The Chiefs have held RB Jerick McKinnon out of offseason practices. There’s no injury to report, as the plan is all about keeping McKinnon fresh. “Last year was a long year,” he said. “I was fortunate to make it through the whole season — every game. But those hits definitely take a toll on you. Going into Year 10, older guy, so the thing about being here — the coaching staff, medical staff, everybody’s on the same page with coming up with a plan to make sure I’m good to go for the season.” The 31-year-old is in for TD regression after scoring ten times on 128 touches in 2022.
Saints WR Rashid Shaheed will miss the team’s minicamp with a groin injury. According to team insider Nick Underhill, the injury is “not a major concern.” He’s expected to be fine for training camp. Shaheed will slot into the No. 3/deep threat role for new QB Derek Carr.
Per Broncos insider Troy Renck, WR Tim Patrick “continues to make steady progress” in his return from a right ACL tear. The injury popped up last August. Patrick looked like a deep sleeper prior to the injury following a 53-734-5 line in 2021. Now, he’ll struggle for looks in a WR corps that includes Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and exciting Round 2 pick Marvin Mims. Even in deep best ball formats, Patrick isn’t a recommended fantasy target.
Titans OC Tim Kelly gave his thoughts on QB Will Levis’ ability to throw with different speeds. That, of course, proved problematic at Kentucky. “I think that’s part of learning how to be a professional quarterback,” Kelly said. “Yeah, he can sit there and he can rip it. He’s got a strong arm. But it’s also, to use the baseball reference, having a different pitch in your bag, too, if you need it. It’s not just having it — it’s knowing when to use it, the location of the balls, and all that.” Per long-time beat writer John Glennon, Levis’ accuracy has remained an issue in offseason practices. The 24-year-old remains just a dynasty stash.
Falcons RB Bijan Robinson is taking reps with the WRs during individual drills at minicamp. In clips posted to Twitter, Robinson looks smooth running routes and making catches. It’s not exactly a breaking news development. Robinson tallied 60 catches, 803 yards, and 8 TDs across three seasons at Texas. Keep in mind: Falcons RBs totaled only 64 targets last year, as HC Arthur Smith opted for a run-heavy approach. Our current RB projections have Robinson for 53 targets and 41 receptions.
Bills WR Stefon Diggs took part in the team’s mandatory minicamp on Wednesday. His absence lasted only one day. This should be a non-issue moving forward, so continue drafting Diggs as a mid-tier WR1.
Greg Auman of Fox Sports believes the Bucs might use more pre-snap motion and shifting in 2023. Tampa Bay utilized motion at the snap on only 7.5% of its plays last year — 2nd fewest league-wide, per ESPN. New OC Dave Canales comes from a Seattle offense that ranked 14th (17.7%) in the same category. "I would say it's unpredictable," QB Kyle Trask said of the new approach. "You don't know what you're going to get. We can come at you in different ways, then throw it over the top of your head. You just never know. You saw the success they had in Seattle [with Canales] with that philosophy, and I think you add our weapons into that, we could be very dangerous. I'm really excited to see how this plays out in the fall.” Baker Mayfield is the favorite to start Week 1. But we remain skeptical of his fantasy value outside of superflex leagues.
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle) remained sidelined for Tuesday's minicamp practice. He continues to work his way back from January's right ankle surgery. Taylor said at the time of that surgery that he expected to be ready for the start of the season. And, at this point, there's no reason to think that won't be the case. We'll continue to keep you updated on his health.
Bills WR Stefon Diggs' absence from this week's mandatory minicamp is not contract related, his agent told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. QB Josh Allen shed some additional light on the situation this afternoon: "I know, internally, we’re working on some things not football related, but Stef, he’s my guy. Excuse my [language], I f---cking love him. He's a brother of mine. This does not work, what we're doing here, without him. We wish he was in here today and was out there on the field with us and that's not the case, but I've got his back no matter what. And again, I've got no doubt that we will figure out what's going on." Allen added that the situation is related to "teamwork" and "communication" and that part of the solution is "getting him the ball or getting more involved in the game plan." It sure sounds like Diggs wants more targets. He saw 154 of them last year, fifth-most among WRs. But he sunk from 11.0 per game over the first nine games of the season to 8.2 over the final nine (including playoffs). Diggs and the team figure to ultimately work this out. And if it leads to just a few more targets for Diggs this season, it'd certainly be good news for his fantasy value.
Bears WR Chase Claypool has missed the last "few weeks," according to The Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs. HC Matt Eberflus only said Tuesday that Claypool is "dealing with a few things," adding that the plan is to have Claypool healthy for training camp. We'll keep an eye on the situation but aren't adjusting Claypool's 2023 projections right now.
