August 2012 4for4 Player News Articles

The Cardinals have decided to start QB John Skelton in Week 1.

This is probably good news for Larry Fitzgerald, who caught 42 passes for 753 yards and six touchdowns in the eight games with John Skelton under center. He caught 38 passes for 658 yards and two touchdowns in the eight games where Kevin Kolb threw the most passes. Skelton targeted Fitzgerald 11.0 times per game. Kolb targeted Fitzgerald 8.1 times per game. Over the course of the season, Fitzgerald scored 43% more fantasy points with Skelton under center.

The Patriots waived WR Deion Branch.

Shocker: I'm told the Pats cut QB Brian Hoyer.

Ryan Mallett will backup Tom Brady.

Browns RB Montario Hardesty started the game and did not fumble – for the first time in three games – but he was largely ineffective. He had one run for 14 yards, but gained only 10 on his other five.

Brandon Jackson rushed seven times for 48 yards and may have stolen the No. 2 job and put himself in line to start Sept. 9 in the season opener if rookie Trent Richardson is not ready.

The Washington Redskins have released RB Tim Hightower.

Well, this clears things up a bit. Hightower was trying to return from ACL surgery, but couldn't do enough to outplay Evan Royster, Roy Helu or Alfred Morris. Helu probably has the most talent, but the team doesn't think he can hold up as a three-down running back. Royster appeared poised to start in Week 1 before his injury, but Morris has been getting a lot of work lately and may end up starting. The Shanahanigans continue.

Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star said that in a perfect world, the Chiefs would like to get the ball to running backs Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis 500-plus times combined (carries and passes).

He went on to say that, barring injury, the total touches between the two players should be pretty close.

Keep in mind that the Chiefs may not have an option to give the ball to the running backs 500+ times combined. That type of work is usually reserved for teams that spend a lot of time with the lead. However, Hillis is shaping up to be one of the better backup RBs in fantasy football, and is the obvious handcuff for Charles.

Steelers RB Jonathan Dwyer, who may be pushing injured Isaac Redman to start at halfback in the opening game in Denver, had 63 yards rushing on 13 carries, all in the first half.

Dwyer is becoming an interesting late round pick due to Redman's injury, but Rashard Mendenhall will likely return in October, so Dwyer's value may be short-term. He looks like a flex play for the first few weeks in 12 team formats.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said on Thursday night that RB Adrian Peterson will "probably be a game-time decision" on Sept. 9 as the team continues to evaluate his recovery from left knee reconstruction.

"We've got a lot of things we want to get done with him this week," Frazier said. "I doubt that we would know without getting him through an entire week if we thought he were ready to play in a football game. We need to take him through some more things this week."

Practice resumes on Monday at Winter Park. Players are off on Tuesday, meaning Peterson has four practices to prove to coaches he's ready for a game situation.

Frankly, this is a little disappointing after all the talk of progress in the preseason. But Peterson owners can't say they weren't warned -- what he is trying to do, coming back 100% so quickly after ACL surgery, is unprecedented. We'll know on game day what to do with Peterson, but it's hard to bench him if his active. For fantasy owners, it will depend on what other options are available. The Vikings play at 1 PM Eastern on Sunday, so at least it's not a late game.

The Giants cut RB Danny Ware.

Just a couple of short weeks ago, Ware was supposedly ahead of David Wilson on the depth chart. This cut should make Wilson owners feel good that they've got the right handcuff for Ahmad Bradshaw.

The NFL has suspended Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt for one game, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Britt was summoned to meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell twice in the past year after because of a string of off-field incidents involving the law.

This is ideal news for Britt owners. The suspension comes at the same time as he is trying to recover from knee surgery, so he may have missed Week 1 regardless. The threat of suspension has pushed his ADP into the 8th round, where he is a terrific risk/reward pick. Just be sure to draft Nate Washington and/or Kendall Wright as insurance.

Ravens QB Joe Flacco looked terrific in training camp, the best he’s ever looked. And he’s been great in the Ravens’ first three preseason games (43-of-60 passing for 433 yards and three touchdowns.)

Bengals TE Jermaine Gresham can be a Rob Gronkowski type, OC Jay Gruden believes. But it will take time. It’s not as easy as drawing a play and practicing it. Gresham needs to study defenses on film, grasp what’s going on around him, develop the trust with Andy Dalton that Green has. Then. . .

"He’s still very important as a blocker," Gruden said. "Jermaine’s a good blocker. Fantasy football people forget that."

How much of a fantasy is it to see Gresham assuming the Gronk Lite role? The Bengals need a second receiver, to take some of the heat off Green. (Though, Green did get to the Pro Bowl last year with Jerome Simpson on the other side, so maybe it’s not as huge a deal as we’re making it out to be.)

In Cincinnati, Packers running back Cedric Benson was quick to interject that he made a mistake in protection amid a flood of questions about his six-carry, 38-yard rushing night last Thursday.

His worst moment came late in the first half when Benson hesitated and blocked outside while the linebacker he was supposed to block, Thomas Howard, shot through the middle to sack Aaron Rodgers.

"Eventually, you'd like to see Cedric be in position to stay in there for all three downs," running backs coach Alex Van Pelt said. "But I don't think he's done a lot of third down."

Notice Van Pelt's phrasing -- he would like to see Benson play on 3rd down, but is just not there yet. That doesn't mean he won't be by midseason. Until then, expect Alex Green, John Kuhn and Brandon Saine to be in the mix.

Chargers HC Norv Turner suggested the Chargers' rotation could favor one rusher while RB Ryan Mathews is sidelined.

“I'd like to think that someone will emerge,” Turner said, "that we'll feel good enough about someone where they can get 20 carries. And then the other guys feed off of that. … They're all different guys, so get a plan to use their strengths.”

It's no secret Turner likes Ronnie Brown. If there was someone in the backfield who'd get 20 carries, it'd likely stand as the 30-year-old, whom Turner calls a “complete player.”

“Yeah,” Turner said with a smile. “He could be the guy.”

Brown sounds like a good stopgap for those owners looking for a starter early in the season. We're expecting Mathews to miss the first two weeks of the season due to the nature of his injury, and chances for re-injury.

Just because Raiders QB Carson Palmer and WR Denarius Moore clicked instantly last season does not mean the connection is still there, not when the quarterback and receiver have had so few reps this preseason.

Moore's balky right hamstring has kept him out of practice since Aug. 4 and Palmer has already admitted his concern level is high. Same goes for Moore.

"I’m very concerned," Moore said Tuesday. "As far as getting timing down with the quarterback, that’s very important. And actually being out there and repping each play, getting each concept down. It’s just mental errors, too, that you have to be aware of."

It's no surprise that Moore is not expected to play in the Raiders' exhibition finale Thursday in Seattle, but coach Dennis Allen expects him to be ready for the regular season opener against San Diego on Sept. 10.

Moore's ADP has been slipping into the late middle rounds and could be a steal there if he can stay healthy and rekindle the chemistry he built with Palmer in 2011.

WR Doug Baldwin will not play, meaning he will miss all four exhibition games with a hamstring injury, but HC Pete Carroll said the team's leading receiver from a year ago will be back practicing on Monday and available for the regular-season opener.

"Doug ran really hard yesterday," Carroll said. "I watched his workout at top speed. He's ready to go for us on Monday."

With the September 9 season opener at Minnesota just 11 days away, it’s starting to look like Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew intends to extend this impasse into the regular season. Unless he reports by Monday, that’s exactly where this appears to be headed.

It’s hard to know whether Jones-Drew or his agent, Adisa Bakari, is driving this holdout, but the only leverage they have remaining is for the Jaguars to lose games and hope the team starts panicking about having their star still absent. That’s not exactly a way to build team harmony.

At this point, the best hope to end this stalemate is for Jones-Drew or Bakari to cut their losses, which includes a maximum fine that is now over $1 million.

Redskins RB Evan Royster rushed 10 times for 44 yards and a score on Wednesday night.

Now that he's healthy, Royster has a chance to start in Week 1 though Alfred Morris has been healthy longer. We suggest staying away from this situation.

Panthers HC Rivera said he thinks Steve L Smith could be back at practice Sunday, when week one preparations begin.

The Ravens have shown off a no-huddle, pass-heavy offense during the first three preseason games.

In last week’s win over Jacksonville, quarterback Joe Flacco threw the ball 36 times in a little more than two quarters. Running back Ray Rice had only two carries and one reception in a little less than a quarter.

So will Rice see fewer touches once the Ravens get into the regular season?

"Absolutely not,” Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron said on Tuesday. "It has nothing to do with touches for Ray. Ray, we know, is one of our best players.”

Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis said he feels better prepared for the season opener after making two catches in Saturday’s preseason game against Indianapolis.

Davis hadn’t been targeted in the first two preseason outings. Instead, the Redskins gave converted tight end Niles Paul the bulk of the playmaking opportunities at the position.

Davis had said he understood the reason for his inactivity, but that he was struggling to be patient.

He finally got his chances Saturday. On his longest gain, Davis made a catch, broke a tackle and picked up 11 yards.

This explains why Davis has had such a quiet preseason. His ADP is in the 7th or 8th round and he's not a bad pick there given this news.

Coach Leslie Frazier said they will have RB Adrian Peterson work in the game plan next week before they decide whether he can go against the Jaguars.

Colts WR Austin Collie is still day-to-day, but he did catch passes from the QBs today.

Steelers OC Todd Haley said he didn't think it would be a big problem for WR Mike Wallace to play against the Broncos in Week 1.

"You're talking about a guy who's a wide receiver, a pass-catcher," Haley said. "It's not a running back or someone who has to be in the action of the game. I think it's feasible he's ready to go when we start this thing up."

Wallace is very talented but he didn't play very well down the stretch in 2011 and his holdout has him playing catch-up in a new offense.

Just learned that Cowboys TE Jason Witten is being viewed as a game-time decision for Sept. 5 at New York.

The Titans took wide receiver Kenny Britt off the Physically Unable to Perform list on Tuesday, clearing the way for him to practice with the team next week.

The NFL could delay Britt’s return, however. The fourth-year pro is waiting to find out whether Commissioner Roger Goodell will suspend him.

Britt has had eight run-ins with the law since the Titans drafted him in 2009, including an arrest on a DUI charge last month, and he was summoned to Goodell’s office twice in the past year.

Britt passed a physical on Tuesday and will be added to the active roster today. He won’t play in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Saints.

The suspension might be a blessing in disguise if it gives Britt an extra week or two to recover from his knee scopes this offseason. Britt's ADP has slipped into the 8th round and at that price he is worth a pick. In his last 12 games, Britt has averaged 4.7 catches for 87 yards and 1.0 TD per game. That extrapolates to 75–1394–16 over the course of a full season, which are top 5 numbers. We wouldn't recommend him over safer options like Torrey Smith or Pierre Garcon, but if they are off the board Britt is worth the risk especially since owners can buy insurance in the form of Nate Washington, who would make a solid WR4/WR5 even if Britt is playing.

Lions RB Kevin Smith came up limping early in the second quarter. He could be seen punching the bench on the sideline in frustration.

"I didn't want to be injured, so when I get scared like that, I kind of lost it a little bit."

Smith, who had a high ankle sprain last season, was concerned he suffered a similar injury. A medical evaluation revealed it was only a minor tweak.

"I feel better," Smith said. "I wasn't in a walking boot or anything like that. I've got all my movement. Obviously it's fresh and I still have some swelling, but it's good."

Smith is in line for lots of work early in the season so this is great news for his owners.

Coach Ron Rivera said Tuesday receiver Steve Smith remains unable to put weight on the foot. The good news, per Rivera, is that the infection has “gotten much better.”

The lingering nature of the condition has created speculation that Smith may have had a staph infection. During the weekly Wednesday morning PFT visit with The Mac Attack on WFNZ in Charlotte, co-host Chris McClain said that he received an email from a Panthers source indicating that Smith did not have a staph infection.

While it's good news that Smith is getting better, it's still alarming that he's unable to put weight on the foot. His mobility should come back quickly once the infection is gone.

Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch rushed for more yards over the final eight games last season than any NFL back, but he has not practiced in more than a week because of back spasms. That condition forced him to miss one game last year. He won't play in the exhibition finale Thursday.

There hasn't been much written about this injury, which leads us to believe it's not too serious. The Seahawks are probably just letting Lynch rest up for the regular season. There's still the matter of a possible suspension due to Lynch's DUI, but he may avoid it since it was his first violation of the NFL's drug policy. (Lynch's other issues were violations of the league's conduct policy.)

Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson had the toughest season of his four-year career in 2011 (1,047 yards), averaging 65.4 yards per game. During the preseason, Johnson has not been any more productive, averaging 2.9 yards per carry.

However, Titans coach Mike Munchak remains confident Johnson will have a bounce-back year. Johnson is also a reliable pass catcher, and the Titans may look to utilize him more in that role, getting him in space where he has room to leverage his speed.

"C.J.’s had a great camp," Munchak said on NFL Network’s NFL AM show. "About being here, having a great sense of what we’re doing, running with confidence, he’s doing exactly what we want him to do. Now it’s just a matter of us getting into the regular season and hopefully putting last season behind us.

"C.J. is a guy who can make plays in a lot of ways. We cannot forget that he can make a lot of plays catching the ball because of that speed, he can make plays at any time. So he’s going to be a big part (of our offense), he knows that, he’s excited about it."

This is a good news/bad news situation. It doesn't sound like the offense of line is playing any better than last year, but the Titans sound determined to get Johnson the ball one way or another. He was RB9 in PPR formats despite the bad year.

It sounds like Cedric Benson is about to officially be named the Packers' starting running back for this season.

Benson's biggest competition for that spot during Green Bay's recent training camp practices has been second-year running back Alex Green. However, with Green still somewhat limited 10 months after tearing his ACL, Benson will likely get the nod as the starter.

"Cedric is leading off," Green told FOXSportsWisconsin.com when asked if he or Benson would be starting when the Packers begin the regular season on Sept. 9.

Benson look great against his old team last week and seems primed for solid season as the Packers' top running back. We have moved him up to RB22 in standard formats and RB25 in PPR formats. Look for him in the 5th or 6th round. Alex Green and perhaps James Starks will be rotated in, but it appears that this is Benson's show. Green Bay has run a RBBC the last couple of years, but that was due to a lack of talent on the roster. Ryan Grant got 282 carries in 2009 and 312 carries in 2008. HC Mike McCarthy is not afraid to hand the keys to an RB if they are productive.

WR Rod Streater has obviously found a certain chemistry with the Raiders quarterbacks. And starter Carson Palmer has a newfound trust in Streater.

"He's a player," Palmer said. "He didn't come in like he's an undrafted rookie; he doesn't play like he's a rookie. He's special. He's special. And that's pretty obvious. He just wants to get better but there's nothing scared about the way he plays or about the way he prepares."

Streater has become a nice late round flier in PPR formats.

Bengals TE Jermaine Gresham is sidelined with a sprained knee, but the team is optimistic about his availability for Week 1.

Apparently, Bengals RB Bernard Scott had hand surgery earlier this summer.

HC Marvin Lewis indicated that the fate of Scott in the opener is tied into when doctors take screws out of his injured hand and how long it takes hm to bounce back.

"He’s working on conditioning, working on carrying the ball and doing those things he’s got to do now," he said. "The one thing is our running backs haven’t taken many shots in the preseason. So that’s probably a good thing."

It's fair to bump BenJarvus Green-Ellis a bit on this news, though Brian Leonard is capable of stepping into Scott's change-of-pace role.

WR Mike Wallace reported to the Steelers offices on the South Side shortly before 11:30 a.m. and signed the one-year, $2.7 million tender he was offered in March. The Steelers never lowered or rescinded the tender, something they could have done since June under the league's labor agreement.

"My teammates need me," Wallace said when asked why he decided to report after missing nearly all of training camp. "It's time to get ready for the season. I felt like it was time to go. I'm ready to roll. I'm here. That's really all that matters to me."

The Wasington Redskins release TE Chris Cooley.

Steelers WR Mike Wallace has arrived at camp.

Wallace finished the 2011 season as WR9 in standard formats, but was rather quiet down the stretch, averaging 3.2 catches for 44 yards and 0.33 TD per game in the final six games. Those equate to WR40 numbers. He then posted a 3-26 line against the Broncos in the playoffs. We currently have Wallace in the top 20, but he is not a no-brainer given the holdout and his lackluster performance down the stretch in 2011. However, his arrival is great news for Ben Roethlisberger, who is a nice pick in the 8th or 9th round for fantasy owners who missed out on the top tier signal caller.

Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart and wide receiver Steve Smith are both day-to-day, GM Marty Hurney said.

Stewart sprained his ankle late in the second quarter against the New York Jets on Sunday night. He was carted off the field after hobbling to the sideline, and x-rays after the game were negative. Head coach Ron Rivera said after the game Stewart will not play Thursday against the Pittsburgh Steelers

Smith did not make the trip north with the team, instead staying home to nurse a foot infection that has sidelined him for a week. He will likely not participate Thursday, as well.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have updated their depth chart to reflect that Doug Martin has passed LeGarrette Blount as the team's RB1.

We suspected this to be the case when Martin played the majority of the 1st half in the last preseason game, but this change makes it official. Draft him in the 3rd round with confidence.

Lions RB Jahvid Best will have six more weeks — at least — to try to return from the concussion problems that have sidelined him since the middle of last season.

The Lions placed Best on the reserve physically unable to perform list Monday, the most prominent transaction in a busy day as they pared their roster to the 75-man limit.

Best cannot return before the Lions’ Oct. 22 Monday night game against the Bears.

“That’s within the range of where the doctors wanted him to be, so it made it an easy decision — or an easier decision. It’s not an easy decision, but it made it an easier decision,” Schwartz said. “But we’ll just wait and see. Like I keep saying, he’s looked extremely good in all his physical stuff and as soon as we can get him back and get clearance we will.”

It was exciting to hear QB Brandon Weeden say after the game, “I think where (Josh Gordon has) come from Day One to where he is now, I think he’s come the most of anyone on this football team. I’m really happy with Josh.”

“I’ve seen huge improvement,” said coach Pat Shurmur. “I’ve mentioned this, the steady climb theory. Early on, he had to get himself in playing shape. He had to learn the offense. He had to get used to the quarterbacks that were throwing to him. He had to get used to being coached.

“I think I have turned the corner,” Gordon said. “Coaches have been getting on me about the way I practice. So I took that to heart to make sure I keep on getting consistent work at practice to get consistently better. I feel it’s benefitted me a lot by listening to them.”

Gordon is worth a late round flier at this point, but the Cleveland passing game isn't going to scare anyone right now.

Steve Wyche all of NFL Network asked Titans HC Mike Munchak if QB Jake Locker would be benched for Matthew Hasselbeck for any reason other than an injury.

“Probably not,” Munchak said before eventually adding this caveat: “Unless there’s a reason to make a change.”

Careful inspection of Munchak’s words hint that the endorsement of Locker isn’t entirely unequivocal.

“I think we know Jake’s gonna have some ups and downs, as any quarterback does in the NFL,” Munchak said. “Being a young guy he’ll have some. But he’s shown us when he’s had a bad day or bad throw he’s come back in that same game and made better decisions and made plays. So I think in this situation we’re very confident in him. We feel he’s won the position and he’s ready to go. So, no, we definitely would hang with him unless there was like you said probably an injury situation.”

Whenever there's a competition in camp, the winner is typically less secure than someone who opens camp as the unequivocal starter. Locker should make enough plays and win enough games to keep the job, but there's always a chance that he falls on his face and the Titans start 0-4 or 0-5, in which case they may turn back to Hasselbeck to try to save their season.

Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas lists Kevin Ogletree third on the Cowboys WR depth chart, followed by Dwayne Harris, Cole Beasley and Danny Coale, whom he believes will beat out Andre Holmes for the team's final WR spot:

It comes down to Coale vs. Andre Holmes, the Jerry Jones pet cat who reported to camp in poor shape and has shown no consistency. Holmes has more upside. Coale, who has hardly been on the field due to injuries, is more likely to contribute this season. The Cowboys envisioned Coale as a Sam Hurd-type No. 4 receiver/special teams stud when they invested a fifth-round pick in him.

Redskins making another change at kicker: Washington is signing former Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff.

