Fantasy Football News

Derrius Guice who injured his hamstring while rehabbing, downplayed the injury and stated there's "no reason" for concern. (Source: Les Carpenter of the Washington Post)

Fantasy Impact: Guice reportedly was on track for the start of training camp before the injury news developed. Guice tweeted out Friday night, “I don’t listen to the noise, I know what’s going on with me." It is entirely possible that Guice could be back for training camp. Amid health concerns, Guice faces tough competition for playing time in a backfield that also has Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson. We will know more on Guice's availability as training camp draws closer.

Braxton Berrios who was stashed on injured reserve as a rookie, has looked good at spring practices in hopes to landing a roster spot as part of the Patriots receiving corps. (Source: Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)

Fantasy Impact: Berrios, a sixth round pick in 2018, is in good health after spending his entire rookie season on the injured reserve. He will need his strong May and June to carry over into training camp, if he hopes to land a roster spot with the team. His odds will largely remain on the health of Demaryius Thomas and the suspension status of Josh Gordon. According to Reiss, Berrios would be in a Danny Amendola-type role as a slot receiver while also working as a return specialist.

Ezekiel Elliott has reportedly told those close to him that he plans a holdout this NFL season if not given a new contract. (Source: Michael Florio on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: The unexpected news comes from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. It’s unclear if Zeke’s desire to hold out stems from Melvin Gordon’s recent holdout announcement or the fact that the Cowboys have pushed his contract talks to the back burner while focusing on DeMarcus Lawrence, Dak Prescott, and Amari Cooper. The situation is one to monitor closely, but Elliott hasn’t made any public plans to sit out yet. He’s still worth a top-3 pick in all formats until further notice.

Ronald Jones has added 13 pounds of muscle this off-season. (Source: Pro Football Talk)

Fantasy Impact: Jones played at 208 pounds last year and is now up to 221 as training camp approaches. Typically running backs perform better when they lose weight over the off-season but Jones was so bad in his rookie season that it's good to see him committed to a workout program. He has a chance to lead the Bucs in rushing this year but remains a high-risk fantasy pick.

The 49ers and Robbie Gould have agreed to a two-year, $10.5 million contract. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Gould and the Niners beat the deadline for players on the franchise tag to sign. The two-year deal is fully guaranteed and could wind up being four years if San Francisco picks up the option. He'll certainly be a worthwhile fantasy option once again this year.

Chris Herndon has been suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: The suspension stems from a driving while intoxicated charge from June, 2018 which Herndon plead guilty to last January. The suspension for this type of incident is usually two games, but it can be up to four with the presence of aggravating circumstances. He had a promising rookie season, finishing with 502 yards and four TDs and was expected to take another step forward in his second year. The other TEs on the roster are Eric Tomlinson, Daniel Brown, and 2019 4th-Round rookie Trevon Wesco. It’s unclear who will handle the majority of tight end work in Herndon’s absence, but none of the three figure to be fantasy relevant.

Duke Johnson signed Thursday with agent Drew Rosenhaus, hoping his new representative can facilitate a trade. The Buccaneers are rumored to be a possible destination. (Source: Pro Football Talk on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Johnson switched agents in hoping to get a deal done quicker, as he clearly wants out of Cleveland. He previously stated his desire to play elsewhere is motivated by the fact the Browns tried to originally deal him back in February. He’s entering the first of his three-year, $15.6 million dollar contract, including a $5 million dollars in bonuses the Browns have already paid for. The Buccaneers are rumored to be a top suitor, as they are one of the few teams who are in need of a pass catching specialist. This would be an ideal situation and certainly boost his fantasy value for 2019. Look for Johnson to be involved in many trade rumors in the upcoming weeks leading into the preseason.

Running back Melvin Gordon has informed the Chargers that unless he receives a new contract, he will not report to training camp and he will demand a trade, according to a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: While it was known that Gordon was looking for a new contract, this is the first report of him potentially sitting out training camp and demanding a trade. He currently has a $5.6 million salary in 2019 under the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, and understandably wants a raise and some long-term security. If Gordon misses any time, Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson could see opportunities in the Los Angeles backfield.

The 49ers quarterback spoke to media and said "I’m good to go. Finally," He's not expected to be limited at the start of training camp. (Source: ProFootballTalk)

Fantasy Impact: There have been many reports of this being the year that Garoppolo has to prove his worth and with a full bill of health, there should be nothing holding him back. He's currently the QB20 in ADP and could return far more than his cost after the 49ers added more offensive weapons this offseason.

