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Houston Texans running back Nick Chubb (head) is expected to play in the team's second preseason game on Saturday against the Carolina Panthers after taking the majority of first-team reps during a joint practice with the Panthers on Thursday, according to Sam Warren of the Houston Chronicle. Meanwhile, Dameon Pierce is expected to be held out after resting on Thursday. The 29-year-old Chubb recently was in the league's concussion protocol but has since been cleared and will at least handle a few series in Saturday's game. Chubb returned from a gruesome knee injury in 2023 but did not look explosive at all last year in his final season with the Cleveland Browns. He looked more explosive on Thursday, though, and he could have a sizeable role to open his first year in Houston with Pierce if Joe Mixon (ankle, foot) isn't ready to play in Week 1.

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco has officially been ruled out for the team's second preseason contest on Saturday against the Carolina Panthers, according to Browns beat writer Noah Monroe. Flacco and Tyler Huntley are the team's only healthy QBs at the moment, with rookies Dillon Gabriel (hamstring) and Shedeur Sanders (oblique) and Kenny Pickett (hamstring) nursing injuries. Deshaun Watson (Achilles) is on the PUP list and isn't expected to play all year. The 40-year-old Flacco is healthy, and the Browns want to keep it that way, especially since he's fully expected to be named the Week 1 starter in time. Gabriel might make the start on Saturday, but either way, Huntley should play the majority of the game against Carolina. Flacco will have limited weapons in his second stint in Cleveland and is a low-end QB2, at best, in superflex fantasy leagues.

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Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III was working with the second-team offense during 11-on-11 drills in Friday's training camp practice, according to Greg Braggs Jr. of CHGO Sports. Burden has flashed his potential this summer, but he also got off to a late start to camp with a nagging injury. The 21-year-old second-rounder caught two of his three targets for 29 yards in the team's preseason opener last week against the Miami Dolphins as he looks to earn a key role in Chicago's passing attack in his first year in the NFL. Burden is primarily competing with Olamide Zaccheaus for the WR3 job behind DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, but the problem is that Zaccheaus has reportedly had a very strong camp and appears to be holding off the rookie for now. There's plenty of playmaking ability here, but Burden is currently more attractive in dynasty/keeper leagues.

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Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid has "been a steady target of Josh Allen's throughout training camp," according to Alex Brasky of SI.com. That carried over into Friday's joint practice with the Chicago Bears. Brasky writes that he "would take the over on all of Kincaid's futures this season" and believes it will be a "big rebound year for him." Kincaid caught his only target for 10 yards in last Saturday's preseason opener against the New York Giants. Big things were expected of the 25-year-old after he was taken in the first round in 2023, and he had a nice 73-673-2 line in 16 games as a rookie. However, he regressed with a 44-448-2 line in 13 games in 2024. The Bills offense likes to spread the ball around, and Dawson Knox is still in the picture, but Kincaid is still too young to completely write off. He's a great high-end TE2 target with upside this year.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars might hold rookie two-way star Travis Hunter (upper body) out of their second preseason game on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints as a precaution while he deals with an upper-body injury, according to head coach Liam Coen. Hunter didn't take part in the team's walkthrough practice on Friday due to his injury, per ESPN's Michael DiRocco. The 22-year-old second overall pick in this year's NFL draft doesn't appear to be dealing with a serious injury, but we'll keep a close eye on his health heading into the final week of the preseason next week. He will be considered day-to-day for now. The Jaguars have every intention of playing Hunter on both sides of the ball in his first year in the NFL, which makes it hard to gauge the Heisman Trophy Winner's fantasy potential in Year 1. He has the upside to be the team's WR2 right away, but he still makes for a boom/bust WR3/flex target in fantasy.

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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said on Friday that he's not planning to play quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and most of the team's starters for their second preseason game on Saturday against the Detroit Lions. Tagovailoa went 5-for-6 for 27 yards in the preseason opener last week against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, but he'll sit out of this one with the rest of the starters, which will allow backup Zach Wilson to make the start this weekend. In addition to Tagovailoa, the Dolphins will rest receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill (oblique), who has been in and out of practices this week due to an oblique injury. In addition to Wilson, rookie signal-caller Quinn Ewers will see action for Miami against Detroit. After a disappointing offensive season for the Dolphins in 2024 and more head injuries for Tua, he has dropped to low-end QB2 status in fantasy.

