Team news: Minnesota Vikings | Page 37

The Jared Goff, T.J. Hockenson connection looks ready.

The tweet went on to say the two worked on routes off to the side Tuesday. It was just them. In the 11-on-11 sessions, Goff repeatedly found his Hockenson, both over the middle and on out routes. Right now, Hockenson's the guy Goff seems to trust most in a tight window. It's not the first time we've the two had a connection. We have Hockenson ranked sixth among our TEs this season.

When a coach singles you out, as was the case with Trent Sherfield and Jauan Jennings, that’s a terrific sign that they’ll make the roster.

We know Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are locks to make the roster. So let’s add Mohamed Sanu to the list, which leaves one spot for Jalen Hurd, Nsimba Webster, River Cracraft, and Richie James.

The story says the 49ers top guys should remain at the top of the depth chart, but it's possible Shanahan was trying to get the attention of Samuel and Aiyuk, the author went on to say. It's seems to be a crowded position, but keep an eye out for Sherfield and Jennings.

Justin Jefferson (shoulder) already back in pads today.

The tweet said Jefferson got minimal 11-on-11 work, which is great news. He even caught a swing pass the tweet added.

Giants WR Darius Slayton told reporters that he and QB Daniel Jones has natural chemistry and see the game the same way according to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.

"Slayton flies under the radar right now as a key part of this offense, even if his role will be different with more bodies at the position," Leonard tweeted.

The third-year receiver accumulated 11 more receiving yards than his rookie season, but averaged six fewer yards per game. It is unknown how targets will be distributed with the arrivals of Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney, but a strong connection is valuable between a receiver and quarterback. Slayton is John Paulsen's WR81, 17 spots ahead of Toney and 26 spots behind Sterling Shepard.

Kylin Hill, running back: The rookie seventh-rounder has a little burst to him, and he’s also the front-runner to return kickoffs. Being able to contribute on special teams will be a requirement of the third running back.

Related players: Aaron Jones, A.J. Dillon

Maybe the biggest note to take away is the author speculated Hill could get 15-20% of the snaps as the team's RB3. The author said last year as the RB3, Dillon got a little less than 10% of the snaps, so the additional snaps will have to come from somewhere if Hill gets that kind of percentage.

Justin Jefferson should be back 'soon,' HC Mike Zimmer said.

Zimmer added "it's not a tweak" as far as Jefferson's shoulder injury goes. The tweet also said Zimmer wouldn't confirm the reported AC joint sprain. Whatever the issue is, it sounds like Jefferson avoided something major and will be back sooner than later.

Vikings WR left Friday's practice with a sprained AC joint according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

The injury is not considered serious according to Schefter's source, but video from practice did not give fantasy players a good feeling. This could have been worse (think broken collarbone) so this is "good news." More on this injury as it becomes available.

Darrell Henderson Jr. is penciled in as the Rams’ starting running back after Cam Akers tore his Achilles before training camp. That much we know.

What isn’t as clear is who will back up Henderson.

The Rams have Xavier Jones, Jake Funk, Raymond Calais and Otis Anderson on the 90-man roster right now, but they’ve combined to play zero offensive snaps in their NFL careers. So needless to say, there isn’t much experience at running back behind Henderson.

The story said Jones is the favorite to back him up after sticking with the Rams last season as an undrafted rookie. He’s getting more work in camp this year due to Akers’ absence and though it’s early, Sean McVay is encouraged by what he’s seen from Jones, as well as the Rams’ other backup running backs.

#Rams RB Cam Akers suffered a torn Achilles while training, per source.

Brutal blow for L.A., which loses its leading rusher from last season a week before camp begins.

With Cam Akers out, the next man up is Darrell Henderson. Henderson served as the Rams’ lead back from Week 2 to Week 7, racking up 86 total yards (4.84 YPC) and 0.67 touchdowns on 15.5 touches per game. Those are low-end RB1 numbers, which is the sort of production that we can expect from Henderson now that he finds himself in the lead role once again. With Malcolm Brown moving on to Miami, the Rams' depth chart behind Henderson now consists of 2020 7th-rounder Raymond Calais, 2021 7th-rounder Jake Funk, undrafted second-year player Xavier Jones and undrafted rookie Otis Anderson. The Rams' RB2 role will be a camp battle to monitor. The team is now a candidate to bring another veteran in (Todd Gurley?).

Filed to ESPN: Jets trading QB Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for a 2021 sixth-round pick and second- and fourth-round picks in 2022, per sources.

Sam Darnold will compete with Teddy Bridgewater in Carolina. There is plenty of fantasy-relevant talent on the Panthers' offense for either guy to throw to. Darnold's best season came in 2019 when he threw for 3,024 yards, 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with a receiving corps consisting of Jamison Crowder, Robby Anderson and an over-the-hill Demaryius Thomas, though Adam Gase was running the offense. Darnold be reunited with Anderson in Carolina and D.J. Moore will be the best receiver that Darnold has thrown to since entering the NFL. We have seen Ryan Tannehill thrive after parting ways with Gase--is Darnold the next reclamation project?