley (RB, NYG) — Barkley continued his progress by practicing in 7-on-7 drills with a non-contact jersey during an Aug. 17 practice. He’s making steady progress toward playing early in the season and he has a solid chance to play in Week 1 if he doesn’t encounter any setbacks.

D’Andre Swift (RB, Det) — Swift sat out Detroit’s first preseason game with a groin injury that he’s been nursing through the early part of training camp. HC Dan Campbell said after the game that the organization is taking a conservative approach with the injury and that Swift could’ve played if he needed to. Swift returned to practice on Aug. 19 and “took a heavy load of reps.”

​​David Montgomery (Chi) — Montgomery limped off the field after just one snap, a handoff to the third-year back, in Chicago’s first preseason game. The organization decided to rest him in their first practice after the game on Aug. 16 for “general soreness,” and he returned to practice the following day.

Justin Jefferson (Min) — Jefferson had fantasy players collectively holding their breath when he suffered a left shoulder injury in practice on Aug. 6, but he escaped the incident with a sprained AC joint. He returned to practice on a limited basis on Aug. 16 so he should be at full strength for the start of the regular season.

Amari Cooper (Dal) — The Cowboys brought Cooper along slowly at the start of training camp after he needed off-season ankle surgery. He indicated this week that he’s at full health and he hopes to play in Dallas’ next preseason game so it looks like the organization played it extra cautious with Coop in early August. He’s become a nice value in recent weeks with his ADP slipping into the fourth round (39.2, WR15).

DeVonta Smith (WR, Phi) — Smith is back to near full strength off of his sprained MCL at the start of August. He returned to full team drills on Aug. 17 and he’s expected to play in Philadelphia’s second preseason game. We held steady with Smith as our WR29 and we hope you enjoyed his half-round ADP slip (86.6, WR37) while it lasted.

Will Fuller (WR, Hou) — Fuller left Miami’s first training camp practice on July 28 with an undisclosed injury and he’s yet to return to practice through Aug. 19. HC Brian Flores said he’s getting closer to a return, but it’s still a less than ideal start for Fuller. He’ll be forced to sit in Week 1 anyway for the final contest of his six-game suspension for PED use last season.

Curtis Samuel (WR, Was) — Samuel’s Washington career got off to an inauspicious start. He opened camp on the active/PUP list with a groin injury he initially suffered during off-season workouts in June before landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list in late July. He reverted back to the PUP list on Aug. 9 after he was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list, and the team activated from the PUP list on Aug. 15. Samuel saw a half-round ADP dip the last two weeks to 100.9 (WR43).

Elijah Moore (WR, NYJ) — Moore picked up a quad injury during an Aug. 12 practice, which required an MRI, but the results must’ve been clean as HC Robert Saleh stuck him with a “day-to-day” timeline on Aug. 15. The Athletic’s Connor Hughes reported the Jets will rest him this week in hopes that he can return to practice next week.

Tre’Quan Smith (NO) — Smith returned to practice on Aug. 17 after a 10-day absence for a leg injury. Smith will still likely open the season as a starter with Marquez Callaway, but he missed out on a chance to build some chemistry with his new quarterbacks by missing the early part of camp. He still has time to build some chemistry with Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston but it’s a much tighter competition with the way Callaway has performed at the beginning of training camp.

Darren Waller (LV) — Waller missed the last two weeks of training camp with an ankle injury, but he returned to practice on Aug. 17. The injury was never believed to be serious and he should be at full strength for the start of the season.

Hunter Long (Mia) — Miami’s third-round pick returned to practice on Aug. 19 just 11 days after he suffered what looked like a potentially nasty knee injury. Long is off the radar in season-long formats but he’s back to pushing for playing time, and he could be a thorn in the side for Mike Gesicki if he carves some sort of role in Miami’s passing game.

UPGRADES

Players whom we’re feeling more optimistic about based on training camp reports and injury news.

