Training Camp Notes: August 24

Training Camp Notes: August 24

This article is part of our Training Camp Notes series.

Obviously, the lead story today is that Travis Etienne (foot) needs foot surgery that will rule him out for the season. Hopefully, he'll be fully healthy for the 2022 season.

The obvious aftermath of the Etienne injury is that last year's fantasy football hero, James Robinson, is expected to move into a lead role, though it's possible that Carlos Hyde mixes in with some regularity. Regardless, after posting 1,573 total yards and 10 touchdowns last year, Robinson immediately moves into the conversation as a top-24 back with upside for more, especially with the likelihood that the Jaguars have a much-improved passing offense that could force defenses into lighter box counts.

It's also possible that the stock is going up on Laviska Shenault, based on the idea that Etienne was being talked about as a player who would line up in the slot on occasion. If that was to be the case, then Shenault may see more opportunities as the Jaguars' primary slot receiver, raising both his floor and upside potential.

For most of the preseason, Julio Jones has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury, but he was in uniform at practice on Tuesday, though he may not be a full participant. Given the fact he has almost three weeks until the season opener, there's a chance he's ready to roll for Week 1, but with no concrete knowledge of the injury, fantasy managers may be wise to select a similarly-ranked player who is healthy over Jones on draft day, but those who are shooting for upside and are not worried about the injury may end up with a steal on their hands. 

Due to D'Andre Swift's absence from practices with a groin injury, coach Dan Campbell is concerned about Swift's conditioning and availability for Week 1. That said, it would be surprising if Swift wasn't ready soon after that, so if fantasy managers are not worried about the first week of the season, he'd hopefully be ready to roll soon after.

Earlier in the preseason, the hype was rising for Mike Williams being a big part of the Chargers offense, and although that may still be the case, he missed the first two preseason games with a hip flexor injury, and he's yet to practice as of Tuesday. That said, he has time to get ready for the regular season, and fantasy managers who are buying into a breakout year from Williams may enjoy a slight discount on draft day from what his value was a couple weeks ago.

After a phenomenal start to training camp, Elijah Moore suffered a quadriceps injury that forced him to miss the first pair of preseason games, but the good news is that the rookie is planning to play in this week's preseason game. Certainly, this news puts him to be on track for the season opener, and if the lost reps keep him out of the opening-day starting lineup, if he continues to play the way he did at the start of camp, it shouldn't be long before he's a featured part of the offense.

During the Monday night game, Adam Trautman suffered a foot/ankle injury, and he's optimistic that he avoided a major injury, but he'll visit a specialist to get a return timeline. It's difficult to make any reasonable prediction right now, but should he miss time, Juwan Johnson has been getting buzz as a potentially strong receiving option, but even if given a chance to play, there's a chance that the undrafted rookie may have a bit of a learning curve, which may may him a risky choice on draft day, and of course, if Trautman returns quickly, Johnson may not see much work.

Good news coming out of Indy, as Carson Wentz practiced for the second-consecutive day on Tuesday. As of now there seems to be a reasonable chance he's ready for Week 1, and fantasy managers who were considering selecting him in drafts can likely return him to the spot they placed him on their draft boards earlier in the preseason.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jim Coventry
Coventry was a finalist for the FSWA football writer of the year in 2022. He started playing fantasy football in 1994 and won a national contest in 1996. He also nabbed five top-50 finishes in national contests from 2008 to 2012 before turning his attention to DFS. He's been an industry analyst since 2007, though he joined RotoWire in 2016. A published author, Coventry wrote a book about relationships, "The Secret of Life", in 2013.
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