Denver’s new coaching staff views RBs Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon as “interchangeable, capable protectors and sure-handed receivers,” per The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider. “It’s kind of a similar situation to what we had in Green Bay with a speedier guy and a downhill guy,” new OC Justin Outten said. “You want to utilize those guys because it is a long season. You don’t want to bang them up. You want to be smart with them, use their strengths, put them out on the field, and make them work. We’re excited to have both those guys.” It’s further confirmation that the plan isn’t to fully unleash Williams in year 2. He still figures to be a highly efficient per-touch player, but hitting his ultimate ceiling likely hinges on whether Gordon misses time.
Bills insider Vic Carucci believes WR Jamison Crowder will earn the team's slot role. The 29-year-old signed for $2 million on a 1-year deal early in free agency. Carucci also believes WR Isaiah McKenzie will retain "more of a specialty role” for new OC Ken Dorsey. Crowder is the preferred fantasy target, but we'll keep a close eye on this battle come training camp.
Conditioning has been an offseason “point of emphasis” for Bears WR Darnell Mooney, per Dan Pompei of The Athletic. Mooney ranked 6th among WRs in snaps in 2021. “Last year, I think I struggled with just being there at all times when my number was called,” Mooney said. “I knew I was fatigued a little bit, but my mindset was not coming out of the game.” Mooney also gained about 10 pounds this offseason after playing the past 2 years in the low 170s. “Even though he’s a smaller guy, he’s not that guy that runs out of bounds like a lot of smaller receivers,” WR coach Tyke Tolbert said. “He’ll try to stick his foot in the ground, get upfield and make plays with the ball in his hand, try to break tackles. He’s not trying to save his body. He’s trying to get extra yardage.” With massive target potential, Mooney could inch up the WR2 ranks in 2022.
Steelers beat writer Brian Batko writes that “there’s no indication” the team is interested in trading WR Diontae Johnson. Recently, rumors popped up that Pittsburgh was interested in trading the contract-year WR, but there’s no substance here. While the Steelers are considered unlikely to re-sign the 26-year-old — he’ll command a pretty penny next offseason — the team will stick with a win-now approach. HC Mike Tomlin’s never gone worse than 8-8 in a given season.
Rams insider Cam DaSilva told us to expect a big bounce-back season from WR Allen Robinson. "I love the fit of Allen Robinson as the #2 receiver opposite [Cooper] Kupp," DaSilva said. "He's a different type of receiver than the Rams have had over the years ... bigger, physical receiver. He can stretch the field a little bit ... He can do pretty much everything in the offense. He's not gonna be strictly an 'X' receiver ... He can run the routes that Cooper Kupp can run. He's gonna run probably screen routes, too, and these little hitches ... I think he's gonna have probably one of his best seasons in the NFL this year with Matthew Stafford." DaSilva also noted that Stafford has gotten big seasons out of other big-bodied receivers like Calvin Johnson and Kenny Golladay. We're buying the bounce-back for Robinson, who cracks the top 20 WRs in our current PPR rankings. Check out the full interview with DaSilva -- also talking Stafford, Cam Akers and the Rams offensive line -- right here.
According to Jon Machota of The Athletic, Cowboys rookie WR Jalen Tolbert "is expected to start Week 1." Machota said right after the draft that the 3rd-round pick had a chance to compete for a significant role right away. Tolbert worked with the starters in spring workouts, helped by the absences of Michael Gallup and James Washington. Gallup isn't expected to be ready for the opener, coming off his end-of-season ACL tear. Washington has yet to deliver in the NFL and arrived on a small, 1-year contract in free agency. The uncertainty with Gallup and departure of Amari Cooper also leaves room for Tolbert to remain a factor even once Gallup returns. Tolbert presents intriguing upside -- especially in Dak Prescott best-ball lineups -- from a WR68 ADP in Underdog drafting.
RB Le'Veon Bell said Tuesday that he won't be playing football this season because he's shifting his focus to boxing. Bell made the announcement at a press conference to promote his match with Adrian Peterson at the end of this month and says he plans to box beyond that. Although he only addressed the coming football season, it's tough to imagine the 30-year-old finding NFL opportunities beyond that. Bell totaled just 39 carries and 7 targets across stints with the Ravens and Buccaneers last season.
Tony Rizzo of ESPN Cleveland says Browns QB Deshaun Watson may miss less than half the upcoming season as discipline for the mountain of sexual-misconduct allegations against him. "Right now, I'm hearing 4-6 games ... from reliable sources," Rizzo says. Watson has sunk into QB3 territory in best-ball tournament drafts on Underdog recently, with most people expecting a full-season suspension. If a mere 4-6 game ban materializes, he'd be a tournament-tilting value anywhere in that range. It's still tough to know, of course, just how much longer we'll have to wait to get the official word. So there will remain plenty of risk to Watson in the meantime.
"I'm done with football," TE Rob Gronkowski said Tuesday, adding that he wouldn't return even if QB Tom Brady called to ask. The interview made headlines -- but we wouldn't expect Gronk to say anything else less than a month after announcing his retirement. We still believe there's at least a small chance he returns to the Bucs at some point this season.
