Speculating on the team's replacement plan in the wake of TE Rob Gronkowski's (2nd) retirement, Scott Smith of the team website highlights the potential of 4th-round rookie Cade Otton. Smith says "there is the potential for him to be the one tight end the Buccaneers keep on the field most often," with receiving skills that "many draft analysts" believe exceed his college usage and the fact that he's "already considered an above-average and very willing blocker." Smith goes on to say that there might not be a "single clear answer" and that the Bucs could just blend Otton, fellow rookie Ko Kieft, vet Cameron Brate and perhaps 1 more player. Otton is primarily a name to know for dynasty usage, but this also serves as a reminder to temper fantasy expectations for Brate. He's likely the team's best receiving bet at the position with Gronk gone. But Brate has also played less than 40% of Tampa Bay snaps in 3 straight years. Just 2 of those included Gronkowski, and he missed 5 games in 2021.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson said he's "so excited" about new HC Kevin O'Connell's offense. "Our offensive style, it's not a run-first offense anymore," Jefferson said. "Just us being able to put different people in different positions and distribute the ball, really." We actually wouldn't describe last year's Vikings as "run first" considering they ranked 11th in pass attempts. But they finished 18th in situation-neutral pass rate, so there's room for at least a moderate climb in passing volume this season. Jefferson is a locked-in top 3 fantasy WR.
The Athletic's Paul Dehner believes the Bengals are no longer interested in making RB Joe Mixon a 3-down back. Dehner notes that Mixon's usage on 3rd downs fell off precipitously late in the season and through the playoffs. Over his final 9 games, Mixon played just 17 3rd-down snaps compared to RB Samaje Perine's 83. But, Mixon averaged 4.3 targets over those 9 games vs. just 2.7 over his first 11. Losing 3rd-down snaps obviously isn't ideal and will probably keep Mixon from joining the top tier of fantasy RBs. But he's still capable of RB1 production as the clear lead back in a strong Bengals offense.
Pro Football Talk hears that Saints RB Alvin Kamara is "bracing for a suspension of at least six weeks." Kamara is facing felony battery charges for a fight he was allegedly involved in over Pro Bowl weekend in Vegas. His next hearing isn't scheduled until August, though, and it's unclear how long the legal process will take beyond that. The NFL usually waits for that process to play out before making its own ruling. So, even if Kamara is eventually suspended, it might not come this season. Until this situation is resolved, Kamara is a risk/reward fantasy pick. He's going in the late 2nd round of recent FFPC drafts.
49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo "remains on schedule" in his rehab from March shoulder surgery and is expected to resume throwing in early July, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports. HC Kyle Shanahan straight-up said a month ago that he expects Garoppolo to be traded once this shoulder issue is behind him. Carolina seems like his most likely landing spot.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that 49ers WR Deebo Samuel has not rescinded his trade request. The team has indicated it has no plans to move Samuel, and he attended the team's mandatory minicamp in early June. But this at least serves as a reminder that some tension remains. We'll see whether that forces a move.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson will have a hearing before NFL disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson beginning Tuesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. There's no official limit to the length of the hearing. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says it's expected to last 1-2 days. We'll see about the timeline for discipline to be handed down afterward, but it's another signal that such a step is finally approaching.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says he's "told" the Bears like the way QB Justin Fields has developed this offseason. Specifically, the 2nd-year QB has reportedly quickened his release when passing and improved at throwing on the move. "The Bears are excited for offensive coordinator Luke Getsy's system, which should give Fields more space to operate," Fowler writes. Even if you're not ready to fully buy in on Fields, he's going 15th among QBs in FFPC ADP and 16th on Underdog. There's plenty of fantasy upside from that range even if Fields struggles from a real-life perspective.
Pro Football Network reports that the NFLPA has "concern" that the league wants to suspend Browns QB Deshaun Watson for the whole 2022 season, "if not indefinitely." We'll see what finally happens, but we sure seem to be trending toward a decision before the regular season. And anything short of a year seems likely to get the NFL vilified. If you're drafting best-ball rosters right now, it's probably best to just pass on Watson. Of course, his stock is falling everywhere. Watson's currently QB24 in Underdog drafts. So there's obviously fantasy upside to taking a shot if you so choose and he plays at all.
Matt Schneidman of The Athletic writes that Packers TE Robert Tonyan “may not be ready to play Week 1.” Schneidman adds that he’d be surprised if Tonyan isn’t ready to play by Week 6. The veteran tore his ACL at the end of October, so he’ll be ~10.5 months removed from the injury come Week 1. Tonyan’s not a particularly desirable TE2, even if he’s ready for the opener.