Rookie running back Josh Jacobs and the Oakland Raiders have agreed to a four-year contract. (Source: Oakland Raiders on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: This is notable because there was a chance Jacobs was going to miss the start of training camp if he and his team couldn't come to terms soon enough. That is obviously no longer the case, however, so early drafters should have no fear when selecting Jacobs as a likely three-down back in fantasy.

Head coach Andy Reid has named Damien Williams as the Chiefs’ starting RB for the 2019 season. (Source: Chiefs.com)

Fantasy Impact: In a recent statement, Reid gave a vote of confidence to Damien Williams as the Chiefs’ starting RB. “We’re asking him to be the full-time starter for the year,” Reid said, adding, “He’s earned the right to be that guy.” Reid’s comments come a little more than a month after Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy expressed the same sentiment regarding Williams. The confirmation by the head coach is welcome news to fantasy players, as rumors of a Williams-Carlos Hyde timeshare have been circulating in recent weeks. Williams excelled for Kansas City last season as a dual-threat back with dangerous skills as a receiver out of the backfield. If he can secure a lion’s share of the running back touches in 2019, an RB1 finish wouldn’t be an unreasonable expectation.

Brendan Marks of The Charlotte Observer writes Cam Newton (shoulder) is expected to be a full-go for Panthers training camp. (Source: Charlotte Observer)

Fantasy Impact: Newton underwent a clean-up procedure on his shoulder back in January. It wasn’t considered too serious but the Panthers wanted to be careful with his rehab this off-season. It sounds as if everything has gone according to plan. Newton can be safely drafted as an upside QB1 in fantasy right now.

Jack Doyle (hip) is still in the process of gaining weight and isn’t ready to specify any timeline for his return to practice. (Source: George Bremer of Herald Bulletin)

Fantasy Impact: Doyle lost around 25 pounds after having kidney surgery in November and hip surgery in the offseason. He is fully healed from both surgeries, but needs more time to build up strength and body mass before he can be cleared to practice. Doyle could be limited or unavailable when training camp opens in July. When he returns, look for Doyle to join Eric Ebron in an offense that could find regular targets for both tight ends.

Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com writes that Miles Sanders needs to work on his pass blocking. (Source: PhillyVoice.com)

Fantasy Impact: NFL coaches rarely put running backs on the field who can’t pass protect. Sanders could’ve worked on this in spring practices but has dealt with a hamstring injury all off-season. He’ll need to have a big training camp in order to beat our Jordan Howard for touches early on.

Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice expects Jordan Howard to see short-yardage work for the Eagles in 2019. (Source: PhillyVoice.com)

Fantasy Impact: Howard will be competing with rookie running back Miles Sanders for touches in the Philadelphia backfield this season. Howard’s veteran status could give him a leg up early on, but he has struggled as a receiver throughout his career, which obviously limits his fantasy upside. Still, Howard could conceivably push for double-digit touchdowns if he winds up as the Eagles’ goal-line back. His usage will be worth monitoring throughout training camp.

Rob Gronkowski participated in an offseason throwing session with Tom Brady at UCLA’s campus. (Source: Andrew Callahan of MassLive)

Fantasy Impact: Gronk is currently retired, but this workout will spark rumors of a possible NFL return. This isn’t the first time an ex-teammate participated in a offseason throwing session with Brady. He has continued to insist he is officially done, and has lost around 20 pounds since retirement. Rumors of a possible NFL return will continue until he actually sits out the whole season.

Patrick Mahomes says he has been focusing on his off-season conditioning in an attempt to be in the best shape possible for 2019. (Source: Yahoo Sports)

Fantasy Impact: Mahomes added he has been trying to cut his baby fat while simultaneously adding muscle. The 23-year-old became the youngest MVP in 34 years last season and is wisely preparing for another big year. He is the consensus top ranked quarterback entering 2019 fantasy drafts.

Emmanuel Sanders (achilles) remains confident he can return by Week 1 of the regular season. (Source: Nicki Jhabvala on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: We should note that players are typically over-confident in their abilities to return quickly from injury. Sanders very well could be back by Week 1 but fantasy owners should proceed with caution. We're talking about a 32-year-old receiver coming off an achilles injury.

James Conner says his role this year should be similar to what it was in 2018. (Source: NFL.com)

Fantasy Impact: Conner erupted in 2018, totaling 1,470 yards and 13 touchdowns. There have been reports that Jaylen Samuels and Benny Snell could eat into Conner's workload this year, but the Pitt alum should still be viewed as a high-end RB1 in fantasy.

Tyreek Hill and his legal team met with NFL officials for eight hours on Wednesday. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: According to Adam Schefter, the interview was “very thorough.” A ruling on possible discipline for Hill in relation to domestic abuse allegations is expected very soon, and the Chiefs open training camp on July 26 with Hill not yet reinstated to participate in team activities.