Fantasy News

Phillip Lindsay (wrist) declares himself healthy ahead of training camp.

The second-year back, who underwent wrist surgery after missing the final game of the 2018 season, said of his progress, “in my mind I’m ready,” but the coaches and trainers will determine his reps. Lindsay bursted onto the scene as an undrafted rookie last year with 192 carries for 1,037 yards (5.4 YPC) and nine touchdowns, so it will be interesting to see how the new coaching staff divides the backfield work between he and Royce Freeman—a more powerful runner that could fit more of what Vic Fangio wants to do. For now, Lindsay is probably better viewed as a high-upside FLEX than RB2.

Via: Mike Klis 7/15/19 - 02:22 PM ET

Garrett Celek is starting training camp on the PUP list.

This was expected after Celek had back surgery, but he should be taken off the PUP list sometime during camp. Celek is a solid real-life contributor for the Niners as a strong run-blocker and a capable receiver, but he’s not on the fantasy radar behind All-Pro starting tight end George Kittle.

7/26/19 - 02:43 PM ET

Alex Smith had his external fixator removed.

After eight months of having the big device attached to his leg to allow the badly-fractured leg to heal, it’s awesome to hear that Smith has made enough progress to have it removed. While everyone should hope Smith can get back on the field at some point to continue his career, it’s great for his quality of life in general to have the fixator removed so that he can get more back to normal. Smith still has a long way to go in his potential return to the football field, but he has the support of millions of fans after he was injured playing the game he loves last November.

Via: NFL.com 7/15/19 - 01:49 PM ET

Ezekiel Elliott plans to hold out of training camp without a new contract, according to ProFootballTalk.

According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, Elliott has said “privately” that he’s planning to hold out, which is unlike the stance Chargers running back Melvin Gordon has taken by publicly stating he he’s holding out without a new contract. However, while Gordon has one year left on his deal, Elliott has two years left on his rookie contract including the fifth-year option, so he might have a more difficult time getting a new contract. The Cowboys might just want to pay Zeke to avoid any drama throughout the summer leading up to the season, but it doesn’t help that Elliott has had off-field issues and was already suspended six games in 2017. Between Gordon and Elliott, this is setting up to potentially be a dramatic several weeks. Things like this are why we think you should try to wait as long as possible to hold your fantasy draft.

Via: ProFootballTalk 7/15/19 - 01:39 PM ET

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson expects Miles Sanders (hamstring) to be ready to go for training camp.

After Sanders basically missed all of offseason training with a hamstring issue, Pederson said, “I fully expect him to come in ready, come in healthy, ready to go. We have to get him in the mix early, Definitely have to see exactly where he is mentally form all the mental reps that he took this spring, and slowly work him into the mix and see just how he can help us on game day.” The second-round pick figures to get a great shot at earning a large role as rookie season season, but Pederson and the coaching staff isn’t just going to hand him anything if he’s unable to stay on the field this summer n preparation for the regular season. Also, Pederson recently talked up Jordan Howard’s ability as a top running back in the league, and Sanders will likely really need to show out over the next several weeks to earn a significant role against the Redskins in Week 1. For now, Howard is the preferred fantasy option in Philadelphia’s backfield, but Sanders has all-around ability to make an impact, and we’ll see where things stand late this summer when most leagues have their drafts.

Via: ESPN 7/15/19 - 12:46 PM ET

Ronald Jones put on 13 pounds this offseason.

At SportsCon 2019 in Dallas, the second-year running back said last year was disappointing for him, but that he’s “putting in the work to make sure that doesn’t happen again.” As a high second-round pick (38th overall) in last year’s draft, obviously he would be disappointed after just 44 rushing yards on 23 attempts, but it’s good to hear he’s working to put that start behind him. Jones, who is up to 221 pounds after ending last season at 208 pounds, says he “put on a lot of pounds of muscle” by “training… eating four or five meals a day, protein shakes right after workouts.” Hopefully the increase in weight doesn’t lead to Jones losing explosiveness, but at least the USC product is trying something different as he looks to play more like the gamebreaker he was during his college career. Jones will likely compete with Peyton Barber for a chance to be the starting running back in Bruce Arians’ offense in 2019, and both players have received praise from the new coaching staff in the last few months.

Via: ProFootballTalk 7/13/19 - 08:56 PM ET

Derrius Guice suffered a hamstring injury and may not be ready for the start of training camp, according to radio host Erin Hawksworth.

Guice is recovering from a torn ACL suffered prior to his rookie season, and this isn’t a good sign, especially considering the complications he’s had with his knee over the past year. Hopefully the 2018 second-round pick is able to get fully healthy soon, but his odds of becoming Washington’s lead runner this season don’t look great at this point, and he’s turned into a risky fantasy investment in the middle rounds. We think AD is the preferred target in all formats for the Redskins backfield.

Via: Erin Hawksworth 7/12/19 - 03:19 PM ET