Fantasy Football 2023: Training Camp Roundup (8/3)

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.

Joe Burrow Update

Joe Burrow continues to recover from a calf injury and is still without a true timetable. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor stated that Burrow is still several weeks away from when he last said several weeks, so it is possible Burrow misses some regular season action. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase talked about how he just wants Burrow to be healthy, and if he misses the first five weeks of the season, that’s OK. Given the news, I have moved Burrow down to my QB7 in my rankings for the time being. 

Marlon Mack (Achilles) Out for Season

Marlon Mack simply can’t catch a break, as this is his second Achilles injury since 2020. He had just joined the Cardinals, who continue to look for their RB2 behind James Conner. For now, it appears Keontay Ingram will enter the season as the clear backup for Arizona, though this could certainly be a team that gives a look to the veteran free agent running backs still out there, including Ezekiel Elliott, Kareem Hunt and Leonard Fournette. 

Jaylen Waddle Leaves Joint Practice Early

During Miami’s joint practice Wednesday, Jaylen Waddle apparently left early after taking a hit to the ribs. Hopefully it wasn’t anything serious, as Waddle is obviously paramount to Miami’s passing attack. Waddle saw low-upside usage as a rookie in 2021, sporting the league’s 14th-lowest yards before the catch per reception (5.5) and 15th-lowest average depth of target (7.0 yards). However, that role changed during his sophomore season, as Waddle’s yards before the catch per reception climbed to 11.3, while his aDOT jumped to 12.1. Waddle paced the NFL in yards per reception (18.1) and yards per target (11.7) and should be able to see more than 6.8 targets per game this season.

Kareem Hunt Visits Indianapolis

After it initially appeared Kareem Hunt was going to agree to a deal with the Saints, the veteran running back was contacted by the Colts while he was still in New Orleans. Hunt visited the Colts Wednesday but left without agreeing to a deal. Given the status of Jonathan Taylor and the injury to Zack Moss, the Colts have been active on the running back market as of late, recently signing Kenyan Drake. It looks like we’ll have to wait and see which team signs the 28-year-old running back.