Team news: New England Patriots | Page 6

The #Vikings are placing their superstar WR Justin Jefferson on injured reserve.

Related players: Jordan Addison, K.J. Osborn, Jalen Nailor, T.J. Hockenson, Alexander Mattison

The exact timetable is to be determined and depends on how he responds to treatment, according to Pelissero, but he's going to miss at least the next four games. It's a huge loss for the Vikings who have struggled to start the season, and it's a huge loss for fantasy owners who likely drafted Jefferson first overall this summer. Pelissero mentioned the Vikings will now lean on players like Addison, Osborn and Hockenson in the passing game, and Mattison could be more involved as well out of the backfield.

Multiple team sources believe Smith-Schuster is not presently among the team’s five most effective pass-catchers. According to those same sources, his place in the offense has been complicated by a variety of factors. His knee, flatly, is not 100%. Asked whether Smith-Schuster was healthy enough to finish Sunday’s game, Pats coach Bill Belichick dodged the question in his Wednesday morning press conference.

Related Players: Demario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte

It's been a long time since we've been able to trust a Patriots receiver to deliver consistently, and some thought that maybe Smith-Schuster could finally be that answer. Things aren't looking great right now. Three different options took more slot snaps than the former Chief, including both tight ends, Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki. Smith-Schuster can be safely dropped in most leagues.

Jaguars have trimmed their roster to 53.

They waived 2022 5th round pick RB Snoop Conner and three 2023 late round picks: TE/FB Derek Parish, S Erick Hallett II & DL Raymond Vohasek.

Related players: Travis Etienne, Tank Bigsby, JaMycal Hasty, D'Ernest Johnson

The Jags have themselves a pretty deep running back room. The emergence of Bigsby over the summer meant Conner's spot on the roster was in danger. With Etienne and Bigsby firmly at the top, Hasty established himself as a change of pace back last season. The team also signed Johnson in the offseason, who of course flashed with the Browns when getting chances behind Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb.

Jaguars Tank Bigsby led all RBs this preseason with 5 runs of 10+ runs.

Related players: Travis Etienne, JaMycal Hasty, D'Ernest Johnson, Snoop Conner

Bigsby finished with 28 attempts for 159 yards, 83 of those after contact, according to the post. Preseason stats don't get you fantasy points, but Etienne owners should maybe take note. It appears Bigsby has climbed to the RB2 spot on the depth chart ahead of established players like Hasty and Johnson. Bigsby has stood out all through camp, so if you can somehow manage to draft Etienne and Bigsby it may help your RB situation. Etienne can be had in the third round while Bigsby is going in the 12th.

Sam Howell will start the season opener at quarterback for the Washington Commanders, coach Ron Rivera said Friday, ending what had been a one-sided competition for the job. Howell has worked only with the starters since spring practices began. He has taken all but several reps with the starters; Jacoby Brissett, signed in the offseason, took his place for a handful of snaps before the preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns.

On the surface, Howell is surrounded by a lot of talent, but he will be the most unproven commodity at the position outside of the incoming rookie class. Howell did show a bit with his legs in limited action last year and should firmly be on 2QB/SF radars.

Patriots TE Mike Gesicki suffered a mild dislocated shoulder during yesterday’s practice, source said.

Related players: Hunter Henry

As Rapoport pointed out, Gesicki has been impressive so far in camp. Rapoport added while nothing is given, the hope is he’s back for Week 1 despite the AC joint injury. As we stated yesterday, we do rank Henry higher than Gesicki on our TE list.

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.

Patriots TE Mike Gesicki left practice early with an upper body injury.

Related players: Hunter Henry

The post said Gesicki got hurt on a tackling drill against LB Jahlani Tavai. Gesicki walked off in pain with the head trainer grabbing under his shoulder pads, and he didn't return. While Gesicki was starting to get noticed at camp recently, we still rank him 31st on our TE list and below Henry, who is 20th.