Quarterbacks

Justin Fields (Chi) — Fields is making his second appearance in the Upgrades section of our Training Camp Market Reports — he captivated camp with his natural arm talent last week. Fields tore it up in his first preseason game and it appears the gap (artificially placed by the organization since the NFL Draft) between Fields and Andy Dalton will continue to shrink this week. HC Matt Nagy said on Aug. 16 that Fields will get more time to work with the first-team offense and to work against the first-team defense, which is “part of their plan” for Fields. He did sit out an Aug. 18 practice with groin soreness, but it’s minor enough that he’s expected to play in their second preseason game. We’ve identified Fields as a potential league-winning pick at his ADP of 138.6 (QB16) and it appears Fields is slowly starting to win over the key decision-makers in the Bears’ organization. He may not start Week 1 but it would be a surprise if he isn’t starting games by October. (Updated 8/19)

Running Backs

Antonio Gibson (Was) — The hype has been building for Gibson all summer long and he’s starting to creep up toward the early second round (15.2 ADP, RB11). We’ve certainly played a part in the hype dating all the way back to our Pow-Wow Series in May when our Adam Caplan told us that OC Scott Turner wanted to expand his role in the passing game. Washington’s third-string quarterback Kyle Allen added fuel to the fire by comparing Gibson to Christian McCaffrey on Aug. 17, which has been a popular comparison in Washington since Ron Rivera came from Carolina. The fact remains that Gibson has the potential to jump into elite fantasy territory if he’s able to steal a nice chunk of J.D. McKissic’s receiving production this season, and you’ll have to draft him aggressively in the early second round if you want him on your roster this season. (Added 8/17)

Chris Carson a (Sea) — The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar recently gave some insight into how new OC Shane Waldron will potentially utilize his backs this season. Carson is once again set to do a majority of the heavy lifting again as the team’s early-down back, and RB coach Chad Morton put it succinctly, “We roll with Chris. That’s how it goes.” Dugar wrote that the backup roles are “clearly defined” with DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer being used as a third-down back and Rashaad Penny being used as a change-of-pace runner behind Carson. Once again, Carson is being a bit overlooked amongst the top RBs at his fourth-round ADP (38.2, RB18) while Penny is likely going to need a Carson injury to break out in the final year of his rookie deal since it looks like he’s going to get limited carries and his passing-game role could be insufficient. He’s being a bit overdrafted at his surging ADP (146.0, RB49) ahead of the likes of James White and Philip Lindsay. (Added 8/18)

Phillip Lindsay (Hou) — We found out last week that Lindsay is going to handle the majority of carries for the Texans this season with David Johnson sliding into the “third-down role” that Duke Johnson held last year. The decision was confirmed both by how the Texans used Lindsay and Johnson in the first preseason game — Lindsay out-snapped Johnson 8-2 with the first-string offense — and later by Johnson’s comments about his reduced role (“in the moment, it’s tough”). Johnson still has the more coveted role in the backfield since the Texans’ will be playing in heavy negative game scripts, but the Texans want Lindsay and Johnson to split up the work in the backfield. Lindsay’s ADP will continue to rise until the season starts (154.1, RB50) while Johnson’s ADP is going to slide quite a bit (108.5, RB40). This is still a situation to avoid with Rex Burkhead and Mark Ingram each potentially getting weekly touches in what could be an ugly committee in the league’s worst offense. You’ll be better served to treat this backfield like it doesn’t exist in your fantasy drafts. (Added 8/17)

Wide Receivers

Jalen Reagor (Phi) — Reagor, a 2020 first-round pick, is rounding into form in recent joint practices against the Patriots after a slow start to his second training camp. He had the Internet buzzing with his sick one-handed catch on Aug. 17 against the Patriots, and HC Nick Sirianni has now noticed his development in recent practices. Sirianni said, “He was starting to use some techniques that we want him to see because we all know that he has phenomenal athleticism.” It’s tough to get overly excited about Reagor given his uneven play as a rookie and from earlier in camp — he failed his conditioning test to start camp. DeVonta Smith (knee) also returned to practice and Quez Watkins is pushing for playing time too, but at least Reagor is trending in the right direction recently and his price isn’t prohibitive (148.6 ADP, WR59). (Updated 8/19)

