NFL training camp officially kicked off on July 17TH when the Seattle Seahawks reported, and with that, we’ve begun getting reports from around the league. These reports include touchdowns in practice, who’s getting reps, what coaches and players are saying and more. Admittedly, it’s far from concrete evidence of who is a “riser” or “faller,” but below I’ll cover two fantasy football risers and two fallers based on early reports.
Reminder: This could change at any time. Let’s dive in.
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Training Camp Fantasy Football Risers & Fallers
Training Camp Fantasy Football Risers
Jonathon Brooks (RB – CAR)
One player receiving a lot of buzz this preseason and in training camp is Jonathon Brooks. He has just nine carries in his NFL career, and those came in 2024. He’s dealt with two ACL tears, and his career has never really gotten started.
According to Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer, Brooks was given reps with the first-team offense. Head coach Dave Canales also had positive things to say about Brooks. Not only did he say he looked fast and applauded his “mental resiliency” for going through the training to come back from two torn ACLs, but he also said, “He looks like the guy that I remember.”
Brooks received a lot of Jamaal Charles comparisons coming out of Texas, and this is a job he could win after fellow running back Chuba Hubbard was less-than-stellar as a runner, averaging fewer than four yards per carry. ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe mentioned that Brooks could potentially win the job.
De’Zhaun Stribling (WR – SF)
The 49ers drafted De’Zhaun Stribling 33rd overall with the first pick of the second round in the 2026 NFL Draft over other receiver prospects like Denzel Boston and Germie Bernard. It was a bit of a head-scratcher.
However, the team liked what they saw from the 6-foot-2-and-change receiver who ran a 4.36 40-yard dash.
The team and quarterback Brock Purdy are talking him up. Purdy called him a “baller,” and said that he’s running great routes, has learned the playbook quickly, has strength and is creating separation.
Those types of comments are notable because — for now — Stribling is behind players like Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall and Christian Kirk on the depth chart. Kirk is now dealing with a calf injury, and the severity isn’t known. He’s dealt with numerous injuries over his career and is only signed to a one-year deal. This is a prime opportunity for Stribling to earn more playing time.
Training Camp Fantasy Football Fallers
Tua Tagovailoa (QB – ATL)
Tua Tagovailoa is slated to be the Week 1 starter for the Falcons following Michael Penix Jr.‘s knee injury last season, but he’s dealing with an injury of his own. According to ESPN, the team is referring to it as a “flare-up,” but the nature of the injury hasn’t been disclosed beyond the fact that it’s impacting his back.
With Penix and now Tagovailoa injured, the team signed veteran signal-caller Cooper Rush.
It could ultimately be nothing, but with Tagovailoa learning a new offense on a new team, missing any training camp time is detrimental not only to him but also to the receivers around him.
James Conner (RB – ARI)
It’s no secret that the Cardinals’ running back depth chart has a lot of names, and it appears to be trending in the wrong direction for James Conner.
The depth chart consists of Conner, former third-round pick Trey Benson, new-signee Tyler Allgeier ($12.25 million deal over two years), Jeremiyah Love (third overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft), Bam Knight and Corey Kiner.
While ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss expects the Cardinals to keep four backs — which could simply mean cutting Knight and Kiner — it seems like Conner could still be buried on the depth chart given the reports from camp we’ve seen.
According to Theo Mackie of AZ Central, Love and Allgeier traded off series with the first-team offense, with Allgeier getting the first series. Then, Tyler Drake of AZ Sports noted Benson got in on some drills, but he had yet to see Conner out there.
We’ll see how this shakes out.
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