Ezekiel Elliott is back, and his holdout worked as intended.

Setting aside the financial ramifications on the Cowboys' salary cap situation with major contract talks on the horizon, Elliott's return obviously has a massive impact on Fantasy Football. Dave Richard gets you up to speed by answering nine big questions related to Zeke, Tony Pollard and more. 

We also got word on Zeke's expected Week 1 workload:

Assuming "reps" means "snaps" and not "touches", we're likely looking at Zeke playing on rushing downs and racking up 15-18 carries, depending on whether the Cowboys pull away from the Giants. They are touchdown favorites at home, and that's enough work for Zeke to be considered a must-start in what should be a positive game situation for rushing success. 

It sounds like Pollard will still get plenty of snaps, primarily on passing downs. He's certainly worth a hold in the short term, and likely also in the long term as one thing Zeke's holdout confirmed is Pollard is the clear No. 2 in terms of Fantasy value for one of the most favorable running back situations in football.

Preliminary depth chart quick hits

Early depth charts should often be taken with a grain of salt, as they are unofficial. Still, there were some interesting notes to consider:

  • After being a late edition to the Cardinals roster, Michael Crabtree was listed as one of three Week 1 wide receiver starters. I'm reading this as mostly veteran deference, and still expect rookies KeeSean Johnson and Andy Isabella to play in an offense that will likely feature four and maybe even five wide receiver sets. But it's at least notable that Crabtree wasn't buried on the depth chart heading into Week 1.
  • The Dolphins listed Kenyan Drake as their Week 1 starter, which seems to confirm reports he'll be fully healthy. Kalen Ballage should still mix in heavily, and may lead the team in rush attempts, but Drake looks ready to handle a more valuable Fantasy role that includes more passing downs work as well as some share of the rushing workload. 
  • The depth chart the 49ers released listed Matt Breida as a starter, though it's important to recognize Tevin Coleman played ahead of him throughout the preseason. It's possible Breida is listed there simply because he is the incumbent, but it's also hard not to consider that when Coleman played under Kyle Shanahan in Atlanta, he was a secondary change-of-pace back behind Devonta Freeman. We ultimately shouldn't put too much stock in this as all expectations are that these two backs will split time, but both of these backs are startable right out of the gate in a matchup with Tampa that carries an over/under north of 50 points. 
  • The other news on the 49ers depth chart was Dante Pettis listed as the No. 1, which similar to Crabtree should mostly be read that he's at least not buried. Shanahan turned some heads with his preseason commentary on Pettis, but multiple beat reporters referred this as a motivational tactic. He should play plenty in Week 1 against a poor Bucs defense, so if you're in a deeper league where he's a starting option, it's a great matchup to do so.
  • The Titans placed veteran kicker Ryan Succop on IR and signed Cairo Santos to handle their early-season kicking duties. 

Melvin Gordon trade rumor update

The Chargers granted Melvin Gordon permission to seek a trade, and much was made of his reaction to quickly follow several NFL teams on Instagram. Still, there doesn't seem to be much movement toward an actual deal. 

The Chargers are reportedly seeking at least a first-round pick, something that they are unlikely to receive for an impending free agent running back, no matter Gordon's ability. All indications are this holdout will last into the season, and the tandem of Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson will get an opportunity to show what they can do as heavy home favorites against the Colts. Both are in consideration as flex options regardless of format, depending on your options.

Jimmy Graham upgraded to "full", Trey Burton still limited

Ahead of the Thursday opener, Jimmy Graham was a full participant in Tuesday's practice as he works back from a finger injury. Graham should be expected to be on the field Thursday night.

The Bears were third best against tight ends in 2018 per Football-Outsiders' DVOA metric, so Graham is more of a TE2 for Week 1. But he's usable if you went late-round tight end and have limited options as he competes for targets with Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Geronimo Allison behind No. 1 Davante Adams. 

Meanwhile, the tight end on the opposite sideline, Trey Burton, remained limited Tuesday with a groin injury. Burton's matchup is much more favorable, but he'll be hard to trust to begin the season even if he does suit up. 

Albert Wilson and Jakeem Grant to fill slot role

After dealing away Kenny Stills, the Dolphins freed up some playing time in a surprisingly deep but still talent-deficient receiving corps. The Miami Herald shed some light on their plans Tuesday, quoting wide receivers coach Karl Dorrell as saying Wilson "is going to be a dynamic player that can play for us in the slot. Jakeem is the same type of player. The previous staff did use him primarily on the outside. We're going to use him both outside and inside. He's done enough in his development to do some things outside very effectively. He's such a dynamic runner with the ball in his hands that he'll play in the slot as well." 

Wilson is worth adding to the back end of your roster in deeper leagues.