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Brett Favre seeks to re-ignite lawsuit against Shannon Sharpe

Tue Jul 9 9:59pm ET
Field Level Media

Brett Favre's legal team was back in court on Tuesday, according to multiple media reports, trying to convince the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans to reinstate the former quarterback's defamation lawsuit against Shannon Sharpe.

The case was dismissed by a federal judge in Jackson, Miss., in October.

The dispute involves comments Sharpe made on the Fox Sports show "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed" in September 2022. At the time, Favre was at the center of an alleged corruption scandal involving the state of Mississippi's welfare system.

Among his broadcast comments, Sharpe said Favre was "taking from the underserved," that he "stole money from people that really needed that money," and, "The problem that I have with this situation, you've got to be a sorry mofo to steal from the lowest of the low."

The lower court ruled that Sharpe's remarks were "rhetorical hyperbole" and "loose, figurative language." Favre's lawyers are arguing that the comments represent "actionable defamation."

Favre was never charged with a crime, but the state of Mississippi still has a lawsuit pending against him and others involved in the welfare scandal. State representatives maintain that he received more than $1 million for planned speaking engagements to which he was a no-show. He paid back that money but is being pursued for interest.

Sharpe has since left Fox Sports and now works for ESPN.

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Player Notes
Davante Adams Aug 12 10:20pm CT
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The Las Vegas Raiders are getting wide receiver Davante Adams (personal) back at training camp this week. The three-time first-team All-Pro left the team in camp in Costa Mesa after six practices this summer -- he missed the final five practices and the preseason opener on Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings -- to return to Las Vegas for the birth of his son. "Davante will be here today," head coach Antonio Pierce said on Sunday. "Spoke to him after the game. He's excited. He watched it. He misses his teammates. Glad baby boy is here, healthy." It remains to be seen if the 31-year-old will suit up in the team's second preseason contest this Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys. Adams had a fourth straight 1,000-yard season in his second year in Sin City in 2023, but his 1,144 receiving yards and eight TDs were his fewest in those categories since 2019. He's still a WR1 in fantasy, but he's on the low end of that tier with either Gardner Minshew or Aidan O'Connell running the offense.

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Stetson Bennett Aug 12 9:13pm CT
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Dynasty | Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett completed 24-of-38 passes for 224 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions in the Rams preseason opener. Dynasty Analysis: Even the most enthusiastic Bennett truthers have to face reality after this one as he's going to have a hard time making the final roster with Jimmy Garoppolo in the fold as well. Bennett simply hasn't progressed quite enough to look like an NFL-level quarterback despite his success in college. It's tough to keep him on taxi squads at this point.

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Jalen Brooks Aug 12 9:13pm CT
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Dynasty | Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Brooks caught two passes for 49 yards in the Cowboys season opener. Dynasty Analysis: Brooks has been pushing Jalen Tolbert all camp and his production came while working mostly with the first unit, which is even better. Brooks may not quite be worth a roster add in shallow leagues but this has quickly become a competition to watch in Dallas.

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Samaje Perine Aug 12 9:13pm CT
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Dynasty | Broncos running back Javonte Williams rushed 4 times for 15 yards and caught 1-of-2 targets for 5 yards in Denver's preseason opener. Dynasty Analysis: Even better, he looked like the clear starter and number one option for Denver. While Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime and possibly even Samaje Perine or Blake Watson nay be pushing him, it's evident Williams is in the lead and has a stranglehold on the position at the moment. Williams looks like a relatively cheap buy in dynasty leagues at the moment.

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Jahmyr Gibbs Aug 12 8:20pm CT
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Updating a previous report, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) suffered a hamstring injury at Monday night's training camp practice, according to a source. We still don't have a firm diagnosis on the severity of Gibbs' hamstring injury, but this could certainly be an injury that puts the 22-year-old second year back's availability for the start of the 2024 regular season in a couple of weeks in question. Especially in PPR fantasy leagues, he entered training camp as a midrange RB1 after a promising first year in the NFL in which he finished as the RB10 in half-PPR setups. However, fantasy managers would be wise to knock Gibbs down a few pegs now on their RB1 rankings, while backfield mate David Montgomery's current Yahoo ADP of 48.9 is surely to go up in the coming days and weeks. Check back a more clear timeline of when Gibbs could get back on the field.

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Kyle Hamilton Aug 12 8:00pm CT
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Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said that safety Kyle Hamilton (knee) is dealing with a minor knee sprain and is "good" after getting injured in Sunday's training camp practice. Hamilton might miss a bit of practice time this week as a result, but he appears to have avoided a significant knee injury and should be ready to go to kick off the 2024 regular season on Thursday Night Football against the defending Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs in early September. The 23-year-old former 14th overall pick in 2022 out of Notre Dame will be one of the first defensive backs to come off the board in IDP fantasy leagues after he produced 81 tackles (63 solo), three sacks, 10 tackles for loss, four interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), 13 pass breakups and a forced fumble in 15 regular-season starts in 2023 to earn All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors.

