This article is part of our Training Camp Notes series.
Ahead of the preseason's first full slate of games Friday night, let's take a look at the big, and not-so-big but still kind of fantasy relevant, news from around training camps.
Injury Notes
Raiders Nation held its collective breath for a moment Friday when Davante Adams limped off the practice field with a right leg injury, but the issue seems to be a minor one. "I don't think it was crazy serious," coach Josh McDaniels said with his usual eloquence. Expect Vegas to be very cautious with its top offensive weapon the rest of the preseason, but as yet it doesn't look like this will be something to worry about come Week 1.
Reassuring both Bengals fans and fantasy investors (like me, who snagged him in the RotoWire Steak League auction Wednesday), Joe Burrow was seen doing some running and throwing on the field prior to Friday's game against the Packers. The franchise QB wasn't seen with any kind of protective sleeve on his calf and was airing it out on his throws, so he appears in little danger of missing regular-season action to begin the year. If you were able to get him at any kind of discount during the brief period when that seems like that might be in doubt, congratulations.
While he won't be seeing any action in preseason games any time soon, Tony Pollard continues to progress well from the tightrope procedure he underwent after last season's playoff loss to the 49ers, and Dallas coach Mike McCarthy seems confident the star running back will be 100 percent by Week 1. The fact that Jerry Jones' public bluster hasn't turned into an actual contract offer to Ezekiel Elliott is probably the better sign the Cowboys are happy with Pollard's recovery. The fifth-year player out of Memphis was the one big-name RB who didn't seem to have much contract drama this offseason, as he was seemingly content with his franchise tag salary and not rankled by the lack of a long-term contract offer. Given Jones' history of loyalty to players the team drafted and developed (see: Zeke's last contract), if Pollard shows he can hold up under a starter's workload for 17-ish games, he might actually get a decent payday from the Cowboys next spring.
Isiah Pacheco is still dealing with minor hand and shoulder injuries, so Kansas City will take no chances with its No. 1 running back and hold him out of Sunday's game against the Saints, even as other starters -- including Patrick Mahomes -- get some work. It's possible he doesn't play at all this preseason, which would open the door for Clyde Edwards-Helaire to prove he still has a role on the team.
In a development that should surprise no one, Logan Thomas will miss Friday's game against the Browns due to injury, this time a strained calf. Since his out-of-nowhere 2020 campaign with Washington, the veteran tight end has played only 20 of 34 games over the last two seasons. With Eric Bieniemy now directing the Commanders' offense, it's easy to dream on Thomas becoming his new Travis Kelce, but if he can't stay healthy it's moot in his case whether the OC's scheme will focus on its tight ends. Cole Turner, a 2022 fifth-round pick who caught all of two passes as a rookie, will try to take advantage of Thomas' absence.
Job Battles
After a disappointing second season in the NFL, the Jets shipped Elijah Moore to the Browns in March to move up about a round on Day 2 of the 2023 draft. (New York didn't end up keeping the pick; it got flipped to Green Bay in the Aaron Rodgers trade and turned into Luke Musgrave, while Cleveland used the third-round selection it got along with Moore to take Cedric Tillman.) The deal could end up being one of the steals of the offseason. Moore has been emerging as Deshaun Watson's favorite target in camp, and all the talent and promise he showed as a rookie after being the 34th overall pick in the 2021 draft still appears to be present. The Browns don't have a proven No. 2 wideout behind Amari Cooper, so the door is wide open for Moore to have the breakout campaign he didn't have in 2022.
Kareem Hunt continues to be picky in his search for a new club, or maybe he's just getting low-balled when it comes time to talk contract. Now that I think about it, the latter is far more likely. After visits with the Saints and Colts earlier this week, the former Brown running back checked in with the Vikings on Friday. As with his prior two stops, it's possible to trace a path to a significant role for Hunt in Minnesota -- Alexander Mattison hasn't proven yet he can handle a No. 1 job for more than a couple games at a time -- but he would really be just an insurance policy.
Speaking of backfield insurance, Las Vegas inked Damien Williams to a deal Friday. The 31-year-old journeyman played just a handful of snaps for the Falcons last season, and he's a long way from being the useful fantasy option he was with Kansas City in 2019. With Josh Jacobs still away from the team considering his options after failing to get a long-term contract offer from the Raiders, though, Williams will provide some depth to a backfield currently headed by Zamir White and Ameer Abdullah.
The competition for the kicking gig in Tampa Bay is neck and neck, with Rodrigo Blankenship and Chase McLaughlin both looking good so far in camp. Highlighting the merry-go-round nature of the job, it was McLaughlin who displaced Blankenship in Indianapolis last season, but the Colts moved on from both guys this spring and elected to bring in Matt Gay -- who began his career with the Buccaneers in 2019 -- instead. Dizzy yet? If both McLaughlin and Blankenship continue to perform in the preseason, the loser of this battle could quickly land with another kicker-needy team like the Cowboys after being cut loose by the Bucs.
