Rashad Jennings (knee) was placed on IR ending his season before it started – Maurice Jones-Drew owners rejoice! The dreaded timeshare worries can be stowed for another season. Jennings' knee injury is apparently serious enough to end his season, though specifics regarding the damage have not been released. Jones-Drew should see a fairly huge workload in the Jags' run-based attack, assuming his own knee can hold up after his offseason surgery. Deji Karim can be added in deeper leagues as a handcuff, but can be left on the waiver wire in most leagues until we see how strong MoJo looks in Week 1.
Cedric Benson was released from jail after serving five days of his 20-day sentence – Benson was a good boy during his brief jail term, mopping floors and helping paint crews to get out early on good behavior. The obvious benefit is that he can get back to practice by the start of the week and should be getting a lot of action in Andy Dalton's first regular season start against Cleveland, making him a nice option in Week 1.
Tony Moeaki was placed on IR with a torn ACL and will miss the entire season – An unfortunate victim of the final week of preseason, Moeaki tore his ACL against the Packers on Thursday night and will miss his entire sophomore campaign. Though he was at best a No. 2 tight end option in deeper leagues, the impact to focus on is to Matt Cassel, as he loses his third best receiving option and a quality red zone target.
Brandon Jackson (turf toe) was placed on IR instead of the PUP list, ending his year – With a golden opportunity last season to start in one of the league's best offenses, Jackson didn't exactly set the world on fire, posting just over a 1,000 total yards with four scores on a mediocre 3.7 yards-per-carry average. So this really isn't a major loss to the fantasy world. But the repercussions could be interesting. Consider that Peyton Hillis runs too hard for his own good at times and his primary backup, Montario Hardesty, is the proverbial Mr. Glass. If each back were to go down Cleveland could potentially be supplying the fantasy world with another breakout rusher. Armond Smith, who made the roster in Jackson's absence, averaged 6.2 yards per attempt in the preseason with 192 yards and an 81-yard score. Could this shifty speedster out of Union College (Ky.) be a shocker? Or perhaps a recently waived back like Lonyae Miller or Chris Ogbonnaya?
Demaryius Thomas (Achilles) was cleared for practice – Despite being only seven months removed from tearing his Achilles tendon, Thomas will begin practicing in a limited capacity as the Broncos approach Week 1. Considering the original prognosis called for a tentative return mid-season, this is incredible news for Thomas and the Denver passing game. If he is in fact only a few weeks away from being a full go, he warrants heavy monitoring, as his huge size and elite athleticism could make him Kyle Orton's No. 2 target before the end of the year.
Chester Taylor was released by the Bears – Taylor will be 32 this month and his experience was replaced with the hard charging Marion Barber, who at four years younger, still has something left in his tank. Taylor was an expendable luxury whose better days are far behind him. This could well be the end of his run, and if he does sign elsewhere he can be considered fantasy irrelevant until proven otherwise.
Chris Ogbonnaya and Lonyae Miller were the victims of crowded backfields – Ogbonnaya was trimmed off the Texans' final roster as they opted for the speedier Steve Slaton, who has fallen off the fantasy map and may prove a wasted roster spot. Ogbonnaya meanwhile should latch on with a running-back-hungry team like the Dolphins, Buccaneers or aforementioned Browns. Miller was likewise cast off by the Cowboys when they opted to hang on to the undrafted Phillip Tanner instead. A big, athletic back similar to Ogbonnaya, Miller should find a home elsewhere and both backs should be monitored as deep sleeper candidates.
Larry Johnson will be taking his talents out of South Beach – L.J. was unwanted in Miami. For a team desperate for some experienced running back depth to pass on the former Kansas City star, that is a bad sign for Johnson and possibly the last the NFL will hear from the 31-year-old former All-Pro.