RADIO
Jimmie Ward Injures Shoulder Thursday
58 mins agoSan Francisco 49ers safety Jimmie Ward (shoulder) suffered a shoulder injury diving for a ball in organized team activities on Thursday, and the team fears that he may have broken his collarbone, according to sources. Ward will undergo X-rays. The 27-year-old starting safety hasn't played in a full season since 2015, so injuries continue to be a problem for the former 2014 first-rounder. Ward had 24 tackles and two forced fumbles in just nine games for the Niners last season.Source: NFL Network - Mike Garafolo
Nick Bosa To Miss Rest Of Offseason Program
2 hours agoSan Francisco 49ers rookie defensive end Nick Bosa (hamstring), the No. 2 overall pick of the draft, suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain in Tuesday's practice and will miss the remaining three weeks of the offseason program. Bosa should be fine for training camp this summer, but it's a reminder that he has some bust potential because of his injury history. If healthy in his rookie season, Bosa will be an immediate upgrade to a 49ers defense that really needs to rush the passer better.Source: Bay Area News Group - Cam Inman
Tony Jefferson Not Practicing This Week
3 hours agoBaltimore Ravens safety Tony Jefferson (ankle) isn't practicing at organized team activities this week after having ankle surgery in the offseason, according to head coach John Harbaugh. The 27-year-old might not be ready for the start of training camp this summer. He had 74 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception in 14 games last year for Baltimore. When healthy, he remains a starter for this secondary.Source: ESPN.com - Jamison Hensley
Saints Working Out Running Backs Thursday
3 hours agoThe New Orleans Saints worked out free-agent running backs Fozzy Whittaker, Rob Kelley and Javorius Allen on Thursday. New Orleans is just looking for some extra backfield depth behind Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray. Allen is probably the most intriguing, but he'd be competing for the No. 3 role with the likes of Dwayne Washington and rookies Devine Ozigbo and A.J. Ouellette.Source: The New Orleans Times-Picayune - Josh Katzenstein
Cameron Meredith Not Practicing
3 hours agoNew Orleans Saints wide receiver Cameron Meredith (knee) is not practicing on Thursday at organized team activities. “He’s on the sideline, but they say probably next week he can do a little bit more,” wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson said. "But he looks healthy. He looks good. He looks like he’s coming along well.” Meredith played in only six games in his first year with New Orleans before he landed on Injured Reserve. He also missed all of 2017 with a knee ailment in Chicago. It's not a good sign that Meredith isn't practicing yet, and he won't be on the fantasy radar going into fall drafts.Source: The New Orleans Times-Picayune - Josh Katzenstein
Quinnen Williams Held Out Of Practice
3 hours agoNew York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (calf), the third overall pick of the draft, is being held out of organized team activities on Thursday with a calf injury. The Jets are just being cautious with him. The former Alabama star is freakishly athletic for a 300-pounder that can win with power and balance at the three-technique. He should clog running lanes and rush the passer with regularity for Gang Green.Source: NFL.com - Herbie Teope
Josh Allen Not Practicing Thursday
3 hours agoJacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Allen (knee), who signed his four-year rookie deal on Thursday, is out of organized team activities on Thursday with a knee contusion and will work on the side with the training staff. He won't practice on Friday either, but head coach Doug Marrone said the knee isn't expected to be a big problem moving forward. The No. 7 overall pick suffered the bruised right knee in practice on Tuesday and is being held out as a precaution. Allen is a long, athletic edge rusher that should immediately boost Jacksonville's pass rush in 2019.Source: Jaguars.com - John Oehser
Noah Fant Signs Rookie Deal
4 hours agoThe Denver Broncos are signing rookie tight end Noah Fant, the No. 20 overall pick of the first round, to a four-year rookie deal with a fifth-year option on Thursday, according to a source. The deal will include a $7.17 million signing bonus. Poor blocking and problems with drops could hurt Fant early in his career, but he has intriguing long-term upside and could put up some decent numbers in his first year in Denver with quarterback Joe Flacco often leaning on his pass-catching tight ends. Still, he'll have to compete with Jeff Heuerman, Troy Fumagalli and Jake Butt, so don't overvalue him in redraft leagues in his rookie season.Source: 9News - Mike Klis
Tyler Boyd Eyeing Extension
4 hours agoCincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd is coming off a breakout 1,028-yard season and is entering the final year of his rookie contract looking for a long-term contract extension. The 24-year-old doesn't want to leave Cincinnati after generating five games of 90-plus yards in 2018. Boyd is set to make just $981,000 in base salary this year, but he won't hold out this offseason before he gets paid. He is looking at Sterling Shepard's four-year, $41 million deal with $21.3 million guaranteed as a comparison for his skill level. Alongside A.J. Green, who is also entering the final year of his deal, Boyd should be able to be very productive again in 2019.Source: The Athletic - Paul Dehner Jr.
