Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco will not play in the team's preseason opener on Friday against the Carolina Panthers, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Injured QBs Kenny Pickett (hamstring) and Dillon Gabriel (hamstring) also will not play, leaving fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders to get the start despite the fact that he hasn't taken a single rep with the first-team offense during training camp. Tyler Huntley, who was signed on Tuesday, will back up Sanders on Friday night. The 40-year-old Flacco is a strong favorite to win the QB competition this summer, especially since Pickett hasn't been able to participate in team drills of late. Flacco made some noise in 2023 and helped lead the Browns to the playoffs, but the veteran gunslinger will have a short leash as the starter and will have little fantasy upside as a low-end QB2.

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Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith (knee) left Tuesday's training camp practice early with knee soreness, but head coach Mike Tomlin said it doesn't seem like a serious injury. Smith himself downplayed his injury when talking to reporters, so it's likely the 29-year-old will be back on the field in a few days. He had a career year in 2024 with the Miami Dolphins and made his first Pro Bowl appearance while catching 88 of his 111 targets for 884 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games (six starts). Smith was the beneficiary of Miami's disappointing dink-and-dunk offense a year ago, and fantasy managers reaped the benefits. A year later after his trade from Miami to Pittsburgh, Smith is going to go undrafted in standard-sized 12-team leagues as he attempts to split playing time with Pat Freiermuth. Freiermuth is expected to be the team's primary pass-catching option at TE.

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Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said that the team will play their starters in the preseason opener on Thursday night against his former team, the Seattle Seahawks. "Everyone will be ready to go," Carroll said. The Raiders are choosing to get their starters more experience right away in the preseason after trading for quarterback Geno Smith this offseason. Smith made the Pro Bowl in 2022 and 2023 and has worked with Carroll before, but in terms of his weapons alone, the move from Seattle to Vegas was a downgrade fantasy-wise. The Raiders could be much more of a run-first offense with first-round running back Ashton Jeanty now in town under new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Outside of tight end Brock Bowers and receiver Jakobi Meyers, Smith isn't going to have a ton to work with through the air. Consider the 34-year-old as a low-end QB2 for superflex leagues.

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry will not play in the team's preseason opener on Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts, according to head coach John Harbaugh. The head coach said the Ravens will determine if Jackson and Henry will play in any preseason games at all. Neither superstar is dealing with an injury, but the Ravens will continue to be cautious with their best players in exhibition games. The 28-year-old Jackson did not play at all in the preseason last year and still had the finest year of his career as a passer with 4,172 yards, 41 touchdowns and only four interceptions in 17 regular-season games. He also rushed for 915 yards and four TDs on the ground. Jackson is RotoBaller's QB2 in fantasy, while King Henry sits as the RB5. The combination of both Jackson's and Henry's legs make Baltimore's offense elite.

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Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said that the team will play their starters in the preseason opener this weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs, including quarterback Kyler Murray. Most NFL teams rest a lot of their starters early in the preseason, but the Cardinals are going to change it up this year and have Murray lead the first-team offense for a series or two this weekend. Receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. (knee) and Michael Wilson (concussion) might not play, although Harrison did return to practice on Tuesday. Murray has never reached the 4,000-yard mark as a passer or thrown for 30 touchdowns in any of his first six NFL seasons, but the two-time Pro Bowler checks in as a low-end QB1 because of his rushing upside. He has had at least 400 rushing yards in all but one of his seasons and carried the ball 78 times last year for 572 yards and five scores on the ground.

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Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (knee) was back at the team's training camp practice on Tuesday while wearing a sleeve on his left leg, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN. Harrison returns after missing three practices with a sore knee. The Cardinals plan to play some of their starters for the first preseason game this Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs, but Harrison could be held out as a precaution. The 22-year-old former fourth overall pick last year out of Ohio State didn't exactly live up to his high draft stock in fantasy football in Year 1, but he still finished with a 62-885-8 line in 17 games (16 starts) in his first year in the league. If the added muscle and strength that Harrison added this offseason can help him be more of a threat after the catch, he could very easily improve on last year's numbers as Arizona's WR1.