The Athletic's Greg Auman confirms that Bucs WR Chris Godwin is a candidate to open the season on the PUP list. That's not a surprise considering Godwin is working his way back from a mid-December ACL tear. "There have been encouraging reports on Godwin’s progress, but the Bucs have made a big investment in him long-term, so the priority will be getting him back to his old self rather than getting him back right away," Auman writes. Note that new NFL rules require a player placed on the PUP list to miss a minimum of 4 games, rather than the previous 6-game minimum. We're tentatively projecting Godwin to make his 2022 debut sometime in October.
The Athletic's Joe Person doesn't expect the Panthers to scale back RB Christian McCaffrey's volume this season, despite the injuries he's dealt with the last 2 years. Instead, "The Panthers plan to change their practice approach with McCaffrey, taking a lot of the reps off him during the week in the hope that the lightened workload will help him get through the season." Sign us up for that! McCaffrey didn't miss a single game across his first 3 NFL seasons and turned just 26 earlier this month. He's the odds-on favorite to lead RBs in fantasy points per game this year.
Rams CB Jalen Ramsey had surgery Tuesday on his left shoulder. NFL Network's Ian Rapport reports that Ramsey played through tears in both shoulders last season. The team expects Ramsey to be ready for the regular season, but we'll see how long he's out of action. This seems odd timing for the operation, just a little more than a month away from the start of training camp.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith has been impressed by QB Desmond Ridder's football IQ. “He’s very intelligent,” Smith said of Ridder. “There are a lot of things that go into playing quarterback that we ask him to do. Behind the scenes, the things that he has done that have really impressed me are from the neck up. You’re betting on the physical things that you have seen at times to catch up, but he’s light years ahead of most young quarterbacks I have been with from the neck up. I will give him that compliment publicly.” QB Marcus Mariota will head to training camp as Atlanta's starter, but it sounds like Ridder is in position to push him for the Week 1 nod.
20 of the 24 sexual assault lawsuits against Browns QB Deshaun Watson have been settled, attorney Tony Buzbee said Tuesday. The NFL's investigation remains ongoing. The lawsuits being settled "has no impact on the collectively bargained disciplinary process," league spokesman Brian McCarthy said. The Washington Post's Mark Maske reported last week that the league wants this situation settled before the start of training camp.
TE Rob Gronkowski tells NFL insider Jordan Schultz that he's retiring. It's only June, of course, so there's plenty of time for Gronk to change his mind. In fact, he "retired" back in 2019 before eventually returning with QB Tom Brady and the Bucs in 2020. So we're not completely ruling out another season from Gronkowski. But he'd be tough to draft as more than a last-pick flier right now. Losing Gronk would be a big blow to a Bucs offense that lost WR Antonio Brown and has WR Chris Godwin iffy for the start of the season after tearing his ACL in December. TEs Cameron Brate and rookie Cade Otton are next up on Tampa's depth chart.
Update: Gronkowski confirmed his retirement on his Instagram. But his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, isn't totally buying it. “It would not surprise me if Tom Brady calls him during the season to come back and Rob answers the call," Rosenhaus told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "This is just my opinion but I wouldn’t be surprised if Rob comes back during the season or next season.”
Cardinals DE Zach Allen revealed recently that he needed post-season ankle surgery after shredding the ligaments in a December game. "I literally had no ligaments in my ankle," he said last week, according to the Arizona Republic. "My tibia was basically floating. So, the tape was the only thing kind of holding it together." Allen said doctors put "some hardware" into the ankle, which has kept him from participating in spring practices. The 4th-year lineman says he expects to be 100% for the start of training camp and that he feels better than he did entering last year's camp. Allen doesn't appear to have high-end sack potential but can be a quality contributor for us on the tackle and pressure fronts -- especially at low draft cost.
Per beat writer Jourdan Rodrigue, Rams RB Cam Akers said he feels “100%” healthy at minicamp. Recall that Akers suffered a torn Achilles last July, then shockingly made 5 appearances late in the year (1 in the regular season; 4 in the postseason). Rodrigue writes that Akers should be “worked into the passing game at an even higher volume than he was previously.” Currently, Akers’ ADP has settled into the late 3rd/early 4th round.
New Rams OC Liam Coen gave his early impressions of WR Allen Robinson. "I think his route tree is extremely expanded from probably years ago, or maybe what we've had our other receivers do," Coen said at minicamp. "I mean, he can run a lot of routes that Cooper [Kupp] can, you know – some of those option routes and choice routes and things that we asked Cooper to do – because he just has an unbelievable ability to play underneath, himself.” Robinson, 29 in August, looks primed for a rebound alongside Matt Stafford and Sean McVay. He profiles as a top-20 WR for the upcoming season.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett practiced with the third-team offense this offseason, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. While a contender for the starting job, Pickett has an “uphill battle” to start the opener at Cincinnati, per Pryor. Outside of superflex leagues, it's easy to avoid Pittsburgh QBs in 2022 fantasy drafts.
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