Beanie goes down, but not necessarily out

Arizona running back Beanie Wells injured his ribs on Monday and is considered questionable for this weekend's preseason opener. X-rays on the ribs were negative. Wells is a strong No. 2 running back in fantasy.

Washington running back Clinton Portis experienced tightness in his groin Tuesday and was unable to finish practice. His status is unknown. Portis is, at best, a No. 3 fantasy running back if healthy.

 San Diego rookie running back Ryan Mathews will get his first game action Saturday in the team's preseason opener. Head coach Norv Turner has given no indication how long Mathews will play. The first-year back is projected as a low-end No. 1 or strong No. 2 fantasy back.

 Denver's rookie wide receiver Demaryius Thomas injured his foot Saturday and has not been at practice since. The team doesn't believe the injury is serious and the first-round draft choice is listed as day-to-day. If he's healthy and wins a starting spot, Thomas is a No. 4 or 5 wide receiver.

 Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard says Mike Thomas is making a strong bid for the team's No. 2 receiver position in training camp. If Thomas makes it, he'll be no more than No. 5 or 6 fantasy receiver.

There appears to be two big kicking battles going on during the preseason. In Houston, Neil Rackers is competing against Kris Brown and, in Baltimore, Shayne Graham is kicking against Billy Cundiff. The two winners will be viable fantasy starters. The two losers could easily end up kicking for other teams.

Check out the Fantasy Forum in next Tuesday's print edition when I discuss some sleepers/undervalued players heading into the season.