Fantasy football: What you missed during the Olympics

Wait a second, the NFL season opener is less than three weeks away? That's right, while we've all been caught up in Olympic mayhem, football is entering week 3 of the pre-season — the regular season dress rehearsal — where the starters actually play for more than a few minutes.

This is the week where you can finally watch your favourite players play, and if you've already had your draft, pray they don't get injured (Jordy Nelson, anyone?).

But with the Olympics taking over the sports world until yesterday, there may have been some things you missed. So we're here to catch you up.

Injuries

The New England Patriots were dealt a big blow when running back Dion Lewis needed to go for a second surgery on his knee last week. The injury will keep him out of the lineup for 8-10 weeks, and clouds an already murky backfield in New England even more. James White could be the biggest beneficiary.

Running back Karlos Williams essentially became untouchable in fantasy after he was cut by the Buffalo Bills for being out of shape. The story goes that Williams put on about 25 pounds when he was binge eating with his pregnant fiancée over the off-season, and never took the weight off.

To make matters worse, he's suspended for four games. After scoring nine touchdowns as a rookie last season, it's a pretty sad story for a once-promising player.

The tight end position is also a weak spot in fantasy with Ladarius Green and Tyler Eifert battling injuries.

Eifert underwent ankle surgery in May and jogged for the first time since the procedure on Monday. He's expected to miss at least the first couple weeks of the season. If he's a target of yours, make sure you have a back-up plan.

Green signed 4-year, $20 million US deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the off-season, but rumours are that constant headaches are keeping him off the field. Green denied the rumours, but whether the problem is headaches or something else, there is no guarantee he even plays this season.

A concern arose Tuesday with Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant, who sustained a concussion in practice and will miss the next pre-season game. He's not expected to miss any time in the regular season, but when dealing with concussions, you never really know how much it will affect a player. 

Suspensions

The Steelers seemingly run into bad luck every year and 2016 is no different. Wide receiver Martavis Bryant was suspended for the entire season and running back Le'Veon Bell was slapped with a four-game suspension for skipping a drug test.

The saving grace? Bell had his suspension cut to three games, which gives you one less week of relying on DeAngelo Williams (if you're smart enough to handcuff), and one more week of this:

The Cleveland Browns also got themselves a boost when wide receiver Josh Gordon was reinstated by the NFL after missing all of 2015 because of a suspension. He is still riding a four-game ban, but is eligible to return in Week 5.

Don't forget that he led the league in receiving during his last full season in 2013. If he builds a rapport with Robert Griffin III, Gordon could be a steal in the mid-rounds of your draft.

And in case you've forgotten, the Deflategate scandal is finally over and Tom Brady will serve his four-game suspension. If you're targeting him, make sure you grab his handcuff in Jimmy Garoppolo so you're not stuck streaming quarterbacks for the first four weeks.

Trades

Only one trade occurred during the Olympic craze, and that was the Tennessee Titans trading receiver Dorial Green-Beckham to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Green-Beckham is enormously talented but couldn't put it all together last season as a rookie with Tennessee. He will battle Nelson Agholor, Josh Huff, and Reuben Randle for snaps, but could easily beat out all three. If he does, Green-Beckham will be a major touchdown threat and could provide real value later in the season.

Notes

The NFL changed the rules for injury designation, removing the "probable" tag. Teams will now only be able to label players as questionable, doubtful or out. So, if you're wondering why there's no label next to your players who you thought would be listed as probable, now you know.