Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson missed a few days of practice last week while dealing with an illness, but the two-time MVP said he feels "fully back" following Monday's practice. This is great news as the calendar nears August with preseason action just around the corner. As usual, Jackson is expected to be a top-five fantasy quarterback in 2024, and he could contend for the overall QB1. Although he posted a career-low 5.5 yards per carry (minimum eight starts) last season, he remains the best rushing quarterback in the NFL, and tight end Mark Andrews and ascending wideout Zay Flowers provide him with enough pass-catching firepower to continue to improve his numbers as a passer.

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Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle has been a popular fantasy football sleeper this offseason after the departure of Tony Pollard. The team brought back Ezekiel Elliott, and many assume Dowdle and Elliott will split backfield duties in 2024. However, in a radio interview, Cowboys executive Stephen Jones suggested that Royce Freeman is likely to make the roster, while Dowdle and Malik Davis could be competing to be the third active running back in the regular season. [Freeman will] be a good addition and great complement to (Ezekiel Elliott)," Jones said. "And then we'll let these young guys between (Rico Dowdle and Malik Davis) and those guys battle it out." It's too early to draw any conclusions, but this is not a great look for Dowdle, who rushed 89 times for 361 yards and two touchdowns in 2023.

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Veteran running back Royce Freeman signed with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, joining one of the worst running back rooms in the NFL. Tony Pollard left for the Tennessee Titans this offseason, and the organization brought back long-time running back Ezekiel Elliott. It has been assumed that Elliott and Rico Dowdle will split time in the Dallas backfield, but Freeman has reportedly impressed this offseason. "He's a great 2-3 combination in terms of what he can do as a backup," Cowboys executive Stephen Jones said. "He's a big, thick guy. And he's a hell of a special teams player as well. He'll be a good addition and great complement to (Ezekiel Elliott). And then we'll let these young guys between (Rico Dowdle and Malik Davis) and those guys battle it out." Freeman, who has handled touches for four teams through his first six NFL seasons, has rushed 471 times for 1,792 yards and 10 touchdowns in 79 career games. If he's involved in the Dallas offense in any capacity, he will be well worth stashing in deeper fantasy football setups.

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San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) is dealing with a significant hamstring strain and will be out for a few weeks, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. It's a tough development for the fourth-round rookie from Louisville, who will miss valuable reps as he looks to compete for the RB2 job behind Christian McCaffrey. Guerendo was widely unknown heading into the pre-draft process, but his 4.33 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine raised eyebrows and got him selected at the start of Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft. While his injury could slow down his development and chances to make an impact early in his career, he remains an intriguing late-round flier in deep fantasy football leagues.

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Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (undisclosed) jogged off the practice field an hour into Monday's training camp practice and did not return. However, head coach John Harbaugh said the injury is not considered to be serious. Given Bateman's troubles staying on the field through his first three NFL seasons, it's a good sign that he will likely be fine, but it's still concerning. The former first-round pick out of Minnesota has played in just 35 of his 51 possible regular season contests to begin his career and has collected 93 receptions for 1,167 yards and four touchdowns. There has been buzz surrounding the 24-year-old this offseason, but he could have a tough time being a weekly fantasy contributor in a run-heavy offense while competing for targets with Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews and ascending wideout Zay Flowers.

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Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (leg) has been working with the first-team offense during training camp practices after recovering from a broken fibula he suffered last December. Dell was also shot in the leg in April, but he's recovered from both incidents and is on track to be ready for the start of the 2024 regular season. There is more competition for targets in Houston's passing attack now that Stefon Diggs is in town, but the 24-year-old is looking to build on an impressive rookie season that saw him catch 47 passes on 75 targets for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in his first 11 NFL games. Even though Dell is going to have more competition for targets between Diggs and Nico Collins mainly, there could still be enough passing volume in Houston for Dell to solid WR3/flex in fantasy as long as he can stay healthy in Year 2.

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The San Francisco 49ers announced on Monday that they activated rookie first-round wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (hamstring) from the Non-Football Injury list. Pearsall was working out on the side at training camp practice at the end of last week and will now be able to join the rest of his teammates as he prepares for his first NFL season in 2024. Many considered the 23-year-old to be a reach at the tail end of the first round in April, but his excellent route-running skills make him an attractive dynasty/keeper stash in Kyle Shanahan's offense. Pearsall probably isn't going to have a huge role this year as long as Brandon Aiyuk sticks around, but that could change as soon as 2025. Unless Aiyuk is traded or Deebo Samuel is injured, Pearsall can probably open the year on the waiver wire in standard 12-team fantasy leagues.

