| | | | Sunday, August 29, 2021 | | All we really want is to see everyone make it through the preseason unscathed, but that's always asking too much. That's just the nature of the game in football -- injuries are going to happen anytime players are on the field, and we saw some pretty big ones this weekend, unfortunately. | | For those of you who already drafted, there isn't much you can do -- though we'll have some early waiver-wire targets for you this week to consider if your first run is coming up before Week 1. For those of you still to draft -- and that's probably about two-thirds of you, based on historical trends -- it's time to update your draft boards. That's what tonight's special Sunday newsletter is all about. | | First, to catch you up on the news you need to know about from around the league, beginning with big injuries to J.K. Dobbins, Irv Smith, and T.Y. Hilton, along with a handful of other notes. Then, I've got my latest rankings here for you if you're drafting tonight or early this week. I'll be keeping my rankings fresh throughout the rest of the preseason before switching over to Week 1 next week, and if you want to see the latest updates from Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard, and Heath Cummings here. And you can find everything else you need to prepare for your drafts in our Draft Day Cheat Sheet, including sleepers, breakouts, and busts, tiers, and much, much more. | | | | Here's what you need to know right now: | | Injuries, News, and Notes | | J.K. Dobbins suffered a season-ending torn ACL -- This was what we feared when Dobbins left Saturday's game, and tests Sunday confirmed it. Gus Edwards steps into the starting role for the Ravens, presumably, and he'll fly up draft boards over the last 10 days before the start of the season. As well he should, though I'll caution against pushing him into RB2 territory -- his path to a high-end, must-start outcome in PPR is very narrow, and very touchdown dependent. He's a solid starter, but not someone I'm liking to pick where he is likely to be drafted. He's not a top-60 pick for me. You can read more about why here. Irv Smith will miss time after knee surgery -- Smith is set to undergo meniscus surgery that is expected to sideline him for "at least" the start of the regular season, according to NFL Network . The thing about meniscus surgeries is, there's no obvious timetable until after the surgery is done, typically. If Smith opts to have the meniscus repaired, he's likely to miss at least a month; if he opts to have the meniscus removed, he could return within a few weeks, but with much worse long-term prospects. Given that he is expected to miss the start of the season, it seems safe to assume he's looking at more like a 4-6 week timetable for repair, putting him out until at least Week 4, and possibly longer. Smith is a promising breakout candidate, but you can probably leave him undrafted in most leagues -- just look for him in a few weeks when we start to get some positive news about his recovery. With Tyler Conklin also unlikely to be ready for Week 1, it's hard to see any Vikings tight ends being viable for the start of the season, so maybe this means more targets for Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, and Adam Thielen early on. T.Y. Hilton "will miss some games" with a neck injury -- This is an incredibly vague situation right now, with coach Frank Reich simply telling reports he doesn't think the injury will be season-ending. So, somewhere between one and 17 weeks, I guess. That's frustrating because I liked Hilton as a potential bounce back candidate. Now, I expect Michael Pittman to be the No. 1 WR for the Colts to start the season, and this clears a path to a breakout for him, while Parris Campbell and Zach Pascal have some early-season sleeper appeal as well. Hilton is worth drafting in most leagues, but I may not touch him if my league doesn't allow IR spots. Also: Keep an eye on rookie Michael Strachan, a seventh-rounder who has drawn rave reviews from Colts camp. He's a fascinating deep sleeper to keep an eye on. Jameis Winston will start for the Saints in Week 1 -- Taysom Hill will surely have a role, but it's been apparent this should be Winston's job since his brilliant performance in the second preseason game. Winston is a very different type of quarterback from both Hill and the now retired Drew Brees , but his more aggressive, downfield approach introduces some new upside into this offense. Marquez Callaway has shown a rapport with him early, and he's one of the better late-round WR targets -- and Winston gives the now-injured Michael Thomas as much upside as ever once he gets healthy. Devin Singletary started ahead of Zack Moss again -- For the second straight game, the Bills gave Singletary the start and kept him on the field for a long stretch -- this time, for the entire first quarter. Moss came in for the entire second quarter, essentially, with Moss ending up with four carries and one target, while Singletary earned two targets. This is clearly going to remain a committee, with Singletary likely handling more passing work, though Matt Breida should figure into that as well. Moss should lead the team in carries, but given the likely split plus