Fantasy Football 2023: Training Camp Roundup (8/24)

Training camps provide our first look into NFL players and teams as we prepare for the upcoming fantasy football season. Information will now begin to flood our social media timelines, leaving us to determine the subsequent fantasy impact. It’s a matter of knowing which information matters, and which should be ignored.

So each day in this space, we’ll take a trip through the top news and takeaways around the league’s training camps to offer up what fantasy managers need to know as we head through draft season and into the 2023 NFL regular season.

Today, let’s review the major news from Wednesday.

Jonathan Taylor Given Week to Find Potential Trade

The Colts have reportedly given Jonathan Taylor until Tuesday to find a trade partner, which is the deadline for all rosters to get down to 53 players. Multiple teams are reportedly interested, including the Dolphins, Bears and Rams. Miami has expressed interest in multiple running backs over the course of the offseason, but the Colts are reportedly seeking a first-round draft pick for Taylor, which is a pretty steep asking price. It still remains to be seen who Taylor will be playing for this year but whether he is in Indianapolis, Miami, Chicago or Los Angeles he should remain a top-10 fantasy running back.

Corey Davis Announces Retirement

This came as a surprise, as Corey Davis is still just 28 years old and has plenty of good football left. Davis has missed plenty of practice time due to personal reasons, so hopefully everything is all right. Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard are solidified as the top two Jets wideouts, but Davis retirement will force Mecole Hardman and Randall Cobb to play a larger role in this Jets offense.

Ezekiel Elliott Seeing More Work in the Passing Game

When Ezekiel Elliott signed with the Patriots, it was expected that he would be the backup to Rhamondre Stevenson and see some goal-line work. It is still unclear exactly what his role will be, but while Elliott was extremely inefficient running the ball last season, he was still good at converting short-yardage carries and protecting the quarterback. I still haven’t moved Stevenson down in my rankings, but if Elliott cuts into his goal line carries and third down snaps, he could be losing the most valuable touches in all of fantasy. This past season, Stevenson played a whopping 79.6% of New England’s third downs, the highest rate among all running backs. Stevenson is still easily a top-15 running back but Elliott is now a fine late-round selection in drafts. 

Sam Darnold to Be QB2 in San Francisco

Sam Darnold has reportedly won the backup quarterback job in San Francisco, and the team could be looking at potential trade options for Trey Lance. It is crazy considering Lance hasn’t really had much of an opportunity due to injuries, but the former third overall selection is now third on the 49ers depth chart. If San Francisco looks to trade Lance, teams like the Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers should pick up the phone right away.