NFL

James missed almost a month of camp and preseason activity after suffering a fractured rib in late July, with his appearance at practice Saturday marking his first time in pads since 29 July. He returns to a backfield currently missing All-World running back Christian McCaffrey and will join Kaelon Black in a battle for primary backup duties until games begin to count in two weeks.

Stribling apparently emerged from the team’s preseason Week 2 game with a shoulder issue, with the team listing him as day-to-day Saturday. The timing could not be worse for the rookie receiver after it was speculated that he would have a significant role in the offense as early as Week 1, particularly from 11-personnel. Stribling continues to turn heads in both practice and on the preseason game-day field, with fantasy managers now left to hope that the shoulder issue is something that can be resolved in short order. The team did not provide further clarification of the ailment.

It has been assumed that Tua Tagovailoa would be under center when games begin to count in two weeks, largely due to the health of Penix. Recent weeks have given some pause to that expectation considering the struggles of Tagovailoa and increasing health of Penix, with the current quarterback situation now much more up in the air as the team inches closer to the regular season. Penix now gains clearance to participate in 11-on-11 practices, a massive milestone in his recovery from a torn ACL suffered in November. The Falcons appear to be headed towards a situation in which they are one of the final teams to announce their Week 1 starting quarterback, although it could still fall on Tagovailoa’s shoulders out of necessity.

The Watson-led Browns were met with boos after starting the second half with consecutive three-and-out drives before an interception ended their third possession after the break. They would get the ball back one more time before the end of Watson’s time on the field, ending in a failed fourth down conversion attempt, enough to add two modest completions before giving way to Dillon Gabriel near the beginning of the fourth quarter. Watson appeared to be the frontrunner for the starting job under center when the Browns kick off the regular season in two short weeks but this showing, paired with a relatively strong showing from Shedeur Sanders during the first half, could have thrown a wrench in those plans. Head coach Todd Monken is reportedly set to make a decision on the starting quarterback in the coming days.

Bond departed in the first half and was listed as questionable to return at the break, with the team confirming he was being evaluated for a concussion. The second-year receiver was reportedly pushing veteran Jerry Jeudy for a claim on a starting role after an impressive camp. He was quickly cleared early in the second half, meaning he can resume his push towards a starting spot for the regular season in a couple short weeks.

Sanders was given the entirety of the first half, starting by completing his first eight passes for 80 yards and a touchdown before a tipped pass resulted in his lone interception. He would complete only one other pass, a loss of six yards, before handing the game over to Deshaun Watson in the third quarter. It was a largely uninspiring performance from the second-year signal caller amidst a quarterback battle that is said to be nearing a decision, with head coach Todd Monken indicating a decision would likely come early next week. To his credit, Sanders saw a chunk gain on the ground erased from the board after an offensive holding call. Watson appeared to take pole position for the starting job the previous week of camp - the fact that Sanders was given a full half while Watson only played for a quarter seems to reinforce that claim. Fantasy managers will want to confirm the statuses of both quarterbacks in the coming days.

McCarthy’s most impressive play came on a 50-yard strike downfield to Tai Felton. McCarthy threw a good ball to Felton, who went up to make the contested catch and put the Vikings in scoring position, but the drive would stall a few plays later, down inside the Ravens’ five-yard line. McCarthy would sail a throw high to Felton in the end zone on second and goal, and he missed Myles Price in the flat for a would-be touchdown on fourth and goal. McCarthy also faced considerable pressure from the Ravens defense and took one sack on the day. He was pulled after one quarter of play and will presumably draw the start in next week’s preseason finale against the Broncos next Friday.

The knee injury Bobo suffered in Friday’s practice is indeed a season-ender, as the fourth-year receiver and special teams contributor will now head to the IR and eye a return in 2027. Bobo has caught 34 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns in his career and was expected to serve as added depth for the Seahawks this season.

Dobbins said he was unsure if he would play in the preseason, but it’s safe to assume the Broncos’ RB1 won’t be taking the field until the regular season. Dobbins exited camp with a soft tissue injury back on August 10th, but didn’t miss any significant time, so it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to hear he’s feel good with less than a month to go before the start of the season. Dobbins is expected to serve as the Broncos’ primary back on early downs and will be on the RB2/RB3 radar for fantasy this season.

It sounds like Saturday’s game against the Bills is set up to be the final dress rehearsal for Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders before Monken decides who will start in Week 1 against the Jaguars. Sanders is expected to start on Saturday against the Bills, with Watson expected to take the field in the second half of Saturday’s game. Neither quarterback looked particularly impressive in the first preseason game against the Bears, with both committing turnovers in their respective halves. Whoever gets the nod as the starter will likely sit in the team’s preseason finale against the Patriots next week.