As we find ourselves early in the second week of training camp, news about potential player roles emerged today that could greatly impact upcoming fantasy drafts. The first new item comes from SNY's Ralph Vacchiano, who's reporting that Rashad Jennings is currently ticketed to be the lead running back for the Giants after the team used a four-way committee in 2015. Jennings finished the season on a high-note, which likely had much to do with the current stance the coaching staff is taking. Although he's typically quite productive when given an opportunity to handle the rushing load, he's now 31-years-old, and he's had more than his share of injuries in the past, so he carries a good deal of risk. Although he's currently being selected about 125 picks in fantasy drafts, fantasy owners should consider snapping him up after 80 or 90 picks, especially for teams that focused heavily upon wide receivers in the earlier rounds, and want the upside of a player who could play on all three downs.
• Another player in the news is potentially staring at a significant loss of snaps in the upcoming season, as The Inquirer reports that Jordan Matthews is expected to see the majority of his work in the slot. If this continues into the regular season, he may not be on the field as often as fantasy owners would like, as new head coach Doug Pederson will frequently use offensive sets with just two wide receivers, leaving his slot receiver on the sidelines. It should be noted that he's getting some work as an outside receiver during training camp, but if he's unable to secure a regular role on the outside, he'll likely underperform from a fantasy standpoint, based on the fact he's being selected about 53 picks into drafts.
• Moving to the Saints, the New Orleans Advocate is reporting that rookie wide receiver Michael Thomas has been far and away the best player in camp. Obviously, glowing reports coming out of team camps is common this time of year, and often should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt. However, he has a legitimate chance to fit into the role once owned by Marques Colston, especially since his main competition is Brandon Coleman, a player who disappointed with the opportunities he was given last year. Thomas will be a player to watch during preseason games, and if he appears to be running the majority of his snaps with the first-team, he'll clearly be a player to target in fantasy drafts in this high-volume passing offense.
• Finally, those who became overly-excited with the huge playoff performance from Jeff Janis last year will need to know that Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com notes that Janis is listed with the third-team offense to start the preseason. He's currently sitting behind Davante Adams and Jared Abbrederis on the depth chart, and he'll need to improve on his consistency while having an impressive preseason to gain significant playing time in the regular season.
Aside from each team's coaching staff being extremely busy, the trainers are scrambling to get players ready for the regular season.
• The Jets welcomed Matt Forte (hamstring) to his first practice at training camp after suffering his injury before the team reported to camp last week. Although many fantasy owners are penciling in Forte as a clear feature back, it's important to note that not only did the team pay Bilal Powell significant money to return as a free agent, but he was exceptional in the second half of the season, and although he's not as accomplished as a receiver as Forte, the gap between the two isn't as large as many would think. In addition, Forte hasn't exactly been a strong goal-line runner, and the team brought in Khiry Robinson, who easily can earn that role with a healthy camp. This could easily evolve into a timeshare at running back for the Jets, and at about 52 picks into an average draft, Forte will need much to go his way to earn that value.
• After hitting his head on the ground during Sunday's practice, NFL Network's James Palmer is reporting that John Brown (concussion) could be back to camp as early as Thursday. Assuming he returns as expected, this injury should have little or no impact to where he should be selected in drafts.
• A common injury during training camp is the dreaded hamstring, and Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald is reporting that DeVante Parker missed Tuesday's practice for just that reason. The good news is that this injury seems unrelated to the foot woes he had in 2015, but now it remains to be seen how much time the second-year receiver will miss with his current ailment. The impact on his fantasy value will be linked to how quickly he'll be back on the field.
• Meanwhile, the San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that Stevie Johnson won't have a clear timeline for his recovery from his torn meniscus until the doctors perform the operation later this week. It's extremely unlikely that he'll be ready early in the regular season, but if he receives good news, he'll hope to be available for a significant portion of the season. However, a worst-case scenario could have him missing the season. In his absence, Dontrelle Inman, newly-signed James Jones and Tyrell Williams will likely be vying for work while Johnson recovers.
• Finally, Charles Clay (back) was unable to practice Tuesday, as reported by Mike Rodack of ESPN.com. Clay struggled with a back injury last season, and also missed time during the team's off-season program with an unknown ailment, but the fact that he still struggling with back issues makes it reasonable to assume that fantasy owners should consider safer options when addressing the tight end position on draft day.