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Rams QB Matthew Stafford (hamstring) returns to practice

Mon Aug 19 3:49pm ET
Field Level Media

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was removed from practice last week because of a hamstring injury, returned to practice Monday in limited fashion, according to multiple reports.

Stafford was limited to individual drills and side work with wide receivers before turning into an observer for 11-on-11 drills as the Rams play it safe with the 36-year-old's injury. He was pulled from a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday.

"My biggest thing was, wanted to be smart with him," Rams head coach Sean McVay said Monday. "If there was any sort of sudden movement that set him back, just didn't think it would be worth it. He's feeling great. He was obviously very upset at me that he wasn't practicing today, which is a good thing, that's what makes him a great competitor."

The Rams have used a pair of preseason games so far to settle on a backup to Stafford, with Stetson Bennett leading the NFL with 437 passing yards. He also leads the league in preseason play with 41 completions in 69 attempts.

Stafford was named to the second Pro Bowl of his career last season when he completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 3,965 yards and 24 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.

The Rams went 10-7 in 2023 before losing in the wild-card round of the playoffs 24-23 on the road to the Detroit Lions when Stafford was 25 of 36 for 367 yards and two touchdowns against his former team.

The Rams are scheduled to return to Detroit for their Sept. 8 season opener against the Lions in a Sunday Night Football contest.

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Player Notes
Odell Beckham Jr. Aug 19 3:30pm CT
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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (undisclosed) has not practiced with the team this offseason due to an undisclosed injury, and head coach Mike McDaniel said he will remain out of action this week. The veteran and former Super Bowl Champion is missing valuable preseason repetitions with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but the organization might be holding him out as a precaution given his lengthy injury history. If Beckham is ready to go for Week 1, he's an interesting late-round best-ball option, but it would be a surprise if he's a weekly contributor in traditional fantasy football lineups. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have a tight grip on the No. 1 and No. 2 wide receiver roles, and rookie Malik Washington could make an impact right away. Beckham has not posted more than 600 receiving yards in a season since 2019, so he can be ignored in most formats.

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Mitchell Trubisky Aug 19 3:30pm CT
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (knee) was knocked out of the preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers due to a knee injury, and head coach Sean McDermott said he will miss a few weeks of action. The Bills are also labeling wide receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling (neck) and Curtis Samuel (toe) as week-to-week. With Trubisky sidelined, third-string quarterback Ben DiNucci is likely to play most of the Week 3 preseason game against the Carolina Panthers. Trubisky can continue to be rostered in deep Superflex formats, but obviously, he doesn't have any value as long as Josh Allen stays healthy.

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Curtis Samuel Aug 19 3:20pm CT
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Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel (toe) is considered week-to-week as he deals with turf toe, according to head coach Sean McDermott. This is unfortunate for Samuel and the team, especially since Marquez Valdes-Scantling is also week-to-week with a neck injury. It's never a good sign for a player to pick up preseason injuries, but at least Samuel's injury is manageable, and he could still play in Week 1. Given all the new faces in Buffalo and injuries already starting to pile up, it could take time for the passing game led by Josh Allen to get going in 2024. Still, Samuel remains an intriguing late-round sleeper in fantasy football, while teammates Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir could benefit from his absence this preseason.

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Ja'Marr Chase Aug 19 2:00pm CT
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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase returned to training camp practice on Monday. Due to an ongoing contract dispute with the team, Chase has been present at camp but hasn't been participating in on-field workouts. The 24-year-old star pass-catcher also hasn't seen any preseason action during his hold-in. It remains to be seen if the two sides can work out a long-term contract extension before Week 1 rolls around, but even if they don't, Chase profiles as an elite top-five fantasy wideout with quarterback Joe Burrow (wrist) back to full health after a season-ending wrist injury in 2023. The former fifth overall pick in 2021 out of LSU has all kinds of chemistry with Burrow, dating back to their college days, and has been a Pro Bowler in each of his first three seasons in the NFL, racking up 3,717 yards and 29 touchdowns on 268 receptions.

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Justin Herbert Aug 19 1:40pm CT
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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (foot) did some stationary throwing on Saturday before the team's preseason contest against the Los Angeles Rams without really pushing off on his right foot. Herbert shed his walking boot right at the two-week mark last Thursday as he recovers from plantar fasciitis in his foot. The Chargers haven't been too worried that the 26-year-old won't be ready for the Week 1 regular-season opener versus the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders, but he is missing a bunch of valuable reps with the rest of the starting offense in training camp and the preseason. Herbert could be dealing with pain in his foot early on in 2024, but he's likely to play through it. His fantasy stock was already trending down this offseason after losing all three of his favorite targets from last year in Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler. Herbert should now be considered more of a QB2.

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Christian Kirk Aug 19 1:40pm CT
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Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said that wide receiver Christian Kirk (calf) and quarterback C.J. Beathard (groin) won't play in the preseason finale this Friday against the Atlanta Falcons on the road. Kirk missed practice last week due to what is considered a mild calf injury, so the team is playing it safe with him so that he'll be ready for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Sept. 8 against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Beathard suffered a groin injury in Saturday's preseason contest. With Kirk out again this week, Gabe Davis and rookie first-rounder Brian Thomas Jr. will see more reps, as well as Parker Washington, Devin Duvernay and rookie Joshua Cephus. When healthy, the 27-year-old Kirk will be looking to bounce back in 2024 after an injury-plagued 2023. He faces competition for targets from Davis and Thomas, but if healthy, he's a solid WR3/flex target in fantasy.

