According to Steelers beat writer Chris Adamski, TE Darnell Washington was “by all indications a full participant in all drills” at rookie minicamp. “He showed zero visible signs of any injury or hindrance,” Adamski added. Good to know. Recent reports pointed to knee concerns as the reason Washington dropped to Round 3 in April. But at least for now, he appears healthy. We remain uninterested in Washington as a TE3 in best ball leagues.
Saints GM Mickey Loomis believes WR Michael Thomas can “absolutely” catch 100 passes again. "He's worked so hard (at getting healthy) over the last 2-3 years. And while the results haven't been good as we all hoped, it's not because of a lack of effort or desire by him, that's for sure,” Loomis remarked. Per beat writer Kat Terrell, Loomis added that everything is “pretty much according to plan” after Thomas recently had hardware removed from his foot. The 30-year-old appeared in only three games last year; seven in 2020. He projects as a bench stash in our fantasy football WR rankings.
Chargers HC Brandon Staley said QB Justin Herbert has resumed throwing following January labrum surgery. The procedure was on Herbert’s left shoulder. “He’s progressing through a throwing progression right now,” Staley said. “But how much he does during when we actually practice, that’s to be determined.” We’ll keep an eye on Herbert’s status going forward. But the fourth-year pro should be a full-go for training camp.
Per Ben Standig of The Athletic, Commanders HC Ron Rivera wants to get RB Antonio Gibson more touches in 2023. Rivera mentions how the fourth-year back meshes with what new OC Eric Bieniemy "wants to do with the offense" moving forward. Though Gibson is coming off a season that set career lows in carries (149), rushing yards (546), and rushing TDs (3), he did log a 46-353-2 line as a pass-catcher in 2022. It's possible Bieniemy sees Gibson as someone who could play a role similar to what Jerick McKinnon did for the Chiefs last year. Should that be the case, Gibson could be an absolute steal in PPR leagues as the receiving complement to teammate Brian Robinson. It'll be worth keeping an eye on this storyline as the offseason unfolds and we get into training camp.
Broncos HC Sean Payton said Saturday that he expects RB Javonte Williams (knee) to be ready for the start of training camp. "His rehab is going well," Payton said. "A good chance he’s ready. Hopefully might not start on PUP." Williams is working back from October's multi-ligament knee injury. GM George Paton was optimistic about Williams' availability for Week 1 back in February but was non-commital when discussing the situation again in April. It's unclear if Williams has made significant progress over the last month or if Payton is wearing rose-colored glasses. Williams carries substantial risk until we see him back on the field, but he's reasonably priced at an 8th-round price tag in Underdog drafts.
Panthers QB Bryce Young impressed his new HC on the first day of rookie minicamp. “Honestly — I don’t want to overdo it on the first day — but he did every little thing right,” Frank Reich said. “The little throws out in the flat, the little bubble screen stuff, the ‘deep over’ (route) throw . . . just threw it with accuracy, saw it well, knew where guys were supposed to be — yeah, just showed complete command.” The Panthers not surprisingly aren't locking Young in as their Week 1 starter, but the rookie is the favorite to beat out Andy Dalton for that title.
The Browns have acquired Edge Za'Darius Smith from the Vikings for a mere swap of draft picks. Minnesota has been expected to move on from Smith this offseason to save salary cap. The 30-year-old rebounded from losing nearly all of 2021 to injury, racking up 80 total pressures in his lone Vikings season, according to Pro Football Focus. That marked the second-largest total of his career, and Smith has earned elite-level pass-rushing grades from PFF in each of his last three healthy campaigns. He should play lead snaps opposite Myles Garrett in Cleveland, though free-agent addition Ogbonnia Okoronkwo will factor into the rotation as well.
Niners HC Kyle Shanahan says the team expects to have QB Brock Purdy back from his right elbow injury by training camp, according to David Lombardi of The Athletic. Purdy has reportedly "been making throwing motions with a towel," though there's no word on his accuracy in hitting the hamper. He's expected to begin throwing footballs in June. We'll see whether Purdy's return to action pushes a Trey Lance trade.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach suggested that the team views rookie WR Rashee Rice as a potential replacement for WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. “He was a guy that the contested catch and the run-after-the-catch (skill) was something that really stood out," Veach said. “We did lose JuJu. It makes sense to find a guy that can do a lot of things that he can do on the inside game. He’s almost like a running back after the catch." Rice has reportedly spent time out wide, in the slot and even attached to the line of scrimmage at rookie minicamp. He played 82% of his snaps out wide at SMU last year but was in the slot for 94% of his snaps back in 2021. That positional versatility can only help Rice's chances of earning a significant role as a rookie.
TE Foster Moreau has agreed to a three-year, $12 million deal with the Saints, according to multiple reports. This is a huge turnaround for a player who had been expected to miss 2023 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that Moreau "has a positive diagnosis" on his recovery and plans to play the coming season. The contract reportedly includes $8 million in guaranteed money, plus another $3 million in incentives. The move reunites Moreau with QB Derek Carr, whom he played with the past four years as a Raider. Moreau will compete for targets with TE Juwan Johnson, who got his own new contract this offseason. Johnson got $12 million over two years, with $11.5 million guaranteed. We'll have to see how their roles fit together this summer. Each is likely to limit the other's ceiling, though, especially with Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and Alvin Kamara also around.
