NFL Player News - Week of 3/30/20

[LT Profits]

Courtesy of Footballguys.com



NFL | James Morgan gaining steam
Florida International QB James Morgan is generating 'lots of buzz' and could end up being a Day 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, according to an NFL personnel executive.
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Buccaneers | O.J. Howard ready to rebound?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE O.J. Howard's 'eyes should light up' at the opportunity to play with QB Tom Brady, according to head coach Bruce Arians. 'You have a quarterback who throws to the tight end, go earn it and get balls thrown to you,' Arians said.
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O.J. Howard player page



Buccaneers | Competition for Ronald Jones?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Ronald Jones could face new competition for snaps on third down next season, according to head coach Bruce Arians. 'We'd love to have a pass-catching back,' Arians said.
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Ronald Jones II player page



Cowboys | Blake Bell headed to Dallas
Free-agent TE Blake Bell (Chiefs) agreed to terms with the Dallas Cowboys on a one-year deal worth $1.7 million with $450,000 guaranteed, according to a source.
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Blake Bell player page



Bills | Receivers did Josh Allen no favors in 2019
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen had a league-high 7.2 percent of his pass attempts dropped last season.

Footballguys view: There's a reason why the Bills made a huge trade for WR Stefon Diggs. Allen should see more consistent help from his receivers this year, led by Diggs.

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Josh Allen player page




Browns | Deflections hurt Baker Mayfield in 2019
Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield had a league-high 20 passes batted down at or behind the line of scrimmage in 2019.

Footballguys view: Mayfield is short and that means his passes have a better chance of getting batted. He needs to lower that number in 2020 and the team needs to help him by designing plays that give him more wide open passing lanes.

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Baker Mayfield player page




Vikings | Kirk Cousins cozy in pocket last season
Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins enjoyed a league-high average of 2.7 seconds in the pocket in 2019.

Footballguys view: Cousins is set up by play-action passing in the Gary Kubiak offense. That type of comfort level in the pocket is helped by the design of the system.

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Kirk Cousins player page




Chiefs | Patrick Mahomes more comfortable in 2019
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was hurried 54 times in 2019 - a significant drop from a league-high 121 times in 2018.

Footballguys view: Mahomes is playing at a level that few can match. That comfort level with the offense should just continue to get stronger with the more experience that he gets.

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Patrick Mahomes II player page




Dolphins | Ryan Fitzpatrick took a beating in 2019
Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was hit while passing a league-high 66 times last season - tied with New York Giants QB Daniel Jones for the most in the NFL.

Footballguys view: The Dolphins are working on upgrading the offense as a whole, including the offensive line. They will have Fitzpatrick as a starting option but the team should also add a quarterback in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. Someone like Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama) should be starting for them in the near future.

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Ryan Fitzpatrick player page
Daniel Jones player page




Ravens | Run-action important to Lamar Jackson
Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson executed a league-high 173 run-pass option (RPO) plays in 2019 - 65 more than second-place Kyler Murray (108). Jackson also ranked third in play-action pass attempts with 163.

Footballguys view: Jackson is dangerous as a runner and a passer. Using run-action before passing helps freeze defenders who are so worried about Jackson's ability to run. This type of production should continue in 2020.

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Lamar Jackson player page




Broncos | Courtland Sutton hard to bring down
Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton led all receivers with 12 broken tackles on receptions in 2019. Pittsburgh Steelers WR Diontae Johnson, former Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins and Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp tied for second among receivers with nine.

Footballguys view: Sutton is big, fast and physical. He had a breakout season as a sophomore in 2019 with 72 catches for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns. The best is still yet to come with Sutton as he did all that last year while working with three different (Joe Flacco, Brandon Allen, Drew Lock) quarterbacks last year. Expect him to be a favorite target of Lock with borderline WR1 production for Fantasy GMs.

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DeAndre Hopkins player page
Cooper Kupp player page
Courtland Sutton player page
Diontae Johnson player page




Falcons | Todd Gurley's hands betrayed him in 2019
Atlanta Falcons RB Todd Gurley was charged with the dropped pass on a league-high 14.3 percent of his targets in 2019 as a member of the Los Angeles Rams. Denver Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay (12.5) and Minnesota Vikings RB Dalvin Cook (11.1) were the only other qualified running backs with a drop rate of higher than nine percent.

Footballguys view: Gurley got a one-year, 'prove it' deal with the Falcons. It would be great for him and the team if he could be more reliable as a target out of the backfield in 2020.

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Todd Gurley player page
Dalvin Cook player page
Phillip Lindsay player page




Patriots | Julian Edelman lacked sure hands last season
New England Patriots WR Julian Edelman was charged with a league-high 13 drops in 2019 - five more than he had in 2018.

Footballguys view: Edelman is going to have a different quarterback tossing him passes this year with Tom Brady gone to the Buccaneers. We'll see if he can be more sure-handed to help out the team's new starter.

