Steelers RB Najee Harris expects to play less this season than he did as a rookie. “I will be on the field a lot — but on certain downs, I will not be on the field," Harris said. "Just (pick my spots), I guess. Extra rest. ... We’re still going to talk about that, though. I do want to play. A lot. … Any time I can. But at the same time, it’s all about being smart. So I understand where (Steelers offensive coaches) are coming from.” Harris led all RBs with 980 snaps and 381 total touches last year. So there's certainly room for Pittsburgh to scale back his workload. But with only Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland behind him on the depth chart, we wouldn't expect a big reduction in Harris' volume. He remains a good bet to finish among the top 5 in total touches, barring injury.
Lions TE T.J. Hockenson expects to be used more creatively this season in new OC Ben Johnson's scheme. Johnson was Hockenson's position coach the past 2 years. "Ben has seen me do routes that most guys or coordinators wouldn't think that a tight end could do," Hockenson said. "Splitting me out, running a comeback, splitting me out and running things that really only wide receivers do. He's seen me run it and he's seen me run it well. Just being able to have that in his head – we're already seeing it now (with me) being split out and doing some things and showing what we got." QB Jared Goff likes what he's seen with Hockenson's usage so far this offseason. "T.J. is a unique player and somebody that we need to take advantage of his full skill set," Goff said. "No one knows him better than Ben, so having him in that (OC) spot to make those decisions and draw things up is helpful. But he's doing a great job creatively with T.J." Hockenson is a safe pick in mid-range TE1 territory and might still have untapped upside beyond that.
Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson said Tuesday that his focus this offseason was "route running and being a third down back." That doesn't necessarily mean that he'll be New England's primary pass-catching back this season. But it's certainly possibly, especially if he's improved in that department after a promising rookie year. Stevenson caught 14 of 18 targets for 123 yards in 2021, ranking 12th among 89 qualifying RBs in yards per route run. The Patriots re-signed RB James White in March, but the 30-year-old coming off hip surgery is a big question mark.
Colts LB Darius Leonard had back surgery Tuesday morning, his agent confirmed. Zak Keefer of The Athletic reports that Leonard will miss "some camp time" but is expected to be ready for the regular season. ESPN's Mike Wells reports it a little differently, saying the team expects "him to [be] back for training camp." We'll see about Leonard's status as camp gets going. At the least, this adds a complication for a star player who has already been dealing with nagging ankle trouble.
Rams RB Darrell Henderson is currently sidelined with what HC Sean McVay called a "soft-tissue injury." We don't have any details on the ailment or severity. We're not adjusting Henderson's projections for now but will keep an eye on him when training camp opens next month. Henderson has missed 7 games through 3 NFL seasons with ankle, rib, thigh and knee injuries.
Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf did not report for the start of minicamp as he continues to angle for a new contract. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler confirms that Metcalf's absence is unexcused, subjecting him to fines up to $93,000. The Seahawks have made it clear that they'd like to get Metcalf a new deal, but there's obviously still work to be done between the 2 sides. It's a situation to monitor as we get closer to training camp in late July.
Speaking at minicamp, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers said he'll “definitely" finish his career in Green Bay. We’d give him some leeway to change his mind. But after signing an extension in March, the 38-year-old is signed through the 2024 season.
Texans WR John Metchie ran routes at close to full speed in Tuesday's minicamp practice. The rookie seems to be making good progress in his recovery from December's torn ACL. It's still unclear if he'll be ready for Week 1. But, once healthy, Metchie has an opportunity to carve out a significant role in Houston's passing game.
Turns out the "tweak" that has had Rams rookie RB Kyren Williams in a walking boot recently was actually a foot fracture. HC Sean McVay revealed that to reporters Tuesday and said Williams will return "sometime in the early portion of training camp," according to Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire. ESPN's Adam Schefter adds that Williams had surgery to address the issue. We'll see just how much time he misses and how quickly he can get acclimated after his turn. Williams shouldn't have been factoring heavily into your redraft plans anyway, though.
