We take the firehose of news coming out of training camp, filter it, distill it, and bottle it in our Preseason Reports. If you don't have the time to drink a whole case of NFL preseason news, then you can read Joe's Need-to-Know report - think of it as a 32-flight sampler that gives you the strongest flavors from each vintage. Today I am going to pour you a shot of 200-proof fantasy-relevant news to get right to the most urgent news of the week.
From Our Arizona Cardinals Report
Jeremiyah Love sustained a high ankle sprain in the preseason game. The team hopes he can return for Week 1.
Why It's Important: Love was going in the third round of fantasy drafts in the hopes that the elite talent would rise to the top of this backfield. Now, he's uncertain for Week 1, may not be 100% when he does return, and is at risk of re-injury. The chances of a spectacular breakout season have gone down significantly with this injury.
What Should You Do?: If you are smitten with Love's rare constellation of abilities and skills, you still have permission to take him in the third round, but with this injury, his value is more in line with the running backs in the fourth or fifth round. Tyler Allgeier becomes more valuable as a potential Week 1 lead back and should move up in priority among bench stash backs targeted in the second half of fantasy drafts.
From Our Carolina Panthers Report
Chuba Hubbard is week-to-week with a hamstring strain, but Jonathon Brooks looks fully cleared, taking starting snaps and absorbing live contact against Buffalo without issue.
Why It's Important: We saw it take months for Hubbard to round back into shape from a calf injury last year, and Rico Dowdle showed enough in the two games Hubbard missed to eventually take over the early-down carries from Hubbard. Brooks can do the same, and unlike Dowdle, he has demonstrated plus passing-down skills. Brooks wasn't impressive in his preseason debut, but he stayed healthy, and that's most of what we care about right now.
What Should You Do?: Brooks belongs in a tier with high-ceiling, risk/reward running back picks like Bhayshul Tuten and Jadarian Price. His current ADP is in the seventh round, which is a reasonable price for a player with his outlook at a position that is getting thinner by the day.
