This article is part of our Training Camp Notes series.
Following up on injury news from earlier this week, Irv Smith underwent knee surgery and is expected to miss four-to-five months, leading to the expectation that he'll miss the season. Although there's a chance he returns at some point in December, unless fantasy players have IR spots in their leagues, Smith is likely a player to drop immediately. With Smith out, Tyler Conklin was already locked in two tight-end sets, but he could see an increase in targets. Otherwise, the team will see if they can get newly-acquired Chris Herndon's career back on track in the hopes of taking some of the role Smith was expected to handle.
After suffering a neck injury last week, T.Y. Hilton had surgery to repair the disc issue, and he'll be placed on injured reserve, meaning he'll miss at least three games. For what it's worth, Colts GM Chris Ballard said it wasn't a major procedure, and the team does not believe it's a season-ending injury. That said, the timetable to return is unclear, making Hilton a very risky player to draft in fantasy leagues. Look for Zach Pascal to take on a prominent role in three-receiver sets while Michael Pittman and Parris Campbell are likely locked into two-receiver sets.
In his recovery from last year's knee injury, Saquon Barkley was expected to have an increased role in Wednesday's practice, and coach Joe Judge won't make a decision on Barkley's Week 1 status until next week, so fantasy GMs will need to keep paying attention to practice and injury reports over the next week when setting lineups.
For those looking ahead to Week 1 matchups, it's important to note that the game between the Saints and Packers has been moved from New Orleans to Jacksonville. This could be important, as the game goes from being played in the climate-controlled dome to a potentially hot and humid venue that could cause players to wear down late. Also, the Saints have had one of the best home-field advantages in the league, which hurts them and potentially benefits the Packers.
Since the Ravens lost J.K. Dobbins to a season-ending knee injury, the backup role is expected to be a battle between Ty'Son Williams and Justice Hill (ankle), and with Hill having returned to practice Wednesday, and it appears both players will be available for Week 1. Although the team has given no indication as to how the backup duties will shake out, Hill seems a better bet for passing downs while Williams projects as an early-down runner.
As the Chargers prepare to build their new offense around Justin Herbert, rookie WR Josh Palmer looks set to take on the No. 3 WR role after the team released Tyron Johnson. With a tighter depth chart leading to potential target volume, Palmer could be a reasonable selection in the latter round of fantasy drafts for those who expect Herbert to put up big numbers.
With Rashod Bateman (core) out for the start of the season, the news that Sammy Watkins (undisclosed) returned to practice after being out since mid-August puts Watkins on track to start in two-receiver sets in Week 1. Even though the Ravens are a run-first offense, Watkins could see some targets in the opener, increasing his fantasy value.
While the Vikings get ready for their season opener, Alexander Mattison missed practice on Wednesday, and he hasn't been on the practice field since suffering an undisclosed injury on August 23. With no idea as to whether this injury is minor or major, fantasy managers may choose to use caution when placing Mattison on personal draft boards.
It only took Breshad Perriman a few days to find a new team after being let go by the Lions, as he signed a one-year deal with the Bears. Should he be able to carve out a role in three-receiver sets against an underwhelming depth chart outside of Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney, he could settle in as a solid deep threat, which could lead to some fantasy value.