The Dolphins signed TE Tyler Kroft. He joins one of the weakest TE rooms in the NFL alongside Durham Smythe and Eric Saubert. It gives Kroft a chance to find playing time, but he's still not an exciting fantasy pick. The 30-year-old has only once reached 200 receiving yards in a season and never topped 404. And HC Mike McDaniels' Dolphins targeted TEs on only 12.8% of their passes last year -- well below the league-wide average of 20.3%.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco is recovering from offseason surgeries on his hand and labrum, HC Andy Reid said. According to Rutgers Wire, Pacheco played "much of the season" with a torn labrum and then broke a bone between his wrist and thumb in the AFC Championship Game. "He's making progress," Reid said. "We'll just see how he does with it. I can't even give you a timeline on it, but he's doing well." Pacheco emerged as Kansas City's lead back over the second half of last season, averaging 13.6 carries over the final 12 games (including playoffs). He ceded most of the passing-down work to RB Jerick McKinnon, who just re-signed with the Chiefs last week. We'll likely see a similar arrangement this season, assuming Pacheco is back to 100% by Week 1. We'll keep an eye on his recovery.
Bills GM Brandon Beane confirmed that the team views rookie Dalton Kincaid as a WR as much as a TE. "He is a tight end, but he is a receiving tight end," Beane said. "We think he'll pair well with Dawson [Knox] and give us another target in the middle of the field. So, yeah, when him and Dawson are in the game, you're in '12' [personnel], but it's quasi like '11' anyway. He's not your standard 'Y' tight end. He's going to be flexed out a lot more than necessarily you would do with Dawson.” Kincaid is no stranger to detaching from the line of scrimmage. He lined up out wide or in the slot on 44.8% of his snaps at Utah last year. That, of course, is exactly the type of usage we're looking for from our fantasy TEs. Kincaid has a chance to be a rare rookie TE to make a redraft impact. See exactly where Kincaid sits in the 2023 TE Rankings.
Bears QB Justin Fields has spent much of the offseason working on his footwork. “He’s been really working on that, really good — in terms of the quick pass, drop-back pass, movement passes," HC Matt Eberflus said. "And he’s really made some big strides in that area." Fields finished 7th among QBs in fantasy points per game last year, despite averaging just 150 passing yards per game on a 60.4% completion rate and 7.1 yards per attempt. If he takes a step forward as a passer this year, Fields has the upside to lead his position in fantasy scoring. Besides the improved footwork, the arrival of WR D.J. Moore is exciting.
The Commanders are "all in" on QB Sam Howell as their 2023 starter, ESPN's John Keim writes. The team has been talking up Howell all offseason -- and then did not add a QB in the draft. Per Keim, Washington had a 2nd-round grade on Howell coming out last year but didn't take him on Day 2 because they had already made the trade for QB Carson Wentz. The Commanders couldn't pass on Howell when he slipped to Round 5, though. He made just one start last year, but the team liked how he developed as a rookie. Howell will need to hold off veteran QB Jacoby Brissett this summer, but he sounds like the heavy favorite to open the season under center. See where Howell sits in the 2023 QB Rankings.
Are you expecting Jets WR Corey Davis to play for a different team in 2023? His HC disagrees. "He's gonna be on the team, yeah," Robert Saleh said Friday about Davis, according to NFL.com. Davis has been rumored as a trade or cut candidate all offseason. That's primarily because he sports a 2023 cap hit of more than $11 million, vs. less than $700,000 in dead cap if released. The Jets aren't in big cap trouble, though, to the point that they need to dump him. We'll see how this plays out. And the crowded WR corps will make it tough for Davis to be fantasy-relevant if he does stick around. But treat him (and other Jets) as though he's staying, at least for now. Check out where all the Jets WRs sit in our 2023 fantasy football rankings.
In a move that should surprise absolutely no one, the Jets have agreed to a one-year deal with WR Randall Cobb. The Aaron Rodgers teddy bear averaged just 3.6 targets per game with Green Bay over the past two seasons, after returning from exile ... er, Houston. Cobb has reached 40 receptions just once in the past five seasons. He's not a fantasy factor heading into his age-33 campaign. We'll see, though, how much he disrupts the playing time of younger teammates. Even while missing four games last year, Cobb still ranked fourth among Packers WRs in snap share.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer hears that RB Dalvin Cook is now likely to remain with the Vikings for the 2023 season. "The Vikings have told other teams they're cap clean now, so there’s no urgency at this point to offload Cook," Breer writes. It sounds like Cook might still be available if another team was hot for him, but that seems unlikely considering Cook's age (28 in August), injury history, and cap hit ($14.1 million). We'll continue to keep an eye on this situation, but you should be drafting for now as if Cook will be a Viking this season.
The Packers passed on picking up QB Jordan Love's fifth-year option and instead signed him to a 2-year deal. Love is getting $13.5 million guaranteed, and the contract can be worth up to $22.5 million total, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. It's a deal that says the Packers still aren't sure that Love is their long-term answer. That's fair, of course, considering Love has thrown just 83 regular-season passes. Green Bay bolstered Love's weaponry last week by drafting WRs Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks and TEs Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft. But he still shouldn't be drafted as more than a lower-end QB2 in fantasy football.
The Chiefs are expected to re-sign RB Jerick McKinnon, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. McKinnon played a big role in Kansas City's offense over the 2nd half of last season, particularly in the passing game. He averaged 4.7 targets, 3.7 catches, 33 receiving yards, and .6 receiving scores over his final 13 games (including postseason). The Chiefs didn't add a RB in the draft, so their backfield figures to look similar this year to last: McKinnon as the passing-down back and Isiah Pacheco as the lead ball carrier.
Update: The Chiefs have officially re-signed McKinnon, according to ESPN's Field Yates. See where McKinnon lands in the updated RB rankings.
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