Josh Allen's role in the red zone, Moss is likely to be just an RB3 at best. This just isn't a good offense for running backs. Brandon Aiyuk is dealing with a hamstring injury -- This isn't considered a serious issue, and the 49ers expect Aiyuk to return to practice next week, though it's worth noting just because of how tricky hamstring injuries can be. Aiyuk is a popular breakout candidate, so hopefully this doesn't end up lingering. We'll watch it next week. Ryan Fitzpatrick will start for Washington -- Ron Rivera has consistently told us this was a competition, but there never actually seemed to be any sign of that, so this isn't a surprise at all. Washington's offense hasn't looked great in the preseason, but Fitzpatrick figures to be an upgrade on Alex Smith, and could help fuel breakouts for Logan Thomas, Terry McLaurin, and Antonio Gibson. The Eagles acquired Gardner Minshew for a sixth-round pick -- Technically, this amounts to some competition for Jalen Hurts, but things would probably have to go pretty wrong for him before it would matter. Minshew is a fine backup, but he's a pretty unexciting one, so let's just hope Hurts keeps him off the field. The Colts lost another left tackle -- Sam Tevi suffered a torn ACL and MCL and will miss the rest of the season, which really could create some issues with Eric Fisher unlikely to be ready for the start of the season as he is recovering from a torn Achilles. The left tackle spot has apparently been a consistent issue for the Colts in camp, and it looks like it won't be getting better anytime soon. | | And don't forget, the Fantasy Football Today Draft-A-Thon is this Wednesday, Sept. 1, at 6 p.m. on CBS Sports HQ and the FFT YouTube page. We'll be live all night long helping you prep for your drafts, taking your questions, talking to some of the best analysts from the Fantasy industry, and, of course, raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. We've still got plenty of awesome items up for auction on EBay, and you can join our FFT Draft-A-Thon Poker Tournament Monday at 7 p.m. ET, where you'll be playing for a spot in one of our podcast listener's leagues and a private Zoom call with the FFT team. It's all for our friends at St. Jude, so let's play some poker! | | | | My Rankings | | I've been sending my rankings out in the newsletter over the last few weeks, but now they've got a home on CBSSports.com through the end of the season. I'll continue to link to them here over the next 10 days, but you'll want to bookmark that link, because I'll be updating them there whenever news -- or inspiration -- hits. | | Quarterback | | Patrick MahomesKyler MurrayLamar JacksonJosh AllenRussell WilsonDak PrescottAaron RodgersJalen HurtsRyan Tannehill Tom BradyJustin HerbertJoe Burrow | | | | Running back | | Christian McCaffreyAlvin KamaraDalvin CookAustin EkelerEzekiel ElliottJoe MixonAaron JonesSaquon BarkleyNajee Harris Derrick HenryJonathan TaylorNick ChubbDavid MontgomeryAntonio GibsonJames RobinsonClyde Edwards-HelaireD'Andre SwiftChris CarsonMiles SandersJosh Jacobs Chase EdmondsMike DavisMyles GaskinKareem Hunt | | Wide receiver | | Davante AdamsStefon DiggsDeAndre HopkinsTyreek HillCalvin RidleyAllen RobinsonA.J. BrownJustin JeffersonKeenan Allen Robert WoodsD.K. MetcalfTerry McLaurinAmari CooperCeeDee LambJulio JonesTyler LockettCooper KuppD.J. MooreMike EvansChris Godwin Diontae JohnsonTee HigginsAdam ThielenJa'Marr Chase | | Tight end | | Travis KelceGeorge KittleDarren WallerMark AndrewsT.J. HockensonKyle PittsLogan ThomasNoah FantJonnu Smith Hunter HenryDallas GoedertTyler Higbee | | Top 100 | | Christian McCaffreyAlvin KamaraDalvin CookTravis KelceAustin EkelerDavante AdamsEzekiel ElliottJoe MixonAaron Jones Saquon BarkleyNajee HarrisStefon DiggsDerrick HenryGeorge KittleDarren WallerDeAndre HopkinsTyreek HillJonathan TaylorCalvin RidleyNick Chubb Allen RobinsonA.J. BrownDavid MontgomeryClyde Edwards-HelaireJames RobinsonAntonio GibsonD'Andre SwiftChris CarsonJustin JeffersonKeenan AllenRobert Woods Miles SandersD.K. MetcalfTerry McLaurinAmari CooperPatrick MahomesCeeDee LambJulio JonesTyler LockettCooper KuppJosh JacobsD.J. Moore Chase EdmondsMike DavisMyles GaskinKyler MurrayMichael ThomasLamar JacksonMike EvansJosh AllenChris GodwinMark AndrewsDiontae Johnson T.J. HockensonTee HigginsRussell WilsonKareem HuntKyle PittsAaron RodgersAdam ThielenJa'Marr ChaseJerry JeudyGus EdwardsDarrell Henderson Brandon AiyukDeebo SamuelCorey DavisWill FullerKenny GolladayChase ClaypoolRaheem MostertCurtis SamuelNoah FantDak PrescottRobby Anderson Kenyan DrakeBrandin CooksJavonte WilliamsMelvin GordonJalen HurtsRyan TannehillLogan ThomasCourtland SuttonOdell BeckhamDevin SingletaryJuJu Smith-Schuster D.J. CharkLaviska ShenaultTyler BoydEmmanuel SandersA.J. DillonJames ConnerJonnu SmithRondale MooreJarvis LandryJaylen WaddleMichael Pittman Mike WilliamsJustin HerbertTom Brady | | | | | | | | 2021 Draft-a-Thon | | Start a Football Pool Today! | The FFT crew (& a ton of special guests) are back for the 4th annual Draft-a-Thon, supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Center. Tune in for everything you need to prepare for your fantasy draft, bold predictions included.
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