Courtesy of Footballguys.com
Eagles | Carlos Hyde has Eagles' interest
Free-agent RB Carlos Hyde (Texans) has received interest from the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Carlos Hyde player page
Falcons | Julio Jones the model of consistency
Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones ranked second in the NFL in receiving yards in 2019, and he has finished third or better among wideouts in yards in each of the past seven seasons.
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Julio Jones player page
Chiefs | Mecole Hardman delivered when asked
Kansas City Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman led all receivers with a 146.6 passer rating when targeted in 2019, finishing with six touchdowns and 20.7 yards per reception on 41 targets.
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Mecole Hardman player page
Vikings | Kyle Rudolph has nose for end zone
Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph and Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce are the only two tight ends with at least 30 receiving touchdowns since the start of the 2015 season
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Kyle Rudolph player page
Chargers | Defenses worried about Mike Williams
Los Angeles Chargers WR Mike Williams faced a double team on a league-high 7.8 percent of his routes in 2019.
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Mike Williams player page
Cardinals | Quiet finish for Larry Fitzgerald
Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald topped 100 yards on double-digit targets in the first two games of 2019, but he failed to reach 100 yards or more than eight targets in any of the final 14 games, failing to reach 50 yards 10 times in that span.
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Larry Fitzgerald player page
Vikings | Yardage down for Adam Thielen
Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen has just two 100-yard receiving efforts in his last 18 games since opening the 2018 season with eight straight games of 100-plus yards.
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Adam Thielen player page
Jets | NY Jets' new backfield disappointed a lot in 2019
New York Jets RBs Frank Gore (44 percent) and Le'Veon Bell (42.4) ranked 27th and 28th, respectively, out of 29 ball carriers in rushing success rate (RSR), according to NFL Next Gen Stats. RSR is defined as the percentage of run plays resulting in a successful play based on the yards to go by down: at least 40 percent on first down, at least 50 percent on second down and conversion on third and/or fourth down.
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Frank Gore player page
Le'Veon Bell player page
Ravens | Marquise Brown hoping to add almost 20 pounds
Baltimore Ravens WR Marquise Brown played at 157 pounds at times as a rookie in 2019, according to Tyler Dunne of Bleacher Report. In addition to working out this offseason with Lamar Jackson, Brown is planning to play the 2020 season between 170 and 175.
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Marquise Brown player page
Dolphins | DeVante Parker finished 2019 with a bang
Miami Dolphins WR DeVante Parker led all players with 733 receiving yards from Week 11 through the end of the regular season in 2019.
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DeVante Parker player page
Cowboys | CeeDee Lamb could push for punt return duties
Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb finished second in the Big 12 in yards per punt return in 2018 (12.8) and third in 2019 (7.5). In the opinion of the Dallas Morning News' John Owning, Lamb's return ability should be a huge boon over the 4.9 yards Tavon Austin averaged as the team's primary returner last season.
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Patriots | N'Keal Harry working tirelessly on his craft
New England Patriots WR N'Keal Harry is reportedly working out six days a week in the Houston area with All-En Sports Performance to refine his routes and body movement from the ground up, according to Evan Lazar of CLNS Media. The primary focus of his efforts has been to improve on his releases from the line of scrimmage.'That's the main thing that N'Keal is missing. I told N'Keal you have to win at the line of scrimmage. The thing is when you get to the NFL, it doesn't matter how big and strong you are because you aren't going to bully these defensive backs,' trainer Rischad Whitfield told CLNS Media.
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N'Keal Harry player page
Giants | Two will compete for No. 2 QB job
New York Giants QBs Colt McCoy and Alex Tanney will compete for the No. 2 quarterback job during training camp. QB Cooper Rush could also have a chance to compete for the job.
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Colt McCoy player page
Alex Tanney player page
Cooper Rush player page
Jets | NYJ may look at Joe Flacco
Free-agent QB Joe Flacco (Broncos) could receive interest from the New York Jets if they are looking for an experienced backup quarterback, in the opinion of ESPN.com's Rich Cimini.
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Joe Flacco player page
NFL | Stephen Gostkowski expects to find a team
Free-agent PK Stephen Gostkowski (Patriots) said he expects to sign with a team around training camp since no team is allowed to practice at this point.
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Stephen Gostkowski player page
49ers | Jerick McKinnon not cutting yet
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said RB Jerick McKinnon (knee) is nearing the end of his rehab process, where he will shift his focus from running straight ahead to attempting to 'simulate some of the cutting that goes on at that position, specifically.'
