Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs (hamstring) left Thursday's training camp practice early due to a left-hamstring injury, according to Stephen Holder of ESPN. Downs injured his hamstring on a play and immediately went to the trainers while walking off the field under his own power. As Holder says, it's definitely a situation worth monitoring after he became a bigger part of Indy's offense in 2024 with a 72-803-5 line on 107 targets in 14 games (eight starts) in his second year in the NFL. For now, we'll consider Downs day-to-day until we know more about the severity of his injury. The Colts' quarterback situation makes all of their receiving targets less than ideal for fantasy purposes, but Downs is worth a look as a WR4/5 for WR depth in fantasy if he's healthy. If Downs' hamstring injury lingers, it will benefit Adonai Mitchell and Alec Pierce (groin) the most.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (back) will have another workout this Saturday before the team's second preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Sofi Stadium, according to head coach Sean McVay. The workout will be similar to the one he had last Saturday, Aug. 9. "Hopefully [his back] responds a little bit better," McVay said. "We're trying to get our hands around this as well, so I don't really have much more information other than think we're trying some different things that are hopefully going to be in alignment with getting him back out on the field." The 37-year-old looked good in last Saturday's workout and was supposed to practice for the first time on Monday, but that never happened. It sounds like his aggravated disc issue is more serious than previously though, although it's still unclear if it might affect his Week 1 availability. The longer he remains out of practice, though, the greater chances Stafford won't be ready for the regular-season opener.

From RotoBaller

The Athletic's Matt Schneidman reports that Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (thumb) is wearing a soft cast after having surgery to address a ligament injury in his left (non-throwing) thumb. Love is still expected to return to practice next week. Even if he were fully healthy, Love was not expected to play in the second preseason game this Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts. The 26-year-old will get back to practice next week and is fully expected to be ready for Week 1 of the 2025 regular season. Love missed two games due to injury in his second full season as the starter in 2024 and finished with 3,389 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, a slight step back from the previous campaign. The Packers' offense needs to stay healthy, but if Love ends up running more, a bounce-back season could be in store. Draft him as a low-end QB2 with upside this fall.

From RotoBaller

Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins is not expected to face any formal charges, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. The rookie second-round pick out of Ohio State has not signed with the team, but he could join the organization shortly after prosecutors declined to move forward with the case against him. Judkins was arrested on a domestic violence charge in July, but this situation seems to be coming to a close. It's unclear whether or not the NFL will still consider a suspension for Judkins. While his return to action in the near future helps his fantasy prospects, he's behind on preparation and could be eased into a role for the 2025 season. Running backs Jerome Ford and Dylan Sampson should be expected to see early-season action.

From RotoBaller

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (illness) did not practice on Thursday due to an illness, according to head coach Dave Canales. The second-year wideout out of Holy Cross had a solid showing in the team's first preseason game of the year last week, snagging two receptions for 17 yards and a touchdown. In his rookie season, the 23-year-old tallied 32 receptions on 46 targets for 478 yards and two touchdowns. While rookie Tetairoa McMillan is expected to be the immediate WR1 for quarterback Bryce Young, Coker could be a sneaky fantasy football value pick if Carolina's offense takes a step forward. Luckily, Coker is not dealing with anything serious and should return to action soon.

From RotoBaller

According to NFL.com and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, veteran safety Kyle Dugger has been demoted to the second-team defense. Dugger signed a four-year, $58 million contract last offseason, but Vrabel is not tied to decisions from previous coaching staffs. When asked how Dugger can win his starting job back, Vrabel said, "Just making sure that he's where he needs to be and understanding the coverage concepts and everything we do. A lot of this is that guys have earned the right to take a look with that first unit and, again, there will be different lineups and different things. Just focus on the reps that you get right now." It sounds like the 29-year-old has been outplayed by other safeties this offseason, and Vrabel is attempting to motivate him to work his way back. In 74 career games since being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Dugger has tallied 424 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, nine interceptions, and 24 pass deflections.

From RotoBaller

Veteran free-agent running back Matt Breida is retiring from the NFL, according to ESPN. The former undrafted free agent signing out of Georgia Southern by the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 compiled 575 rushing attempts for 2,652 rushing yards and caught 120 passes for 935 receiving yards in 98 career games with the 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and New York Giants. He tallied 15 total touchdowns. Breida had his moments on the fantasy football radar, particularly in 2018 when he rushed for 814 yards and tallied 261 receiving yards as a sophomore in Kyle Shanahan's offense. The 30-year-old declined a workout request from the Miami Dolphins this offseason.