It is important to keep track of kicker movement, especially in leagues that do not allow waiver transactions between the draft and Week 1. In such leagues, you don't want to get stuck with a kicker that gets cut or injured and have no backup on the roster.

When asked about the status of Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Adam Schefter said this:

It wouldn't surprise me if Jones-Drew missed the first game or two... Usually these holdouts get settled around Labor Day. That's always an important time in lingering contractual issues. But something tells me this one will go a little longer, partly because of the strong comments that new Jaguars owner Shad Khan has made. Jones-Drew is a proud man, and Khan is a strong, successful man, and that equates to a late reporting date. Then, what should be a concern is Jones-Drew pulling a leg muscle. How many holdouts have we seen where the player tweaks a hamstring or quad muscle in his first week back? My sense is you'll get a couple of games out of [Rashad Jennings] in your fantasy league, and possibly a bit more.

This is turning into a very difficult situation, not only in the realm of real football but in fantasy football as well. At this point, we're recommending owners shy away from Jones-Drew. But at some point in the draft, he becomes a risk worth taking.

For those owners, it's imperative that they also use a middle round pick on Rashad Jennings. Even when MJD returns, he is not guaranteed to get the type of workload that he received in previous years.

Jennings has looked terrific in the preseason and appears poised for significant backup duty even if Jones-Drew wins back the RB1 job. There is also the issue of increased injury risk of holdouts. This is a fantasy minefield.

Rush is no longer a dirty word in the Packers offense, thanks to the arrival of running back Cedric Benson. A thousand-yard rusher each of the last three seasons, Benson is giving the Packers a threat in the run game the team didn’t have last season.

“What he gives us is explosiveness,” Running Backs Coach Alex Van Pelt said of Benson.

The Packers also like their running backs to be pass protectors, and Van Pelt said “in the (Bengals) game he had one protection and it was a win.”

Head coach Pete Carroll said Seahawks WR Sidney Rice is in great shape, strongest he’s been. "He’s ready to go and that’s a big deal to us.”

Steeler coach Mike Tomlin’s injury update: “We had some guys miss practice today for minor bumps and bruises." Among them was RB Isaac Redman, who has an ankle injury.

Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw told reporters that his hand is feeling much better and he'll be able to play in the Cowboys game as well.

"I'm not gonna have to wear anything on it," Bradshaw said. "I'll be ready to go. It won't be a problem by the first game."

Bradshaw missed Friday nights 20-17 loss to the Chicago Bears for precautionary reasons.

Pats wide receiver Wes Welker returned to the field Monday after sitting out Thursday’s practice and Friday’s game against Tampa Bay.

Welker would not reveal why he wasn’t present and was deemed “day-to-day” by coach Bill Belichick.

"A lot of those are personal issues, so I'll leave it at that, and let coach Belichick take care of everything else," Welker said of missing the game.

Lions RB Kevin Smith said in the locker room after practice Monday that his ankle injury was just a tweak and nothing serious.

“You never want to deal with that high ankle sprain,” he said.

Smith would know, he played through a high ankle sprain almost all of last year and was never 100-percent after suffering it against the Packers on Thanksgiving one week after a 140-yard performance against the Panthers.

“I got a break,” he said of Saturday's injury. “It takes so long to recover (from a high ankle sprain).”

Boot is on 49ers WR Ted Ginn's right foot. He sprained ankle Sunday.

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson made another important step in his recovery from knee surgery last winter as he took hits for the first time in practice on Monday at Winter Park.

The Vikings were in full pads and while Peterson was not taken to the ground by the defense, he also was no longer off limits when it came to delivering hits. None of the contact, of course, was delivered low to Peterson's knees.

Peterson, who will not play in the preseason but has targeted the Sept. 9 regular-season opener against Jacksonville as his return date, was taken off the active/physically-unable-to-perform list on Aug. 12 after having surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligament in his left knee on Dec. 30.

Peterson was slipping in drafts but that may change if it hasn't already. Coming back less than a year after tearing his ACL, Peterson will likely be limited if he plays in Week 1. His ADP is currently second round, so it's going to cost you if you want him.

It looks like Maurice Jones-Drew’s 32-day holdout is not only backfiring in his desire to get a new contract, but also making it close to impossible for the Jaguars’ running back to start the season opener on September 9 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Head coach Mike Mularkey, who has yet to meet Jones-Drew face-to-face, said at his press conference Monday that he expects RB Rashad Jennings to be the starter to open the season. However, he did clarify as he left the room that he wasn’t ruling Jones-Drew out as the opening-day starter.

"I expect Rashad [Jennings] will start, we'll just have to see," Mularkey said.

It's not a surprise. But, things can change quickly, and without much leverage, many still expect MJD to report. Until then, Jennings could be a nice guy to grab either late in drafts or off the wire if you had your draft. If you're an MJD owner, having Jennings on your roster would probably save you a lot of stress...

Lions QB Matt Stafford practiced today and had nothing on that left hand.

The Detroit Lions made a series of expected moves on Monday, placing running back Jahvid Best on the physically unable to perform list was one of them.

Best has been out since Week 6 of the 2011 season with a concussion. Greenwood missed all of training camp after having abdominal surgery. Both players will be unavailable the first six weeks of the regular season. The players can't practice with the team during that time.

Kevin Smith will open as the Lions running back, at least for the first two weeks of the season. Mikel LeShoure is suspended for the first two contests, but is likely to see significant work when he gets back. We'll have to wait and see how that split works out. But for now, Smith is at least a two-week filler and will likely hold value beyond that. Other sources say it very well could be Best doesn't even play this year, so drafting him and holding him in standard leagues doesn't really seem worth it at this point of your fantasy season. Smith is ranked 28th among our RBs entering the year with an ADP of the 8th round, but that's likely to rise with this news.

Both Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams will play against Denver for the Cardinals.

Raiders WR Jacoby Ford out of boot.

Raiders coach Dennis Allen said kicker Sebastian Janikowski’s groin injury doesn’t appear to be serious and expects him to be fine for the Raiders’ season opener against San Diego on Sept. 10.

Janikowski was sore after trying to run down a kickoff return Saturday night.

Colts coach Chuck Pagano says WR Austin Collie (concussion) should be ready for the season opener.

Cowboys WR Miles Austin is expected to be ready to play in the season opener. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said that Austin wouldn’t likely return to practice until the end of the week (in other words, at the earliest Thursday, the day after the Cowboys’ preseason finale against Miami).

Cowboys TE Jason Witten not idle anymore. Doing some resistance cord work here during morning practice.

Steelers WR Mike Wallace coming [Tuesday] now. Doesn't matter because he won't be allowed to practice until Monday anyways

Good news for owners who already drafted Wallace, who really didn't have a choice but to eventually show up. We rank him 18th right now, but he can only go up once he gets into camp and gets back into playing shape. His ADP is still the 5th round even though he's near guys like Jeremy Maclin and Stevie Johnson in our rankings who are 6th and 7th round guys. With this news, you may have reach a bit earlier than the 5th if you're targeting him in upcoming drafts.

The Seahawks Pete Carroll and John Schneider were overjoyed during the NFL draft in April when the Seattle Seahawks were able to grab Russell Wilson in the third round.

Even they couldn't anticipate that Wilson would be the Seahawks' Week 1 starter.

But that was the word from Carroll on Sunday night after he announced the undersized, but highly successful rookie quarterback out of Wisconsin will be the starter when the regular season begins Sept. 9 at Arizona.

Matt Flynn was the safe choice, but the team decided to go with the guy who clearly won the battle. Wilson first stood out against backups, but then got the start against KC and went 13-of-19 passing for 185 yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 134.8. Add in the fact that he can run the ball, as he collected 58 yards, and it's easy to see Wilson is dynamic. If he continues to impress, Wilson could have upper-level QB2 value. Right now we rank him 19th, but he's clearly on the rise. He likely can still be had late in drafts.

Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno is clearly working his way back from the injury, but the Broncos have to make roster decisions in the coming days.

And in his fourth training camp with the Broncos, Moreno finds himself nine months out from a major knee injury at a position where the Broncos traded for a fullback (Chris Gronkowski) and used a third-round pick on a running back (Ronnie Hillman).

Scouts from around the league that have seen the Broncos play in this preseason say Moreno still appears, , as players coming back from ACL injuries do, that he isn't quite 100 percent, especially when he moves laterally.

Bengals RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis returned to practice on Sunday.

The Jets cut K Josh Brown.

Nick Folk has won the Jets' kicking job.

Jets TE Dustin Keller caught the first pass of the game against visiting Carolina for a gain of 15 yards. He was in two plays of the first series, but clutched his right leg on the second play and soon consulted with the trainers. Keller said he will have tests Monday on his injured hamstring, but he expects to play in the opener.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant has agreed to strict guidelines from team officials regarding his conduct away from the field.

The guidelines Bryant agreed to took effect Aug. 23 when the team returned to Dallas after three weeks of training camp in California, according to sources.

Rules include a midnight curfew, no alcohol, no strip clubs, no nightclubs (unless approved), mandatory counseling sessions, and one member of a three-man security team will be with him at all times.

"Oh yeah, very much willing to do anything he can to help himself and help the team," Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said of Bryant. "He's very open-minded and cooperative. He's doing the right things by his teammates and everybody is counting on him."

The rules stem from a July 14 incident where Bryant was charged with allegedly assaulting his mother, Angela Bryant. Bryant was charged with a Class A misdemeanor by the DeSoto Police Department.

This is a very interesting situation in that Bryant agreed to abide by these rules. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out, though it's encouraging for potential fantasy owners knowing that Bryant appears to be on the right track. Now if only the Titans can do the same thing with Kenny Britt…

According to Giants HC Tom Coughlin, Hakeem Nicks practiced nearly at nearly 100 percent today as he continues to work back from a fractured right foot that required surgery. Nicks has said he would like to see some preseason action, but his status for Wednesday night's preseason finale against the New England Patriots is uncertain.

"We got another practice to go and then we'll make a call on that,": Coughlin said."But he practice pretty close to full speed today. He did a great job after the catch of tuning and running and those are the things we need to see.

Patriots release WR Donte' Stallworth, per league source.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford broke a blood vessel in his left hand but still expects to be ready for Detroit's regular-season opener.

There is growing concern within the Bucs organization about Josh Freeman's spotty accuracy heading into the Sept. 9 opener against Carolina.

He's shown signs, but for the most part Freeman has just not put it together, and he's really not a usable fantasy option most weeks. This year he has some weapons, but the fact that this is a concern already isn't a good sign. Dan Orlovsky is the Bucs backup. We rank Freeman 18th among QBs.

Giants RB David Wilson made his share of big plays in Friday’s preseason loss to the Chicago Bears. In Wednesday’s game against the Pats, he’s going to focus on the little things.

“There’s definitely room for improvement,” the rookie tailback said.

Starting for injured veteran Ahmad Bradshaw (hand) on Friday, Wilson rushed for 49 yards.

It was a performance that may have pushed Wilson ahead of D.J. Ware in the tailback pecking order, although Coughlin said Ware’s role will “not necessarily” change.

Steeler RB Jonathan Dwyer looks as if he's developing into something special at running back.

He did not show it so much running the ball in Buffalo, but he did catching them. He had three receptions for 48 yards including his big 33-yarder along the left sideline on third down from the 3 that kick-started the 98-yard drive.

Don't look for running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis with a foot issue in preseason week 4. You'll see him Sept. 10.

Don't look for tight end Jermaine Gresham with his sprained knee in preseason week 4. You'll see him Sept. 10.

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart injured his right ankle late in the first half of the team's 17-12 preseason win over the New York Jets on Sunday night.

Stewart did not return to the game.

Afterwards, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said X-rays "were completely negative" on the running back and the coach said he didn't believe it was a high ankle sprain.

On Monday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the team agreed to terms on a contract extension with Hernandez as well.

It is a six-year deal that extends Hernandez's contract five more seasons through 2018.

It's a clear indicator that Belichick will go through the rest of the decade with the two-tight end set as the lead concept of his offense, and it's hardly the old paradigm of the receiving tight end and the blocking tight end.

Hernandez is a nice target for those who don't want to spend a high pick on Gronk or Jimmy Graham, which will likely cost a second rounder in your draft. Hernandez is ranked as our third-best TE option, but has an ADP of the 5th round.

Charges RB Ryan Mathews has a pair of wires on either side of his surgically repaired right clavicle. They attach to a bone stimulator designed to facilitate repair and accelerate recovery. He's supposed to use it every day, but the Chargers running back never takes them off.

"She said that I can use it more often than recommended, so I leave these things on all the time," Mathews said. "Anything I can do to speed up the process."

Mathews can't wait to get back on the field again and, despite medical opinions that state he'll be out for six weeks, he's determined to be ready in four for the season opener Sept. 10 at Oakland.

"I'm definitely ahead of schedule," Mathews said. "I've always been a fast healer, and that's proving true right now. My range of motion is improving and I'm feeling really good. I've been staying upbeat about an unfortunate situation, and everything I do right now is about getting healthy. Honestly, I can't wait to get back on the field."

Ted Ginn, the 49ers' top return man, hopped off the field and into the locker room Sunday with a right ankle sprain. Although X-rays were negative, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said, Ginn's status for the opener Sept. 9 at the Green Bay Packers is in question.

New York Jets tight end Dustin Keller left a 17-12 loss to the Carolina Panthers with a hamstring injury. Keller returned with his right thigh wrapped to watch the final three quarters.

Keller caught the first pass of the game against visiting Carolina for a gain of 15 yards. He was in two plays of the first series, but clutched his right leg on the second play and soon consulted with the trainers. Keller said he will have tests Monday on his injured hamstring, but he expects to play in the opener.

According to Giants coach Tom Coughlin, WR Hakeem Nicks practiced nearly at nearly 100 percent as he continues to work back from a fractured right foot that required surgery. Nicks has said he would like to see some preseason action, but his status for Wednesday night's preseason finale against the New England Patriots is uncertain.

"We got another practice to go and then we'll make a call on that," Coughlin said." But he practice pretty close to full speed today. He did a great job after the catch of tuning and running and those are the things we need to see."

Redskins released kicker Neil Rackers.

Graham Gano seems to be a favorite for the job, but there is still time to bring in another kicker.

The Seahawks have cut WR Terrell Owens according to ESPN.com.

"I'm no longer a Seahawk. I THANK the organization 4 the opportunity, I'm truly blessed beyond belief. My FAITH is intact & will NOT waiver," he wrote.

According to Chicago Tribune’s Vaughn McClure, Bears DE Julius Peppers has been nursing a plantar fasciitis malady, which is why he was given scheduled days off during training camp.

It would appear as though Bucs RB Doug Martin has secured the starting job in Tampa Bay.

"Martin moved into the starting lineup Friday against the Patriots, and he won't be replaced any time soon.

With starters expected to rest in Wednesday's preseason finale at Washington, it appears Martin has won the tailback job over incumbent LeGarrette Blount.

Friday, Martin ran 13 times for 53 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 12 yards. Blount ran seven times for 22 yards and didn't catch a pass."

Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com reports that Cowboys WR Dez Bryant has agreed to “strict guidelines” from team officials regarding his conduct away from the field. Below are some of the rules that Bryant must adhere to.

• A midnight curfew. If he's going to miss curfew, team officials must know in advance.
• No drinking alcohol.
• He can't attend any strip clubs and can only attend nightclubs if they are approved by the team and he has a security team with him.
• He must attend counseling sessions twice a week.
• A rotating three-man security team will leave one man with Bryant at all times.
• Members of the security team will drive Bryant to practices, games and team functions.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Steelers OG David DeCastro dislocated his right kneecap, tore his MCL and suffered damage to his patellar tendon.

“Steelers g David DeCastro dislocated his knee cap, tore his medial collateral ligament and suffered some damage to patellar tendon. But his anterior cruciate ligament is intact, according to sources and Steelers still are unsure if or when he will be able to return this season.”

Lions QB Matthew Stafford received a scare in Saturday night’s preseason game against the Raiders but he told reporters following the game that his injured hand is “fine.”

“It was just, skin color just growing by the second,” Stafford said. “It was kind of scary. I don’t know what was going on. But it’s fine now. It feels good.”

The injury came on Stafford’s non-throwing hand so while he may be held out of Detroit’s final preseason game next week, he shouldn’t miss Week 1.

Raiders K Sebastian Janikowski injured his groin in Oakland’s preseason game against the Lions on Saturday night. He was injured while chasing down a kick returner in the first half and did not return. The severity of the injury is not yet known but it’s doubtful that he suits up for the Raiders’ final preseason game next week.

Rookie Eddy Carmona came on in relief with a successful 56 yard attempt. Janikowski looked in considerable pain as trainers worked on his groin.

Lions RB Kevin Smith conveyed to reports on Saturday night that X-rays came back negative on his right ankle and he does not have a high ankle sprain. His status for Week 1 is still up in the air but more news to follow over these next couple days.

With Mikel LeShoure suspended for the first two weeks, it would likely be Keiland Williams getting the nod if Smith can't go. He could be worth a desperation start against the Rams in week 1.

Steelers rookie OG David DeCastro was carted off the field with a knee injury in Pittsburgh’s preseason game against the Bills on Saturday. Trainers had to help the first-round pick to one foot before he was carted away from the field.

This injury could be yet another blow to the Steelers’ offensive line, which has struggled in preseason. While QB Ben Roethlisberger is used to playing behind shaky offensive line play, DeCastro was viewed as one of the young players that could upgrade the unit this offseason. The Steelers’ running game could be grounded all season.

Redskins QB Robert Griffin III completed 11-of-17 passes for 74 yards and one touchdown in Washington’s preseason win over the Colts on Saturday. Griffin also rushed once for five yards and is now 20-of-31 for 193 yards and two touchdowns this preseason. He has yet to throw an interception.

Colts TE Colby Fleener failed to record a catch in Indianapolis’ loss to the Redskins on Saturday. QB Andrew Luck threw just two passes to the tight end position as Dwayne Allen was also shut out.

WR Reggie Wayne, meanwhile, caught three of his six targets for 41 yards and Donnie Avery recorded six catches for 38 yards.

Colts RB Donald Brown rushed seven times for eight yards in Indianapolis’ loss to the Redskins on Sunday. Brown has carried the ball 15 times for 40 yards and one touchdown in preseason thus far.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford left the team’s third preseason game on Saturday with a left hand injury. The extent of the injury is not known but it does come on Stafford’s non-throwing hand so hopefully this doesn’t mean his status for Week 1 is in jeopardy.

Several "personnel men" were on hand to watch the Packers' preseason victory over the Bengals on Thursday and told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that RB Cedric Benson makes Green Bay's offense even better.

"Several of the dozen personnel men scouting the Packers' 27-13 victory over the Bengals said without reservation that Benson makes one of the National Football League's most prolific offenses even better."

"He made me a little nervous," one scout said at halftime. "You think they're struggling there (running back), and then this. I know he's fresh, but he's still a quality player."

Coach Andy Reid expects Eagles QB Michael Vick to be ready by Week 1.

"I think he's going to be fine for the first game," Reid said Friday.

Vick told USA Today on Thursday that his ribs were 80 percent healthy and that he was "trying" to get healthy in time for the opener. Reid said Vick and Kafka threw back in Philly. Reid was asked if Kafka, who's backup job appears to be in jeopardy perhaps along with a roster spot, would be ready for the Jets.

"He said he felt pretty good and his hand felt pretty good," Reid said. "We'll have Rick [Burkholder] check him out tomorrow and see where he's at."

The Boston Globe's Greg Bedard says that Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez is now QB Tom Brady's No. 1 option.

Aaron Hernandez has ascended to Brady’s No. 1 option, with Wes Welker next, and then Rob Gronkowski depending on matchups. Brady looks incomplete when Welker isn’t in the lineup, like Friday night.

The Boston Globe notes that Patriots QB Tom Brady and WR Brandon Lloyd haven't found 'instant chemistry" this preseason.

"From what we saw during practice, it looked like Brady and his newest receiver toy had been playing together for years. They routinely made big plays, and while it wasn’t exactly Randy Moss-like chemistry, it was promising. In two preseason games, the Brady-Lloyd connection is far from a finished product. Doesn’t matter. Aaron Hernandez has ascended to Brady’s No. 1 option, with Wes Welker next, and then Rob Gronkowski depending on matchups. Brady looks incomplete when Welker isn’t in the lineup, like Friday night."

