RADIO
Tez Johnson Still Has a Path to More Work
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson made enough noise early in camp to stay interesting, even after a groin strain interrupted his momentum. Johnson caught 28 passes for 322 yards and five touchdowns as a seventh-round rookie, and Tampa Bay's own camp coverage called him one of the early standouts this summer. Baker Mayfield has shown trust in him, and Johnson made plays both underneath and down the field before getting hurt. The issue is opportunity. Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan still sit ahead of him in the receiver pecking order, with Johnson listed behind Godwin on the current depth chart. Mike Evans is gone, which clears one major name from last year's crowded room, but the groin strain interrupted Johnson's push for more work. RotoBaller has him at WR110 in half-PPR. That's deep-league territory, and it should be. Still, five touchdowns as a rookie and the way he opened camp make him worth keeping in mind late if the injury doesn't linger.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Dalton Kincaid Could See Increased Snap Count With Improved Pass-Blocking
Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid showed off an encouraging part of his game during Saturday's preseason action. Ryan Talbot pointed out that Kincaid stayed in to block one-on-one on a Josh Allen completion to Khalil Shakir and held up well on the rep. Talbot noted that better pass protection could help Kincaid stay on the field more often and make his usage less predictable. That would matter after injuries and Buffalo's deep tight end rotation kept his workload down last season. Kincaid logged 302 offensive snaps across 12 games, but he still caught 39 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns. His blocking had already drawn praise in 2025, and the Bills have continued to push him toward becoming a more complete tight end. One preseason rep does not prove that his snap count is about to jump, but it is exactly the kind of play that could help him earn more work.
Source: Ryan Talbot
Source: Ryan Talbot
Carson Beck Back at Practice After Rib Injury
Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Carson Beck (ribs) returned to practice Saturday after sitting out Thursday's preseason win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Bo Brack reported Beck was back on the field two days after Arizona held him out with minor rib discomfort. Beck suffered the injury when he was sacked late in the second quarter of the Hall of Fame Game against Carolina, though he stayed in and opened the third quarter. He was excellent before getting banged up, completing 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut. Beck is currently third on Arizona's unofficial depth chart behind Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II, so every preseason rep matters as the rookie works his way into the quarterback room. The Cardinals host Dallas on Aug. 22, giving Beck another chance to get back into game action if the ribs continue to cooperate.
Source: Bo Brack
Source: Bo Brack
Romeo Doubs Scores Three Touchdowns in Saturday's Practice
New England Patriots wide receiver Romeo Doubs had a big day at Saturday's practice, catching three touchdowns, according to Doug Kyed. It continues a strong stretch for Doubs after he started camp a little slowly and then began making more plays once he settled into the offense. The Patriots currently list him with the first-team offense, and he is coming off a 2025 season in Green Bay in which he caught 55 passes for a career-high 724 yards and six touchdowns. Doubs also led the Packers with 12 receptions of 20-plus yards. New England brought him in to be a significant part of the passing game alongside A.J. Brown, and days like Saturday are a good sign that the transition is coming along. Practice touchdowns only mean so much in August, but three in one session is hard to ignore. Doubs is giving himself a chance to carry some real red-zone appeal into the regular season.
Source: Doug Kyed
Source: Doug Kyed
Jaxson Dart Heads to Medical Tent, Cleared to Return
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart briefly left Saturday's preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings after taking a big hit from safety Jay Ward. Connor Hughes reported that Dart was slow getting up after Tyrone Tracy Jr. missed the block, and the Giants' medical staff eventually pulled him from the game despite Dart initially trying to stay in. He was taken to the blue medical tent for an evaluation, but the scare didn't last long. Dart was cleared to return and came back onto the field on New York's next possession. He then connected with rookie Malachi Fields for a 15-yard touchdown pass. Dart dealt with several concussion evaluations during his rookie season, making any trip to the medical tent noteworthy. The good news Saturday is that he was quickly cleared and able to resume playing.
Source: Connor Hughes
Source: Connor Hughes
D.J. Moore Leaves Preseason Opener With Lower-Leg Concern
Buffalo Bills wide receiver D.J. Moore (lower leg) left Saturday's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers after his third catch of the game. According to Matt Parrino, Moore grabbed at his ankle after picking up a first down, then came out and spoke with trainers before putting his helmet away. It was later reported that Moore was moving around well on the sideline while the medical staff looked at his lower leg. That is encouraging, but Buffalo has not announced a diagnosis or said whether Moore will miss any practice time. Most of the Bills' starting offense was coming out around the same point, so his day may have been finished regardless. Moore joined Buffalo in an offseason trade after catching 50 passes for 682 yards and six touchdowns for Chicago last season. He has quickly become a major part of the Bills' offense, making his status worth watching once the team provides an update.
