Shark Bites are the latest fantasy football news & NFL updates. Draft Sharks has been in business since 1999. And when we started, redraft was the dominant form of fantasy football. Check out what we've learned about this most basic form of fantasy football along the way.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins (concussion) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Cowboys. He got in a limited practice on Wednesday before being excused on Thursday to attend his father's funeral. Higgins then returned to a full practice on Friday, seemingly putting him on track to be cleared for Sunday's game. We should get another update on Higgins on Saturday.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins missed Thursday's practice for personal reasons. That's unlikely to keep him from playing vs. the Cowboys this weekend, but he still has work to do to clear the concussion protocol. We'll update Higgins' progress tomorrow.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins (concussion) was able to put in a limited practice on Wednesday. That means he's made some progress through the protocol and has a shot to be cleared for Sunday's game vs. the Cowboys. We'll continue to monitor his progress.
Bengals HC Zac Taylor confirmed Monday that WR Tee Higgins is in the concussion protocol. Taylor said "the conversations are encouraging" -- whatever that means. Consider Higgins no better than 50/50 to be cleared in time for Sunday's game vs. the Cowboys. His absence would be a boost to WR Tyler Boyd and TE Hayden Hurst.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow tossed 3 first-half INTs and took 4 sacks before the break in Sunday's OT loss to the Steelers. He settled down in the 2nd half, though, finishing with 338 yards, 2 TDs and 4 INTs on 53 pass attempts. The 7 sacks for the game might be most alarming for Burrow's outlook. His ability to salvage the fantasy line despite losing WR Tee Higgins to a 1st-half concussion, though, should remind you why you drafted the 3rd-year QB.
Playing all 81 snaps in Week 1, Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase racked up 16 targets, 10 catches, 129 yards and 1 score. The monster line came against Pittsburgh in a game that lasted until the end of overtime. Tee Higgins also departed in the 1st half with a concussion. As we saw last year, Chase was electric with the ball in his hands, dodging several tacklers and showing top-end burst. He also had 2 near TDs that didn’t count: One where he likely crossed the goal line but HC Zac Taylor decided not to challenge, the other on a sweet one-handed grab where he couldn’t quite get his 2nd foot down. Chase will look to keep rolling next week against Dallas.
In a game that lasted all of regulation and overtime, Bengals QB Joe Burrow tallied 338 yards and 2 TDs on 33 of 53 passing. Burrow added 4 INTs and took 7 sacks despite facing pressure on only 14.1% of his dropbacks, per TruMediaSports. Adding 47 rushing yards, Burrow really delivered for fantasy owners. His decision-making must get cleaned up, though. One particularly late throw to the outside was returned for 6 by S Minkah Fitzpatrick. Note that Burrow lost WR Tee Higgins to a concussion in the 1st half, making him questionable for a Week 2 matchup at Dallas.
Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki managed 1 catch for 1 yard on 1 target in Sunday's win over New England. Everything reported and witnessed through camp and preseason pointed to alarming change in his role under new HC Mike McDaniel, and this game seemed like confirmation. Gesicki shouldn't be near fantasy football lineups until something changes. He even trailed TE Durham Smythe in targets (2) and yards (14).
Bengals WR Tee Higgins went to the locker room in the 1st half to be evaluated for a concussion. We'll watch for results of that testing.
Update: Higgins has been ruled out. We'll watch his progress through the concussion protocol this week.
Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki rotated with 2 teammates during 1st-team work in the preseason finale vs. Philadelphia. Durham Smythe led the position in snaps across the 1st 3 drives, while Gesicki led TEs in pass routes, according to Pro Football Focus. Cethan Carter also worked in for 2-TE sets, playing 7 such snaps to Gesicki's 5. For the preseason, PFF counted 24 "inline" snaps for Gesicki vs. 14 in the slot, 4 split wide and 1 at FB. That's 55.8% of his snaps inline, compared with the 85% he spent in the slot or out wide last season. The 1 thing that does seem clear with Gesicki is that we should expect his 2022 role to look a lot different than it has to this point -- which doesn't bode well for his receiving production. Gesicki has been a faller in our TE rankings.