Sterling Shepard (NYG) — Shepard has re-established his large role in the Giants’ passing game in the early part of training camp with Kenny Golladay missing time with a hamstring injury. Giants’ beat writer Matt Lombardo wrote that Shepard has easily been Daniel Jones’ favorite target and that Shepard is having the best training camp of his career. He’s the favorite to finish with the second-most targets in this passing attack behind Golladay, and he’s looking like a fantastic value at his current ADP of 160.9 (WR62). Shepard’s ceiling is likely capped around that of a low-end WR3, but he’s a great bet to beat his WR5/6 ADP if he’s able to stay on the field. (Added 8/16)

Josh Palmer (LAC) — Palmer has been the Chargers’ third-best wide receiver in training camp ahead of Jalen Guyton and Tyron Johnson, according to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper. Palmer has excelled as a route runner and he’s shown good hands during camp, and he offers more positional versatility than both Guyton and Johnson, who are both more speed players than anything else. Palmer caught six passes on just 17 snaps — three of which went for third-down conversions — in the first preseason game with the Chargers resting Keenan Allen and Mike Williams (hip). Palmer is also on the rise since Williams is already dealing with an injury, and his hip flexor issue is severe enough that HC Brandon Staley ruled him out for an entire week of practice before it even started. It could take Palmer a little time to carve out a fantasy significant role this season, but he’s become a late-round target of mine in best ball formats with his strong start to camp and with Williams already ailing. (Updated 8/17)

Tight Ends

Robert Tonyan (GB) — Tonyan and Aaron Rodgers have shown a strong connection throughout training camp, and the former UDFA TE out of Indiana State might be just coming into his own entering his fifth season. Justin Outten, Tonyan’s position coach, said on Aug. 15, “He's a guy that's going to continue to get better. He's not reached his ceiling yet, in my opinion.” Outten went on to praise Tonyan’s work outside the Packers’ facilities to improve his body and to sharpen his knowledge of the playbook. Tonyan scored touchdowns on an unsustainable 7-of-8 end-zone targets and 11-of-14 red-zone targets last season, but he averaged just 3.7 targets per game with an ugly 12.6% target share. Tonyan is unlikely to maintain his touchdown production from 2021, but he should see an increase in targets to potentially offset any slip in scoring to keep him as a viable TE1 in one of the league’s best offenses.

Outten had much harsher criticism for 2019 third-round pick Jace Sternberger, who was once expected to take over Jimmy Graham’s spot before he handed the job to Tonyan last August. Outten downplayed Sternberger’s big preseason game, “That one play doesn’t really describe the player. It’s more consistently what you’re putting in day in and day out. With his consistency, it’s kind of been sporadic. Whether it’s still getting used to the playbook or feeling around the line of scrimmage, he’s still having some up-and-down days.” Tonyan is still clearly the top receiving option at the position for the Packers and Sternberger appears to be on the roster bubble despite his performance in the first preseason game. (Added 8/16)

Austin Hooper (Cle) — HC Kevin Stefanski wants to get Hooper more involved as a receiver this season after it took last year’s big free-agent signee some time to get used to a new quarterback and a new offensive scheme. Stefanski said, “We’re going to grow his role. He really understands now in Year Two how we plan to use him, and again, I do believe his role can grow.” Hooper is looking like a value at his current ADP of 207.8 (TE25) after he built some momentum with Baker Mayfield late in their first season together. He had a run of 14+ FP in four straight games (Week 15-Wild Card) before the Chiefs stifled Hooper and the Browns’ passing attack in the Divisional Round. (Added 8/16)

Donald Parham (LAC) — Parham is pushing for a much bigger role in Los Angeles’ offense this season after seeing just a 23% snap share in 13 games last season. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper believes Parham is going to have a “big and influential role” this season, and he’s primarily lined up out wide and in the slot during training camp. Parham, who checks in at 6’8”, is still the #2 TE behind veteran Jared Cook, but new OC Joe Lombardi has featured both players together in two tight-end sets. Parham has struggled with drops in training camp, which is the one area he needs to clean up if he wants to break out this season. Parham is pushing for an increased role, especially as a red-zone threat, and he should be considered in the later rounds of deeper, TE-premium leagues. (Added 8/16)

DOWNGRADES

Players whom we’re feeling less optimistic about based on training camp reports and injury news.

Quarterbacks

None of note.

