This article is part of our Training Camp Notes series.
The biggest news of the day comes from Rams camp as Matthew Stafford hit his right thumb on a helmet and was then shut down in Monday's practice, but the good news is that he was only diagnosed with a swollen thumb, as x-rays were negative. Although he may miss some practice time, this news shouldn't impact anyone's fantasy ranking of the veteran QB.
Many fantasy managers who are investing in Darrell Henderson may not like the report from Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic that reiterated that the Rams will utilize a backfield "committee of sorts" to alleviate Henderson from a full workload. Although Sean McVay has stated that he views Henderson as a three-down back, the coach has also noted that it's critical to keep him durable. Fantasy GMs should carefully consider his potential workload before selecting him on draft day.
There's good news out of Falcons camp, where Calvin Ridley is back at full strength after minor foot surgery this spring, and his practice reps are only being limited as part of a long-term plan to keep him at full health. Playing on an Atlanta team that may have a weak defense which may lead to them trailing often, he could push for the league lead in targets in an offense in which the other WRs are marginal at best.
After an injury-plagued 2020 season, Kenny Golladay seems to be off to a rough start to the preseason, as he left Tuesday's practice with an apparent hamstring injury. We've learned over the years that hamstring issues can be tricky, and there's often uncertainty as to an accurate recovery timetable. Hopefully, this resolves quickly, but it's possibly an injury that could cause fantasy managers to make temporary adjustments on their draft lists until they know Golladay is back to full health.
Jalen Hurts has been showing improvement each day at camp with Tuesday being his best performance of camp so far. With the Eagles unlikely to be a contender this season, it would be difficult to imagine a scenario in which Joe Flacco takes over the starting job from Hurts. Regardless of potential inefficiencies as a passer, Hurts' rushing ability gives him a solid floor and excellent ceiling each week, and as long as he's the starting QB, it's very unlikely he'll perform worse than a top-10 QB on a per-game basis.
With Curtis Samuel (groin) continuing to miss practice time as he acclimates to his new team, coach Ron Rivera isn't worried about his new WR because Samuel worked with OC Scott Turner in 2018-2019, when the duo was with the Panthers. Although this certainly won't help the receiver gain chemistry with Ryan Fitzpatrick, his knowledge of the offense could help Samuel get up to speed quickly once he's healthy. It still seems that the more time he misses, the chances of him getting off to a slower start than expected could increase.
Unfortunately, at least for now, the news isn't quite so good in Chicago for Tarik Cohen, who may still be weeks away from practicing. Although he could be ready for Week 1, the missed time may keep fantasy managers from having a full grasp of his role in the offense. He certainly has a chance to be the main receiving back, even with Damien Williams on the roster, but Cohen also could function as a slot receiver with Anthony Miller no longer on the squad. For now, he remains a risk in fantasy drafts while his health is still an issue.
Although it doesn't appear to be serious, Tre'Quan Smith left practice with an unspecified issue and was walking under his own power afterwards. If anyone is drafting before any more information comes out, this is simply something to be aware of.
It's always a fair idea to target players on explosive offenses, and today's news has Byron Pringle looking to have an early lead over DeMarcus Robinson, as they compete for the No. 3 receiver role, potentially making Pringle worthy of a late-round flier in drafts. Even though Robinson or Mecole Hardman weren't consistently productive in those roles the past couple years, a new player in that role could produce different results. Adjust your draft boards as you see fit.
In superflex and two-quarterback leagues, all QBs have value, and Jacob Eason appears for now to be the Colts signal caller while Carson Wentz (foot) recovers from his injury. Eason is expected to play about two quarters in the preseason opener against the Panthers on August 15. It'll be important to see how he fares in his opportunity because if he's named the starter, he could be in the lineup for a while.