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Zac Taylor Aug 12 8:00pm CT
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Cincinnati Bengals rookie first-round offensive tackle Amarius Mims (pectoral) suffered a strained pectoral muscle and will be forced to miss several weeks, according to head coach Zac Taylor. It's a disappointing injury for the 18th overall pick in this year's NFL draft, as his availability for the start of the 2024 regular season in Week 1 against the New England Patriots is now in jeopardy. Veteran Trent Brown will fill in for Mims as a starter on the right side of the offensive line with Mims out the next few weeks and could end up starting there in Week 1 against the Pats if Mims needs more time to recover. It's certainly a blow for the Bengals' offense as we quickly approach the start of the regular season.

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Arnold Ebiketie Aug 12 7:50pm CT
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The Atlanta Falcons placed rookie third-round outside linebacker Bralen Trice (knee) on Injured Reserve on Sunday after he tore his ACL in the preseason opener on Friday against the Miami Dolphins, according to sources. Trice had impressed early on in camp and had been running with the first-team defense, which makes his season-ending injury even all the more devastating. His focus will shift to recovering fully in time for the start of the 2025 season. The 23-year-old former Washington Husky would have had a significant role in Atlanta's defense right away in his rookie season, but now he'll have to wait until next year to make an impact. Trice's injury will put more pressure on outside linebackers Arnold Ebiketie and Lorenzo Carter to perform in 2024.

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Ty Johnson Aug 12 7:40pm CT
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Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson (hamstring) was set to return to training camp practice on Monday. A hamstring injury suffered at the start of camp at the end of July had kept Johnson on the sidelines until this week. Now that the 26-year-old has rejoined the rest of his teammates in practice, he'll continue to compete with rookie Ray Davis for the No. 2 job behind starter James Cook. The former sixth-rounder (186th overall) by the Detroit Lions in 2019 out of Maryland had only 30 carries for 132 yards and no touchdowns while catching all seven of his targets for 62 yards and a touchdown in 10 games for Buffalo in 2023. Johnson was used more late last year after Joe Brady took over as offensive coordinator for the Bills. At best, Johnson is a late-round handcuff pick in deep fantasy leagues for those that select Cook.

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Geno Smith Aug 12 7:30pm CT
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Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said on Monday that the team's starters probably won't play much in the second preseason game this Saturday against the Tennessee Titans. The starters will get their work in joint practices with the Titans this week. Smith and the rest of the offensive starters also sat out of Saturday's preseason opener versus the Los Angeles Chargers. The 33-year-old Smith missed some time early in training camp with minor hip and knee injuries, but he's fine now and should be 100% ready for the Week 1 regular-season opener against the visiting Denver Broncos. There is plenty of optimism for a bounce-back year for Smith and Seattle's entire offense under the new coaching staff and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. Treat Smith as a low-end QB2 target with upside in upcoming fantasy drafts.

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Donald Parham Aug 12 7:30pm CT
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As things currently stand in training camp, The Athletic's Daniel Popper lists Los Angeles Chargers tight ends Will Dissly, Hayden Hurst and Stone Smartt as the three TEs he thinks will make the final roster. Donald Parham Jr. and Ben Mason have missed significant practice time with injuries, and when Parham has been on the field, he has been working with the second and third teams. His blocking also remains a weakness. Zach Heins and Luke Benson have flashed at times, but they don't seem deserving of a roster spot over one of the other team's receivers. Smartt has improved as a blocker, which is why Popper thinks he'll earn a 53-man roster spot for a run-heavy Greg Roman offense this year. Parham's fantasy value in dynasty/keeper leagues is quickly evaporating, even though he set career-highs in catches (27), yards (285) and touchdowns (four) in 2023.

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Jahmyr Gibbs Aug 12 7:20pm CT
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Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (leg) left Monday night's training camp practice early to be evaluated with a leg injury. Fantasy managers are going to have to check back for more word on the severity of Gibb's leg injury, but for now, consider him to be day-to-day. Expect the Lions to exercise plenty of caution with their lead back and former first-round pick in 2023. The 22-year-old finished as the RB10 in half-PPR scoring in his rookie season in 2023, finishing with 945 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 182 carries while adding 52 receptions (71 targets) for 316 additional yards and a score. Despite once again being set to share Detroit's backfield touches with David Montgomery in 2024, Gibbs has midrange RB1 upside in PPR formats when healthy. Montgomery would have clear RB1 upside if Gibbs' injury is serious enough to keep him out into the regular season.

