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    Lemon (hammy) believes he will be ready for Week 1

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    PHI Wide Receiver #9
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    Eagles WR Makai Lemon said he believes he will be ready to play in Week 1 against the Commanders.

    Lemon returned to practice last week and was seen running with the first-team offense on Monday. Speaking with the media after Monday’s practice, Lemon confirmed that the hamstring injury he had been dealing with was in the same leg that had given him problems earlier this offseason. He’s missed a lot of time, but the rookie first-rounder has just under three weeks to get up to speed and be ready for the season opener, so we’ll see if he can get there. Lemon is worth a late-round pick in fantasy drafts, but shouldn’t be put in lineups until we see how he’s used in game situations.
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  • PHI Wide Receiver #9
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    Lemon was back at practice for the first time in weeks. The first-round receiver missed most of minicamp and training camp up to this point with a hamstring injury. While Lemon is playing from behind, there’s plenty of time for him to work his way into the offensive game plan ahead of the Eagles’ Week 1 matchup against the Commanders.
  • PHI Wide Receiver #9
    The rookie first-round pick has been sidelined for nearly two weeks with the hamstring issue, as DeVonta Smith deals with his own hamstring injury. While Lemon was seen running on the side at practice earlier this week, the Eagles will probably be careful with the wideout ahead of their Week 1 game against Washington. Lemon should operate as the team’s WR2 when healthy.
  • PHI Wide Receiver #9
    The good news: Eagles GM Howie Roseman didn’t seem overly concerned that Lemon wasn’t practicing during an interview with Kay Adams on Friday. Lemon also was seen catching passes from the JUGS machine on Saturday. Still, it’s the fourth consecutive missed practice for the rookie receiver who also missed time during minicamp. Lemon is starting from behind, but it’s important to remember how long the 17-game NFL season is. The Eagles will certainly need production from Lemon at some point as the team revises its passing attack without A.J. Brown.
  • PHI Wide Receiver #6
    It’s a blow to the Eagles as first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion uses training camp to install his system and ensure the team’s key players — including Lemon and Smith — are acclimated to the offense before the regular season. Hopefully the Eagles’ top two wideouts don’t miss much time with the soft tissue injuries. We can expect Eagles coaches to be cautious with Smith, the team’s new No. 1 receiver, and Lemon, who will likely play primarily from the slot in 2026. The Athletic’s Zach Berman said this week that the team “seems committed to finding ways to get [Lemon] the ball.”
  • PHI Wide Receiver #9
    Lemon has been working with the first-team offense, and this is all broadly encouraging for the idea that he can be a viable fantasy receiver in his rookie season. Lemon missed a chunk of offseason activities with a hamstring injury but it looks like he’s making a good mark early in training camp. He’s currently coming off the board just inside the top 40 wideouts on most sites by ADP.
  • PHI Wide Receiver
    Lemon has been sidelined with a hamstring injury for most of the offseason, but the 20th overall pick of this year’s draft is preparing to be a full go when the Eagles first take the practice field on July 29th. Lemon is expected to take on a big role in his first season after the Eagles traded A.J. Brown to the Patriots last month, but whether or not that translates into a breakout rookie campaign is to be determined. DeVonta Smith has been the talk of the offseason for the Eagles and is expected to command a significant portion of the targets in his first season as the WR1, and Philly has been among the most run-heavy teams in the league since signing Saquon Barkley in 2024. Given his time away, the camp reports on Lemon will be one to keep an eye on as this will be our first real look at him since his last season at USC.
  • PHI Wide Receiver
    No major cause for concern just yet, but it’s worth monitoring how he rebounds from a hamstring injury. With A.J. Brown now officially on the Patriots, Lemon is ticketed for a fairly big role in Philadelphia’s new offense in his rookie season. We’d be surprised if it had major breakout potential, but a WR3 season is probably in the range of outcomes if everything goes right.
  • PHI Quarterback #1
    Under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, who will reportedly have “total authority” over the team’s offense, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles will have to learn an entirely new playbook predicated on the concepts that have made Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers and Sean McVay’s Rams two of the league’s most efficient offenses. This is very much in line with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie pledging in April that the team would implement “significant offensive changes” after a 2025 campaign in which they ranked 17th in EPA per play, in line with the Texans and Falcons. Depending on which version of the Shanny/McVay offense Mannion installs, Saquon Barkley could see more pass-game involvement while short-area pass catchers like Dallas Goedert and rookie Makai Lemon see plenty of looks from Hurts, who last year ranked 14th out of 45 qualifying quarterbacks in accuracy on short throws. In 2024, Hurts led all QBs in accuracy on attempts between 1-10 yards.
  • PHI Wide Receiver
    Lemon’s $20.8 million deal is fully guaranteed and includes an $11.5 million signing bonus. The former USC wide receiver posted a 79/1,156/11 receiving line last year and brings inside-outside versatility to the Eagles’ offense. With WR A.J. Brown still on the roster, Lemon slots in as the No. 3 wide receiver. If and when Brown gets traded, Lemon should have the inside track for the No. 2 role, though he may have to fend off veterans, WR Dontayvion Wicks and WR Hollywood Brown, in training camp.
  • PHI Wide Receiver
    Per Fowler, Jets TE Kenyon Sadiq “was also believed to be part of the Rams’ first-round conversation at some point,” along with Cowboys S Caleb Downs. Both the former USC wide receiver and the former Oregon tight end were available when the Rams were on the clock. The former Ohio State safety was taken two picks earlier. The Rams are slated to pick 29th in Rounds 2 and 3 today. Given their interest in Lemon, a slot/Z-receiver, and Sadiq, a receiving tight end, it would be unsurprising to see them draft a pass catcher today.

