4 days agoCarolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales wouldn't say whether or not second-round rookie running back
Jonathon Brooks (knee) will be ready for the start of training camp next month. The Texas product is recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered on November 11 against TCU last year. Although Canales did not provide an update, he did say the team would ease him into action when he's ready to go. While Brooks should eventually be the clear lead ball carrier in Carolina, he might be on a snap count early in his career. On top of that, the Panthers offense is likely to be one of the worst units in the NFL once again. Brooks is one of the tougher players to evaluate in fantasy football, but he should be able to produce at least low-end RB2 numbers in the second half of his rookie campaign. His upside could be capped if quarterback
Bryce Young and his supporting cast don't take a significant step forward in 2024.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: Mike Lacett
4 days agoBuffalo Bills running back
James Cook dropped five passes last season, which ranked sixth among all qualified running backs. Early in offseason activities, the third-year pro out of Georgia has continued to struggle in that area, according to Bills reporter Alex Brasky. "James Cook allowed a pass to bounce off his hands, high into the air near the start of team drills at Wednesday's mandatory minicamp." Brasky wrote, "Cook encountered issues with drops last season and has done little to ramp down those concerns during offseason activities." While this is somewhat of a concern, it can often be overplayed when analyzing a player's fantasy football value. After catching 44 passes for 445 yards and ranking second among running backs in yards per reception, the team is unlikely to pull back his receiving workload. That said, rookie fourth-rounder
Ray Davis caught 62 passes over his final two collegiate seasons in the SEC and could become a factor on third downs.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: Alex Brasky
4 days agoThe Tennessee Titans signed offensive tackle Geron Christian on Wednesday, according to NFL.com. The 2018 third-round pick has played in 58 NFL games (25 starts) in his time with the Washington Redskins/Football Team, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, and Cleveland Browns. He started nine contests for the Cleveland Browns last year, where current Titans offensive line coach Bill Callahan was in 2023. Tennessee's left tackle spot will be occupied by first-round rookie J.C. Latham, but Christian could compete with Dillon Radunz and Nicholas Petit-Frere for starting snaps at right tackle.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-news-roundup-latest-league-updates-from-wednesday-june-12
4 days agoBuffalo Bills wide receiver
Keon Coleman signed his rookie deal on Wednesday, according to NFL.com. The No. 33 overall pick in April's draft has big shoes to fill after the team moved on from All-Pro wide receiver
Stefon Diggs. Coleman caught 58 passes for 798 yards and seven touchdowns in his final season at Michigan State before transferring to Florida State in 2023. He was named a first-team All-ACC performer after hauling in 50 receptions for 658 yards and 11 scores. Although he does not project to be a high-volume pass catchers, he could make a significant impact down the field and in the red zone catching passing from gunslinging QB
Josh Allen. Coleman's competition for targets includes
Curtis Samuel,
Khalil Shakir,
Dalton Kincaid, and
Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com
4 days agoVeteran free-agent tight end
Jimmy Graham has reportedly been considering retirement this offseason, but he told ESPN that he's "not sure yet" whether he'll play another year of football. "I'm gonna reach out to the Saints and figure out what's best," Graham said. "And then make the decision on when it's best for me to retire." The 37-year-old caught four touchdowns for New Orleans last season after taking the 2022 campaign off, but he tallied just six total receptions. Graham has the fourth-most touchdowns by a tight end all-time (89) to go along with his 719 receptions for 8,545 yards. If he continues playing in 2024, it sounds like it will be with the Saints, and he'll have very little fantasy football value.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com
4 days agoNew Orleans Saints running back
Alvin Kamara (ankle) has returned to action for mandatory minicamp this week. Kamara missed the regular-season finale in Week 18 last year and wasn't seen for most of the team's offseason workouts this spring, but the fact that he's back at minicamp this week is good news for his outlook heading into the 2024 campaign. The 28-year-old veteran had a career-low 1,060 scrimmage yards in 2023, mainly because he missed the first three games of the year due to a suspension. Under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak in 2024, Kamara could bounce back, although he once again faces the prospect of losing important goal-line work to both
Jamaal Williams and
Taysom Hill. As he approaches 30, Kamara should be seen as more of an RB2 in fantasy instead of no-doubt RB1.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NewOrleans.Football - Mike Triplett
4 days agoFree-agent tight end
Sal Cannella will work out for the New Orleans Saints on Thursday, according to a source. Cannella played for the UFL's Arlington Renegades and had 496 yards and six touchdowns in just five games, topping the league in all categories at his position while also leading the league in receiving touchdowns. The 27-year-old has had workouts with other teams as well, including the Green Bay Packers, as he looks to get back to the NFL. He latched on with the Seattle Seahawks in 2023 but ultimately didn't make the final 53-man roster. If he impresses the Saints and they sign him later this week, Cannella will provide depth at a position that already includes
Juwan Johnson,
Foster Moreau,
Taysom Hill, rookie
Dallin Holker,
Michael Jacobson and
Tommy Hudson.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NewOrleans.Football - Nick Underhill
4 days agoNew York Giants head coach Brian Daboll said "something happened a few weeks ago" to tight end
Daniel Bellinger (undisclosed) in explaining his reduced repetitions during offseason workouts this spring. Daboll said he's being cautious and Bellinger is fine. It's unclear exactly what the 23-year-old is dealing with, but it appears to be minor in nature and shouldn't keep him from participating in training camp at the end of July. Injury aside, Bellinger has a real opportunity to become the team's top pass-catching tight end in 2024 now that
Darren Waller officially announced his retirement. However, rookie fourth-rounder
Theo Johnson might have something to say about that. To this point in his career, Bellinger's production hasn't warranted much fantasy consideration at all.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Dan Duggan
4 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
4 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
4 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
4 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
4 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
4 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
4 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
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