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Cleveland Browns wide receiver David Bell (quadriceps) "took a pretty good shot" in the preseason opener on Saturday against the Green Bay Packers and will miss a week or two, according to head coach Kevin Stefanski. It's a bummer for Bell, who was having an outstanding training camp up until this point. Before getting hurt on Saturday, the 23-year-old caught his only target for a five-yard gain. Even with Bell's strong camp to this point, it was going to be hard for him to get any higher than fourth on the team's receiver depth chart with Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore ahead of him, and his quad injury pretty much assures he'll go undrafted in most redraft fantasy leagues now. Bell's absence over the next week or two will open up reps for Cedric Tillman and Jaelon Darden, among others.

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Brenden Rice Aug 12 7:10pm CT
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J.J. McCarthy Aug 12 7:00pm CT
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Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell announced that rookie first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy (knee) is dealing with knee soreness and won't take part in Monday night's training camp practice. The Vikings are likely just being overly cautious here with who they hope will be their QB of the future. The 21-year-old Michigan product made his NFL debut in Saturday's preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders and went 11-for-17 for 188 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. McCarthy got off to a bad start but eventually settled in against backup defenders. Hopefully, his knee injury doesn't cause him to miss too much practice time, but either way, former first-rounder Sam Darnold is fully expected to open the year as Minnesota's starter as they slow-play the development of McCarthy.

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Clyde Edwards-Helaire Aug 12 6:20pm CT
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Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) was absent from practice on Monday. The former first-round pick is currently listed as the No. 2 running back on the Chiefs depth chart ahead of second-year player Deneric Prince. Edwards-Helaire rushed for 223 yards and one touchdown in 2023. He has been fully usurped as the feature back by third-year player Isiah Pacheco. With the offseason hype for Prince growing, Edwards-Helaire faces pressure to perform to keep his hold on the No. 2 job. Edwards-Helaire does not have much stand-alone fantasy value outside of insurance for Pacheco.

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Jerry Jeudy Aug 12 6:10pm CT
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Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (undisclosed) was not participating in team drills at practice on Monday. Jeudy was acquired by the Browns in March and signed a three-year $58 million contract extension. Jeudy projects to be the Browns' No. 2 wide receiver behind Amari Cooper. With David Njoku also in the fold for targets, Jeudy could wind up as the third target on the team. With Deshaun Watson struggling over the past couple of seasons, the fantasy value of Jeudy is unknown. Jeudy finished 2023 with 758 receiving yards and two touchdowns. It was a down season for the former first-round pick who seemed to be ascending after a career year with the Denver Broncos in 2022. Ultimately, the Broncos grew tired of waiting for the breakout and shipped Jeudy to Cleveland. Jeudy is an afterthought in fantasy drafts at the moment. If he can recapture any of his 2022 magic then he will be an excellent value in 2024.

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Deshaun Watson Aug 12 5:50pm CT
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will play in the Browns' final preseason game on August 24th. Live game reps will help Watson get back into a groove as he is coming off of shoulder surgery performed in November of 2023. Watson has struggled during his Browns tenure. He has only played in twelve of a possible 34 games due to injury and suspension. He only managed to throw for 1,115 yards and seven touchdowns with a completion percentage of 61.4% in six games in 2023. Fantasy managers will be eager to see how Watson fares in the preseason to gauge how well he may be able to support pass catchers such as Jerry Jeudy, Amari Cooper, and David Njoku.

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Zack Moss Aug 12 5:40pm CT
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Cincinnati Bengals running back Zack Moss (illness) returned to practice Monday. He was spotted working with the first-team offense upon his return. Moss has been competing with Chase Brown for the No. 1 running back spot on the roster. Moss is coming off a career year with the Indianapolis Colts in which he ran for 794 yards and five touchdowns in relief of Jonathan Taylor. The Bengals signed the 26-year-old to a two-year deal in March to replace Joe Mixon. However, Brown has generated a lot of buzz this offseason. It remains to be seen how the Bengals will deploy their running backs in 2024. Neither player is expensive to acquire in fantasy drafts and both may be worth a shot.

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Robbie Chosen Aug 12 5:20pm CT
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The San Francisco 49ers officially signed wide receiver Robbie Chosen to a one-year deal on Monday. Chosen has been signed amidst the intense trade speculation surrounding star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Chosen spent part of the 2023 season with the Miami Dolphins. He recorded four receptions for 126 yards and one touchdown. His best season came in 2020 when he recorded over 1,000 receiving yards with the Carolina Panthers. With Deebo Samuel Sr., Juan Jennings, and Ricky Pearsall on the roster in addition to Aiyuk, Chosen figures to simply be a solid depth piece in this offense.

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