2 days agoWashington Commanders rookie wide receiver
Luke McCaffrey has been seen taking handoffs in the backfield during mandatory minicamp this week. The younger brother of
Christian McCaffrey was taken by Washington in the third round of this year's NFL draft and was used as a runner at times at Rice, receiving 27 carries for 265 yards and a touchdown in the last two years. It's most likely just something the Commanders are toying with this offseason, and not something we'll probably see much of, if at all, in McCaffrey's first season in the NFL. The 23-year-old could have a chance for significant work out of the slot in D.C. in 2024, and given the lack of receiver depth behind WR1
Terry McLaurin, McCaffrey could make some noise in his rookie campaign. At best, he's worth a late-round flier in deeper fantasy leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Washington Post - Sam Fortier
2 days agoCleveland Browns wide receiver
Amari Cooper is absent for a second day at mandatory minicamp on Wednesday. Cooper is officially holding out as he enters the final year of his current deal, although it remains to be seen if this holdout will stretch into training camp this summer. Meanwhile, he's missing valuable repetitions with quarterback
Deshaun Watson (shoulder), who missed a good chunk of the 2023 season due to a season-ending shoulder injury. The 29-year-old Cooper still had a strong campaign last year with 72 receptions for a career-high 1,250 receiving yards and five touchdowns, but most of his big games came with
Joe Flacco under center late in the year. With
Jerry Jeudy now in town in 2024, Cooper will face more competition for targets as the WR1 in Cleveland, making him a low-end WR2/high-end WR3 in fantasy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Daniel Oyefusi
2 days agoBaltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he thinks new running back
Derrick Henry can maintain the same heavy workload he saw in Tennessee in his first year with the Ravens in 2024. "We do. I mean, I watched the wear and tear that he put on defenses — and ours included — over the years… I can't wait to see him in action," Harbaugh said. Henry is now 30 years old with a lot of tread on his tires. The four-time Pro Bowler has seen 300-plus rushing attempts in three of the last five seasons with the Titans and has gone over 1,000 yards rushing in four of those five seasons. Even if King Henry doesn't see 300-plus carries in Baltimore in 2024, he should be pretty efficient and get plenty of goal-line looks in a better Ravens offense. At worst, fantasy managers should view him as a low-end RB1 this fall.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Coachspeak Index
2 days agoBuffalo Bills quarterback
Josh Allen is working with Chris Hess, the owner of a California-based sports science company, as he has dating back to 2020, this offseason to clean up his mechanics. The company Biometrek uses a 3D motion-capture system, "digitally mapping our throwing motions and just seeing what we can tighten up on and improve on and just having that in the back of our mind," Allen explained. Allen said that by the end of last season, his mechanics were all screwed up, partially because of injuries he suffered. The 28-year-old's right-shoulder injury led him to have a lower release point late last season. Allen is healthy heading into the 2024 season, but he won't have receivers
Stefon Diggs or
Gabe Davis anymore. Despite the questions about his receiving corps, Allen remains an elite high-end QB1 target in fantasy because of his rushing abilities.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Sal Maiorana
2 days agoNew York Jets quarterback
Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) is skipping all of the team's mandatory minicamp this week because he's attending an undisclosed event. Since it's mandatory, Rodgers will be subject to fines from the team. The 40-year-old took part in voluntary organized team activities and should be a full-go for training camp this summer, but he's missing valuable opportunities to gain chemistry with his receivers this week after missing all of last year with a torn Achilles. In the grand scheme of the 2024 season, Rodgers missing a week of practice isn't a huge deal, but it's magnified by the fact that he didn't play at all in 2023. The future Hall of Famer has a lot of weapons to work with in New York, but at his age, he should be considered a low-end QB2 in fantasy coming off a major injury.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Dianna Russini
2 days agoGreen Bay Packers quarterback
Jordan Love is "optimistic" that he and the team will agree to an extension before training camp begins, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky. Love noted that he expects talks to ramp up even more after this week's minicamp while Brian Gutekunst told 97.3 The Game, "We'd like to get this done before training camp, for sure." It certainly sounds like both sides have some urgency and would like to get a new contract done sooner rather than later. That way, Love's contract status won't be an issue as he enters his fifth pro season (but just his second as the Packers' starting quarterback). Coming off a big 2023 campaign, Love now ranks as a fringe QB1 option in most fantasy leagues.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Rob Demovsky
2 days agoDetroit Lions running back
Sione Vaki was the only player from his position in attendance for practice Tuesday, but he still had a strong showing and continued to push for a spot on the 53-man roster. Specifically, he delivered a big play in 7-on-7s when he beat linebacker DaRon Gilbert on a wheel route to gain several yards. In 11-on-11s, he beat linebacker Ben Niemann to pick up 10 yards. "Vaki was one of the most impressive players from the spring," Pride of Detroit's Jeremy Reisman wrote. "I believe if he can get some of the fundamentals down when it comes to timing and pass protection, he could carve out a role on offense, albeit a relatively small one." These comments are promising, but Vaki stays off the fantasy radar in redraft leagues given that he'll be stuck behind (at least)
David Montgomery and
Jahmyr Gibbs.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Jeremy Reisman
2 days agoTampa Bay Buccaneers tight end
