Fantasy Football Cheatsheets & Rankings

The Facts: Luck has informed the Colts he is retiring from the NFL, per source. Reported by ESPN.com

Diehards Line: There will be a press conference Sunday to make it official, but Luck is mentally worn down, and now checking out. Jacoby Brissett is Indianapolis’ new starting quarterback. ... An updated and more complete version of this story is now available here.

The Facts: Miller was carted off the field with an apparent leg injury on Houston's first drive of their game against the Dallas Cowboys. Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: Miller appeared distraught, head in his hand. He kept his head lowered as teammates surrounded him once he was helped to the cart. The injury, with 13:28 remaining in the first quarter, perhaps is what led to the Texans to pull Deshaun Watson after one series. Taiwan Jones replaced Miller. The Texans recently traded with Cleveland for running back Duke Johnson.

The Facts: Newton spent Saturday's practice inside Bank of America Stadium getting treatment on his left mid-foot sprain, but HC Ron Rivera anticipates he'll see his starting quarterback on the field "pretty soon.' Reported by ESPN.com

Diehards Line: "The doctors feel the more we keep him off of it, the more we keep it elevated, we're expecting it to take care of itself quickly,' Rivera said as the team resumed practice two days after Newton suffered the injury on the third series of Thursday night's preseason loss at New England. GM Marty Hurney said on Friday X-rays showed Newton suffered a mild strain and the team was hopeful he would be ready for the September 8 opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Rivera only allowed that he was "cautiously optimistic' Newton would be on the practice field soon. "There really isn't any timetable, but we're going to do everything we can to make sure it's right and ready to roll,' Rivera said. ... Stay tuned. We'll continue to watch this one closely.

The Facts: Although Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones didn’t make it sound as if much progress has been made in negotiations with Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott or Amari Cooper, he hasn’t ruled out getting deals done before the start of the season. “We feel confident things will get done,” Jones said on his radio show. “Things happen real quick, sometime within hours." Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Elliott remains a holdout. It is unclear when the star back will report to the team if a deal doesn’t get done by Sept. 8. Both sides are just hoping to have a deal done by then. Jones said publicly two weeks ago that the team’s offer to Elliott was in the top-two at his position, topping Le'Veon Bell but behind Todd Gurley as Bell’s deal re-set the market. Nothing has changed since then. “I don’t think we’re close, because there’s not a lot of activity,” Jones said. “Right now I wouldn’t say that I feel anything’s imminent.” Gurley’s deal averages $14.4 million per season, while Bell’s annual average is $13.1 million. Elliott wants to become the highest-paid running back in football. But Jones reiterated Friday that the Cowboys aren’t going to be market-setters because they can’t afford to be. “We just can’t go to a place like that,” Jones said on The Fan, via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. So, as Profootballtalk.com's Charean Williams suggests, "What Jones really is saying is: There is nothing new to see here."

The Facts: According to XTRA Radio 1360 in San Diego's Rich Ohrnberger, Gordon is still working out in San Diego. There's no deal yet, but Ohrnberger reports that contract negotiations remain fluid and the Chargers hope the holdout ends before Week 1 of the regular season. Reported by XTRA Radio 1360

Diehards Line: We'll see if that means they're willing to pay up or if Gordon is willing to take less than he hoped for -- neither of which have seemed likely to this point. Indeed, multiple reports indicate Gordon's holdout will roll into the regular season. ... Stay tuned.

The Facts: Brown's second grievance hearing regarding his helmet has been heard. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Brown's latest grievance concluded and the arbitrator -- the same one as the previous hearing -- indicated he'd have a decision next week, per a source informed of the situation. Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: Brown, who had his first helmet grievance denied by an arbitrator on Aug. 12, argued in his second go-around that he should be provided the same right as other players in terms of having a one-year grace period to phase out using his helmet. He is claiming the NFL is arbitrarily applying its rules. The 31-year-old receiver has not played in a preseason tilt with the Oakland Raiders while dealing with the helmet issue and a foot injury. Hopefully next week's decision will put the helmet saga in the rear-view mirror as the 2019 campaign approaches.

The Facts: Reed is in the NFL’s concussion protocol, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is told, at least the fourth of his NFL career. Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: But those four are just since his arrival in the league; there are more dating back to college (this would be the seventh documented concussion). Reed has ample time to work his way through the concussion protocol in advance of Week 1 -- if all goes well. But given his history, this is a situation worth watching a little more closely.

The Facts: GM Marty Hurney confirmed that Newton has a “mid-foot sprain in his left foot.” Hurney also said “we are cautiously optimistic he will be ready for Week 1.” Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: That would be the best-case scenario for the former MVP, giving him 16 days to prepare to play the Rams. It also gives them a second to find a better backup plan, after Kyle Allen and rookie Will Grier have so far not proven themselves ready for the job. Now, we have to see if they truly think Newton’s going to be well, or whether they scramble to add some veteran cover.

The Facts: According to Zak Keefer of the Athletic.com, Jacoby Brissett won’t play tomorrow night against the Bears. Keefer went on to note the Colts are sitting the majority of their starters, and at this point, Brissett is their starting QB -- at least until Luck returns to practice. On a more positive note, Keefer adds that Luck's return to practice could come as early as Monday. Reported by The Athletic

Diehards Line: “At some level we want to protect Jacoby, to be honest with you, regardless of Andrew,” HC Frank Reich said of the decision to sit Brissett. “In theory, even if Andrew’s playing in Week 1, he still hasn’t taken a lot of reps, so you still got to protect Jacoby. ..." Of course, that Week 1 availability for Luck is what we're looking for. We'll continue to follow closely.

The Facts: Reed was being evaluated for a concussion during Thursday's preseason game at the Falcons, a troubling sign for both Reed and the Redskins given his history. Reported by ESPN.com

Diehards Line: Reed -- who has suffered at least five documented concussions since entering college, including three since joining the NFL in 2013 -- was hit in the helmet after a catch, resulting in it being popped off. No penalty was called on the play. Reed did stay in the game but left shortly thereafter. He has not reported any concussions since the 2016 season, but this is obviously a worrisome development. We'll be following up.