Updates on Isiah Pacheco, George Kittle Injuries & More For Fantasy Football

With the preseason in the books, we turn our sights towards the regular season, sifting through every bit of news we can find to help guide our final fantasy football drafts of the weekend and implement the perfect fantasy football draft strategy. Today’s edition of our Training Camp/Preseason News and Notes includes a valuable handcuff in Detroit trending down while shining a light on the tush push under new management.

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Lions: Isiah Pacheco’s Timetable for Return Looks Murky

After signing with the Detroit Lions, Isiah Pacheco immediately became a valuable handcuff to target, especially if you were lucky enough to select Jahmyr Gibbs with your first pick. Even when Pacheco landed on the IR, I still had him as a late-round stash to add to my roster, slotting him in my IR so I would not have to burn a spot on my bench.

Unfortunately for Pacheco, his outlook past the mandatory four-week absence looks murky after Brad Holmes brushed aside a timetable for return, saying he hopes he can suit up at some point this season. Not exactly a vote of confidence, making Pacheco’s status worth monitoring early on in the year. If your league does not carry IR spots, avoid using a late-round pick on the Lions RB2.

49ers: Mike Evans and George Kittle Trending Towards Playing

After suffering a slew of injuries earlier in the preseason, the San Francisco 49ers have finally caught a break, potentially getting Mike Evans and George Kittle back in time for their season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. A stunning turnaround from Kittle, who is recovering from a season-ending Achilles injury he picked up at the end of last season.

While it remains to be seen how the 49ers will handle Kittle’s workload, his presence will help free up more room for their other pass catchers, raising the ceiling for players like Deebo Samuel and De’Zhaun Stribling. If you have yet to draft, target Kittle before his ADP skyrockets, giving you a top-five TE at a discount.

Eagles: Do Not Plan on Removing the Tush Push

Another year, another new offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles. This time around, the Eagles' offense will revolve around Sean Mannion, a former NFL QB who rose up the coaching ranks in Green Bay while working with Jordan Love.

Rest assured, Mannion has recently announced the tush push will remain in the playbook, keeping Jalen Hurts' ceiling intact. While Hurts is an efficient QB in his own right, rushing TDs in the form of a tush push gives his drafters a massive edge. Whether you love it or hate it, the tush push is here to stay.

Packers: Pump the Brakes on Kaleb Johnson

After Josh Jacobs was put on the commissioner's exempt list, the Green Bay Packers traded for Kaleb Johnson to help give their offense some depth at RB. With Johnson in the fold, the split amongst their current group raises question marks while potentially chipping away at each other's usage rate.

In a presser, it was reported that Johnson may be inactive for the Packers' first couple of games, opening up the workload for MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks to take advantage of. With his role as an RB1 locked in, comfortably draft Lloyd in the middle rounds, securing an RB1 you can lean on while Jacobs is away from the team.