Team news: New York Jets | Page 74

In a post-Jordy Nelson world, the Green Bay Packers are looking for someone to fill the void left by their sidelined big-name wideout.

As predicted, third-rounder Ty Montgomery appears to be the guy.

On the first snap of Tuesday's practice, the offense lined up in a three-receiver set with Randall Cobb wedged in the slot between Davante Adams and Montgomery out wide, according to ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky.

That lines up with what the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel projected Monday after the team announced that Nelson will miss the remainder of the 2015 season with a significant right knee injury.

Future practice time and game snaps will sort this out, but Montgomery holds the early lead over Jeff Janis, the second-year target still seen as a project despite his Nelson-like measurements. (Nelson is listed at 6-foot-3 and 217 pounds, while Janis measures in at 6-foot-3 and 219 pounds.) Both Adams' and Montgomery's values are climbing in fantasy drafts, especially Adams who is all the way up to 18th on our WR list.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Nelson, one of the top targets for NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, was injured Sunday in a preseason loss at Pittsburgh. The team said Monday only that he suffered a "significant right knee injury" that would cost him the season.

Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said the team had hoped for good news in a re-evaluation of Nelson's injury. Instead, the Packers will be without a playmaker who set career highs in receptions (98) and yards receiving (1,519) in 2014.

There was some hope leading up to Monday's MRI since Nelson was moving around on the sideline and walked to the locker room under his own power after the injury. The team is still only calling it a significant knee injury, however reports surfacing from Sunday said it was an ACL tear.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and coach Mike McCarthy almost certainly won't ask any one player to take on the kind of yeoman's work that WR Jordy Nelson gave them, but they've made it clear throughout the offseason that Davante Adams was ready to a step forward even with Nelson in the mix. This spring, McCarthy called him the MVP of the offseason after Rodgers said he has a "humongous upside, and he's starting to reach that upside."

The Packers might look to add a veteran receiver but if not, then Jeff Janis and Ty Montgomery will get increased opportunities. Physically, Janis (at 6-3, 219) most resembles Nelson, but he remains raw. He played in only three games last year as a rookie, although he has three preseason touchdown catches in his career. The rookie Montgomery, a third-round pick, has proven to be a quick study and can probably play on the edge or in the slot. Packers college scout Sam Seale described the 6-foot Montgomery as a bigger Cobb.

"We've got a lot of guys right now fighting for spots, and we're still trying to figure out who's going to be the impact players for us on our team," Aaron Rodgers said. "That could change after this week or that could not. We'll see what happens."

The Packers seem confident in their depth but it remains to be seen how they react to the potential loss of Nelson if the ACL reports prove to be true. The story went on to say in the red zone, they already were preparing for Richard Rodgers to play a bigger role, and the second-year tight end showed his potential in that area of the field with a 21-yard touchdown catch from backup quarterback Scott Tolzien in the second quarter Sunday.

Aaron Rodgers would leave Sunday's game to injury, after being sacked for a safety by James Harrison late in the first quarter. Rodgers sustained a bruise to his right arm. Mike McCarthy said Rodgers would’ve remained in the game had it been the regular season.

“Into the second quarter was the plan. Aaron got hit on the sack but it was nothing that he couldn’t play in the game,” McCarthy said.

The real focus was on the loss of WR Jordy Nelson to an ACL injury, but the Packers were taking no chances with Rodgers. He should have no issues for Week 1 since McCarthy said he would have returned had the game counted in the standings.

Despite being surrounded by only laughable talent — nothing but down-roster receivers and emergency-signee running backs — the Bills shifty QB, Tyrod Taylor, impressed for the second time in as many preseason games.

Only this time, he showed he could do it not just when pass plays break down, but from the pocket, an integral and increasingly elusive attribute in the 2010s NFL.

In front of as many empty orange seats as people at FirstEnergy Stadium, Taylor was sharp through the air (7-of-10 for 65 yards), deadly on the ground (four keepers for 41 yards) and smart with his decisions on his three first-half drives.

The Bills are desperate for good play out of the quarterback position, and Taylor is pushing Matt Cassel hard for the starting job. There are some weapons in the passing game -- Sammy Watkins, Percy Harvin, Robert Woods, Charles Clay and LeSean McCoy -- so Taylor could work his way into the streaming/QBBC conversation if he wins the starting job.

Packers HC Mike McCarthy on WR Davante Adams: "I think he's had a heck of a camp. Looking for big things from him."

Adams had his moments during his rookie season, specifically against the Patriots (6-121 on 11 targets) in Week 13 and in the postseason against the Cowboys (7-117-1 on 11 targets). However, he only saw 66 passes come his way since he played alongside target hogs Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Aaron Rodgers has been highly complimentary of Adams this offseason and says he has “humongous upside.” In 20 games from 2012-13, the team’s WR3, James Jones, managed WR3-type numbers (3.7-50.3-.60 on 5.6 targets) with both Cobb and Nelson in the lineup, but that was mainly due to his unusually high TD rate. In 13 games that Cobb and/or Nelson missed, Jones averaged solid WR2 numbers (4.6-58-.46 on 7.3 targets), but his TD rate regressed. We’re bullish on Adams since he has more potential than Jones. The Packers are also without a tight end of Jermichael Finley’s caliber, so there may be more targets available for the team’s third receiver. Owners should expect fantasy WR2 numbers if Cobb or Nelson go down, making the second-year wideout a great handcuff for either player.

In Friday night’s preseason Week 1 match-up, the Buffalo Bills held their own in a tight 25-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Among the three quarterbacks competing for the starting job, Tyrod Taylor was arguably the most impressive of the bunch. He managed to convert his two drives into touchdowns and also put his feet to work, tallying 47 yards on the ground in six rushing attempts. Additionally, Taylor completed 5 of 8 pass attempts for 49 yards.

This was enough progress for head coach Rex Ryan to decide that Taylor will start in the second preseason game against the Cleveland Browns next Thursday.

Quarterback Matt Cassel, who opened for the Bills in Week 1 as the starter, passed for 45 yards on seven completions. E.J. Manuel was hit-and-miss, completing 4 of 8 passes for 77 yards, which included a 51-yard touchdown bomb to Deonte Thompson. He also had trouble with snaps, which resulted in a couple fumbles, the story said. The piece added: Ryan all along has talked up Taylor, despite his limited NFL starting experience as the Baltimore Ravens' backup quarterback for four years. During that time, he completed 19 of 35 passes for 199 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions. Maybe the purpose behind Ryan's decision is it serves as a wake-up call for either Cassel for Manuel to step up and win the job.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers might have found a new favorite target in the red zone. So far in training camp, the second-year tight end has become a frequent target for Rodgers inside the 20. Combine that with the fact that Andrew Quarless could be suspended to start the season, and Richard Rodgers should get a lot of action.

Rodgers caught 20 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie. We shouldn’t be too quick to write him off as a budding fantasy asset since rookie tight ends rarely make much of a fantasy impact. Andrew Quarless is dealing with a legal issue and may be suspended to start the season, which opens the door for Rodgers to play big snaps. He is reportedly a ‘frequent target’ in the red zone in practice, so it’s possible that he works his way into TE2 numbers in his second season.