Fantasy Football: Ricky Pearsall injury sparks Niners to bring back Deebo, plus more notable news from NFL training camps

I hate to break it to ya, but football season is here. NFL training camps have opened for all teams this week with players reporting and prepping for preseason and the 2026 regular season. For fantasy football managers, this is the time to consume as much news and information as possible to make sound decisions come draft time.

We're here to help you with that. Below is a roundup of all the relevant news from this week to note for fantasy football. There's a lot to break down so let's get into it.

49ers bring back Deebo amid Ricky Pearsall injury news

You never want to see this to open camp. The 49ers WR is dealing with swelling related to the PCL injury that held him out for most of 2025 . The team has "some concern" and now more reports are coming out painting a murkier picture.

The 49ers could be preparing for Ricky Pearsall to miss the entire season, per @MaioccoNBCS : "I think it's reasonable, rational, logical, for the 49ers to NOT expect Ricky Pearsall to make any contribution in 2026." (via @KNBR ) pic.twitter.com/OmyLIPFBDS

— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) July 30, 2026

As a result of the Pearsall news, the Niners decided to bring back veteran wideout Deebo Samuel Sr. on a one-year deal . The 30-year-old finished last season with 72 catches for 727 yards and five TDs for the Commanders. If Pearsall is sidelined long-term, it's a boost for both Samuel and rookie WR De'Zhaun Stribling, who has looked good at camp so far. We already know TE George Kittle is coming back from an Achilles tear and Mike Evans is 32 and has had injury issues the past two seasons.

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Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson both seeking new deals

We don't often see the consensus top-two picks in fantasy drafts both seeking new deals, yet both reporting to training camp. Both players are "holding in" by reporting but not practicing . We'll see if this becomes a "thing" but chances are both the Lions and Falcons will find a way to make their superstar RBs happy before the start of the 2026 season. For now, it's a situation to monitor but not one to overreact to just yet.

Panthers rookie WR done for the season

2026 third-round pick Chris Brazzell is already sidelined after sustaining a LCL tear during training camp practice on Wednesday. After receiving an initial timeline of 8 weeks for recovery, Brazzell has opted for season-ending surgery .

The Panthers will enter this season with Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker as the top-two wideouts. Brazzell was expected to compete with Xavier Legette, John Metchie III and Jimmy Horn Jr. for additional snaps at WR. This injury is a big blow to Brazzell's dynasty value with knee surgery not being the best way to start your NFL career.

QB battle brewing in Minnesota

Based on the performance of J.J. McCarthy last season, many believed Kyler Murray would run away with the Vikings' starting QB job during camp. That, apparently, hasn't been the case so far. You can read more about the developing QB battle between McCarthy and Murray here .

Chances are Murray will win out or at least begin the season as the starter. But it's not crazy to think McCarthy has improved enough to make Kevin O'Connell change his mind at some point.

Read the reports carefully. If both QBs are struggling, that could be a bad sign for WR Justin Jefferson and the rest of the Minnesota offense. Murray should still be viewed as a solid late-round investment at QB due to this rushing ability, unless McCarthy jumps him.

Alec Pierce goes on PUP list, Tucker Kraft coming off

We saw a few notable names head to the PUP list as camps opened in Tucker Kraft and Alec Pierce. These moves don't mean either player will miss time to start the season and Colts GM Chris Ballard told reporters Pierce is a "week or two away" from returning . If that's the case, we'll want to see how he looks out there but this shouldn't scare us off drafting him in fantasy given the massive investment he got from the Colts this offseason.

For Kraft, he was placed on the list last week and is now coming off the list on Friday, per HC Matt LaFleur . The tight end isn't going to practice right away but will do individual work and walk throughs . This is a good sign for Kraft being ready to go sooner rather than later. Does it mean he won't miss any games? Not necessarily.

We'll still need to monitor this situation, but in the event Kraft is good to go for Week 1, he's looking like a strong TE value pick for fantasy. He was the TE3 in FPPG last season before the injury. Right now, Kraft has an early Yahoo ADP around Pick 60 as the TE5 off the board.

Chris Olave signs extension with Saints

New Orleans inked its No. 1 receiver to a four-year deal that could be worth up to $132 million on Thursday. After only playing in eight games in 2024 due to concussions, Olave bounced back with 100 catches for 1,163 yards and nine scores in 16 games last season. The extension just solidifies Olave's role as the top target for Tyler Shough in the Saints' offense going into 2026.

Yahoo analyst Justin Boone has Olave ranked as the WR12 in half-PPR going into this season. So long as he can stay healthy, there's no reason Olave can't finish the year as a fantasy WR1.

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →