Let’s take a look at the latest news and notes around fantasy football. To stay up to date on all of the latest fantasy football news, be sure to follow @FantasyProsNFL on Twitter and bookmark the FantasyPros NFL Player News page.
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Marlon Mack could open season as Texans’ lead back
Aaron Reiss of The Athletic speculates that Houston Texans running back Marlon Mack could open the 2022 season as the team’s starter before giving way to rookie Dameon Pierce in the back half of the year. (Source: The Athletic)
Fantasy Impact: The Texans have been unpredictable at running back in the past. As recent as last year, their three-headed committee of David Johnson, Phillip Lindsay, and Mark Ingram faded into Rex Burkhead occupying a workhorse role. As Riess notes, the rebuilding Texans “still believe having veterans in the rotation is important, even if Houston won’t contend this year,” and that should remain the case in 2022. Mack, a former Colt, was signed this offseason and should be head coach Lovie Smith’s preferred back to open the season.
Christian McCaffrey will have new practice regimen in 2022
The Carolina Panthers intend to take a new approach when handling running back Christian McCaffrey’s practice regimen this coming season. The team will be “taking a lot of the reps off him during the week in the hope that the lightened workload will help him get through the season,” according to Joseph Person of The Athletic. As was previously reported, McCaffrey won’t play in any preseason games, either.
Fantasy Impact: The Panthers clearly need to take a new approach with McCaffrey so that his talent isn’t being wasted on Injured Reserve. The star dual-threat back played three games in 2020 and seven in 2021, and although he was productive when healthy, his lack of time on the field was a major disappointment for the Panthers and fantasy managers. If not for the injuries, McCaffrey would be the consensus 1.01 in fantasy drafts year in and year out. Instead, his projection is a bit muddled. It’s safe to view him as a mid-range RB1 this year, but the persistent injury concerns will likely deter fantasy managers from drafting him with the first overall pick.
Breece Hall viewed as Jets’ lead back
The New York Jets intend to use both Breece Hall and Michael Carter in complementary roles out of the backfield, “but Hall is the lead back,” writes Connor Hughes of The Athletic. The Jets reportedly view the rookie as a “home run threat.” (Source: The Athletic)
Fantasy Impact: Hughes explains that the Jets like both Hall and Carter, but “they’ve always viewed [Carter] as an ideal complement in Mike LaFleur’s running back by committee. Hall is now the Batman to Carter’s Robin.” Of course, this makes sense after the Jets made Hall the first running back drafted this spring. During his final year at Iowa State, he produced 1,472 rushing yards, 289 receiving yards, and 23 total touchdowns. He enters his rookie season as an RB3 with low-end RB1 upside. Carter, on the other hand, is still a very appealing threat who can handle lead back duties if Hall suffers an injury or the Jets need fresh legs. As a rookie last season, Carter came just shy of 1,000 scrimmage yards (14 games) but still finished with double-digit fantasy points on seven occasions, including a 32.2-point effort in Week 8. He has a lower ceiling but can still provide FLEX appeal on a weekly basis in 2022.
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