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    Penix’s doctor says he has an amazing ACL

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    ATL Quarterback #9
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    Michael Penix said his doctor told him he has “an amazing ACL” and he should “never have any more knee problems for the rest of your career.”

    This is not parody, somehow. Penix infamously tore his right ACL twice while in college and then suffered a partial tear in his left ACL last year. The totally real doctor was presumably referring to his left knee. Penix, who hasn’t participated in team drills during training camp, later added that the only thing he can’t do in practice right now is take a hit. Last we checked, that is a major part of the game of football. Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa is slated to start the team’s preseason opener versus Denver later this week. Penix doesn’t seem to have much of a shot at being the Week 1 starter given his slow recovery, but the leash on Tua will be short. Penix remains the favorite to start more games this year, though only by a narrow margin.
Australia travel will factor into 49ers vs. Rams
Mike Florio and Chris Simms discuss the long travel for both the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams to Australia, analyzing the factor it could play in both teams’ preparation.

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  • ATL Quarterback #9
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    Wolfe added that head coach Kevin Stefanski does not want “an imaginary timeline” for Penix (knee) returning; the Falcons want to see him practice more and avoid rushing him back. The next week of practices will show if he is ready or if Tua Tagovailoa will be the “placeholder” for Week 1. Tagovailoa’s struggles seem to have made it a foregone conclusion that Penix will start when ready this season as the Falcons evaluate whether or not they will need to draft a quarterback in 2027.
  • ATL Quarterback #18
    It appears to be careful language in describing how the team is approaching its iffy QB situation ahead of the season opener against the Steelers. Rookie QB Jack Strand, who played well in his preseason appearances, had taken some first-team reps over the past month with Michael Penix (knee) and Tua Tagovailoa struggling with injuries and plagued by poor play. It’s unclear whether Penix will be 100 percent ready for the season opener, while Tagovailoa has been shockingly bad in training camp and during the preseason. Strand is a decent bench stash in deeper superflex formats for now.
  • ATL Quarterback #9
    Tua Tagovailoa will start versus his old team. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said yesterday that Tua’s horrid play throughout training camp and the preseason has made it impossible for the team to name him the Week 1 starter. Penix finally joined 11-on-11 drills this week, but his absence from the preseason contest suggests the team isn’t quite ready to put him in harm’s way. The matchup with Miami will be Tua’s final shot at winning the job.
  • ATL Quarterback #1
    Rarely do you see a national reporter talk about a quarterback in these kinds of black-and-white terms as far as how well they’re playing, so it’s an alarming sign for Tagovailoa’s fantasy value. “Not just in the preseason game, but it sounds like practice as well,” Rapoport says while adding that this is “Michael Penix’s job for the taking.” Superflex fantasy managers wishing to speculate on the Falcons quarterback job would probably be best served pivoting to Penix at the moment.
  • ATL Quarterback #9
    Three weeks ahead of the opening of the regular season, Stefanski seems no closer to naming a starting QB than he was at the start of training camp. Michael Penix, recovering from a 2025 ACL injury, made his return to 11-on-11 practice Monday while Tua Tagovailoa continued to struggled. “I can’t speculate on those types of things,” Stefanski said. “I want to really stay in today with Mike and see how he does in practice. I really have to stay in the moment with this one. Let’s see how he feels after today.” Penix on Monday completed four of his eight pass attempts in 11-on-11 drills while facing “simulated pressure.” Two of his passes came up “noticeably short,” per The Athletic’s Josh Kendall.
  • ATL Quarterback #9
    Penix was recently cleared for 11-on-11 practice and will participate in 11-on-11s on Monday. The third-year signal-caller has been working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered in November and will now have a few weeks to compete with Tagovailoa for the starting job. While it seems highly unlikely that Penix would win the QB1 job to start the season after being limited for most of camp, Tagovailoa hasn’t had the strongest of camps. Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show earlier, Adam Schefter said Tagovailoa “hasn’t run away” with the competition, suggesting a path could be open for Penix to win the job. We’ll see how these next few weeks unfold, but it’s possible the Falcons will delay naming a QB1 until it’s time to begin preparing for Week 1’s game against the Steelers.
  • ATL Quarterback #9
    It has been assumed that Tua Tagovailoa would be under center when games begin to count in two weeks, largely due to the health of Penix. Recent weeks have given some pause to that expectation considering the struggles of Tagovailoa and increasing health of Penix, with the current quarterback situation now much more up in the air as the team inches closer to the regular season. Penix now gains clearance to participate in 11-on-11 practices, a massive milestone in his recovery from a torn ACL suffered in November. The Falcons appear to be headed towards a situation in which they are one of the final teams to announce their Week 1 starting quarterback, although it could still fall on Tagovailoa’s shoulders out of necessity.
  • ATL Quarterback #1
    Stefanski said the starters will get a series or about 10 plays, depending on what happens first. He declined to name a Week 1 starter. Michael Penix has not participated in team drills yet and Stefanski confirmed that he would not do so in joint practices with the Colts next week. The lack of practice reps likely means Penix is slated for backup duties to open the year, even if Stefanski isn’t willing to make that call just yet.
  • ATL Quarterback #1
    After missing the early part of training camp, Tua Tagovailoa has been back practicing with the team and reportedly turned in a solid session on Sunday, which was cut short by lightning. Michael Penix, who is still waiting to be fully cleared to return from the torn ACL that ended his 2025 campaign. The third-year signal-caller has been practicing in a limited capacity and said in late July that it might be “another four weeks” before he moves on to the next stage in his recovery. Regardless of what Stefanski says about naming his Week 1 QB, until Penix is officially cleared for full football activities, Tagovailoa feels like a safe bet to open the year as the starter.
  • ATL Quarterback #1
    This has been sort of the working assumption for a while as Tagovailoa is taking first-team reps while Michael Penix hasn’t been cleared for full-contact work yet. Tagovalioa remained limited with a back injury today in camp, but obviously if there’s no healthy Penix, there can be no competition.

