Training Camp Notes: Aug 3

NFL games are finally here. Sort of. The Hall of Fame Game between the Browns and the Jets is Thursday, making the beginning of the exhibition season. With many key players sitting out on both sides, there probably won't be too much fantasy-relevant news from the game, but plenty still emerged out of training camps Thursday. 

Injuries

• Speaking of preseason action, Javonte Williams is slated to see some. He recently returned to practice for the Broncos, and coach Sean Payton said Thursday that the 23-year-old will play in at least one of Denver's preseason matchups. This serves as further evidence that he's on track to suit up in Week 1 despite tearing his ACL in Week 4 last season. 
• Elijah Mitchell is scheduled to miss about a week of 49ers camp due to an abductor strain. While it doesn't sound major, it means Jordan Mason and Tyrion Davis-Price should see extra reps behind Christian McCaffrey. 
• Kenneth Walker has been at Seahawks practice while he recovers from a groin injury but isn't wearing a helmet or taking snaps just yet. Coach Pete Carroll said days ago that the second-year back is week-to-week, so not much has changed with that prognosis. 

Position Battles

• Meanwhile, Walker's backfield cohort and Seattle's 2023 second-round pick, Zach Charbonnet, returned to practice after missing just three days due to a shoulder injury. Carroll had recently called him "out indefinitely," so this qualifies as a pleasant surprise as well as an opportunity to seize more first-team work while Walker is out.
• Lions coach Dan Campbell all but confirmed the long-suspected two-pronged attack of David Montgomery and rookie first-rounder Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield, calling the tandem a "two-headed monster" Thursday. Gibbs' ADP is 43.54, the 22nd running back off the board, while Montgomery's is 81.61, the 33rd running back.
• D'Andre Swift is the buzziest of Eagles running backs at the moment, with multiple team beat writers lauding the impression he's made at camp and one going so far as to predict he'll be the RB1 in Philadelphia over Rashaad Penny. However, neither player has ever carried a true bellcow workload before, so it's still highly likely they'll form a committee as long as each remains healthy.
• Anthony Richardson has been taking "practically all the first-team snaps" ahead of Gardner Minshew in Colts camp this week. The 2023 fourth-overall pick will still need to perform over the remainder of the preseason to cement the starting job as his own, but he should be the preferred choice of the fantasy community on upside alone. 
• In Rams camp, Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua are fighting for the No. 3 WR slot. Atwell, a smaller, speed-merchant type and former second-round pick is entering his third year — often a breakout year for receivers — while Nacua is a rookie fifth-rounder out of BYU with a larger build more suited for physical play.