📝 News & Notes

Monday brought the moves: Cleveland finally named its Week 1 QB, the Saints reshaped their backfield around Kamara's knee, and the Raiders practiced without Jeanty.

Alvin Kamara (NO, RB) is the reason New Orleans spent Monday reshaping its backfield, shipping linebacker Deion Jones to San Francisco for running back Zamir White a week before cutdowns as Kamara works back from a "knee injury" that could cost him the opener. Audric Estime returned to practice Monday, so the pecking order behind Kamara isn't settled.
My take: Etienne is the only fantasy relevant winner here as if this injury lingers, it could pave the way to him being a true workhorse. I’ve moved him above Josh Jacobs and am often targeting him in the early 4th. Kamara is a fade as his upside was already limited and last thing I want is a knee injury to a 31 year old RB.

Ashton Jeanty (LV, RB) sat out Monday's practice with the ankle he sprained over the weekend, and rookie Mike Washington Jr. took the first-team reps in his place. The sprain isn't considered long-term so this is about the first couple games and eventual handcuff.
My take: Washington (RB52, round 15) is the handcuff every Jeanty manager in redraft should be rostering. Deepak Chona still tiers Jeanty as a Round 1 "high-risk" back even with the ankle looking short-term, so the late-round insurance is cheap peace of mind. Doesn’t hurt Washington is one of the most athletic RB profiles we’ve ever seen.

Deshaun Watson (CLE, QB) won the Browns' Week 1 job Monday over Shedeur Sanders, with Todd Monken saying he "gave us the best chance to move the ball" even after Underdog's odds had flipped to Sanders at 65%.
My take: Neither Watson nor Sanders are draftable and this is more about the skill players. I wouldn’t be shocked if we see Watson benched after Week 2 and Sanders gets the start for the Week 3 homestand. That would be best case scenario for Browns skill players.

Kayshon Boutte (HOU, WR) got dealt from New England to Houston on Monday for a safety and a draft pick, landing in a receiver room that already runs several deep. He's WR85 (round 18) on Underdog.
My take: A change of scenery is nice, but you shouldn’t assume Boutte is going to be the clear #2 WR. This is likely to be a rotation of guys also including Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson, and possibly Tank Dell.

Elsewhere: Trey Benson was waived/injured with a knee by Arizona, tidying up James Conner's #3 RB spot(Conner's a near-free RB74); Malik Nabers shed his red non-contact jersey Monday, all but locking in a Week 1 return; and veteran receiver Allen Robinson announced his retirement.

🔗 Around the Web

One video and two reads to firm up your board:

📆 NFL Countdown

  • 5 days until NFL roster cutdowns, when teams trim to 53

  • 15 days until the NFL season kicks off (Patriots at Seahawks)

  • 19 days until Week 1 Sunday and the fantasy season begins

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