The Giants have officially activated RB Saquon Barkley off the PUP, according to The Associated Press. This falls in line with earlier reports. We'll see about his participation level and reports on how he looks in the coming weeks. We'll also keep tabs on his ADP. Barkley has often slipped to Round 2 in recent drafting.
Giants HC Joe Judge said Monday that it'll be a "slow buildup" for RB Saquon Barkley (knee) in his return to practice. He'll be limited to individual drills to start. No surprise there. Judge also reiterated that Barkley's status for the start of the season remains uncertain. We'll closely track his progress over the next month.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley (knee) is expected to be activated from the PUP list and return to practice this week, insider Zack Rosenblatt reports. Barkley is now about 10.5 months removed from his multi-ligament knee injury and about 9.5 months removed from surgery. The Giants have taken a cautious approach bringing him back -- an approach that could continue into the season. ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported back in May that Barkley's workload could be limited early on. And NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said just a few days ago that Barkley might miss the first 2 games altogether. We'll see how he fares in practice over the next month.
The Colts have agreed to a 5-year extension with LB Darius Leonard, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The contract will be worth $99.25 million in total, with $52.5 million guaranteed. We didn't need affirmation that Leonard belongs atop the hill at LB, but it's good to know his situation won't be changing for a while.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that, "The Giants will likely see RB Saquon Barkley by Week 3 and although no one will rush him, no one has completely ruled out Week 1, either." Both Barkley and the Giants coaching staff have hinted all offseason that the star back might be not ready come Week 1 -- but this is the first real timetable for a debut we've gotten. "This is a long-term play," Rapoport adds. "No one is gonna rush Saquon on the field." A healthy Barkley still has a fantasy ceiling that rises near the top of his position. But fantasy owners should plan to potentially be without him for the first game or 2. And he probably won't be back to 100% until October at the earliest.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that the injury that's sidelined Titans WR Julio Jones for the past 4 days is "nothing major." Rapoport adds that Tennessee plans to manage Jones' practice reps throughout the season. Smart. Jones has played all 16 games in just 4 of 10 NFL seasons and remains 1 of the bigger injury risks at WR heading into 2021. But he also remains a good bet for at least WR2 production when he's on the field.
Titans WR Julio Jones missed his 2nd straight practice on Wednesday with an undisclosed injury. HC Mike Vrabel had no timeline for Jones' return and suggested that Jones might not practice much in camp, according to Jim Wyatt of the team's official website. We haven't heard anything to suggest that Jones' injury is serious, but we'll keep an eye on him.
Eagles WR DeVonta Smith is expected to be out 2-3 weeks with a sprained MCL, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Even the long end of that timetable would have Smith back well before the start of the regular season. But the rookie will miss valuable training camp reps and seems unlikely to play in the preseason. That could mean that he gets off to a slow start this year. We'll see how he fares when he gets back on the field.
Dolphins WR DeVante Parker was activated from the PUP list and practiced on Monday. He ends up missing less than a week with his undislosed injury. Durability remains a concern with Parker, but he's healthy for now. And a healthy Parker should be locked into a top-3 WR role in Miami.
Eagles WR DeVonta Smith is "week to week" with a knee sprain, according to ESPN's Tim McManus. Smith sustained the injury in Sunday's practice but reportedly stayed on the field. An MRI later diagnosed a sprain. We'll see exactly how long Smith remains out, but any missed time can't be good for a rookie wideout and a QB (Jalen Hurts) heading into his 1st full starting season. Smith could become a value if this knocks his ADP down the board. He presents risk around the bottom of WR3 territory for now, though, while his absence leaves target opportunity for others.
Giants HC Joe Judge said he's "very pleased" with RB Saquon Barkley's progress in his return from last year's knee injury. Barkley ran full speed and did some cutting in Thursday's practice, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan. It qualifies as the first piece of good news on Barkley's rehab in months. It's still unclear if he'll be ready for Week 1 -- and how big a role he'll play early this season.
