Ravens HC John Harbaugh said he’s “hopeful” RBs Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins will be ready for the regular season. Harbaugh also said that they're “on track,” so Week 1 is realistic barring a setback. Both guys will be ~1 year removed from ACL surgery come the regular season, so the question is just how much action they see in training camp. Neither player has practiced so far this spring.
Titans WR Treylon Burks has missed the first 2 days of minicamp after also being sidelined for last week's OTAs. HC Mike Vrabel said Burks is "unavailable" but didn't give any other details. We're guessing this is the same asthma-related issue that cost Burks some reps in rookie minicamp. It's become a situation to monitor closely over the next few months.
Titans rookie TE Chig Okonkwo has been a standout in minicamp, catching 4 TDs over the last 2 days, according to Jim Wyatt of the team's official website. Okonkwo is undersized at just 6'3, 238 pounds but led all TEs at the Combine with a 4.52-second 40 time. He projects as a catch-first TE with some intriguing fantasy upside. Austin Hooper remains the favorite to lead Titans TEs in fantasy points this season, but Okonkwo is worth keeping an eye on this summer.
Bills QB Josh Allen gave an update on the offense under new OC Ken Dorsey. “It doesn’t feel like we’ve missed a step,” Allen said. “Obviously, it’s a different voice in the headset, a different mind, calling the plays. The verbiage is still the same. The protections are still the same. We’ve switched up a couple things here and there with concepts and thought processes, but we’re able to call the same play and understand our players know this play like the back of their hand and it’s just our job to go out there and execute.” Continuity was always the biggest benefit of promoting Dorsey, and it sounds like that’s bearing out. Allen is rightfully coming off the board 1st among QBs in early fantasy drafts.
Speaking at minicamp, Panthers HC Matt Rhule indicated that QB Matt Corral isn’t close to earning the starting job. “He has a good spirit, a good demeanor about him when he walks in the building. And I think he understands there’s no timetable for him,” Rhule said Tuesday. “I think he has that sense of urgency when he works. I respect the way he works. But he has a lot to learn. A lot to learn.” None of this should be shocking — it’s June, and Corral’s a Round 3 rookie. Still, with Sam Darnold running with the starters and Carolina reportedly very interested in Baker Mayfield, Corral’s path to year 1 snaps looks rough. He’s a dynasty-only stash for now.
Saints QB Jameis Winston has yet to be cleared for 11-on-11 workouts, according to the team website. Winston has been seen on the field in OTAs but is awaiting that final clearance to practice in full. We'd expect it to come at least by some early point in training camp but will keep an eye on the situation. Andy Dalton has run the starting offense in Winston's absence this week.
Saints K Wil Lutz was cleared early this week to return to action and hit the practice field Wednesday for the 1st time in 10 months, according to the team website. Lutz missed all of last season with a core-muscle injury that required surgery. We'll watch for setbacks, but he should be ready to reclaim the New Orleans kicking job.
The Chargers ran Josh Palmer as their 3rd WR in Tuesday's opening practice of mandatory minicamp, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic. That puts him ahead of Jalen Guyton, who spent 2021 beating the then-rookie in playing time. Guyton was also reportedly working as a punt-team gunner Tuesday for the 1st time since joining the team. That could be another signal of a lighter offensive role for Guyton. Palmer has stood well ahead of Guyton as the 3rd Chargers WR in ADP throughout draft season. He's a decent option at low-WR6 ADP -- and a good addition to Justin Herbert teams.
Chargers HC Brandon Staley revealed this week that S Derwin James had surgery on the labrum in his left shoulder in February, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic. The injury originally occurred in the 1st half of Week 3, but James didn't miss any games until weeks 14 and 16 (then for a hamstring issue). The safety has been sitting out of team drills this spring, but Staley calls that "precautionary." James is reportedly back to full health and will be good to go for training camp.
Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury singled out WR Rondale Moore when asked for a young player who's flashed this offseason, according to insider Paul Calvisi. "He's taken real strides," Kingsbury said. Moore was relatively disappointing as a rookie, at least in part because of a minuscule 1.2-yard average depth of target. It sounds like he'll be in a more diverse role in 2022. And there's opportunity available with WR Christian Kirk gone and WR DeAndre Hopkins suspended for the first 6 games of the season. Moore is worth a shot at his WR58 ADP in FFPC best-ball drafts.
Bills QB Josh Allen showed some love to 3rd-year WR Gabe Davis. “The dude just works,” Allen said recently. “He just works hard. He's a great dude. Selfless. He'll run the for the love of the game, routes where he knows he's not getting the ball but he's attracting a safety and allowing someone else to get open. When the play’s there to be made, he usually makes them and that's in turn for his hard work and his resiliency of kind of his first two years in the league. And the dude just continues to make some plays and love the guy to death.” Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News notes that Davis has remained a “consistent target” at minicamp. With breakout buzz continuing, Davis profiles as a high-upside WR3.
Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride says that his "way too early" picks to lead the Chiefs in receiving yardage this year are TE Travis Kelce and WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling. This is likely based primarily on watching minicamp practices to date. It's worth noting that Skyy Moore and Mecole Hardman have missed some time with hamstring issues, though both have been on the field this week for mandatory minicamp. We'll keep watching for reports on expected target distribution within Kansas City's rebuilt WR corps. Sweeney also said last week that "no new Chiefs pass-catcher looks more comfortable with Mahomes" than MVS.
Commanders TE Logan Thomas revealed more about the knee injury that he suffered this past December. "With my knee, the reports came out but they didn't tell the full story," Thomas said. "I did ACL, MCL and both my [lateral and medial] meniscus." We knew that Thomas tore his ACL and MCL, but the meniscus damage is new information. Thomas added that he's hoping to play Week 1 but admitted that the timeline he was given would have him back "somewhere around Week 4." We'll monitor his progress this summer.
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said the team will utilize QB Dak Prescott's legs more in 2022. The plan is for Dallas to “put in more quarterback runs and quarterback movement plays," per beat writer Clarence Hill. Prescott’s healthier and quicker now that he's further removed from a 2020 ankle fracture. Currently, Dak checks in as a fringe QB1 for 2022.
CBS' Jonathan Jones reports that the Browns and Panthers are involved in trade talks "surrounding" QB Baker Mayfield. Jones reports that there's "urgency" for Carolina to make a move early enough to get Mayfield some minicamp reps with the team. He adds that the Panthers' offer is the best Cleveland has gotten and that the primary sticking point is how much of Mayfield's 2022 salary the Browns would pay. The QB is in the 5th and final year of his rookie contract and will likely face a "prove it" year, with unrestricted free agency ahead in March 2023. He makes obvious sense for Carolina, which currently sports Sam Darnold and Matt Corral as the top 2 options. And the relationship between Mayfield and the Browns looks finished. Mayfield hasn't proved to be a high-upside fantasy QB through 4 seasons, but the Panthers would set him up with nice pass-catching talent -- led by D.J. Moore and Christian McCaffrey. Stacking him with 1 or both players in best-ball tournament lineups now would be a low-risk, high-upside move.
Rams COO Kevin Demoff said his team would like to re-sign WR Odell Beckham but conceded that Beckham is unlikely to be ready until late in the season after tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl. "I think ultimately, when you're in resource allocation, when you know a player who would probably come in and help you, maybe for the last few weeks, but really in the playoffs, your focus right now has to go on those who are going to be here for training camp, start the season for you," Demoff said. "And then how much can you leave for a player of Odell's caliber? If we didn't have a salary cap we could've signed Odell months ago and would've loved to." Beckham will be just 7 months removed from his ACL tear when the 2022 season kicks off. A typical timeline would have him out for at least the first 2 months of the season. That makes him tough to draft in fantasy, especially in leagues without an IR spot.
Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz will report to the start of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Schultz skipped last week's OTAs as he angles for a long-term deal. He's currently scheduled to play 2022 on the franchise tag. "No deal imminent, but contract talks have picked up in recent days," Pelissero tweeted. We'll continue to keep an eye on the situation, but it doesn't look like there's holdout risk with Schultz.
Panthers WR Robby Anderson showed up for the start of mandatory minicamp on Monday. He made headlines when he posted (and then quickly deleted) a tweet on Saturday about considering retirement. But it looks like he's decided to play this season. Anderson is coming off a disappointing 2021 campaign but is underpriced at his current WR71 FFPC ADP. He sits 16 spots higher in our PPR WR Rankings.
Speaking on the Inside the Birds podcast, NFL insider Adam Caplan said that RB Kenneth Gainwell’s role “will grow” in year 2. Caplan particularly noted Gainwell’s involvement in the passing game, where he collected 33 catches (on 50 targets) as a rookie. Gainwell added ~4 carries per game across 16 appearances. Ultimately, barring a Miles Sanders injury, Gainwell’s unlikely to exceed PPR flex range. On skill set alone, though, the Memphis product makes for an intriguing RB4/5.
Packers WR Allen Lazard has signed his 1-year restricted free-agent tender. If he and the team don't agree to a long-term deal, he'll make just about $4 million this year and then hit free agency next offseason. Lazard has a shot to lead Green Bay in targets this year and is a fine value at his recent WR45 FFPC ADP.
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