Training camp has started for most NFL teams. The next 40 days will feature a ton of meaningful fantasy news. Some draftable players will be knocked out for a month or two, or for the whole season. Some relative unknowns will become household fantasy names, worth drafting in nearly every league. The faster we can make sense of it--what it means to each player and the ripple effect it has on others--the more effectively we can manage/improve our roster.
Kenneth Dixon--suspended for the season's first four games--is now out for the year with a cartilage injury. He had been tracking as a low-end RB4 based on average draft position, so this is obviously tough news for anyone relying on him to start producing RB3+ numbers upon his Week 5 return. The slightly lesser valued Terrance West gets an immediate bump as a potential two-down back, while Danny Woodhead remains largely unchanged. That said, don't overpay for West; the Ravens could add another RB before Week 1. They already signed Bobby Rainey, and it's possible they're not done. West has been pedestrian at best in three NFL seasons, making him a fantastic sell-high guy if you can get RB3+ value for him.
Elsewhere in Baltimore, Joe Flacco is taking a week off to rest his back. This is worse than it looks. I've knocked Flacco down a few QB spots on my Preseason Top 300 Rankings because back injuries usually don't simply go away. To be clear, if he's declared 100% before Week 1, I'll push him back up. But for now, I'm approaching him, Jeremy Maclin, and Mike Wallace with a little more caution.
Jordan Reed recently suffered a toe injury and, as a result, "may have twisted an ankle" according to Washington head coach Jay Gruden. This is what you get with Reed: top 2 TE fantasy potential and top 5 TE injury risk. He's not moving anywhere on my draft board, but it's a reminder that getting 12-13 weeks out of Reed this season would merit a virtual "thank you" from fantasy managers.
A wrist fracture is sidelining Devontae Booker for, at minimum, the rest of the preseason. While he likely avoided a more serious injury, the fact is De'Angelo Henderson is in prime position to take over the #3 RB role. Booker showed poorly when given the reins last season. Jamaal Charles could be terrific or out for the season in a matter of weeks. So it's entirely conceivable that Henderson opens the season as C.J. Anderson's handcuff.
I don't put a lot of stock in preseason coach-speak. So much of what's said is to motivate players in certain ways at certain times. So when New England RBs coach Ivan Fears said he's searching for an RB "to play power football" like they had with LeGarrette Blount last year, I didn't put much stock in it. And frankly, I still don't. Yet. Mike Gillislee is in the driver's seat for a 200-touch season, and maybe more. But Fears' public comments are a reminder that the Patriots' backfield historically has been one of the NFL's most fluid. Four Pats are competing for 100-200 looks this year. Gillislee remains a bargain if he's utilized as expected, though we know that this team doesn't always do what's expected.
Kenneth Dixon--suspended for the season's first four games--is now out for the year with a cartilage injury. He had been tracking as a low-end RB4 based on average draft position, so this is obviously tough news for anyone relying on him to start producing RB3+ numbers upon his Week 5 return. The slightly lesser valued Terrance West gets an immediate bump as a potential two-down back, while Danny Woodhead remains largely unchanged. That said, don't overpay for West; the Ravens could add another RB before Week 1. They already signed Bobby Rainey, and it's possible they're not done. West has been pedestrian at best in three NFL seasons, making him a fantastic sell-high guy if you can get RB3+ value for him.
Elsewhere in Baltimore, Joe Flacco is taking a week off to rest his back. This is worse than it looks. I've knocked Flacco down a few QB spots on my Preseason Top 300 Rankings because back injuries usually don't simply go away. To be clear, if he's declared 100% before Week 1, I'll push him back up. But for now, I'm approaching him, Jeremy Maclin, and Mike Wallace with a little more caution.
Jordan Reed recently suffered a toe injury and, as a result, "may have twisted an ankle" according to Washington head coach Jay Gruden. This is what you get with Reed: top 2 TE fantasy potential and top 5 TE injury risk. He's not moving anywhere on my draft board, but it's a reminder that getting 12-13 weeks out of Reed this season would merit a virtual "thank you" from fantasy managers.
A wrist fracture is sidelining Devontae Booker for, at minimum, the rest of the preseason. While he likely avoided a more serious injury, the fact is De'Angelo Henderson is in prime position to take over the #3 RB role. Booker showed poorly when given the reins last season. Jamaal Charles could be terrific or out for the season in a matter of weeks. So it's entirely conceivable that Henderson opens the season as C.J. Anderson's handcuff.
I don't put a lot of stock in preseason coach-speak. So much of what's said is to motivate players in certain ways at certain times. So when New England RBs coach Ivan Fears said he's searching for an RB "to play power football" like they had with LeGarrette Blount last year, I didn't put much stock in it. And frankly, I still don't. Yet. Mike Gillislee is in the driver's seat for a 200-touch season, and maybe more. But Fears' public comments are a reminder that the Patriots' backfield historically has been one of the NFL's most fluid. Four Pats are competing for 100-200 looks this year. Gillislee remains a bargain if he's utilized as expected, though we know that this team doesn't always do what's expected.