RADIO
Connor Williams Expected to Start at Left Guard
7/13:Dallas Cowboys rookie offensive lineman Connor Williams is expected to start at left guard this season. The second-round pick played left tackle in college, but with Tyron Smith there on the Cowboys line, the rookie will make the move to guard. Assuming he plays to his ability, the Cowboys will have their offensive line be a strength yet again this season.Source: DallasCowboys.com
Bears Giving Mitch Trubisky More Freedom In Offense
7/12:Chicago Bears right guard Kyle Long said the team is giving quarterback Mitch Trubisky more freedom in the offense heading into his second season. "My little boy is becoming a man. Mitch—they've taken the training wheels off of Mitch's little bike. So he going to be able to do some things creatively and get to showcase his skills," Long said. Trubisky was more of a game manager in his rookie season in a run-heavy offense under ex-head coach John Fox, and the second overall pick in last year's draft threw for just 2,193 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in 12 games played. He enters this year as the unquestioned starter and should put up much better numbers in an offense that has more weapons around him and that should be more balanced. Consider Trubisky a QB2 with sleeper upside in 2018.Source: Chicago Sun-Times - Madeline Kenney
No. 3 Job Is Cody Latimer's To Lose
7/12:New York Giants wide receiver Cody Latimer, who had career highs in catches (19) and yards (287) for the Broncos last year, is the leading player for the No. 3 job behind wideouts Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard. Latimer's special teams prowess is also helping him. The opportunity might be there, but there are just too many mouths to feed in New York's passing offense, including talented tight end Evan Engram. Latimer shouldn't be drafted in standard leagues.Source: NJ Advance Media - Matt Lombardo
Chris Ivory Could Be Lead Back In Buffalo
7/12:Buffalo Bills running back Chris Ivory could be thrust into a lead-back role if LeSean McCoy faces discipline after being accused of domestic, child and animal abuse this week. Ivory would see a huge value increase to start the year, but McCoy is indispensable to the Bills offense. Ivory had a career-worst 3.4 yards per carry in 2017 with the Jaguars and finished with 382 yards and one score on 112 carries. If Shady is indeed suspended by the league, the Bills could also turn to a veteran free agent such as DeMarco Murray or Adrian Peterson. Either way, Ivory is becoming a more valuable handcuff for those that draft McCoy.Source: The Buffalo News - Jay Skurski
Bilal Powell Must Fight For Playing Time
7/11:New York Jets running back Bilal Powell enters this season behind Isaiah Crowell in the lead-back role, and the New York Post's Brian Costello expects Powell's production to drop dramatically as a result. Powell was behind starter Matt Forte last year but ended up leading the team in carries (178), rushing yards (722) and rushing touchdowns (five) with Forte dealing with knee problems. Crowell has been very durable in his career and is unlikely to miss a lot of time. Elijah McGuire also remains in the picture and is an option on third downs out of the backfield. Powell will enter the season as a handcuff option for Crowell owners.Source: New York Post - Brian Costello
T.J. Yeldon The Backup In Jacksonville
7/11:Jacksonville Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon, who is the team's best blocker and receiver, is firmly behind Leonard Fournette in the pecking order. He's in the final year of his rookie contract as the clear-cut No. 2 back ahead of Corey Grant. Yeldon is merely a fantasy handcuff for Fournette owners, but he could also be a deep PPR flier in his third-down role. He'll need to be productive when he does touch the ball, though, or Grant could overtake him.Source: First Coast News - Mike Kaye
Eli Manning Encouraged By Odell Beckham Jr.'s Progress
7/11:New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is excited to have wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (ankle) back healthy this year, and Manning thinks his star wideout is in for a big season. "Odell looked healthy," Manning said, via ESPN's Jordan Raanan. "He was running routes full speed, making cuts and seemed to be his old self. So I'm excited about that and that he can go out there and run all the routes." OBJ broke his ankle in Week 4 last year, ruining any chances the Giants offense had at clicking in 2017. Much ado has been made about Beckham's contract situation, but with that put aside, he should return to WR1 status if he stays healthy this year.Source: NFL.com - Kevin Patra
Cam Newton In Make-Or-Break Year?
