Dobbins: ‘I feel great’ after early camp injury

The most important takeaway is that McCaffrey has resumed practicing. Whether the planned aspect is true or not is secondary. That said, one wonders why the team chose to say their star running back was sidelined by “tightness,” rather than simply telling reporters he was taking veteran rest days, which is quite common for a 30-year-old player. McCaffrey said the team wanted him to “ramp up pretty big” early on, before taking time off, and later initiating another ramp-up period, “so we’re fresh for the duration.” McCaffrey says he feels “fresh” after taking nearly two weeks off. We would hope so. He’s a locked-in RB1 at this time.

Second-year Browns QB Shedeur Sanders outplayed veteran QB Deshaun Watson on Saturday. Watson then followed up his poor performance with an ill-advised press conference, in which he briefly touched on the fan base’s “disrespectful” reaction to his 2024 Achilles tendon rupture, among other things. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier today that the team must decide whether Watson is “in a good enough space to be the leader for this team,” adding that Sanders’ “presence” and “aura” have helped him curry favor with people in the Browns’ organization. At the end of the day, Sanders is likely the better bet to provide the requisite passing game stability for a couple of Browns’ pass catchers to maintain weekly starting consideration in fantasy, though Sanders himself is unlikely to be anything more than a QB2 in superflex leagues.

Things are still up in the air on this one. Harbaugh said it’s “a possibility” that Nabers ditches the red non-contact jersey, but added that he doesn’t think it’s “a necessity” to do so this week. The season opener is exactly three weeks away, so delaying the decision by a week might be fine. Nabers is seemingly on track to face the Cowboys in Week 1.

Harris missed a few practices last week with an undisclosed injury, and the team kept him inactive for Thursday’s preseason game against the 49ers. Reports on the matter have been sparse, but it appears as though Saturday’s limited session was his first action since the week prior. According to ESPN’s Kris Rhim, Harris snagged “a bunch of catches” before exiting team drills and spent “most of the day” working off to the side with Chargers trainers. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper has viewed Chargers WR Quentin Johnston as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver. Johnston dealt with a minor ankle injury last week, but Rhim says Johnston looks “healthy” after observing him come down with “a leaping touchdown grab during a red zone period.” Harris is attempting to unseat him, yet would still warrant a late-round fantasy draft pick even if he begins the season in his current No. 3 role.

Slater resumed practicing in a limited capacity yesterday after taking two weeks off due to a “little flare-up” in his surgically repaired knee. Slater, 27, suffered a season-ending patellar tendon rupture in August last year. A few weeks ago, the Chargers’ left tackle was reportedly working toward taking three reps in a row while improving his conditioning. It is unclear what type of progress, if any, he was able to make during his two-week absence, but we should find out soon enough. Coach Jim Harbaugh said he hopes to play his starters through two full drives in Thursday’s preseason game against the Rams. Hopefully, Slater accomplishes that feat without issue. Stay tuned.

This is worth keeping an eye on. Mitchell’s preseason usage indicates he is the Chargers’ clear-cut No. 2 running back, operating in what could be a FLEX-viable role. Mitchell played on 10-of-10 possible snaps across the Chargers’ second and third drives in last week’s preseason game before taking a trip to the blue medical tent. He avoided a trip to the locker room and was allowed to return to the sidelines thereafter. Although the latter aspect is encouraging, today’s absence suggests he is at least a minor injury. The coaching staff is not required to divulge injury information until Week 1 practices begin. Hopefully, someone digs up something useful on this, though. For now, keep drafting him as planned, but be on the lookout for updates.

Davis got the start in Saturday’s preseason game against the Cardinals, rushing five times for 29 yards while adding one catch for eight yards and a touchdown. The 27-year-old back has gained steam in recent weeks as the favorite to win the Cowboys’ RB2 job out of camp, but Machota also said he believes “Jaydon Blue takes (the RB2 job) during the season.” Blue rushed 15 times for a team-high 75 yards in Saturday’s win over the Cardinals, ripping off multiple chunk gains on the day. While we still have one preseason game left to go, it sounds like fantasy managers looking for the handcuff to Javonte Williams should target Davis in the late/final rounds of drafts at this point.

On the same day the Niners saw George Kittle return from his Achilles injury, the team also got back McCaffrey, who had been sidelined since August 10th due to his “tightness.” Assuming he doesn’t miss any more time and we don’t hear anything else about this injury or a new one, McCaffrey appears to be in good shape to be ready in time for the Niners’ Week 1 opener when they take on the Rams in Australia 18 days from now.

Price was dealing with some “upper-leg soreness” a few weeks ago, but returned to last week’s joint practice with the Titans in a limited capacity. The rookie first-rounder, however, won’t be on the field when the Seahawks face the Titans on Sunday night, and he’ll also forego the team’s final preseason game against the Chiefs before suiting up for Week 1 when the Seahawks play host to the Patriots. Price has taken first-team reps with the Seahawks in camp and has been working on his pass-catching abilities. While we don’t quite know what to expect for his role early in the season, we would expect him to fall somewhere in the RB2 conversation for fantasy purposes this season.

It has been reported multiple times this offseason that Kittle could have a chance to be ready in time for the 49ers’ Week 1 game against the Rams in Australia. The decision to activate him from the PUP list on Sunday is the most encouraging sign we have seen to date that a Week 1 return is possible, as the team will now prepare to ramp him up in the coming weeks to see how his surgically repaired Achilles holds up. Kittle underwent surgery to repair his Achilles in mid-January, so he’s just over seven months removed from a surgery that typically sidelines players for 9-12 months. The 32-year-old tight end would be a welcome addition to a receiving corps that’s been decimated by injuries in camp, so his progress will be one to monitor in the weeks ahead.