4 days agoPittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cory Trice (knee) said this week's organized team activities felt like the "first day of school" after he missed all of the 2023 season while rehabbing a torn ACL in his knee. Trice is still wearing a brace on his surgically repaired knee, but he said he'll be fully cleared for training camp this summer. The 23-year-old wasn't able to get on the field at all in his first year in the NFL after the Steelers took him in the seventh round out of Purdue in 2023. During training camp and the preseason this summer, Trice will be mostly likely competing for a backup role behind Donte Jackson and rookie Ryan Watts, and he won't be guaranteed a roster spot heading into Week 1 this fall.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: PGSportsNow - Alan Saunders
4 days agoNew York Jets rookie offensive tackle Olu Fashanu (quadriceps) was a full participant at organized team activities earlier this week. Fashanu has been recovering from a strained quadriceps muscle that he suffered while running the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine in February but appears to be fine now and should be ready for training camp, the preseason and the start of his rookie season in 2024. The Jets selected the 21-year-old with the 11th overall pick in last month's NFL draft, so Fashanu will most likely become a starter for the Jets sooner than later in 2024. The move to bolster the team's offensive line early in the draft made sense, considering the Jets need to do a better job of protecting veteran quarterback
Aaron Rodgers so that he can stay healthy for a full season.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN New York - Rich Cimini
4 days agoCincinnati Bengals quarterback
Joe Burrow (wrist) hasn't faced any limits regarding his activity level during voluntary OTAs. "We designed the whole thing to stay within the constraints of where the medical people think he should be and where he wants to be right now," said offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher. "Nobody is sitting there with a special pitch counter. But we've been smart how we put it together." It's undoubtedly a positive update on the signal-caller, who suffered a season-ending torn ligament in his right wrist during a meeting with the Ravens in mid-November, and it appears he's well on his way to being ready for Week 1. While Burrow has all the tools needed to be a top fantasy quarterback, his health will be on the mind of all fantasy managers. With that said, the Bengals have a favorable schedule in 2024-25, meaning the 27-year-old could thrive as long as he stays on the field.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Grant Gordon
4 days agoAccording to Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, running back
Dameon Pierce will have a role this season. While
Joe Mixon is believed to be the No. 1 option on the depth chart, it appears Pierce could have a bigger function than anticipated. "I see Dameon having a very clear headspace as we are out working, and I think that will allow him to have a really productive year this year, " said Ryans during an interview with the Houston Chronicle. "He has everything it takes to be a really good running back for us, and I think him and Joe as a one-two punch would be very beneficial for us all." Of course, it remains to be seen how things will work out for the revamped Texans' offense. However, it seems Mixon and Pierce could collectively remain productive enough to exceed expectations during the 2024-25 campaign, although it will be tough to tell which player will be the most productive from week to week.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Christian Gonzales
4 days agoAccording to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver
Brandon Aiyuk is reportedly looking for a new contract similar to what
Amon-Ra St. Brown got from the Lions. The wideout is slotted to make just over $14 million on his fifth-year option. However, if Aiyuk gets his wish, he could double that amount. Of course, St. Brown has been more productive, so it will be tough to justify making Aiyuk one of the highest-paid receivers in the National Football League. But the 26-year-old is coming off the best season of his career, amassing 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns off 75 catches, meaning someone would be more than happy to pay him if the 49ers decide to move on from this situation.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Michael David Smith
5 days agoWashington Commanders wide receiver
Dyami Brown's stock is down this offseason after the team added
Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency and drafted
Luke McCaffrey in the third round. Brown, a third-round pick in 2021, has just 29 receptions in his three NFL seasons, and two of his three career touchdowns came in one game. He offers a different player profile than both Zaccheaus and McCaffrey, but Washington's previous staff made Brown available at last year's trade deadline, according to league sources. Another challenge for Brown will be the fact that the Commanders love to use 12 personnel, which means two tight ends on the field at the expense of a receiver. The presence of pass-catching running back
Austin Ekeler also likely cuts down the available snaps for Brown in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Ben Standig
5 days agoWashington Commanders running back
Chris Rodriguez Jr. is likely headed for the No. 3 role in the backfield behind
Brian Robinson Jr. and
Austin Ekeler after the team passed on selecting another RB in this year's NFL draft. Rodriguez is the clear early-down backup to Robinson, whether that means five to 10 touches from scrimmage per game or a lower figure. However, he could have a bigger role on special teams if the Commanders view him as part of what looks like a trend of teams seeking bigger-bodied kick returners given the new league rules on kickoffs. The 23-year-old doesn't have a path to any kind of real fantasy value in 2024 unless one of Robinson or Ekeler go down with an injury. In his rookie campaign in 2023, Rodriguez had 51 carries for 247 yards and two touchdowns while catching two passes for 12 yards in 13 regular-season games.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Ben Standig
