Man, talk about a gut punch to kick off August. The NFL training camps just swung open last week, and we’re already seeing some brutal news before the Hall of Fame game on Thursday, August 6. The biggest bombshell has to be out of San Francisco, where third-year wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has officially been ruled out for the entire 2026 season. He’s undergoing PCL surgery, and just like that, a promising young talent is sidelined for the year. It’s an unfortunate turn, no doubt.
Niners Make A Move: Deebo Samuel Sr. Back in the Bay?
With Pearsall’s season-ending injury, the 49ers wasted no time making moves. They immediately signed veteran wideout Deebo Samuel Sr., which is a huge story. Samuel Sr. is set to operate alongside Mike Evans and rookie De’Zhaun Stribling to start the season. This move makes Samuel a super intriguing sleeper option in your drafts, considering his familiarity with the Kyle Shanahan offense. And hey, don’t sleep on Demarcus Robinson either; we’ve seen him step up as a fantasy-relevant depth guy on good offenses plenty of times before. This kind of sudden shift is what makes the early season so wild.
Health Updates: Nabers Looking Good, Others On The Mend
It’s not all bad news on the injury front, thankfully. Malik Nabers, the Giants’ wide receiver, has been a major question mark all offseason with his knee, but things are looking way better than expected. Nabers actually practiced last week for the first time since his torn ACL and was even running routes before camp. As long as he keeps looking good in practice, we can feel pretty positive about him heading into drafts. The worst-case scenario right now seems to be that he misses a game or two to start 2026, but he’s totally on track for Week 1. His ADP should correct itself, but you might still snag some value with his talent in John Harbaugh and Matt Nagy’s new Giants offense.
Meanwhile, over in Indianapolis, Alec Pierce, the Colts’ wide receiver, is expected to come off the PUP list in the next week or so after dealing with an ankle issue. That means he should be good to go for Week 1 and won’t miss any time. You’ll want to keep an eye on his status, and also on Colts QB Daniel Jones, who’s recovering from an Achilles tear. Pierce inked a big contract this offseason, so the Colts will absolutely make him a priority. For fantasy, he’s a volatile WR2/3 option in PPR, known for spike weeks but only averaged 3.1 catches per game last season. He’s that low-floor, high-ceiling type. And good news for Packers fans: tight end Tucker Kraft was removed from the PUP list last week after his knee injury. On the flip side, Jets rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq suffered a “little” setback in his recovery from offseason hernia surgery and is expected to “miss some time.” He wasn’t on the fantasy radar much anyway, but this solidifies that sentiment and makes Mason Taylor a more interesting sleeper.
We’re in the thick of it now, folks. Keep a close watch on these situations as Week 1 approaches. Every practice, every update, could swing a season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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