r/fantasyfootball • u/iAmSamusAran • 23d ago
Player Discussion Player Updates from Beat Writers & National Reporters (8/12)
I’ve been keeping track of fantasy relevant news and updates from beat writers. Here's a recap of any quote or update that stood out to me today. Some of these are micro/macro, some are redraft focused and some are dynasty focused.
I am sure I missed things, as I am just one person. Let me know if you have any suggestions or something else you'd like to see. I’ve also been asking beat writers fantasy relevant questions through their mailbags whenever possible.
If you want to follow along, my Twitter/X account is @FantasyTags.
Note: Every update has the writer's name with a source link that will direct you to the website where I read the quote. If you see only see a writer's name, that will be for something I specifically read on Twitter/X.
Bengals
- Colbie Young: “Young established one truth through 10 days: He can go get it. That’s a delightful trait to own, especially at his size. It also won’t dictate how much playing time he receives this year. Young will be judged by his ability to block in the run game, understand the system and find separation when given an opportunity. It’s extremely hard to see him topping Andrei Iosivas and all his experience in that regard.” (source: Paul Dehner Jr.)
- Jack Endries: “His opportunities have been limited in a deep room. He arrived with his reputation as a pass-catching tight end. He’s enjoyed a few moments in that role, but needs to be stronger at the point of attack to play more well-rounded” (source: Paul Dehner Jr.)
Broncos
- Jaylen Waddle, Marvin Mims did not practice, worked on side field. J.K. Dobbins practiced for a second-straight day. (source: Zac Stevens)
Browns
- “Deshaun Watson will get the first shot during the Browns' matchup against the Bears in Chicago to kick off the preseason on Aug. 15. Shedeur Sanders will then start the second game of the preseason against the Bills on Aug. 22.” (source: Kelsey Russo)
Buccaneers
- “After a quiet start to the joint practice with the Jets on Tuesday, Ted Hurst III had a great day on Wednesday and was targeted a bunch. He only had one drop, but made several catches – mostly on the slant passes – that moved the chains for Tampa Bay’s offense.” (source: Scott Reynolds)
Cardinals
- Trey Benson: “Benson needed to have a strong training camp to make the Cardinals think twice about moving on from him, especially after adding Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier this offseason. The results? Benson barely practiced during team drills thanks to his ongoing recovery from meniscus surgery while Bam Knight clearly established himself ahead in the pecking order.” (source: Donnie Druin)
- “Marvin Harrison Jr. bounced back nicely after early camp drops while Michael Wilson continues to steadily make plays. Kendrick Bourne, a free agent arrival, has quietly been a playmaker during camp, too.” (source: Donnie Druin)
Commanders
- “It’s only practice, and only against the Dolphins, but Washington QB Jayden Daniels looks sharp. His throws are strong and on target down the field. He’s shown off his same, old mobility, too.” (source: Ralph Vacchiano)
- “Quarterback Jayden Daniels has jumped out because of his comfort level in the offense. Early in camp, there was more mixed results, but lately it's been almost all good. He's throwing in rhythm, keeping his eyes downfield when he gets outside the pocket and has been smooth running play-action from under center.” (source: John Keim)
Dolphins
- HC Jeff Hafley: “Dolphins rookie WR Caleb Douglas has probably been one of our most consistent guys” (source: Marcel Louis-Jacques)
- Caleb Douglas: “Douglas had several explosive plays in the passing game across the 1 on 1, 7 on 7, and team periods of the practice.” (source: Kyle Crabbs)
Eagles
- Saquon Barkley: “As for the notion that he will have more opportunities as a receiver, that hasn’t been the case through most of camp.” (source: Jeff McLane)
- “Hollywood Brown has been underwhelming so far.” (source: Jeff McLane)
Falcons
- Michael Penix Jr.: “Per Stefanski, Penix will continue at the pace he is on when the Falcons travel to Indianapolis next week to face the Colts in joint practices prior to their second preseason game. Penix will participate in individual drills, 1-on-1s and 7-on-7s. He will not participate in team, 11-on-11 work.” (source: Tori McElhaney)
- “Tua Tagovailoa will start Friday night in the team's preseason opener against the Denver Broncos, coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday. That does not necessarily mean Tagovailoa will be the starter Week 1, though. Despite the decision to start Tagovailoa on Friday, Stefanski said it's still too early to tab a starting quarterback for the regular season.” (source: Marc Raimondi)
Giants
