Training Camp Updates With Fantasy Football Impacts: Deciphering Mike McDaniel's Coachspeak

The NFL training camp news isn’t slowing down. And with preseason games about to kick off, the actionable fantasy football news is going to keep coming. 

Staying on top of all of camp news is crucial leading up to 2026 fantasy football drafts, so let’s take a look at what stands out from Tuesday, Aug. 11 around the NFL.

Training Camp Updates for Fantasy Football

Mike McDaniel to Use All Three RBs?

What’s real and what’s fluff? This time of year, differentiating the two can be difficult, but it often pays off down the stretch if you can find the truth.

So, Mike McDaniel. What exactly do you mean?

Coaches and coordinators say things like this all the time. “We’re going to use multiple guys.” “It’s important to keep [starting RB] fresh.” So any time a playcaller mentions using the hot-hand approach at running back, my immediate reaction is to take it with a grain of salt. But I get the sudden panic when Omarion Hampton is an early Round 2 fantasy selection. Kimani Vidal filled in admirably last season, ranking 13th in rushing yards and 14th in YAC/ATT (3.1). And McDaniel was not shy with his excitement about Keaton Mitchell, who stylistically fits his run scheme very well.

I’ve had Hampton as a player who has been slightly overdrafted all summer, so this news doesn’t really do a whole lot for me, whether I’m buying it or not. Give me Chase Brown, Saquon Barkley, Kenneth Walker and De’Von Achane over Hampton for 2026.

Kyler Murray Named Vikings Starting QB

I broke down the fantasy football impact of Kyler Murray starting for the Vikings earlier today, so feel free to check that out if you feel so inclined. If you aren’t, first of all, rude. But secondly, the long story short?

Duh.

Even though the Vikings appeared willing to give J.J. McCarthy a chance to win the job, this outcome felt inevitable from the start. Murray missed most of his final season in Arizona due to injury, but when he was on the field, he still hinted at fantasy upside. He handled 11% of the designed rush attempts to go along with a 9% scramble rate. His 34.6 rushing yards per contest ranked fifth among quarterbacks last season, while rushing for at least 25 yards in all five starts. This past season was the first in Murray’s seven-year career where he failed to finish as top-12 QB on a PPG basis, so he clearly has the track record.

So does O’Connell.

Nick Mullens, Joshua Dobbs, Sam Darnold, Kirk Cousins. All former quarterbacks under Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota. And all averaged 18+ PPG for either stretches or an entire season. Now enter Murray, who also offers way, way more rushing upside than any of those aforementioned signal-callers. The Fantasy Life projections are pretty high on Murray, as recent updates pencil him in as the QB10. Murray is projected for about 83 rushing attempts. If you look at the 54 quarterback seasons with at least 80 rush attempts since 2015, the average FPPG sits at 19.6.

Given his fantasy track record and an awesome offensive infrastructure around him, Murray could easily return to top-12 status.

Josh Jacobs (Groin) to Miss at Least a Week

Josh Jacobs hasn’t practiced in about a week with a groin injury that head coach Matt LaFleur says will sidelined him for at least another week. With Chris Brooks also banged up, MarShawn Lloyd has handled the majority of Green Bay’s first-team reps at running back and has reportedly been very impressive. Most importantly, Lloyd is healthy after missing most of his first two NFL seasons.

Lloyd is someone who should be climbing up the ADP boards, something that will only intensify if Jacobs is suspended. On top of the groin issue, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Jacobs could still be suspended by the NFL for violating the NFL Personal Conduct policy. The uncertainty surrounding Jacobs has pushed his ADP down to the RB17, right around 40th overall.