From RotoBaller

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton announced that the team's key starters, including quarterback Bo Nix, will not play in the preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday. The starters will play around 10 snaps next week against the New Orleans Saints. In Week 1 of the preseason, Nix completed six of 11 passing attempts for 31 yards and no touchdowns. The sophomore former first-round pick out of Oregon exceeded expectations in Year 1, helping lead Denver to its first playoff game since Super Bowl 50 against the Carolina Panthers. With an elite offensive line in front of him and a much-improved running back stable this season, Nix should be set up for success in Payton's offense.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert will play in his first career preseason game on Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams. Head coach John Harbaugh said the plan is for offensive and defensive starters, and Herbert will play "a series or two." While Herbert is viewed by many as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, his fantasy floor and ceiling took hits last season in Greg Roman's run-first offense. After throwing for at least 4,336 yards in the first three seasons of his career, the Oregon product tallied just 3,870 passing yards in 17 games a season ago. While he has a ton of upside in shootout game conditions, Harbaugh and Roman are unlikely to transition into a high-flying passing attack.

From RotoBaller

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed (foot) was seen out of his walking boot on Thursday, but the third-year wideout is still not participating in practice. Reed is dealing with a sprained foot, and it's unclear if it will affect his Week 1 availability. The Packers' wide receiver room is dealing with several injuries during training camp, as Romeo Doubs, Savion Williams, Dontayvion Wicks, and Christian Watson are all out of action. First-round rookie Matthew Golden stands to benefit from extra opportunities in their absences. Reed remains a viable flex option for fantasy football, but it appears he is trending toward being relegated to three-WR sets once again in 2025.

From RotoBaller

Green Bay Packers wide receivers Romeo Doubs (back) and Dontayvion Wicks (calf) did not practice on Thursday due to back and calf injuries, respectively. Head coach Matt LaFleur said Doubs suffered a back injury in Tuesday's practice, but the ailment is not viewed as serious. Wicks has been out of action for a few weeks. Fellow Green Bay wideouts Savion Williams (concussion), Jayden Reed (foot), and Christian Watson (knee) are also banged up, leaving rookie Matthew Golden to soak up a ton of opportunities in training camp. Golden likely has the highest upside among all Packers' pass-catchers, but 2025 could be another year of the Packers lacking a true No. 1 target hog.

From RotoBaller

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will not play in the team's second preseason game this Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. Rodgers will sit again and probably won't play in the preseason finale next week, either. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer has seen it all at this point and needs to save the bullets he has left for the regular season. Backup Mason Rudolph will make another start this weekend at QB for Pittsburgh. Rodgers looked slow last year in his final season with the New York Jets while coming off an Achilles tear, and there's no guarantee he'll be any more athletic another year older. Rodgers still has the ability to sling it, but injuries will be a big concern, and it's hard to envision him lighting up box scores on a weekly basis in what is expected to be a run-first Steelers offense.

From RotoBaller

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. got a lot of run "from the jump" in the team's scrimmage on Thursday. Tank Bigsby and rookie Bhayshul Tuten had the second-most reps of RBs during the scrimmage, and Bigsby found the end zone. Etienne was also the team's lead back in the preseason opener on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, although he only carried the ball twice for six yards and caught one pas for a pickup of 10 yards. Bigsby and Tuten didn't see the field. Etienne's usage so far suggests that he should be a big part of Jacksonville's offense in 2025, unless he's traded before the start of the season. The 26-year-old is still RotoBaller's highest-ranked (No. 33) Jaguars RB in fantasy, but Bigsby is at No. 38, and Tuten sits at No. 51. It could be a three-headed monster for Jacksonville, making Etienne an RB3/flex, at best, in PPR leagues if he's not traded.

From RotoBaller

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said that quarterback Joe Milton III (elbow) will start the team's second preseason game on Saturday versus the Baltimore Ravens. Starter Dak Prescott will watch on the sidelines. Milton suffered a minor elbow injury during the preseason opener last Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams and was pulled early, but the 25-year-old will be able to play this weekend as he tries to win the backup job in Dallas over Will Grier. Before leaving the game against the Rams, Milton went 17-for-29 passing for 143 yards with a touchdown and interception, and he also carried the ball five times for 22 yards. Milton has some intriguing dual-threat abilities as a backup QB, but the Cowboys would be in rough shape if Prescott suffers another injury in 2025 that forces Milton into starting duties.

