Fantasy Football News

The Lions' official website reports Matthew Stafford played through broken bones in his back throughout 2018. (Source: MLive.com)

Fantasy Impact: Stafford was listed with a back injury late in the year but it was never known to be this severe. The former number-one overall draft pick was already having a down season before the injury, and Detroit is expected to remain run-heavy in 2019.

Matt Barrows of The Athletic projects Dante Pettis to function as the 49ers' number one wide receiver this season. (Source: The Athletic)

Fantasy Impact: Pettis flashed plenty of upside as a rookie last season, totaling four touchdowns over a three-game stretch at one point. San Francisco doesn't have any established receivers on the roster, which creates a big opportunity for the 23-year-old. He's a name to monitor throughout training camp.

According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, the Falcons are confident they will have a contract extension completed with Julio Jones before training camp. (Source: Dianna Russini on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Jones has been one of the most consistent and elite options at wideout since entering the league, and his numbers over the past five seasons have been eye-popping. He’s recorded five straight 1,400-yard receiving campaigns, dating back to 2014, but he is just the 12th-highest paid receiver in the NFL, at $14.25M. Jones has two years left on his current contract, but he’s more than earned the big payday that should be coming soon.

Contract talks have opened between Michael Thomas and the New Orleans Saints, and Thomas could become the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL. (Source: Dianna Russini on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, the Saints would be “comfortable making him the highest paid receiver in the game.” The current highest paid receiver in the game is Browns’ wideout Odell Beckham Jr, who earns $18M per year. Earning just $1.2M annually, Thomas stands to land a mega deal. The Saints would be wise to get a deal done with Thomas sooner than later and keep his price from rising any more in the future. He’s been one of the most productive receivers in the league over the past three years, averaging 107 receptions, 1,262 receiving yards, and seven receiving TDs per season.

Donte Moncrief is likely to be the Steelers’ No. 2 receiver behind JuJu Smith-Schuster, according to a report from the Athletic’s Mark Kaboly. (Source: The Athletic on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Moncrief has reportedly been a standout at OTAs already, and he’s impressed QB Ben Roethlisberger too. The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly reports that Moncrief “looks like a slam-dunk No. 2” receiver. Moncrief finished 2018 with his best statistical season in three years, with a 48-668-3 line in his only season with the Jaguars. The numbers don’t seem like much at face value, but they are pretty impressive considering he was catching passes from Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler. Moncrief has yet to top 733 receiving yards or seven receiving TDs in a season over his five years in the league, but he is a strong breakout candidate, especially given his current ADP of WR61 at overall pick 173.

Todd Gurley's trainer says the running back is dealing with an "arthritic component to his knee". (Source: CBS Sports)

Fantasy Impact: Gurley's knee continues to be the most important fantasy story line of the off-season. His trainer stressed that Gurley hasn't been told that the team wants to limit his workload at all, but the Rams' off-season actions paint a different picture. The All-Pro running back is still expected to participate in on-field drills at training camp, which is a good sign.

Rico Gathers has been suspended by the NFL as a result of his arrest for marijuana possession in September of 2018.

Fantasy Impact: There was a time when Gathers looked like a potential dynasty stash and upside TE to roster in dynasty formats. However, he's currently irrelevant for fantasy purposes as he's buried on the Cowboys' depth chart behind Jason Witten, Blake Jarwin, and Dalton Schultz.

The Detroit Lions have traded TE Michael Roberts to the New England Patriots for a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick. (Source: Mike Reiss on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Roberts becomes another acquisition for the Patriots in the passing game, and he may have some late-round fantasy upside. At 6-5, 265 pounds, he’s a matchup problem in the red zone and could make an impact around the goal line. Matt LaCosse is likely to open the season as the starting TE, but with Benjamin Watson suspended the first four games of the season, Roberts could see his number called regularly. Although he’s accumulated just 13 receptions for 146 receiving yards and three TDs in two NFL seasons, the change of scenery will surely boost his outlook.

Chris Herndon IV could face a two-game suspension this season, per an ESPN report. (Source: Mike Clay on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: The suspension stems from Herndon IV pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated in January. Herndon looked impressive at times during his 2018 rookie campaign, finishing with a 39-502-4 line. The depth chart behind him is paper thin, with offseason standout Daniel Brown and 2019 fourth-round pick Trevon Wesco the most likely benefactors of a Herndon suspension.

Bears coach Matt Nagy says he feels good about Trey Burton being ready for the start of training camp. (Source: Jeff Dickerson on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Nagy added that he can't 100% guarantee Burton will be ready after undergoing sports-hernia surgery this off-season, however. If he's healthy entering 2019 Burton could be a post-hype sleeper. His health will be a situation to monitor this summer.

Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports the Vikings are challenging Kirk Cousins in practice this spring with a lot of looks defenses showed last season. (Source: Tom Pelissero on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Cousins was a bit of a disappointment last year, throwing 30 touchdown and 10 interceptions while playing all 16 games. His offensive line was abysmal, however, so he does get a bit of a free pass for that. Still, we expect Minnesota to be a run-first team in 2019, which caps Cousins' fantasy upside.

The Detroit Free Press predicts Kerryon Johnson will catch "at least 60" passes this year. (Source: Detroit Free Press)

Fantasy Impact: Johnson caught 32 passes in 10 games as a rookie last season, so 60 isn't that outlandish. Johnson showed major flashes last season and Detroit has been outspoken this off-season about their intent on being a run-first offense. There's potential here for a major breakout.

Marqise Lee won't be ready for the start of Jaguars' training camp, according to head coach Doug Marrone. (Source: Phillip Heilman on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Lee continues to recover from the knee injury he suffered during the 2018 preseason. This isn't a setback, as this was the expectation since the early offseason. Still, it would be good to see Lee on the field sooner or later during training camp as he has an opportunity to lead the team at wide receiver given the lackluster results in his absence in 2018.

Leonard Fournette will be a “big part of the pass game” in 2019, according to reports. (Source: Michael DiRocco on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: According to the report from ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, Leonard Fournette will see a lot of work in the passing game in 2019. New Jaguars QB Nick Foles expressed how much he likes throwing to his backs. Fournette has caught just 58 passes in 21 career games, and his bump in usage in the passing game adds to his fantasy value in 2019, especially in PPR-scoring formats.

Talking to reporters about his role in 2019, Steelers RB James Conner said that he expects backfield touches to be "spread out pretty evenly.” (Source: Pittsburgh Tribune Review)

Fantasy Impact: The Steelers have alluded to this, and given Conner's struggles late in 2018 and the presence of rookie Benny Snell as well as the returning Jaylen Samuels it wouldn't be surprising to see a more even split in 2019. That would negatively impact the value of all of the runners in the Steelers' backfield, especially on a team that has been one of the few bell-cow offenses in the league. Conner's stock could be negatively impacted the most as he's currently sitting at the RB8 in our expert consensus rankings.

Bears coach Matt Nagy praised the route-running skills of rookie RB David Montgomery. “We always knew he had great hands. You don’t know how great of a route runner a college back is, but he’s a really good route runner. . . . This kid can’t wait. [Neither can] Mike Davis and these other backs. They want to put the pads on.” (Source: Chicago Sun Times)

Fantasy Impact: The Bears moved up in the third round to draft Montgomery, and there are signs that he could move into the role vacated by Jordan Howard. And then if Montgomery takes on more passing-game work as well he could really carry RB1 upside. This wouldn't be great news for Tarik Cohen, either. At Montomgery's current ranking of RB29 among our experts, he provides a lot of value potential entering the new season.

Jack Doyle was seen at minicamp running routes at full speed. He underwent hip surgery this offseason. (Source: Zak Keefer on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Doyle has struggled to remain healthy over his career, and this opened the door for Eric Ebron to take over the reins as the team's leading TE in 2018. Still, the Colts have shown that they can maintain two fantasy-relevant TEs in the past, and a healthy Doyle could become a TE1 this season. He's currently the TE15 based on our expert consensus rankings.

Travis Kelce plans to be fully ready for training camp. (Source: Around the NFL on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: In a recent interview, Kelce said that he “plans to be 100 percent” when Chiefs camp opens at the end of July. He’s sitting out now due to offseason ankle surgery and isn’t taking any chances on his health. Kelce will be needed greatly this season, especially if Tyreek Hill is suspended for any length of time.

Rookie WR D.K. Metcalf has drawn high praise from QB Russell Wilson. (Source: Around the NFL on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: When asked about D.K. Metcalf on Wednesday morning, Wilson said the receiver is “looking really really special,” adding, “he can do anything and everything and he’s tremendous.” That’s promising news for Metcalf, who should get plenty of opportunities immediately, with Tyler Lockett his only real competition for targets.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling is likely to start opposite Davante Adams, according to a report from ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. (Source: Rob Demovsky on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: According to the report, Valdes-Scantling has impressed in training camp and looks poised to be the Packers’ No. 2, opposite Davante Adams. The former has received praise from Adams, who said, “I think this offense is really catered for a guy like him.” Valdes-Scantling was impressive in limited action last season as a rookie, catching 38 balls for 581 yards and two scores, and notching a pair of 100-yard games. His role as the No. 2 comes at the expense of Geronimo Allison (who is likely to play primarily in the slot) and Jake Kumerow. With a healthy Aaron Rodgers and the support of coaches and teammates, Valdes-Scantling could be in for a big leap in production in his second year, making him a value pick at his current ADP of WR57.