Team news: Cleveland Browns | Page 14

Per Adam Jahns, "I thought D'Onta Foreman would show more throughout camp. Instead, it’s Roschon Johnson, the rookie, who earned headlines with his play."

Related Players: Khalil Herbert

The team at the Athletic listed Roschon Johnson as the RB2, an eventuality that many of us considered from the time he was drafted. Johnson should see a lot of action on a team that runs so often, but his ceiling is very, very low as long as Khalil Herbert is healthy.

One to watch heading into the season: Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy is being carted off at practice with an apparent hamstring injury.

Related Players: Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Marquez Callaway, Kendall Hinton

Early prognosticators believe the best-case scenario would leave Jeudy out for Week 1, while something more severe could immediately land him on the PUP. It seems like even moderate timetables put him at a six-week recovery from today, so it would seem that he is going to be missing some game time regardless, unless we see an additional report about a mistaken diagnosis. Conservatively, we should be ignoring Jeudy at his ADP and push him far down draft boards until we hear otherwise.

Nick Chubb is as sure a thing as there is in the NFL at the top of the Browns’ running back depth chart. Things behind him are a little murky at the moment with Jerome Ford injured. Ford won’t practice the remainder of this week or play in Kansas City and is still a question mark for Week 1 against the Bengals.

Related Players: Demetric Felton, Jordan Wilkins

Kevin Stefanski said Ford is progressing but added his absence presents an opportunity for other players down the depth chart, like Demetric Felton Jr., newcomer Jordan Wilkins, and others. “I think it’s great competition,” Stefanski said. “Obviously unfortunate with Jerome’s injury, unfortunate for Jerome, but a great opportunity for those other guys to get good reps out here at practice, getting great reps in the game, so I think it’s a great competition in that entire room.”

Reading between the lines, it seems like Ford is still locked into the RB2 role, whether or not he's playing in Week 1. He still makes for an interesting late-round dart in best ball leagues but doesn't need to be drafted in most typical redraft leagues.

"And since (Roschon Johnson has) gotten in there, we really love the style. We’re just gonna keep letting that thing compete out where it belongs, and we’ll see where it goes."

Related players: Khalil Herbert, D'Onta Foreman

Fantasy opinions have been all over the place when it comes to Johnson and his potential, while reports so far say Herbert has had a great camp and will be tough to overtake as the RB1. Johnson got a couple reps with the first team in 11/11 and in the two min drill on Monday. Cronin said Bears coaches are impressed with what they've seen to give him a look with the starters. The unnamed coach in the post added about Johnson: "Just the running style. He’s a downhill guy that we’re excited about. He’s got good vision."

The Patriots are expected to sign former Cowboys star RB Ezekiel Elliott to a 1-year deal worth up to $6M after his successful FA visit earlier in camp.

Related players: Rhamondre Stevenson, Pierre Strong Jr., J.J. Taylor, Kevin Harris

As Rapoport added, New England loves Stevenson, but they’ve been seeking a running back to bang it between the tackles, while adding Elliott's prowess in pass blocking at the same time. The move seemed to be in the works for a while. Elliott is expected to take on a Damien Harris-type role in the Patriots offense, a role that saw Harris collect about 9-10 carries a game last season in 11 games. He ran for 4.36 YPA and added three TDs. Although older than Harris, Elliott could potentially see a similar workload, and he also has some pass-catching ability as well. Still, Elliott will likely be tough to trust even as a flex, at least early in the season until we see his role.

The Kansas City Chiefs expect wide receiver Kadarius Toney to play in their regular season opener against the Detroit Lions. Toney tore his meniscus at the Chiefs' opening practice of training camp and subsequently had surgery. He has yet to return to practice.

Related Players: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, Rashee Rice, Justin Watson, Richie James

The Chiefs are hopeful Toney, acquired from the New York Giants at midseason last year, can be their leading wide receiver. He played a big part in their Super Bowl LVII win over the Philadelphia Eagles, scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter and later setting up another with a 65-yard punt return. It would be nice to have some clarity on this WR room before Fantasy Draft Weekend, but it seems like we're just going to have to go with our gut and take whoever falls into the double-digit rounds. Skyy Moore currently seems like a good bet to beat his current 10.08 ADP.

Browns RB Jerome Ford was listed as inactive for the Hall of Fame game, alongside starting running back Nick Chubb.

Related Players: Demetric Felton, John Kelly

This is a good look for Jerome Ford, who has been forecasted as the RB2 in Cleveland throughout the preseason. Chubb should be the head and shoulders workhorse back for the Browns this season, but Ford's current ADP has him going all the way back in the 20th round. In deep leagues, Ford is absolutely worth a look.

The Patriots are hosting free agent RB Ezekiel Elliott on a visit today. The team has also had Dalvin Cook on its radar as it examines backfield additions behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson.

Related Players: Rhamondre Stevenson, Pierre Strong Jr, Ty Montgomery

This would be a gigantic damper on Stevenson's early down role, but it looks like the team is determined to find a FA veteran RB in the mix. Hopefully a prospective signing will continue to put a damper on his ADP, as he should still have a majority role in the offense.

According to a league source, the Chiefs are concerned that Toney could miss all of the practices at Missouri Western State, as the final day of camp is Aug. 17. The athletic training staff plans to be cautious with Toney, who has had numerous lower-body injuries throughout his three-year career. But the Chiefs are optimistic Toney will be available for the season opener Sept. 7 against the Detroit Lions.

Related Players: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, Rashee Rice, Richie James

As Taylor would continue, "One of the issues for the Chiefs is that they were expecting Toney to continue building his chemistry, timing and connection with Patrick Mahomes during camp."

This clearly sets Toney back, and he may not be back until early in the season. The injury could lock in roles for rookie Rashee Rice and veteran Richie James inside this explosive offense.

Bills RB Nyheim Hines suffered a significant knee injury off-site and is expected to miss the entire 2023 season. A tough break for Buffalo and the versatile Hines, who was acquired at the trade deadline last fall.

Related Players: Damien Harris, Latavius Murray

The Bills have been looking for a pass-catching back and missed out on nabbing J.D. McKissic, which led to their eventual trade for Hines last season. It looks like his role(s) will be filled in with what they currently have on their roster, but keep in mind that Josh Allen has been near the bottom of the league in running back target shares since coming into the NFL.
This makes James Cook slightly more compelling, but now is likely not the time to load up on him, seeing as he was going in the 8th and 9th rounds before this news. If his ADP sneaks up into the 6th on what is likely inconsequential news, stay away.