Greg A. Bedard of The Boston Globe believes that the competition between Patriots RBs Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen is over.

"You combine Stevan Ridley’s 87 yards on 16 carries and Shane Vereen, again, hopping off the field with an injury, and any competition is over. But Ridley will have to be better at the little things, such as ball security (no small thing) and blitz pickup, to hold onto the job. And how about Jeff Demps? The guy doesn’t even know where he is and he exploded for 41 yards on three carries. Doesn’t even matter that it was during scrub time, the kid showed the instincts he needed to. Doesn’t look like he’s a natural pass catcher, and durability and ball security have been an issue for him. But on first impressions, the Patriots found themselves a dynamic toy.'

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson threw for 185 yards and two TDs, and rushed twice for 58 yards against the Chiefs on Friday night. He led his team to scores on each of its first six possessions.

If the competition was indeed as close as it seemed, Wilson likely won the starting job with this performance. Matt Flynn sat out the game with a sore elbow. Wilson probably won't set the world on fire in his rookie season, but he has some upside due to his ability to run the ball.

Oft-injured Lions RB Kevin Smith on his current health: “Well it’s the best I have ever felt. I’m just taking care of my body and just working hard and just blessed to be in this position health wise. I’m feeling excellent.”

Smith is a great sleeper, especially early in the season with Mikel Leshoure and Jahvid Best sidelined. On a per game basis, he's a fringe RB 1, but he has serious durability questions.

Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith, who at some point during the weekend suffered a foot infection, will not play Sunday. HC Ron Rivera said if this were the regular season, Smith would officially be ruled as "out."

Smith was still on crutches Friday after first being seen on them Wednesday after a doctor's visit. He's been on antibiotics and the team is monitoring the swelling.

In Buccaneers QB Josh Freeman's fourth season and under his third offensive coordinator, he'll be asked to do and understand more than ever before. Whereas under former offensive coordinator Greg Olson's West Coast-based system Freeman would go through progressions then make his throws, Sullivan's system requires the quarterback and receivers to make critical pre-snap reads, then adjust routes accordingly.

That might not sound like much, but it adds another layer of responsibility that must be dealt with in mere seconds. Furthermore, being certain both parties are on the same page is essential.

"There are some things we do that (Freeman has) never been exposed to," coach Greg Schiano said. "And there are some things he used to do that we don't do."

The point?

It's going to be a process.

Patriots RB Shane Vereen limped off the field with an apparent left foot injury on Friday night. he did not play on the team's first two possessions. Stevan Ridley rushed 16 times for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Buccaneers RB Doug Martin played extensively on six of the team's first seven possessions, while LeGarrette Blount was relegated to only early down duty on one of those positions. Martin also got a goal and carry and managed to score.

Starting in place of Ahmad Bradshaw on Friday, Giants RB David Wilson rushed five times for 49 yards and caught two passes for 26 yards.

It appears that Wilson has passed Danny Ware as Bradshaw's primary backup.

Jake Locker has room for improvement, although the Tennessee Titans are very happy with the second-year pro as their starting quarterback. The Arizona Cardinals can only wish they were as set at the position.

Locker threw for 134 yards and two touchdowns in his home debut as Tennessee's starting quarterback, and the Titans beat the Cardinals 32-27 on Thursday night.

Tennessee named Locker, the eighth overall draft pick in 2011, their starter for the season on Monday. He responded by throwing for 124 yards and both TDs in giving Tennessee a 17-10 halftime lead, and finished 11 of 20 for 134 yards with a 109.2 passer rating.

Raiders beat writer Jerry McDonald named WR Rod Streater the team's best rookie so far: WR Rod Streater, undrafted out of Temple, has been a standout in camp and has 13 catches in two preseason games -- only six fewer than he had all last season in college.

Streater is a sleeper early in the season due to injuries to Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford.

Raiders beat writer Jerry MacDonald named RB Darren McFadden the team's preseason MVP: With defenders not allowed to hit him low, and unable to unload on him high, he's impossible to deal with on a practice basis. Has looked terrific during two preseason games as well.

Jets WR Santonio Holmes said that there are multiple injuries all on his left side: Bruised ribs, tightness in his back and a hamstring issue that he also brought up yesterday.

"But all that stuff is clearing up now, and as you can see practice has been pretty good to me. I got a chance to get some reps with the 1's and it feels pretty good to be out on the field again."

Holmes's stock is at an all-time low. As the Jets' clear WR1 he's not a bad value in the 10th round.

Cardinals HC Ken Whisenhunt admitted that his quarterback situation seems to get murkier instead of clearer. "But you know, that's the way it goes sometimes," Whisenhunt said. "[Kevin Kolb] did some good things but we can't turn the ball over, that's what is disturbing."

John Skelton struggled early in his second start of the preseason. His first attempt was intercepted, and he was under pressure several other times. He completed 4 of 10 for 41 yards before leaving in the second quarter.

While Alex Green and Cedric Benson split the workload at running back in the first half, the third-down back duties went to fullback John Kuhn.

Benson is not a traditional third-down back, but he could take over later on once the team trusts him in pass protection.

Cardinals RB Ryan Williams continues to impress. He made something out of nothing a few times Thursday night, and he did a nice job of avoiding taking losses when blocking mistakes were made. If he stays healthy, Williams shows every sign of being a special player.

Williams will probably be the better value on draft day.

RB Stevan Ridley has spent a large portion of training camp as the Patriots' top option between the tackles, but Shane Vereen has continued to push him for playing time.

Ridley is likely to be the goal line back so at worst he would have BenJarvus Green-Ellis–type value provided he can hold onto the football.

The Jaguars drafted Justin Blackmon to give Blaine Gabbert a No. 1 receiver to work with. It certainly looked like things were going according to plan against Baltimore, as Blackmon led the team in receiving with four catches for 72 yards on eight targets.

We wouldn't expect a lot of touchdowns out of Blackmon, but catches and yards should be readily available provided Blaine Gabbert can deliver the ball.

No sweeping conclusions should be drawn from one exhibition game. But as Packers RB Cedric Benson would say, this was no ordinary exhibition game. In bursts, there were signs of a player who could liven up the Packers' ground game. The 5-foot-11, 227-pound back rushed for 38 yards on six carries, showing more in one half than any of the team's other running backs have this summer.

Benson also caught one pass for 10 yards. He looked good, hitting holes hard and breaking tackles. He looks way ahead of the competition, so if he gets the goal line touches (instead of John Kuhn) and James Starks/Alex Green take more of a traditional RB2 role then Benson could put up fantasy RB2 numbers. He'll definitely benefit from a lack of focus on the Packer running game. He didn't have that going for him in Cincinnati.

When he weighed his options — begrudgingly accepting that he wouldn’t land a massive contract befitting a starting tailback — Bears RB Michael Bush wanted an NFL home where he could work and win.

So when he arrived at Halas Hall for a free-agent visit, Bush was fascinated when new offensive coordinator Mike Tice informed him that he wanted two 1,000-yard running backs.

Don't read too much into this -- it was probably just Tice doing his best car salesman job trying to convince Bush to sign on the dotted line. It is something to keep in mind, however, when comparing Forte to players with more predictable workloads, like Chris Johnson, Darren McFadden and DeMarco Murray.

The Bears have parted way with running back Kahlil Bell after he declined to take a pay cut.

Bell, who was scheduled to make $1.26 million this season, was waived Thursday evening. The Bears figured his salary was too high for a third-string running back and asked Bell to play for $700,00. Bell, in turn, asked to be released so he could seek an opportunity elsewhere.

Bell made some noise late last season, gaining 116 yards per game over the final three games of the season with Matt Forte sidelined. He also showed good ability in the passing game, catching 14 passes over the same span. It will be interesting to see where he lands.

Cleveland Browns first-round pick RB Trent Richardson is expected to play in the team's regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The Browns are likely to limit Richardson's workload until he has more time to heal from his most recent knee surgery, the source told Schefter.

Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew on his current status: "A lot of people were scared last year with me coming off the knee injury, but that obviously panned out well. So if you’re scared to draft, then be scared, that’s your choice. I understand when it’s time to play, it’s time to play. So it’s up to you, you have to do what you want and see how it pans out.”

It sure sounds like MJD intends to come back prior to the start of the season, but he's running out of time. Even if he does report, there is the matter of learning the new offense and the Jaguars have implied that they will lower his workload to start the season.

Seahawks the writer Eric Williams on WR Braylon Edwards: Every day during practice Edwards makes at least one eye-opening play. Right now, Edwards is the most consistent of the big receivers who can make explosive plays down the field. I find it hard to believe he will not be on Seattle’s roster when the season begins

Eric Williams on Seahawks WR Terrell Owens: He has a lot to overcome. And the fact that he finished without a catch and a bad drop against Denver is just scratching the surface. He still appears to be the same T.O. who complains when things are not going his way. And Pete Carroll will not put up with that from a fifth or six receiver – see T.J. Houshmandazadeh.

QB Michael Vick says his bruised ribs are feeling 80% healthy three days after being knocked out of the Eagles second preseason game vs. New England, and more than two weeks before the season opener.

In an interview with USA TODAY Sports, the quarterback acknowledged the concerns of Philadelphia fans, whom he promised this offseason he would do his best to avoid the injuries that have often prevented him from starting for the duration of a season.

"I'm trying to do the best I can. I can only do what I can do," he says. "I'm feeling better. Hanging in there. Trying to make it to September 9."

49ers beat writer Matt Maiocco was asked if the team was going to open up the playbook for QB Alex Smith more in 2012. He responded:

If you're asking whether I believe the 49ers are going to change their offensive philosophy to more of a "pass-first" approach, the answer is absolutely no.

But there is a strong chance the 49ers will attempt a higher percentage of passes because they might not be playing with a lead this season as much as they did a year ago.

The 49ers do not want to throw the ball more. But they want to throw the ball more effectively when they do throw it. They expect to be better on third downs and inside the red zone, that's for sure.

But the same overall approach as last season will be in play.

While saying the starting QB job is now John Skelton's to lose, Adam Schefter adds the Cardinals may not be done looking for a signal caller.

"It doesn't stop Arizona from continuing to look around the league to see if any other quarterbacks are available before the final roster cuts either through trade or on waivers," he said of Skelton presumably getting the nod. "But for the time being it looks like Skelton has that job in his sights."

The situation is important for Larry Fitzgerald, who caught 42 passes for 753 yards and six touchdowns in the eight games with John Skelton under center. He caught 38 passes for 658 yards and two touchdowns in the eight games where Kevin Kolb threw the most passes. Skelton targeted Fitzgerald 11.0 times per game. Kolb targeted Fitzgerald 8.1 times per game. Over the course of the season, Fitzgerald scored 43% more fantasy points with Skelton under center.

Colts HC Chuck Pagano on RB Vick Ballard: “I think he’s ahead of the learning curve. He’s doing a great job in the run game and the pass game. The protection stuff is coming around on first down. He’s a dynamic runner; he’s got make-miss ability. He’s strong. He gets extra yards. I don’t think you ever see him go backwards. Even after first contact, he’s going to make people miss, and he’s going to have a lot of yards after contact. Just because of the style of runner, he can jump cut and he can make a lot of guys miss. We can get a hat on almost everybody, but every now and then, that guy’s got to make somebody miss and he’s got that ability. So I’m really pleased with his progress to this point.”

If Donald Brown falters, don't be surprised if Ballard gets a good look. Unlike Brown, the current coaching regime drafted Ballard so he is “their guy.”

I’m told that the Bears are pessimistic that LB he rewrote Brian Urlacher will be ready on opening day.

It’s possible, but a lot of things are possible. Urlacher wants to be out there, but players aren’t often the best gauge for their own health. This is the same guy who has been clear he’d basically do whatever to be on the field. Urlacher wants to play in Week 1, and the team has done nothing to dissuade him. They are allowing him to plan as if he’ll be ready.

But internally, they are preparing as if he won’t. If he does have to miss Week 1, he won’t be needed against the Indianapolis Colts. How he plays in pass defense could go a long way in determining whether they’ll beat the Green Bay Packers in Week 2.

Redskins RB Evan Royster woke up Wednesday morning with a sore knee, saying “I had trouble standing up it hurt so much. I was like, what’s going on? I got in here as quickly as I could.”

An MRI was negative and Royster said he felt much better Thursday and was able to do some light running. Doctors told him he just needed rest and that it was “nothing serious.” Royster said he anticipates only missing several days.

He doesn’t want to take his position on the team for granted.

“I don’t feel I’ve accomplished enough right now,” he said. “I still want to get out there and prove I deserve to be on this team. It’s a minor setback but hopefully I’ll still get the chance in the fourth game.”

Just add this to the pile of clues availabled to solve the mystery of the Redskins backfield. We're betting Royster gets first crack at the job, but if he fumbles or gets injured, or looks at Mike Shanahan the wrong way, he could be replaced.

Hearing Vikings RB Adrian Peterson has experienced no swelling in left knee the day after practices. Good sign for player tunnel-visioned for Sept. 9

This is great news for Peterson and his owners. It's not so much being able to do the work, it's how the injury responds to the work the next day.

Throughout the past couple of days of practice, anytime the Buffalo Bills were going through special teams drills you could find wide receiver Steve Johnson on the stationary bike staying loose. As it turns out, there was a reason for that.

After Wednesday's practice, Johnson admitted the groin injury that he had surgery on in the off-season has started bugging him the past two days.

"The entire training camp I was good," the wideout said in reference to his groin. "[Wednesday], I don't know if this happened [Tuesday] or what not but I guess it just got a little sore. It's no like pop or injury -- just sore that's all it is."

Although it was his right side that bogged him down for a couple of days at training camp, he confirmed that it was indeed the left side that provided the soreness. The left is the side operated on in a case of a minor off-season procedure. Johnson didn't miss any reps throughout the practice the past two days, and said he doesn't expect miss any time.

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said Wednesday that RB Roy Helu took part in a limited amount of activity after missing about a week-and-a-half of practice time with sore Achilles’ tendons.

Shanahan said he doesn’t know when Helu will be able to return to full strength.

Shanahan said running back Tim Hightower, who missed Tuesday’s practice to attend his grandfather’s funeral and is working his way back from knee surgery, was back in pads today. Shanahan said he’ll have a better idea of whether Hightower will be able to play Saturday following Thursday’s practice.

Shanahan doesn’t know whether either Hightower or Helu will be ready for the season opener.

RB Cedric Benson is trying to immerse himself in learning the Packers' offense -- so much so that he has taken coach Mike McCarthy's seat next to Aaron Rodgers in some of the Packers' meetings.

"He's been motivated," McCarthy said. "He's taken my seat in the meeting room. He sits next to Aaron. I've been bumped back a row. I think that's a good thing. He's really into trying to learn this offense because I know I've said it a couple times already, he's trying to learn a different language. He's an accomplished football player. I'm glad he's here. He seems very motivated."

Benson acknowledged he has something to prove.

"Having a chip on your shoulder is just like throwing kerosene on a fire," Benson said. "It ignites even more. You dig deep because it becomes a pride thing. You know what type of player you are, how hard you work, you know what you can do. And when you're in a situation where you don't get picked up until later in training camp, knowing you've proven some things in this league and done some great things, it's only natural for your reaction to be to want to shove it in people's face and have an awesome year."

The Packers are known to use their RBs whole lot, but Benson could surprise if he gets the lion's share of the touches out of the Green Bay backfield.

With the regular season approaching and the opportunity of a lifetime within his reach, Steelers running back Isaac Redman is hoping the nagging pain in his hip is gone for good. But he acknowledged that the troublesome injury that has prevented him from practicing much of the past two weeks might be a season-long issue.

"I'm a downhill runner and take a lot of pounding," Redman said. "I'm not really sure how the hip is going to hold up or if it's going to hurt at all, or if I'm going to be fine. I'm just going to go day to day and see how it feels.

"It's pretty much a pain-tolerance thing. It might nag me throughout the year. I'm just going to have to fight through the pain."

Last week, Redman had an MRI, which did not reveal a significant injury. He tried to practice, but the hip didn't cooperate. He returned to practice Tuesday and was pleasantly surprised Wednesday morning when he woke up without pain.

Redman's stock has taken a dip with the injury and the news that Rashard Mendenhall wouldn't be starting the season on PUP.

Panthers WR Brandon LaFell believes he’s ready to take another step in his development.

The former LSU standout averaged 17 yards a catch in 2011, up from 12.3 yards per reception the previous year. His 613 receiving yards were second only to Smith on the team.

But LaFell believes he’s capable of more.

“I feel like every year I go into is my year, and definitely this year,” LaFell said. “It’s my third year. These guys are giving me a big role. … I feel like Smitty’s going to do his thing. And if I can give our offense another reliable weapon on the other side, that’ll help out this whole team.”

We have been relatively high on LaFell this summer, ranking him in the low 40s all off-season. His ADP has crept from the 13th round into the 11th round, so be prepared to use that type of a pick on draft day. He still a good value at that level. His FP/T was 1.42 in 2011, which ranked #16 out of the 119 WRs who saw at least 30 targets. There's a lot of upside here.

Packers beat writer Rob Reischel on the team's running backs and potential cuts: This positional group has been hammered by injuries throughout camp and is somewhat of a mystery. Cedric Benson signed Aug. 12 and began practicing Sunday. Benson has had three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, and unless he falls on his face, the Packers seem ready to make him their lead back. Alex Green is just beginning to regain his explosiveness after suffering an ACL tear last October. Coach Mike McCarthy loves Brandon Saine's versatility, smarts and steadiness. He's been fighting a hamstring injury but should survive. The surprise here would be the Packers giving up on James Starks, their No. 1 back early in camp. But injuries have limited Starks to just 16 games his first two years, and he's out again with a turf toe. Dating back to his days at Buffalo, Starks has missed time five straight years. At some point, his inability to stay on the field will cost him. The guess is it's now. Marc Tyler seems a good bet for the practice squad.

It would be surprising for the Packers to cut Starks especially since the position is still pretty thin. Reportedly, Cedric Benson has been very motivated and if Starks is out of the picture, he could have an RB2-type year. The main issue with Benson is that he hasn't brought much in the passing game, though his YPC and Catch % have been respectable over last couple of years. It's possible that Benson would do better with more opportunity.

If the Jets are going to get back to their ground-and-pound attack, Shonn Greene will have to play at his best. Rex Ryan said he’s pleased with how the fourth-year running back has looked lately. Green had 11 carries for 36 yards last week against the Giants.

“I thought Shonn ran the ball really well (against the Giants),” said Ryan. “I love the way he saw that vision... you saw him squaring those pads up and he was running through. He was feeling it, there was no question.”

“If it was up to Shonn, he would have carried it 30 times," Ryan added. "I saw him kind of in that groove, so I feel really good about where Shonn is now.”

Like Michael Turner, there are those who would like to write Greene off because he's not a very dynamic runner. However he is slated for 250+ carries and will provide good value in the 5th/6th round with that workload.

Falcons RB Michael Turner says catching passes in the screen game for running backs is something they’ve been working on in practice and throughout camp. So far this season running backs and fullbacks have caught 12 passes. Turner is getting familiar with an increased pass-catching role this preseason under new coordinator Dirk Koetter.

“I’m comfortable with it,” Turner said. “I’ve caught more passes than I have before last year. I’m just trying to get in the groove of things and getting accustomed to this offense.”

Despite the speculation that has swirled around Atlanta’s offense becoming more open and pass-friendly this season, HC Mike Smith said Turner and his running will remain a big part of what they’re trying to accomplish on offense. More importantly, Smith said despite what direction the offense goes in one game to the next, Turner is still the featured running back for the Falcons.

“I think Mike is going to be an integral part of our offense,” Smith said. “We have done some work in some different areas in the first two preseason games. Again, you’re not game planning, you’re trying to work on certain things. Michael is our No. 1 back and he’s going to get his touches just like the other guys. It’s going to be based on how people try to defend us.”

For those that want to put Turner to pasture, he had eleven 20+ yard runs in '11 (3rd in league) and four 40+ yard runs (2nd), with a 4.5 YPC. While he did have 1,189 carries in his last four seasons, he only had 228 in his first four seasons (in SD behind LaDainian Tomlinson), so he doesn't have as many miles as most 30-year-old RBs. ATL will reduce his workload but he's still a good bet for 250 or so carries and his fifth-straight 10+ TD season. While Turner is on the downswing, he can contribute as an RB2 readily available in the 4th or 5th round.