5 days agoDallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith (shoulder) is still working his way back from a shoulder problem that bothered him during his rookie season which forced him to have surgery at the beginning of the offseason. "He's still in the rehab group," McCarthy said. "Working primarily with our rehab guys. He's still in our meetings and everything else." The 22-year-old former 26th overall pick last year out of Michigan played in all 17 regular-season games (three starts) in his first NFL season in 2023 and finished with just 13 tackles (nine solo), one sack, three tackles for loss and three QB hits. The hope is that Smith is much more effective in his sophomore campaign after getting his shoulder fixed. The Cowboys hope that he'll be a force on the interior of their defensive line in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: DallasCowboys.com - Nick Harris
5 days agoCleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said that kicker
Dustin Hopkins (hamstring) has recovered from the torn hamstring that he suffered on Christmas Eve last year against the Houston Texans that sidelined him for the rest of the season and the playoff loss. Despite being recovered from the injury, Hopkins was a notable absence during organized team activities this week. The Browns also have kickers
Cade York and
Lucas Havrisik on the current roster, but barring injury, the 33-year-old Hopkins figures to be the team's starting kicker in Week 1 of the 2024 regular season. Despite missing the final two games of the regular season last year, Hopkins finished as the No. 12 fantasy kicker by making 33 of his 36 field goal-attempts and 24 of his 26 extra-point tries. He'll be a fringe fantasy kicker in drafts this fall.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Browns Zone - Scott Petrak
5 days agoDallas Cowboys wide receiver
CeeDee Lamb's absence at voluntary organized team activities this offseason has opened up opportunities for the team's young receivers such as
Jalen Tolbert, a third-round pick in 2022. Tolbert has the chance to take the No. 3 role behind Lamb and
Brandin Cooks this year after the Cowboys released
Michael Gallup in the offseason and didn't address the position with a known commodity in free agency or early in the draft. The 25-year-old had only 22 catches for 268 yards and two touchdowns last year, but he showed improvement from his rookie season in which he caught just two passes for 12 yards and was inactive for nine games. Tolbert is heading into the 2024 season with more confidence and more trust from quarterback
Dak Prescott, which could make him a sleeper to target late in deeper fantasy leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN Dallas - Todd Archer
6 days agoSeattle Seahawks wide receiver
Dee Eskridge will likely get one more season to prove himself in the NFL after being a second-round pick in 2021, and new head coach Mike MacDonald's coaching staff has decided to give him a shot as a kick returner in 2024. In addition to Eskridge, free-agent pickup
Laviska Shenault Jr. is also getting reps as a returner in organized team activities. The 27-year-old Eskridge finished off the 2023 campaign on Injured Reserve with a rib injury, but he appears to be fully healthy now and ready to go for the 2024 regular season. He didn't have a single catch while playing in just four games in 2023 and has only 17 receptions on 34 targets for 122 yards and one touchdown in his three years in the NFL. Eskridge remains well off the fantasy radar.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Seahawks Wire - Tim Weaver
6 days agoThe New England Patriots signed fourth-round rookie wide receiver
Javon Baker to his rookie contract on Friday, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. Baker, the 110th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft was rumored to potentially come off the board on Day 2,
read more...
6 days agoThe Athletic's Mark Kaboly writes that the No. 2 wide receiver spot for the Pittsburgh Steelers is currently wide open.
Quez Watkins,
Calvin Austin III,
Marquez Callaway and
read more...
6 days agoPittsburgh Steelers tight end
Pat Freiermuth has been one of new quarterback
Russell Wilson's favorite targets during organized team activities this week. The Athletic's Mark Kaboly writes that it's hard not to notice the connection the two have already built. The two had a throwing session in San Diego earlier in the spring, which might have helped. Wilson seems to have the most trust in Freiermuth right now, and the big tight end is fully healthy and is entering a contract year in 2024. Having a more accurate QB and an offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith who will highlight the tight end position could be the factors that lead to the 25-year-old having a breakout year. A hamstring injury cost Freiermuth five games in 2023, and he caught just 32 passes for a career-low 308 yards and two touchdowns in 12 regular-season games (nine starts) in 2023. With better health, he's a value pick at TE to consider in fantasy this fall.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Mark Kaboly
6 days agoPittsburgh Steelers quarterback
Russell Wilson has looked on point during organized team activities this week with his new team, and the 35-year-old still appears to have plenty of arm strength. Wilson's accuracy was spot on this week, whether in warmups, drills or competition periods, including a 70-yard pass in stride to receiver
Quez Watkins on Thursday. His ability to sell play-action fakes was also noticeably better than the other QBs this week. Wilson is in pole position to open the 2024 season as Pittsburgh's starter under center for Week 1, but
Justin Fields, a former first-rounder, is competing to make starts for the Steelers at some point in 2024 as well in what is a contract year for him. Fields' presence and dual-threat abilities will be a threat to Wilson's value as a QB2 in fantasy in his first year in the Steel City.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Mark Kaboly
RADIO
