This article is part of our Depth Chart Watch series.
If you haven't heard, the NFL changed its injury-reporting policies this season, and there is major fantasy fallout. The league eliminated the "probable" designation for guys expected to play, meaning "questionable" will take on an even wider array of meanings than it already did. Players will also not be officially listed as "out" until the Friday before a Sunday game, with midweek practice injury reports instead simply listing their participation level. That means we're going to be doing some interpretation here in Depth Chart Watch, which is after all an early week article – and it means the most effective fantasy owners will need to be glued to RotoWire player notes for updates on who will or won't play right up to gametime, as information might be more uncertain than ever.
But that's the future; for now, let's talk about the present.
QUARTERBACK
Denver Broncos
Like many a team before them, the Broncos have found that they want to at least explore their options before rolling Mark Sanchez out under center, so there's a wide-open three-way competition roaring between the veteran Sanchez, second-year man Trevor Siemian (shoulder) and rookie Paxton Lynch. For now, Lynch appears to be behind the other two, but nothing's settled, especially after he threw for a couple touchdowns in the second preseason game; this job will be decided by a combination of health and performance in the final two exhibition games.
San Francisco 49ers
Colin Kaepernick is back at practice after recovering from a shoulder
If you haven't heard, the NFL changed its injury-reporting policies this season, and there is major fantasy fallout. The league eliminated the "probable" designation for guys expected to play, meaning "questionable" will take on an even wider array of meanings than it already did. Players will also not be officially listed as "out" until the Friday before a Sunday game, with midweek practice injury reports instead simply listing their participation level. That means we're going to be doing some interpretation here in Depth Chart Watch, which is after all an early week article – and it means the most effective fantasy owners will need to be glued to RotoWire player notes for updates on who will or won't play right up to gametime, as information might be more uncertain than ever.
But that's the future; for now, let's talk about the present.
QUARTERBACK
Denver Broncos
Like many a team before them, the Broncos have found that they want to at least explore their options before rolling Mark Sanchez out under center, so there's a wide-open three-way competition roaring between the veteran Sanchez, second-year man Trevor Siemian (shoulder) and rookie Paxton Lynch. For now, Lynch appears to be behind the other two, but nothing's settled, especially after he threw for a couple touchdowns in the second preseason game; this job will be decided by a combination of health and performance in the final two exhibition games.
San Francisco 49ers
Colin Kaepernick is back at practice after recovering from a shoulder injury and is expected to play Friday, but Blaine Gabbert has taken a pretty solid hold on this job for the time being.
RUNNING BACK
Buffalo Bills
The latest news out of the north side of New York state is that Mike Gillislee (concussion) is considered the primary backup to LeSean McCoy after Karlos Williams (suspension) got the boot over the weekend. Williams, meanwhile, is now free to sign elsewhere. Reggie Bush is in this mix too, but the Bills are clearly wary of overworking the oft-injured veteran.
Carolina Panthers
If you're looking for some Jonathan Stewart insurance, you'll want to note that Fozzy Whittaker has seen more first-team action than Cameron Artis-Payne this preseason, but this is still an open competition. Even if Whittaker gets to be the nominal backup, if anything were to happen to Stewart, it seems more likely that it'd be Artis-Payne who'd benefit.
Denver Broncos
Devontae Booker has now pretty definitively overtaken Ronnie Hillman as C.J. Anderson's backup, making him a must-own insurance policy for those who draft Anderson. The rookie rushed for 36 yards on nine carries and caught a seven-yard pass in the second week of preseason; meanwhile, Hillman was limited to three second-half carries.
New England Patriots
The weekend brought news that Dion Lewis will miss at least half the season to knee surgery, which opens up a spot for James White to see plenty of action on passing downs for the Pats. Meanwhile, Tyler Gaffney's encore performance in the second week of preseason didn't live up to his first-week hype, as he gained an unimpressive total of 42 yards on 13 touches, getting roundly outperformed by LeGarrette Blount (11 carries for 69 yards and a score). There's only room for one big back, and Blount is trying to make sure he's it.
Philadelphia Eagles
Kenjon Barner has emerged as the favorite to back up Ryan Mathews, which should be of significant interest to fantasy owners, as Mathews has not exactly established a reputation for durability – he's cleared 200 carries just twice in six seasons and played 16 games just once. Meanwhile, Barner's looked strong in preseason while his main competition for the role, rookie Wendell Smallwood, has been sidelined with a quad injury. Darren Sproles will get his in this offense, but mostly through the air, not on the ground.