Running Backs

Myles Gaskin (Mia) — I placed the Dolphins’ backfield on last week’s “Watch List” after Malcolm Brown dominated goal-line work in a joint practice with the Bears last week, and our fears of an ugly backfield committee became reality during Miami’s first preseason game. Brown played on 16-of-23 snaps with the first-string offense while Gaskin played on the other 7 snaps before continuing to play with the second-string offense. Salvon Ahmed came onto the field in the second quarter and played into the second half. HC Brian Flores said after the game, “We like all three guys. They all do good things and I think we saw that today. We’ll just keep working all three guys.” Flores then added on Aug. 17, “We are going to use them situationally as best fits their skill set and what’s best for the team…Malcolm Brown is a little bigger, what you may consider a power back. Myles is a change of pace, good quickness. Salvon Ahmed has good speed, coming out of the backfield.” Gaskin’s fifth-round ADP (57.1, RB24) is set to plummet while Brown’s ADP (230.4, RB67) is set to skyrocket before the start of the season. Gaskin is still the best fantasy option in this backfield because of his receiving ability, but his ADP will have to fall three to four rounds to become palatable. (Updated 8/17)

David Johnson (Hou) — We found out last week that Phillip Lindsay is going to handle the majority of carries for the Texans this season with Johnson sliding into the “third-down role” that Duke Johnson held last year. The decision was confirmed both by how the Texans used Lindsay and Johnson in the first preseason game — Lindsay out-snapped Johnson 8-2 with the first-string offense — and later by Johnson’s comments about his reduced role (“in the moment, it’s tough”). Johnson still has the more coveted role in the backfield since the Texans’ will be playing in heavy negative game scripts, but the Texans want Lindsay and Johnson to split up the work in the backfield. Lindsay’s ADP will continue to rise until the season starts (154.1, RB50) while Johnson’s ADP is going to slide quite a bit (108.5, RB40). This is still a situation to avoid with Rex Burkhead and Mark Ingram each potentially getting weekly touches in what could be an ugly committee in the league’s worst offense. You’ll be better served to treat this backfield like it doesn’t exist in your fantasy drafts. (Added 8/17)

Latavius Murray (NO) — Murray appears to be in a fight for a roster spot this August with Devonta Freeman, Tony Jones Jr., and Dwayne Washington. Both of The Athletic’s Saints’ beat writers, Katherine Terrell and Larry Holder, have written in recent days that Murray is still likely to make the team but that he isn’t the roster lock that most assume that he is. Jones Jr. is a player to keep an eye on the rest of August as he looked like the most explosive back out of the group in their first preseason game. The Saints are on the league’s most cap-strapped teams and they could save $3 million by releasing him before the season starts if they feel like they can get comparable play from Freeman and Jones Jr. Holder told our John Hansen on Sirius/XM, "You'd assume Latavious will be here," while Saints’ beat writer Nick Underhill also still expects Latavius to be the #2 RB. Murray should be dropped down draft boards for at least the time being since he’s no longer guaranteed to be an elite handcuff. He appears to still be the second option but he could be stuck in a dreaded committee for work behind Kamara even if he does make the team. (Updated 8/18)

Rashaad Penny (Sea) — The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar recently gave some insight into how new OC Shane Waldron will potentially utilize his backs this season. Chris Carson is once again set to do a majority of the heavy lifting again as the team’s early-down back, and RB coach Chad Morton put it succinctly, “We roll with Chris. That’s how it goes.” Dugar wrote that the backup roles are “clearly defined” with DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer being used as a third-down back and Penny being used as a change-of-pace runner behind Carson. Once again, Carson is being a bit overlooked amongst the top RBs at his fourth-round ADP (38.2, RB18) while Penny is likely going to need a Carson injury to break out in the final year of his rookie deal since it looks like he’s going to get limited carries and his passing-game role could be insufficient. He’s being a bit overdrafted at his surging ADP (146.0, RB49) ahead of the likes of James White and Philip Lindsay. (Added 8/18)

Wide Receivers

Mike Williams (LAC) — Here we go again. Williams is already dealing with an injury in training camp, which is a major buzzkill for all of the positive hype he’s been receiving from QB Justin Herbert and OC Joe Lombardi. He picked up a hip flexor injury during an Aug. 11 practice and it wasn’t a great sign that HC Brandon Staley ruled Williams out for an entire week of practice on Aug. 16. Williams still has plenty of time to be ready for Week 1, but he doesn’t have the best track record of staying healthy and playing well through injuries. I took a little bit of the cheese on Williams when Lombardi talked him up in early June, but I’ll be passing on him unless his current ADP (95.0, WR41) slips a bit outside the top-100 picks. (Added 8/17)

Kadarius Toney (NYG) — Toney’s bizarre start to his rookie campaign took another twist during their preseason opener when he was nowhere to be seen during pregame warmups with the rest of his team. HC Joe Judge later revealed Toney aggravated an injury at the end of last week but he wouldn’t disclose what the injury was. In addition to this “injury,” the Giants’ first-round pick has now missed practice time because of his rookie contract, his cleats, a family emergency, and COVID-19. Toney was expected to travel with the team to Cleveland for joint practices but we’ll see if he actually gets on the field. With drama continuing to follow him, it’s looking more and more likely that Toney won’t have a role early in the season with every passing day. He should be left on the waiver wire to open the year in most leagues, but he’s still worth a look as an upside pick late in drafts in best ball formats and in leagues with deep benches. (Added 8/16)

Tight Ends

Adam Trautman (NO) — New Orleans’ first preseason game had us running scared when it came to second-year pro Trautman, whom the Saints took off the field on four third-down snaps with the first-team offense in favor of converted WR Juwan Johnson. The Athletic’s Katherine Terrell confirmed what our eyes saw when she wrote that Johnson is headed toward a “Jared Cook-type of role” at tight end. It’s terrible news for Trautman, who received a break-out buzz this summer, since it looks like the Saints primarily view him as the team’s inline blocker. We’ll continue to monitor the situation and the preseason snaps but Trautman is overvalued at his current ADP of 145.0 (TE16). (Added 8/18)

Tim Tebow (Jax) — It looks like Travis Kelce is the new TE1 after the Jaguars released TEBOW on Aug. 17. Tim heads into retirement at the top of his game as one of the league’s elite blocking tight ends. (Added 8/17)

WATCH LIST

Players who we’re not ready to upgrade or downgrade but their situations demand monitoring based on training camp reports and injury news.

Quarterbacks

None of note.

Running Backs

Miles Sanders (Phi) — Sanders and Boston Scott were busy splitting first-team touches early in training camp, but the tide has started to turn in Sanders’ favor as training camp has gone along, including in joint practices against the Patriots. Sanders is one of the toughest players to get a firm grasp on his role heading into the season in terms of RBs going inside the top-50 picks. He’s loaded with explosive traits and Jalen Hurts’s dual-threat ability could open up more running lanes for him behind a once again healthy O-line. However, the Eagles have a deep backfield with Scott, Kenneth Gainwell, and Jordan Howard behind him — they at least waived Kerryon Johnson on Aug. 17. I’d love to see Sanders get some snaps in the preseason to see if he comes off the field at all when the first-team offense is on the field. Sanders is trending in the right direction this week but I need more positive news before I give him an “Upgrade” endorsement. (Added 8/17)

Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon (Den) — Gordon sat out Denver’s preseason opener with a groin injury, which gave Williams, their second-round pick, more opportunities with the first-team offense. The rookie flashed some explosiveness and he finished with 5/29 rushing and he had a touchdown called back by a holding call. Gordon returned to practice on Aug. 17 so it must’ve been an extremely minor issue. Gordon isn’t the most beloved player in Denver right now, and Williams is going to have the chance to quickly become the crowd favorite in this backfield. We recently listed Williams as a potential league-winning pick if he’s able to completely take over the backfield. Gordon and Williams are likely to start the season in a timeshare, but Williams will get plenty of opportunities to take more work from Gordon as the season progresses. (Updated 8/17)

