Fantasy News

The Ravens have selected Marquise Brown with the No. 25 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

“Hollywood” can flat-out fly, and he’s the first wide receiver off the board in this year’s draft. Brown is basically unstoppable when he gets a step on the defense, making a bunch of plays on deep balls from Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray the last two seasons—but he also has great toughness for a receiver that excels primarily as a deep threat. Our full scouting report on Brown is located in the link below. Durability is the slight concern, as a Lisfranc injury forced Brown to miss the pre-draft process including the combine. He’ll be an electric player whenever he’s on the field, though, and a huge Year 1 impact as the potential No. 1 wide receiver for Lamar Jackson is certainly possible.

Via: Marquise Brown Scouting Report 4/25/19 - 11:05 PM ET

Sean McVay says the plan is for Cooper Kupp (knee) to be ready for Week 1.

While Kupp himself doesn’t want to get too concerned about being “on track” in his rehab—instead taking things day-by-day—McVay expressed optimism about the third-year receiver. McVay says Kupp is “doing great,” adding: “The goal for us is to have him ready for Week 1.” The Rams head coach also added he expects Kupp to match his productivity from last season (566 yards and six touchdowns in eight games) when he returns to the field, saying that the goal is to have him “return to performance… the level that we’re accustomed to seeing Cooper Kupp at for Week 1.” As long as the Week 1 target isn’t something that’s pushed too hard, which could lead to a setback, expect Kupp to be on the field when the Rams face the Panthers to open their season on September 8.

Via: TheRams.com 4/19/19 - 09:31 AM ET

The Raiders have selected Josh Jacobs with the No. 24 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

In what’s been a crazy first round, this is probably the least surprising selection of the draft to this point. Jacobs logged just 299 touches during his college career at Alabama, so he has plenty of tread on his tires—and Raiders general manager Mike Mayock was one of the highest people on former Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara, who also had limited touches coming out of college. Jon Gruden needs a true three-down back that can stay on the field at all times and protect the quarterback as a pass protector, and Jacobs is the perfect guy to fill that role. You can read our full scouting report on Jacobs in the link below, but he’s a really dynamic and tough player. Jacobs spent part of his life homeless and sleeping in a car, so it’s really awesome to see a guy like that work hard and become the first running back selected in this year’s draft. He has a chance to get 300+ touches as a rookie, and both his redraft and dynasty fantasy outlooks are extremely promising as the headliner of an offense that wants to be physical and establish the run.

Via: Josh Jacobs Scouting Report 4/25/19 - 10:57 PM ET

Paul Richardson details injury-plagued 2018 season.

Richardson spoke extensively about the challenge of his first season with the Redskins last year, as his collarbone injury was injured at the beginning of training camp and then got worse as the season progressed. The 27-year-old receiver said he then landed on the shoulder on three consecutive passes during one practice, and that he never felt the same after that. “I was like, man something’s not right,” Richardson said; but he kept practicing and didn’t make it a big issue with the training staff. Then during the regular season, the training staff did all they could, but he couldn’t get comfortable, and eventually Richardson and the coaching staff would argue about how much he should practice. Eventually, the Redskins decided to place him on injured reserve on November 5, which Richardson says was the smart move to ensure he’s healthy for 2019. After just 20 receptions for 262 yards and two touchdowns in seven games at less than 100% last year, a healthier Richardson should have a bigger impact statistically this season.

Via: Redskins.com 4/19/19 - 09:20 AM ET

The Broncos select Iowa tight end Noah Fant with the No. 20 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Broncos general manager and president John Elway tweeted that Fant “is an incredibly gifted and athletic tight end. He’s got great speed and he can really stretch the field. We’re very fortunate to get him at 20.” You can read our full scouting report on Fant in the link below, but Elway’s tweet describes the Iowa tight end well. Fant can stretch the field and will be a reliable target for Joe Flacco on deep and intermediate routes, and he’ll likely immediately step in as the top tight end on the depth chart. With Flacco’s willingness to target tight ends, Fant could deliver solid fantasy value as a rookie in 2019.

Via: Noah Fant Scouting Report 4/25/19 - 10:31 PM ET

The Redskins signed quarterback Josh Woodrum, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

Woodrum, who was undrafted out of Liberty in 2016 and spent time with a handful of NFL teams, played for Salt Lake City in the AAF. He threw six touchdowns and eight interceptions in the AAF, but he showed enough that the Redskins are brining him in to compete in the spring and potentially throughout training camp. Woodrum isn’t on the fantasy radar right now.

Via: Field Yates 4/18/19 - 04:30 PM ET

Mike Gesicki put on weight this offseason.

The second-year tight end said he weighed around 240 pounds last year for his playing weight and is now up to 253 pounds. Gesicki is pretty much an athletic freak, and this weight gain was intended as he looks to add more mass to his frame and remain on the field as much as possible. As long as the 2018 second-round pick’s explosiveness doesn’t decline too much with added weight, this weight-gain development is a positive as he enters his second NFL season. Gesicki will look to improve his new coaching staff and emerge as the Dolphins’ clear No. 1 tight end in 2019, and we believe he certainly has the upside to have a huge impact this season. Dynasty owners should target Gesicki after he had just 22 receptions for 202 yards in relatively limited playing time as a rookie.

Via: Armando Salguero 4/18/19 - 01:53 PM ET