This article is part of our Training Camp Notes series.
It may not be the most exciting game of the NFL calendar, but we at least have one game under our belt of the 2023 campaign after the Jets and Browns participated in the Hall of Fame game Thursday night. There aren't many fantasy takeaways from that game, but news continues to roll in from various training camps around the league.
Injuries/Transactions
- It doesn't fit neatly into either of our typical categories, but the headline of the day was Alvin Kamara's three-game suspension. He'll be able to practice for the time being, but won't be able to re-join the team once the regular season begins until a Week 4 matchup against the Buccaneers. Jamaal Williams is projected to be the lead back in that span, though rookie Kendre Miller could challenge him and particularly get work as the passing-downs back.
- We have some conflicting information about the nature and seriousness of Cooper Kupp's hamstring injury. On Friday, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur called Kupp day-to-day, but a previous report from Adam Schefter suggested Kupp would miss a few weeks. Given that Kupp is coming off an injury – albeit an unrelated one – and his high ADP, this remains one of the more critical situations to watch for the rest of camp.
- Coach John Harbaugh provided a rather ambiguous update regarding Rashod Bateman, saying the wide receiver "has a chance to be out there pretty soon." Bateman has been on the PUP list for the entirety of training camp with a foot injury that is lingering from last season. That has to raise the level of concern until we see him on the field consistently.
- As the staredown between Jonathan Taylor and the Colts continues, the team brought in Kenyan Drake to provide veteran depth in the backfield. Zack Moss also suffered a broken arm, so carries could be up for grabs to begin the regular season. Drake will join Deon Jackson and Evan Hull as the top available backs on the depth chart.
- Dee Eskridge was suspended six games for violating the league's personal conduct policy. He was slated to be the fourth wide receiver on the Seattle depth chart at best, so there's no immediate fantasy impact.
Job Battles
- Rookie tight ends don't have a great track record of contributing immediately, but Dalton Kincaid of the Bills has a few signs pointing toward his potential to do so. He was drafted in the first round and a recent report from the team's official site reports he's being fast-tracked into a prominent role in the offense. Buffalo has limited reliable options after Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, so Kincaid could be an outlier.
- The Giants' wide receiver corps is among the most ambiguous in the league as we head toward the regular season. Parris Campbell and Darren Waller have reportedly been the favorite target of Daniel Jones early on in camp. The end result could be that the targets are spread too thin for any wide receiver to emerge with great fantasy value, but Campbell may have the best chance at this point.
- Campbell was briefly absent from practice Thursday, which elevated Beasley to the top slot receiver role. That's another point for Campbell's potential role and also gives us some idea of the potential roles and priority that some of the receivers are filling in New York.
- Tyler Scott drew praise from Adam Jahns of the Athletic for his work in training camp, as he's quickly learned the playbook and showed off his speed down the field. The rookie will certainly fall behind DJ Moore and Darnell Mooney for targets to begin the regular season, though the receiver corps is relatively thin from there.