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Jerick McKinnon player page
Source: footballguys.com
Eagles | Carlos Hyde has Eagles' interest
Free-agent RB Carlos Hyde (Texans) has received interest from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Link to story
Carlos Hyde player page
Falcons | Julio Jones the model of consistency
Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones ranked second in the NFL in receiving yards in 2019, and he has finished third or better among wideouts in yards in each of the past seven seasons.
| Footballguys view: Jones is incredibly consistent in terms of yards, but Fantasy GMs would like if he scored more touchdowns. He's only hit double-digit touchdowns once in his career (12) and that was all the way back in the 2012 season. Even without a ton of scoring punch, Jones is usually a top-5 fantasy receiver regardless of format and he should be that once again in 2020. |
Julio Jones player page
Chiefs | Mecole Hardman delivered when asked
Kansas City Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman led all receivers with a 146.6 passer rating when targeted in 2019, finishing with six touchdowns and 20.7 yards per reception on 41 targets.
| Footballguys view: The Chiefs brought back 10-of-11 starters on offense for the 2020 season. Hardman is an emerging talent for the team and could take on a larger role this season as he continues to develop into more than just a speed guy. That's why Fantasy GMs are drafting him at WR43 (9.01) in 12-team PPR leagues. |
Mecole Hardman player page
Vikings | Kyle Rudolph has nose for end zone
Minnesota Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph and Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce are the only two tight ends with at least 30 receiving touchdowns since the start of the 2015 season
| Footballguys view: Rudolph is a talented veteran and clearly a favorite target of QB Kirk Cousins. It's not only his nose for the end zone but it's mainly his reliability and consistency as a target. Rudolph knows how to sit down in a zone and square his shoulders to give his quarterback the largest possible target. Last year, Rudolph and Irv Smith split the targets at the position almost equally (49 for Rudolph, 47 for Smith) and that should continue in 2020. That makes Rudolph a low-end TE2 for Fantasy GMs this upcoming season. |
Kyle Rudolph player page
Chargers | Defenses worried about Mike Williams
Los Angeles Chargers WR Mike Williams faced a double team on a league-high 7.8 percent of his routes in 2019.
| Footballguys view: We'll see how the Chargers get Williams away from those double teams in 2020. The Chargers didn't add much on offense in terms of wide receivers this offseason. They did draft speedy rookie Joe Reed (Virginia) and run-after-the-catch specialist K.J. Hill (Ohio State) in the fifth and seventh rounds respectively. Those two are interesting deep dynasty prospects but we don't see them taking a lot of heat off of Williams...if ever but especially early on in their careers. |
Mike Williams player page
Cardinals | Quiet finish for Larry Fitzgerald
Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald topped 100 yards on double-digit targets in the first two games of 2019, but he failed to reach 100 yards or more than eight targets in any of the final 14 games, failing to reach 50 yards 10 times in that span.
| Footballguys view: Fitzgerald is no longer the player he used to be and the Cardinals added more talent to the WR room when they traded for superstar receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Fantasy GMs now are drafting Fitzgerald as a deep reserve and rotational 'what the heck' flex player in PPR leagues. He has a current ADP of WR75 (13.11) in 12-team leagues. |
Larry Fitzgerald player page
Vikings | Yardage down for Adam Thielen
Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen has just two 100-yard receiving efforts in his last 18 games since opening the 2018 season with eight straight games of 100-plus yards.
| Footballguys view: We'll see if the Vikings can get things back on track for Thielen in 2020. They traded away WR Stefon Diggs and selected WR Justin Jefferson in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. Jefferson is primarily a slot receiver, so it will be interesting to see how the team mixes him in with Thielen. We project Thielen to be a WR2 with upside for Fantasy GMs in 2020. He has a current ADP of WR13 (3.06) in 12-team PPR leagues. |
Adam Thielen player page
Jets | NY Jets' new backfield disappointed a lot in 2019
New York Jets RBs Frank Gore (44 percent) and Le'Veon Bell (42.4) ranked 27th and 28th, respectively, out of 29 ball carriers in rushing success rate (RSR), according to NFL Next Gen Stats. RSR is defined as the percentage of run plays resulting in a successful play based on the yards to go by down: at least 40 percent on first down, at least 50 percent on second down and conversion on third and/or fourth down.
| Footballguys view: Gore has somewhat of an excuse because he was a 36-year old running back last year. He's going to grind things out and be solid-yet-unspectacular anytime he touches the rock. Bell is more of a disappointment based on his workload and expectations with the Jets. He was supposed to be a lot better than he's performed with the Jets and Fantasy GMs realize he will never be the back he used to be with the Steelers. Bell is expected to have a reduced workload in 2020. |
Frank Gore player page
Le'Veon Bell player page
Ravens | Marquise Brown hoping to add almost 20 pounds
Baltimore Ravens WR Marquise Brown played at 157 pounds at times as a rookie in 2019, according to Tyler Dunne of Bleacher Report. In addition to working out this offseason with Lamar Jackson, Brown is planning to play the 2020 season between 170 and 175.