Panthers WR Steve L Smith's foot injury is an infection. Not expected to miss significant time.

The plan for New Orleans Saints running back Darren Sproles to return to game action after missing the last two games with a knee injury doesn't appear to be at any point in the preseason.

Despite going through limited portions of practice the past two days, interim coach Joe Vitt re-affirmed his stance that the shifty playmaker won't play in Saturday night's preseason game against the Houston Texans. There appears to be no reason for Sproles to take any preseason games snaps the next two weeks as Vitt said he's fine with Sproles not touching the field until Week 1 against the Redskins.

Sproles hasn't fully practiced since injuring his knee during the preseason loss to the Patriots on Aug. 9. He didn't practice at all last week, but has been limited the last two days going through individual drills. Sproles said being ready to play against Washington is his primary goal even though he feels nearly completely healthy.

"If I had to play, I could," Sproles said. "But this is the thing. They don't want to rush me right now. They see it as preseason games so there's no use in risking it."

No worries here, the team has the situation under control. Draft Sproles with confidence, especially in PPR leagues where he is an excellent value in the 2nd round.

As far as Raiders RB Darren McFadden getting short-yardage carries, OC Greg Knapp said he's always been partial to "your No. 1 back being your goal-line back."

It appears that one of the biggest challenges for Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning as he comes back from a serious neck injury is throwing to his right.

ESPN guru John Clayton pointed it out to me this summer. While he thought Manning was his usual self throwing to his left, he had issues throwing to the opposite side. After two preseason games Clayton explained to me that he thinks Manning has improved in the area but that he still has problems when the passes are more than 10 yards. He believes Manning will continue to improve, and more importantly, will have overall success.

I talked to Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. and he said he too has noticed that Manning seems more comfortable throwing to his left. I asked if he thinks opposing defenses can close up that side of the field and force Manning to throw to his right on a regular basis during the season.

Williamson said it could be an issue for Denver, but because Manning’s game is predicated on adjustments and on the mental side of the game, he will work through the issues.

We have Manning ranked #12 which makes him a fringe QB1 in 12 team leagues. Those owners who draft Manning should also secure a good backup in case of emergency.

Chargers beat writer Kevin Acee believes that the team will hold RB Ryan Mathews (collarbone) out for the first two games.

This has been our assumption as well, which is why we have Matthews ranked #15 among running backs.

Browns RB Trent Richardson will run in pool today and might run outside next week.

Redskins HC Mike Shanahan on if RB Roy Helu or Tim Hightower will return for opener: "I really don't know yet."

Let the Shanahanigans begin. We are staying away from Helu and Hightower, though Evan Royster is worth a look in the later rounds.

TE Jason Witten (spleen) still is aiming to return in time for the Cowboys' Sept. 5 regular-season opener against the New York Giants, but it is questionable whether he will be ready to play.

Witten is more likely to play in Week 2, when the Cowboys play at Seattle on Sept. 16.

This is not a huge blow to his draft stock, but anyone who drafts Witten better have a plan B in place for Week 1.

Cowboys doctors informed TE Jason Witten he will not need surgery for lacerated spleen. He is questionable for opener vs. NYG.

This is great news for Witten and his owners. Had he needed surgery, he would have likely missed the first couple of games. Hopefully he can heal up and be ready for Week 1.

Falcons WR Julio Jones, who missed four games in the middle of the season with a hamstring injury, caught 54 passes for 959 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie – and the Falcons are counting on much more in 2012.

"I think the guy can catch 80 sleepwalking," says Falcons receivers coach Terry Robiskie, whose tough love helped turn White from a perceived bust into a star upon Ryan's arrival. "We'll have some new wrinkles, a couple of things designed to get it in Julio's hands faster, so he can get it and go."

WR Kenny Britt said Tuesday that if not for the scope on his left knee in June that he would probably already be back practicing with the Tennessee Titans.

Britt tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee last September and had a clean-up surgery on that knee in May, but he also had a procedure in late June on his other knee to remove some damaged cartilage. And that, he says, is what is keeping him on the physically unable to perform list.

“To tell you the truth, it's the more recent one. If I didn't have that setback, I'd probably be practicing with the fellas right now, but I got that little bump in the road that set me back,” Britt said. “I just woke up and I felt a little clicking in my knee and a saw a little swelling the next day. They said I tore a little cartilage in there and they cleaned it out, and it actually felt better the next day after the surgery.”

Britt said that he is getting better and still hopes to be in the Titans lineup on opening day Sept. 9 against New England, provided, of course, that he isn't suspended by the league for a July 20 DUI in Fort Campbell, Ky.

This wasn't the first time Sidney Rice practiced this training camp. The Seahawks' No. 1 receiver has been on the field since training camp began.

But on Tuesday, Rice practiced without any limitations for the first time.

"It was the first time he has had a full-blown day where we've cut him loose and let him do everything," coach Pete Carroll said.

"He got banged around," Carroll said, "which was great. He made some good catches today. He looked very fast out there, and it's exciting to see. This was the first day that I really feel like, 'OK, he's in it now.' "

Darrius Heyward-Bey returned Tuesday after sitting out practice Sunday with a sore shoulder, but Jacoby Ford (foot) and Denarius Moore (hamstring) are still out, with Moore's return closer than Ford's but still up in the air.

Since Giants RB David Wilson arrived in East Rutherford this spring, he’s been engaging, outgoing and confident. Not once through minicamp, training camp and two preseason games had he shown a bit of nervousness.

Until Monday, when the rookie first-round pick practiced with the starters for the first time.

Wilson, who said his “heart was pounding” when he first heard the news, had some jitters today as well when he once again took reps with the first team. He alternated with Ahmad Bradshaw as the offense worked against a scout-team defense in preparation for Friday’s preseason game against the Chicago Bears.

Wilson expects to be working with the starters that night after picking up the final few carries against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Jets the past two games. He’d also been at the bottom of the depth chart behind Bradshaw, D.J. Ware, Andre Brown and Da’Rel Scott for all of training camp.

We believe Wilson will finish the season as Bradshaw's primary backup. He's a solid handcuff for the often injured Bradshaw.

Jets WRs Santonio Holmes (ribs) and Jeremy Kerley (hamstring), both of whom missed the first game, participated Monday in positional drills. Ryan hasn't ruled out either player for the Panthers, although it appears unlikely that Holmes will play.

Rams WR Steve Smith had had long looks with the first team offense and though Brandon Gibson returned to work on Monday, he still got some reps with the first and second unit. Through two preseason games, Smith has seemed to find a bit of a groove with quarterback Sam Bradford as the pair has connected for three catches for 24 yards.

There will be value to be found in the Rams passing game, it's just a matter of targeting the right guys. We believe Danny Amendola has a good chance to lead the team in receptions, but the starting spots on the outside are wide open. Steve Smith and Brian Quick would appear to be the favorites, but there are other guys in the mix.

Patriots RB Shane Vereen didn’t blow anybody away because the blocking in front of him was terrible. Vereen got a dose of what Stevan Ridley saw against the Saints when he had 40 yards on eight carries against New Orleans’ top defenders.

Vereen’s output wasn’t flashy, but he showed some important traits that should keep him in this battle for the top spot.

The Patriots will always be a passing team with Tom Brady at quarterback. What they need is a running back to keep the defense honest and respect play-action passes. They need a back who will pick up the hard yards when they need it.

Basically, that’s what Vereen has done. And he’s now healthy, and hasn’t fumbled. That means the competition is back on between Vereen and Ridley, just like it should have been all along.

With Michael Bush moving on in free agency, the Raiders are counting on McFadden this season. Head coach Dennis Allen told our "NFL AM" crew that McFadden, who turns 25 next week, is healthy and the team has no intention of babying him this season.

"He's 100 percent," Allen said of McFadden. "He's been extremely explosive throughout camp and in the preseason. He's very vital to our offense and giving our offense a chance to be explosive and keeping defenses honest. So we're going to have to be able to keep him healthy and use him throughout the year.

"I think the thing that you look at is as a running back, I mean, it's a tough position. They take some shots and that's part of football. We can't baby him. We can't protect him. We got to go out there and play football and give him an opportunity to carry the ball, and we hope that he's able to stay healthy."

If McFadden plays a full season, he'll finish as a top 5 RB. His problem has always been staying healthy. It's tougher to draft McFadden now that his insurance, Michael Bush, has left town, but he certainly worth consideration in the back half of the 1st round.

Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin returned to practice last week after missing more than a week with a hamstring injury. Now, he's out again after having work done on his hamstring. Baldwin will not play Friday in Kansas City.

"He had a little procedure done to clear up his hamstring that was very successful," Carroll said. "He'll be back in it next week for sure. Whether we play him next week or not -- I don't know that yet -- but he should be practicing full go and we'll return next week."

Schefter: "In light of Jaguars owner Shad Khan's recent public remarks ('Train is leaving the station. Run, get on it'), Jacksonville's RB Maurice Jones-Drew is now open to being traded, per source."

Mike Freeman, CBS Sports: "I'm told, specifically, that for the moment, no (expletive deleted) way the Jaguars are trading MJD."

Khan probably didn't help matters with his comments, which sure sound like gloating. MJD has no leverage and will start losing game checks if he continues to hold out. For a guy that is trying to make money, it doesn't make much sense. We're not sure that common sense is going to prevail here, so draft MJD at your own risk -- just be sure to handcuff Rashad Jennings.

Could Bears WR Alshon Jeffery end up passing up Earl Bennett and Devin Hester on the depth chart as a rookie?

Beat writer Dan Pompei: If he keeps performing the way he has performed, I expect he will be getting a lot of playing time in the near future. The Bears might keep Hester as a starter merely because of his veteran status, but it is conceivable that Jeffery may get more playing time than any receiver other than Brandon Marshall.

The Steelers expect that Mike Wallace will arrive back in Pittsburgh this weekend and sign his one-year contract after they return from their third preseason game in Buffalo, multiple sources told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

If true, this s great news for Wallace and Ben Roethlisberger owners alike. He will only have a couple of weeks to learn a new offense, but OC Todd Haley has reportedly simplified things for the wide receiver position.

The Cardinals will indeed have RB Beanie Wells Thursday against the Titans. HC Ken Whisenhunt said he liked how Wells did in practice this week – brief as it was – and will be treated in the game much like Ryan Williams was last week against the Raiders.

“I’m excited to see him in a game,” Whisenhunt said. “There’s no concern with him at all with his health.”

Panthers TE Greg Olsen is hoping he can be as productive as Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham. HC Ron Rivera believes Olsen could be poised for a breakout season not having to share catches with Jeremy Shockey, now a free agent, and with the arrival of new fullback Mike Tolbert, who should lighten Olsen's load as a blocker.

In fact, Rivera believes "it's possible" Olsen could put up numbers similar to what Gronkowski and Graham did last season.

"This will be his first real opportunity with us to step up and be the starting tight end and be the guy," Rivera said. "You watch him catch footballs and you watch him run routes and you see those traits that say you can fit right into that group. We're excited about it."

"I think he's a tremendous target," Rivera said. "I think the chance of him stepping up and being right in the elite group of players at his position I think that's possible. I really do."

After some rough spots in training camp, Josh Gordon looked brilliant — at least in the context of Browns wide receivers — for a second straight practice.

His size (6-foot-3, 225 pounds), strength and quickness make it look almost impossible to cover him one on one on a slant route.

If he is covered, he still puts up a fierce battle for the ball, a trait that has commanded the attention of quarterback Brandon Weeden.

The only play Patriots WR Deion Branch wasn’t on the field was the two-point conversion in the second quarter. From this view, a performance like that would seem to solidify his standing in the No. 3 receiver spot behind Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd.

Raiders beat writer Steve Corkran was asked who has been better, WR Juron Criner or Rod Streater. He responded: "Criner in offseason, all Streater in camp and games."

Streater may get some extra early season work as denarius Moore works his way back from a hamstring injury.

Buccaneers HC Schiano says it's not fair yet to compare RB Doug Martin to Ray Rice, but Martin has definitely reminded him of Rice at times.

Obviously this is high praise for Martin. At this point, what LeGarrette Blount still in the mix for early down work and that he can impress, he will continue to eat into Martin's potential workload.

There hasn't been any announcement regarding the Seahawks' starting quarterback for their third exhibition game. Let's make that clear.

But it appears that rookie Russell Wilson is going to be the choice.

After Wilson passed for led three touchdown drives Saturday in Denver -- passing for two of those scores himself -- Carroll declined to say whether Wilson would get a chance to play with -- and against -- the starters. He again deferred on naming a starter Monday during his weekly radio appearance on ESPN 710 Seattle.

But after the players concluded meetings on Monday, there were multiple indications Wilson is going to start the third exhibition game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday.

It appears that the coaching staff may want to see Wilson play against a first-team defense, so perhaps he still alive in Seattle's QB battle. More likely, the team just wants to make an apples to apples comparison.

Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones does not expect receiver Miles Austin to play in the remainder of the preseason.

Austin has not practiced since straining his hamstring Aug. 4, but the Cowboys anticipate that he will be available for the Sept. 5 season opener against the New York Giants. The Cowboys are being especially cautious with Austin because he missed a total of six games due to separate hamstring strains last season.

"We're basically just wanting to make sure he's ready for New York," Jones said Tuesday on KRLD-FM. "That's where it's all headed for him. He probably will need some work, just logic tells you, before he gets in the game, but we're not interested in seeing him (play in the preseason).

"The risks of him getting out there and really competing at this time would I think be overruled (by) the game we have for him being completely healthy in New York."

Austin is a highly productive receiver when healthy, but fantasy owners have to take a leap of faith when drafting him this year.

Giants first-round pick RB David Wilson took some snaps with the first team with Ahmad Bradshaw (bruised hand) limited.

This is interesting since D.J. Ware has pretty much been the running back to get carries behind Bradshaw, followed by Andre Brown and then Wilson and Da'Rel Scott.

Tom Coughlin said Wilson had been scheduled to get some first-team reps and it wasn't necessarily an indication of the depth chart changing. Of course, if the rookie continues to show pop in this preseason, as he has so far, he will rise up the depth chart. It probably is only a matter of time as he continues to get more comfortable and learn the offense.

Ravens Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice maintained a hefty workload last season for the Ravens with 291 carries for a career-high 1,364 rushing yards and 76 receptions for 704 yards.

As far as running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery is concerned, he sees no reason to reduce Rice's touches, considering that he led the NFL with 2,068 yards from scrimmage and scored 15 touchdowns.

"You don't buy a new car and put it in the driveway and just park it in the garage," Montgomery said. "You buy it, you drive it. If you wear the wheels off, you go out and get another one. So, Ray carrying 300 times, I'm looking for the next Ray Rice after that.

"The game today, you can't save guys. You have to play them, and you ask them to give you whatever they have to give in return and ask for nothing in return. If they can do that, we are on the right track."

ESPN's Monday Football broadcast team reported x-rays on Michael Vick's ribs were negative. He took a shot in the first quarter and left the game. He won't return.

Another sigh of relief... Vick has left the first two preseason games early now because of injuries. This was a big game for the Eagles first-teamers because their next preseason game, typically the contest where the starters play about three quarters, is against Cleveland - also the Eagles Week 1 opponent. Vick's durability has always been a question, so taking him as your QB this year means you need to back yourself up with another QB you'd trust to start.

Most of the Cardinals starters will play into the second half on Thursday night against the Titans, and quarterback John Skelton will receive the majority of the work with the first-team offense.

That doesn’t mean, however, that coach Ken Whisenhunt will pick a starting quarterback after that game. The decision could go through the final preseason game, against Denver on Aug. 30.

“I don’t think there’s any pressure or any reason to say you would have to make that decision before that game,” Whisenhunt said. “I just want to make sure we have enough situational evaluations of these players to make that decision.”

The winner of this job will certainly have QB2 potential, but the fact that neither have stepped up at this point isn't necessarily a good sign.

An MRI on Dez Bryant's injured knee revealed patellar tendinitis, according to a source, which should only require rest before the star receiver can return to practice.

Bryant hurt his knee Monday practicing against the Chargers when he slipped coming out of a break. The MRI revealed no major structural damage and provides a much less severe diagnosis than originally feared when Bryant limped off the field.

Patellar tendinitis is also known as "jumper's knee," and occurs most frequently in athletes who jump routinely, as Bryant did when he soared into the air to snag a ball in the back of the endzone Saturday.

Dez Bryant is one of a handful of WRs available in the middle of the 4th round in 12 team leagues. We prefer Jordy Nelson & Percy Harvin. Bryant could be a target if he falls significantly in your draft due to injury concerns. However, there are a lot of red flags here.

Vikings do not plan to play RB Adrian Peterson Friday vs. San Diego, though team is expecting him to argue his case for playing time in game.

Tony Grossi said "all systems are go" for Trent Richardson.

Great news. We're certainly excited to see Richardson in live game action. He has been falling in recent drafts and is a good value late 2nd, early third round. We feel much more comfortable with Richardson as your RB2 than your RB1.

Colts coach Chuck Pagano: WR Austin Collie did suffer concussion. He felt good today. Listed day-to-day.

The Colts will likely be very, very careful with Collie. But the fact he's feeling good is perhaps a nice sign. But, that can change day-to-day. Collie should fall down your draft board. With his history, he's just too risky, especially if your draft is approaching over the next few days.

Saints coach Joe Vitt said RB Darren Sproles will not be able to return to practice this week, which probably means Sproles won't play against Houston.

49ers RB Brandon Jacobs just left facility on crutches. Coach Jim Harbaugh says it's possible Jacobs is ready for regular-season opener.

Broncos RB Ronnie Hillman said he expects to play Sunday vs. SF. We expect that too, barring another setback with the hamstring this week.

Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant will undergo an MRI after suffering a knee injury during practice Monday, according to the team’s web site.

With No. 1 wideout Miles Austin sidelined for the rest of the preseason with a hamstring injury that’s already kept him out of most of camp and the first two exhibition games, the Cowboys can ill afford to lose Bryant.

Austin is expected to be ready for the Sept. 5 season opener at the New York Giants, but his long layoff could lead to timing issues with quarterback Tony Romo.

Ryan Tannehill is the Dolphins starting quarterback for Week 3 of the preseason and the regular season. Coach Joe Philbin announced the news on Monday at his press conference.

The news isn't a tremendous surprise, given that Tannehill received the start on Friday night against the Panthers, didn't totally mess himself and also managed to outperform Matt Moore in one fell swoop.

Tannehill hasn't turned the ball over this preseason despite not having overwhelming stats either. As we talked about before, he doesn't have the best WRs to work with, but does have Reggie Bush at RB to help his cause. It's hard to imagine he'll be a consistent, usable fantasy QB this season in standard leagues, but can be targeted in keeper or dynasty leagues.

Browns rookie wide receiver Josh Gordon has often stopped short of finishing plays and lacked overall hustle during camp, but coach Pat Shurmur believes Gordon is turning the corner and giving more effort as of late.

“The last couple of days, he’s practicing faster in my mind, catching the ball and running with it instead of catching it and stopping,” Shurmur said. “He’s learning how to do it better in practice, and as we all know if you see it here, then it’ll translate to the game.

It's a good sign for the rest of the offense too. This young Browns team has a chance to put things together eventually this season with a rookie QB (Brandon Weeden), rookie RB (Trent Richardson) and second-year player in WR Greg Little. Little could be a nice value pick late in drafts while Gordon, who likely won't get drafted, is someone who could eventually be nabbed off waiver wires.

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said both of RB Roy Helu's Achilles are sore.

Evan Royster will continue to get love in fantasy drafts now... With Helu and Tim Hightower sidelined, only Alfred Morris is a threat to take away work from Royster at this point.

Although Jets QB Mark Sanchez has been extremely accurate in his eight preseason drives, it’s difficult to gauge his development through the first preseason games. Sanchez has completed 76.5 percent (13 for 17) of his passes. But he’s only amassed 80 passing yards. That 4.7 yards-per-attempt average would have ranked him last in the NFL last season.

On Saturday, Sanchez only managed 59 yards of 9 of 11 passing and a pick-six. The Jets need to stretch the field in Tony Sparano’s run-first offense if it’s going to be successful. Sanchez had a league-low two completions for 40+ yards last season.