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    NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport believes Mike Washington Jr. is “going to be a thing this year.”

    Rapoport reiterated the point, adding that Washington will be a weapon for the Raiders. The rookie running back was electric in the preseason, running for 168 yards on 23 attempts. Ashton Jeanty is expected to be ready for Week 1, but the team could use Washington to ease his workload early in the year. Washington may only be a FLEX play as long as Jeanty is healthy, but that’s still worth a flyer in fantasy drafts.
  • ARI Wide Receiver #14
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    ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss reports “there’s been movement on Michael Wilson’s negotiations with the Cardinals.”

    Weinfuss adds that “something could come down in the next day or so.” Wilson has been in line for an extension this offseason and despite an effort, the Cardinals have yet to reach an agreement. It seems the sides are at least making progress, with Weinfuss hearing about “movement” in negotiations. Wilson was the team’s No. 1 wide receiver and downfield target for Jacoby Brissett after Kyler Murray went to the bench last season. An extension for the 26-year-old may be coming prior to Week 1.
  • ATL Quarterback #9
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    NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reports the Falcons plan for QB Michael Penix Jr. “to start eventually.”

    Wolfe added that head coach Kevin Stefanski does not want “an imaginary timeline” for Penix (knee) returning; the Falcons want to see him practice more and avoid rushing him back. The next week of practices will show if he is ready or if Tua Tagovailoa will be the “placeholder” for Week 1. Tagovailoa’s struggles seem to have made it a foregone conclusion that Penix will start when ready this season as the Falcons evaluate whether or not they will need to draft a quarterback in 2027.
  • BAL Defensive Lineman #92
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    Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said, “the fact that we didn’t put [DT Nnamdi Madubuike] on IR means that we would expect him to be able to contribute sooner than that.”

    DeCosta added, “I’m probably more bullish on that right now than I even have been.” Madubuike’s 2025 season was cut short due to a neck injury and the 28-year-old has been working his way back since. He has been participating in individual drills but was not seen participating in team drills by the media in training camp. The Ravens chose to keep Madubuike off injured reserve, indicating they expect him to return less than four games into the regular season. The former third-round pick is a two-time Pro-Bowler and a key piece of the Ravens’ defensive line when healthy.
  • DAL Quarterback #10
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    Cowboys signed QB Joe Milton to their practice squad.

    Milton initially made the 53-man roster but was let go after the initial wave of waiver claims. He went unclaimed when waivers ran Tuesday and now returns to the Cowboys on the practice squad. With Sam Howell winning the QB2 job, Milton will be QB3 heading into the season.
  • BAL Quarterback #8
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    Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said he is “optimistic” about reaching a contract extension with Lamar Jackson.

    DeCosta also said he wants to get a deal done as soon as possible. Jackson currently has two seasons left on his five-year, $260 million contract. His cap hit for the 2026 season is a comfortable $34.4 million. That number balloons to $84.3 million next year. A new deal would help the Ravens spread Jackson’s cap hit over multiple seasons. Jackson is no longer one of the 10 highest-paid quarterbacks by average annual value, so he should also want to get a new deal on the books. It makes sense for both sides to come to an agreement sooner rather than later, ideally before the start of the season.
  • PIT Wide Receiver #14
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    Aaron Rodgers said Roman Wilson had a “fantastic camp.”

    It was a bit of a compliment sandwich, with Rodgers opening his comments by mentioning a route Wilson screwed up early in camp and again today. Rodgers did, however, say Wilson will have to play a big role for the team and that he has the utmost confidence in him. Rodgers is infamously punitive to his younger players, and the Steelers have second-round rookie Germie Bernard behind Wilson on the depth chart. Wilson is firmly ahead of Bernard for now, but one mistake during the regular season could flip the WR3 role in an instant.
  • SF Defensive Lineman #97
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    Nick Bosa (knee) said he is confident he will play in Week 1 against the Rams.

    Bosa suffered a torn ACL in Week 3 last year and is still working his way back. He was back on the practice field today and is on track to play in Australia versus the Rams next week. Bosa got off to a hot start last year, logging a sack in each of his first two games before exiting Week 3 a few snaps in. If he can return to form quickly, the 49ers defense should take a step forward this year.
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    Ravens signed Chuma Edoga, formerly of the Jaguars.

    Edoga appeared in 14 games for the Jags last year and made two starts. He has 25 career starts across both tackle spots and left guard. Edoga will be a versatile depth option for the Ravens.
  • BUF Wide Receiver #10
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    CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reports “there’s currently optimism” from the Bills that Khalil Shakir will play in Week 1 against the Texans.

    Shakir has been held out of practice for multiple weeks with an undisclosed injury. He has gotten some work off to the side, though it’s becoming more concerning with each day he fails to work in with the team. According to Zenitz, the team is simply being cautious with Shakir. We’ll learn more about his ailment when the first official injury report comes out next week. Like the Bills, fantasy managers should take a cautious approach with Shakir in the final week of drafts.