Roster cuts, injury announcements, IR decisions, depth chart updates and trades. It’s all been happening as we’re within a week of the NFL season! So here’s all the latest news you need to know for your upcoming drafts.
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Quarterbacks:
-Spencer Rattler has been named the Saints’ week one starter. He’s barely draftable in the deepest of superflex leagues but he does give the New Orleans receivers a slight boost given he’s a slightly more aggressive passer than Tyler Shough.
-Matthew Stafford is practising in full and should be fine for week one. You can ease back the Puka Nacua and Davante Adams concerns. Nacua in particular is now a bit of a bargain as he often falls to the second round of drafts.
-Jalen Milroe will likely get some snaps under centre in a Taysom Hill-esque role. This hurts Sam Darnold and Kenneth Walker a little but is unlikely to have a major effect if it’s only a snap or two a game.
Running Backs:
-Joe Mixon will start the season on IR making Nick Chubb the favorite for the early-down role in Houston. Dameon Pierce isn’t clearly out of the picture but I’d be surprised if he’s doing anything but giving Chubb brief spells. It does remain to be seen how often receiving back Dare Ogunbowale gets involved though. If he’s only in on third and long situations, Chubb could have some significant value if Mixon’s injury becomes a long-term concern. Chubb is my RB29 at the moment and a real bargain in some drafts.
-Brian Robinson’s arrival in San Fran kills Christian McCaffrey’s value. This trade suggests Robinson will spell CMC more often than we have seen in the past and moves him down to my RB5 in PPR and my RB6 in half-PPR. Meanwhile, Robinson is an upside bench stash.
-RJ Harvey will be the early down runner in Denver but it remains likely JK Dobbins will take the majority of passing downs. This is a strange splits given their perceived skill sets entering the pre-season, and it could be a case of the Broncos keeping their cards close to their chest. If this is indeed how they are used though, Dobbins loses value as he’s not the clear handcuff (Jaleel McLaughlin has been the early down backup) and Harvey takes a big drop in PPR leagues. He’ll likely disappoint as a Top 20 redraft pick.
-As predicted last week, Jacory Croskey-Merritt will be the lead early down back in Washington, while Austin Ekeler will take the receiving work. Unfortunately though, it appears Chris Rodriguez may get the goal line work and remove much of JCM’s upside. The rookie isn’t a Top 30 pick for me and at best someone you should get in the middle rounds if you’re employing a Zero-RB strategy.
-Kaleb Johnson continues running behind Jaylen Warren while Kenneth Gainwell is embedded as the Steelers’ third down back. That’s bad news for Johnson owners, who will need to wait for the rookie to beat out Warren for early down carries rather than having him be fantasy-relevant from Week 1. For me, neither is not a Top 30 RB in any format in this weekend’s drafts. After all, even once Johnson takes the lead role (if he takes it), how much is that even going to be worth?
-Another rookie well down the depth chart is Cam Skattebo. Tyrone Tracy is the clear lead back with Devin Singletary mixing in. Skattebo may get some early goal-line touches but it will take some time before he surpasses the two veterans ahead of him. The one piece of good news is that the rookie was being used on all three downs during the pre-season. But even if Skattebo somehow wins the lead role in New York, how much do you really want the Giants running back? At this stage, he’s barely a Top 50 back for me.
-Rounding out a trifecta of rookie disappointment, Jaydon Blue played behind Deuce Vaughn (who didn’t even make the roster) in his pre-season debut. He appears clearly behind Javonte Williams and, at least initially, Miles Sanders. He’s an OK late stash but, I’ll say it again, how much do you even want the Cowboys running back if he somehow becomes the lead guy? There’s more upside elsewhere.
-Breshard Smith, one of my favorite under-the-radar rookies this pre-season, has risen to third on the depth chart and has been getting some receiving work with the starters. He’s a great dynasty stash but not worth much in redraft with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt likely in a committee in KC early in the season.
-Kyle Monangai is another rookie who could have a surprise week one role. The seventh rounder could reportedly be involved behind D’Andre Swift as a change-of-pace or receiving option. He’s not draftable outside dynasty leagues though.
