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Training Camp Notes: Ebron injury scare may be false alarm.

The second Saturday of training camp was a fairly slow news day, but that wasn't the case in Lions' camp, as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network had reported early in the day that Eric Ebron may have suffered an Achilles injury during practice, but Rapoport followed up later in the day with news that the tight end had told at least a couple teammates that he's fine. During the entire offseason, he's been looking like a player who could be on the verge of a breakout campaign, and if this injury ends up being of the short-term variety, Ebron is an excellent target after about 10 tight ends have come off the board in fantasy drafts.

Meanwhile, there are a few other injury notes to pass along:

 

  • After missing nearly a week of practice, Odell Beckham returned from a lower leg injury by scoring on a 70-yard touchdown in Saturday's session to show that he's completely healthy. Certainly, this injury never appeared to be a major concern, but seeing him back on the field relieves any anxiety that fantasy owners may have been feeling when considering using a top draft choice on the Giants' superstar receiver.
  • While having his practice reps monitored closely during the early days of camp, The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Ameer Abdullah (shoulder) may be held out of practices with the Steelers on Tuesday and Wednesday. All along, the Lions have been aiming to have the second-year running back fully ready for Week 1. Although he's a player who certainly is capable of taking over the lead role as the team's running back, he'll be competing with Stevan Ridley and Zach Zenner for early-down work and with Theo Riddick as a pass-catcher. As the preseason progresses, it should become clear whether or not this backfield will be comprised of a committee or if it can be a one-man show.
  • Finally, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that Corey Coleman missed the Browns scrimmage due to a hamstring injury. This comes on the heels of the rookie receiver having a wildly productive day on Friday, and his performance over the early days of camp seems to indicate that he's ready for a big role in the offense from day one. However, fantasy owners would have much more confidence in drafting him if this injury is one that doesn't cause him to miss significant time, and he'll certainly be a player that all eyes will be upon during the preseason games.

To cap things off, a couple of news items were reported that could have some impact on fantasy drafts:

 

  • As reported by Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com, Bears' wide receiver coach Curtis Johnson sees Kevin White as a player who needs to work on everything at his position. The main reason for his learning curve is that he wasn't asked to move around the formation in college, which is impacting him with both the formations and understanding how to work with the quarterbacks in training camp. However, Johnson noted that White's improving quickly, and he expects him to become an outstanding player. Although the second-year receiver has exceptional physical tools that could easily give him a very high ceiling, he carries risk as a player who is being selected about 60 picks into fantasy drafts. The first risk is if the team significantly improves on defense, they'll likely become a run-heavy offense with Alshon Jeffery serving as the primary receiving target while White is the secondary option. The other risk, as mentioned earlier, is that it takes him a while to reach his potential as he learns how to play in the NFL.
  • Lastly, the position battle at tight end for the Buccaneers has been heating up. After Cameron Brate moved to first on the depth chart in the beginning of training camp, Austin Seferian-Jenkins followed that up with an outstanding week of practice as he tries to reclaim his starting role. Although both players have been looking great so far, this battle is likely to be determined based on performances in the preseason games. Whichever player earns this role is worth considering as a backup tight end on fantasy teams.