If you're still worrying about Titans WR A.J. Brown's offseason knee surgeries, you can stop now. From The Tennessean's Ben Arthur: "Any concerns about Brown being limited to start training camp because of the knee surgeries were quickly put to rest. He practiced without any bands or braces on his knees and looked dominant throughout practice." Brown is coming off a top 7 finish in fantasy points per game last season and projects as a mid-range WR1 again in 2021.
Dolphins WR DeVante Parker will open training camp on the PUP list. No word yet on the specifics, but it’s a rough start nevertheless for a WR with his injury history. Miami brought in serious target competition this offseason — Will Fuller and Jaylen Waddle — making Parker a long-shot for WR3 value.
Giants HC Joe Judge refused to commit to RB Saquon Barkley (knee) being ready for Week 1 when asked on Monday. “Look, ideally we’d love to have him back as soon as possible,” Judge said. "But ultimately we’ve got to make sure when he comes back he can play 100 percent; he can play aggressive and confident; and that we have him back. So that’s the approach we’re taking. We’re really just watching day by day and evaluating where he’s at and affording him the ability to come back when he’s fully ready to go, because the plan is when we get him back to keep him back. We don’t want to rush him back and do something that’s not best for him individually or best for the team, and we’re really taking a big picture and a long-term view of this.” The "long-term view" has been the theme for Barkley's return from last September's torn ACL all offseason. It's clear the Giants will have no issue holding him out of games -- or perhaps limiting his touches -- if he's not ready to go. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his progress.
Colts GM Chris Ballard says LB Darius Leonard has had an ankle "procedure" in early June, according to Mike Chappell of FOX59. Ballard said the team will monitor him but that there's "no reason for concern," despite conceding that the LB will miss some early practices. Leonard missed 2 games last season, but a groin injury was the culprit. We'll keep an eye out for anything further on this situation. For now, though, we'll take Ballard at his word and not adjust our outlook for Leonard.
Titans WR A.J. Brown (knees) will be a "full go" for the start of training camp, according to insider Paul Kuharsky. Brown underwent surgery on both knees early this offseason and was sidelined for spring workouts. But it looks like he'll be at 100% for the start of the 2021 campaign. Brown's ADP is sitting in the early 3rd round of recent FFPC drafts.
The Giants announced Thursday that RB Saquon Barkley is opening camp on the active/PUP list. That means the team can activate him at any point. Barkley would need to remain on the list all the way until the final cutdown to 53 players to be eligible for the regular-season PUP. We'll obviously track his participation and status throughout camp. We're assuming at this point Barkley will be active for the start of the season.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley (knee) said "we'll see" when asked Monday about his availability for Week 1. "Taking it day by day. Just listening to my body," he added. "Whenever I'm able to get out there, just make sure I'm 110 percent. Not just for ... my well-being, but just so I go out there and compete at a high level and show the world who Saquon is." While it would have been nice for Barkley to sound confident about his readiness for the start of the season, this was a more honest answer. We're still almost 2 months away from Week 1, so it's reasonable that neither he nor the Giants know whether he'll be ready. We should have a better idea by the end of August. For now, Barkley is the biggest risk/reward pick in Round 1 of fantasy drafts.
Titans WR A.J. Brown missed spring workouts and is still rehabbing after undergoing offseason surgery to both knees. "I am not getting impatient, but excited," Brown said. "I am excited to get back on the field, and get back out there with my teammates, just to be out there again. I have been rehabbing, and I have been taking it slow. And I'll be back out there soon." Details on Brown's injuries and rehab have been scarce. We'll see if he's ready for the start of camp next month or is forced to open on the PUP list.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley, speaking to the media for the 1st time this year, refused to give a timetable for his return from knee surgery. "You know me, I’ll take it one day at a time," Barkley said. "It’s going to be whenever my body tells me I’m ready." It's noteworthy because players tend to be over-optimistic about their recoveries. ESPN's Jordan Raanan suggested a couple of weeks ago that Barkley might be limited at the beginning of the season. His status will be 1 of the bigger fantasy storylines this summer.
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