This article is part of our Training Camp Notes series.
Injury Notes
The Rams continue to proceed cautiously with Cooper Kupp, and the wideout is now expected to miss joint practices with the Raiders this week as he continues his recovery from a hamstring strain. The injury itself isn't that serious, but the fact that the 30-year-old has already suffered another lower-body injury after a high-ankle sprain that required a tightrope procedure cut short his 2022 campaign is at least a little worrying. Kupp's ADP remains solidly in the middle of the first round for the most part, but given his age and recent track record, he's on the volatile end of the risk/reward spectrum among players in his range.
There's still no return timeline for Jaylen Waddle, who left Wednesday's joint practice with the Falcons due to an abdominal issue that caused him to miss Friday's preseason game. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel did indicate the team is happy with where the wideout is in his recovery, however. As yet, there's no reason to think his Week 1 status is in any jeopardy, but it wouldn't be surprising if Waddle didn't suit up at all the rest of the preseason.
Kendre Miller suffered a knee injury in Sunday's preseason game against Kansas City. The 2023 third-round pick was able to walk off the field under his own power and didn't seem to be limping, but the nature and severity of the injury won't become clear until after imaging is done. The Saints can ill afford to lose the rookie with Alvin Kamara already facing a three-game suspension to begin the season and Eno Benjamin done for the year with a torn Achilles. Maybe New Orleans will circle back with Kareem Hunt and meet his asking price after all.
While he's still not practicing, Damien Harris appears to be close to getting back on the field for the Bills. The former Patriot is dealing with knee soreness and was held out of Saturday's preseason game, but Buffalo still seems confident he'll be in the lineup week 1. James Cook sits atop the depth chart at running back, but Harris could fill the goal-line/short-yardage role and his 15-touchdown campaign in 2021 is still relevant history. Of course, that New England squad didn't have a red-zone monster like Josh Allen at QB.
In IDP news, the Commanders got a scare in Friday's preseason matchup against the Browns when Chase Young left the game with a neck stinger, but the defensive end was already back on the field Sunday taking part in individual drills. Young barely played last season as his recovery from 2021 ACL surgery took longer than expected, and the 24-year-old has yet to come close to reaching the upside he had coming out of Ohio State, when Washington made him the second overall pick in the 2020 draft. (That draft class is proving to be a bit cursed, at least on the defensive side of the ball -- Jeff Okudah was taken at No. 3 by the Lions.) A healthy Young could still make an impact for the Commanders, but he remains a big risk from a fantasy perspective until he proves he can stay in the lineup.
Vikings right tackle Brian O'Neill has begun participating in team drills. The 2021 Pro Bowler tore his Achilles late last season, but he appears to be on track in his recovery and should be in the lineup for Week 1. Having him available is good news for Kirk Cousins, Alexander Mattison and the Minnesota offense in general.
Job Battles
According to Colts coach Shane Steichen, Jonathan Taylor will be back in camp next week, although he couldn't give an exact date. That doesn't mean he has any intention of participating, mind you -- he's holding firm to his trade demand, and he'll continue to sit out practice as long as he's conveniently not 100 percent recovered yet from his ankle surgery. With Zack Moss iffy for Week 1 after surgery of his own, it's worth noting that fifth-round rookie Evan Hull, and not Deon Jackson, got the start at RB in Indy's first preseason game.
With Josh Jacobs still holding out, Zamir White got the start for the Raiders in Sunday's preseason game and looked pretty good, scoring a TD on the team's opening drive against the 49ers. Las Vegas hasn't added any serious competition for the backup job this offseason, signing only veteran Damien Williams, who's likely just a camp body in the end. If Jacobs ends up going the Melvin Gordon or even (highly unlikely as it is) the Le'Veon Bell route with his holdout and missing a significant portion of the regular season, White could end up seeing a big workload in a solid offense. A "Zamir White vs. Rachaad White" rushing yards prop bet could be fun if Jacobs stays away long enough.
Backup job battles are rarely worth monitoring in much detail, but I'm going to make an exception in Deuce Vaughn's case because, well, watch. That spin move was downright Barry Sanders-esque, and the Cowboys don't have an established No. 2 running back behind Tony Pollard -- who, let's not forget, is coming back from ankle surgery and has never been a true starting back for a whole season. Now, Vaughn is also about three inches and 25 pounds smaller than Sanders was in his playing days, and he put that spin move on a rookie safety (Erick Hallett) who isn't even guaranteed a roster spot, so there's no reason to go overboard with comparisons to an inner-circle Hall of Famer. Still, the 2023 sixth-round pick out of Kansas State (Vaughn I mean, not Hallett, who was taken four picks ahead of the pint-sized RB) has the kind of electricity you can't teach, provided his frame can hold up in the NFL. If Dallas decides Pollard can't handle a big workload increase, Vaughn could wind up doing special things even with only 8-10 touches a game, and it's hard to imagine JAGs like Malik Davis or Rico Dowdle, or even Ronald Jones, being much competition for him for the backup job if what he showed Saturday is for real.
