JOIQUE BELL (DET) CLOSING GAP BETWEEN HIM & REGGIE BUSH

Joique Bell may have missed OTA's and minicamp to rest his sore knee, but the rest appears to have paid off. Bell was apparently cutting and accelerating with ease at practice yesterday. Bell, who just signed a new contract and is a great pass-catching RB could be a legit threat to have more carries than starter Reggie Bush this season. Bell's sleeper value may have worn off though, as he is going in the middle rounds of the drafts currently. I picked him up after he went undrafted in my leagues the last two years and it was one of the best decisions I've made fantasy-wise. 

JOSH GORDON (CLE) MAY PLAY THIS YEAR AFTER ALL

Josh Gordon has his hearing in 2 days to determine if he'll receive a season long ban for testing positive for marijuana or get off scot-free, those are the only 2 options. Gordon heads into the hearing with the same lawyer who got Richard Sherman's 4-game suspension overturned. Gordon barely tested positive for marijuana. The limit for the NFL's testing is 15 nanograms-per-millimeter. Gordon's samples were split into an A and B cup and the A cup came up at 16 nanograms, while the B cup came up at 13.6 nanograms. The A cup got his suspended, while the average nanogram count was under the 15 nanogram limit. Enough science. Gordon is claiming he tested positive because of second-hand smoke. Let's see how this plays out.

-Ben Lebo

TRENT RICHARDSON (IND) POISED FOR RESURGENCE

Feel like this is turning into the no news is good news blog, with all the injuries, but hey I said good things about Terrance West! Another RB I think will do good this season...Trent Richardson, I see a bounce back year. Easy schedule and a shaky backup. Colts offense will have no problem getting to the goal line for T-Rich to finish the job. Now onto the bad news.

STEVEN JACKSON (ATL) INJURS HAMSTRING

It came out this evening that Falcons RB Steven Jackson is out for most likely the remainder of the preseason with a hamstring injury, but is expected to be ready for week 1. Super generic named coach Mike Smith says the injury wasn't serious, but this is his other hamstring, not the one that has given him troubles in the past. You can view that as good that it isn't compounding his prior injured hamstring or bad that now he has two sub-par legs. If you're going to pick-up Jackson make sure you've got him handcuffed with Falcons rookie Devonta Freeman, who is showing a lot of promise.

-Ben Lebo

TERRANCE WEST TEARING IT UP AT BROWNS CAMP

Not that this will affect the early stages of anyone's draft, but for those thinking of taking Ben Tate as a mid-level pick, he may not be the guy for long in Cleveland. Coach Mike Pettine said today that Terrance West has "shocked" him with his pass-catching ability and isn't far behind Ben Tate. Tate will still probably start in week 1, but West should see more work than expected and could be a sneaky late-round pickup in PPR leagues.

LAMICHAEL JAMES (SF) DISLOCATES ELBOW

In an update to yesterday's news that Kendall Hunter will be out for the season with a torn ACL, LaMichael James dislocated his elbow today at the 49ers camp on a pass-blocking drill. Early reports say he'll miss a month, which is basically the entire preseason. Carlos Hyde continues to be an intriguing RB option. Hyde is a better pass catching option than most people think and may be able to fill the 3rd-down back role if James doesn't step up upon returning.

-Ben Lebo

KENDALL HUNTER (SF) TEARS ACL, OUT FOR SEASON

49ers RB Kendall Hunter tore his ACL during training camp today. It has now been confirmed he will be out for the season. The 49ers already had an excess of RB's this year, between veteran Frank Gore, LaMichael James and rookie Carlos Hyde. 

This will place added pressure on the three though. Gore's value may go up slightly, though he is still 31 years old. It seems every year analysts predict Gore's stats to drop significantly, but he hasn't let that happen yet.

Carlos Hyde's value jumps the most, as San Francisco has not been too high on James as of late. All in all, the 49ers running game is something I'll be avoiding when the draft rolls around.

-Ben Lebo