This article is part of our Training Camp Notes series.
Here are some of the top fantasy football headlines from Wednesday.
-David Montgomery suffered a groin strain Wednesday that looked bad enough to make onlookers react with concern, but it will take further testing to determine the prognosis. Aside from Tarik Cohen, who's competent or better but only able to take on so much of a workload, the Bears have just a pair of former undrafted Oregon State players at running back in Ryan Nall and Artavis Pierce. Cordarrelle Patterson could get increased backfield consideration, but if the Bears don't like that option then they may need to add a veteran running back until Montgomery is cleared to return.
-Sony Michel (foot) made a crucially-timed return to practice Wednesday, and reportedly looked good doing so. According to Boston Herald writer Karen Guregian, Michel participated fully in practice and may have appeared "a bit trimmer than his official 5-foot-11, 215-pound frame." Michel split first-team reps with Damien Harris, the second-year third-round pick out of Alabama who was mostly a healthy scratch in 2019. Most reporting around the Patriots implied that Harris made considerable gains on Michel's previous lead in the Patriots running game, but Michel's return and the eventual return of Lamar Miller (knee) has made the Patriots backfield fully muddled again. James White is the only player in the Patriots running back rotation with a non-negotiable role, his of course as a pass-catching specialist.
-Things were weird with the Jets on Wednesday, where Le'Veon Bell seemingly took to Twitter to somewhat directly contradict head coach Adam Gase, who said team trainers removed Bell from drills out of concern over his hamstring. Bell tweeted that nothing was wrong with his hamstring, then added later that "It's tough to stay loose when you do a bunch of standing around. I'm used to [going]." Who knows where this one is headed, but despite technically being insubordinate, Bell's gripe really might just rest with the trainers rather than Gase. Neither side has used especially condemning language toward the other since, so hopefully this just blows over.
Rookie fourth-round pick La'Mical Perine earned praise for his work in practice with Bell out, largely due to a 79-yard touchdown run against the starting Jets defense. Perine (5-11, 216) isn't likely to be much of a big-play threat most of the time and doesn't really have any standout strengths, but he has a good pass-catching background and appears generally well-rounded as a runner. Bell should easily hold him off in the meantime all the same.
-Deebo Samuel (foot) seems to have a real chance to play in Week 1, as the Athletic reports Samuel sprinting Wednesday and showing no sign of a limp. Even if he's not quite ready for Week 1, it sure seems like Samuel will be on the active roster in Week 1, and back not long after that. His work in Wednesday's practice evidently marked an escalation in his workload, so as long as the foot responds well to that increasing strain then there should be a light at the end of the tunnel.
The same Athletic reports mentions a theme that's recurred for basically all camp – Jerick McKinnon continues to stand out as San Francisco's top pass-catching threat at running back. Even if Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring) are ready for Week 1, McKinnon's ascent is a well-timed reassurance as the 49ers pass catching personnel gets stressed by injury.
-Detroit Free Press writer Dave Birkett reported that D'Andre Swift (leg) and Bo Scarbrough (undisclosed) returned to practice Wednesday, though only in a limited capacity in each case. Swift was on the shelf for five days, while Scarbrough sat out nine. Both players have their own injury histories to keep in mind, but that's more of a problem for Scarbrough, who needs to worry about recent free agent pickup Jonathan Williams snatching the big-back role in this offense. Swift's absence may have delayed his chance to push for more touches, but he's the kind of talent who should compel usage when healthy.
-ESPN's Jenna Laine reports Chris Godwin has missed consecutive days of practice for a reason coach Bruce Arians pointedly declined to specify. As much as a little missed time itself isn't much of a concern, it would be nice to hear the nature of Godwin's issue, especially given the hamstring injury that ended his otherwise remarkable 2019 season. If Godwin were to miss playing time Justin Watson would be his replacement in three-wide sets, but Scott Miller has impressed as an outside receiver to the point that he might earn some reps in two-wide formations.
-Joe Mixon has an undisclosed injury that was described as "minor," but it must be noted that he's now missed three days of practice due to this injury. As much as there's no indication of concern on Cincinnati's part, the longer he sits the more inquiry it would merit. Mixon's main backup is still assumed to be Gio Bernard, but it's interesting that Samaje Perine seems to be getting plenty of work after the Bengals claimed him off waivers from Miami previously. Perine started ahead of Mixon when the two were at Oklahoma, though that was obviously just the result of Perine's seniority at the time.