Pro Football Focus' Doug Kyed reports a league source told him the Dolphins have "brought up" TE Mike Gesicki in trade talks with other teams. Such a move would make sense for Miami, with Gesicki set to play on the franchise tag and seemingly about to play out of position as an in-line TE. Gesicki has operated much more as a slot receiver thus far in his career and looks much better suited for that type of role. Given the reports this preseason on his deployment as a blocker, a trade would probably be good for Gesicki's 2022 fantasy outlook. We'll see if something materializes.
Bears RB Khalil Herbert is participating in practice on Sunday. He left practice early on Saturday with an unknown injury, but apparently it wasn’t anything of significance. The 2nd-year RB remains an intriguing bench stash.
Bears RB Khalil Herbert left Saturday's practice on a cart, according to multiple reports. We have yet to see any details beyond that but will certainly be watching for more.
"It’s been a struggle to get [TE Mike Gesicki] involved in the new offense so far this summer," ESPN's Cameron Wolfe said Saturday. It was part of a tweet pointing out that Gesicki was the last Miami starter still playing late in the 2nd quarter of the 2nd preseason game. Basically an oversized WR listed as a TE, Gesicki always looked like an awkward fit in HC Mike McDaniel's offense, which requires the TE to block quite a bit (think George Kittle). Throw in the increased target competition with the arrival of WR Tyreek Hill, and it's tough to like Gesicki as a fantasy-draft target.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow spoke to the media on Wednesday about his recovery from his appendectomy. He said he's eating "everything" to gain back 20 pounds, per insider Mike Petraglia. Burrow added that he'll return to 11-on-11 work in Wednesday's practice. And, while he won't play in the preseason, he feels confident that he'll be ready to go for Week 1. We'll continue to monitor Burrow's progress, but we haven't altered his 2022 projections.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow practiced Sunday for the first time since his late-July appendectomy. Per The Athletic’s Paul Dehner, the Bengals will gradually increase Burrow’s practice load over the next few days. Based on some highlights from today, though, Burrow certainly looks close to 100%. We’re not concerned about his effectiveness for Week 1.
Bengals WR Tee Higgins continues to be eased into practice after offseason shoulder surgery. But HC Zac Taylor has no concerns about his readiness for the start of the season. “On the physical part of things, he’s ready. I know he feels great. I know he’s ready to go, and trust me, he tells me every day," Taylor said. "But it’s good to slowly integrate him in there, so he’s been doing the one-on-ones. He’ll do seven-on-sevens going forward. I think that he feels really good, and man, he’s really attacked that rehab the right way and looks really good.” Higgins is safe to draft in the late 2nd or early 3rd round of fantasy drafts.
Bengals HC Zac Taylor said Monday that he's "not going to make any predictions" on when QB Joe Burrow returns to the field following his July appendix surgery, according to The Athletic. The team is reportedly optimistic, though, and doesn't expect him to miss the regular-season opener. We'll keep an eye on Burrow's progress.
Browns rookie K Cade York had his 1st miss of FG drills Friday, according to Scott Petrak of Browns Zone. That followed 17 straight makes. Cleveland drafted York in Round 4, so they should be counting on him entering the season as their guy. But it's nice to get early confirmation. York looks like a kicker we can mix in across fantasy football draft formats with relative comfort.
Bengals TE Drew Sample left Thursday's practice on a cart after hurting his left knee. HC Zac Taylor told reporters Friday that he's only expected to miss a couple of weeks, though, with a mild sprain. That should put Sample on track to begin the season on time. Sample played in every game last year but tallied only 15 targets. Sample has performed well as a pass-blocker, though. So any regular-season absence could hamper that area. The Bengals have also been without new RT La'el Collins, as he works through a back issue.
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