Man, training camps have barely started, and yet the news is already flying fast and furious.

Here are a few situations to be aware of, especially if you are currently in any drafts …

NFL News Before Training Camps Open

📉 Quinshon Judkins arrested for battery. Well, disgusting news surfaced over the weekend regarding the Browns’ 21-year-old rookie RB. The full report can be found here, but Judkins is now pending trial on the misdemeanor charge. We know the wheels of justice can move extremely slowly with the NFL, but this is a situation that can impact fantasy.

Action item: I loved Dylan Sampson even before this, but he becomes much more valuable in light of this news. Jerome Ford is on the late-round menu, as well, but I much prefer the rookie.

📉 Najee Harris sustained an eye injury on the 4th of July. This rumor had been circulating for days before we got confirmation that he did, in fact, suffer an injury from a fireworks mishap.

Action item: His agent said that he “is fully expected to be ready for the upcoming NFL season,” but that really tells us nothing about the severity of the injury. It has been eerily quiet since the initial report on July 10, so I’m proceeding with extreme caution in drafts. Like Sampson (albeit much more expensive), Omarion Hampton is an awesome selection right now.

I probably should have found a way to join the millions of online commenters who have made a Najee eye joke in that previous blurb, but hindsight is 20/20.

🤷 Jauan Jennings wants a new contract. Nothing is ever easy when it comes to the Niners’ WRs, and now Jennings—who had a late-career breakout in 2024—wants a new contract (or a trade). This all comes one year after the Niners negotiated a two-year, $15.39M extension with him.

Action item: Jennings doesn’t have much leverage here, especially because he is not expected to be a training camp holdout. This is a situation where I’m happy to buy any discounts. If you are curious about Ricky Pearsall, check out Dwain’s piece below on Year 2 (and Year 3) breakouts.

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Stats That Actually Matter for 2025

If you haven’t by now, you’re bound to get inundated with fantasy football stats consistenly for the next handful of weeks. Every single player take has an accompanying stat that acts as a confirmation bias to further the agenda being communicated.

Cherry-picking stats has become the norm to support claims, but not at Fantasy Life.

All stats have their purpose, but some (read: many) are more important than others when prepping for your drafts.

How can you possibly figure out which ones to follow and which are fluff? Let us do the work. John Laghezza went position-by-position to highlight the most useful and important stats for your draft prep, alongside a list of players who excelled in those departments last year. Your positional targets, per se.

Dive into what stats and players you should be circling during your draft prep. ⬇️