Former Rams WR Torry Holt says WR Tavon Austin has failed to stand out in training camp. “Tavon Austin has been very quiet this camp, and I thought he was quiet the other night [in the preseason opener],” Holt said. “And for a guy who was picked 8th overall, it’s bothering me he’s been so quiet up to this point.” Holt went on to say that he believes Austin's biggest contribution this season will come on special teams. It's just one man's opinion but obviously not what we want to hear about a guy looking to make a 2nd-year leap. Between Austin's disappointing rookie campaign and St. Louis' run-first offense, we're not expecting him to emerge as a weekly fantasy starter in 2014.
Rookie Vikings RB Jerick McKinnon led the team with 12 carries and 45 yards in Friday night's preseason opener against the Raiders. RB Matt Asiata started, carried 3 times for 13 yards and scored the team's lone TD before turning the backfield over to McKinnon on the 2nd drive. "Jerick has got great acceleration, he’s got great hands, he’s tough, he’s thick, he’s powerful and it showed,” HC Mike Zimmer told the Minneapolis Star Tribune afterward. It's too early to read into the order of playing time between McKinnon and Asiata, especially considering that one's a rookie and the other a returning player. McKinnon offers more quickness than the pounding style of Asiata, which could mean a workload split if Adrian Peterson gets hurt in the regular season. For now, we'll continue to watch the backup battle play out before targeting either as a handcuff.
Jacksonville teammates and decision makers have heaped praise on 2nd-year Jaguars S Johnathan Cypriend. “You look at him and he’s the type of kid that he can be the best in the NFL,” LB Paul Posluszny told The Associated Press this week. “He has that type of talent and that type of ability and he wants to do things the right way. He wants to be great, so it’s exciting to see because, for him, the sky's the limit." Coaches have talked up Cyprien's skills since he arrived last spring, and we certainly see the fantasy upside here. If you're a DS Insider, you already know how much we think of Cyprien from his place in our 2014 IDP rankings.
The Vikings have hired Norv Turner as their new OC. He'll run the offense under defensive-minded HC Mike Zimmer. Turner has had mixed results as a HC but is highly-regarded as a play-caller. He helped Browns WR Josh Gordon and TE Jordan Cameron to breakout seasons this past year. Turner favors a run-first attack and a vertical passing game. He also likes to get his TEs involved in the aerial attack. His arrival is good news for RB Adrian Peterson, WR Cordarrelle Patterson and TE Kyle Rudolph. Of course, Minnesota still needs to find an answer at TE.
The New York Daily News reports that Giants HC Tom Coughlin was "encouraged" by the Thursday workout of DE Jason Pierre-Paul. “He’s sore today, probably because he hasn’t been running,” Coughlin
said Friday. “He’s not ready to come out two days in a row and do what he did
(Thursday), but I’m encouraged by what he did.” JPP has been out of action since June back surgery. It remains to be seen whether he'll be ready for the season opener. But if his stodgy old coach admits he's impressed, then we're optimistic.
The scouting report on QB Ryan Tannehill coming out of Texas A&M said he was a capable passer when under pressure. That was certainly the case during his 2012 rookie campaign with the Dolphins. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 4th-best QB in the NFL when under pressure -- behind only Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Peyton Manning. Tannehill completed 51% of his passes, averaged 7.1 yards per attempt and tossed 3 TDs vs. 4 INTs when pressured. The Fins have added a few more weapons to his arsenal this offseason. The offensive line remains a concern. But perhaps his protection won't matter as much as we think. Tannehill is worth targeting as a QB2 flier near the end of fantasy drafts this summer.
Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul had back surgery Tuesday morning to deal with a lingering injury. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that JPP played through the injury in 2012 and had multiple epidurals during the season. Pierre-Paul said they decided to go for the surgery when the pain didn't go away this offseason. He's expected to be ready for the season, but it's not clear how much prep time JPP will have. That's particularly concerning when you consider that HC Tom Coughlin accused the player of arriving at camp out of shape last summer. (Pierre-Paul refuted that.) His back issues also date back to college. New York's starting right DE dropped to just 6.5 sacks last season after busting out for 16.5 in 2011. Expect JPP to drop down our preseason rankings a bit on this news. We'll be watching throughout camp to reassess his fantasy football value as an IDP.
Eagles WR coach David Culley could tell that DeSean Jackson's mind was on his contract situation throughout last season. "He tried not to let it affect him," Culley said. "Sometimes he didn't do a very good job of that. It affected him in meetings. It affected him on the field. There were days when it didn't. But it made him inconsistent." Culley also thinks D-Jax was afraid to go over the middle because of the money issue, but that's always been a problem for him. With a new 5-year, $47 million deal in hand, we're expecting Jackson to be more focused and more productive in 2012. He's still a one-dimensional receiver, though, and will be an inconsistent week-to-week fantasy option.
The Raiders nabbed Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor in the 3rd-round of today's supplemental draft. That's at least 1 round earlier than Pryor was expected to go, but we can't say we're surprised. Oakland loves height-weight-speed guys, and that's exactly what Pryor is. The 6'5, 232-pounder recorded a sub-4.4 40-yard dash at his Pro Day on Saturday. We've heard that the Raiders don't think highly of Pryor as a QB, so they may immediately start his transition to WR or TE. Regardless, Pryor won't be a fantasy factor in 2011.
Giants 1st-round pick CB Prince Amukamara garnered the 3rd-best rating among rookies in Madden '12. That might just seem like a fun, relatively worthless tidbit. But IDP owners should take note as they consider drafting Terrell Thomas. The CB has been a fantasy beast the past 2 years but could be overvalued in 2011. CB tends to be one of the easiest positions for a rookie to pick up. If Amukamara can get quickly up to speed, he could displace Thomas in the lineup early this season. That wouldn't kill Thomas' fantasy value. Teams put 3-CB packages on the field often, and covering slot receivers would help Thomas' tackle numbers. It's enough to make you think twice about drafting him 1st at the position, though.
The Union Tribune reports WR Vincent Jackson sustained a mild concussion near the end of the game last week at KC. He should be OK but we'll look for more news. Malcolm Floyd (collapsed lung) and Chris Chambers (head/neck) might not be available this Sunday at Tampa so they need Jackson desperately.
Falcons DT Rod Coleman had his knee scoped and will miss 2-4 weeks. He thought he was ready for the opener but apparently had some debris to clean out. His absence will be felt against the Vikings' ground game this Sunday.
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