Rotoworld

  • DET Tight End #87
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    Lions TE Sam LaPorta (hip) resumed practicing on Tuesday.

    LaPorta’s hip issue no longer appears to be a concern. The 25-year-old has continued practicing as the week progresses. He was out there catching passes from QB Jared Goff during Friday’s scrimmage. LaPorta is a locked-in TE1, playing in what should be one of the NFL’s highest-scoring offenses this season.
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    Lions placed EDGE Payton Turner on injured reserve with a back injury.

    This is unfortunate. Turner missed the 2025 season with a ribs injury. Now, a back injury ends his season prematurely. The Lions correspondingly signed CB Eric Scott.
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    Mass Live’s Mark Daniels believes Patriots TE Hunter Henry “will be important” this year.

    Daniels adds that third-round rookie TE Eli Raridon “looks the part,” but he believes Henry is “by far the team’s best tight end and once again will be a security blanket” for QB Drake Maye. Henry posted a 6/768/7 receiving line in 2025 and a 66/674/ receiving line in 2024. A similar stat line this year would be unsurprising.
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    ESPN’s Nate Taylor reports that the Chiefs are counting on RB Kenneth Walker to help build a “more potent offense” this season.

    Chiefs coach Andy Reid and QB Patrick Mahomes believe last season’s run game failed to make defenses respect their play-action run fakes. With Walker now on board, the Chiefs believe both the run game and play-action game will improve. The staff has catered to Walker by installing more plays from under center, which Walker prefers to shotgun. “One way Walker can help transform the offense,” per Taylor, “is by becoming a true dual-threat player.” Reid believes Walker’s “receiving skills and ability to make defenders miss” will allow Reid to incorporate “one of his favorite passing concepts: the variety of plays where a play-action fake to the running back is executed before a short screen pass is thrown back to the same running back.” Walker should be expected to handle a high-end, dual-threat workload. He is a locked-in RB1 with immense upside.
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    The Boston Globe’s Christopher Price reports that Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) should be “good to go” for Week 1 against the Seahawks.

    According to Price, a league source indicated Henderson “avoided a serious right ankle injury when he slipped on the turf at practice earlier in the week.” Henderson is still trying to unseat RB Rhamondre Stevenson as the team’s starter and will likely continue competing for the gig in-season. Henderson, 23, possesses intriguing, explosive dual-threat traits. Drafting him may require patience early on, but the payoff could be worth it.
  • PIT Running Back #20
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    The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo believes it is “increasingly likely” that the Steelers will waive RB Kaleb Johnson.

    The Steelers’ front office spent a third-round pick on Johnson in the 2025 NFL Draft. He has drastically underperformed since then, and could probably do with a change of scenery. DeFabo also thinks that RB/WR Eli Heidenreich “is a good candidate for the practice squad.”
  • PIT Cornerback #24
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    ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Steelers and CB Joey Porter do not “appear” to be close to a contract extension.

    Schefter notes that Porter remains on the physically unable to perform list with a back injury, yet adds that “backs are often confused with contract-itis.” He stopped short of saying that Porter is on the trade block, but reminded Pat McAfee Show viewers that the NFL’s cut-down deadline is this weekend, and that “a lot of trades” occur around this time of year. Stay tuned.
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    ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Patriots and CB Christian Gonzalez “haven’t been close” to agreeing on a contract extension.

    Gonzalez employs the same agent as Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon, who recently reset the positional market at $33 million per year. According to Schefter, the Patriots have never come close to that number. The Patriots exercised Gonzalez’s fifth-year option in April, so Gonzalez has two seasons remaining on his contract. Schefter believes that if the two sides fail to agree on a new deal early in the year, it “opens up a whole range of options” next offseason, like a potential trade.
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    Browns signed CB Mekhi Blackmon, formerly of the Colts.

    Blackmon, 27, broke up two passes and intercepted two more last season, while also totaling 59 tackles, one quarterback pressure and one sack last season. He adds depth to the Browns’ secondary and could start, if need be.
  • ATL Running Back #7
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    Team reporter Will McFadden reports the Falcons could increase their number of gap- and power-style run plays, while also using RB Bijan Robinson more in the screen game this year.

    McFadden notes that Robinson had more outside runs than any other player last season. He believes new Falcons OC Tommy Rees and new OL coach Bill Callahan are focused on diversifying the run game tactics by adding a north-south approach. He thinks Falcons running backs “should benefit from a penetrating approach oriented around getting them into second-level space quickly.” McFadden also checked in with Robinson, who said Rees is implementing new screen game concepts, derived from his time with the Browns. Last year in Cleveland, Rees’ offense racked up 413 yards via the screen game, ranking second in the NFL. Adding more ways to get Robinson the ball in space only solidifies his status as the overall RB2 in fantasy drafts this year.