Devonta Freeman Looks Explosive In OTAs
5 hours agoAtlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (groin) has looked like his usual explosive self during organized team activities this week. Freeman was a huge bust last year, playing in just two games and carrying the ball 14 times for 68 yards before being shut down for the season. He's still just 27 years old, though, and should see more of a workhorse role in the backfield with Tevin Coleman now in San Francisco. Ito Smith will spell Freeman here and there, but there is bounce-back potential for Freeman if he can stay on the field. He could be a nice value pick as a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 in 2019.Source: AtlantaFalcons.com - Kelsey Conway
Paul Perkins Is Healthy
5 hours agoNew York Giants running back Paul Perkins (pectoral), who missed all of last season, remains on the roster and said he is back to 100 percent health. He will fight for a backup role behind Saquon Barkley with Wayne Gallman and Rod Smith. Perkins, a fifth-round pick in 2016, averaged 4.1 yards per carry on 112 attempts in his rookie season and was named the starter in 2017, although that lasted only four games. "I feel really good," Perkins said. "That’s probably what makes it even more special, because I feel 100 percent. Body feels good, mind feels good." Perkins can be ignored for fantasy purposes if he makes the final roster.Source: New York Post - Paul Schwartz
Vikings Make Five-Year Offer To Kyle Rudolph
5 hours agoMinnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph confirmed on Wednesday that the team offered him a five-year contract extension, but he has not accepted it. The extension would keep him under contract through his age-35 season in 2024. He is scheduled to make $7.275 million in the final deal of his contract, but none of it is guaranteed and the Vikings are looking to gain salary cap space. Rudolph has been told that other teams are also interested in trading for him. Head coach Mike Zimmer believes that Rudolph will remain with the team, but Minnesota also drafted tight end Irv Smith in the second round, so they have some insurance. Rudolph's 2019 fantasy value will depend on whether he sticks in Minnesota or lands somewhere else, but he's become a touchdown-dependent, low-end TE1 in recent seasons.Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press - Chris Tomasson
Deshaun Watson Impressed By Keke Coutee
5 hours agoHouston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has been impressed with wide receiver Keke Coutee and says he is "playing a lot faster." "You never know what he’s going to do with the ball in his hands," Watson said. In his rookie season, the 22-year-old Coutee was dogged by a nagging hamstring injury and caught only 28 passes for 287 yards and a touchdown in six regular season games. He should easily be able to top those numbers if he can stay healthy in his sophomore campaign, and Coutee will be in high demand in fantasy drafts in a potent offense under Watson.Source: NFL Network - James Palmer
Amara Darboh Impressing Seahawks
5 hours agoSeattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has been impressed with wide receiver Amara Darboh at organized team activities. "Darboh looks great. He's back in the fold now, so he goes right back into the competition of it," Carroll said. Darboh, a 2017 third-round pick, didn't play at all last year due to a knee injury. There are more opportunities in the receiving corps in Seattle now that Doug Baldwin is gone, but Darboh will still be fighting for repetitions with rookie D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, David Moore, Jaron Brown and Malik Turner.Source: The Seattle Times - Bob Condotta
Raiders Sign Erik Swoope
5 hours agoThe Oakland Raiders signed free-agent tight end Erik Swoope to an undisclosed deal on Wednesday. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound tight end spent his first five seasons with the Colts. He has made six starts in 24 career games, catching 23 passes for 384 yards (16.7 average) and four touchdowns. He appeared in seven games for the Colts last year (two starts), catching eight passes for 87 yards and a career-high three scores. The Raiders released quarterback Landry Jones in a corresponding move. Oakland has Derek Carrier, Luke Willson, rookie Foster Moreau and Darren Waller on their tight end depth chart, so Swoope could certainly carve out a significant pass-catching role with his new team. He'd strictly be a deep sleeper at tight end in fantasy drafts.Source: Raiders.com
