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Rams bringing back DB John Johnson III

Thu Jul 4 2:52pm ET
Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Rams have agreed to terms with defensive back John Johnson III, the team announced Thursday.

Johnson, 28, returned to the Rams in 2023 after an initial four-year stint there followed by two seasons with the Cleveland Browns. He played in 17 games last season (eight starts) and made 42 tackles with two interceptions and six pass breakups.

The Rams selected Johnson in the third round of the 2017 draft out of Boston College. He has 392 tackles, 10 interceptions, 38 pass breakups, eight tackles for loss and one forced fumble in 71 career regular-season games (56 starts) for the Rams.

He also has played in seven playoff games (all starts) for Los Angeles and made 42 tackles with one interception.

Johnson signed as a free agent with Cleveland in 2021 and he totaled 162 tackles, four interceptions, nine pass breakups, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and five tackles for loss in 32 games (all starts) from 2021-22.

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This Week in the TFC (7-25)

Player Notes
Rashod Bateman Jul 30 9:04am CT
Rashod Bateman

Baltimore Ravens WR Rashod Bateman (undisclosed) left practice early Monday, July 29, but head coach John Harbaugh said Bateman is just dealing with some soreness.

Matt Judon Jul 30 9:03am CT
Matt Judon

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.

Rashaad Penny Jul 30 9:03am CT
Rashaad Penny

Carolina Panthers RB Rashaad Penny was placed on the Reserve/Retired list Tuesday, July 30.

Fantasy Spin: Scratch his name off the list of potential handcuffs to Chuba Hubbard. Miles Sanders and Jonathon Brooks will be in the mix as RB5s.

From TheHuddle

Calvin Austin III Jul 30 8:50am CT
Calvin Austin III

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III carried his impressive performance from OTAs and minicamp into training camp. A 2022 fourth-round pick, Austin missed his entire rookie season due to a foot injury and saw limited action last year, with just 30 targets and 11 carries. At 5-foot-9 and 162 pounds, Austin is among the smallest players in the league, but the Steelers are giving him opportunities to play both inside and outside. He has demonstrated versatility by excelling in these roles, effectively handling short and deep routes and impacting various route types. Since the start of the year, Austin has been the team's second-best receiver, and nothing in the past week has altered that status. If he can outperform Van Jefferson and rookie third-round pick Roman Wilson for the second wide receiver spot, he could emerge as a valuable sleeper heading into 2024 fantasy drafts.

From RotoBaller

Royce Freeman Jul 30 8:33am CT
Royce Freeman

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Fantasy Spin: That quote could mean that Freeman is ahead of Dowdle in the pecking order. He's one to watch that could rise up draft boards quickly from RB5 to RB4.

From TheHuddle

Tutu Atwell Jul 29 10:40pm CT
Tutu Atwell

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Jonathan Mingo Jul 29 10:40pm CT
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Theo Johnson Jul 29 10:30pm CT
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The New York Giants experimented with rookie tight end Theo Johnson in the first-team offense on Monday. It was a fairly uneventful practice, with the Giants installing early-down packages, but that allowed the team to get a closer look at Johnson. New York selected the 23-year-old out of Penn State in the fourth round of this past spring's NFL draft, and he'll compete with Daniel Bellinger in the tight end room for quarterback Daniel Jones' targets in the short and intermediate levels of the field in the New York offense. The G-Men have struggled to find consistent tight end play for almost a decade, and Johnson appears to be in the mix for the starting role. With that said, Johnson's appeal is more pronounced in dynasty setups in the aftermath of Darren Waller's retirement but should see his role grow as the season rolls on.

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Aaron Rodgers Jul 29 10:20pm CT
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Cooper Kupp Jul 29 10:10pm CT
Cooper Kupp

After injuries setback his past two seasons, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp is happy to "feel healthy" at the onset of training camp this year. "I feel good. We got a lot of good work in this offseason," Kupp said during a Monday interview on GMFB Overtime. Kupp sat out for the first month of the 2023 season due to an August hamstring injury, and he's glad to be able to practice and work with quarterback Matthew Stafford ahead of the 2024 regular season. Although the 31-year-old former triple-crown receiver showed significant signs of slowdown a year ago, he still commanded the ninth-most red-zone targets (19) among eligible wideouts in just 12 games. Kupp remains a preference in PPR fantasy leagues at this stage of his career, but he's looking like a safe WR2 bet in the fourth or fifth round of drafts this summer after averaging 6.4 catches (8.8 targets) and 68.8 yards per game with four total touchdowns covering his last five contests of the 2023 campaign.

From RotoBaller

Deshaun Watson Jul 29 10:00pm CT
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From RotoBaller

Russell Wilson Jul 29 9:50pm CT
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Jabrill Peppers Jul 29 7:43pm CT
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Justin Watson Jul 29 6:33pm CT
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Keon Coleman Jul 29 6:20pm CT
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From RotoBaller

Case Keenum Jul 29 6:13pm CT
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From TheHuddle

David Njoku Jul 29 6:03pm CT
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Fantasy Spin: Njoku finished last season with 81 receptions, 882 yards and six touchdowns, so his value will increase even more if he receives more targets. He should be a weekly starting option in fantasy leagues this season.

From TheHuddle

Ray-Ray McCloud Jul 29 6:00pm CT
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Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III was spotted working with the first-team offense on Monday. McCloud is currently listed as the No. 3 wide receiver on the Falcons' depth chart. Throughout his career, McCloud has primarily served as a depth piece and special teamer. In 2023, he caught 12 passes for 135 yards and no touchdowns. His career high is 277 yards, and he only has two touchdowns from scrimmage in his careernevertheless, the Falcons' offense projects to be very high-powered. If McCloud sees a significant snap share, he could be a solid bench target in deep leagues. He should have solid PPR flex value if he ultimately wins the slot receiver role. This development may also suggest what the Falcons think of Rondale Moore. Currently, Moore projects to be the No. 4 wide receiver on this depth chart.

From RotoBaller

Nick Chubb Jul 29 5:50pm CT
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Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (knee) reportedly still has a way to go in recovering from a devastating knee injury suffered in Week 2 of 2023. Chubb's injury was so catastrophic that he had to undergo two surgeries to repair the damage. While he has been spotted sprinting and doing light agility work at Brown's training camp, general manager Andrew Berry said Monday that Chubb has "a little way to go." Given his injury, this should come as no surprise. Chubb was placed on the active/PUP list to start training camp, and it appears he will remain there longer. In essentially one and a half games in 2023, Chubb had picked up right where he left off the prior season with 170 yards and 6.1 YPC. Hopefully, Chubb can get back to his old form. For now, his fantasy stock drops a little as there is a possibility he could miss some games to start the season.

From RotoBaller