Week 2 of training camp is fully underway, and, as usual, there are some new key injuries to make note of. Most leagues are just a few weeks away from drafting for their 2023 season, and now is the time to get your rankings in order and decide which players you want to reach for.
A couple positive notes before we get into this week’s new injury list – Javonte Williams, who tore his ACL in week 4 of last season – has apparently been a full participant in all football related drills thus far in training camp and should be moved up on your draft board. Payton loves to utilize 2 backs and Samaje Perine was brought in for a reason. But Williams is a special talent whose is currently a steal with his ADP at 72. If you can grab this stud in the 5th or 6th round, you will be securing a solid RB1 at a discount.
If you read last week’s article, the New York Giants slot receivers were added to the injury update with 3 of them making the PUP list. Since then, both Sterling Shepard and Jamison Crowder have been removed from that list, leaving only Wan’Dale Robinson tending to his injury. Shepard normally would be worth a late round flier, but there’s just too much confusion in the Giants locker room to really pick a receiver who you can fully trust.
Now onto the injuries…
Seattle Running Backs
Kenneth Walker (RB) – Seattle Seahawks – Groin Strain
Zach Charbonnet (RB) – Seattle Seahawks – Shoulder
The Seattle Seahawks and injured running backs fit together like peas in a pod, and this training camp isn’t changing that narrative. Walker has already been bumped down most draft boards despite his explosive rookie season with the addition of Charbonnet, and has now reportedly tweaked his groin early in camp.
The injury itself doesn’t seem to be overly serious, but the Seahawks will hold him out for the time being which will lead him to missing valuable reps entering this season. According to head coach Pete Carrol, the groin issue was bothering Walker heading into camp, and they want to shut him down to make sure they don’t aggravate it further. He’s likely going to be ready for the start of the season, but due to the volatility of groin injuries, it’ll be reassuring to see Walker put in a few full days of practice and potentially get some snaps in a preseason game before you invest any kind of high draft capital in him for your fantasy team.
Zach Charbonnet, who was drafted to help ease the workload of Walker and take care of pass catching work out of the backfield, is now reportedly going to have his shoulder looked at by doctors to get a more accurate assessment of an ongoing issue. Early reports have the rookie running back out for at least a few weeks, which will be detrimental to his development at the start of his rookie season. There apparently wasn’t any particular moment where the injury happened, but the Seahawks are again being cautious and taking their time to evaluate their 2nd round pick.
The Hawks backfield was already on the list of things to avoid in fantasy drafts due to the perceived shared workload, and with both their backs already suffering potential lingering issues, you may want to consider taking them off your draft boards altogether. So far, in their absence, Kenny McIntosh (a 7th round pick out of Georgia), has been splitting 1st team reps with 4th year pro DeeJay Dallas. McIntosh thrived as a receiver in college and has solid size (6’1”, 204 lbs), so if the two big name running backs are in fact put on the shelf for an extended period of time, McIntosh would be the name to consider in the deepest of leagues.
Cooper Kupp (WR) – Los Angeles Rams – Hamstring
If you love to watch football, you love to watch Cooper Kupp. He’s an immensely talented receiver who I was expecting to reclaim the throne as the top fantasy WR in the league this season after missing the 2nd half of 2022 due to an injured ankle.
Unfortunately he’s reportedly injured his hamstring in camp, and could be sidelined for the rest of the month. Kupp is a hard working veteran, and already has a rapport with quarterback Matthew Stafford, so him missing camp isn’t overly detrimental to his fantasy outlook – but the injury does give some pause when it comes to his ADP. At 30 years old, Kupp is already “old” by wide receiver standards, so suffering back to back injuries is definitely concerning. However, he did have 75 receptions in 9 games last season on a dismal Rams offense that essentially mailed it in once he was put on IR, so if does manage to stay healthy, he could be a steal if his ADP continues to drop.
Colts Running Backs
Jonathan Taylor (RB) – Indianapolis Colts – Back/Bad Contract
Zach Moss (RB) – Indianapolis Colts – Broken Arm (6 Weeks)
Taylor’s situation has been a roller coaster from the onset. After meeting with Colts owner Jim Irsay last week, he formally requested a trade. Irsay responded by reminding everyone that both he and Taylor don’t factor into the big picture of the NFL (and that no one would care if they died), that he will not be trading the stud RB, all before rumors conveniently leaked that Taylor might end up on the Non-Football-Injury list due to a back injury.
Taylor has refuted that injury, saying through social media that he’s never had or reported any type of back injury. There’s clearly no trust between player and organization at this point, and if we’re being honest, a change of scenery is probably best for both Taylor and the Colts. While Irsay might be only aiming for the NFI list to avoid paying Taylor his contract, Taylor did miss time with a lingering ankle injury last season, and the videos of him on the sidelines at camp aren’t overly encouraging in respect to his current health. Until we actually see him on the field or hear from a doctor, his health is all just speculation at this point. Expect his ADP to continue to fall. Unless JT plummets into the mid-rounds at your draft, or something drastically changes contract wise, you should likely avoid this messy situation at all costs.
