6 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
6 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
6 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
6 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
6 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
6
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...
6 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
6 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
6 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
6 days agoNew York Jets wide receiver
Mike Williams (knee) will likely be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list when teams are required to do so in late July, but head coach Robert Saleh said Williams is on a similar recovery timeframe as
Breece Hall from last season, who was activated off the PUP list in mid-August. This is good news for the New York offense that desperately needs wide receiver help behind
Garrett Wilson. Williams suffered a torn ACL in Week 3 of last season, meaning he could realistically be ready for Week 1. That said, it could take a few weeks for the former Chargers first-round pick to get into game shape. The 29-year-old has been an up-and-down fantasy option for most of his career, and it'll likely be more of the same in his first season with Gang Green. He's an attractive asset in best ball formats, but fantasy managers should expect down weeks in "start 'em, sit 'em" leagues.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: Ethan Greenberg
6
days
agoNew
York
Jets
running
back
Breece
Hall
(lower
body)
remained
out
of
practice
on
Tuesday
as
he
works
his
way
back
from
a
lower-body
injury.
The
23-year-old
has
been
working
off
to
the
side
during
the
team's
offseason
activities,
but
head
coach
Robert
Saleh
read more...
6
days
agoKansas
City
Chiefs
tight
end
Travis
Kelce
is
a
three-time
Super
Bowl
Champion
and
nine-time
Pro
Bowler,
and
retirement
rumors
have
picked
up
steam
over
the
last
two
offseasons.
However,
the
34-year-old
is
not
putting
a
timeline
on
the
end
of
his
career,
and
read more...
6 days agoCleveland Browns wide receiver
Jerry Jeudy (undisclosed) is sitting out of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday with a minor undisclosed injury. Jeudy's injury doesn't appear to be serious at all, but the Browns aren't going to push their new receiver this offseason. The 25-year-old should be ready to rock for training camp at the end of July, but meanwhile, he's missing valuable repetitions with quarterback
Deshaun Watson (shoulder) as he learns a new offense. Jeudy signed a lucrative three-year extension with Cleveland after being acquired in a trade with the Denver Broncos this offseason. The former 15th overall pick by Denver in 2020 out of Alabama has yet to play a full season in four years in the NFL and should be viewed as more of a WR4/5 with a low ceiling and floor in fantasy heading into his first campaign with the Jets behind
Amari Cooper.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Cleveland Plain Dealer - Mary Kay Cabot
6 days agoCleveland Browns wide receiver
Amari Cooper, who is entering the final year of his current deal, is not present for mandatory minicamp this week, which means he'll be subject to fines each day he's not in attendance. The 29-year-old is officially holding out for a new extension, but it remains to be seen if his absence will extend into training camp at the end of July. Cooper had a career-high 1,250 receiving yards and 17.4 yards per catch to go with five touchdowns in 15 regular-season starts in 2023, but he'll be missing valuable time gaining chemistry with quarterback
Deshaun Watson (shoulder) if he continues his holdout into training camp. With
Jerry Jeudy now in town, Cooper will have a bit more competition for targets in the passing game, potentially making him a more volatile low-end WR2/high-end WR3 in fantasy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Cleveland Plain Dealer - Mary Kay Cabot
6 days agoCleveland Browns quarterback
Deshaun Watson (shoulder) is throwing the football in 7-on-7 drills on the first day of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, which is something he didn't do at voluntary organized team activities last month. It's a big step for Watson, who required surgery last November to fix a displaced glenoid fracture in his right shoulder. The 28-year-old has tangible QB1 upside when healthy, but he hasn't really been healthy since returning from a suspension that kept him out for all of 2021. As long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks, Watson should be a full-go for training camp this summer and be ready for Week 1 of the regular season. Because he's dealing with a unique injury to his throwing arm, Watson should be considered a QB2 in fantasy in 2024 with upside for more if he proves he's completely past the injury.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Daniel Oyefusi
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