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Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that he's still unsure if quarterback Josh Allen will see action in the team's second preseason game this Sunday against the Chicago Bears. "[J]ust as it relates to [Friday] and then play time overall, I would just tell you, I've gotta get through -- we've gotta get through -- this practice, go home, or go back to the hotel ... go through the injury report and then reset the table for the game on Sunday night," McDermott said. The head coach also said he'd like to get running back James Cook some playing time after he signed a contract extension earlier this week to end his hold-in. Allen, the reigning NFL MVP, did not start the preseason opener last week against the New York Giants. If he sits out again, backup Mitchell Trubisky would make another start after going 9-for-13 passing for 138 yards and a score against the G-Men.

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With Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (thumb) sidelined temporarily after having surgery on his left (non-throwing) thumb, Malik Willis will step into the starting role for the second preseason game on Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts. The former third-rounder by the Tennessee Titans in 2022 joined the Packers at the end of training camp last year and made two starts for the team when Love was injured, leading them to wins over the Colts in Week 2 and the Titans in Week 3. Willis has become more confident this year after having a full offseason to work with the offense and had a solid week during training camp practices as the QB1 with Love out of action. However, the first-team offense struggled on Thursday in a joint practice with the Colts. The 26-year-old will be off the fantasy radar in 2025 unless Love misses more games due to injury.

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Cole Thompson of Texans Wire writes that Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk stood out during the team's two-minute offense in joint practice with th Carolina Panthers on Thursday and "has been the most consistent receiver in camp not named Nico Collins." Kirk is locking up the WR2 spot behind Collins, and "no one expected Kirk to be just an average receiver when the Texans traded for him this offseason." The 28-year-old's fantasy stock was down following an injury-plagued final season in Jacksonville in 2024 in which he played in only eight games and caught 27 passes for 379 yards and one touchdowns. It also didn't help that Houston drafted rookies Jayden Higgins (second round) and Jaylin Noel (third round) back in April. Kirk's fantasy demise might be premature, though, which could make him an excellent value pick later in fantasy drafts for WR depth.

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Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that kicker Tyler Bass (pelvis) is "moving in the right direction," and the team is trying to be smart with him so he doesn't suffer a setback. The goal is for Bass to kick in the third preseason game next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Maddy Glab of BuffaloBills.com reports that Bass will be limited in Friday's training camp practice. The Bills will hold the 28-year-old out of the second preseason game on Sunday against the Chicago Bears as a precaution. Barring a setback, it sounds like he'll be good to go for the Week 1 regular-season opener, where he'll be in play as a low-end starting fantasy kicker in 12-team leagues. Bass has made exactly 24 of his 29 field-goal attempts in each of the last two years in Buffalo. He's been steady but just hasn't had enough chances to make him a high-end fantasy option at his position.

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Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel (hamstring) will be limited in the team's training camp practice on Friday, according to Bills beat writer Maddy Glab. Samuel should be ready for the start of the regular season in three weeks, but for fantasy purposes, he's not even in RotoBaller's top 100 receivers. The 29-year-old was barely heard from in 2024 in his first year in Buffalo, catching 31 of his 46 targets for 253 yards and one touchdown in 14 regular-season games (two starts). There's no reason to believe that he'll have a bigger role this season, and he's currently competing for a depth role with Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore behind Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman. With the Bills offense spreading things around, it's highly unlikely that Samuel is going to be on the fantasy radar in most leagues in 2025.

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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton (undisclosed) is back in uniform and at training camp practice on Friday, according to Charlie Clifford of NBC 5 Cincinnati. Burton apparently suffered an undisclosed injury in the preseason opener last week against the Philadelphia Eagles after he caught one pass and had a couple punt and kickoff returns on special teams. It remains to be seen if the 24-year-old will suit up for the second preseason contest on Monday night against the Washington Commanders. For fantasy purposes, the third-round pick last year is off the radar in most leagues. In his rookie campaign last year, Burton caught four of 14 targets for 107 yards and no touchdowns in 14 games (one start). Right now, he's the team's WR4, at best, behind Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Andrei Iosivas.

