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NFL preseason underway
Good morning! From more injuries and contract extensions to the NFL preseason getting underway, thereās a lot to get to this week. Letās jump right in.
ā”ļø Justin Herbert headlines injuries
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is dealing with a plantar fascia injury in his right foot, knocking him out for the next few weeks and putting his Week 1 in jeopardy.
Herbert will be in a boot for two weeks, at which point heāll be gradually ramped up to hopefully being able to play in games.
The expectation is that heāll be ready to face the Raiders to open Los Angelesā regular season on September 8.
However, plantar fascia injuriesābasically an injury to the band of tissues at the bottom/arch of the footāare said to be extremely painful.
Bottom line: This is obviously not ideal for Herbert or the Chargers in Year 1 of the Jim Harbaugh era, and a plantar fascia injury is not going to be comfortable to play throughāand it could be something Herbert deals with all season.
Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will miss a few weeks with a knee injury. The hope for him is also to be back for the regular season opener. No surgery was needed, so weāll have to see how quickly the veteran heals with a little over a month to go before Week 1.
The others of a plethora of injuries to track from the past week include:
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is week-to-week with a knee injury; Rams guard Jonah Jackson will miss the preseason with a bruised scapula, but the hope is he will be back for the regular season opener against his former Lions team.
Lions defensive lineman John Cominsky is out five-to-six months with a torn MCL, with the postseason as a potential target return date; Detroit cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (torn pec) is out indefinitely.
Cardinals pass rusher BJ Ojulari and Buccaneers guard Sua Opeta are both out for the season with torn ACLs; Bengals defensive end Cam Sample (Achilles) is out for the year.
Bucs pass rusher Yaya Diaby suffered a high-ankle sprain but is expected to be fine for Week 1.
Panthers rookie receiver Xavier Legette (foot) is day-to-day, while Steelers rookie receiver Roman Wilson (ankle) is week-to-week.
Returning from a torn ACL suffered while at Texas last season, Panthers head coach Dave Canales says rookie running back Jonathon Brooks wonāt be ready to start the season.
Browns running back DāOnta Foreman was completely immobilized and carted off the field during practice, but thankfully he seems to be OK and was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
š Hall of Fame induction and HOF Game
Bears legend Steve McMichael, battling ALS, highlighted the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony by getting honored at his home. The full class included Dwight Freeney, Randy Gradishar, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers, and Patrick Willis.
As for the Hall of Fame Game last Thursday night, it was shortened by inclement weather, but Texans quarterback Davis Mills (10/13, 102 yards, one touchdown) and Bears receiver Collin Johnson (three receptions, 56 yards, two touchdowns) were standouts in a 21-17 Chicago victory.
š More contract extensions
We stated last week how this time of year is a good one for contract extensions, and there were more deals made over the past week:
Buccaneers OT Tristan Wirfs (five years, $140.63 million)
Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill (three years, $90 million)
Bears WR DJ Moore (four years, $110 million)
Chiefs K Harrison Butker (four years, $25.6 million)
Patriots DT Davon Godchaux (two years, $21 million)
Cardinals LB Zaven Collins (two years, $14 million)
Also, it turns out quarterback Matthew Staffordās revised deal with the Rams is essentially a one-year pact (with no fully guaranteed 2025 money) where the two sides re-evaluate after the season.
š NFL preseason Week 1
All 32 teams will be in action for the preseason starting Thursday, and included in the preseason Week 1 schedule are a couple of standalone games on Sunday. Hereās the full schedule for this week:
NFL Preseason Week 1 is here!
š±Watch live out-of-market preseason games at home or on the go, streaming on #NFLPlus
ā NFL (@NFL)
6:00 PM ā¢ Aug 5, 2024
Storylines weāre watching include:
Starters playing: The Bengals, who have had slow regular season starts in each of the past two years, are among the teams that will play their starters this week.
Quarterback battle: Aidan OāConnell and Gardner Minshew are both looking to win the starting job for the Raiders and will have plenty of opportunities starting this week.
Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix is drawing rave reviews from coaches and teammates early and appears to be seizing the starting role in Denver. Heāll be playing in a standalone window when the Broncos face the Colts at 1:00 PM ET on Sunday.
āļø Player news
Trade rumors are swirling around 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, with framework in place for potential deals with the Browns and Patriots, according to NBC Sportsā Matt Maiocco. The Steelers are also said to be in the mix, and a trade sounds more likely than an extension with San Francisco.