Source: Matt Parrino
Source: Matt Parrino
Nate Boerkircher Stacking Strong Practices in Jaguars Camp
Jacksonville Jaguars rookie tight end Nate Boerkircher has put together a strong stretch of practices heading into Saturday's preseason opener against New Orleans. John Shipley of Sports Illustrated noted that Boerkircher has been more involved in the passing game over the past week while continuing to stand out as a blocker. That part of his game will get a better test against the Saints, especially with Jacksonville planning to sit its starters. Boerkircher has flashed as a receiver, too, catching a red-zone touchdown from Trevor Lawrence during Thursday's joint practice. The Jaguars used their first pick of the 2026 draft on Boerkircher at No. 56 overall after he caught 19 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns at Texas A&M last season. He's currently listed second behind Brenton Strange on the unofficial depth chart. Strange remains the clear starter, but Boerkircher's blocking gives him a path to early snaps while his receiving role continues to develop.
Source: Sports Illustrated
Source: Sports Illustrated
Cardinals Non-Committal on Jeremiyah Love Playing in Week 1
Arizona Cardinals rookie running back Jeremiyah Love (ankle) will not practice this week after coming in more sore than expected following Thursday's preseason game. Head coach Mike LaFleur said Saturday that the team will let the ankle heal and reevaluate Love next week, according to Theo Mackie. LaFleur also would not commit to Love being available for Week 1. That's a change from Thursday night, when he said Love could have returned to the game if Arizona needed him. The third overall pick looked good before leaving, rushing 11 times for 58 yards and catching three passes for 14 yards in his preseason debut. Love had been working into Arizona's first-team backfield alongside Tyler Allgeier, so any absence into September would matter. The Cardinals open the regular season against the Chargers on Sept. 13, giving Love time to recover, but his return date is now less certain than it looked two days ago.
Source: Theo Mackie
Source: Theo Mackie
Kayshon Boutte Keeps Flashing Downfield in Camp
New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte made another big play at practice Saturday, hauling in a twirling sideline catch on a 40-yard throw while working against Carlton Davis III, according to Andrew Callahan. Boutte was quiet in Thursday's preseason opener, playing 16 offensive snaps with the backups and going without a target, but he's been much more noticeable on the practice field. He caught 33 passes for 551 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games last season, averaging 16.7 yards per catch, fifth-best in the NFL. That big-play ability has shown up again throughout camp. The problem for Boutte is still finding regular snaps in a receiver room now led by A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and DeMario Douglas. New England's unofficial depth chart currently lists him behind Brown. One more highlight catch doesn't change that, but Boutte keeps giving the Patriots reasons to find ways to get him on the field.
Source: Andrew Callahan
Source: Andrew Callahan
Malachi Fields Looks Set to Start Preseason Opener
New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields looks set to start Saturday's preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings. Patricia Traina reported that Fields was warming up with Darnell Mooney and Darius Slayton as the Giants' starting receiver group, while Malik Nabers was not dressed. It's another good sign for the third-round pick, who has been making plays throughout camp. Fields hauled in a 40-plus-yard pass from Jaxson Dart earlier this month and caught red-zone touchdowns from Dart in practices on both Tuesday and Wednesday. New York traded up to take Fields 74th overall after he finished his lone season at Notre Dame with 36 catches for 630 yards and five touchdowns. RotoBaller already noted last week that Fields was making a push for the No. 2 receiver role. A preseason start with Nabers sidelined doesn't settle that competition, but Fields keeps getting chances to show he belongs in the regular offensive rotation.
Source: Patricia Traina
Source: Patricia Traina
Cam Skattebo Warming Up Behind Backup QB on Saturday
The New York Daily News' Pat Leonard reports that New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo is working behind backup quarterback Jameis Winston as the team prepares for their preseason opener on Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings. Meanwhile, RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. is working behind starting QB Jaxson Dart. Fantasy managers shouldn't panic from a note on preseason pre-game workouts, but this is a reminder that Skattebo isn't going to be a bell-cow back in the Big Apple in new head coach John Harbaugh's offense in his second year in the NFL, especially coming off a serious ankle/leg injury in 2025. The Giants also listed Skattebo and Tracy as co-starters on their initial preseason depth chart, so both RBs could have weekly fantasy value in 2026. RotoBaller has Skattebo ranked as the RB20 for 2026, with Tracy coming in at No. 44. The Giants will most likely ease Skattebo back into the fold during the preseason after his gruesome season-ending injury from a year ago.
