The lack of NFL preseason means that fantasy football owners looking for knowledge on position battles and injury updates are mostly in the dark. All that we can rely on are the reports coming out of training camp to attempt to make the tough draft-day decisions. Lately, there have been a lot of receivers in the news: Mike Williams, Alshon Jeffery, Tyrell Williams and Deebo Samuel are all dealing with injuries that could shake up our WR rankings. Add in a mysterious Patriots RB room to the mix, and there's a lot to digest early this week.
For the latest fantasy injury news and updates, check back here and on Twitter @SN_Fantasy.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2020 cheat sheet
Mike Williams injury update
Ian Rapoport is reporting that Williams sprained his right shoulder after a hard fall at practice and is "week-to-week." When Williams left practice Sunday after hitting the ground following an incompletion, his arm was dangling at his side. Rapoport added that tests on Williams' collarbone have come back clean.
Williams is expected to continue his role as the Chargers' No. 2 receiver opposite Keenan Allen this season. The L.A. passing game was set to take a possible hit overall with Tyrod Taylor starting as the placeholder QB. If Williams misses Week 1, it could be second-year receiver Jalen Guyton holding down secondary receiver duties for the Chargers come Week 1. Although undrafted in 2019, Guyton was initially a Notre Dame commit who was a SPARQ testing star before the 2019 draft. In other words, he has a pedigree of success and he's fast, but chances are no Williams would just mean more targets for Allen, Hunter Henry, and possibly Austin Ekeler.
2020 STANDARD FANTASY RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker | Superflex | Top 200
Who's the Patriots starting RB?
The latest reports out of New England suggest Sony Michel will be ready for Week 1. He's been dealing with a foot injury, and he hasn't practiced since opening training camp on the PUP list. Lamar Miller, also on the PUP list with a knee injury, has yet to practice, too. That leaves second-year running back Damien Harris drawing rave reviews in camp and setting up to sneak in and start Week 1.
Harris' ADP should continue to rise in the next few weeks. Running backs from Alabama have been hit-or-miss in the NFL, but you can expect New England to put Harris in the best position to succeed. Over the course of the season, it's likely Bill Belichick will frustrate fantasy owners with his RB usage, but if Michel and Miller can't get healthy, Harris could turn out to be a safe flex play in Week 1. As usual, James White should hold down the passing-back role for the Pats.
2020 PPR RANKINGS:
Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Superflex | Top 200
Is Alshon Jeffery ready for the start of the season?
Jeffery sustained a Lisfranc injury in his foot late in the 2019 season, and he was placed on the Active/PUP list at the end of July. Jeffery has been with the team but had yet to return to practice as of Aug. 23.
DeSean Jackson is reportedly looking strong, so he should hold down one of the Philadelphia starting WR spots in Week 1. The frontrunner for slot duties is QB-convert Greg Ward, who performed well down the stretch last season and is worth PPR consideration. If Jeffery misses time, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside could have flex appeal, with rookie receivers Jalen Reagor and John Hightower in the wings to potentially seize either Ward or Arcega-Whiteside's job. Besides Jackson (and Ward in PPR), the Philly receivers are all late draft-and-stash options as we wait to see who wins the jobs in this group.
2020 FANTASY SLEEPERS:
6 QBs | 16 RBs | 14 WRs | 10 TEs | 5 D/STs | One from each team
Tyrell Williams injury news
Williams has been diagnosed with a torn labrum, according to Ian Rapoport, but is expected to play through it. This comes after Williams struggled to play through plantar fasciitis in 2019. If Williams reverses course and chooses to have surgery, he could miss most or all of the 2019 season.
The Raiders added Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards in the draft and still have Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller competing for targets. At this point, Williams should probably start the season on standard-league waiver wires while one of Ruggs or Edwards could slide in to more potential targets as a possible early-season flex option with upside.
FANTASY DRAFT STRATEGIES:
Snake draft | Auction | Best ball | IDP
Deebo Samuel injury update
About 10 days ago, Kyle Shanahan said he wasn't counting on Samuel to be ready in Week 1, but then five days later, he said he was "hopeful" Deebo would be ready. Samuel had foot surgery in June.
An early Samuel absence could push first-rounder Brandon Aiyuk into the Week 1 spotlight, but expect Samuel to be the San Francisco receiver worth owning as soon as he's healthy. Currently going off the board as WR36, Samuel is being selected at a fair cost for a player with WR2 upside due to big-play explosiveness.