7/11:Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton could be on the hot seat in 2018 after two straight down seasons, in the opinion of ESPN.com's David Newton. Newton has a lot of expectations in 2018 with new offensive coordinator Norv Turner in town. It'd be a huge shock if Carolina looked to move on from Newton after this year. After all, he is one of the most dynamic signal callers in the NFL, and he does have more weapons at his disposal in the passing game. Look for Newton to continue to use his legs, but the Panthers will also try to focus more on pushing the ball downfield through the air. Newton could easily have a big year.Source: ESPN.com - David Newton
Adam Humphries The Team's Slot Receiver
7/10:Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Adam Humphries is entrenched as the team's slot receiver alongside starters Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson. However, offensive coordinator Todd Monkey said Chris Godwin has "earned the right" to start as well. Humphries did post career highs in catches (61), targets (83) and yards (631) in his second season in the NFL, but he also had just one touchdown last year and has only four in his three seasons. He's unlikely to be anything more than a late-round flier in deeper leagues, especially with Godwin breathing down his neck for more playing time.Source: Buccaneers.com - Scott Smith
Jonathan Stewart May Have Very Little Left
7/10:New York Giants running back Jonathan Stewart, who signed a two-year, $6.8 million deal in the offseason, looked more like a plodding veteran trying to hang on in spring workouts rather than a running back capable of shouldering a heavy workload. He averaged a career-low 3.4 yards per carry with the Panthers last year and might be third on the depth chart behind impressive rookie Saquon Barkley and Wayne Gallman. J-Stew is an uninspiring fantasy selection.Source: NJ Advance Media - Matt Lombardo
Eli Manning Sees Big Things For Sterling Shepard
7/10:New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning thinks wide receiver Sterling Shepard could be in for a breakout season in 2018. "I thought Sterling had a great camp during the spring," Manning told NJ Advance Media prior to the Gatorade Offense/Defense camp at Kean University on Tuesday. "He's understanding the coverages, understanding the route combinations, he understands zone and man, and how to make little moves to get open against different techniques." Shepard is entering his third season and has caught 124 of 189 targets for 1,414 yards and 10 touchdowns in his two season. He might've had his breakout last year if not for an injury in Week 11. The return of Odell Beckham Jr. might hurt Shepard a little, but he still has breakout potential in an offense that could put up big numbers.Source: NJ Advance Media - Matt Lombardo
LeSean McCoy Denies Allegations of Domestic Violence, PED Use
7/10:Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy is denying accusations of domestic violence, child abuse, animal cruelty and performance-enhancing drug use on his Instagram account after an Instagram user posted a graphic image of a woman with cuts and bruises on her face along with a message that accused McCoy of beating the woman. McCoy responded by saying that the "totally baseless and offensive claims made against me today on social media are completely false." Law enforcement and the NFL will surely look into this matter, and McCoy could certainly be hit with a hefty suspension. It's a developing story, so stay posted for any updates. This definitely doesn't look good for Shady and it could cause his draft value to take a hit.Source: ESPN.com
Bruce Irvin Could Rush The Passer More In 2018
7/10:Oakland Raiders linebacker Bruce Irvin was asked to drop back in coverage a lot in 2017, but defensive coordinator Paul Guenther plans to have Irvin get back to rushing the passer more. “I knew he was a really gifted rusher,” Guenther said. “... Just coming here, I thought his best assets for us was to go forward rather than go backwards. He’s done a good job with what we’re asking him to do in the base fronts." Irvin was a part-time rusher last year but still had 40 pressures, ranking him 14th among linebackers. The 30-year-old tied his career high with eight sacks last year as a part-time rusher, so he could easily set a new career high if he's allowed to go after the quarterback more. He could be a nice value pick in IDP leagues alongside Khalil Mack in Oakland.Source: ESPN.com - Paul Gutierrez
Kyle Lauletta Not Ready For Backup Job
7/10:New York Giants rookie quarterback Kyle Lauletta, taken in the fourth round of the draft, has questions surrounding his arm strength and he didn't do anything to quiet those concerns in spring workouts. It doesn't look like he's ready to push Davis Webb for the backup job behind Eli Manning. Still, Lauletta is worthy of the No. 3 job as a developmental prospect for the G-Men. Lauletta is only worth a look in deep dynasty leagues.Source: NJ Advance Media - Matt Lombardo
Dolphins Not Worried About Frank Gore's Age
7/10:The Miami Dolphins still like veteran running back Frank Gore despite his age -- he turned 35 earlier this year. Gore is a tough guy and managed to play in 112 consecutive games. He has managed 12 straight seasons with at least 1,200 yards from scrimmage and has been an effective inside runner given his stocky build and powerful legs. Gore was tied for 10th in the league in 2017 with 49 carries for first downs, so he figures to be a short-yardage guy for the Dolphins behind lead back Kenyan Drake. Gore should be destined for the Hall of Fame, but he wasn't very productive in the last three years with the Colts and will be merely a complementary back to Drake in 2018.Source: Palm Beach Post - Hal Habib