“Clearly we want to make bigger chunks down the field and I think there were a couple of those out there (on Saturday),” Ryan admitted on Monday. “We left a few out there. Overall, I’ve been happy with the way Mark is throwing the football."

Giants WR Hakeem Nicks, who was activated off the physically-unable-to-perform list last week, was limited in doing only individual drills last week.

Today, he estimates he’ll take about 50 percent of the reps but will go full-speed for all of them.

Whether Nicks plays on Friday against the Chicago Bears or next week against the New England Patriots will be determined by how his foot responds in practice the next few days.

The Jaguars apparently don’t have a backup quarterback controversy.

Even though Jordan Palmer led the team on game-winning drives in the fourth quarter of the first two preseason games, coach Mike Mularkey said Sunday that Chad Henne remains the backup quarterback.

So if the Jaguars keep only two quarterbacks, Henne will make the team over Palmer.

But Mularkey left open the possibility that they will keep three, which would open the door for Palmer to make the team.

Colts WR Austin Collie’s situation makes you hope for the best while fearing something more ominous. He was whacked by Steelers’ cornerback Ike Taylor on a second-down pass from QB Andrew Luck. Collie wobbled to the sideline, then was taken to the locker room where he was evaluated for concussion symptoms.

In 2010, Collie suffered two concussions that ended his second season. He continues to tell me the only time he thinks about head trauma is when the media asks him about it, but Sunday only will fuel the fire and the concern over Collie’s long-term well being.

It’s doubtful we’ll see him the rest of the preseason.

Collie's concussion history is the real concern here, but from a fantasy perspective it could mean Donnie Avery, assuming he can get healthy, gets more time. It also would appear Reggie Wayne could see a lot more action as a go-to receiver. Avery is ranked 80th while Wayne is 34th on our WR chart. Wayne's ADP is the 9th round, but that could start to go up. LaVon Brazill and T.Y. Hilton could also be in the mix, and Brazill has already been working with the first team.

There were questions entering Eagles training camp about whether RB Dion Lewis could be unseated as the No. 2 running back behind LeSean McCoy.

He won’t be – it’s that simple.

Lewis is further ahead than rookie Bryce Brown and Chris Polk, and has actually flashed throughout training camp. He only had 23 carries last season and is only 5-foot-8, but Lewis is strong for someone his size and demonstrates natural rushing skills.

He suffered an injury in the first preseason game, so I’m curious to watch him on Monday to see how he looks.

I know it’s only the preseason and offenses are holding back a lot of their tricks. But so far, Falcons RB Michael Turner looks a step slow and no longer seems like a great fit in the Atlanta offense.

I know Turner is one of those guys who needs carries to wear down a defense and really be effective. But the Falcons have insisted that Turner’s carries will be limited this season. I’m not sure he’ll have as big an impact if he’s not getting the carries.

Tight end Heath Miller was expected to be featured more in Todd Haley's offense, but that remains to be seen after what happened in camp. Miller didn't get many passes thrown his way, and he wasn't even on the field on a third down in a red zone drill.

With two preseason games remaining and only 16 days until the opener at home against Dallas, it’s not clear who is ready to fill Brandon Jacobs’ shoes as the No. 2 running back behind the injury-prone Ahmad Bradshaw.

It figures to be either D.J. Ware or first-round pick David Wilson, but they combined for a measly 41 yards on 19 carries in the Giants’ 26-3 win over the Jets on Saturday night.

Each of them did some good things.

Neither did anything that made Tom Coughlin comfortable enough to say they had the job.

The Tennessee Titans are turning the page.

The team will anoint Jake Locker as its new starting quarterback Monday, per Jim Wyatt of The (Nashville) Tennessean.

Locker, the eighth pick of the 2011 draft, is coming off his first NFL start, an underwhelming performance Friday night at Tampa Bay where he completed four of 11 passes for 21 yards and threw an ugly INT courtesy of an ill-advised throw across his body, off his back foot and over the middle of the field.

Locker is much more likely to be a better fantasy QB option than Matt Hasselbeck. He's got some tools to work with as well, like Kenny Britt, Kendall Wright and Nate Washington at WR and Jared Cook at TE. Locker is now a decent QB2 option, but the sky could be the limit for him once he builds experience.

After speaking to league sources over the weekend, there’s a growing buzz that Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill will soon be named the starting quarterback for Friday’s game vs. Atlanta and, subsequently, for the Week 1 regular season game at Houston: The coaches are impressed with Tannehill’s decision-making and quick development. Through two preseason games, Tannehill has yet to throw an interception or turn the ball over.

Tannehill has the most potential of the Miami QBs, but not a ton to work with at WR. He's likely only a QB3 to start the season on your fantasy team, and in most leagues probably won't get drafted.

Packers tight end Jermichael Finley returned to practice on Sunday after missing the first two preseason games with a strained quad.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune suggests that Vikings RB Adrian Peterson could make his preseason debut on Friday.

“We’re going to get him a little bit more each day and see how he responds,” head coach Leslie Frazier said Sunday. “We need to determine what’s the next step.”

The best chance of getting that preseason work will be Friday night when the Vikings figure to use their starters for the entire first half and perhaps early into the third quarter against the Chargers. Will that open the door for Peterson to see some work?

“We have some ideas on how we want to approach it,” Frazier said. “But a lot of it depends on how he feels with some of the things we’re going to give him this week.”

An MRI releaved no major damage for 49ers RB Brandon Jacobs, who suffered the injury versus the Texans on Sunday. The injury occurred on his second carry of the game but wasn’t believed to be season-ending.

Steelers rookie RB Chris Rainey left Pittsburgh’s preseason game against the Colts in the first quarter after taking a big hit from Indy’s Jerraud Powers. Rainey stayed on the ground for a few moments before leaving the field.

According to beat writer Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego, Chargers WR Vincent Brown might be available for the second half of the regular season. Brown was carted off the field after catching an 18-yard touchdown pass from Charlie Whitehurst during San Diego’s preseason victory over the Cowboys on Saturday.

Head coach Pat Shurmur said that Browns RB Trent Richardson might be ahead of scheduled after the rookie had arthroscopic surgery on his knee earlier this month. Richardson could still be ready for the Browns’ regular-season opener against the Eagles.

Updating an earlier item, Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw suffered a hand contusion in New York’s victory over the Jets on Sunday. Bradshaw injured the hand on a 4-yard run in the first quarter but X-rays were negative.

Packers WR Greg Jennings returned to practice on Sunday for the first time since August 3. Jennings suffered a concussion during the team’s “Family Night” scrimmage earlier this month.

Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart exited the Panthers’ 23-17 victory over the Dolphins on Friday with a left calf injury but his agent told Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer that his client is “fine.”

Stewart planted awkwardly while trying to avoid Miami LB Jason Trusnik and then limped to the sideline following the play.

Chargers beat writer Kevin Acee: Vincent Brown has broken ankle. Expected to miss at least eight weeks. That means at least five games, probably.

Robert Meachem stands to benefit the most from this, as Brown had been outplaying him in the preseason. It appears Brown will miss at least the first five games of the season.

Giants beat writer Mike Garafolo reports that the X-rays on RB Ahmad Bradshaw's hand were negative.

It should be noted that Danny Ware replaced Bradshaw, not David Wilson.

Jim Harbaugh said RB Brandon Jacobs (knee) will miss some time, but said it's "not the you don't come back from variety."

Harbaugh has been high on Kendall Hunter all preseason, so he will likely get most of Jacobs' work while he's out.

GM Kevin Colbert told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall might be ready to contribute by Week 5 of the regular season.

“Whether he plays in those first six weeks we don’t know,” Colbert said. “But obviously we feel there’s a chance that could happen. Be it Week 5 or Week 6, that could be a difference.”

Following the Cardinals’ loss to the Raiders on Friday night, Oakland DT Tommy Kelly reportedly said to his teammates on the sidelines, “That boy’s scared,” in reference to Arizona QB Kevin Kolb. After the game Kelly went on to say, “Anytime anybody gets close to him he starts looking at the refs. As a defensive lineman you love a quarterback like that. He ain’t even trying to look at routes no more.”

John Skelton is shaping up to be the Cardinals’ Week 1 starter.

ESPN Boston reports that Patriots DE Chandler Jones “looks like a permanent fixture” at right end.

Jones is shaping up to be the sleeper IDP pick this season, although if he continues to impress he won’t be a sleeper much longer. He had five quarterback pressures in 14 drop backs in New England’s preseason opener last week. If the Patriots view him as a full-time starter, Jones’ IDP value will continue to soar.

Cardinals LT Levi Brown has a torn right triceps and will miss a minimum of three months. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Brown could miss the rest of the season depending on the results of a MRI test.

This is yet another knock against drafting Cardinals RB Beanie Wells, who reportedly is having trouble cutting in practice. Brown has consistently been one of the worst left tackles in the NFL but losing him would still be a blow to Arizona’s offensive line, which continues to struggle in preseason.

Mike Jurecki of XTRA 910 Arizona tweets that Cardinals RB Beanie Wells (knee surgery) is still having trouble cutting in practice. After Wells missed Friday night’s win over the Raiders, Juerecki notes that it may be “wishful thinking that he’ll play against the Titans” on Thursday.

Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph passed all the concussion tests and said he is fine after taking a shot in Friday night's game.

Bucs running back LeGarrette Blount left the game in the second quarter with what turned out to be a groin injury, he said in the locker room afterward. Blount said “I just took a hit on the side. It just tweaked my groin a little bit. It’s not a serious injury. I’ll be back soon. I’ll be good.” However, Blount, when asked whether he could play in the team’s next game, said he couldn’t say. Blount was walking with a pronounced limp after the game.

If this turns into a lingering issue for Blount, rookie RB Doug Martin's workload and draft day value will benefit.

Looks like there's a chance Packers WR Greg Jennings (concussion) will be back on the field this week, possibly as soon as Sunday.

RB Jacquizz Rodgers led the Falcons in rushing against the Bengals with four carries for 24 yards, including a 16-yard gain.

He also caught three passes, including a 22-yarder.

“Quizz is someone that we feel is a three down back,” Smith said. “He can come in a do the things that a three-down back does. He’s is not just a change of pace back.”

49ers WR Michael Crabtree appears set on one side.

Randy Moss and Mario Manningham are the most-likely candidates on the other side. In all likelihood, Moss and Manningham will each gets plenty of snaps in two-receiver sets.

Tests on Steelers RB Isaac Redman revealed a hip injury that will not require surgery but will prevent him from playing Sunday vs. Colts. Redman could return to practice as early as next week.

Good news for Redman owners and potential owners. However, the Steeler RB situation got a little muddier now that Rashard Mendenhall is off the PUP list. Although Mendy is likely to miss most of September, according to reports, Redman owners could have a rental player at RB for a shorter time than they thought and hoped if Mendenhall returns after September. Mendy likely won't be rushed into lead-back carries, but it could mean a committee situation.

The journey begins Friday night for Jags wide receiver Justin Blackmon.

The Jaguars’ first-round pick, still making up for lost time after a 12-day holdout, will make his preseason debut against the New Orleans Saints.

The team put Blackmon in the starting lineup as soon as he was allowed to practice so he could get more reps with quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

Blackmon and Gabbert are the team’s past two first-round picks, and the Jaguars hope they will form the combo that will carry the passing game for the rest of the decade.

The story goes on to say Blackmon is still working his way into game shape, but he's definitely worth a late-round pick if you can get him. The problem with highly-touted rookies is someone is sure to take him way before he should go. We rank Blackmon 57th, but he has an ADP of the 11th round. It's the same ADP as guys like: Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree and Titus Young.

Even though he is off PUP, Steelers' RB Rashard Mendenhall is not expected to be ready to play regular-season opener, could miss most of Sept.

Our own Dale Lolley, longtime 4for4.com scout who covers the Steelers, agrees, and said today he "can't see Mendenhall doing much for a while." Owners are likely to jump on this and take a shot on Mendy before he really should go in drafts. Roster spots are precious, especially in the early season, so unless you have a deep league Mendy could just be sucking up space for a while unless you can IR him. The upside can be great though. Taking him at the right time in your draft will be the key.

WR Dwayne Bowe signs his tender and joins Chiefs.

He will report to camp after missing three weeks. We rank Bowe 23rd on our WR list with an ADP of the 7th round in a ten-team league. He could climb a bit before the season, but basically he's a low-end WR2 to start the season under new head coach Romeo Crennel. He'll have a chance to finish much higher in the rankings and also gives a boost in value to QB Matt Cassel and WR Jonathan Baldwin, who will start opposite of him. But don't forget, the Chiefs are expected to run, and run a lot, with Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy on RB Cedric Benson:

“Veteran running back that’s been very productive, had a big year last year, really has the last three years in Cincinnati. I really like his inside running style . … I think he’s a really good fit for us.”

Reggie Bush wants to lead the NFL in rushing after proving last year he could be an every-down back for the Miami Dolphins.

Bush first made the statement during a South Florida television appearance in the spring, and he's not backing down.

"I believe in setting the highest goals possible," Bush said. "If you're not setting the highest standards for yourself, then you don't belong in this game."

Bush never carried the ball more than 157 times in any season with the Saints, but he led Miami with 216 rushing attempts in 2011.

With the Dolphins switching to a more pass-oriented offense under first-year coach Joe Philbin, it's debatable whether Bush will get as many carries this season.

Certainly, it doesn't appear to be an offense suited to produce an NFL rushing champion.

Bush doesn't seem concerned.

"I think it is very possible," he said. "We'll see when this train begins, but I think it is possible."

Bush may not get that many carries again, but he could make up for it in the passing game. With Chad Johnson cut, the team lacks talent at WR and the QB position seems up in the air with Ryan Tannehill, David Garrard and Matt Moore still battling for the starting spot. Bush may have to be a focal point of the offense in one way or another. He's definitely someone to look at in PPR leagues.

Appearances aside, there's no disguising that last season, Tampa WR Mike Williams, 25, didn't look like the player he was in 2010, when the fourth-round draft pick from Syracuse led rookies with 11 touchdown receptions. He caught 65 passes, the same as his rookie year, but for 771 yards, 193 fewer, and three touchdowns.

Bucs receivers coach P.J. Fleck said he expects Williams to bounce back.

"The first words I think about with Mike is his transformation and commitment," Fleck said. "That has a lot to do with (the arrival of free agent receiver) Vincent Jackson. It has a lot to do with him wanting to be great."

Williams is lasting deep into drafts and is definitely worth a flier in hopes he gets back to his rookie form. He ranks just 54th on our receiver list. He likely won't be the number-one guy with Vincent Jackson on board, but that may help him in the end.

The Ravens are going to be in trouble if rookie third-round pick Bernard Pierce struggles as the primary backup running back to Rice.

The other backs -- Bobby Rainey and Anthony Allen -- aren't ready for that role. Baltimore has high expectations for Pierce, whose one-cut running style reminds the team of Arian Foster.

Pats running back Stevan Ridley suffered a right knee injury during today’s practice, which is a tough way to derail his productive summer.

At this point, there’s no indication of the severity or how long he’ll be out, but it could be a fortuitous sign that he watched the remainder of practice from the sideline before walking to the locker room under his own power.

But don’t be surprised if he misses a little time.

ESPN Adam Schefter on Kenny Britt discipline: "Doesn't sound like it's going to be as significant as it could've been ... Could be short suspension."

Britt should start climbing up WR charts at this point, and if you can live with a small suspension, which seems to be the case, he could certainly help you as he has a ton of talent. He just needs to work his knees back and stay out of more trouble.

Olympic sprinter Jeff Demps will sign a contract to play for the Patriots, per one of his agents, Nohemy Baltodano.

Demps was a running back and returner at Florida, but is expected to only return kicks for the Pats.

Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch’s attorney said Lynch pleaded not guilty to the DUI charge. His next scheduled hearing is Sept. 27.

Lynch's camp will likely try to delay the case as long as possible.

Rams QB Sam Bradford hasn't missed one minute of practice time in camp. He came through the preseason opener unscathed, and has been moving around well in practice. He's not wearing a brace on his left ankle, nor is he walking with a limp.

Nonetheless, the ankle questions won't go away.

After the Rams' practice/scrimmage Aug. 4 at the Edward Jones Dome, Bradford raised eyebrows by saying the ankle wasn't 100-percent healthy and would have to be managed — or treated — as the camp and the season progressed.

Bradford didn't want to talk about the ankle, and said it's not an issue until he starts missing practice or games. Still, not being 100-percent should raise a red flag, because this is an injury that could easily resurface with one wrong twist or turn. Bradford doesn't have a lot of value coming into the season, but could easily change that with a bunch of young, talented and healthy receivers to work with. At 26th on our rankings, we consider Bradford a QB3 right now, and he likely won't get drafted in your league.

The Giants feel there is a need for RB DJ Ware to gain more field awareness as his workload potentially increases this season and, for when he has a hole or open field in front of him, to get downfield like Brandon Jacobs used to.

The 6-foot, 225-pound Ware might be the best option to provide power running and, as he showed on a twisting second effort for a 2-yard touchdown in the first quarter of Friday’s game, he can get his momentum moving forward quickly.

The Giants already have Ahmad Bradshaw and David Wilson gaining most of the attention leading up to drafts. Having Ware as the goal line back would surely take TDs away from both players, but that's the way most teams are going these days anyway. Ware probably isn't worth a pick right now, but it sounds like if he gets things together, he could take on a change-of-pace role, much like Jacobs used to be.

Could the Giants go to a third receiver by committee this year? An interesting concept that Eli Manning didn't dismiss:

"Well, I think some guys do some things better than others. So, I think, depending on the route, on the concepts, on where you want to put that player. Whether that receiver is going to be playing inside or outside, you can decide who’s going to be in that situation. So, I think that’s why you usually carry six receivers, so you can put guys in certain spots, have them do what they do best."

Domenik Hixon, Rueben Randle and Jerrel Jernigan are the candidates. Hixon is the veteran of the bunch however the team has always been high on Randle and he could be the one of the three to eventually step forward. Any one of these guys could be considered future waiver wire candidates for your team.

Despite the bout of injuries, the Chargers still consider Ryan Mathews capable of handling a heavy workload.

He has the build at 6-foot, 218 pounds -- not exactly Dexter McCluster or Tatum Bell out there. Think it's easy to make a judgment on Mathews' ability to stay healthy, but for some historical context, Ricky Williams missed 10 games his first two seasons. He played a full 16-game schedule over his next three and ended his career with four years without a missed game.

Not saying a turnaround is guaranteed, but it's early. The book on Mathews' durability isn't written yet. It is off to a poor start.

Mathews is still battling to get ready for the opener. Meanwhile, his stock has dropped - and for good reason, injuries are a concern. However, since the broken clavicle, Mathews draft stock has plummeted to the late 2nd/early 3rd round. He's now a value on a points per game basis. The question is, can you live with the risk and possibility he wont be ready for Week 1.

TE Jason Witten wondered if his season was over before it ever began when doctors told the Dallas Cowboys' star tight end that he had a lacerated spleen.

Speaking to reporters three days after suffering the injury, Witten remained hopeful that he will not need surgery, which indefinitely would sideline the seven-time Pro Bowler.

An operation is a possibility depending on how Witten fares in an examination in a week to 10 days, when the Cowboys return to Dallas.

Witten's status still is uncertain for the Cowboys' regular-season opener on Sept. 5 against the New York Giants.

Per doctor's orders, Witten must remain idle to help the laceration close. He has been a spectator at the Cowboys' walk-throughs the past two days and will travel with the team to San Diego on Friday.

Witten was a nice TE target in the middle rounds, but this will hurt his ranking heading into the season until we know more. It sounds like he could be back early, but for now, drafting Witten as a TE2 is probably a safer option. There are sill plenty of candidates to fill out your lineup who are projected in the same ballpark as Witten: Vernon Davis, Jermichael Finely and Fred Davis are usually taken around the time Witten goes.

Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said after the 24-19 win that tight end Jermaine Gresham was fine.

When Gresham walked off the field he said he was fine and thought he could play next week, but he doesn't know what the team will decide to do.

Good news. Gresham is ranked 9th among our TEs. While many TEs will fly off the board earlier than we've ever seen in fantasy football, Gresham could be a real steal taking him in the later rounds if you decide to use that strategy.

Pats TE Rob Gronkow­ski didn’t miss a game after getting injured in last season’s AFC Championship win over Baltimore. He played in Super Bowl XLVI, and was back on the field six months later for the Patriots’ preseason opener against New Orleans.

In between, he had surgery for the ankle injury, rehabbed vigorously, posed naked for a magazine cover, and signed a six-year contract extension that could be worth $55 million.

He had a long way to go to get back on the field after getting hurt, but he seems happy with his progress.

Gronkowski caught two passes in last week’s preseason opener, and doesn’t appear slowed by the ankle injury. The more time he can spend on the field, the better the offense will be.

Gronkowski is obviously a key player in the fantasy world this season, going as early as the 2nd round in mocks and drafts this summer. After a historic season a year ago, many figure the law of averages will say he tails off in 2012. But, Gronkowski is still the best TE available come draft day, and if you want him on your team, chances are very good you'll have to target the 2nd round to get him.

WR Hakeem Nicks was in pads today, doing some light work and taking part in individual drills.

I thought I had it correct the other day when I tweeted he was allowed to be in pads during the three-day "limited" period after coming off PUP. My followers had me convinced I didn't. Anyway, he can't practice fully until Monday.

Legendary broadcaster Dick Stockton just said on 790 The Ticket that QB Ryan Tannehill is starting for the Miami Dolphins tonight.

Perhaps this race for the starting QB position is getting closer. No matter who wins the job, they are only considered a QB3 option in most leagues with just not a ton of talent to work with at WR. Tannehill at least has some upside and is someone to watch, but it seems like we know what to expect from David Garrard and Matt Moore...

TE Jermaine Gresham has become the latest Cincinnati Bengals player to exit a preseason contest due to injury.

The tight end appeared to hyperextend his right knee late in the first quarter of the Bengals' matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. Quarterback Andy Dalton connected with Gresham, who made pretty spin move before being pulled down after a 25-yard gain.

Gresham was limping on the sidelines, but didn't show any signs of having a serious injury. The Bengals quickly announced he would not return to the game.

Reports seem to indicate it's not a serious injury and the team is just being cautious. Be sure to monitor his situation heading into your draft. We rank Gresham 9th among our TEs, and is a nice option to wait on as higher rated TEs likely go off the board early and often. He's someone to consider if you didn't want to use a high pick on the TE position and has an ADP of the 11th round.

Steelers running back Isaac Redman, chastised by coach Mike Tomlin for revealing he would have an MRI on his injured groin, said the test revealed Thursday exactly what the Steelers’ athletic trainers thought it would.

Only he didn’t say what that was.

And Tomlin wouldn’t even acknowledge that Redman had the exam.

Redman hopes to be back on the field as early as next week.

“Hopefully I can get through this, rehab it and do what I need to do to get healthy,” Redman said.

Redskins TE Chris Cooley must convince the organization that his knee is sound and he remains a useful player.

The Redskins have a talented starter at tight end in Fred Davis, who was having a big season in 2011 before he was suspended for the final four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The team also has moved Niles Paul, a rookie wide receiver last season, to tight end.

So does Cooley still fit in and, if so, how? The plan, it appears, is for the Redskins to use Cooley in small doses to keep him fresh and maximize his effectiveness.

Saints Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham will play Friday night after missing last week's exhibition game against the New England Patriots with a back injury.

New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. said the coaching staff is looking for better ball security from third-year running back Chris Ivory.

Ivory -- a rugged, between-the-tackles runner who led the Saints in rushing in 2010 - is off to a lost start in training camp. He's had a number of documented mental lapses in practices where he has either fumbled the ball or was flagged for a pre-snap infraction.

The fumbling, though, really has been disturbing.

"It's something that really needs to be emphasized to him everyday," Carmichael said. "It's not acceptable, and we just gotta keep coaching it."

It won't take much to get in the doghouse if you're a member of the Saints backfield. It's crowded there with Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram also in the mix for carries. It's a situation that needs to be sorted, outside of Sproles, of course, who is a second round pick in PPR leagues.

Rams WR Brain Quick for the second day in a row had an outstanding practice session, per QB Sam Bradford the "light blub came on" today for him.

Quick will still have some catching up to do as Danny Amendola and Steve Smith seem to be the starters with Brandon Gibson also looking good. Quick is nothing more than a flier option at this point but is likely to go undrafted. WRs are always popping up on the waiver wire as the season goes on, so it may not be long until Quick becomes a fantasy option.

Ravens QB Joe Flacco wants to see the Ravens use more no-huddle, more “quick game.” He said he loves the hurry-up offense.

“I really think that in order to win the whole thing in this league, you’ve got to have a high-powered offense,” Flacco said. “I think we do. It’s just a matter of making our mind up that we are.”

Baltimore has long been known for its ground-and-pound, grinding attack. But Flacco doesn’t see this offense in that light, and believes that formula is a thing of the past.

“Maurice Jones-Drew led the league in rushing last year,” Flacco said. “Who cares? [Jacksonville] didn’t win any games.”

Flacco isn't getting a lot of attention in drafts. He's ranked as a borderline QB2 in ten-team leagues. But, keep an eye on how he progresses through the season. Right now, you can probably get a better QB2 for your team, but he could be someone you pick up if you get in QB trouble.

Mike Sando of ESPN:

One school of thought says the San Francisco 49ers got the most they'll ever get from quarterback Alex Smith last season.

What if last season was only the beginning?

That question ran through my mind while watching Smith fire passes on time and on target during a recent three-day stay at 49ers training camp. The answer became clearer every time Smith connected with newcomers Randy Moss and Mario Manningham, which was frequently. He appeared more accurate, more confident and more in command than I can ever recall seeing Smith during a training camp -- or any other time, for that matter.

"He's letting the ball go, he's making the right decisions and he's not afraid," tight end Vernon Davis said. "He's playing ball, he's having fun."

Smith finished the season with 3,144 yards, 17 TDs versus only five interceptions, but posted a respectable 7.1 yards per attempt, which ranked 17th among QBs with at least 10 games played. The 49ers added Randy Moss, Mario Manningham, A.J. Jenkins and LaMichael James to boost the passing game, and HC Jim Harbaugh has indicated that he has confidence in Smith, so it appears that they plan to open up the passing game a bit more. Considering he finished QB14 last year, our #18 ranking seems reasonable. He's the 25th QB off the board, so he's a solid QB2 that can be had dirt cheap.

The 49ers passing game went through WR Michael Crabtree and TE Vernon Davis last season. Both are in the primes of their careers. Neither figures to see his role diminish appreciably. With Mario Manningham joining the mix and rookie first-round choice A.J. Jenkins lurking, a rotational role for Randy Moss appears likely.

Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray's rookie season ended abruptly with a broken right ankle in Week 14 against the New York Giants, but he's fully healed and has been the most impressive offensive player to watch in training camp. Head coach Jason Garrett is already using Murray as an example of how every other player on the roster should practice.

Rehabbing Washington Redskins running back Tim Hightower had his most active day since the start of training camp Thursday and received a large number of carries during 11-on-11 portions of the team’s practice.

Hightower tore the ACL in his left knee last October, had surgery in November and has been limited primarily to individual and one-on-one drills so far this season. But Hightower received the green light to take part in Thursday’s action, and appeared to do well.

In previous practices, the fifth-year veteran would get a carry or two during non-contact action, but still moved with a noticeable limp. On Thursday, the Redskins practiced without pads, and Hightower rotated in as scout team running back. He displayed good quickness and improved cutting ability.

“Tim practiced today and did a pretty good job out there. I felt really good about that,” Shanahan said. “He did a lot of scout team plays, but you can see he’s making a lot of progress and we’ll get a chance to evaluate him next week.”

Hightower's return only muddies the Redskins running back situation.

Bills TE Scott Chandler has been a strong contributor to camp on a daily basis. Easy catches, tough catches in traffic -- it doesn't matter. Chandler has roped everything in and become one of Ryan Fitzpatrick's favorite two targets. He looks primed to have a better season than his last one.

Lions WR Titus Young continues to look like he's on the verge of a huge season.

"He's an important part of our plans," HC Jim Schwartz said of Young. It was not hard to see why on this day, as Young turned CB Bill Bentley inside-out on more than one occasion. The Lions have no shortage of three-receiver sets, so Young, Nate Burleson and Calvin Johnson will all see the field together frequently.

Patriots RB Shane Vereen saw a dramatic uptick in overall reps and also those with the first team and seemed to capitalize on the opportunity with some nice runs. Stevan Ridley took a back seat to Vereen, likely because of Ridley’s fumble on Tuesday.

Just as Ridley was making his mark, his fumble was a big setback. We would expect nothing less from the Patriots' RBBC.

Peter King of SI.com on Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe: Best guess is that DBowe will be in camp within a week and play under his one-year franchise tag.

Pro Bowl cornerback Carlos Rogers rates 49ers WR Michael Crabtree's hands up there among the best receivers in the game, comparable to those belonging to Larry Fitzgerald.

Where Rogers has seen a noticeable improvement is with Crabtree's foot speed. Crabtree was healthy for the 49ers' entire offseason program. And it appears the eight practices he missed with a right calf strain was a mere speed bump.

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman said he agrees with Rogers that Crabtree is running much better than a year ago.

"He was playing last year on a bad wheel and battled his way through it," Roman said. "I think he's a lot healthier this year, and he certainly appears to be much quicker and faster. Another year under his belt from an experience standpoint is very important."

Two weeks into camp, WR Braylon Edwards has shown that he has fully recovered from offseason knee surgery by consistently making explosive plays in practice.

Rams QB Sam Bradford on the team's new approach in the passing game: "Keep us ahead of the chains, keep us in good situations, find us a completion and move on down the road," Bradford said. "There are a lot of quick completions, getting the ball out of my hand. I don't think there's gonna be a lot of dropping back, sitting there in the pocket, patting it and waiting for guys to come open 20 yards down the field. It's gonna be about being efficient."

On Day 23 of WR Mike Wallace’s holdout, there’s growing speculation among the Steelers that it will end soon.

“There’s a little buzz around the team that he’ll be coming back pretty soon,” fellow WR Emmanuel Sanders said. “I don’t know the exact date, but it’s looking pretty good.”

No one is expecting Wallace to show up this week as the Steelers wind down training camp. But players and coaches alike hope that Wallace may show up as early as next week when the Steelers start practicing at team headquarters in Pittsburgh.

This has been the buzz for a while, so hopefully it's true and Wallace does report. It certainly would be great news for Ben Roethlisberger.

Calvin Watkins of ESPN Dallas on RB Felix Jones: This isn't a big thing, but Felix Jones hasn't really impressed us this training camp. DeMarco Murray has shown a burst, an ability to take contact and re-establish himself as the No. 1 running back. Jones? He's been blah. He caught a swing pass but didn't do much with it. Jones seems a little slow this camp not because of injury, but maybe the past leg injuries he's had in his brief career have taken their toll.

Vikings QB Christian Ponder looks for TE Kyle Rudolph a lot. Rudolph has big hands, long arms and added confidence. Don’t be surprised if he leads the team in targets this season.

Rudolph has been moving up our draft board, but his ADP remains in the 13th round, making him a great target as a TE2.

Wide receiver Kenny Britt was spotted running routes and catching passes following Wednesday’s practice at Baptist Sports Park.

Britt, rehabbing from a torn ACL and MCL suffered last season, is currently on the physically unable to perform list as team doctors and trainers evaluate his progress.

“He’s doing routes now and catching balls,” head coach Mike Munchak told reporters Monday. “He obviously can’t be in with us on the offensive side of the ball until he’s off PUP, but he’s progressing. He’s doing more and more every day with us, and his knees have been holding up well.”

The main issue with Britt is the suspension that is looming for his off-season DUI. Britt is a high risk, high reward player who is worth a look if fantasy owners can draft him as a backup.

Steelers LB James Harrison, the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Wednesday morning, removing an irritation behind his knee cap that has caused swelling since the spring.

HC Mike Tomlin described Harrison's procedure as minor and didn't have any details on when he would return.

“Shouldn't be too long,” Tomlin said. “We'll see when we get him back out here and start the process of working him back.”

Field Yates of ESPN Boston on WR Brandon Lloyd: The veteran free-agent pick-up has been exactly as he was billed to be as a dynamic perimeter receiver. He's caught almost everything thrown his way, and could be a massive part of the Patriots passing game in 2012.

The only concern we have with Lloyd is the competition for targets in New England.

The Falcons’ offense is making some not-so-subtle changes under new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter.

One of the major changes has been the implementation of the three-wide receiver set or “11” personnel — one back and one tight end — as a primary formation.

The main beneficiary here would be WR Harry Douglas, who could see a big jump in snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, Douglas played about 42 snaps and ran 31 pass routes per game in 2011. Provided he can stay healthy, those numbers should rise the Falcons to go to "three-wide" orphan. QB Matt Ryan is looking stronger and stronger as a sneaky mid-round pick after the elite QBs are off the board.

Cowboys HC Jason Garrett says they'll reevaluate TE Jason Witten (spleen) next week, after that 8-10 day period, no surgery now.

This is good news from the standpoint that the Cowboys want to avoid surgery. If the spleen heels on its own, Witten could be ready for Week 1. However, if the team waits 8 to 10 days and then he has the surgery, then he would return Week 3 at the earliest.

HC Mike Mularkey indicated that Maurice Jones-Drew won’t be automatically put right back into the lineup, assuming he decides to return.

“We have to obviously spend extra time with him in the classroom and see where he is with his conditioning. Even if he is in good condition, he won’t be in football condition. As guys have found out, it’s hard to practice their condition 2 1/2 hours like we do out here.

“There’s no exercises and nothing you can do to simulate an NFL practice and an NFL game. We’ll just see where he is when he’s back both mentally and physically.”

Mularkey added, “I think it would be a disservice to put him in if he was not fully prepared. It would be a health risk to do that. If he’s not prepared, it is not going to help us offensively and it’s not going to help our team if he’s not ready to go at full strength. I would never put our team in jeopardy of being in that position.’’

Jaguars blogger Alfie Crow doesn't believe that MJD will return to the 300-carry level that we're accustomed to, mainly due to how well Rashad Jennings has looked in camp. Between possible missed games due to the holdout, possible injury and a reduced workload, it's time to start looking at Jones–Drew as a 2nd round RB.

Colts RB Donald Brown will share snaps and carries this season, but coach Chuck Pagano has made it clear that Brown is No. 1. He will have every opportunity to do more than he did last season, and he certainly will start more than two games.

Lions RB Jahvid Best is likely to start this season on physically unable to perform list, which would sideline him at least first six games.

Best continues to struggle in his comeback from the concussions he suffered in 2011. He's undraftable at this point. This is good news for Kevin Smith who will open the season as the team's starting running back.

Per beat writer Ed Bouchette, Steelers RB Isaac Redman is going to have an MRI on his groin.

If Redman were to miss time, the Steelers would likely turn to a RBBC consisting of Jonathan Dwyer and Chris Rainey.

Cowboys TE Jason Witten suffered a spleen injury in Monday's preseason game and could miss the team's regular-season opener, a team source told ESPN's Ed Werder.

The Cowboys still have not determined the seriousness of the injury, although early evaluations have indicated that Witten's spleen is not ruptured, according to the source. The star tight end is experiencing internal bleeding but still could avoid surgery, the source told Werder.

If surgery is not required, Witten is expected to miss up to three weeks but likely would be available for the season opener against the New York Giants on Sept. 5. But if the bleeding continues and he needs surgery, Witten would be sidelined indefinitely, according to the source.

Ideally, Witten can avoid surgery and his value will be largely unaffected. If Witten does have surgery, it could be done laparoscopically, which is less invasive than open surgery. Either way, recovery from surgery generally takes 4 to 6 weeks. If he were to have surgery at the beginning of next week, he would then be able to return somewhere in the Week 2 to Week 4 range. Given the depth at the tight end position, there's no reason for fantasy owners to draft Witten as a TE1. Owners who do draft him should make sure they have a solid TE2 in place.

Redskins RB Roy Helu said the Achilles tendinitis in his left foot is nothing new. He had cases of it as a rookie in 2011.

But there is a difference this time.

“It was nothing to this extreme,” he said.

Hence, Helu isn’t sure when he’ll return. He said he was going to talk to the trainers following an open locker room session with the media and that he wasn’t sure if he’d practice Tuesday afternoon.

More and more, it looks like Evan Royster has the inside track at the starting job.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said WR Andre Holmes “really stood out” Monday night and even hinted he might have put himself in the lead when it comes to the jumbled pack of backup receivers jostling for position.

Holmes caught two of his three passes on the Cowboys’ and the game’s only scoring drive. A 16-yard catch and then a 4-yard grab helped set up Dan Bailey’s field goal for the only point of the game.

The Broncos lost RB Ronnie Hillman to a hamstring strain. The hamstring is the same one that Hillman injured earlier in training camp, but Broncos coach John Fox said this injury wasn't as bad.

"You're never going to be 100 percent until a couple of months in, you've got to just fight through it," Hillman said.

In the three weeks Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill has been in training camp, he has done nothing to suggest he will not be a star in the NFL. He has a live arm. He is competitive. He is confident.

Oh, and he plays good.

Tannehill has looked so good he might get the starting nod in Friday’s second preseason game against Carolina as coaches let him do now the thing he was drafted to do eventually anyway — take over.

The arc of Tannehill’s progress suggests he will finish this season as Miami’s starter even if he doesn’t start it that way.

Cardinals RB Beanie Wells, coming off knee surgery, looked tentative during practice. And Ryan Williams, who opened eyes in training camp last year before tearing his patellar tendon in the preseason, has yet to play in a real game. Wells told me he felt rusty after returning to practice, but added he's eager to carry the load if asked. Whisenhunt said any fears he may have had about Wells' durability were answered last year, when the former Ohio State star fought through injuries to start 14 games and rush for 1,047 yards. It was the first time since entering the league in 2009 that he started more than two games.

Seahawks WR Sidney Rice practiced the first two weeks wearing a red jersey, denoting no contact. That's gone this week as Rice is now participating in team drills, and even diving for balls. Rice won't play in Saturday's exhibition game at Denver, but his practice regimen is a sign of progress and that he may indeed be ready when the regular season begins.

"This is his first week back, getting banged around so we'll give him some time," coach Pete Carroll said. "See how that goes."

When the Seahawks signed Terrell Owens and Braylon Edwards, it created some concern about the early-season availability of Rice, but his full contact participation in practice is a great sign.

Barring a Seahawks QB getting hurt this week, look for Tarvaris Jackson to be shopped.

With Matt Flynn set to get his second straight start, it appears that is his job to lose.

Signing RB Cedric Benson does deviate from GM Ted Thompson's draft-and-develop M.O. But with the injuries in the backfield, the Packers needed to add a back.

"We did a lot of work on Cedric, as you do at all positions, we were constantly watching tape," Thompson said Tuesday morning. "Eliot (Wolf) and his crew were doing up evaluations and we get together as a group and watch stuff. We like what we saw with Cedric, as we went further into training camp, we realized that you can never have enough horses. It’s a tough position to play, a tough position durability-wise to stay out there. We felt like he’d be a good addition to our group and we think he can help that group out.

"What that means, whether he’s the starter and all that, that will be determined down the road. We just felt like adding another quality back was good for us at this time."

Don't get too excited about Benson in the Green Bay offense that doesn't utilize any particular RB all that much. Benson is limited in the passing game, but he could steal some goal line carries from John Kuhn.

During voluntary workouts, organized team activities, minicamp and training camp, Lions WR Titus Young has been almost impossible to stop during practices. He has the unique combination of speed, cutting ability, and great hands. Young has noticeably stood out this offseason, and appears poised for a breakout year.

"(Lions offensive coordinator) Scott (Linehan) told me that I was basically the X-factor," Young said. "I feel like from last year, me and Scott, we had a relationship ... it's just like trust in a relationship. You have to build that, and throughout the whole year and offseason, I feel like I've been building his trust, and we've been able to talk.

"We've been able to communicate better, and he's been able to let me know what he really wants out of me. It's a joy to be able to come to work every day and your coach is excited about seeing what you can do, what he really wants out of me."

Redskins TE Fred Davis hasn’t been a favored target of QB Robert Griffin III throughout training camp. It’s WR Pierre Garcon. And it makes sense.

