Darren McFadden broke his orbital bone – The broken bone in McFadden's face is expected to keep him off the field for at least two weeks. This injury shouldn't have any real effect on his availability for the regular season however, so McFadden can still be drafted with confidence in the first two rounds of all leagues.
Braylon Edwards signed with the 49ers – It's about time San Francisco stepped up and made some sort of free agency noise, other than letting their own players walk of course. Edwards gives the Niners a nice security blanket for Michael Crabtree, whose foot injury could linger into the season. While the quarterback play could leave something to be desired, with Crabtree's season a big question mark, don't be surprised to see Edwards immediately step into the No. 1 receiver role and lead the 49ers in yards and possibly scores. He gives them the deep threat they have lacked for years.
Antonio Gates participated in his first practice – Gates finally saw the field during practice and reportedly felt good moving around and cutting without pain in his injured foot. Although it was never strongly believed that Gates would begin the regular season on the PUP list, this is promising news nonetheless. Assuming he has no setbacks in the next few weeks, he should continue to be one of the top tight ends taken in all drafts.
David Garrard left practice with tightness in his back – Though coach Jack Del Rio downplayed Garrard being carted off the field today at practice, this should indeed cause some skepticism over his health entering the season. He experienced similar back issues last year, and back tightness/spasms can reoccur at any time and be quite debilitating. There is a good possibility that if this is bothering him now that rookie Blaine Gabbert will need to be ready to roll sooner rather than later.
Ryan Torain had surgery on his fractured hand – Torain is not expected to miss significant time with this hand injury (only one to two weeks), but this seems to be a sign that this talented back simply is destined to never play a full season. After leading the Redskins in rushing last year with 742 yards and 4.5 per carry, the odds seem to be against the injury-prone back building on those numbers. With Tim Hightower and Roy Helu now in town, expect Torain to be spending more time on the sideline in 2011, injured or not.
The Jets released Jerricho Cotchery and appear poised to sign Derrick Mason – The release of Cotchery does not do much to shake up the fantasy world, but if the Jets can sign Mason that will boost Mark Sanchez's value a bit. Mason will be an upgrade over Cotchery and give the Jets a very reliable chains-mover, who despite his age (37), can still offer a big contribution as a possession receiver who can keep Jets drives alive and help take coverage off of the more dynamic talents of Santonio Holmes and Plaxico Burress.
Donte Whitner signed with the 49ers – Whitner was an IDP beast last season in Buffalo, leading all defensive back with a whopping 140 total tackles. In San Francisco, there is no reason to think his numbers will drop off much, if at all. Though he will compete with All-Pro Patrick Willis for tackles, there should be plenty to go around considering the 49ers defense may rarely leave the field. And let's not forget that he didn't even lead the Bills in tackles last year, as Paul Posluszny racked up 151.
Legedu Naanee signed with the Panthers – Naanee is a highly athletic receiver with good size, and he should step in and compete for the No. 2 receiver role in Carolina right away. With Cam Newton, Jimmy Clausen or Derek Anderson under center, however, that spot does not figure to be very valuable in fantasy no matter who wins that battle.
Malcom Floyd remains unsigned – Floyd, who has been linked to numerous teams recently, is the biggest receiver name left on the free agent market. But with Edwards signing in San Francisco, he is not likely to remain teamless for long. The Ravens and Cardinals appear to be the frontrunners for his services and he would step into the No. 2 receiver role for either team immediately.