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New Orleans Saints rookie running back Devin Neal (hamstring) will miss a few weeks due to a hamstring injury, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. It's the worst possible time for a rookie to have to sit out, and it means that Neal will miss the preseason opener this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers and most likely Week 2 of the preseason against the Denver Broncos. The 21-year-old is attempting to win a depth role heading into his first year in the NFL behind starter Alvin Kamara. The Saints plans to hold Kamara out of Sunday's preseason contest, so it will be Kendre Miller, Cam Akers and Clyde Edwards-Helaire splitting up the touches. For the 2025 season, Neal should strictly be considered a dynasty/keeper stash.

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Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders is expected to start the team's preseason opener this Friday on the road against the Carolina Panthers with both Kenny Pickett and rookie Dillon Gabriel dealing with hamstring injuries, a source told Mark Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Sanders, who fell all the way to the fifth round in April's NFL draft, hasn't gotten a lot of work with the first-team offense in training camp, but he's going to be put to the test early in the preseason. The Browns signed Tyler Huntley for more QB depth on Tuesday, so veteran Joe Flacco will sit out on Friday. It will be interesting to see how Sanders fares on Friday, but even if he plays really well, he won't really be in serious contention to win the Browns' starting QB job heading into Week 1 of the regular season in early September.

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New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson (groin) was wearing a jersey but wasn't in full pads for Tuesday's training camp practice as he continues to be limited, according to Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football. Johnson is dealing with a minor groin injury that he sustained last week in practice, but he might be held out of the team's first preseason game this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers as a precaution. It makes more sense for the Saints to be careful with the 28-year-old with both tight ends Taysom Hill (knee) and Foster Moreau (knee) unlikely to be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season. While Johnson does have a clear path to TE1 duties for the Saints this year, he should go undrafted in 12-team fantasy leagues with all the uncertainty surrounding who the team's quarterback will be.

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Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (foot) was back in pads at Tuesday's training camp practice, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. Foot soreness sidelined Walker for three straight training camp practices, but now he's back on the field. It seems like Walker is constantly battling lower-body injuries, and the 24-year-old's 2024 season was cut short by an ankle injury. Because of his injury history and talk that Zach Charbonnet could take on a bigger role in the backfield next to Walker to help keep him healthy in new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's system, Walker has become more of a midrange RB2 target in fantasy. Walker hasn't reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark since his rookie season in 2022 and he played in only 11 games last year, rushing for 573 yards and seven touchdowns. If he's healthy, Walker should still lead Seattle's backfield in 2025.

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Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor is in a position to see an elevated workload early in the 2025 season with fellow wideout Jordan Addison set to serve a three-game suspension. While Addison won't be prohibited from practice or even preseason games, this sets the stage for Nailor to garner a stronger rapport with second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The 26-year-old was a training camp standout in 2024 and made a few highlight plays early in the campaign before tailing off as the season wore on. It's unknown how the Vikings offense will look with McCarthy at the helm, though Minnesota seems to be all in on him, and that counts for something. If he's the real deal, Nailor could have some sneaky low-end WR3 value in PPR formats -- at least for the first few weeks. He's currently an afterthought in drafts.

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Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports that New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler was the QB1 at Tuesday's practice. That's notable, marking the first time one of he, or fellow signal-callers Tyler Shough or Jake Haener, has done so in back-to-back days. New Orleans is looking for an answer at quarterback in 2025, and right now, Rattler has the best chance to man the helm. For the South Carolina alum to be the solution long-term, he'll have to improve on the 57% completion rate and 4:5 TD:INT ratio he posted across seven appearances in his rookie season (188 yards per game). Even if Rattler begins the campaign in possession of the starting gig, a few poor performances could cause that to change. He remains a non-target in drafts.

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ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison will be suspended for the first three games of the 2025 season because of a DUI incident in 2024.

ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports that Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison will be suspended for the first three games of the 2025 season. The thought was that the 23-year-old would eventually be hit with a short suspension stemming from a DUI incident in 2024, and the punishment was finally dealt after Addison pleaded guilty to a lesser charge a few weeks back. Schefter notes that he'll still be permitted to participate in training camp and preseason games without restriction, but this undoubtedly damages the third-year pro's fantasy value as he'll miss a decent bit of the season. Addison has performed well in the WR2 role for Minnesota despite a slight statistical step back in 2024. However, the extra variable of quarterback J.J. McCarthy and his lack of NFL experience make the USC product one of the riskier top 75 picks. Expect that ADP to drop over the next few weeks.

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Head coach Shane Steichen reports that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. will get the start for their road matchup with the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday. Steichen also notes that fellow signal-caller Daniel Jones will get the nod for their Week 2 tilt with the visiting Green Bay Packers. Jones and Richardson Sr. are entrenched in a training camp battle for Indianapolis' starting QB gig, and it doesn't appear that either has made a strong case to supplant the other. Richardson Sr. is the more exciting option and would give the Colts' offense a higher ceiling. However, he'll have to get past his deficiencies as a passer. Jones hasn't been the most heralded passing option either, but holds a significantly better career completion percentage (64.1%) than his counterpart (50.6%).

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Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet (undisclosed) exited Tuesday's practice early with an injury, according to multiple beat reporters on-site. Per CHGO's Mark Carman, Kmet was "visibly upset" leaving the field with a trainer. There's been no word on the body part that's ailing him. The sixth-year pro figures to start the season as the team's TE1, but that isn't a foregone conclusion, particularly with rookie teammate Colston Loveland impressing early on in camp. Ben Johnson is likely to feature both tight ends on the field in 2025, although any time missed by Kmet could cause Loveland to supersede him in the pecking order. Fantasy managers should keep a watchful eye on the situation, as the Bears' offense could be a nice source of points if Caleb Williams can improve on his rookie campaign.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin (ankle) is making good progress in his recovery, but general manager Jason Licht said it is too early to say if Godwin will be ready for the start of the regular season.

Fantasy Spin: Fantasy players will need to monitor the situation over the next several weeks to see if Godwin will be on the 53-man roster or if he will have to start the season on the Reserve/Injured list. He is a big part of the passing game when healthy but may not be available early in the season. Players that draft Godwin should have a backup plan ready in case he misses some games.

From TheHuddle

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara won't play in the team's preseason opener on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, but the rest of the RBs will, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. Kamara has been healthy during training camp, but the Saints will keep their RB1 out as a precaution for the first preseason contest. Rookie Devin Neal (hamstring) is currently injured, so it will likely be Kendre Miller, Cam Akers and Clyde Edwards-Helaire sharing the backfield this weekend for the Saints. Kamara, now 30 years old, has still yet to record a 1,000-yard rushing season through eight NFL seasons, but he's made up for that in fantasy by catching 60-plus passes in six seasons. He also had a career-high 950 rushing yards and six TDs in 2024. Kamara should remain heavily involved in the Saints' new offense, but there are concerns about how good New Orleans' offense will be, and Kamara is becoming more of an injury risk. Target him as more of a low-end RB2 in PPR formats.

From RotoBaller

Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield (hand) participated in practice Tuesday, Aug. 5.

Fantasy Spin: Mayfield missed a few practices because of the injury but should be fine moving forward. He was one of the most productive quarterbacks in the NFL last season and will have plenty of pass catchers to work with again this season. He can be a No. 1 quarterback in fantasy leagues.

From TheHuddle

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially signed free-agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to an undisclosed one-year deal on Tuesday after he passed his physical, a source tells NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Kyle Trask will be the backup to starter Baker Mayfield, but with Michael Pratt still not practicing in training camp, Bridgwater will give the team additional depth at the position and a veteran presence in the QB room. The 32-year-old retired from the NFL before last season but then quickly changed his mind and signed with the Detroit Lions in late December. Bridgewater didn't get into a regular-season game last year while serving as an emergency option for the Lions behind Jared Goff and Hendon Hooker. He did take three snaps in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Bridgewater remains off the fantasy radar.

From RotoBaller