From RotoBaller

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (calf) posted a photo on his social-media account of him getting treatment on Thursday morning from Las Vegas, where his teammates are scheduled to have a joint practice against the Las Vegas Raiders, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Jennings has not practiced with the team since the first week of training camp after aggravating a calf injury that he also dealt with during spring workouts. The 28-year-old is also in the midst of contract-extension negotiations with the organization, so he's in no rush to push himself back onto the field and risk further injury. Still, he's losing valuable reps with the first-team offense in a year in which he has a huge opportunity to be one of the team's top-targeted wideouts with Brandon Aiyuk (knee) hurt and Deebo Samuel Sr. no longer in town. Jennings is on the WR3/4 borderline as a fantasy sleeper in 2025.

From RotoBaller

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (undisclosed) remained sidelined at Thursday's training camp practice, according to Brian Hines of Pats Pulpit. Stevenson probably isn't in line to suit up for the second preseason game on Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings, but head coach Mike Vrabel said on Wednesday that Stevenson's injury is minor. The 27-year-old shouldn't be in danger of having to miss the start of the 2025 regular season in early September. When Stevenson is healthy and available, he's going to split touches in New England's backfield with rookie TreVeyon Henderson, although given his issues with ball security, this could easily become Henderson's backfield in 2025 when all is said and done. If that ends up happening, Stevenson's best bet for fantasy purposes might be as an RB3/flex touchdown vulture at the goal line.

From RotoBaller

The Detroit Lions offense has had a learning curve this summer with the transition from former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to new OC John Morton, but the offense reportedly looked dominant in joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday and could be finally hitting its stride with the regular season quickly approaching. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was the best player on both teams on Wednesday. "We feel like as an offense maybe this camp there has been some struggles for us as an offense. But I think that's normal. You got new coaches and different moving parts and you're going against a really good defense every day," St. Brown said. The 25-year-old caught 115 passes for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2024 and is arguably the best slot receiver in the league. Jameson Williams could demand more targets this year, though, potentially making St. Brown a bust candidate as a top-five fantasy wideout.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said early in training camp that backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would not play in the preseason this year, so it might be Stetson Bennett once again taking the majority of the snaps under center for the second week of the preseason on Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Matthew Stafford (back) has still yet to practice during training camp, and Dresser Winn is the only other QB on th roster. The Rams are optimistic that Stafford will be ready for Week 1 of the regular season, but it makes sense for them to keep Jimmy G on ice during the preseason as an insurance policy in case Stafford isn't ready. The 31-year-old has reportedly looked strong running the first-team offense in Stafford's absence this summer, and he'd become a low-end QB2 option in superflex fantasy leagues if Stafford misses time to begin the 2025 season.

From RotoBaller

Miami Dolphins linebacker Chop Robinson (rib) returned to training camp practice on Thursday, according to head coach Mike McDaniel. It comes a day after Robinson was carted from joint practice with th Detroit Lions early with a rib injury. "It was a rib hit that we had to make sure we were responsible and didn't have any fractures or anything like that," McDaniel said. "He's definitely sore, but he'll be practicing today." The former first-rounder last year has drawn rave reviews for his performance this summer after recording six sacks in his first NFL season in 2024. Linebacker Jaelan Phillips (undisclosed) was unable to practice on Thursday due to an undisclosed injury. The 22-year-old Robinson will be looking to build on a solid rookie season ro the Dolphins defense in 2025.

From RotoBaller

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (oblique) will not practice on Thursday despite a strong push to return to the field, according to ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi. Hill is dealing with an oblique injury that has kept him limited or out of training camp practices for the last two weeks. "If Tyreek didn't have to answer to anybody, he would have practiced yesterday -- and I fear we might be talking about an injury that's a lot longer term," McDaniel said. "I'm just happy that our training staff understood the magnitude of further or bigger aggravation of something and was proactive." The Dolphins are trying to protect the speedy wideout from himself so that he'll be 100% for the start of the regular season. The Cheetah had a down year by his standards in 2024 with an 81-959-6 line but also dealt with a wrist issue all season. A bounce-back is possible, but it also depends on whether quarterback Tua Tagovailoa can stay healthy.

From RotoBaller