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Former Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond is likely to sign soon with the Cleveland Browns, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot, but he also faces possible discipline under the NFL's personal-conduct policy. The league is reviewing Bond's sexual-assault case, which was no-billed on Thursday, according to spokesman Brian McCarthy. Bond said on Thursday that he was planning on signing with the Browns, but the team hasn't officially brought him on board yet and are doing their due diligence given his off-the-field issues. The Browns have opportunity in their receiving corps behind Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman, but it remains to be seen if the 5-foot-11, 180-pounder can do enough to capture a depth role if he is indeed signed. Fantasy managers in single-year leagues can ignore him for now, but in dynasty/keeper formats, he's worth a dice roll for sure.

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Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen and quarterback Justin Herbert have "picked up right where they left off in 2023," according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic. Allen spent the 2024 season with the Chicago Bears, but he racked up 150 targets, 108 receptions, 1,243 yards, and seven touchdowns in just 13 games during the 2023 season with the Chargers. The 33-year-old is at a different point in his career, and Los Angeles now runs a much less pass-happy offense under play-caller Greg Roman. Allen should not be expected to produce like he did two seasons ago, but he could still be a high-floor bye-week replacement in fantasy, particularly in PPR-scoring formats.

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Los Angeles Chargers beat writer Daniel Popper of The Athletic projects Chargers running back Najee Harris (eye) to open the season on the non-football injury list, which means he would be forced to miss the first four games of the season. Popper writes that he has "not seen nearly enough progress at this point to think (Harris) will be ready for Week 1." Harris suffered an eye injury on July 4 and just recently returned to practice in a very limited capacity this week. If Harris does indeed miss a chunk of the regular season, rookie running back Omarion Hampton would have a major opportunity to seize the lead role in the Los Angeles backfield. Hampton is a steady riser in fantasy and profiles as a high-end RB2, while Harris has fallen to RB49 in RotoBaller's half-PPR rankings.

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Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers has "quickly cultivated strong chemistry" with quarterback Geno Smith and is "clearly (Smith's) No. 1 receiver," according to Tashan Reed of The Athletic. Reed writes that Meyers was a standout in the team's joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday. Meyers has quietly been a highly productive possession receiver in recent years, averaging 77 catches for 876 yards and five touchdowns over the last four seasons. The 28-year-old is expected to be the number two target in Las Vegas behind star tight end Brock Bowers. Meyers profiles as a steady WR3 in fantasy with limited upside but a projectable floor as long as he stays healthy.

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Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (shoulder) is all but assured of a roster spot, and it "wouldn't be a surprise to see him play a significant role in the offense," according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. The rookie seventh-rounder suffered a shoulder injury in Washington's first preseason game, but it isn't considered serious. Croskey-Merritt's training camp performance has earned a steady drumbeat of praise from both team personnel and Commanders' beat writers. He will almost certainly open the season behind both Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler on the backfield depth chart, but it appears that Washington is open to him working his way into more playing time. Croskey-Merritt is a name for fantasy managers to monitor on the waiver wire or even as a late-round dart throw in deep leagues.

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Washington Commanders wide receiver Luke McCaffrey has "received ample time with the ones and struggled" in training camp practices, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. Jhabvala includes McCaffrey in his 53-man roster projection for Washington, but writes that he's doing so "largely because he was a third-round pick last year." The 24-year-old McCaffrey saw very little usage on offense as a rookie in 2024, recording 18 catches for 168 yards and zero touchdowns in 17 games. With Terry McLaurin not practicing while he seeks a new contract, Washington desperately needs someone to step up in their wide receiver room. However, it appears McCaffrey has not yet seized the opportunity to do so.

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Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. has been reportedly looking good in joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles this week. On Thursday, Fannin dropped a potential touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco. However, Fannin responded by catching the next one and later scoring on a corner route. The rumors are that Fannin could line up all over the field, which could give him fantasy value right away in Cleveland. If everything keeps going well, Fannin could very well earn the backup job behind David Njoku to begin the season.

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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton III is expected to see a heavy workload during Saturday's second preseason contest against the Baltimore Ravens. Milton was pulled early during their first contest due to an elbow issue. Before exiting, Milton completed 17-of-29 passing attempts for 143 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Los Angeles Rams. It seems like Milton is the favorite to backup Dak Prescott, but he'll still have to compete with Will Grier. Regardless of who wins, neither quarterback is going to offer fantasy value with Prescott healthy. Milton might be worth a stash in dynasty leagues, but he doesn't have a clear path to playing time.

From RotoBaller