NFL Player News

Fields got a surprise day of first-team reps after Russell Wilson woke up with a minor calf injury on Thursday, but Kaboly reports it was marked by ups and downs. He called it a performance that “pretty much duplicated what we saw at OTAs and minicamp a few months back.” Wilson is in inarguable decline, but this has been the steady drumbeat on Fields’ practice reports. It doesn’t appear that Fields has a legitimate chance to claim the starting job in camp, though we’ll see how far Mike Tomlin’s Wilson tolerance goes. It went fast for Sean Payton after Pete Carroll had seen enough in Seattle.

Both players lined up with the first-team offense, but Warren got the start. We expect both players to remain involved all year, but following the competition to see which player at least gets the 1A designation is worthwhile. For now, the veteran is in the driver’s seat.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Ford has been “dealing with something from the last couple weeks,” adding only that “he’ll be OK.” It would be nice to know what Ford is dealing with, but in the meantime, fantasy managers can continue monitoring rookie Dylan Sampson’s development.

It sounds like this could be a matchup-specific tactic, in the event that Mitchell “might need to travel with wide receivers or play receivers on different sides of the field.” In his breakout rookie season last year, Mitchell logged 1,080 snaps on the defensive right side of the field and zero on the defensive left. If he can handle it, this would make the Eagles’ top-tier defense even stronger.

Davis now tips the scales at 330 pounds. This is the lightest he’s been since his sophomore year at Georgia, per PHLY Eagles’ Zach Berman. Davis has functioned as a rotational player since the Eagles drafted him in the 2022 NFL Draft’s second round, perhaps due to lackluster conditioning. Keeping a well-conditioned Davis on the field for all three downs would be a matchup nightmare for opposing offensive lines.

Harbaugh maintained his typical injury-related ambiguity, saying only that Hopkins will be “okay” after “he kind of fell on his knee” on Wednesday. The injury is said to have occurred on a play along the sideline. Hopkins dealt with a preseason knee injury last year and has already aged out of being a weekly, impactful starter in fantasy.

Pickens caused a brief panic when he remained down after receiving a pass on Wednesday. Trainers tended to him before he exited under his own power. The first-team offense did not take any reps after the event, so today’s action was our first opportunity to check in on him. The Cowboys’ No. 2 wide receiver is all good.

The team shared in a statement that “Fields avoided serious injury and significant missed time.” Fields reportedly did not suffer any type of fracture. Connective tissue concerns have not been addressed. Ultimately, this is a positive report for the dual-threat quarterback. He has just under 6.5 weeks to rehab the injury before the Jets take on the Steelers in Week 1. Pending a successful rehab program, Fields profiles as a high-upside QB1.

Burden also reportedly suffered an undisclosed injury after landing awkwardly on a football, but per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, the hamstring strain is the issue currently keeping Burden from returning to practice. Johnson’s day-to-day classification is promising, but the rookie receiver is missing valuable reps. Per Cronin, “veteran wide receivers Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay have taken reps with the first-team unit during the early days of training camp.” Johnson summed up Burden’s real-life and fantasy status succinctly, saying, “the sooner we get him out there, the quicker he can carve a role for himself.”

Cephus has not played since 2022, when he caught 2-of-3 targets for 15 yards. He is not guaranteed to make the final roster and does not need to be considered as a late-round option. The team waived RB Israel Abanikanda in a corresponding move.

Lawrence has a $15.5 million base salary, plus a $500,000 workout bonus this season. The star defensive tackle totaled a career-high 10 sacks last year despite suffering a season-ending elbow injury in Week 13. Lawrence sat out during the offseason workout program, rehabbing the injury. He participated in team drills at the Giants’ first training camp practice though. He’s good to go.