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Training Camp Notes: DGB is the newest Eagle

In a surprising move, the Titans shipped Dorial Green-Beckham, their second-round selection in 2015, to the Eagles for a backup offensive lineman. The second-year player was struggling with consistency throughout training camp, and was currently a reserve on the team's depth chart. For the Titans to give up on him so quickly, it would seem that there were many negative issues with the receiver that haven't been reported. It's difficult to think that he'll be able to go to a new team at this late date and not only learn a new offense, but move up the depth chart. If he was a risky fantasy choice before, that risk has just increased further.

Aside from today's trade, there was plenty of news relating to player's playing time:

  • Sticking with the Titans, with the trade of Dorial Green-Beckham, ESPN's Adam Caplan is reporting that Tajae Sharpe is now expected to start at one of the outside receiver positions. His current average draft position of 199 is likely to see a bit of a bump in the upcoming weeks, and those who believe that Marcus Mariota will be significantly improved in his second season may now choose to spend a draft pick on him in the 160 range, especially with no real competition for the starting role.
  • Moving on to the Super Bowl Champions- the Broncos' team website is reporting that Devontae Booker is currently ahead of Ronnie Hillman in the battle for the teams backup running back spot. This news is no surprise to fantasy owners, as Booker is currently being selected about 142 picks into an average draft. If the rookie sees a significant amount of time on passing downs, he certainly could earn his draft value. He also has added value if CJ Anderson is forced to miss time.
  • Keeping things in the Mile High City, Trevor Siemian handled the majority of first-team reps when the team held their Monday practice. During the session, he was successful on a number of deep passes, and he seems to be getting a legitimate chance to battle Mark Sanchez for the team's starting quarterback position. Should Siemian win the job, it's extremely unlikely he'll be more than a QB2 in an offense that projects to be very run-heavy.
  • Staying in the AFC West, Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio wants Latavius Murray to touch the ball more this season after ranking fourth in the NFL with 307 touches last year. On paper, the Raiders have significantly upgraded their defense, while also adding OL Kelechi Osmele to their solid offensive line. If these upgrades work out as planned, it's entirely possible the team could play more frequently with the lead, and they could indeed be in a position to have more rushing attempts, making Murray a high-volume RB2.
  • Meanwhile, the Bills can't seem to catch a break this summer, and the latest player to disappoint them is defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, who Mike Rodak of ESPN is reporting will be suspended for the first four games of the season. The team's front-seven was thin before this news, and this certainly makes the defense a backup option only for fantasy.

Finally, a day of training camp notes wouldn't be complete without a few injury updates:

  • For the first time in Jets training camp, Matt Forte has healed enough from his hamstring injury that he practiced in pads both Monday and Tuesday. With Bilal Powell having finished the 2015 season with a flourish, Forte could use a productive preseason to give the coaching staff confidence that he deserves the majority of the backfield touches. The fantasy community seems convinced that the veteran will have a solid season, as he's being selected about 53 picks deep in fantasy drafts.
  • Staying in the AFC East, it appears that Patriot Nation can let out a collective sigh of relief, as Mike Reiss of ESPN is reporting that Rob Gronkowski's injury is minor despite not practicing Tuesday. For now, it appears that fantasy owners can draft Gronk as they normally would.
  • To close out the AFC East injury news, ESPN.com is reporting that Arian Foster will likely make his preseason debut in Friday's preseason game. The veteran has now been practicing for two weeks, and fantasy owners will be excited to see how he looks coming off last year's Achilles injury. Although it appears that he's in the driver seat to be the starting running back for the Dolphins, Jay Ajayi has also been seeing reps with the first-team offense during practices. Should Foster perform well in game action, his current ADP of 82 will likely move up very quickly.
  • Our last stop of the day will be in Arizona, and after having now missed over two weeks of the preseason, John Brown (concussion) has yet to be cleared to practice, and is at the point now that he'll need to get back into game shape upon his return. To miss this amount of time indicates that he's struggling to recover, and this becomes a bigger concern if he suffers another concussion during the season, as it could lead to a significant amount of missed time. When drafting, those who have other receivers similarly ranked with Brown, it may be wise to go with one of the other options. Murray is currently being selected about 53 picks into the average fantasy draft, and if he does see the increased workload, he'll easily earn that value.