Why? Because of who Garcon is: competitive, strong, fast. That’s the sort of security blanket any young quarterback would want. And that’s why you see Griffin and Garcon connecting not only in Thursday’s game vs. Buffalo (three catches, 58 yards) but all throughout camp.

Meanwhile, Davis continues having a quiet camp. Maybe he’ll have a big year; he definitely has the talent. But Garcon is the guy that Griffin seems to trust most these days.

“Just his tenacity after he gets the ball,” Griffin said. “He’s confident going across the middle because he knows nobody can really punish him because of his body. He’s got great hands, downfield speed and he’s big and tough. He’s got the total package.”

Davis has been a guy we've been targeting in the 7th round, so this report is a little concerning. Griffin can't throw to Garcon on every pass play, so Davis should have plenty of opportunity to produce. On the flip side, Garcon has had a great camp and is slowly climbing up our rankings. He is currently our #29 WR.

Packers second-year back Alex Green has started to find his stride in practice. Green is cutting and sprinting with more confidence these last two practices and will probably get a longer look in Green Bay's next exhibition game. James Starks and Brandon Saine could lose ground.

Given how things are playing out, it would not be surprising if RB Adrian Peterson saw limited action and took contact on the knee for the first time in the Vikings' third preseason game on Aug. 24 against San Diego at the Metrodome.

HC Leslie Frazier did not discount having Peterson play, and other starters in as well, in the fourth preseason game on Aug. 30 at Houston, but that is the game in which most regulars are held out.

It's hard to believe the Vikings would put Peterson on the field with anything but the first unit.

After missing two weeks of training camp and being gone for a week for personal reasons, Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

An NFL source told the Tribune Urlacher underwent the procedure Tuesday, 26 days before the start of the regular season. The Bears and Urlacher have maintained all along that he will be ready to play against the Indianapolis Colts Sept. 9 at Soldier Field. It is unknown at this point if today's surgery will alter that timeline.

If this was a typical scope to clean out cartilage, recovery is generally 3–4 weeks. This is not a huge blow to the Bears defense, but his progress should be monitored.

Arizona plans to start QB Kevin Kolb against Oakland on Friday, however John Skelton is now considered the favorite to win starting QB job.

In seven starts and one near-start, John Skelton averaged 239 yards, 1.8 TDs and 1.4 INTs, which translates to QB16 numbers. More importantly (for the Cardinals), he went 6-2 in those eight games. Meanwhile, in eight full games (going 2-6) Kolb averaged 244 yards, 1.0 TDs and 1.1 INTs, which equate to QB18 numbers. Fantasy-wise, the starting QB for the Cardinals will likely put up solid QB2 numbers, but whoever wins the job will be on a short leash, and that makes it a situation to avoid.

However, the situation is important for Larry Fitzgerald, who caught 42 passes for 753 yards and six touchdowns in the eight games with John Skelton under center. He caught 38 passes for 658 yards and two touchdowns in the eight games where Kevin Kolb threw the most passes. Skelton targeted Fitzgerald 11.0 times per game. Kolb targeted Fitzgerald 8.1 times per game. Over the course of the season, Fitzgerald scored 43% more fantasy points with Skelton under center.

He always could change his mind, but Pittsburgh WR Mike Wallace is expected to report back to Steelers before the regular season begins.

Fantasy owners have to take a leap of faith when drafting Wallace because he could change his mind and hold out like Vincent Jackson did in 2010. He has not practiced with the team this off-season and has missed the installation of a new offense. He should be able to get up to speed quickly, but one wonders if he's in football shape.

Redskins RB Roy Helu has Achilles tendonitis.

This means the value on RB Evan Royster continues to go up. With Tim Hightower also trying to get back to 100-percent, Royster is still getting first team reps at camp and is closer to earning the starting job. We still caution that Royster isn't really a safe option in a Mike Shananhan offense, despite his ADP skyrocketing. We rank him 52nd among our backs. He'll likely go well before where we value him.

Titans coach Mike Munchak said QB Jake Locker will start Friday.

The team was alternating starts between Matt Hasselbeck and Locker. Locker is closing the gap on Hasselbeck for the starter job. Even if Hasselbeck wins the job, many feel it's just a matter of time before Locker, who has a much bigger upside, takes over.

Titans coach Mike Munchak says he doesn't want to put WR Kenny Britt on in season PUP.

Lions tight end Tony Scheffler has been incredibly consistent during training camp. He continues to make spectacular touchdown catches, and always finds a way to get open.

Giants WR Hakeem Nicks has passed his physical - per league rules regarding players coming off PUP, Nicks will be limited for the first three days.

Nicks is activated sooner than expected, which is good news for those targeting him in drafts, and for those who already spent a pick on him. We rank him 8th in standard leagues (13th in PPR). Nicks' ADP has him going in the middle of the fourth round, which is a nice spot to land him if you've targeted other areas for your first three picks. He'll form an impressive due with Victor Cruz, who we rank 5th.

As the Cardinals begin their fourth week of training camp, the competition between quarterbacks John Skelton and Kevin Kolb remains as tight as it was a month ago.

That's not good news for the Cardinals because the situation is unsettled for the worst possible reason: Neither player has distinguished himself.

"RB [Montario Hardesty] had a couple good hard runs the other night,'' Browns coach Pat Shurmur said. "He’s practiced extremely well. I think he had a good day today.

He’s a very willing guy. He’s kept himself healthy and he’s doing a heck of a job.''

It looks like Hardesty has an advantage over Brandon Jackson for the RB2 role on Cleveland. This is something worth noting if you already drafted RB Trent Richardson, or plan to.

Browns Rookie running back Trent Richardson has been rehabilitating at the Browns’ headquarters, coach Pat Shurmur said. Richardson had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee last Thursday.

“Trent’s here and he’s getting better,” Shurmur said. “When he’s ready, he’ll be out. But he’s here. He’s here all day long doing his thing trying to get healthy.”

Shurmur is hopeful Richardson can return by the start of the regular season. But Shurmur said he had no further update on a timetable for when Richardson is expected to be back.

It sounds like good news the team is at least hoping he'll play the opener against Philly in Week 1. If he doesn't, it certainly seems like he won't be too far away if all goes well. Richardson is still on pace to be a late first round, early second round target in fantasy leagues. Brandon Jackson or Montario Hardesty would likely get work if Richardson can't go, and for those who drafted already.

Cardinals RB Beanie Wells will increase practice load this week. To be determined if he will play against Raiders on Friday.

Rex Ryan says Santonio Holmes won't play this week vs. Giants.

Seattle rookie RB Robert Turbin has gotten more attention as the projected backup.

The Seahawks haven't heard whether RB Marshawn Lynch will face a suspension in relation to his pending DUI case. Teams wouldn't have to fear the ground game nearly as much if Lynch missed time.

Rams rookie WR Brian Quick, the first pick of the 2nd round, was mostly jammed at the line. He couldn't handle the Colts' aggressive press coverage. Welcome to the NFL.

From what I could see, Quick didn't seem to maintain speed going into, or coming out of, his breaks. This game is going to move a lot faster than what Quick saw at Appy State.

He'll need time to adjust. The question is, will he be able to adjust -- and if so, how soon?

There's a lot of pressure on Quick. Snead and the Rams' people hyped him up after making him a somewhat surprising pick. And when you hype a kid, fans and media immediately expect more from him. So if Quick gets off to a slow start in his rookie season, you'll see the Donnie Avery comparisons thrown at him right away.

Is it fair? No. But it is the NFL ... elsewhere: it looks like Austin Pettis, in his second season, has learned how to escape press coverage. He looked good ... if he stays healthy, Steve Smith should be able to help. Might turn out to be a smart signing. But again, it's only preseason.

The Garrett Hartley vs. John Kasay kicker race for the Saints will be won during preseason games and not the practice field as both players are proven veterans, even though Kasay is much more veteran than Hartley.

They've rotated on every kick during the preseason regardless of situation. But it's ended up with Kasay seeing the vast majority of field-goal attempts so far. The lefty is 2 of 4 on field goal tries in his first two games as he made kicks from 22 and 46 yards while missing from 41 and 54 yards. Hartley connected on his only attempt with a 27-yard kick.

Even though both kickers are listed as No. 1 on the depth chart, Kasay probably will have to beat out Hartley considering age and that Hartley has four years left on his latest contract. So it's Hartley's job judging by the early numbers.

The winner of this battle will likely be a highly-coveted kicker in your league. The only problem is the Saints are too good at converting drives into TDs, but regardless, whomever wins will get a lot of chances and points.

Saints RB Darren Sproles injured his knee during Patriots game. Coach Joe Vitt said Sproles will likely miss Jaguars game.

The injury isn't serious and the Saints are just being cautious with one of their biggest weapons.

Redskins wide receiver competition — Leonard Hankerson appeared to have an edge in the battle for the wideout spot opposite Pierre Garcon, but Josh Morgan — after a week on the sideline – had a decent showing in the preseason opener.

Santana Moss looks like the favorite at slot receiver, and then a gang of young players find themselves battling for the final few spots on a crowded receiver corps. Anthony Armstrong (shoulder) is expected to return to action after missing the last week.

Meanwhile Brandon Banks aims to bounce back from a disappointing preseason debut, and Aldrick Robinson and Terrence Austin also aim to catch up.

Panthers WR Brandon LaFell pretty much has locked up the No. 2 wide receiver job opposite Steve L Smith.

But there’s a logjam of receivers after that.

David Gettis, Louis Murphy and Seyi Ajirotutu seem to be competing for the No. 3 spot. But they might not all make the team. The Panthers also are high on younger receivers Kealoha Pilares, Joe Adams and Armanti Edwards, each of whom can contribute in the return game.

Edwards, whom the Panthers drafted as a project in 2010, has shown some promise in camp but probably isn’t going to make the roster ahead of Adams and Pilares.

Lafells could be inline for a breakout season, he's just going to need to see targets. We rank him 41st among our WRs and according to his ADP, he's not even getting drafted in standard leagues. He's someone to keep an eye on if you wait on WRs and end up needing some help, but until we see something, he's really just a flier right now.

The Chargers have issued a recovery timetable of four-to-six weeks for RB Ryan Mathews. Mathews said he thinks he'll be on the field in four weeks for the Chargers' Sept. 10 season opener in Oakland.

"I think I heal pretty fast," Mathews, 24, said. "I think I'll be good in time to play against the Raiders. ... I'm happy it happened now than against the Raiders. It's better that it happened now, just to get it out of the way. It gives me a few weeks to recover and get back at it."

Mathews said his doctor gave him three-to-six week timetable. He plans to continue training as his shoulder heals.

"My legs aren't broken," Mathews said. "I can still do stuff with my legs and everything. It's more just upper body stuff that I'll probably have to shy away from, but my legs work just fine."

A broken clavicle on Mathews' first preseason carry is certainly a concern, and risk of re-injury is there. However, Mathews was going as a top 5 pick in most leagues prior to this weekend. He is now falling into the 3rd round and is a value there if he indeed can return by Week 1 or Week 2, avoid re-injury, and prove effective. The points per game should be there for Mathews, it's just a matter of how many games he'll be able to play. The Chargers have no other talented runners, with Ronnie Brown and Curtis Brinkley next in line.

SI's Peter King counted 20 plays of 11-on-11 piloted by Robert Griffin III in the afternoon practice. Five were designed runs for Griffin.

On this afternoon, he ran it a lot better than he threw it. There's little doubt that Griffin's ability to run quarterback draws and rollouts and options will throw a wrench into opponents' preparation for Washington. But he wasn't getting hit in practice, obviously, and he will when the real games start -- maybe even when the Colts visit Washington in Week 3 of the preseason, and Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis get a few shots at him.

I talked to one influential Redskin source here, who said, basically, that Griffin ran with abandon for the past two years and didn't get hurt. I looked it up: 26 Baylor games, 328 rushes, 12.6 rushes per game, and he survived. But a 217-pound quarterback is risking his future if he runs 100 or so times a year in the NFL.

Just my gut feeling, but it sounds like the Redskins don't want Griffin sitting in the pocket behind such a shaky line -- and don't want him to completely change the way he played in college. Which, in essence, was as a young Mike Vick or young Steve Young.

We still rank RGIII as a high end QB2 to target later in drafts. He's going to have his growing pains, but his rushing ability could lead to some nice rushing yardage points and perhaps some TDs as well.

Bills coach Chan Gailey is biding his time with one of the more popular position battles going on in camp. More than two weeks into camp the Bills sideline boss gave an update on the number two receiver job, still giving the edge to Donald Jones.

“He is ahead as he was when he came here, but nothing is locked in granite right now,” said Gailey. “Everybody is still working to see where we’re going to play them. We’re going to play a lot of guys anyway.”

Gailey has been leaning Jones’ way since the spring and hasn’t changed his tune. Add in the fact that he believes Jones has improved his game and it’s his job to lose.

Buffalo Bills goal line didn’t happen until the very end of practice in the pouring rain, but it didn’t seem to affect the first team offense much. Head coach Chan Gailey had three consecutive run plays called for RB Fred Jackson and Jackson reached the end zone on all three.

Jackson and his offensive teammates were hooting it up getting louder with each successful carry. It re-emphasized what an emotional leader Jackson is on this team.

The Cowboys are without wide receiver Miles Austin for the preseason opener, who also has a hamstring strain.

Kevin Ogletree, who is subbing for Austin, and Dwayne Harris worked as the starting receivers to close Saturday's practice.

Austin has not practiced in a week because of his strain. He missed six games last season with two hamstring injuries, and the Cowboys will be cautious given his history with the injury.

Thus far the 35-year-old 49 WR Randy Moss has impressed teammates and coaches with his trademark speed and downfield ability on the field, and his willingness to mentor younger players off it.

Still, none of that will matter if he doesn't get it done in games. The 49ers likely will limit him to 20-25 plays a game to keep him fresh. If he's able to take the top off the defense and keep a safety deep, it'll create so many opportunities elsewhere that coordinator Greg Roman, who oversaw a unit that attempted the second-fewest passes in the league last year, will be kept awake at night pondering all the possibilities.

Roman not only has a new toy in Moss, but also wideouts Mario Manningham and top draft pick A.J. Jenkins, as well as rookie running back LaMichael James.

Obviously not good news for those looking to grab Moss. His limited plays will likely limit his point totals and it looks like he could be a hit and miss player every week, and that's a risky lineup play. We rank Moss 37th in standard leagues with his ADP in the 12th round.

The Miami Dolphins have just released WR Chad Johnson (Chad Ochocinco); scouts cleaned out his locker.

This was likely caused by Johnson's arrest for domestic violence on Saturday night. He allegedly head-butted his wife during an argument. Davone Bess, Brian Hartline, Legedu Naanee and Clyde Gates now sit atop the Dolphins WR depth chart with Matt Moore likely throwing the passes. Not a fantasy situation to get excited about outside of possibly Devone Bess as a late round flier who should put up consistently stomachable numbers.

According to John Oehser on Twitter, Jaguars WR Justin Blackmon has already been installed with the first-team offense in training camp practices.

Adam Schefter reports that the Packers have signed RB Cedric Benson to a one-year contract. With James Starks week-to-week with a turf toe injury and Alex Green still removing from ACL surgery, Benson will likely be in the mix for carries right away.

With James Starks still in the mix, no Packers RB appears to be draftable, although it seems likely Benson could be in line for the most carries. The upside is capped by an RBBC in a pass-first offense in which John Kuhn and Aaron Rodgers get most of rushing TDs.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that free agent WR Plaxico Burress is in route to New England and will work out for the Patriots.

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson has been removed from the active/PUP list according to beat writer Judd Zulgad. Peterson will resume practice and he now cannot start the regular season on reserve/PUP.

While AP still might miss preseason games, he appears to be on target to start Week 1 of the regular season.

We're starting to warm on Peterson as a third-round pick. While he likely wont be at 100% to start the season, 80% of Peterson is still pretty darn good.

According to the Packers official Twitter page, RB James Starks is week-to-week with turf toe.

"McCarthy: Starks - turf toe, is week to week. RB situation not healthy, and Alex Green on rep count."

The Packers are expected to sign free agent RB Cedric Benson according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

Packers LB Desmond Bishop is scheduled to undergo surgery to his injured right hamstring, and is likely to miss the entire regular season. He suffered the injury during Green Bay’s preseason opener on Thursday night.

We had Bishop ranked as our top IDP linebacker, so this is a huge blow for the Packers. We’ve now bumped Browns LB D’Qwell Jackson to the top spot although San Francisco’s Patrick Willis and St. Louis’ James Laurinaitis would be quality picks as well. D.J. Smith is now the favorite to start in the middle for the Packers.

According to the Miami Herald, Dolphins WR Chad Johnson was arrested over a domestic violence dispute with his wife, whom he allegedly head-butted.

The newspaper reports that the couple got into an argument when Johnson’s wife Evelyn Lozada found a receipt for condoms in their car. Johnson then allegedly head-butted her while the two were sitting in their driveway.

“She has a pretty good-sized laceration on her forehead,” Davie Police Capt. Dale Engle told the Miami Herald.

Johnson posted $2,500 bond on Sunday morning and his attorney had no comment when asked about his client’s situation.

KMBC 9 Kansas City said on Friday that Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe was ready to sign his tender and report to camp but it’s apparent that the report was untrue.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Bowe is unlikely to sign his franchise tender until before the start of the regular season. This comes on the heels of a ProFootballTalk.com report that stated KMBC 9’s information was erroneous. It appears the standoff between Bowe and the Chiefs will continue.

Texans WR Andre Johnson did not suit up for the team’s preseason opener on Saturday. Houston is playing it safe with Johnson, who injured his groin when training camp first opened. Unless he suffers a setback he should be active next week when the Texans play the 49ers.

The Panthers have agreed to terms with RB Jonathan Stewart on a five-year, $36.5 million extension according to Adam Caplan. The deal includes $22.5 million guaranteed, which is slightly more than the $21 million guaranteed that Carolina gave fellow RB DeAngelo Williams last summer.

Panthers GM Marty Hurney was on record saying that the team wouldn’t trade Stewart and apparently he wasn’t being coy. Stewart averaged 5.4 yards on 142 carries last season and will continue to line up in the same dangerous backfield that also includes Williams and QB Cam Newton.

This should have no impact on 2012, but for long-term Stewart owners this news is not welcome. We'll have to wait until 2013 to see what the Panthers decide to do with DeAngelo Williams who is signed through 2015. While many are speculating he will be released at some point next offseason, we think the Panthers have Stewart & DAW both locked up for a reason: the four-headed monster they have created was by design.

The battle between Bucs RBs Doug Martin and LeGarrette Blount to start at running back just got more muddied.

Coach Greg Schiano said that Tampa Bay’s backfield situation is still a “fluid situation” according to the Bucs’ official Twitter page. Schiano said he won’t “force” the situation and instead allow the “lead back emerge.”

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson could come off the PUP list as early as Sunday according to ESPN 1500 Twin Cities.

"We're going to discuss it," Frazier said. "We'll discuss where he is and what's the next step for him this week, whether we continue to work through rehab or how we want to approach it."

49ers OLB Aldon Smith suffered a bruised hip in the 49ers’ 17-6 win over the Vikings. He was carted to the locker room after limping off the field and after being examined on the bench for several minutes, he was taken to the locker room for further observations. That said, the injury initially appeared more serious than it really is.

“It looks like we’ll be all right,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Looks like we dodged a bullet there.”

The report that Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe signing his franchise tender and reporting to camp is untrue according to Profootballtalk.com.

“We can now report that the report that receiver Dwayne Bowe will report to the Chiefs is not true.

We can report this because a source with knowledge of the situation says that the report is “not true.”

KMBC News in Kansas City had reported on Friday that Bowe “reached an agreement” with the Chiefs.”

Eagles QB Michael Vick will return to practice on Saturday after the swelling in his thumb has gone “way down” according to beat writer Reuben Frank.

According to beat writer Ben Volin, Dolphins QB David Garrard was having trouble grasping the playbook before he suffered a knee injury that will require him to miss the next 2-4 weeks.

“While Garrard looked the best of the three QBs, he also had some trouble grasping the playbook. When the Dolphins run their no-huddle, up-tempo offense in practice, Garrard would sometimes need QB coach Zac Taylor to call in the play two or three times, or have a teammate explain the play to him, before recalling the play and everyone's responsibility.”

Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles says he felt fresh in Friday’s preseason opener against the Cardinals.

“My body hasn’t taken any licks in 11 months, so I feel really good and ready to go,” Charles said. “It was good just to be on the field again and running the ball again in a real live game.”

RB Cedric Benson is in Green Bay, expected to sign with Packers, per sources.

Apparently the Packers were not content with Starks's play in camp and against the Chargers last night. If Benson signs with the Packers, James Starks will become nearly undraftable.

Holdout wide receiver Dwayne Bowe has reached agreement with the Kansas City Chiefs over his contract dispute, a source has told KMBC 9 News.

This is great news for Bowe owners since he'll have plenty of time to learn a new offense.

Ryan Mathews' broken clavicle is expected to sideline him four to six weeks. A return on the early side, an orthopedic surgeon said Friday, would be highly irregular.

Dr. Daniel Kharrazi, an orthopedic surgeon at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, has his doubts. Team sources also conceded Friday that Mathews is likely to miss the start of the season.

"Frankly, I don't think most people would release him before six weeks," said Kharrazi, who hasn't worked on Mathews' case. "The healing time is four to six weeks. So, especially in a professional athlete, I think you're going to take the extra step to make sure it's 100 percent healed because you don't want it to get hit on, and if it's not properly healed, he can reinjure the shoulder. ...

"Obviously, athletes are really good at rehab, but I've never seen someone come back on the field following surgery from a clavicular fracture in four weeks. I think the earliest, earliest by far would be six weeks, if not a little bit longer than that."

Simply docking Mathews for two games would make him our RB7, but we moved him down a bit further to RB14 due to the sheer frequency of his injuries and the chances for re-injury. He's worth the risk in the 3rd round, but we don't recommend burning a 2nd-round pick on injury-prone RB who is very likely to miss at least two games.

Jay Glazer on Dolphins QB David Garrard: "Just got off phone w David Garrard, says he's getting his knee scoped tomorrow and docs tell him 2-4 weeks rec time. 'Nothing happened, just Father Time, wear and tear. They have to take out loose things floating around.'"

Garrard was the favorite to start, but this opens the door for Matt Moore or Ryan Tannehill to win the job.

Giants running backs coach Jerald Ingram on David Wilson:

“He is going to be an integral part of what we do this year somehow, some way,” Ingram said. “It may not be an awful lot because we know the defense gets paid, too. But he is going to be a contributor that they will at least have to try to defend because he does have that exceptional kind of speed that you’re looking for.”

Redskins WR Pierre Garcon caught 3 passes for 58 yards and a TD on Thursday night.

Redskins QB Robert Griffin III went 4-for-6 for 70 yards and a TD in his NFL debut.

Ravens TE Ed Dickson has a sprained shoulder. He'll have tests tomorrow.

The MRI came back negative, so expect Dickson to be ready for Week 1.

Falcons RB Jacquizz Rodgers carried the ball nine times for 33 yards and a touchdown on Thursday night. He had one catch for 3 yards.

Michael Turner carried the ball five times for 17 yards.

It's important not to read too much into preseason stats, But the Falcons appear determined to get Rodgers involved. However, his first touch didn't occur until the team's fourth drive in the 1st quarter.

Falcons WR Julio Jones caught 6 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in the 1st quarter on Thursday.

Broncos QB Peyton Manning completed 4-of-7 passes for 44 yards and an interception on a tipped ball intended for Brandon Stokley.

He threw a nice pass to WR Eric Decker (2-29) that was good for 19 yards and a 1st down.

Patriots RB Stevan Ridley got the start on Thursday and rushed eight times for 40 yards. He was not targeted in the passing game.

Shane Vereen rushed 11 times for 64 yards and caught two passes for 17 yards.

Steelers RB/WR Chris Rainey caught two passes for 65 yards and a TD on Thursday. He added four carries for one yard.

Packers LB Desmond Bishop sprained his knee and possibly injured his hamstring against the Chargers on Thursday night.

The Buffalo Bills let quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick run a wide-open passing attack Thursday night, but it didn’t get much done.

The Bills passed on all 16 of their offensive plays in the first quarter of the exhibition opener against the Washington Redskins. All the throws — over the course of four possessions — produced just two first downs, and the Bills’ starters were outscored by the Redskins’ starters, 7-3.

Fitzpatrick operated out of a no-huddle offense and called his own plays during the opening 15 minutes.

The Bills’ quarterback opted for the air game due to the fact the Redskins stayed in their 3-4 defense, even though the Bills spread out with four or five men in receiver positions on every play. The Bills used an empty backfield on about half their plays in the quarter.

The Bills at one of the best rushing attacks in 2011, so we question the wisdom of passing this much. Both Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller were non-factors.

HC Mike Munchak, QBs Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker have downplayed the significance of who’s starting Saturday and said the competition is expected to continue after the game.

“Like I said yesterday, it wasn’t a big decision,” Munchak said. “I think Matt deserves the start. If it means anything, it’s his hometown and where he’s played. He was a starter last year, so I think he should be the first one out of the box with the ball in his hand. Like I said, they’re both going to play the same, just like other positions, but that was kind of an easy thought going in that we’d let Matt start and go with Jake second.”

Dan Graziano of ESPN analyzes the preseason debut of Redskins RB Roy Helu.

Roy Helu: 4 carries, 17 yards, (4.3 ypc)

Positives: Helu was targeted twice by backup quarterback Rex Grossman. One of the passes was underthrown, and Helu caught the other, albeit for a loss of three yards. He is a better pass-catcher than Royster is, and while it has a ways to go, his pass protection is improving as well. He had a couple of nice runs, including an eight-yarder, at the start of his second series, though one was with the help of a holding penalty that was called and negated a four-yarder.

Negatives: He runs fine until he's hit, but he does not seem to do anything after contact. Again on Thursday, I did not see him break a tackle. Small sample size, but it backs up what we saw from him last year and even what we saw last week in practice, where they weren't tackling but he still seemed unable to do anything once he met resistance.

Dan Graziano of ESPN analyzes the preseason debut of Redskins RB Evan Royster.

Evan Royster: 7 carries, 21 yards (3.0 ypc) versus the Bills on Thursday night.

Positives: He was the starter for the game and ran with the first team, which I believe tells you something about the way the Redskins coaches view the current roster hierarchy. The people I spoke with in Ashburn last week indicated to me that they believe Royster to be the best runner of this group. He's shown an ability to break tackles that Roy Helu has not, and he's made some strides in pass protection, which may be the most important thing he can do if he wants carries in this offense. He had 22 yards on four carries, including a 12-yarder, on the Redskins' touchdown drive.

Negatives: He struggled to get going early, though it's hard to tell whether that was his fault or the fault of an offensive line that was missing three starters. He also dropped a handoff from Robert Griffin III that led to a turnover, though the fumble was charged to Griffin and did not seem to really be all Royster's fault. He was not targeted in the passing game.

LeGarrette Blount may now sit atop the Bucs’ depth chart at running back, and the competition between Blount and Martin may be a fair one, but Greg Schiano has already decided who he hopes will be his starting running back.

That would be Martin.

Schiano made the stunning revelation yesterday to former Dolphins tight end turned radio host Joe Rose on WQAM-AM 560 in Miami.

Joe Rose: A lot of people love your first three picks in this draft, from a safety to a running back to a linebacker. You expect all three guys, [Mark Barron], [Doug Martin] and [Lavonte David] to all start?

Greg Schiano: Sure hope so. Yeah. I mean they’ve been doing very well in camp. And, you know, I think they’re really talented guys and they pick things up very quickly, all three of them. So, that’s our hope. That’s our plan. But you know you can’t make stuff happen. It’s got to happen on the field. But I think it will.

We're not sure that we'd call this revelation “stunning,” and to be fair, Schiano was answering a question about three different players, but it does sound like he plans to start Martin eventually.

Bengals RB Bernard Scott injured his hand on Thursday night.

HC Marvin Lewis indicated that Scott would be available for the Sept. 10 regular-season opener in Baltimore but he didn't know when he could return to the preseason.

Ravens HC John Harbaugh said that wide receiver Torrey Smith sprained his right ankle and indicated that he could also miss some time as he waits for a full recovery. Smith downplayed the injury after the game by saying he didn’t even know he had suffered a sprain.

“I didn’t even know it was that,” Smith said, via the Baltimore Sun. “They just made me put ice on it. I’m all right.”

It doesn't sound as if the injury is too serious, and may actually help savvy fantasy owners who target Smith in the middle rounds.

The Eagles got a scare Thursday night when QB Michael Vick injured his left thumb.

Some good news came through after Vick left the game and was replaced by Nick Foles -- according to the Eagles, the X-ray on Vick's left thumb was negative.

Andy Reid said following the game that Vick suffered a thumb contusion after hitting a nerve on his thumb, but was "fine" by the end of the preseason game.

"By the end of the game, he was fine," Reid said after the game. "He could grip the ball."

It sounds as if the Eagles dodged a bullet, though this should serve as a reminder of Vick's injury history.

San Diego Chargers starting running back Ryan Mathews will undergo surgery Friday morning for a broken collarbone.

Mathews was injured on his first carry of the preseason in the first quarter of Thursday night's game against the Green Bay Packers. Coach Norv Turner has said he'll be out four to six weeks.

A four to six week timetable has Mathews returning within the first few weeks of the season. The Chargers have a wealth of unspectacular options behind Ryan Mathews in Ronnie Brown, Curtis Brinkley, Jackie Battle and LeRon McClain. We doubt any one back will take on a featured role as was the plan for Mathews. First round running back options are getting thinner by the day.

San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews took one carry in Thursday night's preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers and left with a shoulder injury, according to Scott Bair of The North County Times. Mathews gained 5 yards.

It's only one carry and one preseason game, but this has to worry the Chargers. It's a reminder how quickly the best-laid plans can be changed. The Chargers are very thin at running back behind Mathews with Ronnie Brown and Curtis Brinkley next in line.

Mathews was only slated for one series of work, so it's hard to say how much to take from his not returning to the game. If this turns out to be anything serious, Mathews will fall in the rankings and further cloud the first round running back picture.

The Browns issued a statement Thursday saying the running back, drafted No. 3 overall, had what the team termed "routine arthroscopic" surgery by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla.

Sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen on Wednesday the surgery would remove a "hang nail particle" of loose cartilage that was irritating Richardson's knee.

Richardson is expected to return before the regular-season opener, the sources told Mortensen. Another team source described the recovery as a "two-week deal."

A minor scope typically requires 3-4 weeks of recovery. Richardson slid a few spots in the RB rankings today to RB13. The Browns say they are "hopeful" Richardson will be ready for Week 1. Montario Hardesty looks set to start if Richardson misses time.

Bucky Brooks of NFL.com on the Seattle QB competition:

The Seahawks recently announced that QB Matt Flynn will start the first game of the preseason, and I fully expect him to have that job when the regular season opens. He looked completely comfortable directing the offense, displaying superb accuracy and ball placement in drills. I was impressed with Flynn's movement skills within the pocket during 11-on-11 drills, as well as his ability to extend plays with his feet. He repeatedly connected on deep throws after eluding pressure; that element of his game could enhance the Seahawks' offense. Veteran Tarvaris Jackson and rookie Russell Wilson certainly had their moments during camp, but the job seems like Flynn's to lose at this point.

Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin sat out tonight's preseason game against the Steelers with a hamstring injury.

The wide receiver injured his hamstring during pre-game warm-ups, the Eagles said. Rookie Damaris Johnson started in place of Maclin and caught the Eagles' first pass of the game for four yards.

Eagles coach Andy Reid did not include Maclin on his injury list Wednesday, nor was Maclin listed on the pre-game inactives list. The Eagles held a light mock game practice on Wednesday, had off on Tuesday and last practiced on Monday.

Maclin left the afternoon practice early that day with what the Eagles termed as "cramps."

Colts WR Austin Collie is starting off as the No. 2 receiver in a base offense that now features two tight ends. But he will move around, spending time outside and in the slot when the Colts put an extra wideout on the field.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew is no closer to returning to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the running back's holdout is expected to last until the end of the month, and potentially into September, a source familiar with the situation told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Thursday.

According to the source, the Jaguars and Jones-Drew have been in constant contact during his holdout, speaking almost daily. The communication between the sides was termed as cordial, the source said.

Jacksonville has said it will not renegotiate Jones-Drew's original five-year, $31 million deal, which has two years and roughly $9 million left on it.

Browns HC Pat Shurmur: "We anticipate that [RB Trent Richardson] will make a speedy recovery, and we are hopeful that he will be ready for our Week 1 game."

Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt took to social media on Wednesday to air out his frustration over a fine for missing an injury rehab session.

On his Instagram account, Britt posted a picture of a $9,915 fine on a piece of paper that says “2012 Tennessee Titans Fine Sheet.” Under the photo, Britt wrote: “Yu gotta be (expletive) kidding me.. walk back to dis.. Don’t dey know I have kids .. I’m tired of did (expletive).”

Britt, who spoke in the locker room after practice on Wednesday, could not be reached for comment after the Instagram post was discovered. Coach Mike Munchak was not immediately available for comment.

The fine was issued on Wednesday, after Britt apparently missed a rehab session on Tuesday.

Regardless of whether Braylon Edwards or Terrell Owens (or both) will be suited up for the Seahawks in Week One against the Cardinals, WR Sidney Rice says he will be.

In response to a report from Peter King of SI.com that Rice may not be ready for the regular-season opener due to shoulder and concussion issues, Rice tells Dave “Softy” Mahler of KJR radio in Seattle that Rice will play.

“I’m playing in the Cardinal game,” Rice said. “My plan is to be out there September 9 versus the Cardinals in Arizona.”

When practice concluded Tuesday, a reporter intercepted Bears rookie WR Alshon Jeffery and relayed the high praise from Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Tillman.

“The best way to say it is, he’s a Brandon Marshall in the making,” Tillman told the Sun-Times. “He has that capability to be as good as Brandon if he continues to have the work ethic and work on ball skills and work to be a better player. But he can definitely be on that level.”

While he doesn’t have blazing speed, Jeffery possesses good hands and an uncanny ability to use his 6-3 frame and 36½-inch vertical leap to haul in high passes over frustrated corners. He also has displayed better route-running skills than some projected and a willingness to block when he’s not the featured player on a particular play.

“He’s been outstanding,” coach Lovie Smith said. “He’s doing everything we ask him to, showing up, working hard. A rookie is supposed to come in and keep his mouth shut and learn and work hard and make plays, and he’s done all of that. It’s easy to like him.”

Jeffrey came into camp out of shape, but it appears those days are behind him. The team is desperate for playmakers in the passing game, so he should see enough snaps to be productive.

Miles Austin will leave it to everyone else to worry about his hamstrings. For now, the Cowboys wide receiver knows he can’t get caught up in his own injury background.

Austin missed much of training camp last year due to hamstring strains and was out for all or part of eight regular season games, never quite running with his usual burst. He has been out since last week with another hamstring injury and is unlikely to play in Monday’s preseason opener.

While the seemingly repetitive nature of the injuries is a red flag, Austin promises that he isn’t stressing about the latest injury, which has been classified only as tightness.

Austin battled hamstring strains throughout last season and it certainly impacted his play. The injury may very well be minor, but it's certainly a concern, especially for quarterback Tony Romo who doesn't enjoy a lot of depth at the WR position.

No indications Vikings RB Adrian Peterson won't be ready for opener at this point, HC Leslie Frazier says. But still unclear when he'll be off PUP. He'll be evaluated on Sunday.

Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt said he’s worried about a potential NFL suspension after his meeting on Monday with Commissioner Roger Goodell. Britt, in his first public comments of training camp, declined to discuss specifics of the meeting.

“It was a personal meeting and I would rather just wait and see what happens,” Britt said on Wednesday. “I am a man about what I did and I will take it on the chin on whatever he decides and move forward.

“What is my gut telling me? I really don’t know. He didn’t really give me any body language on what is going to happen. He just wasn’t really pleased about seeing me in there. No person would like to see a player in their office twice in one year.”

Despite the probable suspension, Britt is worth a look in the middle rounds because he'll provide top 10 production once he returns. The suspension will also give him a chance to get healthy.

Multiple sources tell ESPN Cleveland that the NFL is currently reviewing a failed drug test by Browns cornerback Joe Haden that could result in a four-game suspension.

One source said that Haden tested positive for the prescription drug Adderall during a routine, off-season test administered in accordance with the NFL’s policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

Adderall, which is commonly prescribed to treat attention deficit disorder and narcolepsy, is also used for excessive tiredness. It is on the NFL’s list of banned substances and is classified by the league as a stimulant.

Browns RB Trent Richardson's visit to Dr. Andrews includes tentatively scheduled arthroscopic surgery to clean up loose particle of cartilage.

If true, expect Richardson to miss 3 to 4 weeks due to recovery.

Redskins OC Kyle Shanahan on RB Evan Royster: “I think Evan [Royster] can be as good as he wants. He was a sixth-round draft pick. I don’t think many people expect a sixth-round draft pick to really come in and help a team right away. He was on the practice squad at the beginning. I think Evan eventually got thrown into a role and I think he saw in those games I can be pretty good in the NFL. I don’t know if he always totally knew that. With Evan, it’s about him realizing he can be as good as he wants. He can be a top back in this league."

When Shanahan was asked about Roy Helu, he answered the question briefly and then started discussing Royster again. It appears that Royster is a real threat to be the lead back in Washington.

Browns RB Trent Richardson will travel to Florida on Thursday to meet Dr. James Andrews, the physician who originally performed surgery on Richardson's knee in February.

Richardson has reportedly experienced some swelling in the knee and may merely need a cleanup. A minor scope typically requires 3-4 weeks of recovery. This is certainly a situation to monitor.

Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks may not have caught a pass or joined a single team drill Tuesday, but he still managed to give the team cause for optimism.

Nicks spent the afternoon running routes for the first time since breaking his right foot last spring.

Redskins WR Pierre Garcon dropped two passes during a session with the quarterbacks. Yes, that was his reputation in Indianapolis. The Redskins view him differently.

“I’m very impressed with how he handled himself,” coach Mike Shanahan said. “He has speed and explosion. He’ll block. He’s competitive. He has great hands. He will definitely be a big time receiver for our team. He is everything we’re hoping for.”

Garçon is an interesting player, but not only is he changing teams, he's also dealing with a rookie quarterback. He should be a decent WR3 available in the middle rounds.

Packers RB James Starks really needs to show up in the games. His practices aren't as good as they could be, and he seems to have regressed as a receiver. In front of the JUGS machine, Starks dropped two early in practice. Starks got a ton of snaps in practice Tuesday because Alex Green was resting his knee, and he showed some good moves. But it came without pads on. On Thursday, he needs to establish himself as the starter.

Browns WR Josh Gordon dropped a pinpoint pass from new starting QB Brandon Weeden over the middle. HC Pat Shurmur said the rookie, who didn't play at all last season at Utah, is among players pushing through normal midcamp fatigue.

Don’t count on seeing Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes on the field anytime soon.

Holmes, who injured his ribs in Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage, said he will be careful about returning too soon. He has not practiced since the injury.

Holmes said he suffered broken ribs in 2008 with the Steelers and this was related to that injury. He said he had some damage to the cartilage around the ribs and they may have “separated.” Holmes has not been ruled out of Friday’s game with the Bengals, but it seems highly unlikely he will play. He said he can’t move laterally.

This news will only serve to depress Holmes's ADP even further. It's not often that a WR1 with his talent is available in the 10th or 11th round. Sure, he has some attitude issues, but someone has to catch the ball for the Jets.

If wide receiver Jordy Nelson hasn't been the best player on the Green Bay Packers' practice field the last two weeks there certainly haven't been many better.

Beginning his fifth season, Nelson's inexorable march into the upper reaches of his profession has been on display daily at Nitschke Field.

"Wow!" wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett said Tuesday. "This guy just continues to improve. He is an elite receiver."

"He has those three 'S' words: size strength and speed," said Bennett. "This guy is a difference-maker."

Rams rookie WR Brian Quick seems to be getting past any initial rookie struggles. He’s been solid two days in a row and made a really impressive grab as he skied for the ball and a touchdown in the back left corner of the end zone late in practice.