The regular season is getting tantalizingly close. But before it arrives, our NFL Training Camp Update August 22 catches you up on all the fantasy-relevant news and notes you’ll need to crush your fantasy football draft.
Also, FullTime Fantasy’s training camp battles to watch for both the AFC and NFC are a good starting point for staying up-to-date on fantasy-relevant news. It’s also important to keep an eye on those 2022 fantasy football deep sleepers this summer.
Here are the news and notes from the third week of preseason and don’t forget to check out Jody’s ZERO-RB Targets and Scott’s 2022 Team Outlooks.
Deshaun Watson Suspended 11 Games
The NFL and NFLPA agreed on an 11-games suspension this week for Watson. This is the final decision so you can now draft accordingly. He will return just in time to play non-other than the Houston Texans. He is expected to immediately be the starter upon his return.
Mike Gesicki to See Fewer Opportunities
Gesicki is still the primary pass-catching tight end for the Dolphins, but word out of camp is that his role will be significantly diminished this season in a new scheme with weapons added on the outside. He should be viewed as a fringe TE1 per our 2022 Fantasy Football Rankings.
Irv Smith Returns
Despite undergoing recent thumb surgery, it looks like he could be ready to go for Week 1. He’s back at practice and looks like his recovery has gone as well as possible. Injuries are still a concern for Smith, however, he should be viewed as a high-upside tight end option later in your drafts. We could see his ADP climb quickly with this news.
Treylon Burks Continues to Struggle
Top wideout prospect and first-round pick Treylon Burks has struggled at Titans’ camp to this point. It was a bad sign when he played into the fourth quarter in this weekend’s preseason game and contributed next to nothing. He caught just one of three targets for four yards. He’s looking like a redraft afterthought this season.
Ronald Jones on the Outs?
All the buzz out of Chiefs’ camp is that Jones is in serious jeopardy of losing his roster spot. The team is expected to keep three running backs and the ascension of rookie Isaiah Pacheco appears to have potentially made Jones expendable.
Matt Corral to Miss 2022 Season
The Panthers’ rookie quarterback suffered a Lisfranc injury this week and could miss the entire season. He was unlikely to play this season anyway, but a year of practice on an NFL team could help his development. It’s also not out of the realm of possibilities that Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold could falter this year.
Brian Robinson Makes Play for RB1 Role
After a disastrous preseason Week 1, word out of the nation’s capital is that Antonio Gibson was running with the backups and special teams. This was proven true this week as Robinson served as the starting running back and Gibson was the kick returner. This offseason has been a disaster for Gibson managers and Robinson may be a potential flex option with upside.
Patriots Lose Standout Rookie Tyquan Thorton
Thorton has been the best receiver at Pats’ camp this summer. They will now be without him for about eight weeks after he suffered a collarbone injury in this week’s preseason game. This should give a boost to the other wideouts. The biggest beneficiary may be DeVante Parker.
Dameon Pierce #SZN
Initially during the Texans’ Week 2 preseason game fantasy owners began to panic as Pierce didn’t see a snap in the first half. When he didn’t play in the second half the fantasy community celebrated as it’s being speculated, he was held out of the game because the team views him as their starter. He has been skyrocketing up draft boards this summer.
Miles Sanders Dealing with Hamstring
Sanders has been dealing with a hamstring injury, but the Eagles believe he will be ready for Week 1. He’s not a lock to be out there, however, things are trending in the right direction. If he misses Week 1, Kenneth Gainwell will be a popular sleeper, but you should not overlook Boston Scott either.
Is it Still Romeo Doubs #SZN?
This week the rookie wide receiver who has been so hyped up all summer was dragged back down to earth. First, his quarterback Aaron Rodgers had some criticisms of him. Then, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reports that he expects Doubs to be the WR4 in Green Bay this year. His value took a hit this week.
Donald Parham Week-to-Week
Parham gained rave reviews early in the summer at Chargers’ camp as he battled Gerald Everett for snaps at tight end. However, a hamstring injury has set him back and that job is very much up in the air now. The team hopes he can start easing his way back into practice next week, but his role to start the season is looking very dicey.
Michael Gallup Running Routes
Gallup got out on the field Thursday and ran routes for the first time since tearing his ACL last season. It’s still unlikely he’s ready when the Cowboys kick off Week 1 and he’s a candidate to open the season on the PUP list. That would keep him out the first four games. Still, this is a good sign for his fantasy value this season.
Jaylen Warren Running as Pittsburgh’s RB2
The undrafted rookie looks to have surpassed Benny Snell as the RB2 in Pittsburgh. While the RB2 in Pittsburgh has very little stand-alone value if Najee Harris was to miss time, he could be a significant fantasy factor. We’ve seen it in the past with James Conner and DeAngelo Williams. They like having a bell-cow back so Warren is worth a look if you want to handcuff Harris.
Now that you’ve read our NFL Training Camp Update August 22, you know everything there is to know about the upcoming fantasy season. Ready to dive right in? Jump into a Fulltime Fantasy league today for as low as $35 and start your quest to become the next Fantasy Football World Champion.
Other useful links:
- ADP (average draft position) based on our Fulltime Fantasy leagues.
- Billy Muzio’s Tiered Cheatsheet (#1 Ranker in the country)
- Draft Rankings
- Dynasty Rankings (by Scott Atkins)
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