Can Michael Crabtree stay healthy enough to play a full season?
In case you haven’t heard yet, FantasyPros and its team of correspondents have been busily writing news blurbs on all the latest happenings around the NFL.
As training camps go on all around the country, it’s good to keep up with what’s happening and find out the latest camp battles, injuries and progress reports. We’ve brought you some of the highlights that’s happened in the last couple days, so have a look below and be sure to take a look at our correspondents’ profile pages for their latest updates.
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Crabtree out up to 2 weeks with sore hamstring
News out Niners camp today reveals that WR Michael Crabtree will be out anywhere from 1-2 weeks. Coach Harbaugh would not disclose what the injury was, but a source close to Crabtree tells NFL Insider Ian Rapoport that Crabtree is nursing a sore hamstring. Crabtree missed most of 2013 following surgery for a torn achilles. (ProFootballTalk)
Fantasy Impact: The injury is certainly worth following as Crabtree missed all but the last couple weeks of the 2013 season, during which he showed flashes of brilliance upon return. He has had a strong training camp thus far, and could shine as a high upside WR2 if he stays healthy. As long as he is able to return to practice in a timely manner, Crabtree should still be considered a good value around rounds 4-6 in standard 10-12 team leagues and worth aa earlier look in deeper formats.
Manziel, Hoyer even in quarterback race
According to Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, Johnny Manziel and Brian Hoyer are dead even in their race to be the Cleveland starting quarterback when the season opens. (Ohio.com)
Fantasy Impact: This signals a change in the previous stance taken by the Browns coaching staff as Hoyer had been considered the front runner for much of training camp. It is worth keeping in mind that Manziel has not received any of the first-team reps as of yet. If Manziel is named the starter, he would be worth a look in the late rounds of drafts as a backup quarterback with upside.
James White to be significant part of Patriots’ offense
ESPN Boston reports that the fourth-round rookie “has opened eyes with how many quality reps he’s getting and looks like he’ll be a significant part of the team’s attack — on all three downs.” (ESPN)
Fantasy Impact: It’s looking more and more like White will play a legitimate role in the Patriot’s offense this season. He’s been shining in camp, impressing his teammates and coaches, and is even getting goal-line touches. All signs point to White cutting into Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley‘s workload. As his potential continues to skyrocket, the rookie RB is absolutely worthy of a late-round flier. His 187/RB69 ADP is looking like a steal.
Mike Williams a high point for Bills
Mike Williams “stole the show” at Friday’s practice with his high-pointing ability in the red zone, which is why the Bills traded for him. (Joe Buscaglia)
Fantasy Impact: With Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods in front of him on the depth chart, Williams won’t get a lot of targets, but he could lead the team in TD catches. He’s off most draft boards and rightfully so, but if you need a desperation plug during the season, you could gamble that he’ll find the end zone that week. And that’s if he stays out of trouble.
Markus Wheaton ready to shine for the Pittsburgh Steelers
After a disappointing, injury-plagued rookie year that included only 6 catches for 64 yards, Markus Wheaton is showing teammates at camp that he’s ready to take it to the next level. He is gaining praise from fellow players in camp with his natural skill set. “He can be that guy that teams look at in the first four games and are like, ‘who is that dude running past people?'” said veteran cornerback Ike Taylor. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Fantasy Impact: Markus Wheaton has great upside coming into his sophomore year with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the Steelers WR2. The hand appears to be healthy and the side opposite Antonio Brown is his to lose. With Cotchery and Sanders gone to Carolina and Denver respectfully, there are plenty of targets to be had. Wheaton is currently ranked as the 57th best WR by Expert Consensus Ranking (ECR) and that number could surely rise by the end of the year in Todd Haley’s pass-happy offense.
Marshawn Lynch is still Seahawks feature back
Former Seahawks FB and current NFL Network Analyst Michael Robinson told Michael Fabiano that “There will be NO backfield committee in Seattle. Marshawn Lynch IS the team’s featured back.” (Michael Fabiano on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Robinson was Lynch’s former lead blocker, a former locker-room leader, and the one whom Lynch called to announce his holdout, he seems to be a very credible source on all things Marshawn. With Lynch back in camp, the focus shifts to how he will hold up after a plethora of touches during the past two years. While Lynch’s skill-set is transcendent, the amount of punishment he takes is astounding. Even if there is a decline is his points per touch, the high volume of touches should be enough to keep him a low end RB1.
Rob Gronkowski “doesn’t look like someone coming off a torn acl/mcl”
The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin reports that Gronk is “firing off the line, planting hard, cutting and catching passes from Brady.” (Ben Volin on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: The TE continues to work in only individual drills, but all signs point to a healthy Week 1 return. Expect Gronk’s 35/TE3 ADP to continue to rise throughout camp.
David Wilson suffers burner, could need ‘miracle’ to return
After undergoing spinal fusion surgery in the offseason, Wilson suffered a burner in his neck at Tuesday’s practice. A source close to the Giants says he “needs a miracle” to return. (Newark Star-Ledger)
Fantasy Impact: This paints an awfully different picture than just a few days ago. Rashad Jennings said he “started to hurt” when Wilson left the field Tuesday. This is a shame and could prevent a player with dizzying speed and great talent from ever playing again. Stay tuned, but don’t reach for Wilson in drafts until there’s more info.
Brandon Bostick continues to impress
The Packers aren’t sure who their starting tight end will be this season. According to head coach Mike McCarthy, it could be a tight-end-by-committee approach until one of them steps up. But as he’s done in previous days, Brandon Bostick had more great moments in Friday’s practice than bad moments. (FOX Sports Wisconsin)
Fantasy Impact: As previously noted, Bostick has the physical skills to be a solid fantasy contributor if he gets the playing time this season. Through the early stages of training camp, he has been putting those skills on display. In Friday’s practice, he made a ridiculous catch over Jarrett Bush from Scott Tolzien and then followed it up later with a diving catch from Aaron Rodgers for a touchdown. Rodgers has been looking Bostick’s way a lot lately in the end zone throughout camp. If this trend continues, Bostick could be in for a monster year.
No praise for Mark Ingram in camp
Mark Ingram has taken a backseat in the RB praise coming out of Saints training camp. His counterpart, Khiry Robinson, has been stealing the thunder. This doesn’t seem to bother Ingram as he strives to be, “the best back to ever play the freakin’ game of football”. (ESPN)
Fantasy Impact: Mark Ingram is a bit of an enigma. Coming out of Alabama, he looked poised to be a top rusher in the NFL. It hasn’t worked out very well, being plagued by injuries and inefficiencies. He did have some success later in the 2014 season and had a solid playoff game against the Eagles. Ingram is a fantasy backup at best at this point. He does have some dynasty/keeper juice for those who look to the future. The Saints declined his 5th year option and if he lands in a good situation, Ingram could unleash his 1st round potential. His current ADP is 169.
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