Fantasy football season is upon us, and with it comes a whirlwind of injuries, holdouts, trades, depth chart battles, and preseason performances. The constant stream of news from training camps can be overwhelming, leaving even the most dedicated fantasy managers feeling unsure about their draft strategies.
In this article, we'll simplify everything for you. We'll go round-by-round through every player drafted in the Top 120 picks in our updated Consensus Average Draft Position (ADP). You'll get the latest updates and insights you need to make informed decisions when you're on the clock this weekend.
But that's not all—we'll also highlight the news you should know on 25 later-round players whose fantasy stock is either rising or falling based on recent developments.
Round 1
The two veterans at the top of the draft, Christian McCaffrey and Tyreek Hill, are both dealing with very minor injuries. Draft them with confidence.
The two star young wide receivers going in the Top 4, CeeDee Lamb and Ja'Marr Chase, are both holding out. This is the first-round news that is most worth following. In general, both should be out on the field in Week 1, and this is not an issue worth fretting over. The risk of a holdout dragging into the season is not 0%, though. Draft both as you usually would. However, the holdout risk can be a tie-breaker if you are conflicted between two players (say Lamb and Hill or Chase and Amon-Ra St. Brown).
The recent Footballguys Preseason Insights article featured this note: "RB Tyler Allgeier is having a great training camp and is a regular part of the starting offense." This has been a theme throughout camp. Atlanta loves Allgeier, and he is going to be involved. This may cap Bijan Robinson's upside. It is a piece of news worth considering in your draft prep.
On the other end of the spectrum, the drumbeat on Garrett Wilson has been almost 100% positive. He deserves to be a Top 10 selection and there is arguably a bit of a tier drop after Wilson at 10 to Puka Nacua at 11. Nacua is at no risk of missing Week 1, but it is always a bit of a concern for a player with an injury history to miss most of camp.
Round 2
News on second-round players is relatively quiet. Jahmyr Gibbs is expected to return soon from a hamstring injury that has kept him out of practice for the last few weeks.
De'Von Achane has impressed in recent weeks. He is a boom-or-bust player worth deeper consideration. Our Jason Woods wrote an excellent deep dive, De'Von Achane: The Outlier of Outliers.
Round 3
The on-again, off-again Brandon Aiyuk trade scenarios drag on with no end. Something has to break soon. When it does, it will impact our fantasy drafts. Aiyuk's a great third-round target if he stays in San Francisco. If he ends up in Pittsburgh? Yikes. That passing offense has looked rough in preseason action. There is even some late buzz that Washington may be back in the Aiyuk sweepstakes after the Commanders shipped Jahan Dotson to Philadelphia for a mid-round draft pick.
Round 4
We should not overreact to training camp highlights, but ignoring what we have seen from Malik Nabers is impossible. It is not just a single highlight here or there. He moves differently than all but a handful of other wide receivers on the planet, earning comparisons to Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson recently from Sauce Gardner.
Round 5
Should we be worried about Anthony Richardson? He has had a rough week. Richardson struggled mightily in a joint practice session with the Bengals on Tuesday and endured a steady stream of taunting from the Bengals defense. On Thursday night, Richardson played deep into the Week 3 preseason matchup against Cincinnati's second and third-string defense. Results were mixed. He led an opening touchdown drive but followed that up with an ugly pick-six and many inaccurate passes. Richardson's rushing upside is tantalizing, and the upside is undeniable. That said, we may need to dial back expectations for him as a passer, especially early in the season.
Round 6
Rashee Rice is going to be on the field Week 1. With Marquise Brown already banged up, Rice is battling rookie Xavier Worthy to be the top wide receiver for Patrick Mahomes II. Rice's fantasy stock is rising with no suspension imminent (and perhaps not even occurring until 2025).
Round 7
Regarding the eye test, rookie wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Rome Odunze have passed with flying colors. Based upon the latest camp reports, both players should be highlighted on your board as high-upside targets in your drafts this weekend.
Jaylen Warren is out multiple weeks with a hamstring injury. He is very much questionable for Week 1. In what has been a preseason with very few impactful injuries, this is one of the few worth noting because it will impact early-season usage in Pittsburgh. Najee Harris gets a short-term boost.
Round 8
Are we concerned Deshaun Watson missed a single practice this week with arm soreness? In a vacuum, no. However, the vibes regarding the Cleveland offense have been bad for the last week or two, and we have to view Watson's minor setback within the context of a multi-year struggle to get back to form. It is enough of a concern that I am breaking ties against Watson's pass catchers if I am on the clock this weekend.
Round 9
Hopefully, you did not buy into the Jameson Williams hype last offseason. Anyone who did can be forgiven for rolling their eyes at the prospect of investing a pick in the first ten rounds on Williams this season. However, the drumbeat here is growing steadily. A breakout season could be on tap.
Brian Thomas Jr. is still a bit of a one-trick pony, but what a trick it is. Thomas is tall, long, solidly built, and can absolutely fly. His ability to get behind the defense gives him insane big-play upside and raises the ceiling for the entire Jaguars offense.
Round 10
Green Bay is loaded with exciting young pass catchers, and it is hard to know which one to target. Based on the latest news out of camp, Doubs appears to be the guy who gives you the most bang for your buck at current ADP.
Late-Round Notes
If Taysom Hill is eligible as a TE on your fantasy platform, make him a late-round priority target. He looks poised to play a significant role in the Saints offense as a runner, receiver, and occasional passer.
If you are looking to handcuff Joe Mixon in Houston, it is Cam Akers and not Dameon Pierce, who you will want to target.
Looking for deep sleepers? A pair of mid-round Buccaneers rookies have impressed at every offseason stage. Bucky Irving is going to have a role behind Rachaad White. It may be more significant than many are expecting. Jalen McMillan is flying under the fantasy radar but has locked down a starting role. If Mike Evans or Chris Godwin were to miss any time, McMillan would have a real shot at fantasy relevancy.