The cancellation of Thursday's Texans-Cowboys game so that Houston players can head home after the flooding caused by Harvey was absolutely the right call by the NFL, but it also underscored just how meaningless preseason action really is -- not just in the larger "it's only a game" sense, but in the "teams can skip games and it won't impact the product come Week 1" sense. If the league does decide to shorten the exhibition schedule to accommodate a 17th regular-season game and/or a second bye week, it won't happen too soon.

• speaking of missing games, Ezekiel Elliott's team will continue their appeal of his six-game suspension straight through until Thursday, with a ruling to follow at some unspecified point after that but before Week 1 kicks off. Those hoping for a quick resolution to clarify his status and fantasy value for 2017 will be disappointed, though, as even if Harold Henderson (Roger Goodell's designated arbiter in nearly all such cases) does provide a quick ruling, the NFLPA's decision to bring aboard Jeffrey Kessler -- the same lawyer who handled Tom Brady's Deflategate suit -- suggests that the matter will be headed to court if Henderson doesn't hand down a decision Elliott likes. Kessler did manage to get Brady's suspension put off for an entire season while things made their way through the court system, but there's no guarantee the timing of any legal decisions would be as favorable for Elliott and the Cowboys.
• second-year receiver Josh Doctson should be ready for Week 1, as Washington coach Jay Gruden said Wednesday that Docton's hamstring issue was just tightness and not a pull or strain. The 22nd overall pick in 2016 missed almost his entire rookie season with an Achilles injury, so more lower-body problems aren't encouraging, but Doctson still possesses tremendous upside if he can get and stay healthy, and work his way into becoming one of Kirk Cousins' top targets.
• the Seahawks are rumored to be shopping Jermaine Kearse, but it's hard to imagine what they could get for a 26-year-old wideout who's never caught 50 passes or topped 700 yards in a season. He is a solid depth option, but he's fallen to the fourth spot on Seattle's depth chart behind Paul Richardson and may not be able to hold off younger options like Kasen Williams much longer either. What little fantasy value Kearse has with the Seahawks would take a hit if he switches uniforms, though, as he would need to learn a new offensive system and get used to a new QB on the fly.
• Seth Roberts signed a two-year extension to potentially keep him with the Raiders through 2019. While he doesn't get the volume of Amari Cooper or Michael Crabtree, Roberts has caught five TDs each of the last two seasons and emerged as a consistent red-zone threat (21 targets) for Derek Carr in 2016, and newcomer Cordarrelle Patterson wouldn't seem to be a big threat to his role in the Oakland offense.
• Joe Haden got cut loose by the Browns after they couldn't find a taker for his contract, and he was quickly signed by the Steelers to a three-year, $27 million deal, although only $7 million of it is guaranteed in the first year. Still just 28 years old, Haden has only played 18 games over the last two seasons due to various injuries, but if he's healthy he'll provide an immediate upgrade to a Pittsburgh secondary that needed a veteran hand to help steady promising youngsters like Artie Burns and Sean Davis.
• Vontaze Burfict's latest suspension was reduced to three games from six, giving the Bengals team defense a nice boost starting in Week 4. The linebacker hasn't played more than 11 games in a season since 2013 due to various suspensions and injuries, but pro-rate his numbers from the last three years out over a full 16-game schedule and you'd get 126 tackles, nine passes defended, two picks, two sacks and a forced fumble, which keeps him on the IDP radar any time he suits up.
• the window for Aaron Donald to be in the lineup for Week 1 is rapidly closing, and GM Les Snead said Tuesday that he would need to end his holdout before the end of the week if he's going to be available to play in the opener. Donald's been working out at Pitt, his alma mater, so he should at least be in decent shape if and when the stalemate with the front office ends, and he has the potential to be an IDP monster in Wade Phillips' defense, but until he's actually back in the locker room, his 2017 value remains up in the air. Those looking for optimism here might choose to believe he's simply following the Le'Veon Bell preseason plan -- Bell has announced he'll end his holdout Sept. 1, the day after the Steelers' final exhibition game. If Donald similarly reports on Sept. 1, fantasy GMs who have invested in him or the Rams' defense will be able to breathe a huge sigh of relief.