Let’s take a look at the latest news and notes around fantasy football. To stay up to date on all of the latest fantasy football news, be sure to follow @FantasyProsNFL on Twitter and bookmark the FantasyPros NFL Player News page.
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Deshaun Watson to start preseason opener Friday vs Jaguars
The Cleveland Browns plan to start quarterback Deshaun Watson in Friday’s preseason opener against Jacksonville pending any changes to his status prior to the game as reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Watson’s pending six-game suspension is currently facing an appeal by the NFL but a final decision is expected sometime this week. Despite Cleveland’s plans, Watson’s status for Friday’s game remains very much up in the air and dependent upon if the results of the League’s appeal come down by kickoff. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has already made it publicly known he feels the suspension is not sufficient for what he called Watson’s “egregious” and “predatory behavior” that he feels the evidence shows warrants a full-year suspension. Things continue to look bad for both Watson and fantasy owners as he faces at least a six-game suspension and will likely receive closer to the year-long ban Goodell called for. Stay tuned but fantasy owners should have already made contingency plans at quarterback at this point in Watson’s saga. For those managers who haven’t drafted yet in redraft leagues, take Watson at your own peril or, at a minimum, discount his draft day price tag accordingly.
Roquan Smith removed from PUP list Wednesday
The Chicago Bears have removed linebacker Roquan Smith from the Physically Unable to Perform list and he is now eligible to begin practicing but is not expected to as he continues his training camp “hold in” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Smith has been on the PUP list with an undisclosed injury that was said to have been discovered during the physical he received when he reported to training camp. Smith formally requested a trade from Chicago on Tuesday after contract talks have broken down. Smith has even gone as far as to say the organization “refuses to negotiate in good faith” and the “new front office regime doesn’t value [him].” The Georgia product will not be fined for missing days as he has reported to camp and will likely continue to attend meetings despite sitting out of practice. Smith, who is entering the fifth-year option and final year of his rookie contract worth $9.735 million, watched practice again on Wednesday. The Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos are rumored to be possible destinations for the two-time All-Pro linebacker.
Amon-Ra St. Brown is ‘that guy’ for Jared Goff
In an interview with Jeremy Fowler, Lions QB Jared Goff talked about his confidence and trust in Amon-Ra St. Brown, saying, “I’m looking for him when things break down, and I’m looking for him when we need a play. Right now, he’s that guy.” (Source: Jeremy Fowler on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Amon-Ra St. Brown had a fantastic finish to his rookie year, recording 51 receptions for 560 yards and five touchdowns over the last six weeks of the season. Amon-Ra was WR2 in full and half PPR leagues over that period, only behind Cooper Kupp. With this type of early praise from his QB, the second-year WR is likely in store for heavy volume in 2022, even with the offseason additions of DJ Chark and Jameson Williams.
The Miami Dolphins have traded TE Adam Shaheen and a seventh-round pick to the Houston Texans for a sixth-round pick. (Source: Ari Meirov on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: In 55 NFL games with the Dolphins and Bears, the 27-year-old has tallied 50 receptions for 509 yards and seven touchdowns. Shaheen’s route to playing time is questionable, with Pharoah Brown and Brevin Jordan ahead of him on the depth chart. However, he has the most experience of the three, so he would be worth a flier in deep TE-premium leagues.
2022 Consensus Best Ball Rankings
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