And So It Begins...

Dynasty | Former Bears running back Tarik Cohen is retiring. Dynasty Analysis: Cohen was attempting a comeback with the Jets but things were clearly not working out. He was once a highly coveted dynasty asset and caught 79 passes for Chicago in a great 2019 season. Cohen has just run out steam it seems and he's calling it quits at age 29. Such is life as a running back in the NFL. Cohen can be dropped from dynasty rosters at this point.

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Dynasty | Clyde Edwards-Helaire has revealed he deals with PTSD. Dynasty Analysis: The story is worth a read for sure. It seems CEH may have been part of an electronics sale that went wrong and resulted in one person being shot and killed while he was at LSU. While he hasn't disclosed many particulars, he has missed practice time in the past for personal reasons and this explains some of it. CEH has largely been disappointing from a dynasty perspective during his time in the league but this story reminds us all these are human beings we root for. He remains a deeper roster stash at the moment.

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Chicago Bears wide receiver Collin Johnson caught three of his six targets for 56 yards and two touchdowns in the team's 21-17 shortened win over the Texans. Johnson showed great rapport with quarterback Brett Rypien in this game to help give Chicago a slight edge over Houston. In a receiver room loaded with talent at the top, there isn't much room on the active roster for Johnson. More performances like this throughout camp bolster his case to be on the practice squad at the least. Johnson's next chance to show his ability in a game comes August 10th at Buffalo.

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Chicago Bears running back Khalil Herbert rushed four times for 35 yards in the team's 21-17 shortened win over the Texans. Herbert averaged 8.8 yards per carry and broke a run as long as 19 yards in his preseason debut. Although he trailed Roschon Johnson in overall carries in this game, Herbert was the most effective rusher on a team that used three different running backs. Behind new addition D'Andre Swift, Herbert and Johnson will likely split the backup duties based on situation. Herbert's next chance to bolster his case comes on August 10th at Buffalo.

From RotoBaller

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson rushed six times for 24 yards and caught his only target for seven yards in the team's 21-17 shortened win over the Texans. Johnson trailed Khalil Herbert in rushing yards on the day with a modest 4.4 yards per carry but led all players in touches. Following the addition of D'Andre Swift in the offseason, Johnson looks to step into a solid supporting role heading into his second season. He appears set to work in a timeshare with Herbert based on the situation. Johnson's next chance to improve his game film and earn a bigger role comes August 10th at Buffalo.

From RotoBaller

Chicago Bears quarterback Brett Rypien lit it up in the Hall of Fame game by completing 11 of 15 passes for 166 yards and three passing touchdowns in the team's 21-17 shortened win over the Texans. Rypien also rushed one time for nine yards and entered the game late in the second quarter. After signing in free agency, Rypien will compete with Tyson Bagent for the backup quarterback role behind first-overall pick Caleb Williams. He'll have the rest of camp to prove he's worthy of a roster spot, with his next preseason chance coming on August 10th at Buffalo.

From RotoBaller

When asked about running back Justice Hill, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh referred to him as a "high-value running back." It's apparent that Hill has solidified his role as the RB2 in Baltimore's backfield. "he's a high-caliber running back, I think he's going to play a lot," said Harbaugh. However, with Derrick Henry in front of him and Lamar Jackson slated to get his fair share of the team's carries, the opportunities will be scant for the fifth-year RB. Hill had the most productive season of his career in 2023, amassing 593 yards and four touchdowns on 112 total touches. He holds little standalone value but would be the most obvious player to benefit if Henry were to miss any time. Standing as the current RB72 in NFFC ADP, Hill presents as nothing more than a handcuff option or late-round best-ball flier.

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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (knee, hip) missed his second straight practice Thursday after getting "banged up a little bit" at practice this past Tuesday. He came up favoring his leg after having a defensive teammate collide with him during non-contact drills. Smith is set for imaging on Thursday evening to assess the severity of the injury. For now, the news around the injury remains murky. Sam Howell will step into the QB1 role for the time being, with P.J. Walker backing him up. Any time away from the field right now is negative with the installation of Ryan Grubbs' new offense, and this offense gets a clear downgrade with one of the other current quarterbacks on the roster manning the helm. Smith is the NFFC QB23 and could be seen as a solid QB2 target in best-ball and superflex drafts before the injury. However, it might behoove fantasy managers to steer clear of this situation for now while we wait for news on his injury.

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Dynasty | Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will miss the next 4-6 weeks with a knee injury. Dynasty Analysis: Hopkins apparently has a knee strain that's going to keep him out a month or more. It doesn't look like a long-term concern but his status for week one is clearly in question. Regardless, we won't be seeing him this preseason. Hopkins' dynasty value has cratered in recent years but he's in line to be a solid value for a contender should this injury prove to be minor, as expected.

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The Dallas Cowboys have signed defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad on Thursday. This comes days after defensive end Sam Williams (knee) tore his ACL. The Cowboys are in need of another pass rusher with Williams done for the season. Muhammad is a six-year veteran with 12 total sacks over his career. His best season of his career came with the Indianapolis Colts in 2021. This looks to be a depth signing as Muhammad isn't even a lock to make the 53-man roster.