There were three recent retirements around the league:
Former first-round running back Rashaad Penny, who signed with the Panthers this offseason, has called it a career at 28 years old after not feeling like himself during camp. He unfortunately battled many injuries throughout his career but was an impact player when healthy.
11-year veteran linebacker AJ Klein announced his retirement on Instagram.
Former All-Pro returner Tarik Cohen, who was attempting a comeback with the Jets, retired. But credit to him for giving the comeback a shot, and he says he made the attempt because he was getting too bigāand he certainly got back into shape.
Recent signings are headlined by a few veteran defenders:
The Titans signed safety Quandre Diggs, who is the latest of a ton of veteran additions for Tennessee over the past two offseasons.
Pass rusher Markus Golden re-signed with the Steelers after 4.0 sacks in 2023.
The Bills signed tone-setting safety Kareem Jackson, who was suspended twice for big hits last season.
The Giants added offensive lineman Greg Van Roten.
Cornerback Fabian Moreau signed with the Vikings after starting 11 games for the Broncos last season.
The Jaguars signed special teams impact player Tanner Muse.
The Cowboys signed defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad, and defensive tackle Mike Purcell signed with the Patriots.
Kicker Riley Patterson signed with the Commanders.
Broncos defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike was reinstated by the NFL after a one-year suspension for gambling.
š° NFL news and notes
A federal judge overturned the $4.7 billion verdict in the Sunday Ticket class action lawsuit.
The NFL and Sony announced a partnership that will have coaches wear Sony headsets on the sidelinesāand they will test Hawk-Eye tracking to potentially replace the chain gang.
On Hard Knocks, we received insight of both the Jets and the Colts attempting to trade up to the Giantsā No. 6 overall pick.
The Packers revealed alternate white helmets, which will be worn for a Week 7 āWinter Warningā game against the Texans.
Introducing our white helmet.
In real life.
@amfam
ā Green Bay Packers (@packers)
12:59 PM ā¢ Aug 1, 2024
The Bengals unveiled an awesome new locker roomācheck it out.
Cardinals rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. does not wish for his jersey to be sold, continuing a lengthy disagreement with Fanatics.
Funny stuff: Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy is considering boycotting Madden 25 over his 98 speed rating, and Josh Allen told a great story about rookie teammate Keon Coleman.
āHeās just not normal. And I mean that in the best way... I had him overāI had a chef during the OTAs, and she made fish. And he was like, āWhat the heck is this? I'm not eating this.ā And he didn't eat it.ā - Josh Allen on Keon Coleman š
š·: @BuffaloBills
ā Wolf Sports (@wolfsports)
4:58 PM ā¢ Aug 1, 2024
Bill Belichick will have a weekly show with Underdog Fantasy this season. Weāll see him there, on Inside the NFL, and on the ManningCast this fall.
This weekās Consigliere Corner hits on some players to note as we get deeper into training camp.
Packers star cornerback Jaire Alexander says teammate Romeo Doubs is the second-best receiver in the league (behind Davante Adams).
Bengals running back Chase Brown is drawing major hype.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said that second-year receiver Andrei Iosivas is āgoing to have a big year.ā
According to multiple players and coaches, the Patriots fully intend to be a ārunning teamā this season.
Buccaneers rookie receiver Jalen McMillan is off to a hot start in camp and looks poised to grab a full-time role in Year 1.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald wants to feed running back Kenneth Walker III and says āhe can be special.ā
We always adjust our fantasy football draft rankings as needed, and printable cheat sheets in a variety of formats can be accessed with Fantasy Consigliere.
Other Sports Updates
šļø Olympics update: The United States leads by far with 79 medals. Among the highlights was Noah Lyles winning the 100m a crazy photo finish.
NOAH LYLESā OLYMPIC DREAM COMES TRUE!
100M GOLD MEDALIST. #ParisOlympics
ā NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics)
7:58 PM ā¢ Aug 4, 2024
š¤ Angels star Mike Trout (knee) is out for the season as his big-time injury woes continue.
ā¾ļø Giants starter Blake Snell threw a no-hitter, making it the second consecutive week with a no-hitter in Major League Baseball (Dylan Cease on July 25).
š³ The White Sox have lost a stunning 21 games in a rowāthe longest streak since 1988.
š Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola looks almost identical to Patrick Mahomes.
šø The College Football 25 video game has already hit $500 million in revenue.
šŗ The Disney, Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery sports streaming service Venu will launch at $42.99/month.
šŗ Found on wolfsports.com
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