ESPN's Rob Demovsky reports that Packers WR Allen Lazard is not on hand for this week's mandatory minicamp. Lazard, of course, is not actually required to attend, because he has not signed his restricted free agent tender. That the 2 sides have not yet worked out anything longer term should give you pause about getting too excited over Lazard's outlook. Avoiding early-June minicamp might not ultimately matter for his 2022 role and production. But his absence will give more reps to younger WRs. At WR45 in current Underdog ADP, Lazard remains a fine player to mix into your best-ball drafting. That's almost exactly where he sits in our half-PPR WR rankings. We also prefer Lazard at cost over Christian Watson just about a round later. Consider mixing in some Randall Cobb and Romeo Doubs at the end of your drafts as well, though.
Bucs RB Leonard Fournette "seemed to be a little heavy and struggled some in the heat" on the 1st day of minicamp, The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud observed. Fournette confirmed that's he's packed on some lbs., telling reporters that weighs “240-something” and wants to play around 230 or 228 pounds. Fournette has 3 months before the start of the regular season, so we're not sounding the alarms right now. But his conditioning will certainly be worth monitoring when we get to August.
Titans WR coach Rob Moore revealed Tuesday that WR Treylon Burks has asthma. That explains why he missed some reps at rookie minicamp with breathing issues. The asthma didn't prevent him from putting up big numbers at Arkansas, though, and shouldn't be a real problem going forward. But we'll keep an eye on him.
49ers WR Deebo Samuel is expected to report for minicamp on Tuesday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Samuel reportedly requested a trade earlier this offseason, unhappy with his RB usage last year. But it looks like the 2 sides have ironed things out at least for now. We'll continue to monitor the situation, but Samuel seems likely to be on the field for the 49ers come Week 1.
Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury expects WR DeAndre Hopkins (knee) to be a "full go" for training camp. His 2021 season ended in Week 14 with a torn MCL that required surgery. That came with a 6-week timetable for return, so his status for the start of 2022 camp was never in question. Hopkins, of course, is suspended for the first 6 games of the upcoming season for violating the league's PED policy.
Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy left Monday's OTA session with a groin issue, according to NFL Network's James Palmer. HC Nathaniel Hackett called it a "little tweak" afterward. This doesn't seem like a significant concern for the time being. But, as we saw with Washington WR Curtis Samuel last year, groin injuries can be tricky. We'll keep a close eye on Jeudy when training camp opens next month.
Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz is skipping the rest of voluntary OTAs over frustration with contract negotiations, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Schultz has already signed his franchise tender, which locks him in for the coming season. The 2 sides have until July 15 to agree on a longer-term deal. If that doesn't happen by the deadline, Schultz will play out the 1-year deal and hit the open market again next March. The fact that he has already signed the tender should keep any contract impasse from impacting Schultz's availability for 2022.
Browns WR David Bell got some reps with the 1st-team offense in OTAs, according to The Athletic's Zac Jackson. Amari Cooper is locked in as Cleveland's #1 WR, and it sounds like Bell, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Anthony Schwartz are competing for the next 3 spots on the depth chart. Bell has drawn positive reviews so far from both coaches and beat writers. Consider him the favorite for primary slot duties this season, making the rookie an intriguing late-round pick in fantasy drafts.
Per beat writer Rick Stroud, the Bucs are “optimistic” TE Rob Gronkowski will re-sign prior to training camp. Gronk currently projects as a TE1 for the 2022 fantasy football season.
Jets GM Joe Douglas told ESPN's Rich Cimini that TE Tyler Conklin "looks like he could be a nice under-the-radar find." Given that the team signed Conklin to a 3-year, $20.25 million deal with $10 million guaranteed, we're not sure just how under the radar he really is. It's certainly worth noting that Conklin has already impressed his new team, but it's also worth remembering that he got only the 2nd largest contract among new Jets TEs this offseason. "I think C.J. [Uzomah] and Conklin are going to make a pretty strong duo in this offense." Throw in 3rd-round TE Jeremy Ruckert as well, and it's tough to get excited about the fantasy football outlook for any Jets TE in any format.
Bears HC Matt Eberflus talked up Justin Fields’ deep ball ability at OTAs. “I would say, ‘Man, he throws a good deep ball,’ ” Eberflus said. “I’m excited about that. And you could see it in the seven-on-seven and 11-on-11s, and we’re gonna take our shots down the field and, man, he does a nice job doing that. And that’s what stands out to me.” Fields wasn’t afraid to go deep last year, posting the league's 2nd highest intended air yards per attempt (33 qualifiers). A lack of weapons is troubling, but the arrival of Round 3 pick Velus Jones at least supplies another deep threat alongside Darnell Mooney.
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