The Jets are signing former Packers S Adrian Amos to a one-year deal worth "up to" $4 million, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. That's likely enough money to give Amos a shot at winning a starting job. But it's less than the 2023 cap hit for S Chuck Clark, whom the Jets acquired from the Ravens in March for a 2024 seventh-round pick. S Jordan Whitehead got a one-year $5.25 million contract from the Jets in free agency. We'll see how the Jets sort their safeties through the summer, but we're not currently projecting Amos to start in our 2023 IDP rankings.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson reported for this week's mandatory minicamp, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert. Jefferson skipped voluntary workouts earlier this offseason, presumably because he's looking for a new contract. We'll see if he and the Vikings can come to an agreement before the start of the season.
Bills HC Sean McDermott said Tuesday morning that WR Stefon Diggs was not attending the team's mandatory minicamp and that he was "very concerned" about the situation. Diggs' agent told ESPN's Adam Schefter about an hour later that Diggs would be there for the minicamp. The team has since said that Diggs was present on Monday and on Tuesday morning but left before the start of Tuesday's practice. We'll continue to keep you updated on the situation. For now, Diggs isn't moving in the 2023 WR Rankings.
Colts WR Alec Pierce admitted that he hit the rookie wall in 2022. “I don’t know if I necessarily felt it. But I think looking back on the film [late in the season], I did feel like I just wasn’t moving as good as I was early in the season.” While bad QB play factored in, Pierce mustered only nine catches for 82 yards over the final month. The second-year deep threat also noted an offseason area of emphasis. “I definitely needed to work more on my route-running at the top of routes, creating separation,” Pierce said. He projects as a full-time outside WR for new HC Shane Steichen, but we’re not expecting Indy to resemble a pass-happy offense. Pierce isn’t someone we’re looking to aggressively target in best ball leagues — even with an ADP past WR70.
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman received a cortisone shot in his foot, per HC John Harbaugh. He’s only expected to be out for a couple of days. “We decided to let him keep rehabbing and make sure he's ready to go for training camp," Harbaugh said. We’re not concerned about the foot right now, but it’s worth monitoring after November surgery. Bateman’s missed 16 games over his first two NFL seasons.
The Patriots released RB James Robinson. This was always a distinct possibility considering Robinson had $0 guaranteed money in his contract, although it's a bit surprising that he didn't even make it to training camp. Robinson turns just 25 in August but hasn't been the same player since his 2021 Achilles tear. We'll see where he latches on next, but Robinson isn't worth a roster spot in redraft leagues and has very little dynasty value at this point. His departure leaves RBs Pierre Strong, Kevin Harris, Ty Montgomery, and J.J. Taylor behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley confirmed Sunday that he won't attend the team's mandatory minicamp this week. That won't subject Barkley to any team discipline because he's not currently under contract. He has not signed his franchise tender. Barkley said: "I'm not demanding to be the highest-paid player at my position. I understand the market. I've been in talks with the Giants throughout the offseason. If at some point there's a deal that is fair to both sides on the table, I'll be ready to sign." There's no reason to believe at this stage that Barkley won't start the regular season on time. If you see him slide in best ball drafts on holdout fears, be ready to pounce. We'll see where the situation sits once training camp begins.
Chiefs undrafted rookie RB Deneric Prince has made a nice first impression on teammates and coaches. “He’s a sharp kid,” HC Andy Reid said. “He’s got skills. He’s big, he can run and he has a good feel for things right now.” Added backup QB Blaine Gabbert: "For being a rookie, he’s doing a tremendous job. He’s a lot of fun to be around. He had a great catch on a deep ball that Pat [Mahomes] threw him. It was unbelievable to see a rookie running back, especially a big running back like that, jump, twist, and catch a back-shoulder. He’ll be a lot of fun to watch in training camp when we get the pads on.” Prince totaled just 316 carries and 17 catches across four college seasons (one at Texas A&M, three at Tulsa). But the 6'0, 216-pounder clocked a 4.41-second 40 time and earned a 96th percentile Relative Athletic Score. Prince isn't on the redraft radar just yet, but he's a name to file away -- and potentially stash in deep dynasty leagues.
Lions QB Jared Goff is feeling more comfortable in his second season in OC Ben Johnson's offense. "I think we're able to dial in a little bit more into the details and we're able to tweak things a little bit more as opposed to learning a new offense and really learning the basic stuff," Goff said. "We're able to get into the weeds a little bit and it's been fun." Tim Twentyman notes that Goff has been in "complete command" of the offense this offseason. "Watching him operate at minicamp it's clear he's 100 percent dialed into Johnson's scheme," Twentyman adds. Goff's lack of rushing production caps his fantasy upside. But he finished 10th among QBs in fantasy points last season and is capable of another lower-end QB1 season in 2023.
Per ESPN's Mike Reiss, the Patriots are being "cautious" with WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. Reiss signaled that the move stems from JuJu's knee injury in the AFC Championship game. New England is also looking to get 2nd-year WR Tyquan Thornton back to 100% following a "soft-tissue-related injury." We'll keep an eye on both players as training camp nears. Thornton, given his elite speed profile, remains worthy of a late best ball pick. Just note: DeAndre Hopkins is set to visit the Patriots this week.
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