| Footballguys view: No matter how you slice it, 157 pounds is incredibly light for an NFL player. Adding 20 pounds and retaining his quickness, which Brown likely would, is for the best in terms of helping the talented second-year player play up to his potential. Brown has incredible upside as a player because he is a legitimate threat to take it to the house anytime he touches the ball. Fantasy GMs should consider him at least a WR3/flex in fantasy leagues this year. |
Marquise Brown player page
Dolphins | DeVante Parker finished 2019 with a bang
Miami Dolphins WR DeVante Parker led all players with 733 receiving yards from Week 11 through the end of the regular season in 2019.
| Footballguys view: The Dolphins have built a strong roster with Parker as their lead receiver. That finish for Parker helped him earn the no.6 position for fantasy receivers (standard-scoring leagues) last year. This season, Fantasy GMs are looking at Parker as a WR3 with WR2 upside. Parker has a current ADP of WR35 (7.08) in 12-team PPR leagues. |
DeVante Parker player page
Cowboys | CeeDee Lamb could push for punt return duties
Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb finished second in the Big 12 in yards per punt return in 2018 (12.8) and third in 2019 (7.5). In the opinion of the Dallas Morning News' John Owning, Lamb's return ability should be a huge boon over the 4.9 yards Tavon Austin averaged as the team's primary returner last season.
| Footballguys view: Lamb is a playmaker and the Cowboys should look in many different ways to get him the rock. Keep this in mind if your league rewards for return yardage and/or return touchdowns. We'll see how this battle shakes out in training camp. |
Patriots | N'Keal Harry working tirelessly on his craft
New England Patriots WR N'Keal Harry is reportedly working out six days a week in the Houston area with All-En Sports Performance to refine his routes and body movement from the ground up, according to Evan Lazar of CLNS Media. The primary focus of his efforts has been to improve on his releases from the line of scrimmage.'That's the main thing that N'Keal is missing. I told N'Keal you have to win at the line of scrimmage. The thing is when you get to the NFL, it doesn't matter how big and strong you are because you aren't going to bully these defensive backs,' trainer Rischad Whitfield told CLNS Media.
| Footballguys view: An ankle injury knocked Harry out for most of his rookie season in 2019. The former first-round pick did come back and appeared in seven games for the Patriots where he caught 12 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns. He struggled to gain separation in his routes and that's what he needs to work on the most. Harry is already a run-after-the-catch specialist and he has strength at the catch point. The Patriots passing game is going to look different without QB Tom Brady, so we'll just watch and see what Harry looks like in training camp before getting too excited about his prospects in 2020. |
N'Keal Harry player page
Giants | Two will compete for No. 2 QB job
New York Giants QBs Colt McCoy and Alex Tanney will compete for the No. 2 quarterback job during training camp. QB Cooper Rush could also have a chance to compete for the job.
| Footballguys view: Rush is the new guy as he was released by the Cowboys after they signed QB Andy Dalton off the open market. He was a player we were watching in Dallas but only in crazy deep dynasty formats. That's the view we'll take with him now that he's with the Giants. Rush is really the only exciting player from this group behind Daniel Jones in such formats. |
Colt McCoy player page
Alex Tanney player page
Cooper Rush player page
Jets | NYJ may look at Joe Flacco
Free-agent QB Joe Flacco (Broncos) could receive interest from the New York Jets if they are looking for an experienced backup quarterback, in the opinion of ESPN.com's Rich Cimini.
| Footballguys view: The Jets don't have much experience behind Sam Darnold. Primary backup David Fales sticks with Adam Gase and knows the system from their time with the Dolphins. He spent most of last season with the team and re-signed with them back in April. James Morgan is the rookie from FIU that everyone was buzzing about before the draft as some sort of sleeper. The Jets picked him up in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft but he's a developmental QB at best. Morgan has a big arm but little control in terms of accuracy. Flacco underwent neck surgery in April and won't be ready until late August/early September. We'll see if the Jets (or anyone else) wants to make a move at that time. |
Joe Flacco player page
NFL | Stephen Gostkowski expects to find a team
Free-agent PK Stephen Gostkowski (Patriots) said he expects to sign with a team around training camp since no team is allowed to practice at this point.
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Stephen Gostkowski player page
49ers | Jerick McKinnon not cutting yet
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said RB Jerick McKinnon (knee) is nearing the end of his rehab process, where he will shift his focus from running straight ahead to attempting to 'simulate some of the cutting that goes on at that position, specifically.'
| Footballguys view: McKinnon has a thin margin to make the team. He needs to get healthy ASAP and prove that he belongs on the team, especially with such a jam-packed RB room. McKinnon signed with the 49ers in 2018 but has not played a down for them in two seasons. He re-worked his contract earlier this offseason just to get a chance to stay with the 49ers. |
Jerick McKinnon player page
Source: footballguys.com