Speaking at OTAs, Panthers HC Frank Reich gave his thoughts on 3rd-year WR Terrace Marshall. “We saw that last year with the reps that he got, the catches that he had, the big plays that he had. He shows that capacity to be a big-play guy,” Reich said. “The next step with every player is just more reps, more plays, more confidence where it’s like, ‘Hey, give me the ball.’” Marshall spent part of the offseason working with Mo Wells, a former LSU sprinter who also trains Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. The goal was to build muscle with the hopes of avoiding injuries that’ve slowed his development. Still only 23, Marshall isn’t a name to forget in dynasty leagues. But it’s clear the Panthers’ new staff isn’t expecting much after adding Adam Thielen, D.J. Chark, and Round 2 WR Jonathan Mingo.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson expects to throw more and run less under new OC Todd Monken. While that's good news for Baltimore's pass-catchers, it might be bad news for Jackson's fantasy value. For his career, Jackson is averaging 0.59 fantasy points per pass attempt vs. 0.81 fantasy points per rush attempt. Of course, Baltimore's improved WR corps should help Jackson's passing production. And we're ultimately not expecting him to run significantly less than he has over his first five NFL seasons. We'll be keeping a close eye on this new Monken-led Ravens offense this summer, but Jackson looks like a clear top-6 fantasy QB with upside into the top 3.
Steelers WR Allen Robinson is “not yet involved in all team activities,” per beat writer Brian Batko. Robinson underwent foot surgery for a stress fracture around the start of December. The 30-year-old (in August) isn’t someone to circle as a late-round flier.
The Patriots are signing TE Anthony Firkser, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. Firkser had seasons of 34 and 39 catches with the Titans but spent 2022 hauling in just nine passes for the Falcons. He's a depth-only player for New England and likely not a lock to make the regular-season roster. He doesn't impact the fantasy football TE rankings.
The Jaguars are signing former Broncos K Brandon McManus to a one-year deal. Jacksonville is also waiving K Riley Patterson. McManus finished 2022 well behind Patterson in FG conversion rate, hitting just 77.8% of his kicks (29th in the league) vs. Patterson's 85.7% (tied for 17th). But has been better than that overall (81.9% career) and averaged 5 FGs of 50+ yards across seven full year's as Denver's kicker. Landing in the ascending Jaguars offense makes McManus a top-10 option in our updated kicker rankings.
Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin believes he’s nearly back at pre-injury form. Recall that he suffered a torn ACL in December, 2021. "I think I'm very close to it [100%],” Godwin told the Bucs’ official site. "I feel like a lot of my explosion is coming back. I feel very comfortable with the things that I'm working on. It feels really good to be able to have the opportunity to work on my skill development this offseason, as opposed to just working to rehab an injury.” Godwin made it back for Week 1 of last season but later missed time with a hamstring strain. Still, the veteran set a team record with 104 catches. QB concerns add risk, but Godwin’s coming at a fair, WR3 price in early drafts.
Saints TE Foster Moreau is a full participant in OTAs and no longer needs treatment for his cancer, according to Pro Football Talk. It's been a remarkable recovery since he announced he'd been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma just two months ago. Moreau has since inked a 3-year, $12.2 million deal with New Orleans, where he reunites with QB Derek Carr. Moreau figures to be behind TE Juwan Johnson in the target pecking order, but his role will be worth monitoring this summer.
49ers QB Brock Purdy (elbow) is expected to resume throwing sometime next week, HC Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday. Purdy continues to make steady progress in his return from UCL surgery on his throwing elbow. Barring a setback, it's looking like he'll be ready to go for training camp. GM John Lynch called Purdy "the leader in the clubhouse" for the starting job earlier this offseason. We'll see if he can hold off Trey Lance (and Sam Darnold?) this summer.
Bears WR Darnell Mooney is sidelined for OTAs this week. He's still working back from the left ankle injury he suffered last November. HC Matt Eberflus said Mooney is "progressing" but didn't provide any other details. We'll see when Mooney is able to get back on the field. But he's not an intriguing fantasy pick in a run-heavy Bears offense that added WR D.J. Moore this offseason.
