RB Kevin Smith & TE Brandon Pettigrew Back On Practice Field

Jul 13, 2010

RB Kevin Smith (right knee) and TE Brandon Pettigrew (left knee) have progressed as scheduled this offseason, and were far enough along in their recovery to take part in team drills during June's mini-camp.

Both said they should be 100 percent medically cleared by the end of the month, but the Lions are going to bring them along slowly. Team officials also made sure they had a backup plan in place -- they traded for veteran TE Tony Scheffler and drafted RB Jahvid Best .

In Smith's case, this year (his third) is a make or break season, especially with Best on board. Last season was a tough one for Smith physically (shoulders, knee injuries) and performance-wise (747 yards, four TDs). He rushed for 100 yards just once.

Pettigrew, however, was coming into his own with 15 catches in three games before his injury. The Lions are hoping to run more two tight end sets, and how quickly Pettigrew returns will be key in the implementation.

Fantasy Impact:

Great news for both players as they recover from serious injuries. A variety of players will be impacted (fantasy-wise) should they return at 100%.

yesterday

Broncos waive TE Greg Dulcich

Pro Football Talk

yesterday · 6:46 PM EST

The NFL’s transaction report for Monday shows that the Broncos have waived Greg Dulcich off the 53-man roster.

Fantasy Impact:

Dulcich was a 2022 third-round pick and he caught 33 passes for 411 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games during his rookie season, the story pointed out. Those numbers made him a hot prospect for a while, however, hamstring injuries have caused him to fall off the fantasy radar. He's been inactive for the team's last eight games, the story added.

49ers QB Brock Purdy does light throwing with no issues

Pro Football Talk

yesterday · 5:18 PM EST

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy did some light throwing without issue Monday, coach Kyle Shanahan said.

Purdy, who missed Sunday’s game with right shoulder soreness, will rest Tuesday.

“We’ll see how it feels on Wednesday,” Shanahan said, via KNBR. “Hopefully, it responds better this week than it did last week with the rest.”

Fantasy Impact:

Purdy appeared to injure the shoulder when his hand hit the arm of Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon as he released a pass early in the fourth quarter in Week 11, the story said. The story added the 49ers, though, don’t know specifically when Purdy injured it as he not miss time in that game with the injury.
An MRI showed no damage but after experiencing soreness Purdy got a second MRI last week. The Niners will need Purdy in Week 13 when they travel to the Bills in a Sunday night game. Those counting on Purdy may need to have a backup plan in place this week.

QB Daniel Jones clears waivers and is a free agent

Pro Football Talk

yesterday · 4:33 PM EST

Quarterback Daniel Jones cleared waivers as expected Monday, making him a free agent.

Jones now is free to sign with any team.

Fantasy Impact:

The story said a team claiming him off waivers would have had to pay Jones $11.83 million for the rest of the year and assume $23 million in injury guarantees. The Giants now are responsible for the $11.83 million. The story also added, 10 teams reportedly already have reached out to Jones. The story suggested Jones' best move would be to sign to a contender’s practice squad because it would allow Jones to sign to the active roster of a different team if a starter gets injured. The Ravens, Vikings and Raiders have been rumored to be interested in Jones.