NFL training camps have been in session for a little over a week now and we’ve had a whirlwind of news, including injuries, rookie standouts and players in contract limbo. There’s still plenty to be resolved and battles to be fought but so far, we’ve avoided a big groundbreaking news story. We did get our first bit of NFL preseason action with the Hall of Fame game on Thursday night between the Chargers and Lions.
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Below, we’ll go over some of the top news stories from this week coming out of training camp and put a little fantasy football spin on it.
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Terry McLaurin requests trade from Commanders
Thursday evening we got a huge report with McLaurin requesting to be traded away from Washington, according to multiple sources. McLaurin, 29, is coming off a career-high 13 touchdowns with 82 receptions for 1,096 yards last season with QB Jayden Daniels. As a result, McLaurin wanted a new deal from the Commanders, who made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game. It seems the two sides are too far apart and while McLaurin did report to training camp last weekend, he wants out.
Let’s focus on the Commanders and how that picture looks without McLaurin. Deebo Samuel Sr. (ranked 107th, ADP 104.1 on Yahoo) becomes the unquestioned No. 1 WR option for Daniels. Behind Samuel would be Noah Brown, Michael Gallup, K.J. Osborn and Luke McCaffrey. Rookie Jaylin Lane may also work into the mix depending on how he performs at camp and in preseason. We also know 34-year-old TE Zach Ertz will see some targets but John Bates and Ben Sinnott don’t seem like reliable targets.
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Daniels losing his No. 1 WR at the start of August would be less than ideal. Samuel would get a big boost in terms of fantasy football stock. Brown and McCaffrey appear to be the most appealing potential sleepers if McLaurin is dealt.
Recapping the HOF Game: Chargers vs. Lions
We got our first bit of football of the 2025 season with the Chargers and Lions facing off in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, on Thursday night. The Chargers coasted to a 34-7 victory, led by QB Trey Lance, who finished with 120 yards, two TDs and a 114.6 passer rating. Neither team’s starters saw much playing time, though the Chargers did give rookie RB Omarion Hampton his first taste of the League. So, of course, everybody is overanalyzing this run from the UNC product:
Hampton gets stopped on what probably should have been his first touchdown in the NFL preseason. Everybody is talking about the tackle and Hampton opting to go toward the sideline rather than downhill. We also see KeAndre Lambert-Smith do a terrible job of blocking. Again, no reason to overreact or overanalyze this play. The fact Hampton is getting run early on as the lead back is very encouraging and the more Najee Harris sits out, the better it should be for the rookie.
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Ravens down a tight end for rest of training camp
The Ravens lost TE Isaiah Likely to a fractured foot which is expected to hold him out for at least six weeks. That’ll mean Likely may be ready for Week 1 but will miss most of training camp and the preseason.
If that’s the case, it alters the TE landscape in fantasy football a bit.
Mark Andrews is the consensus TE6 in Yahoo’s rankings for the position. His ADP is at 64.4 on Yahoo as well for standard leagues. So that’s around the 5th or 6th round depending on how many teams are in your league. It’s difficult to speculate on Likely’s injury but it’s a slight plus for those targeting Andrews. Any setback and Andrews would be in line for the majority of the snaps and targets at TE on a top offense in Baltimore. Likely’s ADP is at 131.2, which would mean he’s the TE17.
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Even snagging Likely late in your draft could be advantageous so long as he’s ready for Week 1 and you have a backup plan. Charlie Kolar is the third-string TE and someone to keep an eye on as a potential waiver if Likely misses games.
Rookie QB Cam Ward has concerns over Titans offense
Tennessee Titans rookie QB Cam Ward has high expectations going into his first NFL season. During training camp thus far, the Titans’ struggles on offense have been well documented, so much so that Ward told reporters that the unit looks “very mid” right now.
“I just don’t think we’re where we need to be. But we’ve got a little bit of time. Every day we get better as a whole. We’re a young team. But that’s no excuse.”
The Titans offense ranked among the bottom-dwellers in the NFL last season and Ward has been tasked with changing that. It’s a lot to put on a rookie QB, though many believe that his talent should, at the very least, boost Tennessee’s stock slightly for 2025. Because of that, we’re seeing many tout WR Calvin Ridley as a sleeper target in drafts. Ridley’s ADP right now is 85.3 on Yahoo and he ranks 61st on the consensus rankings. We know that Ridley should see plenty of volume as the only clear top talent at WR for the Titans. But if this team can’t improve, this season could turn sour fast.
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Travis Hunter snap count already under the microscope at camp
We didn’t think it would be this early that we’d be counting snaps for Hunter during his rookie campaign. But here we are. Here’s an early look at those numbers via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco:
It’s very close to a 50-50 split between offense and defense for Hunter. That is during 11-on-11 drills, which makes sense. So it appears we will see a lot of Hunter on both sides of the ball to start 2025. That could be good and bad.
On one hand, it’s great for fantasy football managers who invested a high dynasty pick in Hunter. He’ll be heavily involved in the offense and should create a strong target for QB Trevor Lawrence opposite Brian Thomas Jr. On the other hand, Hunter could be playing quite a lot of snaps, which could tire him out during games. He’s young and in peak physical condition but you’ve got to wonder if the Jags monitor his snap count as the season progresses.
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