Giovani Bernard, Leonard Fournette, and Ronald Jones (TB) — Bruce Arians said Bernard has been “more than pretty good” in his first training camp outside of the Bengals organization, and the Bucs’ HC added that he plans to give Gio a major part in the offense. Bernard is slated to be the team’s primary passing back while Jones is expected to handle most of the early-down work, with Fournette tentatively expected to spell Jones as a runner and Bernard in passing situations. However, Fournette’s future with the team needs to be monitored as the Buccaneers near a 100% vaccination rate. Arians said, “By the time we get to 53 [players], I would anticipate being at 100 [percent vaccinated], plus the practice squad has got to be 100. If not, it might be one guy, so we’re in great, great shape.” Fournette notably spoke out against the vaccine before the start of training camp, but he has since started to warm up to the idea of getting vaccinated. His roster spot could be in jeopardy if the organization wants to get to 100% vaccinated and if second-year RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn is ready to step into his role. We’re not actively following the vaccine situations of every player across the league, but this is one case to keep an eye on if Arians is dead set on getting to a 100% vaccination rate. (Added 8/19)

Darrynton Evans (Ten) — Evans left Tennessee’s first preseason game with a non-contact leg injury, but he appears to have avoided a serious injury with HC Mike Vrabel calling Evans “day-to-day.” Our Edwin Porras believes Evans’ suffered a soft-tissue injury, and it could be yet another hamstring injury. Evans played in just five games last season and he finished with just 14 carries because of a hamstring injury. Evans would like to avoid missing even more practice and playing time as he tries to carve out a passing-down role behind Derrick Henry. (Updated 8/17)

Wide Receivers

Stefon Diggs (Buf) — It’s time to start monitoring Diggs’ health as his absence from Bills’ practices for a knee injury extended into a second week. HC Sean McDermott said on Aug. 15 that Diggs would miss more practice time but that he wasn’t concerned about the injury lingering into the season. Diggs is a proven player and the Bills have no incentive to rush him back so there’s no reason to adjust your draft rankings at this point. Continue to consider Diggs as an early second-round pick. The Bills are hoping to get him back on the practice field in the coming days. (Updated 8/19)

{{Chase Claypool|WR|PIT}] (Pit) — Claypool gave fantasy owners and Steelers fans everywhere a scare when he couldn’t apply pressure on his leg after sustaining the injury at the end of their Aug. 17 practice. Ben Roethlisberger and Eric Ebron had to help him off the field, but Claypool escaped with just a low ankle sprain instead of a dreaded high ankle sprain. Claypool has been trending into the fifth round in recent drafts (61.4 ADP, WR26) and he can still be safely drafted in that range since he should be ready for the start of the season. (Updated 8/18)

Robby Anderson (Car) — Anderson has missed practices this week and last week’s preseason game with a hamstring issue after picking up the injury against the Colts in joint practices last week. Matt Rhule said the injury isn’t expected to keep him out long, but it’s still an issue to monitor since soft-tissue injuries can linger. (Added 8/19)

Courtland Sutton (Den) — Sutton has had an uneven camp in his return from his ACL tear suffered 11 months ago. He’s had some strong practices and made some spectacular catches and other times he’s looked hesitant at other times. HC Vic Fangio said after a down practice on Aug. 17, “Hopefully in the next few days to the next few weeks, he’ll take a big step forward and feel comfortable and be raring to go.” We currently have Sutton as an overvalued player at his current ADP (76.9, WR33) as he recovers from his injury and he contends with a loaded Broncos’ receiving corps for targets. We’re also expecting Teddy Bridgewater to see significant playing time, which isn’t the best match with Sutton’s playing style. (Added 8/18)

Tight Ends

Jonnu Smith (NE) — Jonnu picked a left ankle injury during an Aug. 15 practice but, thankfully, it was a low ankle injury and not the high-ankle variety. Jonnu will likely miss a couple of days of practice with his low-ankle injury instead of a couple of weeks of practices/games with a high-ankle injury. There’s nothing to fret about Jonnu’s injury as he should return to practice in the near future. We have Smith as a potential league-winning pick in fantasy drafts and here’s hoping that his ADP dips a bit because of his minor injury. (Added 8/16)

Tom is a Senior Writer at Fantasy Points who specializes in fantasy and betting analysis. He’ll be helping you to navigate the waiver wire and manage your fantasy teams while also keeping our betting content robust all year long, especially during the season. Tom's Best Bets against the spread won at 64.3% clip last season and he owned the last undefeated team out of 3000 entries in Scott Fish Bowl 12.