Le'Veon Bell's holdout may or may not be ending on Steelers on Labor Day; Andrew Luck's health took another hit (but it doesn't look to be serious); Adam Thielen suffered an injury in practice; and George Kittle is back on the practice field and looks to be ready for Week 1. More NFL news keeps coming, and fantasy rankings, cheat sheets, sleeper picks, and draft strategy are going to be impacted, as the regular season is about a week away. And, of course, these updates are bound to influence key Week 1 start 'em/sit 'em lineup decisions.
Along with the Carson Wentz/Alshon Jeffery/Jay Ajayi Eagles drama, which we're updating here, we'll do our best to keep you up to date on every big development that could affect your fantasy league from now until Week 1.
As always, we'll also be constantly updating our rankings, including our top 200, throughout the preseason to reflect injuries, position battles and more.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2018 Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Le'Veon Bell holdout update: Is Bell playing in Week 1?
The Steelers seemed to get some good news on Tuesday when it was reported by Gerry Dulac of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Bell had told some of his teammates that he would return by Labor Day, similar to last year. That would seemingly indicate that Bell would have a full week to get ready before Week 1 of the regular season, and that would certainly ease the minds of worried fantasy owners.
However, Bell took to Twitter to deny these claims, saying that he hadn't said anything to anyone about a possible return. This obviously could be a smokescreen on Bell's behalf as he continues to try and leverage a lucrative contract extension from the Steelers. That said, we'll be keeping a close eye on his potential return just in case he decides to sit out the first game or two of the season. Provided that he will be playing in Week 1, he will stay put in our RB rankings.
Of course, if Bell is really playing hard ball, he could sit out 10 games (he needs six to get credit for an accrued season). While this seems unlikely, especially after Bell tweeted earlier this summer that he was going to have his "best season" to date, we've hit the point where anything is possible. For what it's worth, the Steelers seems to be planning on having Bell for Week 1, as offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner recently said he doesn't expect Bell to have any limitations in Week 1. For now, we're keeping Bell as our No. 4 standard player and No. 3 PPR player, but it's a precarious situation.
Andrew Luck injury update
Luck is now dealing with a foot injury in addition to returning from the shoulder issue that kept him out for all of last season. The foot injury was described as minor, and that was confirmed by head coach Frank Reich on Tuesday.
According to Mike Chappell, Luck is going to return to practice on Monday, giving him a full week to get ready ahead of the Week 1 opener against the Bengals. This is obviously good news for Luck's 2018 status, as it seems highly likely that he will be on the field for the season opener.
While Luck has a lot of potential, we are still skeptical of him as a starting fantasy option. He's the type of player that can be added as a high-upside backup who could eventually become a starter this season. Still, trusting him as your QB1 is risky, as reflected in our QB rankings.
2018 RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200 | PPR
Adam Thielen injury news
The Vikings suffered a scare in practice on Tuesday after Adam Thielen "hobbled off" with an apparent leg injury. However, according to Andrew Krammer of The Minnesota Star-Tribune, there is no long-term cause for concern surrounding Thielen. While he may miss some practice, he should be ready for the season opener.
Thielen won't see a downgrade in our WR rankings, but it is important to note that in his absence, Stefon Diggs could continue to emerge as the team's true No. 1 receiver. Thielen hasn't developed as much chemistry with Kirk Cousins this offseason, only catching four-of-nine targets for 26 yards. It's a small sample size, but it's definitely something to be concerned about as Thielen could start the season slowly until he builds a rapport with his new QB.
George Kittle update
49ers senior reporter Joe Fann reported that Kittle had returned to practice on Tuesday, but he wasn't yet running routes. Still, Fann is confident that Kittle will return by Week 1, and that is good news for Kittle's fantasy owners.
Kittle is one of our sleeper tight ends for the '18 season and there's a good chance that he will continue to have success as one of Jimmy Garoppolo's top three targets. Kittle has a lot of potential and given his 134th overall rank in ADP, he could end up being a steal for the team that lands him in the early double-digit rounds.
