Fantasy News

Jake Butt (knee) is expected to be ready for the start of training camp.

Butt tore his ACL during practice late last September, so it’s not surprising that the Broncos tight end is expected to be ready to go about ten months after the injury. The former Michigan Wolverine has suffered three torn ACLs in his life, so everyone should be rooting for him to stay healthy and to have a long and productive career. Butt told the Denver Post that he knows he’ll have to climb his way up the depth chart in Denver, and the team’s tight end situation with first-round rookie Noah Fant, Jeff Heuerman, and Butt will be one to watch this summer, especially with quarterback Joe Flacco’s willingness to target the position.

Via: Denver Post 6/22/19 - 07:53 PM ET

Matthew Stafford reportedly had a broken back last season.

According to MLive, DetroitLions.com writer Mike O’Hara said on his weekly podcast that Stafford “had a broken back last year. Broken bones in his back.” Last season, Stafford threw for a career-low 3,777 yards (when he plays a full season), but he battled through serious back issues to start all 16 games—it was known that he dealt with a back injury, but it sounds like the issues were worse than he or the team let on. The 31-year-old Stafford will hopefully remain a lot healthier in 2019, but he’ll have to adjust to a new offense under new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell—and it’s expected to be a run-heavy attack under a defensive-minded head coach in Matt Patricia.

Via: MLive.com 6/18/19 - 04:47 PM ET

The Buccaneers waived Shaun Wilson.

Wilson signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent out of Duke last season, and he beat the odds to make the team and started the year as the team’s primary kick returner. The second-year running back probably has a good chance of getting claimed by one of the other 31 teams, but if not, he shouldn’t have much trouble finding a new team this summer.

6/21/19 - 03:57 PM ET

The Packers claimed Michael Roberts.

After the trade to New England was rescinded, Roberts was put on waivers by the Lions. In Green Bay, Roberts might be able to give some intel on an NFC North rival at the very least, and he’ll compete for a roster spot this summer. Right now, Roberts is far off the redraft radar with Jimmy Graham, Marcedes Lewis, and third-round rookie tight end Jace Stenberger all on the Packers roster.

6/17/19 - 07:28 PM ET

Alex Smith is expected to get the external fixator off his leg in four-to-six weeks.

Smith spoke to FOX 5 DC’s Angie Goff on the “Oh My Goff Show”, and he opened up a bit about the past several months. The external fixator is a special one from Siberia, and it allows Smith’s bone to heal after the terrible leg fracture suffered last season against the Texans. When the fixator is off, Smith says he needs to learn to walk and run again, and he’ll start with jogging. Smith says playing football again is “the plan,” but he has to “conquer more steps” such as everyday things like walking and running around with his kids. Thankfully, it sounds like Smith is making better progress than expected, and perhaps he’ll make a push to at least get back on the practice field toward the end of this season. The bottom line is everyone should hope Smith can get back to normal and play football again, even if it’s not until 2020 or beyond.

Via: Oh My Goff 6/21/19 - 08:37 AM ET

Josh McCown has officially retired from the NFL.

After 17 seasons in the NFL with ten different teams, the veteran quarterback is calling it a career. This was expected after McCown needed more time to think about continuing his career while the Jets basically had no choice but to move forward without him in their plans. McCown started his career with the Cardinals after he was taken in the third round of the 2002 draft, and then he appeared in games for the Lions, Raiders, Panthers, Bears, Buccaneers, Browns, and Jets. After the initial opportunity in Arizona, McCown’s biggest opportunities came late in his career, including in Chicago where he played exceptionally well in 2013 under Marc Trestman (throwing for 13 touchdowns compared to one interception in eight games). McCown gave the Jets some energy as a 13-game starter in 2017, and then he was great mentor for No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold last season. For his career, McCown played in 99 games (76 starts) and threw for 17,707 yards with 82 touchdowns and 80 interceptions, along with 246 carries for 1,108 yards (4.5 yards per carry) and 13 rushing touchdowns. We wish McCown, who seems to be one of the most well-liked players around the league, the best of luck on his post-playing career.

Via: Josh McCown 6/17/19 - 02:00 PM ET

Tarik Cohen doesn’t expect his role to change much in 2019.

Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio, the third-year running back said he expects to have a similar role to last season in Matt Nagy’s offense: “I feel like I’m going to be doing the same things I was doing last year. My role is not going to change. I feel like I still have to be the receiving back.” Cohen probably has the ability to get more touches on the ground per game after he had 87 as a rookie and 99 last season, but Chicago signed Mike Davis in free agency and added David Montgomery in the third round of this year’s draft—they don’t need to give him a heavy workload. Expect “The Human Joystick” to do most of his damage as a receiver (he had 71 receptions last season) and to remain a much stronger fantasy option in PPR leagues than standard. Cohen should be in the FLEX mix for half PPR leagues.

Via: SiriusXM NFL Radio 6/20/19 - 10:58 AM ET