Cade Otton impressed during practice on Tuesday. According to Bailey Adams of Pewter Report, Otton "was arguably the offensive player of the day" as he made a sideline catch in 11-on-11s and shortly after showed off a one-handed grab down the field. He was one of
Baker Mayfield's most targeted and trusted pass-catchers, perhaps offering a glimpse into what the 2024 season could look like. The 25-year-old tight end is looking to build on a campaign in which he caught 47 passes for 455 yards and four touchdowns. He's the top tight end in Tampa Bay, and although he'll lose plenty of volume to
Mike Evans,
Chris Godwin, and
Rachaad White, he' still a mid-range TE2 for fantasy purposes.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Bailey Adams
2 days agoCarolina Panthers kicker Eddie Pineiro was spotted at minicamp on Tuesday, marking the end of an apparent contract holdout, according to David Newton of ESPN. The 28-year-old kicker missed all of the Panthers' offseason workouts while seeking a new deal but evidently decided to rejoin his team this week. Carolina's lack of offensive firepower makes it difficult for Pineiro to get many scoring opportunities, so he's off the fantasy radar in most leagues. However, there's no denying his accuracy. The former Florida Gator converted 17 of 20 extra points and 25 of 29 field goals in 2023.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: David Newton
2 days agoNew York Giants wide receiver
Darius Slayton (undisclosed) suffered an apparent injury during practice on Tuesday. According to Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports, Slayton appeared to collide with at least one teammate. Slayton walked off under his own power while
Chase Cota was carted off the field. Slayton's injury is a major concern for New York given that he was expected to have a substantial role on offense in 2024. He figures to draw the bulk of the snaps alongside first-round rookie
Malik Nabers, but this injury could limit his reps in training camp while simultaneously giving other players extra opportunities to push for a starting job. Regardless of how camp competition breaks down, Slayton is worth considering with a late-round pick in fantasy drafts as long as he's healthy.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Ralph Vacchiano
2 days agoBuffalo Bills wide receiver
Khalil Shakir (lower body) walked off the field after suffering an injury during the early portion of 7-on-7 drills Tuesday, per Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN. Shakir briefly stood on the sideline with a trainer before leaving the field. This is a significant development for Buffalo given that Shakir was competing for a starting role after the departures of
Stefon Diggs and
Gabe Davis this offseason. The Boise State product showed flashes of potential in 2023, including over the final three weeks of the campaign when he caught all 13 of his targets for 189 receiving yards. Fantasy managers should monitor his injury status going forward, though he's not a super appealing option in typical 12-team redraft leagues anyway.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Alaina Getzenberg
3
days
agoLos
Angeles
Chargers
wide
receiver
Ladd
McConkey
was
a
big
winner
of
the
2024
NFL
Draft
after
being
selected
with
the
No.
34
overall
pick
to
play
with
quarterback
Justin
Herbert.
According
to
Chargers.com
writer
Eric
Smith,
McConkey
read more...
3 days agoTampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs reported to mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, but he is not participating in practice as he seeks a long-term extension with the organization. Wirfs' fifth-year option was picked up this offseason, but the three-time Pro Bowler is looking to get paid. After spending the first three seasons of his career at right tackle, the Iowa product moved to the left side in 2023. Overall, he has played and started in 63 games and has not registered lower than an 81.8 PFF grade in a single season. Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell, who was drafted one year later, signed a four-year $112 million contract this offseason. Wirfs could sign for a similar price point before the offseason wraps up.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: Jenna Laine
3 days agoCarolina Panthers wide receiver
Xavier Legette (hamstring) is dealing with a minor hamstring injury and has been limited this offseason, but head coach Dave Canales said he expects the rookie first-rounder to be a full participant in training camp. Legette, who was selected with the No. 32 overall pick in April's draft, will compete with
Diontae Johnson,
Adam Thielen, and
Jonathan Mingo for snaps and targets in Year 1. Carolina's offense is one of the tougher units to evaluate for fantasy football, as everything depends on the growth of sophomore quarterback
Bryce Young. Legette posted fewer than 500 total yards in his first four seasons at South Carolina but broke out in 2023 with a 71-catch, 1,255-yard, seven-touchdown campaign. For now, he should be viewed as nothing more than a late-round flier in most formats.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: David Newton
3 days agoNew York Giants quarterback
Daniel Jones (knee) told reporters on Tuesday that he expects to be ready for the first day of training camp next month, and his previously torn right ACL feels "really good." The 27-year-old suffered the major injury in the Week 9 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, meaning he will have had over seven months to recover when training camp begins. Jones is heading into a make-or-break year after throwing just two touchdowns and six interceptions in six games last season. Although he has been disappointing in his NFL career thus far, he could prove to be a value at his current cost in Superflex drafts. The former Duke Blue Devil is going around the QB29 spot, and he can easily push for low-end QB2 production if his rushing upside isn't zapped by his knee injury. He rushed for 708 yards and seven touchdowns in his last full season (2022). If Jones has another disastrous campaign, the G-Men will likely replace him in the 2025 NFL Draft.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: Jordan Raanan
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