Zach Moss, who flamed out in Buffalo, broke his arm this week and will miss at least the next 6 weeks. If Taylor is moved, put on the IR, or holds out, Moss is in line to be the next man up at running back. But even if he became a full RB1, expectations are low for his overall production. With Anthony Richardson taking the majority of the 1st team reps, there won’t be much on the table at the running back position in Indianapolis. So if you thought you were sneaking a late round RB1 with the selection of Moss, you’re probably still going to be disappointed. Deon Jackson would presumably be the next fantasy option available, although his only relevant fantasy week came as a result of his pass catching prowess and not his rushing ability. As a whole, the Colts don’t offer much from a fantasy football perspective, and you’re probably better off avoiding them all together.
No denying how important Jonathan Taylor has been for the #Colts. #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/jOUBsXcRYy
— Logan (@SconnieColt) August 3, 2023
Tim Patrick (WR) – Denver Broncos – Achilles (Out for Season)
Tim Patrick missed all of last season with a torn ACL suffered during training camp, and unfortunately will miss all of the 2023 season with a torn achilles after going down with a non contact injury during 7 on 7 drills on Monday.
Patrick had already endeared himself to new head coach Sean Payton, and was expected to carve out a sizeable role in the slot for quarterback Russell Wilson in his comeback year. Obviously now that won’t be the case in 2023.
The Broncos were actively shopping veteran Courtland Sutton at this year’s draft, with the assumption that Patrick would be a key contributor in 2023. With K.J. Hamler also dealing with a heart issue prior to camp, the Broncos will now be relying even more heavily on Jerry Jeudy (ADP 58). Without Patrick as Wilson’s safety valve across the middle of the field, there’s potential for sophomore tight end Greg Dulcich (ADP 131) to help rejuvenate one of 2022’s most dreadful offenses this year.
Alexander Mattison (RB) – Minnesota Vikings – Leg
Mattison, the Vikings new #1 running back left practice early on Monday with an apparent leg injury. He would later return to watch the remainder of practice from the sideline, and walked to the locker room at the end of practice without much struggle. It sounds like the Vikings were just erring on the side of caution, so for now Mattison’s fantasy status remains unchanged.
Garrett Wilson (WR) – New York Jets – Ankle Sprain
The Jets stud sophomore receiver Garrett Wilson is reportedly dealing with a low ankle sprain, and has been held out of team practices for over a week now. He was spotted doing some individual drills on Tuesday, and is expected to rejoin the team this weekend when they resume training camp. Like Mattison, it appears that the Jets are just being overly cautious, but fantasy owners can’t be happy about Wilson missing reps with Aaron Rogers this early in camp.
Shane Zylstra (TE) – Detroit Lions
Lions tight end Shane Zylstra suffered a “serious and significant” knee injury and is expected to miss 6 months. There aren’t many who were targeting Zylstra in any type of fantasy draft, but with the Lions waiving the 27 year old tight end more snaps are going to be available for rookie Sam LaPorta. By now we all know to avoid rookie tight ends like the plague in redraft leagues, but if you’re in a dynasty league and have yet to do your rookie draft, LaPorta is in line to receive valuable reps this coming season without any real competition coming from the tight end group. If you miss out on the Travis Kelce’s and Mark Andrews of the world, and want to take a late round flier, you could do worse than the former Hawkeye.
Trayveon Williams (RB) – Cincinnati Bengals – Ankle Sprain
When Joe Mixon missed time last season, Samaje Perine was able to step in and provide the Bengals and fantasy owners with some fairly valuable production. With Perine now in Denver, Treyveon Williams was looking like the back to come in and fill that role for Cincinnati. But his status as the lead backup was put into question when he was carted off the field with a leg injury, just days after quarterback Joe Burrow had to be carted off with a non-contact calf injury. The news since then has been promising, as the injury is now being described as a minor sprain. Williams has some value as a Mixon handcuff in deep leagues, so he’s worth monitoring as camps resume this week.
Kendre Miller (RB) – New Orleans Saints – Off NFI
With the news of Alvin Kamara meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday and likely looking at a suspension, it’s worth noting that the Saints have taken rookie running back Kendre Miller off of the non-football-injury list and that he’s been a full participant in team practices over the past week. Miller is extremely talented, and while Kamara might steal some of his thunder when he returns from suspension, the Saints have a fairly favorable schedule for running backs to start the season. With Miller getting attuned to the NFL and a clear path to him being the lead back for at least the first few games of the year, he has great value at his current ADP of 130.
-Devon Gallant
Twitter: @DevGallant
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.