Browns RB Jerome Ford "appears to have a clear path to winning the No. 2 running back’s job," The Athletic's Zac Jackson writes. Cleveland let RB Kareem Hunt walk and didn't make any significant additions to the RB room this offseason. That leaves Ford with only John Kelly, Nate McCrary, and Hassan Hall to beat out for that No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Ford didn't register an offensive touch as a rookie last year but averaged 24.1 yards on 30 kick returns. He was a fifth-round pick in last year's draft after breaking out for 1,319 rushing yards and 19 TDs as a senior at Cincinnati. The 5’11, 210-pounds clocked a 4.46-second 40 time at the Combine. We don't expect Ford to have any standalone fantasy value behind a healthy Nick Chubb. But he's one injury away from a significant role.
Texans WR John Metchie is missing OTAs with a strained hamstring, HC Demeco Ryans said. Metchie is on the "right path" and should be ready for training camp, Ryans added. Still, the missed reps aren't ideal after Metchie missed his entire rookie season with leukemia. We'll see when he's able to get back on the field.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers strained a calf in Tuesday's OTA session, CBS' Josina Anderson reports. "It’s considered minor as of now. The anticipation is he should be back fairly quick," Anderson adds. It doesn't sound like this will have any impact on Rodgers' 2023 season, but we'll keep an eye on the 39-year-old.
Multiple Dolphins beat writers singled out RB Devon Achane as a standout at OTAs this week. "Lost count of Achane's explosives," insider Travis Wingfield tweeted. The Miami Herald's Daniel Oyefusi noted that Achane was "very active in the passing game." And the rookie "got rave reviews from teammates," according to NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe. These are pad-less practices in May, but it's still encouraging to hear that Achane is off to a strong start. We'll be looking for clues on exactly how much volume the 188-pounder will handle this season.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson participated in Wednesday's OTA session. As ESPN's Jamison Hensley points out, it's Jackson's first time on the field since suffering a season-ending knee injury on December 4. With that injury -- and his contract situation -- behind him, Jackson can now focus on learning new OC Todd Monken's offense and building chemistry with new WRs Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham. His Underdog ADP has spiked into Round 3 since he signed his extension at the end of April.
Jon Machota of The Athletic gave an update on the health of Cowboys RB Tony Pollard. “From everything I’ve heard, I think Pollard will be fully healthy by the start of the season,” Machota said. “They might ease him in during training camp.” Pollard suffered a left fibula fracture on January 22, but Dallas showed some confidence in the 26-year-old by applying the franchise tag in March. Pollard is routinely drafted as a top-8 fantasy RB.
Saints TE Juwan Johnson said he’s been watching film of former Patriots WR Julian Edelman. Let’s allow Johnson to explain. “I know the type of role I’ll be doing and (Derek Carr) loves those routes," he said at OTAs. Johnson went on to call Edelman "one of the best at those choice routes, short-game routes.” No disagreement here. While the Saints recently signed TE Foster Moreau, there's still a path for Johnson to deliver as a top-15 fantasy TE. Alvin Kamara remains a suspension risk. And it’s tough to trust the health of Michael Thomas.
Per reporter Cameron Wolfe, Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle “intentionally put on weight” over the offseason. The third-year WR was already stout at a listed 5’10, 182 pounds. Waddle owns 179 career catches — a number only five WRs have topped across their first two NFL seasons. Waddle profiles as a fringe WR1 for 2023.
Jets RB Breece Hall (ACL) is running off to the side of OTAs. It's another step forward as he works back from last October's torn ACL. GM Joe Douglas recently called Hall a "possibility" for Week 1. We'll continue to keep a close eye on the 2nd-year RB's progress. A healthy Hall is a good bet for RB1 production, especially with Aaron Rodgers now under center for New York.
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman (foot) was on the field for the start of OTAs on Monday. He's expected to be "eased back into action this summer" after undergoing Lisfranc surgery in November. Bateman has struggled to stay on the field through two NFL seasons, missing 16 of 34 games. But he's flashed when healthy and remains an intriguing prospect. We'll be keeping a close eye on the Ravens offense this summer after they made an OC change to Todd Monken and added Odell Beckham and Zay Flowers to the WR corps.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Broncos are releasing K Brandon McManus. He spent the past nine years in Denver, converting 81.4% of his career FG attempts. McManus has been especially valuable from deep. He hit 23 FGs from 50+ yards away over just the past three seasons. McManus has also missed just 9 extra-point attempts for his career. He is coming off his third-worst FG rate (77.8%), which ranked 29th in the league. We'd still bet on the 32-year-old landing another opportunity. We'll see who Denver turns to at the position.
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