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NFL Training Camp Notes: Crossing Miller Off Your Cheat Sheets

While Marcus Mariota spends Sunday night discouraging any fantasy GM looking to replace Andrew Luck from picking him up, let's take a look at the news from around the league:

  • overshadowed by Luck's bombshell announcement was the knee injury Lamar Miller suffered in Saturday's shellacking at the hands of the Cowboys, and an MRI on Sunday confirmed the worst-case scenario of a torn ACL. The Duke Johnson acquisition suddenly looks key for the Texans, but given the lack of established depth behind him, don't be surprised if Houston brings in another back to split snaps with him. Carlos Hyde's name is already being tossed around willy-nilly on social media, but it's hard to imagine the team spending even more draft capital on the position, especially with names like Jay Ajayi still on the street as free agents and potentially other veteran RBs becoming available for free after rosters get trimmed.
  • in better injury news, Cam Newton shed his walking boot Sunday, and GM Marty Hurney said he was "cautiously optimistic" the quarterback will be ready for Week 1. Newton never really got a chance to show his shoulder was OK in his one preseason game before spraining his foot, but his mobility is probably the bigger concern for anyone with fantasy shares in him. He won't play in the Panthers' final exhibition contest, but he still has enough practice time to at least show he's healthy.
  • surprising no one, Washington coach Jay Gruden named Case Keenum as his Week 1 starter. Keenum's not an appealing fantasy option, especially with left tackle Trent Williams still holding out, but this could actually be a shrewd move by Gruden, as well as good news for Dwayne Haskins in the long run. Washington has a fairly brutal opening schedule (at PHI, vs. DAL, vs. CHI), so letting Keenum take his lumps against them not only avoids damaging the rookie's confidence, it positions him as the season savior if Haskins. say. rides to the rescue with a road win against the Giants in Week 4.
  • speaking of Williams, word out of Houston is that the Texans may have a deal in place that swaps Jadeveon Clowney for "an offensive lineman". Hmm. Washington isn't exactly hurting for a pass rush, adding first-round pick Montez Sweat to a Ryan Kerrigan-led unit that finished seventh in sacks last year, but if the deal is Clowney for Williams, they could have a truly elite QB-hunting group.
  • Antonio Brown lost another grievance about his helmet, but supposedly his team is working on some sort of deal with the league. Oh, OK.
  • Josh Gordon practiced Sunday and is no longer on the Patriots' NFI list, putting him one step closer to suiting up for Week 1.
  • the Bengals' wideout situation got a little clearer Sunday as well. John Ross was able to practice Sunday as he recovers from a hamstring strain, but the team also named Damion Willis, an undrafted rookie out of Troy, as a Week 1 starter -- which means that A.J. Green is *not* being counted on as a Week 1 starter. Willis could have some mild punt-play DFS appeal with Cincy beginning its season on the road facing a Seattle secondary that is far, far removed from its Legion of Boom days.
  • one WR situation that is not getting clearer is the one in San Francisco. Coach Kyle Shanahan once again called out Dante Pettis after Saturday's game, saying that Pettis played into the fourth quarter because he's still competing for a job. The Niners certainly have plenty of depth if this isn't just a motivational tactic on Shanahan's part, but it's hard to imagine he's soured so quickly on a second-round pick who showed definite flashes of potential as a rookie.
  • the Dolphins continue to lean hard into securing next year's top pick (what's the hashtag for that? #TankForTua?) and the latest casualty might be Kenny Stills, who is apparently a candidate to be cut outright if they can't find a trade partner. There isn't necessarily a big market for a decent-enough veteran receiver who doesn't really move the needle, but maybe a team in need of some depth at the position, like the Seahawks, might pony up a Day Three pick.