According to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Reuben Frank, Eagles RB Miles Sanders has decreased his negative rushing plays each season. After seeing 22.9% of his carries go for no gain or a loss in his rookie season, Sanders cut that rate to 20.1% in 2020 and then just 13.9% last season. That decline has coincided with Sanders' rushing average climbing from 4.6 yards per carry in his rookie year to 5.3 and then 5.5. The 4th-year back faces workload challenges but also should lead Philly's backfield in carries and total touches. He carries attractive upside outside the top 24 RBs in ADP.
The Bills opened training camp Sunday morning with WR Isaiah McKenzie running in the slot with the 1st team, according to Aaron Quinn of the Cover 1 Buffalo podcast. Veteran free-agent addition Jamison Crowder, meanwhile, was splitting 2nd-team reps with rookie Khalil Shakir. It could just be the Bills leaning toward the incumbent to open camp, but the Buffalo News also called McKenzie the "slight favorite" to win the starting slot gig earlier in the week. The Bills added Crowder on just a 1-year, $2 million contract -- far from starter money for a WR. We'll keep watching this competition through the summer. It looks like we should at least consider McKenzie the leader for now, though.
The Bengals on Saturday placed RB Samaje Perine on the training camp PUP list. The team didn't reveal his injury, and a player can come off the camp PUP at any point. But it certainly doesn't help him in his competition with Chris Evans to serve as the team's #2 RB. We'll be watching that battle throughout camp.
The Colts have placed LB Darius Leonard on the PUP list to open training camp. It's not a surprise. Leonard had back surgery in early June, and it was reported at the time that he'd miss some of camp. Lingering trouble with the ankle that has been bothering Leonard since before last season started might be the bigger concern, though. We'll see how long the star remains on the PUP list, from which the team can activate him at any time. If Leonard winds up on the regular-season PUP list, he'd have to miss at least 4 games. To date, we haven't seen that reported as a possibility. The Colts also placed S Rodney McLeod (undisclosed) and DE Tyquan Lewis (knee) on the PUP ahead of camp starting.
The Lions re-signed LB Alex Anzalone this offseason and opened spring workouts with him and 2nd-year LB Derrick Barnes as starters. LBs coach Kelvin Sheppard says no one's job is "safe," though. "[Anzalone] has the most time-on-task in my room, but that doesn't designate him the starter," Sheppard tells PrideofDetroit.com. "The things we did last year are not acceptable ... so don't tell me about what a guy did last year." Detroit also added Chris Board and 6th-round rookie Malcolm Rodriguez, brought back former Lion (and 1-year Jet) Jarrad Davis, and got Shaun Dion Hamilton back from a full year spent on IR. In the same interview, Sheppard had praise for Barnes ("The sky's the limit for him."), Board ("He has a unique skill set."), Anthony Pittman ("putting on a clinic so far") and Rodriguez ("It's arrows up on him."). Sheppard added that Rodriguez has already showed the potential to call the defensive plays, which would mean wearing the green dot and likely staying on the field 3 downs. The whole situation will need to play out in camp and preseason, and we're not ready to invest in any of them. Barnes and Rodriguez look most intriguing as dynasty stashes and late-round dart throws in IDP fantasy football leagues.
ESPN's Mike Reiss highlights Patriots rookie RB Pierre Strong Jr. as a potential replacement for James White's passing-game usage if the veteran's hip doesn't allow him to begin the regular season on time. Strong's HC at South Dakota State called the RB's receiving "his greatest strength" and also lauded his ability as a pass protector. Strong also posted strong rushing numbers, including career highs of 1,686 yards and 240 carries (7.0 per rush) in his final season for the Jackrabbits. He then led all RBs at the Scouting Combine with a 4.37-second 40 at 5'11, 207 pounds. New England sports Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson as primary rushers, with 6th-round rookie Kevin Harris joining the mix there. Strong's primary competition for a "3rd-down" role, though, looks like J.J. Taylor and Ty Montgomery -- if White's not ready. New England tends to lean away from giving significant work to rookie RBs but had Stevenson ranking 2nd on the team in touches and total opportunities as a rookie just last year. Strong is interesting as an end-of-draft consideration for fantasy. He'll get more interesting the longer White stays on the PUP list.
Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports that Rams WR Van Jefferson is back to 100% after "minor" knee surgery early in the offseason. We hadn't seen anything previously about the knee procedure. Jefferson turned up questionable for the NFC title game with a knee issue but saw full playing time in each of the final 3 playoff contests. It doesn't sound like we need to worry about this for Jefferson's 2022 outlook.
Chiefs WR Justyn Ross had surgery recently to "correct" a previous operation he had on a foot that he initially injured back in November. "It's going to take time," HC Andy Reid said Friday, according to Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride. Expect the rookie to begin training camp on the PUP list. We're not betting on significant contributions from Ross this season. The undrafted rookie has some long-term upside but also comes with significant injury baggage. Just make sure you don't over-commit.
