This article is part of our Training Camp Notes series.
The obvious news to start with just about every day is a Dak Prescott update. He's expected to do more in practice next week, though he's unlikely to practice in full by taking all of the snaps. In addition, Prescott isn't expected to be limited once the regular season gets going, so with the news on him remaining consistently optimistic, fantasy managers should also share in the optimism on draft day.
After running the entire route tree in practice earlier in the week, Amari Cooper will be on the field for Saturday's preseason game against the Texans, though the veteran's only expected to log 10-12 snaps. Knowing he's a full go, fantasy managers should be comfortable drafting him as a top-15 WR.
Although Jimmy Garoppolo is currently expected to start the year as the 49ers QB, Trey Lance took eight snaps with the first-team offense in Friday's joint practice with the Chargers. This doesn't mean that things have necessarily changed, but it provides a little more excitement for fantasy managers who are aggressively drafting Lance in the hopes he takes over the starting job at some point in the near future. Of course, there's risk in drafting Lance, but should he see the field in the regular season, his rushing ability gives him the potential for massive upside.
Starting out with Chargers news, even though Justin Jackson is second on the team's RB depth chart behind Austin Ekeler, Jackson missed another practice Friday after suffering a groin injury in last week's preseason game. Knowing that Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree are lurking on the depth chart, the more time Jackson misses, the more opportunities the other backs will have to impress the coaches and possibly threaten Jackson's workload.
For those playing in leagues with kickers, Aldrick Rosas is expected to sign with the Saints while Wil Lutz recovers from core muscle surgery, and should Rosas stick with the team, he'll likely have multiple weeks as the team's kicker.
And with many teams either playing tonight or tomorrow, the news flow is a bit lighter than usual, so we can look back at a few players from the Thursday night game.
Despite both New England QBs being very accurate, ESPN's Mike Reiss suggests that Cam Newton, who played with the starters, strengthened his grip on the starting job. That said, a starting QB has not been named yet, so fantasy managers need to be aware of that if drafting this weekend. However, if Newton can earn the starting job and somehow keep it throughout the season, his rushing ability along with improved weapons in the passing attack could allow him to have numerous weeks of top-12 performance at QB.
While performing as the top WR in the Patriots' passing attack last year, Jakobi Meyers continued to look the part by catching three passes for 56 yards and a TD. Even though Nelson Agholor will likely be the primary deep threat, Meyers will likely see a solid number of targets in a possession role, giving him potential value in the second half of fantasy drafts.
Although he's played with the reserves two weeks in a row, Rhamondre Stevenson scored another pair of TDs while adding a pair of receptions. For years, the New England backfield has been tough to handicap for fantasy GMs, but don't be surprised if the 231-pound back finds a role once the regular season begins. Throwing a late-round dart on Stevenson could pay dividends, and in the worst-case scenario, he gets pushed to the waiver wire by fantasy GMs for another option.