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Patrick Mahomes Aug 19 1:30pm CT
Patrick Mahomes

The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to sit their starters in the preseason finale this Thursday against the Chicago Bears. "I'll probably sit the starters, the way it looks right now," head coach Andy Reid said. It means that we won't see quarterback Patrick Mahomes and company again until the season kicks off on Thursday night in early September against the Baltimore Ravens. In the first two preseason contests, Mahomes went 11-for-18 for 120 yards passing. The 28-year-old two-time MVP is likely to be without receiver Marquise Brown (shoulder) in Week 1, meaning he'll likely lean more on tight end Travis Kelce and rookie first-round wideout Xavier Worthy. Mahomes remains an elite QB1 in fantasy, but without Brown and against a tough Ravens squad, he won't be the most popular DFS play to kick off the regular season.

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Mike Williams Aug 19 1:20pm CT
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New York Jets wide receiver Mike Williams (knee) told Jets reporters that he expects to take team reps in training camp practice next week. Williams didn't take too long to come off the Physically Unable to Perform list in camp this summer, but he has yet to mix in with the rest of the team on the practice field as he recovers from a torn left ACL that he suffered in Week 3 of 2023 with the Los Angeles Chargers. With time running out before the start of the 2024 regular season, though, it's possible that Williams isn't given a full workload if he's active for the Week 1 opener in early September. Because of his recovery from ACL and the fact he might not be ready to go early on, Williams' price will be reduced on draft day in fantasy. But when healthy, he's fully expected to be the No. 2 wideout behind Garrett Wilson and could be a nice value pick for fantasy managers as a big-play threat.

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Matthew Stafford Aug 19 1:10pm CT
Matthew Stafford

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (hamstring) is dressed and going through individual drills for the start of the team's training camp practice on Monday. Stafford had to leave a join practice early against the Dallas Cowboys last week due to hamstring tightness and didn't practice the rest of the week or play in Saturday's preseason contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. Head coach Sean McVay had already said he wasn't worried about Stafford missing the Week 1 regular-season opener against the Detroit Lions, and his return to practice this week all but confirms that. In addition to Stafford, offensive guard Jonah Jackson (shoulder) returned to practice on Monday after dealing with a bruised scapula. The 36-year-old Stafford isn't going to play in the preseason finale this weekend against the Houston Texans on Aug. 24, but he should be fine for Week 1 against Detroit, where he'll be a midrange QB2 for fantasy.

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Jayden Daniels Aug 19 1:10pm CT
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The Washington Commanders officially named No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels as their starting quarterback on Monday, according to head coach Dan Quinn. What had been expected all along is finally official, and Daniels will make his NFL regular-season debut in the Week 1 opener on Sept. 8 on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 23-year-old former LSU star has looked good in his two preseason performances and went 10-for-12 for 78 yards while running for 13 yards on two carries in Saturday's preseason game against the Miami Dolphins. Daniels has looked like a seasoned veteran while running the offense in training camp heading into his first NFL season, and his dual-threat abilities at the position will give him quite a bit of fantasy upside right away. His receiving corps beyond Terry McLaurin is a little suspect, but Washington's backfield should help take plenty of pressure off him. Daniels will be a high-end QB2 target with QB1 upside in the right matchups in 2024.

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River Cracraft Aug 19 12:10pm CT
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Dolphins wide receiver River Cracraft (upper-body) is sidelined with an upper-body injury and is expected to miss some time in the regular season. Cracraft had a strong summer in his third season with Miami and seemed likely to start as the third receiver behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, especially with Odell Beckham Jr. (undisclosed) still on the PUP list. However, Cracraft's injury raises the possibility that he could be placed on injured reserve when the Dolphins finalize their 53-man roster. By August 27, the Dolphins will have three options for handling Cracraft: keep him on the 53-man roster until he recovers, initially include him on the roster and then place him on IR on August 28, or put him on IR immediately, which would count as one of the two IR moves allowed on cutdown day under new NFL rules. This situation simplifies the roster decisions and opens up a spot for Erik Ezukanma, who had an impressive preseason debut against Washington. If the Dolphins keep six wide receivers, Ezukanma could join Hill, Waddle, Beckham, Braxton Berrios, and rookie Malik Washington, who will secure a spot on the roster. With these receiver injuries, Hill and Waddle will likely see even more targets, boosting Hill's value as the top overall pick in redraft leagues.

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Max Duggan Aug 19 11:50am CT
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Anthony McFarland Jr. Aug 19 11:30am CT
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The Miami Dolphins have signed former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Anthony McFarland Jr. following an injury to Chris Brooks (concussion), who has entered concussion protocol after Saturday's game against the Washington Commanders. The Dolphins struggle for healthy running back depth beyond Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane. They even had a wide receiver filling in at running back for much of the second half, with Jaylen Wright (undisclosed) also held out due to injury. McFarland, 26, joins Miami, hoping to finally establish himself in the NFL. Drafted by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft from the University of Maryland, McFarland was known for his speed and agility. His rookie season was his most productive, with 33 carries for 113 yards and six receptions for 54 yards. However, his subsequent seasons were marred by injuries, limiting his production and keeping him on injured reserve for significant time. McFarland's tenure with the Steelers included a stint on injured reserve at the start of the 2021 season and another knee injury that sidelined him for most of the 2023 season. Now, with the Dolphins, McFarland can prove himself again.

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Michael Pratt Aug 19 11:30am CT
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Bo Melton Aug 19 11:10am CT
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Colt McCoy Aug 19 11:00am CT
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Malik Heath Aug 19 11:00am CT
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Emanuel Wilson Aug 19 10:50am CT
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Bo Nix Aug 19 10:40am CT
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