Training Camp Notes: Aug. 2

This article is part of our Training Camp Notes series.

• Carson Wentz is set to undergo surgery on his foot. His timeline to return to the field is a very wide range of five to 12 weeks. While in theory that could have him back for Week 1 of the regular season, that scenario appears exceedingly unlikely. The biggest fantasy impact could down to the how his absence affects the rest of the offense, particularly Jonathan Taylor, T.Y. Hilton, Parris Campbell and Michael Pittman. While Wentz may not have returned to his top form, he still had a leg up on the completely unproven Jacob Eason. Eason should be the favorite for the starter's role now, though the team could trade for a proven vet later in camp.
• Devonta Smith's week-to-week absence with an MCL sprain is likely the next biggest piece of news for the day. Given that his absence is expected to be only a few weeks, he escaped the worst-case scenario. Even so, he's losing valuable time in his rookie season, likely pushing back to his timeline to make a fantasy impact in the process. In better news, Jalen Reagor returned to work as a full participant in practice. Given Smith's absence, Reagor could end up being the Eagles' top receiver in Week 1.
• Lamar Jackson's absence will extend through at least the end of the week. This still isn't likely to change anything for the regular season, but given his ADP as a top-5 quarterback it's at least worth noting.
• There was also a lot of news from the Baltimore receiver room. Marquise Brown's hamstring injury is more significant than expected. He was sidelined for Monday's practice, his third absence in a row. With Sammy Watkins and Rashod Bateman in the fold, Brown was already potentially in danger of slipping on the depth chart. Speaking of Bateman, he was also sidelined Monday. That injury has been termed minor, but as just noted, that could change quickly. Finally, Miles Boykin is on the hot seat for a roster spot. James Proche has reportedly outperformed him early in camp, and the note increased depth among the wide receiver corps in Baltimore puts plenty of pressure on Boykin.
• Kadarius Toney is back on the field after being activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list last week, but in limited fashion. He's seemingly already behind, while competing with Darius Slayton, Kenny Golladay and Sterling Shepard for targets. Also in Giants' news, the team signed running back Alfred Morris to fill a depth role. Though that could seemingly set off panic regarding the status of Saquon Barkley's knee, coach Joe Judge reported that Barkley has made tangible progress in his recovery. That's seemingly the most optimistic tone the team has taken with Barkley in training camp, but there's still plenty of time for him to be cleared.
• We've had a lot of bad rookie wideout news to begin the article, but there have been positive reports for Elijah Moore. Moore has split reps between the first and second team, but it would seemingly be logical for the team to connect Moore with fellow rookie Zack Wilson.
• Nico Collins joins Moore as a rookie wideout who has received positive feedback for his work early in camp. With DeShaun Watson still in the fold in Houston for the time being, the offense could have more juice than was projected throughout the offseason.
• Next, we'll check in on a few quarterback competitions. Justin Fields is reportedly improving with every practice. That's a predictable outcome given his draft capital and pedigree as a college prospect. What will really matter is whether he surpasses Andy Dalton as the starter by Week 1, and if Fields produces in the preseason it's hard to imagine him sitting for any meaningful game action.
• In Denver, the word is that the competition between Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater remains completely even. It's worth noting that coach Vic Fangio stated that the even rotation for the two would continue for an additional three days, so news should become more meaningful in the coming days.
• Sticking in Denver, the team seems to be focused on utilizing Noah Fant more effectively this season. That starts with more efficient quarterback play, something he has no control over. However, Fant will also have to command targets over Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler to be a consistent fantasy force.
• Reports out of Buffalo have taken turns praising each of the team's running backs. After reports suggested that Zack Moss was fully healthy after offseason ankle surgery, both Matt Breida and Devin Singletary were praised for their conditioning and performance early in camp. This is a messy backfield, especially considering the potential of Josh Allen to vulture goal-line touchdowns.
• To another backfield with roles up for grabs, James Conner has been sidelined with a toe injury. There are two reasons for concern here. First, Conner underwent toe surgery in the offseason, so it's unclear if that issue remains unresolved. Next, he has an extensive history of injury, so it's disheartening to see him sidelined with an issue this early on.
• Julio Jones exited practice early Monday. There hasn't been any word on if there was an injury, but presumably it was either something minor or the team was monitoring his reps.
• Meanwhile, there was positive injury news regarding Amari Cooper. While he's still not on the field, he's done well in his rehab and work with trainers. He's expected to return to practice by mid-August, and assuming he sticks to that timeline this should be a non-issue.
• Sticking in Dallas, Blake Jarwin has been eased into training camp while still recovering from knee surgery. That has allowed Dalton Schultz to gain the majority of the reps with the first team. Though Jarwin is a sleeper at the position, any time he splits with Jarwin could cut significantly into his targets.
• Also positive was news for Antonio Gibson, who told reporters he was feeling no ill-effects of his turf toe injury last season. As one of the most popular breakout candidates, Gibson appears to be a full go for the regular season.
• Christian Kirk missed Monday's practice. This shouldn't raise concern yet, but any significant time missed could make Kirk's case for targets more difficult thanks to the additions of A.J. Green and Rondale Moore this offseason.
• There was a swap in health statuses in Miami. DeVante Parker was activated from PUP, while Preston Williams was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Williams has had trouble staying healthy through his first two seasons in the league, and with Will Fuller now in the fold he's already slipped down the depth chart.
• Salvon Ahmed also made the news in Miami, as he was seen limping off the practice field. His absence would limit some of the competition for Myles Gaskin, though Malcolm Brown and Gerrid Doaks would still remain in the mix.
• Jerick McKinnon has mixed in with Kansas City's first-team offense early in camp. That's not welcomed news for second-year rusher Clyde Edwards-Helaire, particularly given McKinnon's strength as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. This will be a situation worth noting. Even if Edwards-Helaire remains atop the depth chart in name, losing receiving work would damage his draft stock quite a bit.