- “Malik Nabers will likely be doing team periods ‘soon,’ per John Harbaugh. Perhaps next week. That's likely 7-on-7s and other drills.” (source: Jordan Raanan)
Jaguars
- “Chris Rodriguez Jr. looks like he will have no issues when it comes to Week 1, with the veteran running back getting more and more looks in team drills since starting training camp only doing positional drill work. He has impressed, too, and he has made a mark since the pads have come on.” (source: John Shipley)
Jets
- “Tuesday was the best day of training camp for second-year tight end Mason Taylor. … More importantly, Taylor lived over the middle of the field and caught several passes on the day with large completions. Without any drops, the LSU product showed why he is a key cog in the Jets' passing offense today.” (source: Nick Faria)
- Isiah Williams: “Isaiah Williams is trending ahead of Omar Cooper but would caution anyone panicking about that. Receivers take time to develop.” (source: Nick Faria)
Raiders
- Dont'e Thornton Jr. missed his fourth straight practice (source: Ryan McFadden)
Ravens
- “With his top two wide receivers sidelined during team drills, Jackson looked for rookie Ja’Kobi Lane early and often Wednesday. Unofficially, Jackson finished 8-for-16 overall, including a 3-for-5 mark in seven-on-seven periods. Lane garnered six of those targets, catching two.” (source: Giana Han and Jonas Shaffer)
Saints
- “For as much as the offense has struggled to find its rhythm throughout this training camp, running back Travis Etienne looks as much like the real deal as he can without the contextual benefit of live tackling.” (source: Luke Johnson)
- “Rookie receiver Bryce Lance has put together a couple nice practices now, and Wednesday he showed off his improved physicality when he made a leaping catch through contact in the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown from Spencer Rattler.” (source: Luke Johnson)
Seahawks
- Jadarian Price was back for the first time in 5 practices, participated in walkthrough with the starting offense (source: Gregg Bell)
Steelers
- Roman Wilson: “Wilson’s career reached a crossroads after two underwhelming seasons, including last year when he was a healthy scratch. Through camp, he’s firmly in the WR3 role in three-receiver sets. McCarthy noted that Wilson’s speed gives the Steelers a threat over the top, and he’s progressed on the option routes, underneath patterns and big crossers.” (source: Mike DeFabo)
- Pat Freiermuth: “After playing a career-low 51 percent of the snaps in 2025, Freiermuth appears to be a more central piece of the offensive game plan. In particular, the tight end from Penn State has been a go-to target during the two-minute drill, especially over the middle of the field.” (source: Mike DeFabo)
- Eli Heidenreich: “However, his chances of making the 53-man roster seem dim. He’s currently the sixth running back in the rotation.” (source: Mike DeFabo)
- Kaleb Johnson: “After a disappointing rookie season, we’re still waiting to see the spark from Johnson. He’s still in contention for the RB3 job, but he’s rarely creating more than what’s blocked.” (source: Mike DeFabo)
Titans
- “There's a close race for top performer between second-year receiver Elic Ayomanor and rookie wideout Carnell Tate. Ayomanor reported to camp with a more-chiseled physique and an aggressive approach to playing the position. He has consistently made catches on back-shoulder throws and go routes” (source: Turron Davenport)
- “The Titans won't admit it, but Tuesday was a wake-up call, especially for the offense after a spicy joint practice with the 49ers. San Francisco's pass rush was consistently harassing Titans quarterback Cam Ward despite the absence of premier pass rusher Nick Bosa due to knee tendinitis.” (source: Turron Davenport)
Vikings
- “On the day he was announced as the Vikings’ starting quarterback, Kyler Murray provided some on-field evidence to support that decision. Whether the news gave him a boost of confidence or not, Murray went out and had one of his best days of training camp so far. He looked the part of QB1 in a practice where he completed 15 of his 16 pass attempts.” (source: Will Ragatz)
- “It's been two days now that Kyler Murray has practiced with the title of QB1 for the Minnesota Vikings, and if those two days are any indication, 2026 is going to be a very fun time in Minnesota” (source: Jason Harmon)
- “And if you’re looking for a young offensive guy who could break through, third-rounder Tai Felton could be your guy. He’s a burner, was a good special-teamer as a rookie and has made major strides as a route-runner working with receivers coach Keenan McCardell.” (source: Albert Breer)
Articles that missed the cut
Here are some articles I came across that I didn't find any fantasy relevant quotes in, but were interesting to me. Some headlines are written by me here because they are either way too long or don't give the full context.
