NFL Training Camp News Roundup: QB battles for Browns, Falcons, Raiders among notable stories for fantasy football

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

It definitely doesn't feel like it's summer out there anymore. It feels like draft season. Pumpkin spice lattes are already everywhere! Anyway, we're four games into Week 3 of the NFL preseason as we prep for the 2026 season. There's a good chance a lot of you are partaking in fantasy football drafts this weekend as well.

Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2026 NFL season

With that, you'll need to be up-to-date on the latest news from around the league. One big development we're following is the potential suspension of Packers RB Josh Jacobs, who was charged on Thursday. Along with that, here are some more headlines to note for fantasy.

Tua Tagovailoa will start on Friday versus his former team, the Dolphins, the preseason finale. This is notoriously a spot where the starting QB would sit and rest for Week 1. It also appears Michael Penix Jr. will not play on Friday, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Rap also said Tua hasn't looked good during camp and preseason, leading Atlanta toward Penix as the starter.

Penix is participating in 11-on-11 drills at practice and looks good, per Rapoport, but hasn't seen live action. It's looking like he'll be ready to play Week 1 coming off another torn ACL suffered last season. If Penix is good to go, he could be the starter to open 2026 against the Steelers. That could bode well for the Falcons' passing game if Penix is healthy and slinging the rock — most notably for Drake London and Kyle Pitts Sr. Penix isn't anyone you should consider in fantasy outside of deep 2-QB leagues, but is a name to file away as a potential waiver in some cases (if he starts).

This could lead to Atlanta trading or cutting Tagovailoa, opening a path to him signing elsewhere if a team isn't confident about QB depth. It would be surprising to see Tua exit Atlanta and land a starting job on another team at this point in the preseason.

The Raiders played their final preseason game on Thursday night versus the 49ers and both Kirk Cousins and rookie Fernando Mendoza played snaps. Cousins started the first two drives and the Raiders got a field goal on each drive. Mendoza struggled again and threw another pick. While Klint Kubiak hasn't made anything official yet, the expectation should be Las Vegas starting Cousins in Week 1.

The Raiders were able to move the ball well, so this feels like a good sign for players like Ashton Jeanty (upon injury return), Brock Bowers and even potential sleepers like WRs Jalen Nailor, Tre Tucker and rookie RB Mike Washington Jr., who had another solid game on the ground (8 carries, 49 yards).

Subscribe to Fantasy Ultra to unlock our Strategy Lab, 150+ page Draft Playbook and more!

Deshaun Watson was named the starting QB in Cleveland over Shedeur Sanders on Monday, leaving the Falcons' battle as the final competition this offseason. The Browns are on the hook for a lot of money on Watson's contract, so this move isn't too surprising. He hasn't been very good during preseason action but did enough to beat out Sanders.

Neither Watson nor Sanders played in the Browns' preseason finale on Thursday against the Patriots. Dillon Gabriel was lights-out, tossing three TDs with a perfect passer rating. Rookie QB Taylen Green flashed his athleticism again with eight carries for 66 yards (a 30-yard long). He's an interesting name for dynasty and keeper formats.

Depending on how the season goes, we should see Sanders starting games at some point, either because Watson was benched or the playoffs are out of reach. Any case, don't expect big things from the Browns' passing game, though the team could be in some positive scripts. Youngsters Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin Jr. and KC Concepcion should be the main producers. We'll see if Watson holds back the offense or keeps it steady enough for fantasy points. Watson comes in as the consensus QB34; Sanders is QB32 in Yahoo's rankings.

The Colts activated Pierce off the PUP list and he told reporters on Thursday that he plans to play in Week 1. He still has to work his way back to full speed at practice, but has plenty of time before the start of the regular season.

That's a positive for Pierce's fantasy outlook as his ADP has dropped significantly over the past few weeks. It's down to 108 over the past seven days on Yahoo, though expect a rebound as we get more reports from practice. If Pierce looks good and doesn't suffer a setback, he has potential as a late-round WR3 with spike-week potential. Josh Downs and Tyler Warren are both on the mend with minor injuries for the Colts.

In other injury news, Titans WR Wan'Dale Robinson is being evaluated for a concussion. We're awaiting more details on whether Robinson will land in the NFL's concussion protocol. He'll have enough time to clear it before Week 1 but we'll be waiting on updates there. Strictly something to monitor.

–The Packers signed veteran TE Jonnu Smith to a one-year deal with Luke Musgrave on the PUP list. Green Bay will likely use Smith's size as a blocker in 12-personnel. It wasn't too long ago in 2024 when Jonnu was the TE4 in fantasy.

-The Rams re-acquired WR Tutu Atwell from the Dolphins for RB Jarquez Hunter on Thursday. Atwell is familiar with the offense and has performed well as a depth wideout for L.A. in the past. He's not anyone we need to worry about in fantasy unless injuries pop up. It does tell us that Miami may have some faith in rookies Chris Bell and Caleb Douglas. Malik Washington and Jalen Tolbert are the two veterans at WR for the Dolphins going into 2026.

-Not only is Lions backup RB Isiah Pacheco dealing with a knee issue but he also has a back injury. Free-agent RB Kareem Hunt visited with the Lions earlier in the week, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. If Hunt is signed and Pacheco misses time, there's a chance the former Chiefs back gets some touches early on. Hunt could end up being Jahmyr Gibbs insurance late in your draft, so keep an eye out.

–Ty Simpson had another solid preseason showing on Thursday for the Rams. It's Matthew Stafford's team and he'll start until he can't, but Simpson was clearly a good call by Sean McVay and Les Snead (though it's only preseason). The rookie nearly completed 80% of his passes in the preseason. He's looking like a solid dynasty pick (particularly in Superflex) and has keeper upside this season if Stafford decides to retire after 2026.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos