Fantasy Football update: Ezekiel Elliott holdout creating Alfred Morris option

August is here, training camps are in full swing, and the preseason started Thursday night.

What has started already and will be coming in droves over these next few weeks are injury news, holdout updates, training camp surprises and gaudy preseason stats by a player you may or may not have heard of before.

How much should this glut of information impact your fantasy football decision-making?

Let’s find out:

— Probably the most fantasy relevant news since the start of training camp has been the injury to Bengals receiver A.J. Green. Green will miss all of the preseason and likely a couple weeks of the regular season. Even once he returns, there is no guarantee he will be 100 percent. Tyler Boyd, who received a four-year, $43 million contract extension this year, is expected to step into the WR1 role as he has in the past when Green missed time. This could move the slot receiver into WR2 territory with a lot of upside.

— Ezekiel Elliott is to sign with the team. During Elliott’s six-game suspension in 2017, Morris averaged 78 yards per game with one touchdown and six receptions, which works out to an average of 9.8 points in PPR and 8.8 in standard.

Continue to monitor the situation in Dallas closely, especially if Elliott has not reported by Aug. 6 (the deadline under the current CBA for a year to count towards free agency eligibility). In the unlikely event the holdout continues into the regular season, Morris would see significant volume since the team lends itself to a run-heavy offense, and would be a good week-to-week flex option.

— Veteran running back Theo Riddick was released from the Lions on Saturday, which means Kerryon Johnson is poised to become the Lions’ bell cow running back. Johnson, already a contributor in the passing game, will have the chance to take over even more third down opportunities. With Riddick gone, Johnson could inch into RB1 consideration with higher value in PPR leagues.

— The state of the Giants receiving corps got even bleaker this weekend with the announcement of Golden Tate’s suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. With Corey Coleman out for the year and Sterling Shephard’s status uncertain, the offense, which could be playing from behind frequently, could be forced to lean on the tight end. The dearth of talent elsewhere moves Evan Engram into top-four consideration behind Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, and George Kittle.

— Despite having a quiet rookie year, Kalen Ballage has been taking first team reps in Dolphins training camp over Kenyan Drake. This is not a good sign after Drake was a fantasy disappointment while splitting carries with Frank Gore last season. New offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea most recently coached in New England, a system that heavily favors split workloads. This is feeling like a situation fantasy owners should avoid.

— Reports from training camp have been largely positive for Marcus Mariota thus far, but left tackle Taylor Lewan announced on social media on Thursday that he is facing a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy against performance-enhancing drugs. Lewan has become an invaluable asset to the Titans offensive line and his absence will leave Mariota vulnerable to the pass rush. Mariota was never in the conversation for starting in fantasy except in two-QB or superflex leagues, and this recent news erodes his value even further.

— Derrick Henry was seen with a walking boot after injuring his leg in practice on Friday. Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday that Henry is suffering from a strained calf and will be out for two weeks. Henry was brilliant down the stretch last season, but is that level of dominance sustainable for a full season? Anytime a workhorse running back is dealing with a lower body injury it is a concern. If Henry were to miss time, Dion Lewis would likely see an uptick in carries, though he is more of a threat in the passing game. Lewis’ current ADP according to Fantasy Pros is 47th among running backs and could be worth a look if Henry’s injury lingers.

— Andrew Luck is still rehabbing from a minor calf injury he suffered in May and head coach Frank Reich does not expect him to play in the preseason at all. This is potentially alarming, as Luck is currently the second quarterback off the board, and has been plagued with injuries in the past. He missed nine games of the 2015 season and the entire 2017 season. In that year, Jacoby Brissett started all 16 games and finished as the 24th best quarterback, averaging 16.1 fantasy points per game. Brissett would be a downgrade for the entire Colts offense, most notably for receiver T.Y. Hilton, who is being drafted as the 10th wide receiver in ADP. Hilton had his worst season as a starter with Brissett under center in 2017 and finished as the 25th best wide receiver with 966 yards and four touchdowns. In comparison, Hilton caught 1,270 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games during the 2018 season, which was 14th best among wide receivers.