2022 NFL Training Camp Report August 31: Notable Roster Cuts and News
In one of my dynasty fantasy football leagues, we have a special rule: if one of the players on your roster gets cut in real life, you need to chug a beer and send a video to the chat. And it never stops being funny. As far as that rule is concerned, yesterday is what we call “Bloody Tuesday” as it’s the day that teams need to cut their final rosters down to 53 players. It’s a sad day when you lose some of your fantasy football sleepers and we, of course, need to update our fantasy football rankings. So let’s take a look at the damage as well as other news and rumors from this year’s “Blood Tuesday”.
Notable Roster Cuts for Fantasy
We may have mentioned these over the last couple days but it makes sense to just list the cuts and then give our thoughts on some of the biggest implications.
- Falcons cut Anthony Firkser, Auden Tate
- Ravens cut Tyler Badie
- Bills cut Duke Johnson, OJ Howard
- Bears cut Darrynton Evans
- Texans cut Marlon Mack
- Colts cut Phillip Lindsay
- Jaguars cut Laquon Treadwell
- Chiefs cut Josh Gordon, Derrick Gore
- Raiders cut Kenyan Drake, Demarcus Robinson
- Rams cut Jacob Harris
- Dolphins cut Sony Michel, Preston Williams, Mo Sanu
- Vikings cut Kellen Mond
- Patriots cut Kevin Harris, Dalton Keene, Devin Asiasi,
- Saints cut Devine Ozigbo, Abram Smith
- Jets cut Tevin Coleman, La’Mical Perine
- Eagles cut Carson Strong
- Steelers cut Anthony McFarland
- 49ers cut JaMycal Hasty
- Seahawks cut JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Freddie Swain
- Buccaneers cut Tyler Johnson
- Titans cut Dez Fitzpatrick
Wheels Up for James Cook?
This offseason, the Bills wanted pass-catching back JD McKissic. In fact, they came to a verbal agreement then McKissic reportedly chose to return to the Washington Commanders instead. The Bills then went out and signed Duke Johnson as a possible third down back then took Dalvin Cook’s younger brother, James Cook, in the second round of the NFL draft this year. Well, the Bills just released Duke Johnson yesterday. So it seems James Cook will have a clear path to those third-down snaps this year in an explosive offense. If he can carve himself out a role, he could certainly be interesting in PPR format.
Kenyan Drake Finds a New Home
Well that didn’t take long. Kenyan Drake was released by the Raiders on Monday and he has reportedly already come to terms a new deal with the Baltimore Ravens. With Gus Edwards on the PUP list, JK Dobbins recovering from a torn ACL, and Tyler Badie released, Drake actually found himself a pretty decent landing spot given the circumstances.
Dameon Pierce Hype Intensifies
If you thought the ADP for Dameon Pierce couldn’t get any higher, just wait to see where he goes now that Marlon Mack has been released. Pierce has been announced the starter and is a virtual lock for early down work. The Texans have one of the lowest over/under win totals in the entire league at 4.5 so they may not have the luxury of running a lot but there are a finite number of starting running backs out there. Rex Burkhead now also becomes a little more interesting as he’s likely to factor in on passing downs as well.
Dolphins Backfield Clarifies
The Texans and Bills weren’t the only backfields that trimmed down. The Dolphins released Sony Michel earlier this week despite some reports that he was having a pretty decent camp. That narrows down that starting gig to Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert. Given the coaching genius of Mike McDaniel as well as the addition of star tackle Terron Armstead, that could be a juicy spot in terms of fantasy points. Our money is on Chase Edmonds but Raheem Mostert is one of the fastest players in the league, recording an on-field speed of 21.44 MPH this past weekend - the third fastest of any player this preseason.
The Patriots are Terrible at Drafting Pass Catchers
That is all.
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Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Beat reporter John Hendrix reports that free agent WR Donovan Peoples-Jones is among the 16 players that the Saints will host for their rookie minicamp.
Peoples-Jones last played regular season snaps with the Lions back in 2023, when he caught 13-of-24 targets for 155 yards. He is highly unlikely to return to fantasy relevance at this point but could perhaps sign on as a special teams contributor.
Titans signed fourth-round pick WR Elic Ayomanor to a four-year contract.
Ayomanor will now begin learning behind Calvin Ridley. Although Ayomanor is unlikely to find a meaningful role in year one, dynasty managers should note his status as training camp gets underway this summer. The former Stanford receiver flashed big-play ability in his two college seasons.
Buccaneers signed seventh-round pick WR Tez Johnson to a four-year contract.
Johnson will serve as a rotational deep-threat option for Baker Mayfield. His thin frame (5'10/154) simply does not lend itself to the repeated hits one incurs in a full-time role. Johnson did earn 100-plus targets in his two seasons at Oregon, though. His big-play style make him a better fit in best ball for now, pending any major on-field breakthroughs.
Giants waived DT Casey Rogers.
Rogers was a 2024 undrafted free agent and logged 33 defensive snaps for the Giants in his rookie season. He is credited with zero tackles and/or sacks. He may find his way onto another roster as a practice squad option.
Vikings signed third-round pick WR Tai Felton to a four-year contract.
Felton is quietly in play to challenge Vikings No. 3 WR Jalen Nailor in training camp. Nailor (5'11/190) caught 28-of-42 targets for 414 yards and six touchdowns in his first season as a starter last year, with the latter category buoying his fantasy productivity. Felton (6'1/183), meanwhile, caught 96-of-143 targets for 1,119 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 2.32 yards per route run in his final college season. Fantasy managers should monitor Felton’s training camp reports this summer, as he could have a matchup-based WR5 role if everything falls into place.