Vikings TE Tyler Conklin (hamstring) was upgraded to full participation in Thursday's practice. He'll be out there for this weekend's opener vs. the Bengals and should operate as Minnesota's lead TE.
Vikings TE Tyler Conklin (hamstring) was limited in Wednesday's practice. He's seemingly on track to play against the Bengals this weekend, but we'll get another update on his status tomorrow.
The Packers are keeping LT David Bakhtiari on the PUP list to begin the regular season, as he continues to work back from a late-2020 ACL tear. We're not downgrading QB Aaron Rodgers or RB Aaron Jones on this news, but it'll be an area to watch early in the year. The move means Bakhtiari will miss at least the 1st 6 weeks.
Vikings TE Tyler Conklin (hamstring) returned to practice on Monday, according to beat writer Chris Tomasson. Conklin missed 2 weeks with the hamstring injury. But, barring a setback, he's set to open the season as Minnesota's lead TE. We're still waiting to hear how long TE Irv Smith will be out.
Vikings HC Mike Zimmer expects TE Tyler Conklin to return to practice next week. He's been sidelined since injuring his hamstring on August 16. With TE Irv Smith out at least for the start of the season -- and potentially much longer -- Conklin is atop Minnesota's depth chart. We'll see if the Vikings add to the position.
The Cowboys on Wednesday activated K Greg Zuerlein from the PUP list. He had been out recovering from offseason back surgery but should be good to go for the regular season now.
The Cowboys have agreed to a deal with free-agent K Lirim Hajrullahu, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The former CFL kicker went to training camp with the Rams last summer but didn't make the regular-season roster and has yet to kick in a regular-season NFL game. He joined the Panthers this offseason but got cut in March. The addition is significant because Dallas K Greg Zuerlein has yet to come off the PUP list following offseason back surgery. We'll have to keep an eye on Zuerlein as we get into the meat of fantasy football draft season. If you're drafting this week, it's probably best to pass on the veteran kicker.
Vikings TE Tyler Conklin left practice Monday with a hamstring injury. Beat writer Ben Goessling tweeted Tuesday that it’s a “mild” issue for the 4th-year TE. Certainly not the worst-case scenario. Conklin doesn’t profile as a standalone fantasy option, but his progress (and presence) might take some shine off Irv Smith’s ultimate upside. HC Mike Zimmer talked up a bigger role for Conklin in June.
The Jets have activated DT Quinnen Williams off the PUP. Williams opened training camp still working back from his offseason foot fracture. There's still time for him to round into shape before the Sept. 12 opener. We'll keep an eye out for any recurring or compensatory issues with Williams from here.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers reported for the start of training camp on Tuesday. It's still unclear if he and the team have officially agreed to whatever deal they're reportedly working on. But it sure looks like he's committed to play in Green Bay for at least 1 more season. We've bumped Rodgers, WR Davante Adams and RB Aaron Jones up the rankings.
Jets WR Corey Davis (shoulder) is ready for the start of training camp on Wednesday, according to The Athletic's Connor Hughes. Davis hurt his shoulder at a May OTA session and didn't do much in minicamp. But it looks like a non-issue now. Davis is coming off a strong 2020 season and got paid like a #1 WR by the Jets in free agency. He's a value at his WR54 ADP.
Following up on NFL Network's Ian Rapoport's story this morning, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Packers and QB Aaron Rodgers are "close" to working on a deal that would bring Rodgers back to Green Bay for the 2021 season. Per Schefter, the agreement would void the 2023 year in Rodgers' contract and ensure that the team reviews Rodgers' situation after this year. It essentially sounds like this would be his final season with the Packers. We'll continue to track this situation, but Rodgers and Green Bay's skill-position players look much safer to draft now than they did 12 hours ago.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that "Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has indicated to people close to him that he does plan to play for GB this season." We're still waiting for Rodgers to officially report to the team, but this is at least a positive sign. There will be risk to drafting Rodgers until he actually shows up, but his depressed ADP has also presented upside. He's QB11 in current FFPC best-ball drafting, coming off a QB3 fantasy finish.
The Jets announced Friday that S Marcus Maye has opened training camp on the non-football injury list. DT Quinnen Williams landed on the active/PUP list. Williams' designation isn't surprising after his foot fracture in early May. It's not clear what Maye's issue is. We'll see how soon each starter gets activated.
Multiple Las Vegas sportsbooks believe Packers QB Aaron Rodgers will retire next week, according to Sports Illustrated's Bill Huber. Westgate SuperBook, for example, has taken down all its NFC North win totals and playoff odds. “Vegas oddsmakers tend to be pretty sharp," a source with knowledge of Rodgers' situation told Pro Football Talk. The thinking here is that Rodgers would "retire" until he was able to get out of Green Bay -- even if that wasn't until 2022. We'll continue to keep a close eye on this situation, but Rodgers carries lots of risk in fantasy drafts until this gets settled.
The Packers and WR Davante Adams have broken off contract-extension talks and are "in a bad place," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. There's no mention of a holdout here, but it's obviously not an ideal situation with training camp about to get going. We'll see where this goes. It's still unclear, of course, whether Adams and the Packers will have QB Aaron Rodgers this season.
Vikings HC Mike Zimmer suggested at TE Tyler Conklin might be a bigger beneficiary of TE Kyle Rudolph's departure than TE Irv Smith. “I think it’s a bigger role for Tyler Conklin,” Zimmer said. “He’s kind of emerged as a guy that’s moving upward and with those two guys, we have a lot of weapons there. Irv always has been able to do what he’s been able to do whether Kyle was here or not." Conklin actually out-targeted Smith 21 to 20 over the final 4 games of last season with Rudolph sidelined. Smith just edged Conklin 118 to 106 in pass routes during that stretch. Smith remains the better 2021 fantasy bet -- but his role sans Rudolph might not grow as much as many are expecting. Conklin, meanwhile, is an intriguing end-of-draft flier in deep best-ball leagues, especially in the FFPC.
The forecast for tonight's Titans-Packers game calls for temperatures in the low 30s with snow and winds of 10-15 mph with gusts of 25-30 mph. Those are less-than-ideal conditions for the passing games, but we're still expecting plenty of points in this one. The game still has a big 53.5-point over/under. We'd stick with all the regulars from these teams in fantasy lineups.
The forecast for today's Vikings-Packers game calls for 25 mph sustained winds with gusts close to 40 mph. The wind is expected to die down a bit throughout the game. Temperatures will be in the 30s with a wind chill in the 20s. Those are tough conditions for the passing and kicking games. We've lowered our passing projections a bit for both teams and would avoid both kickers in this game.
ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms that Packers WR Davante Adams (toe) won't play against the Chiefs tonight but adds that Adams is expected back for Week 9. We'll track his practice participation this coming week for clues on how close Adams is to 100%, but he figures to return to must-start status.
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