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Julian Edelman player page




Jets | Le'Veon Bell got little help from line in 2019
New York Jets RB Le'Veon Bell (1.2) averaged 1.2 yards before contact per attempt in 2019 - tied with Benny Snell for the worst mark in the league among qualified rushers last season.

Footballguys view: Bell is better than the numbers he posted last year. Now, he may not be the player he used to be when he was with the Steelers but Bell should be more productive in 2020, especially if he gets better blocking.

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Le'Veon Bell player page




Jaguars | O-line play hurt Leonard Fournette in 2019
Jacksonville Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette finished fifth in the league among qualified rushers in fewest yards before contact per attempt (1.4) in 2019. Meanwhile, his three yards after contact per attempt was good for the third-best mark in the league.

Footballguys view: Fournette had to do a lot of the work himself in 2019. That was because teams were stacking the line to stuff the run when QB Gardner Minshew (as a rookie) was thrust into the starting lineup. We'll see if the Jags O-Line can help Fournette out more this season with a more experienced Minshew under center.

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Leonard Fournette player page




49ers | San Fran RBs benefited from good blocking
San Francisco 49ers RBs Raheem Mostert (3.5) and Matt Breida (3.3) ranked first and second, respectively, in the league among running backs in average yards before contact per attempt last season.

Footballguys view: The 49ers could plug-and-play at the running back position and produce last year. Expect that trend to continue this upcoming season with Mostert, Breida, Tevin Coleman and perhaps even Jerick McKinnon.

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Raheem Mostert player page
Matt Breida player page




Packers | Accuracy eluded Aaron Rodgers in 2019
Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was charged with a 'bad throw' on a league-high 21.2 percent of his passes in 2019.

Footballguys view: Rodgers just launches passes from all sorts of platforms, so his 'bad throw' percentage is going to be a bit higher than some others. He is still going to be his type of quarterback, and that comes with some impossible throws he can make happen.

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Aaron Rodgers player page




49ers | Jimmy Garoppolo on point last season
San Francisco 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo was 'on target' - defined as a throw that would have hit the receiver - on 80.7 percent of his passes in 2019 - the fourth-highest mark in the league.

Footballguys view: Garoppolo should have been 'on target' to Emmanuel Sanders in the Super Bowl. Ugh...moving on. He's a smart and accurate quarterback who should be getting some help at the wide receiver position in the 2020 NFL draft.

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Jimmy Garoppolo player page




Buccaneers | Tom Brady off the mark a lot in 2019
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady was charged with 116 'bad throws' in 2019, six fewer than league leader Jameis Winston - his predecessor in Tampa Bay.

Footballguys view: We'll see Brady can clean that up in his new offense. He's good at attacking underneath routes but Brady did grade out well when targeting players deep -- a hallmark of the Bruce Arians offense.

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Tom Brady player page
Jameis Winston player page




Cowboys | Dak Prescott plagued by drops
Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott was on the wrong end of an NFL-high 36 drops last season.

Footballguys view: Prescott posted good numbers in 2019 and they would have been even better if his receivers didn't let him down. The franchise tagged player will be getting a new deal with the Cowboys in the near future that makes him the highest paid or near-highest paid quarterback in the league.

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Dak Prescott player page




Lions | Geronimo Allison stays in the division, joins Lions
Unrestricted free-agent WR Geronimo Allison (Packers) agreed to a one-year, $910,000 contract Sunday, March 29, and the deal includes a $137,500 signing bonus.

Footballguys view: Allison is big and athletic, and now he gets a fresh start with the Lions. He's good at tracking the ball and has the body control to make plays near the sideline or the back of the end zone.

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Geronimo Allison player page




Patriots | Jarrett Stidham appears to be favorite for starting job
The New England Patriots' starting quarterback job appears to be QB Jarrett Stidham's to lose, according to Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston. The team is not expected to pursue a mid-tier veteran quarterback this offseason.

Footballguys view: Stidham had first-round tools and was projected as a top quarterback before his senior season at Auburn. He fell to the mid rounds of the draft where the Patriots scooped him up last year. Stidham is tough and accurate as a passer, but this leap to the starting lineup is going to be huge for the young quarterback. If Stidham is the Patriots starter, expect the team to help him out by running the ball and playing great defense.

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Jarrett Stidham player page




Dolphins | Jordan Howard completely healthy
Miami Dolphins RB Jordan Howard (shoulder) said he is completely recovered from the shoulder injury that bothered him at the end of the 2019 season.

Footballguys view: Howard is going to be the grinder for the Dolphins offense. He can work well as a power option as a two-down back in 2020. His role limits his fantasy value, especially in PPR leagues but Howard should get enough carries (and his touchdowns will help) to be a RB2 or flex option for Fantasy GMs.

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Jordan Howard player page



Source: footballguys.com