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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton (ankle) was forced to leave practice early on Thursday. Luckily, Burton doesn't appear to have suffered a serious injury. The organization is calling it only an ankle tweak. The third-round rookie was pulled out of practice as a precaution and isn't expected to miss much time. Burton has been seeing increased reps in practice with Ja'Marr Chase currently out. The assumption is that Burton is going to fill the vacant spot left by Tyler Boyd, which should mean steady targets.

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Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (knee) is in danger of missing the beginning of the regular season. The veteran wideout suffered a knee strain during Tuesday's practice. Hopkins was reportedly wearing a wrap on his knee during Thursday's practice session. The organization believes that Hopkins could miss four to six weeks of action because of this injury. Hopkins could potentially be unavailable for the Week 1 matchup against the Chicago Bears. When healthy, Hopkins should be considered a high-end WR2 for fantasy purposes. The knee injury is a concern, but it shouldn't drop him too far on draft boards.

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The New Orleans Saints have signed wide receiver Marquez Callaway to a one-year deal. This is far from a blockbuster move, but the addition of Callaway does give the Saints depth at wideout. Most notably, Callaway hauled in 46 receptions for 698 yards and six touchdowns during the 2021 season. Since then, Callaway has been quiet with only 16 total receptions over the last two seasons. He should slot into the back end of the wide receiver depth chart which means Callaway is unlikely to have any kind of fantasy value.

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Philadelphia Eagles TE Grant Calcaterra 'has really done an excellent job to be the second tight and currently' and 'has a great awareness and understanding of the game,' according to offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Yaya Diaby (ankle) suffered an ankle injury during practice and had to be carted off the field. Fortunately, preliminary X-rays showed no fractures, relieving Diaby and the team. An MRI is scheduled later in the day to assess the full extent of the injury. Diaby, selected by the Buccaneers in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Louisville, had a strong rookie season, starting in seven of 17 games and recording 38 combined tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and a team-leading 7.5 sacks. The Buccaneers expect Diaby to start opposite Joe Tryon-Shoyinka as an outside linebacker. The Buccaneers also used their second-round pick on former Alabama pass rusher Chris Braswell and signed veteran Randy Gregory, though Gregory has yet to report for camp. Such an injury would significantly weaken the Buccaneers' defense, likely leading to more high-scoring games for Tampa Bay. This situation could enhance the fantasy value of playmakers like Rachaad White, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin.

New England Patriots outside linebacker Matthew Judon returned to practice on Thursday after a productive meeting with head coach Jerod Mayo. This was after Judon wasn't dressed to participate as the Patriots began their first full-pads practice of training camp on Monday, leading to a heated confrontation with Mayo. He was also absent the following day but rejoined the team as a full participant in Thursday's non-full-pads practice, following a team rest day on Wednesday. The dispute arose because Judon is looking for a new contract before the season begins. He is currently set to earn $6.5 million in the final year of the four-year, $56 million deal he signed in March 2021, but he feels this does not reflect his actual value. Complicating matters, Judon, who turns 32 in August, missed 13 games last season due to a torn biceps. With Judon, the Patriot's defense/special teams can fill in with the right match-up; without him, they are a defense to target wanting to play against.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has been diagnosed with an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot. Doctors have recommended approximately two weeks in a boot for Herbert, which will be followed by a graduated return-to-play protocol with the expectation being that he will be ready for the start of the regular season.

The Los Angeles Chargers have announced that quarterback Justin Herbert (foot) has been diagnosed with an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot following Wednesday's practice at training camp. Doctors have recommended approximately two weeks in a boot for Herbert, which will be followed by a graduated return-to-play protocol, with the expectation being that he will be ready for the start of the regular season. Herbert's fantasy stock was already down heading into the 2024 season after the Chargers let most of their supporting cast go during the offseason, and this development should drive down his late-round ADP even further. He still has time to be ready by September, but he'll be working against the clock by the time he's ready to resume practicing. 2019 fifth-rounder Easton Stick is the next man up at quarterback on LA's depth chart, which would hurt the appeal of the entire offense if he were to be under center for Week 1.

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Miami Dolphins tight end coach Jon Embree says that Jonnu Smith and Durham Smythe have a rotation every other day at training camp. The Dolphins signed Smith this offseason as a potential upgrade over Smythe, who failed to carve out a meaningful role in Miami's prolific passing attack behind target hogs Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Smith, on the other hand, was quietly productive as the No. 2 tight end behind Kyle Pitts for the Atlanta Falcons a year ago, registering a career-high 50 catches on 69 targets for 582 yards. The 28-year-old also put up the seventh-most yards per target (8.4) and yards per catch (11.6) at the position, so he'll try to beat out veteran wideout Odell Beckham Jr. as star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's No. 3 target as a TE2 option in the closing rounds of 2024 fantasy drafts this summer.

From RotoBaller

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill told reporters at Thursday's training camp that he is optimistic that he'll get a new contract done. Hill signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension with Miami back during the 2022 offseason, so he won't be an unrestricted free agent until 2027. The Dolphins just inked star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to a long-term extension, however, while Pro Bowl wideout Jaylen Waddle also bagged a three-year, $84.75-million contract extension with the Dolphins this offseason, so Hill wants his next payday as well. The 30-year-old All-Pro is a consensus top-five selection in fantasy drafts this summer, after compiling a league-leading 1,799 receiving yards through 16 games in 2023.

From RotoBaller