The Athletic's Greg Auman confirms that Bucs WR Chris Godwin is a candidate to open the season on the PUP list. That's not a surprise considering Godwin is working his way back from a mid-December ACL tear. "There have been encouraging reports on Godwin’s progress, but the Bucs have made a big investment in him long-term, so the priority will be getting him back to his old self rather than getting him back right away," Auman writes. Note that new NFL rules require a player placed on the PUP list to miss a minimum of 4 games, rather than the previous 6-game minimum. We're tentatively projecting Godwin to make his 2022 debut sometime in October.
The Athletic's Joe Person doesn't expect the Panthers to scale back RB Christian McCaffrey's volume this season, despite the injuries he's dealt with the last 2 years. Instead, "The Panthers plan to change their practice approach with McCaffrey, taking a lot of the reps off him during the week in the hope that the lightened workload will help him get through the season." Sign us up for that! McCaffrey didn't miss a single game across his first 3 NFL seasons and turned just 26 earlier this month. He's the odds-on favorite to lead RBs in fantasy points per game this year.
Rams CB Jalen Ramsey had surgery Tuesday on his left shoulder. NFL Network's Ian Rapport reports that Ramsey played through tears in both shoulders last season. The team expects Ramsey to be ready for the regular season, but we'll see how long he's out of action. This seems odd timing for the operation, just a little more than a month away from the start of training camp.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith has been impressed by QB Desmond Ridder's football IQ. “He’s very intelligent,” Smith said of Ridder. “There are a lot of things that go into playing quarterback that we ask him to do. Behind the scenes, the things that he has done that have really impressed me are from the neck up. You’re betting on the physical things that you have seen at times to catch up, but he’s light years ahead of most young quarterbacks I have been with from the neck up. I will give him that compliment publicly.” QB Marcus Mariota will head to training camp as Atlanta's starter, but it sounds like Ridder is in position to push him for the Week 1 nod.
20 of the 24 sexual assault lawsuits against Browns QB Deshaun Watson have been settled, attorney Tony Buzbee said Tuesday. The NFL's investigation remains ongoing. The lawsuits being settled "has no impact on the collectively bargained disciplinary process," league spokesman Brian McCarthy said. The Washington Post's Mark Maske reported last week that the league wants this situation settled before the start of training camp.
TE Rob Gronkowski tells NFL insider Jordan Schultz that he's retiring. It's only June, of course, so there's plenty of time for Gronk to change his mind. In fact, he "retired" back in 2019 before eventually returning with QB Tom Brady and the Bucs in 2020. So we're not completely ruling out another season from Gronkowski. But he'd be tough to draft as more than a last-pick flier right now. Losing Gronk would be a big blow to a Bucs offense that lost WR Antonio Brown and has WR Chris Godwin iffy for the start of the season after tearing his ACL in December. TEs Cameron Brate and rookie Cade Otton are next up on Tampa's depth chart.
Update: Gronkowski confirmed his retirement on his Instagram. But his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, isn't totally buying it. “It would not surprise me if Tom Brady calls him during the season to come back and Rob answers the call," Rosenhaus told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "This is just my opinion but I wouldn’t be surprised if Rob comes back during the season or next season.”
Cardinals DE Zach Allen revealed recently that he needed post-season ankle surgery after shredding the ligaments in a December game. "I literally had no ligaments in my ankle," he said last week, according to the Arizona Republic. "My tibia was basically floating. So, the tape was the only thing kind of holding it together." Allen said doctors put "some hardware" into the ankle, which has kept him from participating in spring practices. The 4th-year lineman says he expects to be 100% for the start of training camp and that he feels better than he did entering last year's camp. Allen doesn't appear to have high-end sack potential but can be a quality contributor for us on the tackle and pressure fronts -- especially at low draft cost.
Per beat writer Jourdan Rodrigue, Rams RB Cam Akers said he feels “100%” healthy at minicamp. Recall that Akers suffered a torn Achilles last July, then shockingly made 5 appearances late in the year (1 in the regular season; 4 in the postseason). Rodrigue writes that Akers should be “worked into the passing game at an even higher volume than he was previously.” Currently, Akers’ ADP has settled into the late 3rd/early 4th round.
New Rams OC Liam Coen gave his early impressions of WR Allen Robinson. "I think his route tree is extremely expanded from probably years ago, or maybe what we've had our other receivers do," Coen said at minicamp. "I mean, he can run a lot of routes that Cooper [Kupp] can, you know – some of those option routes and choice routes and things that we asked Cooper to do – because he just has an unbelievable ability to play underneath, himself.” Robinson, 29 in August, looks primed for a rebound alongside Matt Stafford and Sean McVay. He profiles as a top-20 WR for the upcoming season.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett practiced with the third-team offense this offseason, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. While a contender for the starting job, Pickett has an “uphill battle” to start the opener at Cincinnati, per Pryor. Outside of superflex leagues, it's easy to avoid Pittsburgh QBs in 2022 fantasy drafts.