The Packers have placed WR Christian Watson on the PUP list to begin training camp. It's not clear what injury is keeping him from opening camp with his teammates. Green Bay can activate the rookie at any time, so we'll see how long he remains out. The missed time would seem especially significant to a rookie trying to win a starting gig.
The Packers unsurprisingly place TE Robert Tonyan on the training-camp PUP list Friday. Tonyan is working back from a mid-season ACL tear and is not a lock to be ready for Week 1. The team can activate him off the camp PUP at any point. Staying on the list into the regular season, however, would require Tonyan to miss at least 4 games. Tonyan missing camp time should give us a chance to see if there's anything behind the mild spring buzz for TE Tyler Davis.
The Rams have placed CB Jalen Ramsey on the PUP list to open training camp. He had shoulder surgery in June, so the camp-opening inactivity doesn't come as a surprise. it was reported at the time the team expected Ramsey to be ready for the regular season. We'll see whether that holds true.
The Ravens have placed RB Gus Edwards on the training-camp PUP list. That's no shock, given Edwards is coming off an ACL tear. He has reportedly been trending toward being ready for the season. We'll watch the status of Baltimore's expected #2 back through the summer.
The Ravens have placed RB J.K. Dobbins on the PUP list to begin training camp. This comes as no surprise, given that Dobbins is working back from an August ACL tear (plus LCL and meniscus damage) and is reportedly not a lock to play in the regular-season opener. This designation has no bearing on his status for that game, however. We'll monitor the 3rd-year Baltimore back throughout camp and the preseason.
Browns WR David Bell has been placed on the PUP list with a foot injury to open training camp. "If all goes as hoped, Bell will be back on the practice field in a couple of weeks," insider Mary Kay Cabot writes. Bell had a nice spring, drawing some 1st-team reps. But the rookie can't afford to miss much camp time if he wants a significant Week 1 role. We'll see when Bell gets back on the field.
NBC Bay Area's Matt Maiocco says 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan "appears determined to deploy more of a backs-by-committee approach" this season. That would obviously hurt the touch count for RB Elijah Mitchell, who averaged 18.8 carries per game as a rookie. He also missed 6 games with multiple injuries, though, and needed a knee "clean-up" after the season. San Francisco added RB Tyrion Davis-Price in Round 3 of the NFL Draft and get Jeff Wilson Jr. back to full health after he basically lost 2020 to a meniscus tear. Trey Sermon and JaMycal Hasty also remain but will likely need to fight their way into contention for touches. Mitchell is going RB24 in FFPC drafting and RB23 on Underdog right now. That's not a terrible range, but we're not excited about his 2022 outlook -- especially in full-PPR formats.
Patriots RB James White (hip) has been placed on the PUP list to begin training camp. It's no surprise after he missed all offseason workouts and was reportedly still walking with an "uncomfortable gait" at a recent charity event. 30 years old and coming off significant hip surgery, White's availability and effectiveness in 2022 are in serious question. He's not worth a pick in fantasy drafts right now.
Bucs TE Cade Otton (ankle) has been cleared for the start of training camp, according to The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud. The rookie missed OTAs and minicamp after undergoing ankle surgery in November, putting him a bit behind the 8-ball. We'll see if Otton can push TE Cam Brate and newly signed TE Kyle Rudolph for snaps.
Saints WR Michael Thomas (ankle) has been placed on the PUP list to open training camp. He's eligible to be activated at any time ahead of Week 1. If he's not, he'd be out for at least the first 4 weeks of the season. "I don't expect [Thomas] to remain on there too long but makes sense to begin there as [he continues] to rehab," insider Nick Underhill tweeted. News on Thomas' rehab has been trending up over the past couple of weeks, but he remains a high-risk fantasy pick until we see him out on the field.
The Browns signed former 1st-round QB Josh Rosen to a 1-year deal, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It’s a depth move for a Browns squad that’ll also enter camp with Jacoby Brissett and Josh Dobbs behind Deshaun Watson. News on Watson’s suspension length could come any day now.
Charles Goldman of Chiefs Wire gave a projection this week for the 53-man roster and left RB Ronald Jones out. "Shocked to not see Ronald Jones' name here? [Jerick] McKinnon's return endangers him more than some are willing to admit," Goldman writes. "I'm left wondering about the things Jones does well enough to make this roster." He goes on to point out that Jones stinks in the passing game, and McKinnon has fared well in that area. We certainly agree with that. And Jones was guaranteed just $750K on his 1-year contract this offseason. Goldman's projection includes McKinnon and 7th-round rookie Isiah Pacheco making the team over Jones and Derrick Gore. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out in camp and preseason. For now, we're still betting on Jones making the team. McKinnon enjoyed a nice playoff run for last year's Chiefs, but he collected just 12 carries and 20 targets for the regular season. Kansas City then let him linger on the open market until well after it had signed Jones. You can consider us unexcited about either Jones or McKinnon for fantasy football drafting.
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