Eagles QB Jalen Hurts threw for just 170 yards and ran for 37 in Sunday's win over the Patriots. His lone TD came on a 5-yard, first-quarter pass to WR DeVonta Smith. Hurts lost a fumble on a run and took 3 sacks. It was a meek fantasy performance for a top QB, but there's nothing to worry about here. We'd bet on New England's defense ranking among the best in the league this year. Hurts gets a much more favorable matchup at home against the Vikings in Week 2.
Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell controlled the backfield in Sunday's win over the Patriots. He took 14 of the team's 16 RB carries, gaining 54 yards. Gainwell also ranked third on the team with 4 targets, catching all of them for 20 yards. D'Andre Swift contributed just 3 yards on 1 carry and caught 1 of 2 targets for 0 yards. Boston Scott carried once for 3 yards and caught his lone target for 7 yards. Rashaad Penny was a healthy scratch. We wouldn't expect the workload distribution to remain quite so divided. But Gainwell obviously heads toward Week 2 as the only usable Eagles RB. His mere 4.1 yards per touch in the opener isn't especially worrisome against a Patriots defense that we expect to rank among the league's best.
Eagles LB Nakobe Dean left with a foot injury in the second half of Sunday's game at New England. He's questionable to return. Christian Elliss took over play-calling duties in Dean's absence. That role would make Elliss worth a look in deeper IDP leagues if Dean's injury proves serious.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett completed 31 passes on 46 attempts for 232 passing yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs in Sunday’s loss vs. the 49ers. He also added 4 rushing yards in the contest, but there are not many good things to say about the second-year player. The Steelers’ offense logged 1 total yard of offense in the first half until their final drive, which saw Pickett find TE Pat Freiermuth for a 3-yard TD before halftime. The team only sustained a drive over 10 plays once in the second half. The Steelers looked like the same old offense that struggled for much of 2022 under OC Matt Canada. They’ll have a chance to rebound next Monday against the Browns in Week 2, though fantasy managers shouldn’t be in any hurry to throw Pickett into their lineups.
Patriots WR DeVante Parker (knee) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Eagles. That leaves JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, and Demario Douglas as New England’s top three WRs. Smith-Schuster is a viable WR3 play. TE Hunter Henry could also see an extra target or two with Parker out.
Patriots WR DeVante Parker (knee) is not expected to play vs. the Eagles today, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Parker was limited in practice all week and listed as questionable, but this one still comes as a surprise His absence would leave JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kendrick Bourne as New England's top two WRs, with rookie Demario Douglas the likely No. 3. Smith-Schuster is the only viable Week 1 fantasy play.
Patriots WR DeVante Parker (knee) was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game vs. the Eagles. We're expecting Parker to play, but hopefully you're not counting on him in Week 1 fantasy lineups.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, TE Albert Okwuegbunam is being traded from the Broncos to the Eagles in exchange for a late-round draft pick. Schefter noted that the Broncos intended to place the fourth-year player on waivers, "but before they officially turned his name into the league office, they got interest from the Eagles." Okwuegbunam is still far off the redraft radar, though this move takes his dynasty value off life support.
Colts LB Shaquille Leonard sustained a concussion in a joint practice with the Bears late last week and has landed in the league protocol. HC Shane Steichen said, "He should be back soon." Leonard has struggled with injuries over the past couple of years but has generated buzz in camp this summer. With plenty of time to rebound from this concussion before the regular season, Leonard should remain in your IDP draft plans. He's not moving off a high perch in our IDP rankings.
SNY TV's Connor Hughes notes that there's been a concerted effort to get Giants RB Saquon Barkley more involved in the passing game in camp. "Not just as a check-down guy (think Le'Veon Bell in Pittsburgh), either, but wideout-light," Hughes adds. "The Giants have motioned Barkley out in the slot or split wide, then gotten him the ball, multiple times this summer." Even in his strong 2022 campaign, Barkley's receiving production felt a tad underwhelming. He caught 57 balls but averaged a career-low 5.9 yards per catch with 0 TDs. There's lots of room for those marks to grow in 2023.
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni said not to read too much into the backfield usage in Saturday's preseason opener vs. the Ravens. RB Kenneth Gainwell was held out of that one, while RBs D'Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny played. That could be interpreted as Gainwell being atop the depth chart. But Sirianni said that's not necessarily the case. "We wanted to see Rashaad go. Rashaad hasn't played in a little bit," Sirianni said. "My plan with the backs ... I always like those guys getting tackled, so the first time they get tackled isn't in game one [of the regular season.] So, next game, [Boston Scott] or [Kenny Gainwell] will get a couple carries, like Swift did today. And the next game the other one will get a couple carries." So don't expect to learn too much about the Eagles' backfield plans the rest of this preseason. We know that it'll be a committee attack -- but exactly how touches will be divvied remains uncertain.
NFL insider Adam Caplan passed along some intel on QB Kenny Pickett. Following a conversation with OC Matt Canada, Caplan learned that Pickett’s arm is “way better than it had been,” noting how he’s improved his upper-body strength. Broadly, Canada shared that Pickett’s made a “big jump from Year 1 to Year 2,” per Caplan. Pittsburgh’s expected to emphasize the run in 2023. But given a strong supporting cast, Pickett profiles as an intriguing QB2 inside our QB rankings.
In case you were wondering about how Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has fared in training camp so far, here's an update from The Athletic's Bo Wulf: "Hurts seems to have picked up where he left off, which just so happened to be playing the best game of his life on the biggest stage. ... There’s no doubt he’s been more consistent than ever over the first week-plus of camp." Hurts finished eighth among QBs in fantasy points in his first full season as starter in 2021 and then climbed to third last year. He's a safe bet for top-five production in 2023, with the upside to lead all QBs in fantasy points.
Kenneth Gainwell has been the Eagles' "featured RB during the two-minute drill" in training camp, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Josh Tolentino. Gainwell has played plenty in that role over the past two seasons, but it's surprising to hear he's still in it after the Eagles acquired RB D'Andre Swift. Losing that work would be a blow to Swift's fantasy value. We'll see if preseason action reveals anything else about the Eagles' backfield plans.
Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star reports that Colts LB Shaquille Leonard "is moving well and popping people" in practice so far. That's especially good news for the 28-year-old who lost basically all of last summer to a back injury that required surgery. Before that, Leonard was hampered by a nagging ankle issue that limited his practice time even as he was playing through it. At full health, Leonard has been a dominant scorer for IDP leagues. He opened the year inside the top 10 LBs in our IDP rankings. A healthy camp and preseason just might push the Colt even higher.
ESPN’s Nick Wagoner believes 49ers RB Tyrion Davis-Price looks “quicker and leaner.” The 22-year-old is likely headed for the RB3/4 role in San Francisco. But recall that the team selected him in Round 3 just one year ago. He posted only 99 yards (on 34 carries) as a rookie.
The Giants and RB Saquon Barkley have agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $11 million, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That total would beat the RB franchise tag by a little, and the two sides had passed the league deadline for a long-term contract. Most importantly for fantasy football managers, the agreement means Barkley will start training camp -- and, barring injury, the season -- on time. Uncertainty over his contract has pushed Barkley later in Round 2 in many recent drafts. He's a good pick anywhere in that round, across 1-QB formats. He can even make sense as a Round 1 consideration, according to our 12-team PPR fantasy football draft guide.
Lions DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson was carted off the practice field Monday morning after suffering a non-contact knee injury, according to multiple reports. We'll await an official diagnosis, but this obviously sounds pretty serious. A healthy Gardner-Johnson would be a candidate for both the primary slot CB role and some safety work. We'll see about Detroit's defensive plans going forward.
Update: NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the injury doesn't appear to be serious, according to team sources.
The Giants and RB Saquon Barkley failed to agree to a long-term contract ahead of Monday's 4 pm ET deadline for franchise-tagged players. That means Barkley is set to play out 2023 on a 1-year, $10.1 million deal. It remains unclear when he'll report to the team, though. Barkley can't be fined for skipping training camp since he's not officially under contract. "Barkley is not expected to report to training camp with the rest of his team," ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted Monday. "The Giants are not expected to see Barkley until later this summer, if then. Barkley will have decisions to make as to when he is willing to report." ESPN's Dianna Russini said last week that Barkley's status for the start of the season would be "in serious question" absent a long-term deal. We'll keep you updated on the situation. Barkley comes with elevated risk in fantasy drafts until he reports to the team.
ESPN's Dianna Russini hears that Giants RB Saquon Barkley's availability for the start of the season is "in serious question" if he doesn't get a long-term deal from the Giants. Barkley was slapped with the franchise tag earlier this offseason, and the two sides "remain at a stalemate," per Russini. The deadline to sign a long-term deal is July 17 at 4 pm ET. We'll see where this goes over the next few days and if Barkley reports to the team absent a long-term deal. We've seen him drop to the back half of Round 2 in recent drafts. He's worth the risk at that point.
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