NFL Training Camp News And Notes: August 2

This article is part of our Training Camp Notes series.

As always, the preseason news is coming at an incredible rate. Let's try to make sense of today's news from a fantasy football standpoint. 

Training Camp Storyline

Broncos' Passing Game

Tim Patrick suffered a torn ACL on Mon Monday per Adam Schefter. Patrick will miss the 2022 season.

With Patrick out, next up on the depth chart are KJ Hamler and Kendall Hinton. However, Patrick profiled as an outside WR, but Hamler and Hinton may be best used in the slot. The injury could ensure that Jerry Jeudy primarily plays on the outside while Hamler becomes the primary slot.

This injury could create a shift in fantasy impact among the Denver WRs. With Hamler seemingly recovered from his own ACL injury that cost him the 2021 season, he should have little trouble claiming the No. 3 role. For Hamler, Russell Wilson's best success with slot WRs during his career has been on downfield passes, which is a perfect match for Hamler. Meanwhile, Jeudy could see heavy target volume due to his outstanding route-running ability. For those worried about Jeudy being able to gel with Wilson over the middle, those concerns are likely gone. Hamler certainly will shoot way up personal draft boards. Meanwhile, many were already bullish on Jeudy, so this situation may give him a minor boost. Finally, Sutton's role should remain unchanged. But with Patrick expected to see many downfield perimeter passes, that could result in more of those going to Sutton. That should also give Sutton a slight boost on draft boards.

Injuries/Job Battles

• Alvin Kamara- Updating a note from yesterday's version of this article, Kamara's court date for battery charges has been set to September 29. Of course, another delay is possible, but if this court date holds, it's possible that Kamara will be disciplined by the league during this season. The uncertainty adds risk when deciding to draft Kamara, even though his ADP already has the potential for missing time baked in.
• Darrell Henderson, Cam Akers- ESPN.com's Sarah Bishop is reporting that Henderson and Akers are rotating with the first-team offense. In the past, coach Sean McVay has commented about Henderson's durability concerns. In addition, McVay featured Akers heavily down the stretch in 2020 while Henderson was a minor factor. Overall, fantasy managers who were counting on Akers to be a full-time back at least have to consider that the Rams could have a committee. If Henderson has more than a change-of-pace role, his fantasy value would go up as well. There's nothing definitive here, so fantasy gamers drafting soon will have to plant their flag with limited information.
• Irv Smith- After missing the entire 2021 season with a knee injury, Smith injured his thumb and had surgery Tuesday. The bad news is that he's missing reps while the new offense of coach Kevin O'Connell is being installed. But the good news is that Smith should be ready for Week 1. As a popular breakout candidate typically being selected outside the top-10 TEs, his injury could provide a slight ADP discount in the coming days. For those who were buying into a breakout, this injury doesn't seem to be one to dissuade Smith's backers.
• Jamaal Williams- Although D'Andre Swift is going within the first 18 picks in many fantasy drafts, Williams is getting some first-team reps in practice. Even last year, Williams was a factor when he and Swift were healthy. Williams gives the team a physical presence on inside runs while being solid as a receiver and pass blocker. Fantasy managers spending a pick outside of the top 100 could have an excellent floor play at RB with Williams.
• James Robinson- During Monday's practice, Robinson was running pass routes. Although no definitive word has been given regarding the Jaguars' backfield, it's possible that Robinson's reliability as a pass blocker could allow him to see significant work at the expense of Travis Etienne on passing downs. Again, with no clear role assigned to Robinson, fantasy managers should merely be aware that Robinson could have a role as early as Week 1.
• Daniel Jones- According to Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Daniel Jones completed 16 of 20 passes on a day the team was focusing on third-and-longs. Reports indicate it was his best day of practice during camp. Sure, there's plenty of concern about Jones as a fantasy option, but Brian Daboll has brought in a new offense while Jones has reasonable weapons. For a player being selected outside the top-20 QBs, Jones has potential upside as a QB2.
• Rachaad White- Early in camp, White has been a standout as a receiver per Greg Auman of The Athletic. With the Bucs having used the 91st pick in this year's draft to add White, it seemed clear that he could quickly move into a role as a pass catcher. However, with Leonard Fournette having proven to be a force on all three downs, White could see limited snaps as a rookie. But the possibility of him being used as a receiving weapon for Tom Brady gives White enough upside to consider in the second half of fantasy drafts.
• Skyy Moore- Upon suffering a hip injury, Moore left Tuesday's practice early. With no word as to the severity, fantasy managers may not yet choose to make a major reaction to this news. If he can return, the second-round pick of the Chiefs in this year's draft seems to be competing for a heavy slot role in an offense that historically leans on the pass. Being aggressively drafted by some, Moore brings potential but uncertainty in a crowded receiver room.
• Marlon Mack, Demeon Pierce and Rex Burkhead- According to Drew Dougherty of HoustonTexans.com, Mack, Pierce and Burkhead and other backs are competing for roles. Gee thanks! This tells us nothing for any one of these RBs. However, the fact that it may be an open competition may mean a committee could be on the horizon, though that was certainly not stated. Overall, whatever opinion you had on the Texans' RBs, there's no reason to change it at this time.
• Noah Brown- With James Washington (foot) out for six-to-10 weeks, Brown could emerge as the third option behind CeeDee Lamb and Jalen Tolbert while Washington and Michael Gallup (knee) recover from injuries. After being undrafted in most leagues, Brown now has late-round appeal based on the potential for opportunity.
• Samaje Perine, Chris Evans- Although Perine was Joe Mixon's primary backup last year, Chirs Rowling of USA Today is reporting that is in competition for the backup role with Evans, though Perine appears to be leading the camp battle. For now, Perine remains the backup to roster, but should Mixon miss time for any reason, Evans could also see work on passing downs, based on his skill set as a receiver.