Fantasy News

The Saints are signing Richard Matthews, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

Matthews had a tryout at Saints minicamp, and Sean Payton and company were apparently impressed. The veteran receiver will now look to win a role during training camp, and there’s a chance he can win a role as a starter. Matthews’ 2019 fantasy draft value will be determined this summer.

Via: Field Yates 6/13/19 - 04:38 PM ET

The Ravens hope Marquise Brown (foot) will be ready for training camp.

Recovering from a broken foot suffered during his final season at Oklahoma, Brown still hasn’t been cleared to run at full speed. But barring setbacks, the Ravens believe he’ll be ready for the start of training camp. In what’s expected to be a low-volume passing offense, more missed time this summer for Brown wouldn’t be a good sign for his fantasy outlook as a rookie. He’ll certainly have a role as a deep threat whenever he gets on the field, though.

Via: Mike Garafolo 6/13/19 - 11:41 AM ET

James Conner thinks running back touches will be spread out for the Steelers this season.

When asked about the touches in Pittsburgh’s backfield, Conner said, “I think it’ll be spread out pretty evenly.” The third-year running back talked up teammates Jaylen Samuels and Benny Snell, pointing to them as a reason the touches might be split in 2019. However, this could have just been Conner being nice and not wanting to say that he deserves all the touches in the backfield. Conner did say that durability is not an issue for him and that he can handle a heavy workload, and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin says they’re open to him being a workhorse as well as being open to going with more of a committee approach. It’ll be interesting to see how many reps Samuels and Snell get with the first-team offense this preseason, as that could be a strong indication of Conner’s status as a potential 20+ touch runner this season.

Via: TribLIVE 6/13/19 - 11:22 AM ET

The Lions are trading Michael Roberts to the Patriots, according to multiple reports.

A fourth-round pick out of Toledo in 2017, Roberts is six-foot-five and over 260 pounds with good athleticism. After 46 yards on four receptions as a rookie, Roberts had 100 yards and three touchdowns on just nine receptions last season, but he dealt with a shoulder injury, played eight games, and was placed on injured reserve in December. Detroit signed Jesse James in free agency and drafted Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson eighth overall in this year’s draft, so Roberts was set to be buried on the depth chart. With the Patriots, he’ll have a chance to compete for the starting tight end role, especially with Benjamin Watson suspended the first four games of the season. Roberts is now a very intriguing players in dynasty leagues in particular, and the tight end situation for New England will be a key fantasy storyline this summer.

6/13/19 - 08:48 AM ET

Marquez Valdes-Scantling has worked as a clear starter during Packers offseason training.

ESPN Packers writer Rob Demovsky says that Valdes-Scantling was lined up opposite Davante Adams as the No. 2 receiver for both minicamp practices, and that he was on the field whether the team was in base personnel or three-receiver sets, with Geronimo Allison coming in as the slot receiver. Demovsky even went as far as to declare: “If the mandatory minicamp revealed anything about the Packers’ new offense, it’s that [Valdes-Scantling] is a starter.” Adams says he thinks new head coach Matt LaFleur’s offense “is really catered” to MVS, and that the second-year receiver looks good and is taking the offseason “real serious right now.” As a rookie last season, Valdes-Scantling had a couple of monster games of 100+ yards, and he averaged over 15 yards per reception on the season. In Year 2, he could become a real force on the outside if he becomes more consistent. Aaron Rodgers says that while MVS has always been very fast, he’s now also playing up to that speed, while also adding that he thinks the young receiver has been watching Adams and learning from him—it’s obviously good to get praise like that from the star quarterback. A lot can change before the start of the regular season, but Valdes-Scantling looks to be clearly ahead of fellow second-year receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, and he might be the best Packers wide receiver to roster in fantasy leagues behind the elite WR1 Adams.

Via: ESPN 6/13/19 - 08:30 AM ET

Nick Chubb has been involved as a receiver throughout the offseason.

Nick Shook of ClevelandBrowns.com writes: “Anyone who’s had a chance to observe Browns offseason activities will notice Chubb has been doing something he’s rarely been tasked with completing before: catching passes. It’s the last ball-moving part of his game to be developed, and one he’s worked on plenty in the last month. The results are noticeable and could become very important with [Kareem] Hunt slated to miss the Browns’ first eight games due to suspension.” Browns running backs coach Stump Mitchell recently said he believes Chubb has the ability to be a 1,000-yard receiver, and the Georgia product showed he can make plays in the passing game as a rookie last season. Just because Chubb is a big, powerful runner, people might think he doesn’t have plus ability as a receiver; but he’s a hard worker that appears to have natural hands and solid route-running ability. Those in PPR leagues shouldn’t shy away from Chubb because of concerns about his role in the passing game, as he should have 50+ reception potential in 2019.

Via: ClevelandBrowns.com 6/13/19 - 07:55 AM ET

The Niners hope Jerick McKinnon (knee) is ready to go for the start of training camp.

McKinnon sat out the entire offseason program with the Niners being cautious as he returns from a torn ACL, but Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan is confident the dynamic running back will be “full go Day 1” of training camp. McKinnon tore his ACL over nine months ago, so it’s a little concerning that he wasn’t able to participate in offseason training considering many guys get to 100% ahead of the nine-month mark; but everyone is different, and there were promising reports about McKinnon’s progress earlier this offseason. Hopefully we’ll see McKinnon out there for the first day of training camp in several weeks.

Via: 49ers.com 6/13/19 - 07:45 AM ET