Here are some interesting trainng camp developments that deserve mention as the Preseason kicks off Sunday:
Chris Wells - looking good in training camp: Wells is looking more lean and fast during training camp thanks to his offseason work with strength coach John Lott. He led the Cards with 793 rushing yards last season and emerged as the more utilized runner over Tim Hightower down the stretch when he received 47 more carries over the team's final 12 games. Hightower may still be the starter for the Cards this season, but Wells should be the more valuable back for fantasy owners to roster and could be a 1,000-yard, 10+ TD candidate in 2010 with the team looking to to focus more on the run.
Sam Bradford – looking good early: Bradford looked sharp in the Rams' first team scrimmage as he unofficially completed 9-of-12 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Head coach Steve Spagnuolo took note of Bradford's solid day. "He was zipping the ball around pretty good," said Spagnuolo, who has avoided gushing over Bradford during camp. "He was finding receivers. He was hitting second receivers. I thought there were one or two in there where he might not have gotten them away." Spagnuolo was referring to the fact that Bradford may have gotten sacked if contact had been allowed on QBs. Starting QB A.J. Feeley also had a good day and it appears that he's just not going to sit down and bow out to the Rams' $50M dollar man. Still, its nice to see Bradford get off to a nice start like this, although he probably won't have much fantasy value even if he wins the starting QB job.
Adrian Peterson – hamstring feeling better: Peterson said Saturday that he has been dealing with tightness in his left hamstring since the second day of training camp, but expects to be ready to go full speed on Monday. Peterson sat out four practices this past week before returning Friday, getting limited work in. He was able to participate in 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills Saturday, but sat out the portions of the workout where tackling was involved. The good news is that following Sunday's off day, Peterson believes he will be "ready to roll Monday."
Steven Jackson – sits out Saturday team scrimmage: Jackson sat out the Rams' first team scrimmage on Saturday for precautionary reasons. "No alarms here. That was part of the program that (trainer) Reggie (Scott) and I decided way back," coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "This gives him 48 hours to make sure we're OK. He'll be back on Monday." So far, Jackson has had no problems with his back during training camp. "He seems to be fine," Spagnuolo said. "He said to Reggie the other day that it feels exactly where it should be. He does want to push it a little bit next week, and we'll do that. But I think he's right about on track." The next two weeks should tell you what you need to know about Jackson's back so keep an eye on him.