Drinking from the training camp news firehose can be overwhelming. The best way to not drown is to understand what news is potentially actionable to begin with.
RELATED: See the 7 Running Back Battles to Monitor in Training Camp here.
Many training camp items simply reinforce what we already know. The most valuable items are those that add detail to what we don't know - i.e., playing time and role allotment, whether due to new coaching staffs, new faces, or a player entering a new phase of his career.
Which camp situations are we watching at wide receiver, and what have we learned so far?
New Veteran Additions to Monitor
Buffalo Bills
The Bills signed Joshua Palmer to a three-year, $36 million deal and Elijah Moore to a one-year, $2.5 million deal after letting Mack Hollins walk in free agency. How are they doing so far? Joshua Palmer has been a hit early in training camp with his ability to beat man coverage on the outside and play both outside spots in the offense. Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic wrote that Palmer was a "sneaky candidate to lead the wide receivers in snaps. Elijah Moore was less impactful, per Buscaglia, playing as the #5 receiver and not getting much time with Josh Allen. That could change in the upcoming days with #4 receiver Curtis Samuel, who was having a good camp, sidelined with a hamstring injury. The 2024 second-rounder, Keon Coleman, had his best day of camp on Sunday, July 27, after an uneven open, and Khalil Shakir has been outstanding and consistent, with Buscaglia calling him their "most trusted commodity".
Early Outlook: Palmer should be on our late-round target list, and we should be open to Shakir taking another step forward this season.
Injury Situations to Monitor
New England Patriots
Stefon Diggs surprised everyone by being cleared to open camp after suffering an ACL tear last year. He has been one of Drake Maye's favorite targets. However, Maye's top camp target continues to be DeMario Douglas, who, according to observers, has taken a step forward and might be on the verge of a breakout season in the valued slot receiver role in Josh McDaniels' offense. Third-round pick Kyle Williams has had some big moments, but is still working to pass Kayshon Boutte (and maybe Mack Hollins once he's healthy enough to practice), as new head coach Mike Vrabel is generally conservative with rookies.
Early Outlook: Douglas won't be hanging around in the late rounds for much longer at this rate. In PPR leagues, be willing to reach for him a round or two ahead of the latest ADP. We should have more optimism about Diggs regaining form before other veteran receivers coming off of injury that are still on the PUP list, like Chris Godwin and Brandon Aiyuk.
Chicago Bears
New head coach Ben Johnson said he expected second-round pick Luther Burden III to be ready for training camp, but he sat out the first week of camp with a hamstring injury that he suffered back in May. This is troubling, as the practices have been marked by Johnson's highly detail-oriented coaching style, with the team installing a new offense.
Early Outlook: Burden should be plummeting on redraft boards, with Rome Odunze, who Johnson appears to have taken a liking to, and DJ Moore, who should get some of the short run-after-catch primed targets that were ticketed for Burden, moving up. The offense had a bit of a rough start to camp, so don't be surprised if it takes a few regular-season games for them to hit their stride.
San Francisco 49ers
How much bad luck can a team have at one position? First, Brandon Aiyuk started camp on the PUP list, and there's no assurance that he'll be ready for Week 1, or even be taken off the PUP list before the season starts. Then, Ricky Pearsall started camp on the PUP list, rehabbing a hamstring injury he suffered in May. Then, #4 receiver Jacob Cowing went down with a hamstring injury that will sideline him for at least a few weeks before he can practice again. Finally, on the day that Pearsall was activated from the PUP list, Jauan Jennings (who reported to camp on time despite reports that he wanted a new deal or to be traded) suffered a calf injury, which was an issue for him earlier in the offseason. If there's a bright spot to highlight, it's UDFA Isaiah Neyor, who, at times, has shown flashes of his eye-popping size/speed/athleticism combination.
Early Outlook: We're waiting to hear more about Jennings' injury, and we want to see Pearsall make it through some practices without incident before we can fully endorse either of them at ADP. In the meantime, George Kittle is looking better and better at ADP as the one clearly healthy mainstay in this pass offense.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris Godwin re-signed with the Bucs on a three-year, $66 million deal, spurning a much more lucrative offer from the Patriots. Unfortunately, he might not be ready in Week 1 to show why the Bucs were willing to pay up for his services, even though his 2024 ended in Week 7 with a dislocated ankle. Godwin opened camp on the PUP list as it was disclosed that he had a second procedure on the injured ankle in the offense. The team drafting Emeka Egbuka, who has some overlap with Godwin's skillset and is very advanced for a rookie, was prescient, and 2024 third-round pick Jalen McMillan is on the rise.
Early Outlook: Godwin could still be a PPR mainstay once he's healthy, but we need to temper expectations of exactly when that will happen. Be willing to let him slip a round or two later than you would have before this news broke. Mike Evans is more attractive at ADP now with a hot start possible, and Emeka Egbuka might be leading all rookie receivers in production at the end of September.
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