San Francisco 49ers
Mike Davis had a mixed bag over the weekend, rushing well but losing a pair of fumbles – never a good way to endear oneself to the coaching staff. Even so, Shaun Draughn (back) should still be feeling the heat for his No. 2 role behind Carlos Hyde. After all, the well-traveled veteran has never been anything more than a boring veteran plug-in for the truly desperate, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him fall down the depth chart accordingly.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks got an eye-opening preseason game out of the unheralded Troymaine Pope last week, as he carried 10 times for 86 yards and a score. Still, he's buried deep under Seattle's impressive pile of backs. Thomas Rawls (ankle) is expected to be good to go as the Week 1 starter and may even play in the final preseason game, but Christine Michael has reportedly earned a role that's bigger than just backup duties. Meanwhile, C.J. Prosise (hamstring) should be good to go for passing situations by the time the season starts.
Washington Redskins
Matt Jones suffered a shoulder injury Friday and is questionable for the start of the regular season, so there's suddenly a competition to at least temporarily replace him (and maybe carve out a bigger role in general) between seventh-round rookie Keith Marshall and undrafted rookie Rob Kelley, who's actually expected to see the edge in first-team work over the final two preseason games. Mack Brown is in the mix, as well. Chris Thompson is considered primarily a pass-catching back, so he isn't likely to see a big increase in usage on early downs.
WIDE RECEIVER
Cincinnati Bengals
With Brandon LaFell (hand) out, Tyler Boyd drew the start in Thursday's game and caught a pair of passes for 38 yards, securing his position above Brandon Tate on the depth chart and continuing a furious charge to overtake LaFell as the starter opposite A.J. Green. Considering LaFell's history of mediocrity, it wouldn't be surprising in the least to see that swap ultimately take place.
Cleveland Browns
Terrelle Pryor's 2-for-2 making big plays in preseason games – he reeled in a 50-yard touchdown Thursday after catching a 49-yarder in the first game. With Josh Gordon (suspension) out the first four weeks, Pryor could very well enjoy a starting role opposite electric rookie Corey Coleman early this season.
Dallas Cowboys
Anytime a team's No. 1 receiver has a concussion, we need to pay attention, and that's the case for Dez Bryant, who got his bell rung in practice Monday. Cole Beasley has reportedly stood out in camp; he and Terrance Williams would theoretically stand to benefit from any Bryant absence. Of course, it'd also be harder for them to find room to operate without Dez drawing double teams.
Houston Texans
Hotshot rookie Will Fuller offered a mixed bag in the second week of preseason – he caught four passes for 73 yards and a score, but also didn't catch four of the balls sent his way, including a drop. Jaelen Strong, Braxton Miller and Fuller are competing for the targets left over by receiving monster DeAndre Hopkins, and all three have seen significant first-team time, but Fuller clearly has the highest upside. Meanwhile, Cecil Shorts seems to be a forgotten man in Houston.
New Orleans Saints
Brandon Coleman continues earning bad reviews, creating more and more opportunities for Michael Thomas to overtake him if he continues looking good in camp. Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead are comfortably nestled as Drew Brees' top two wideouts, though.
Philadelphia Eagles
With Jordan Matthews (knee) out for the preseason, but expected to be ready for the regular season, the Eagles have been able to give their other receivers a lengthy look … and it hasn't been impressive. Dorial Green-Beckham saw his first preseason action with the Eagles last week, failing to haul in a pass on two targets. Nelson Agholor still isn't impressing, though at least he caught a couple balls for 30 yards. Rueben Randle is in a freefall down the depth chart, meanwhile, as his formerly secure-seeming No. 3 spot with No. 2 upside no longer looks nearly so rosy. Josh Huff is also in the mix for that spot, but he hasn't done anything to stand out. The Eagles clearly want DGB to emerge as the answer, but it's questionable how quickly that could happen (if at all).
TIGHT END
Los Angeles Rams
Rookie Tyler Higbee has impressed in the preseason, and the word is now that he could enjoy a significant role in the passing game, assuming his legal issues don't impact his availability. But he'll still need to pry snaps away from starter Lance Kendricks, a decent receiver in his own right.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Austin Seferian-Jenkins has been gaining steadily on Cameron Brate, who suffered a minor head/neck injury in preseason Week 2. Brate's back at practice and looks promising, but ASJ has seen an increasing amount of first-team work and has looked good in preseason games. There seems to be a clear trend here.