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Indianapolis Colts veteran defensive end Samson Ebukam (Achilles) suffered a torn Achilles in training camp practice on Sunday, according to a source. Ebukam will now miss the entire 2024 season as a result. It's an early blow for Indy's defensive-line depth. The 29-year-old former fourth-round pick (125th overall) by the Los Angeles Rams in 2017 out of Eastern Washington was hoping to build off a career year in 2023 with the Colts in which he set career-highs in total tackles (57), solo tackles (39), sacks (9.5), tackles for loss (10) and QB hits (17) in 17 regular-season starts. Ebukam also forced three fumbles. He was projected to start off the edge for the Colts this year, so Indy will now be looking for someone to step up as a pass-rusher in his place this season.

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Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (hamstring) still remains absent at Monday's training camp practice. Mixon has missed more than a week now with his hamstring injury, which has allowed backup Dameon Pierce extra repetitions after a disappointing sophomore campaign in Houston. There are no indications that Mixon's injury will put him in danger of missing the start of the 2024 regular season, but the longer he remains out, the more time Pierce will have to impress the coaching staff. When healthy, Mixon should be Houston's primary RB in an up-and-coming offense. Fantasy managers will want to target him ideally as a high-end RB2, but Mixon is probably going to need to be much more efficient as a runner to be worth his draft price, as he's most likely not going to be as involved as a pass-catcher with the Texans as he was with the Bengals.

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Houston Texans defensive lineman Denico Autry is being suspended six games on Monday for violating the league's policy against performance-enhancing drugs. "It was important to me that the NFL know that I did not intentionally or even knowingly ingest a banned substance," Autry said in a statement. It comes after Autry signed a two-year, $20 million deal with the Texans back in March. The 34-year-old veteran is now clearly off the fantasy radar in IDP leagues now that he'll miss the first six games of the 2024 campaign. The former undrafted free agent spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Raiders before also spending time with the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans. In his 10 years in the NFL, he has 310 tackles (213 solo), 59 sacks, 80 tackles for loss and 107 QB hits. Autry had a career-best 11.5 sacks in 17 games (14 starts) in Tennessee in 2023.

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Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard (knee) left Sunday's training camp practice with a knee injury and underwent an MRI on Sunday night, but a source said the test results were good and Hubbard should be OK. While Hubbard could sit out a few days at camp, he should be fine for the start of the 2024 regular season after an injury scare on Sunday in which he was carted off. The 29-year-old pass-rusher is the team's second-best defensive end behind Trey Hendrickson, but he can still be a streamer in IDP fantasy leagues in the right matchups. The former third-round pick (77th overall) in 2018 out of Ohio State has had at least six sacks in all but one of his six NFL seasons and racked up 58 tackles (38 solo), six sacks, seven tackles for loss and 17 QB hits in 15 regular-season starts in 2023.

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New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon appears to be holding in at training camp as he seeks a new long-term contract extension. On the first day of padded practices on Monday, Judon showed up in a sweatshirt, chatted with head coach Jerod Mayo for a while and then left the main field. The Patriots and Judon appear to be far apart on a contract extension. The 31-year-old is currently scheduled to make $6.5 million in 2024 in the final year of his current deal. A torn biceps caused Judon to miss the final 13 games of last season, but he made four straight Pro Bowls before last year, including a career-high 15.5 sacks and 60 tackles (36 solo) in 17 games (15 starts) for the Pats in 2022. The former fifth-round pick in 2016 by the Baltimore Ravens out of Grand Valley State combined for 28 sacks in 2021 and 2022 and could be back on the IDP fantasy radar this year if he proves he's fully healthy.

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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase has missed his fourth consecutive practice and has yet to participate in 2024 training camp. Instead of a traditional "hold out," Chase is engaging in a "hold in," as he needed to report to camp on time to complete an entire season under his rookie contract. Although he is present at camp, he is not participating in drills while negotiating a new deal following this offseason's surge in receiver salaries, highlighted by Justin Jefferson's record-setting $35 million per year contract. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has stated that the situation aligns with their plan and that he and Chase are on the same page. Chase will earn under $5 million this season and approximately $21 million on his fifth-year option next year. As long as Chase stays in shape, maintains his conditioning, and has sufficient time to prepare for the regular season, his current absence from practice should not significantly impact his performance or the team. Despite the hold-in, Chase remains a surefire first-round pick and is currently going around the sixth pick in recent NFFC drafts.