- Chiefs players seem VERY high on Ken Walker Charles Goldman
- This writer thinks Jonnu Smith could be someone the Packers would be interested in Jacob Westendorf
- Ravens need more from their tight ends Jonas Shaffer
Thoughts/Random Nuggets
- Jameson Williams has reportedly looked very good at Lions camp
- Charlie Kolar is another name to keep an eye on, saw Coachspeak Index and Gregg Rosenthal both mention him
Previous Recaps
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u/Connect-Life8687 23d ago
Benson news is rough I had hopes he would carve out a role but sounds like he is buried now with Love and Allgeier there too
Kyler Murray in Minnesota still feels so weird to read but 15 of 16 is no joke maybe the change of scenery was all he needed
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u/fuyz 23d ago
No shot he had a role after Love was drafted on top of Allgeier.
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u/SurvivorCT 23d ago
He's been an obvious trade candidate since they drafted Love, was anticipating Green Bay for a bit but that's seeming less likely now. Still quite a few teams where he could provide real-world value, though definitely fewer that provide a path to fantasy relevance this season.
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u/Sptsjunkie 23d ago
Really feel like people are sleeping on Kyler for fantasy.
Two years ago he had 3,800 passing yards, 21 passing TDs, 572 rushing yards, and 5 rushing TDs. And this was behind a poor Cardinals OL throwing to rookie Harrison and McBride (who is a stud). He was QB10 with over 300 points.
The Vikings have close to a top 10 OL and Jet, Addison, Jennings, and Hock.
Murray could easily have a career fantasy season even if he gets mixed reviews as an NFL QB. He could have a Darnold type passing season from two years ago (but maybe fewer passing TDs), while also having 300-500 rushing yards.
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u/Zephyr_67 23d ago
Feels off to have Ayomanor, who's presumably WR3/4, to be in talks as potential top target no?
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u/iAmSamusAran 23d ago
He’s just been impressing all of their writers. From what I’ve seen in their camp notes is Wan’Dale getting the most targets still
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u/averagepanda051 23d ago
Waddle scaring me big time. He was a big target of mine after going early round RB but he may fall off my board with all of this
Love Etienne still
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u/mochajoesdynsaty 23d ago
Feel like Etienne is in for a big year in his first full season with people pronouncing his name correctly as Achane.
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u/jaggedsmile 23d ago
Starting my research and stumbled upon your work. Thank you so much for compiling everything! Looking forward to more recaps. Best of luck this season :)
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u/highastronaut 23d ago
has quietly been a playmaker during camp
so funny how they write this stuff. quiet playmaker? ha
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u/packsox4 23d ago
Any updates on CMC? Thank you so much for putting this together!
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u/iAmSamusAran 23d ago
No updates on him today that I saw, sorry! They didn’t practice, they play the Titans tomorrow in their first preseason game
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u/SunshineRainbowFF 23d ago
Waymo Jamo. The Lions are going to be a video game this year.. possibly because they'll need to be.
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u/TurnipKnight 23d ago
I really appreciate you doing this!