Fantasy Football 2024: 10 Extra NFL Training Camp News to Help You Dominate the Drafts

Fantasy football analyst Sal Vetri rounds up all the NFL training camp news YOU need to know as Week 1 of the preseason gets into full swing.

He’s expected to miss a few weeks and not play in any preseason games… but chances are McCaffrey didn’t play in the preseason anyway, so that’s not a huge deal. What does matter is his availability for Week 1.

A calf injury can heal in 1-2 weeks if it is not considered serious. So far, the 49ers have not expressed any concerns about this being a Grade 2 injury (3-6 week recovery). According to Edwin Porras, this injury only has an 8% re-injury rate for running backs when they return.

The bottom line? Keep drafting McCaffrey as the best player in fantasy.

But don’t read too much into this. This is an unofficial depth chart and we’re not sure the coaching staff had any input into it.

More importantly, the reports we’re getting out of camp on Chase Brown are showing he can pass, which seems to be the final piece of the puzzle for coach Zac Taylor to trust him. Brown is a big, athletic back who can catch passes and create explosive plays. Expect to see more RB1 reps in camp in the coming weeks.

No. 8: Josh Downs will miss 4-6 weeks

Downs suffered a bad ankle sprain in practice on Wednesday. There’s a chance he’ll be back in time for Week 1, but it’s more likely he’ll miss a game or two. Downs had a productive rookie season for the Colts, with 98 targets and 771 yards.

Fifth-round rookie Anthony Gould replaced Downs after he left practice. Gould has 4.39 speed and produced 718 yards last year at Oregon State. He could replace Josh Downs in the slot in the short term, but early reports believe it will be a team effort to replace Downs.

No. 7: Ray Davis wins Bills’ RB2 job

This is more important than you might think. Davis is the Bills fourth-round rookie who is known for his reliability, especially in the red zone. At 211 pounds, he gives the Bills a bigger frame to work with in the red zone compared to James Cook at 199 pounds.

Buffalo was hesitant to give Cook a bigger red zone role last season, opting more often to use bigger veteran backs like Latavius ​​Murray and Damien Harris. If Davis can win the RB2 job, he could immediately step into a key role in this offense.

Davis is currently in Round 17 of the fantasy draft.

No. 6: The Cowboys haven’t decided who their RB1 will be yet

It’s unclear who Dallas will use as a lead back. Currently, the backfield is split between Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle and even veteran Royce Freeman.

So far, Dowdle has been the face of the committee in camp. Dowdle is coming off an efficient season, but there are questions about his role.

Dowdle is an inexperienced back who has never started an NFL game. Will that lead coach Mike McCarthy to trust the veteran Elliott more in key situations like third downs and the red zone? Whoever ends up as Dallas’ lead back will be a valuable fantasy asset, making both Dowdle and Elliott targets in the later rounds of your draft.

No. 5: Isiah Pacheco is ready to do it all

Coach Andy Reid said this week that Pacheco is “ready to do all of that.” Reid would add that Pacheco is good in protection and can run all routes.

Pacheco should see one of the biggest workloads in the NFL this year. He averaged 23 shots per game in the second half of last season and finished as a top-five fantasy back. He’ll have even less competition in 2024 with Jerick McKinnon gone, and Pacheco will continue to run behind a top-10 offensive line.

He’s a good pick in round 2 or 3 of your draft.

That makes sense, considering the Giants paid him $9.5 million in guarantees this offseason. However, it’s good to know he’s the clear-cut back and no one is threatening him for RB1 snaps right now.

Singletary has been reunited with his former coach Brian Daboll. During their three years together in Buffalo, Singletary averaged more than 1,000 total yards per season. Daboll has spoken highly of Singletary this offseason. The veteran back is a solid option in the eighth round of the draft.

The Packers held their annual Family Night Game last week. The starters played 26 scrimmage snaps, but Wicks saw just six. He was well behind Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed in snap count, and Wicks played just one more snap than Bo Melton.

This was just an exhibition game, but it’s been historically proven who the Packers look to as their starters at the beginning of the season. Wicks had a strong rookie year, ranking in the top 10 at the position in open rate vs. man coverage, but it appears he’ll begin the season in a more limited role.

No. 2: Jonathon Brooks may not be ready until week 3 or 4

The Panthers rookie running back will not play in the preseason and could end up on the PUP List as he recovers from a torn ACL in November. However, coach Dave Canales later clarified that the goal is to have Brooks back in Weeks 3 or 4 if he’s ready.

Canales also indicated that this was something the team expected, meaning this news doesn’t represent a setback. Brooks will likely lose 1-2 rounds in fantasy drafts now, making him an even better value in drafts. Brooks was never expected to have a full-time role in Week 1, so this news shouldn’t affect his prospects too much.

But once Brooks is ready, he has the three-down skillset to play in this offense, similar to how Canales had Rachaad White play for 336 touches in Tampa last year.

No. 1: Puka Nacua is struggling with a knee injury

Nacua left practice earlier this week with a knee injury and was quickly considered week-to-week, leading to concerns about a potentially more serious injury, but Sean McVay has since allayed those concerns.

McVay informed Jourdan Rodrigue that the injury was caused by a landing on a bursa sac, and that it is not a structural issue. This means that Nacua will be able to return to practice next week and that his status for Week 1 should not be in jeopardy.

Nacua is currently selected as the 13th player in the draft…