Fantasy Football News Round Up: Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones, Damien Harris, Cam Newton

The best part about the growth of the fantasy sports industry is that player analysis has never been more accessible. In fact, we’re at the point where one of the most overlooked aspects of playing fantasy football is simply reading the news. Often, there is a lot to learn from what a coach or executive say, as well as the information that beat reporters share. Using this news to our advantage is one of the few ways fantasy players can create an edge for themselves. Here’s a summary of this week’s headlines.

Hi, everyone, and welcome to the final offseason edition of News Roundup! If you’ve been with me all spring and summer, then thank you! If you just recently started tuning in then, I hope these pieces have been helpful. I can always be reached on Twitter @toomuchtuma to help answer any fantasy questions you may have. On to the news!

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Leonard Fournette Released By Jaguars

What a whirlwind of a week it was for Leonard Fournette’s fantasy value. Remember when life was simple back on Monday? All we had to worry about then was whether or not Fournette was worth a third-round fantasy pick as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars (spoiler: he wasn’t). Then his former organization did what many speculated might happen should they not find a trading partner – they cut him. The No. 4 overall draft pick cleared waivers and was free to sign anywhere.

Let’s start with the Jaguars. Here’s the collection of backs Fournette leaves behind in northeast Florida:

Note: The above rankings only consist of 25 experts that have updated their rankings as of Thursday.

These rankers have the right idea, as none of the above running backs should be aggressively sought after in drafts this weekend. Armstead has missed a plethora of practices during training camp, which caused beat writers to speculate that Ozigbo “could get some decent run in Week 1.” Still, while all four of these backs are theoretically worth a late-round flier, I doubt that I would ever feel good about starting them.

Leonard Fournette Signs With Bucs!

As if the Bucs’ backfield couldn’t get any more crowded, the team goes out and signs Fournette to a one-year contract. Let’s start with his fantasy value, as Labor Day Weekend drafters will surely want to know where to take him. There’s really no way to argue that being in Tampa Bay is better for his fantasy value than being in Jacksonville was. He has a lot more competition now. Not only does Uncle Lenny have several other running backs to compete against for touches, but there are many mouths to field on this offense in general. It’s a great situation for “real football,” but not one for fake football.

In the latest ECR of 25 experts who updated their ranks as of Thursday, Fournette comes in as the RB22 in half-PPR leagues. This ranks ahead of Mark Ingram, Cam Akers, and Kareem Hunt. This blogger can’t justify spending that draft capital on such an unknown situation with a seemingly capped fantasy ceiling. Odds are someone in my drafts will want Fournette more than I do, and I’m alright with that.

What this move also does is theoretically torpedo the redraft value of Ronald Jones, who coach Bruce Arians had talked up as a three-down back hours before the Fournette signing took place. If there’s one running back that I want to draft in Tampa Bay, and if it comes in the double-digit rounds, it’s Jones. LeSean McCoy and Dare Ogunbowale were never serious fantasy considerations. Oh, and remember when Ke’Shawn Vaughn was an exciting mid-round pick? He can now be left on the waiver wire in redraft formats.

Damien Harris’ Hand Injury

Speaking of crowded backfields that cause headaches for fantasy writers, let’s talk about New England! Sony Michel (foot) and Lamar Miller (knee) both began training camp on the PUP list, which led to second-year RB Damien Harris seizing most of the work.

“Damien has had a really good camp,” coach Bill Belichick said in a recent SiriusXM NFL Radio appearance. “He came to camp in very good condition. He’s taken a lot of reps. He’s handled everything in the running game and passing game very well, which he did last year. I think everybody had a lot of confidence in him, but they’ve all gained a lot more in him just because of his consistency and dependability.”

It’s a shame then that Mike Reiss of ESPN reported Thursday morning that Harris has a hand injury that could affect his availability for the Patriots’ regular-season opener. Reiss adds that Harris has missed the past two practices with that injury. Official injury reports aren’t due until next week, so it’ll be a few days (at least) until we have a clear picture of Harris’ status. If you’re drafting this weekend, this is probably another backfield to avoid.

Cam The Man

In the least surprising news of training camp, the Patriots named Cam Newton their starting quarterback. This was the expectation ever since the former league MVP was brought onboard earlier this summer.

The 31-year-old played in just two games last season, and he doesn’t have much around him in terms of weaponry that’ll help for fantasy purposes. However, he still has his rushing upside, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is probably the most creative play-caller he’s ever been paired with. Newton also had fantasy success with lackluster skill groups while with the Panthers, including his MVP season. Thanks to a favorable early schedule, Newton should be treated as a back-end QB1 in fantasy.

Seahawks Re-Sign Josh Gordon

There was once a time not too long ago that the news of Josh Gordon re-signing (or signing) with an NFL team would send shockwaves through fantasy twitter. Nowadays? It just isn’t as big of a deal. At 29 years old and seven (!!) seasons removed from his breakout campaign, Gordon is back with Seattle on a one-year deal.

This move is more about receiver depth for Seattle than it is about the former All-World wideout making a major 2020 impact. Make no mistake — Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are both still wildly exciting mid-round picks in fantasy. Tied to the elite efficiency of Russell Wilson, they both possess a solid floor to go along with unprecedented upside should the Seahawks actually #LetRussCook.

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Brendan Tuma is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Brendan, check out his archive and follow him @toomuchtuma.