The Patriots have traded WR N'Keal Harry to the Bears for a conditional 7th-round pick in 2024. This is clearly a signal of New England giving up on the WR rather than Chicago going to get him. Harry gets a fresh start in a WR-needy situation. We still wouldn't bet on fantasy relevance going forward, though.
Panthers GM Scott Fitterer called the team’s QB situation “an open competition” on Tuesday. As such, Fitterer anticipates the reps being divvied up “fairly evenly” at the start of training camp. While competition might be a point of emphasis, Baker Mayfield enters camp as the clear favorite to start Week 1 over Sam Darnold. Current QB projections have the former Brown slated for 15 games.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has packed on about 15 pounds this offseason and looks noticeably bigger in the upper body. "I just wanted to do it, see how it looks and see how it feels," Jackson said. "And I feel good." We'll see if Jackson decides to play the season at the 220 pounds he's currently at. It'd probably help his mobility while hopefully not sapping him of any speed.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, “the expectation within the league” remains that 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo will be traded by August 1. A recent report suggested that the Bucs made a play for Garoppolo, but his agent (Don Yee) shot that down. Unsurprisingly, Yee also claimed that his client is “progressing well and on schedule” from offseason shoulder surgery.
QB Lamar Jackson shared that he’s hopeful he can reach a long-term deal with the Ravens by training camp. “I'm not going to say 'yeah' right now,” Jackson said regarding a potential agreement. “Hopefully. But it's God's timing.” Talks are ongoing — and remember that Jackson is negotiating a new contract without an agent. Ultimately, Jackson's contract situation isn't a reason to value him differently in 2022 drafts. He's a clear-cut top-5 fantasy passer.
Jets beat writer Connor Hughes gave a progress update on WR Garrett Wilson post-OTAs and minicamp. “This was a guy that didn't really know what he was supposed to do, or kind of knew what what he was supposed to do, and was trying to figure it out as he went," Hughes observed. He did call Wilson “the most physically gifted” WR on the roster and believes the rookie will benefit from his time off before training camp. Ultimately, we’re not alarmed by a slow start from the 10th overall pick. Only 22 (later this month), Wilson remains a candidate to pace this deep Jets WR corps in targets.
Steelers beat writer Chris Adamski believes WR George Pickens is in position to play a “significant role” by the end of the 2022 season. Patience might be key here, as he's coming off a March 2021 ACL tear. (Pickens, however, managed to appear in 4 games with Georgia last year.) While his size (6’3, 200), speed (4.47 forty) and early breakout age (18.5) signal a potential difference-maker, targets will be tough to earn early on. Current 2022 WR projections have him down for 63 targets.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth shared his expectations for the 2022 season. “I should be more in the range of 800, 900 (season) yards, so I think I definitely need to get (yards/reception) higher and want to push the ball down the field,” Freiermuth said. As a rookie, the Penn State product posted 497 yards at just 8.3 yards per catch. Eric Ebron departed this offseason, while Pittsburgh only added rookie Connor Heyward in Round 6. Increased production is likely for Freiermuth, but current projections have the TE falling shy of the 800-900-yard range.
Packers WR Amari Rodgers gave a candid assessment of his rookie season. The Clemson product caught only 4 passes across 16 appearances. “It’s the longest season I ever played,” Rodgers said this week. “I didn't really have a break, it was like two years straight of football. So you know, I feel like it kind of took a toll on me mentally and physically towards the end of the year. “I’ve had an offseason to actually take care of my body, get my body right. So I feel like I'm back to myself.” The 23-year-old (in September) watched Green Bay trade Davante Adams over the offseason, only to bring in 2 rookie WRs and Sammy Watkins. Green Bay could still add another veteran pass catcher, too. Rodgers remains a fringe deep-league sleeper.
Browns HC Kevin Stefanski gave his assessment of TE David Njoku. “He is young,” Stefanski said during OTAs. “I do not know if he physically can grow any more, but his game can grow. That is a conversation I have had with him. I do expect his game to grow, and it is not as simple as saying, ‘Hey, we are going to throw more balls to you.’ I think his game will grow, and you will see it in the run game and in the pass game, and you will see it kind of throughout. I think he is committed to that. David wants to get better, and to be 25, I think you have that opportunity to get better.” This comes after Stefanski said he wants to “feature” Njoku last month. The TE's new contract —combined with the departure of Austin Hooper — only supports that claim. The only downside here is Deshaun Watson’s looming suspension.
Colts HC Frank Reich “would like to alleviate some of the load on [Jonathan] Taylor’s shoulders,” per beat writer George Bremer. (To be clear, these are Bremer's words -- not Reich's.) Taylor led the league with 332 rush attempts last year — 25 ahead of #2 Najee Harris. With Matt Ryan in town, the thought is this offense goes slightly more pass heavy. We do project a smaller workload for Taylor, but the decline is negligible. The 3rd-year back remains a top-2 fantasy RB.
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