With the first action of the preseason looming Thursday between the Ravens and Bears, let's take a look at key new items from around the league:

• Stefon Diggs signed a five-year extension with the Vikings potentially worth about $14 million a season, putting him in the same tax bracket as the likes of Davante Adams and Allen Robinson. Diggs is still looking for the first 1000-yard campaign of his career and has yet to play a full 16-game schedule, but his game-breaking upside was on full display in the postseason. The upgrade at QB to Kirk Cousins could pay big dividends for Minnesota's No. 2 wideout, but until he shows he can put it all together, Diggs is still more potential than proven production.
• Doug Baldwin's knee injury may be more serious than the Seahawks are letting on, and apparently he could end up missing weeks of training camp and not just days. That timetable would still give him plenty of time to get ready for Week 1, but until the team releases a prognosis other than "soreness" it's kind of hard to judge whether they're simply being really cautious or not. If he is 100 percent to begin the season, Russell Wilson's favorite target has massive upside given the lack of competition he has, but until there's more clarity on this situation he does carry a smidge more risk than you might be expecting.
• speaking of the favorite targets of QBs, Jamison Crowder is rapidly earning that designation for his new signal-caller Alex Smith. With neither Jordan Reed nor Chris Thompson available so far -- Reed could start taking part in full team drills by the weekend, while Thompson is practicing on a limited basis but doesn't seem to fully trust his surgically repaired leg yet -- Crowder has had the underneath routes basically to himself on the first-team offense, and those are the routes Smith made a living on in Kansas City. The 25-year-old saw a career-high 103 targets last season from Cousins, but with Smith now at the helm, it wouldn't be a surprise if Crowder blew that number out of the water with Smith dinking and dunking away.
• while he still isn't practicing in full as he recovers from foot surgery, Terrance Williams did line up with the first-team offense during a walkthrough Tuesday, and he could be close to ready to get back on the field. Coming off a bad 2017 campaign and a worse offense, Williams has a lot to prove, but at least for now he still seems set in the No. 2 receiver role for the Cowboys. If he has any setbacks, though, or faces any league discipline for a DWI, it wouldn't take much for someone like Deonte Thompson or rookie Michael Gallup to surge past him with a good camp.
• shifting to the backfield, Crowder isn't the only Washington player drawing early praise. Derrius Guice is apparently opening eyes not just with his on-field ability, but with the work he's putting in during meetings and in the film room as well. He still has improvements to make in his blocking technique, but his dedication and willingness to stick his nose in is going to earn him some passing-down snaps, perhaps sooner than later. A healthy Thompson remains Washington's best pass-catcher among the RB group, but Guice seems to be on course to handle the bulk of the rest of the action.
• Marlon Mack has consistently been the first RB to line up during first-team drills for the Colts, and it doesn't appear as though his offseason shoulder surgery is a concern any longer. Rookies Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins could get their chances, but Mack remains the clear favorite for the starting job, and if the offense is able to kick into gear again with Andrew Luck under center, the second-year back has real sleeper potential.
• one back whose sleeper status is fading is Kerryon Johnson. Despite the fact that the Lions traded up in the draft to get him, he's been stuck on the second-team offense through the early part of camp while LeGarrette Blount and Theo Riddick handle first-team snaps. Barring something unexpected happening in camp or the preseason, Blount seems likely to enter the season as the starting RB on early downs. Johnson could eventually supplant the veteran bulldozer once he's proven himself to the coaching staff, but the uncertainty over when that might happen -- or if it ever does -- will make the rookie very tough to stash in most fantasy leagues without a very deep bench.