OK, everyone, please maintain composure. Avoid overreacting. It’s unnecessary to be alarmed. However, Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is experiencing a lower extremity injury. He will still be a primary QB consideration for fantasy football this year.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh informed reporters on Thursday that Jackson would not be participating in practice, but we can all remain calm, because his radiographic studies returned clear and there’s “no injury or anything.” Therefore, we’ve averted a potentially significant problem right before the crucial period of fantasy football draft season. Harbaugh described the update as a “major comfort” and that the team’s “hopes were realized.” Potential fantasy managers who selected Jackson and Ravens offensive skilled position players can also take solace.
Let’s examine the primary updates from this week originating from training camp as we draw near to the concluding week of NFL preseason games on the precipice of the 2025 regular season.
Commanders send Brian Robinson Jr. to 49ers
Washington was able to secure a trading partner for Robinson, arranging an agreement with San Francisco for a sixth-round selection in 2026. The arrangement is contingent on a medical assessment. The Commanders will now proceed into the season with Austin Ekeler, Chris Rodriguez and emerging-fan-favorite Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt as the primary three runners on the organizational chart.
With Robinson not participating in Week 2 of the preseason and Ekeler also being inactive, Rodriguez and JCM spearheaded the backfield. The pair collaborated for 17 rushes and 108 yards, including a TD from Croskey-Merritt. Rodriguez executed a lengthy 40-yard dash to facilitate a Jayden Daniels TD.
Croskey-Merritt’s average draft position has increased dramatically to 120.3 over the previous week. This should only increase depending on how Week 3 of the preseason unfolds and what the coaches are articulating leading into Week 1. Croskey-Merritt transitioned into the top 100 of Justin Boone’s leading 300 rankings following the arrangement, and is his RB35.
We did observe head coach Dan Quinn reference Rodriguez at a press conference as a probable end-zone alternative, which could impart some worth to him. He is currently going undrafted on Yahoo and Ekeler is still being selected following Bill in drafts. JCM may be the most exceptional playmaker of the trio but he’s also the most unseasoned. Ekeler isn’t a substandard late-round selection while Rodriguez would positively be a designation you should recognize on waivers.
Concerning Robinson on the Niners, he evolves into a valuable reinforcement to Christian McCaffrey. If you’re intending to select CMC in the initial round or early second, you can contemplate Robinson later on as a safeguard given McCaffrey’s susceptibility to injury. Robinson could also develop a favorable function as the change-of-pace runner if Kyle Shanahan wishes to maintain McCaffrey refreshed throughout the entire season. In the meantime, Isaac Guerendo’s fantasy worth suffered somewhat following the arrangement. He’s completely down at RB64 on Boone’s rankings.
Chris Godwin Removed from PUP List
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enabled WR Chris Godwin from the PUP List on Thursday as he persists in recovering from numerous ankle operations. Godwin is still projected to be out until October, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This isn’t altogether unexpected information but it at the very least provides us with a more concrete schedule for Godwin’s comeback.
This is crucial when examining Bucs’ pass recipients in your fantasy draft. Rookie WR Emeka Egbuka has quite possibly been the most acclaimed player of training camp and preseason. Many are predicting him to be the inherent successor to Tampa Bay’s passing attack at WR with veteran Mike Evans turning 32 on Thursday. Evans hasn’t experienced a season beneath 1,000 receiving yards in his 11-year tenure in the NFL. However, if Egbuka can acquire an advantage on the commencing WR job with Godwin sidelined for the initial month, there’s a possibility he could overshadow Godwin upon return and assume the No. 1 wideout job from Evans.
Is that going to occur? We’ll have to remain patient and observe. Nevertheless, even at a 96.1 ADP over the past week, there’s a substantial amount of worth in selecting Egbuka as a mid-round asset with a considerable amount of potential. Godwin is also an intriguing objective late in drafts. You should be capable of selecting Godwin, storing him on IR and selecting somebody to replace his roster spot; something to contemplate in shallower leagues.
Starting QB Competitions That Have Reached Resolution
Indianapolis Colts
We possessed a multitude of commencing QB competitions heading into training camp and the uncertainty has cleared, revealing some relatively unsurprising conclusions. We’ll commence with the most significant one in the Indianapolis Colts QB area. Daniel Jones outperformed Anthony Richardson Sr. for the starting role in Indy out of camp. Richardson is still youthful and could effortlessly conclude beginning games at some juncture this season. For the present, this is a reasonable enhancement to Colts’ pass recipients like Josh Downs, Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie TE Tyler Warren. Even RB Jonathan Taylor should secure more dump-offs. If/when Richardson enters into action, we would perceive a downgrade to the passing game unless the 23-year-old can advance.
Cleveland Browns
We experienced another veteran prevail in Cleveland with Joe Flacco being named starter over Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Genuinely, it appeared as though it was going to be between Flacco and Sanders, but some injuries to the Colorado product slowed him relatively during camp/preseason. Sanders is proceeding to participate in the preseason finale, another prospect to illustrate he’s equipped to advance should Flacco falter or succumb. Nobody in the fantasy sector is genuinely conversing extensively about anyone on the Browns offense presently. Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku should consume the majority of the targets along with Cedric Tillman, whereas the backfield could be a three-headed creature of sorts with Jerome Ford and rookies Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson. We’d perceive more optimistic about the pass recipients and offense universally if a more vibrant player in Sanders were beginning.
New Orleans Saints?
The Saints are the concluding team on this roster and while they haven’t proclaimed the authorized starter, it seems Spencer Rattler has secured the assignment. He’s slated to commence the preseason finale, which is generally an indicator of being the QB1. Therefore, as long as Rattler doesn’t underperform while rookie Tyler Shough excels, we’ll possess the South Carolina product under center to commence 2025. It’s challenging to entrust this offense, although we should observe Kellen Moore’s ability as a play-caller. Alvin Kamara senses like a sufficiently dependable RB2 at his current ADP of 43.9 on Yahoo. Chris Olave, if he can persist healthy, should soak up a considerable amount of targets, rendering him a reasonable alternative. Rashid Shaheed is garnering sleeper hype once more but we necessitate observing if Rattler (or Shough) can deliver him the ball down the field efficiently. Don’t depart from your trajectory to select anyone but Kamara here.
Stafford Observation 2025: Rams QB Back at Practice
The injury that has existed under a microscope all training camp has been Matthew Stafford’s back for the Rams. The seasoned QB returned to practice on Monday and has been present there all week. It seems he’s clear to proceed for 2025 and will commence the season sufficiently robust to participate. That doesn’t signify we shouldn’t proceed with caution here.
One sack or considerable blow to the defenseless flank on Stafford and that back might aggravate. It might aggravate simply from him participating the position week-to-week at this age. We don’t ascertain with conviction. Therefore, there’s still hazard in employing high-end draft assets on players like Puka Nacua (13.3 ADP) and Davante Adams (41.6). RB Kyren Williams shouldn’t be affected considerably by who is under center simply because of touch volume.
Adams perceives like the safer selection at ADP. With Nacua, you consistently have to be concerned about injuries, and without Stafford, this passing attack could manifest reasonably substandard with Jimmy Garoppolo out there. It also might be adequate given how exceptional a coach and offensive intellect Sean McVay is.