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The Chicago Bears signed running back Demetric Felton to a contract on Sunday. Felton, a former sixth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2021 out of UCLA, has appeared in 24 games since his debut and has accumulated 209 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 28 touches. This signing likely aims to bolster the running back depth ahead of Thursday's Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, especially since Travis Homer and Ian Wheeler were injured in Saturday's practice. To make room for Felton, the Bears granted an international roster exemption to punter Tory Taylor, who does not count against the 90-man roster limit. This exemption will not affect the 53-man roster limit, which will come into play when the Bears make final roster cuts.

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Free-agent DB Bobby McCain (Giants) signed with the Minnesota Vikings, according to sources Monday, July 29.

From TheHuddle

New England Patriots running back Terrell Jennings (undisclosed) debuted at training camp on Sunday after passing his physical, and he was activated from the active/PUP list. The Patriots had previously placed Jennings on the PUP list, raising concerns about his chances of making the team. Jennings, 23, joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent following a rookie minicamp tryout. A Florida A&M alum, Jennings played 45 college games and accumulated 381 carries for 1,754 yards and 24 touchdowns. Antonio Gibson (undisclosed) also returned to camp on Sunday, marking the first time this preseason that all of New England's running backs are healthy. With Jennings and Gibson back, the Patriots running back group now includes six players: starter Rhamondre Stevenson, Kevin Harris, JaMycal Hasty, and Deshaun Fenwick. Jennings aims to secure a roster spot behind Stevenson and Gibson, giving him a slim to none chance of being fantasy-relevant anytime soon.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are "open-minded" about the possibility of Justin Fields winning the starting quarterback role this summer. Although Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin suggested in March that Russell Wilson (calf) was in the leading position for the job, he did not wholly dismiss Fields as a contender. Tomlin decided to rest Wilson after a calf injury sustained during the team's conditioning test on Wednesday, prioritizing caution. Despite Wilson's more impressive resume, Fields offers considerable potential. The former Bears quarterback has demonstrated his dual-threat capabilities, rushing for over 1,100 yards two years agosomething new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will likely appreciate. While Fields might be a downgrade for the overall passing game in Pittsburgh, he has proven capable of supporting a top fantasy wide receiver, so George Pickens should remain a solid option. The more significant impact might be on Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, as Fields could reduce their rushing opportunities.

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has agreed to revised terms on his contract, including an additional $5 million this year. The funds were shifted from a future contract and a $4 million guaranteed roster bonus for the following year. This change follows Stafford's push for more guaranteed money and ensures his participation in the Rams' training camp. The Rams did not extend Stafford's original four-year, $160 million deal signed in 2022, which remains in effect through the 2026 season. Stafford still has three years left on his contract but only $31 million in guaranteed salary for this year, with none guaranteed in the final two seasons. After a challenging start last season and a thumb injury that caused him to miss one game, Stafford ended strong, throwing for 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions in his last seven regular-season starts, strengthening his case for additional guaranteed funds. Stafford has all his weapons coming back in 2024 and is a strong QB2 in superflex leagues.

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New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (knee) is making good progress in his recovery, returning to practice while still on the PUP list. Bourne tore his right ACL in the Patriots' loss to the Dolphins on October 29, 2023. Given that he is just under nine months post-injury, the expectation was that he wouldn't be ready for the start of training camp. Although he returned to the field in uniform for the first time this offseason, he participated without a helmet or shoulder pads. Before his injury, Bourne was the team's leading wide receiver and appeared to be having his best season yet. However, New England's wide receiver position is much more competitive this year. With Demario Douglas looking to step up, JuJu Smith-Schuster still on the roster, K.J. Osborn added via free agency, and rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker joining through the draft, the Patriots have a deep pool of wideout options. Bourne must prove his health and earn his place in the passing game again.

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Carolina Panthers LB Shaq Thompson (illness) is out of practice Monday, July 29, with an illness.

From TheHuddle