-The Browns backfield is a total mess, with Quinshon Judkins yet to sign but the likely starter when he arrives. In the meantime, Jerome Ford and Day 3 rookie Dylan Sampson are splitting the work on all downs. It’s possible clearer roles become established as the season progresses but for now, neither has much upside. Sampson is the more likely of the two to hold true upside but I’m simply avoiding all Cleveland runners.
-Kendre Miller is the clear Saints RB2 and is a great super-late pickup in case Alvin Kamara goes down again.
-Jaylen Wright’s injury has made rookie Ollie Gordon the new Dolphins backup, but I expect when Wright returns, he’ll take the backup role back. That makes Gordon a pointless late round pickup for me.
Wide Receivers:
-Amari Cooper’s signing by the Raiders is a surprise choice given their current depth at the position. While it could be related to Jakobi Meyers’s contract battles, I think it’s more likely an indictment on their need for a veteran presence and their lack of confidence in Jack Bech and maybe Tre Tucker. Cooper will be over-drafted in fantasy and I’m avoiding all Raiders receivers except maybe D’Onte Thornton.
-Tory Horton will be the WR3 in Seattle after Marquez Valdes-Scantling was released. This isn’t a particularly exciting role behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, especially given the number of two tight end sets the Seahawks likely run, but Horton certainly has some dynasty upside.
-Luther Burden isn’t worth drafting in your weekend redraft drafts (that’s a lot of drafts in one sentence). Olamide Zaccheaus is the clear starting slot receiver with Burden not even a clear fourth on the depth chart. Zaccheaus has been an underrated weapon at times and is an OK pickup in super-deep leagues. Meanwhile Burden is a stash if you already have him but I would avoid him if your league is yet to draft.
-The 49ers receiver room has been decimated, with the starting receivers potentially being Ricky Pearsall, Skyy Moore and a practice squad promotion. There are literally two healthy and available receivers on the roster at the moment. While this situation is likely temporary, it suggests Pearsall, George Kittle and maybe Christian McCaffrey could be real bargains, while Brock Purdy is once again being over-drafted.
-Chris Olave has been getting surprise slot snaps in New Orleans. These tend to have a little more value and could make Olave a great bargain in final weekend drafts. Meanwhile, Brandin Cooks appears slightly ahead of Devaughn Vele but I’m expecting a committee which makes neither WR3 draftable.
-Elic Ayomanor is yet to beat out Van Jefferson for the WR3 role in Tennessee. Given this isn’t even a particularly high-value position, Ayomanor is a wasted pick in redraft, but a fine dynasty pickup, as is slot man Chimere Dike who could easily be the starter by next season after Tyler Lockett moves on.
-Jamari Thrash is the favorite for the Browns WR3 role with Diontae Johnson being released. But don’t discount Isaiah Bond who was already taking some starting snaps in his first pre-season game. Neither is draftable outside deep dynasty leagues and Bond has the more upside of the two, even if Thrash is probably the week one starter.
-Sterling Shepard will be the starting slot receiver for the Buccaneers until Chris Godwin returns. But that may not be too far away, as Godwin has avoided the IR list to start the season. Godwin is an upside Top 40 receiver for me, while Shepard to a deep league PPR pickup if you’re really struggling with injuries.
Tight Ends:
-Evan Engram continues to split snaps with Adam Trautman and looks like being one of this season’s bigger busts. He’s a total avoid for me and currently ranks as my TE17.
-Brock Bowers remains a terrible round two selection. Michael Mayer is back and healthy and will likely take more snaps from the rookie sensation, while Ashton Jeanty will also be a pest over the middle of the field. And remember, Bowers wasn’t even the TE1 last year! He’s a strong avoid for me, after being my favorite bargain last season.
-Mason Taylor is clearly ahead of Jeremy Ruckert on the Jets depth chart and is a great late round stash, especially in dynasty. While he won’t get used like Tyler Conklin was last season, there’s not a lot of pass-catching competition behind Garrett Wilson in New York so Taylor has a clear path to fantasy relevance early in the season.
If you have questions on your drafts and leagues, make sure you hit me up on Instagram @TheFantasyFirstDown or on Twitter @FantasyFirstDwn. Also make sure you check out my dynasty, rookie and redraft rankings and my video analysis of all positional hit rates. And finally, if you’re looking for personalised rankings for your drafts, email me.