Source: New York Daily News - Pat Leonard
Source: New York Daily News - Pat Leonard
No Timeline on Trey Benson's Return
There is no timeline on the return of Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (knee), but head coach Mike LaFleur said he's "better than he was" when his knee flared up recently, according to Howard Balzer of Cards Wire. Benson only played in four games in his sophomore campaign in 2025 due to a left knee injury, and the 24-year-old recently had a setback when that same knee flared up. As a result, the former third-rounder from Florida State didn't play in the team's preseason opener on Thursday night against the Las Vegas Raiders, and it seems likely he won't play in Week 2 of the preseason against the Dallas Cowboys next Saturday. Arizona's backfield is suddenly very thin, with Benson, rookie first-rounder Jeremiyah Love (ankle), and James Conner (foot) all unavailable. If the team's entire RB room is healthy going into Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Benson will be fourth on the depth chart and completely off the fantasy radar.
Source: Cards Wire - Howard Balzer
Source: Cards Wire - Howard Balzer
Tyrone Tracy Jr. Warming Up With Starters on Saturday
New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. is warming up with the starters at MetLife Stadium behind quarterback Jaxson Dart as the team prepares to play its preseason opener on Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings, according to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. Cam Skattebo was seen working behind backup QB Jameis Winston. Fantasy managers shouldn't read too much into a pre-game workout before the first preseason game, but it's a reminder that Tracy will still be involved alongside Skattebo in 2026 in new head coach John Harbaugh's offense. At RotoBaller, Skattebo is ranked as a No. 2 fantasy RB at No. 20 overall, with Tracy coming in way down at No. 44 in the rankings. The 26-year-old Tracy should not merely be an afterthought, especially with Skattebo coming off a gruesome ankle/leg injury in his rookie season. Depending on the workload split between Skattebo and Tracy, Tracy could have sneaky RB3/flex weekly value for fantasy football managers.
Source: New York Daily News - Pat Leonard
Source: New York Daily News - Pat Leonard
Top Steelers Receivers Will be "Hard-Pressed to Work This Week"
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said on Saturday that injured wide receivers DK Metcalf (undisclosed) and Michael Pittman Jr. (leg) will be "hard-pressed to work this week," according to Alan Saunders of PGH Steelers Now. McCarthy didn't offer a firm timeline beyond that. Both wideouts were held out of the team's preseason opener on Thursday against the Green Bay Packers as a precaution. Although both pass-catchers don't appear ready to return to training camp practice, they should both be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season, barring setbacks. They'll be unlikely to play in the team's second preseason contest next Friday versus the New York Jets. McCarthy's offense should create more pass-game volume for Metcalf and Pittman in 2026, but there have also been reports that the Steelers could remain more of a run-first unit in QB Aaron Rodgers' final season in the NFL. RotoBaller has Metcalf ranked as the No. 36 fantasy WR this year, with Pittman not far behind at No. 40.
Source: PGH Steelers Now - Alan Saunders
Source: PGH Steelers Now - Alan Saunders
James Conner Progressing, But No Timeline for Team Work
Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said on Saturday that running back James Conner (foot) is progressing, but there's no timeline for him to participate in 11-on-11 work in training camp, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. LaFleur added that it's not about a return to play, but a return to performance. Conner's injury recovery from a season-ending foot/ankle injury that he suffered in Week 3 of last year has taken on a little more importance after it was just announced that rookie first-round RB Jeremiyah Love will miss at least one week with a sore ankle that he suffered in the preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night. With both Conner and Love sidelined in camp, it will give more opportunities to Tyler Allgeier and Trey Benson in Arizona's backfield. Conner is unlikely to play in any preseason games this year, but he could be ready for the team's Week 1 regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. If both Love and Allgeier are healthy for that contest, Conner figures to be the Cardinals' RB3, leaving him a very small path to fantasy relevance.
Source: AZCardinals.com - Darren Urban
Source: AZCardinals.com - Darren Urban
