Fantasy Football News Roundup: August 2, 2019

A star receiver went down for several weeks, while two stud running backs are officially holding out for new contracts. Here are some of the biggest fantasy football storylines as the preseason gets underway. Track all the up-to-the-minute news right here.

 

DAL RB Ezekiel Elliott is officially holding out of training camp without a new contract.

 

The star running back didn’t report to training camp with his Cowboys teammates as he looks for a new contract. However, Elliott has two years remaining on his contract, and NFL Network’s Jane Slater reports the player and the team are not close to an agreement. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones at first said a rushing champion is not necessary to win a Super Bowl, but he later said he’s confident a deal will get done.

 

MIA RB Kalen Ballage is reportedly in the early lead to be Miami’s starting running back.

 

Ballage has been working ahead of Kenyan Drake as the starting running back for the Dolphins early in training camp, including receiving the most goal-line touches. But ESPN Dolphins reporter Cameron Wolfe projects Drake to still lead the team in touches, with 45% of them, while Ballage gets about 40% of the touches.

 

CIN WR A.J. Green is expected to miss at least a few games because of an ankle injury.

 

During the Bengals’ first training camp practice this year, wide receiver A.J. Green tore ligaments in his ankle and will miss regular season games. The hope is that Green will miss only a few games, but there’s a chance the Pro Bowl receiver misses several games after undergoing a minor ankle procedure. Green goes from a potential value in the third round of fantasy drafts to one of the biggest wild-cards of the year with his return date unclear.

 

TEN RB Derrick Henry is missing time with a calf injury.

 

Henry is expected to miss two weeks with a strained calf, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says the Titans are “not worried” about the injury, so it sounds like something minor that they’re being cautious with. However, Henry is expected to be the foundation of Tennessee’s offense this season, so it’s not ideal that he’s missing time this summer while the team makes another switch at offensive coordinator. It’s possible Henry’s ADP drops after this injury.

 

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh says to “take the over” on BAL QB Lamar Jackson rushing 139 times this season.

 

Appearing on NFL Network, the Ravens head coach said “take the over” on the 139 attempts without hesitation. Jackson already carried the ball 147 times in just seven starts as a rookie last year (the most-ever carries by a quarterback in one season), so this isn’t a big surprise. Still, you can lock it in that the former Heisman Trophy winner will run the ball a lot as long as he remains on the field.

 

IND QB Andrew Luck continues to deal with a calf injury.

 

This is becoming a concern for Luck, as he’s been dealing with the calf issue since offseason training. The Colts are taking a very cautious approach with their franchise quarterback, who will not play in the team’s first preseason game. Don’t panic yet, but Luck’s status is one of the most important things to track from both a real-life and fantasy perspective this month.

 

LAC RB Melvin Gordon’s agent requested a trade last week.

 

ESPN’s Josina Anderson reports that Gordon’s agent Damarius Bilbo requested a trade for his client last week after the Chargers didn’t budge on their $10 million per year contract offer. Chargers general manager Tom Telesco would not allow Bilbo to explore a trade for Gordon, and LA still wants him to be with the team. Gordon reportedly wants to be closer to the range of David Johnson ($13 million per season), and he’s indicated he would hold out into the regular season if he doesn’t get a new deal. Unlike Elliott, Gordon is entering the final year of his contract.