ESPN’s Mike Triplett writes that WR Chris Olave “has looked the part” through minicamp practices. Triplet points out the rookie’s “fluid route-running” and “big-play ability.” That certainly backs up Olave’s tape at Ohio State. He’s simply not coming at a major discount in drafts, as his FFPC ADP currently sits in Round 10/11. Michael Thomas’ ability to get close to pre-injury form will be key for Olave’s 2022 upside.
Titans beat writer Joe Rexrode writes that WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine “continues to make strides as a playmaker.” Last year, Westbrook-Ikhine posted 38-476-4 after a non-existent rookie season. There’s not much in his profile to get excited about, but the 25-year-old does bring plus size at 6’3, 219 pounds. Potential opportunity is the biggest selling point here, as Robert Woods is coming off an ACL tear and Treylon Burks has struggled with his conditioning. Still, Westbrook-Ikhine is just a late-round flier in deep formats.
Per NFL insider Albert Breer, the Chiefs have seen a “more mature version” of WR Mecole Hardman this offseason. Breer writes that Hardman “had a lot of growing up to do coming into the NFL,” even beyond his rookie season. It’s a huge year for the 24-year-old, as his contract is set to expire in 2023. But following the additions of Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster, it’s clear that Kansas City isn’t expecting a major leap from the incumbent.
Matt Schneidman of The Athletic believes WR Allen Lazard will lead the Packers in receptions. Schneidman cites Lazard’s “sturdy hands” and a budding rapport with Aaron Rodgers. The losses of Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling took away 224 targets, so there’s no doubting the opportunity in front of Lazard. New arrivals Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Sammy Watkins don't exactly supply tough target competition. Our current projections agree with Schneidman’s assessment.
Nick Kosmider of The Athletic considers K.J. Hamler the Denver WR that best fits Russell Wilson’s skill set. Hamler suffered a torn left ACL and a dislocated hip in Week 3 of last season. Following a smooth rehab, the speedster could fill a key role alongside one of the league’s best deep ball passers. Kosmider notes that the 3rd-year pro posted a massive 20.1 air yards per target in a limited 2021 sample. Given the crowded WR depth chart, though, Hamler’s best off as a late-round WR7/8 in best ball leagues.
Per beat writer Jeff Zrebiec, the Ravens believe WR Rashod Bateman is “ready to break out.” That’s clearly not a stretch, as Baltimore just dealt Marquise Brown after using a Round 1 pick on Bateman in the 2021 draft. Zrebiec adds, however, that the Ravens will “likely” add a veteran WR “at some point.” We’d bet against any available veteran significantly altering Bateman’s 2022 role. But there are some intriguing names still available, most notably Julio Jones and Will Fuller.
Panthers beat writer Joseph Person believes WR Terrace Marshall’s stock is on the rise. Person makes the call after observing minicamp, where the 2nd-year LSU product spoke confidently following a lost 2021. “It’s just a matter of time for the world to see what I can do,” he said. “Right now I’ve just got my head down grinding, taking it day by day, waiting on my turn.” Marshall is reportedly “more comfortable with his route running and processing,” according to Person. Only 22, Marshall deserves a look late in best ball drafts. Carolina's potential to swing a trade for Baker Mayfield only improves the WR's redraft outlook.
Colts QB Matt Ryan impressed coaches, teammates and the media with his play and leadership this offseason. “Matt was unbelievable,” HC Frank Reich said. “Really, A-Z, he did everything right. Just great leadership, great play. I mean, the whole way he took command … I knew he was good, but his accuracy is insane." OC Marcus Brady said Ryan is "damn near a coach on the field." And rookie WR Alec Pierce said, "He could basically run this offense and this team by himself." We'd expect the 14-year veteran to impress in the intangibles department. But, by all accounts, Ryan's arm strength and accuracy were excellent over the past few months. He's still not an exciting fantasy asset in a run-first offense and without rushing upside. But Ryan's arrival could be a boost for the Colts' skill-position players.
Colts WR Parris Campbell ran "exclusively" with the 1st-team offense and was "featured extensively" in last week's minicamp, The Athletic's Zak Keefer writes. Campbell has been limited to 15 games over the last 3 years by a litany of injuries. But with WR Zach Pascal gone and WR T.Y. Hilton still unsigned, there are 106 targets available in Indianapolis. It sounds like Campbell will have every opportunity to claim a big chunk of them. He's worth a look late in fantasy drafts.
Vikings TE Irv Smith "looked like a full participant" in last week's minicamp, according to The Athletic's Chad Graff. Smith was limited in OTAs coming off last August's meniscus tear, but it doesn't look like that injury will be an issue as we roll into training camp. Smith has some breakout potential in new HC Kevin O'Connell's offense.
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