While the league's brain trust ponders whether or not to suspend star players who don't want to talk to them, training camps plow forward. Miraculously, a number of injured players are suddenly well enough to take the field and come off the PUP list now that the first preseason games are in the books. Funny how that seems to happen every year.

• Ezekiel Elliott took part in Monday's walkthrough and seems set to join in drills Tuesday after being held out last week due to a hamstring tweak. That gives him plenty of time to get ready for Friday's preseason game against the Dolphins, so that should give everyone their first look at the fourth overall pick in an NFL uniform. The Cowboys have a lot invested in the kid and a lot riding on his success so while preseason action generally doesn't mean anything, in this case a good performance from Elliott would still put a lot of minds at ease, particularly those from people who have already used a first round pick on him in their drafts.
• DeVante Parker has also been nursing a minor hamstring issue and also returned to practice Monday. The second-year WR has been arguably the most popular "sleeper" pick in the league this offseason given his draft pedigree, explosive finish to his rookie season and the switch to Adam Gase's offense. If Parker suits up for the Dolphins on Friday, Elliott won't be the only young player getting extra attention from onlookers.
• the Browns took Josh Gordon (quad) off the NFI list and he too was available to practice Monday. He'll still be suspended for four games, which means that by the time he plays in a regular season game again he'll have missed about two full seasons worth of action, but the team needs receiving help so he'll be given every opportunity to regain his old form and establish some chemistry with RGIII in the preseason. The risk/reward ratio is off the charts with Gordon, but if you aren't able to land any of the safer top-shelf options at WR he gives you a chance at that level of production (for 12 games, at least) at a fraction of the cost.
• Cleveland also got Corey Coleman (hamstring) back at practice. The first WR selected in this year's draft may not have enough time to get ready for Thursday's game against the Falcons though and missing half the preseason is a tough hurdle for a rookie receiver to overcome. Keep a careful eye on his progress, as any further setbacks make it very likely that he'll get off to a slow start in the regular season. His draft position and lack of established competition gives him an ADP in the same neighborhood as the likes of Markus Wheaton and Stefon Diggs, but Coleman could well be overvalued right now.
• another injured player back in action Monday was Thomas Rawls (ankle). In his absence it seems like every other running back the Seahawks have in camp has made a positive impression, with Christine Michael in particular standing out, but if Rawls looks anything like he did last season he should lock up Seattle's starting job fairly quickly, giving him an extremely high ceiling for production. On the other hand, he could also end up as this year's C.J. Anderson if the coaching staff is serious about giving Michael a significant role...
• not every team is getting healthier. Jeff Janis underwent surgery Monday on his broken hand and will miss 4-6 weeks, taking him out of the competition for targets behind Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. The Packers still have a lot of young receivers jockeying for spots on the depth chart (Ty Montgomery, Davante Adams, Jared Abbrederis) but postseason hero Janis will have a lot of catching up to do to work his way into that mix.
• the Saints' defense also suffered a couple of blows recently. Linebacker Stephone Anthony got some good news Monday when the leg injury he picked up in Thursday's preseason game was deemed to be not too serious, which is a lot better than the speculation that accompanied him getting carted off the field. Unfortunately, that good news was soon followed by bad as first round pick Sheldon Rankins will miss at least six weeks with a fractured fibula. The DT was expected to join Nick Fairly in anchoring a rebuilt defensive line and have an Aaron Donald-like impact, but that's now off the table for at least the first couple of games. The Saints allowed a league-worst 476 points last year and a big improvement doesn't seem to be in the cards, which makes investing in Drew Brees and their passing game just a little bit safer.
• finally, my favorite sleeper heading into this season, RB Devontae Booker, just keeps impressing the heck out of the Broncos coaching staff. Reports indicate that he's already passed Ronnie Hillman on the depth chart to be Anderson's top backup and neither veteran is making so much money that they won't get shoved aside if Booker proves he's ready for the starting job. Elliott was always going to be the first running back taken in this year's draft but Booker could well have been the second if he hadn't picked up a knee injury that kept him from participating in the combine or a pro day. Instead he fell all the way to the fourth round and, now that he's healthy, could make a lot of teams look silly for passing him up.