Fantasy News

T.Y. Hilton: “I have to get back to being me” in 2018.

Hilton considered last season, in which he had 966 yards, averaged 16.9 yards per reception, and made the Pro Bowl, a “down” year for him, and he says he “probably took a day or two off” after Week 17. New Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni says Hilton is “obsessed with getting better” and has set a perfect example for the young players throughout the offseason. It certainly sounds like Hilton worked about as hard as any player this offseason, and it should show on the field. Keep in mind, Andrew Luck was out all of last season, and Hilton led the NFL in receiving yards when Luck was healthy in 2016. After finishing outside the top 20 fantasy receivers last season, Hilton should get back to WR1 status in 2018.

Via: Colts.com 6/25/18 - 10:55 AM ET

Saquon Barkley is expected to get 20+ touches per game this season.

Three writers for Giants.com (John Schmeelk, Dan Salomone, and Lance Medow) all believe Barkley will hit the around the 20-touch mark as a rookie. The Giants drafted Barkley second overall, so obviously the thought has been that he’ll be used a lot immediately; but it’s still good to hear it from a few people that cover the team closely. As someone that is immensely talented and is expected to get a good amount of work, Barkley should be selected in the first round of all fantasy drafts in 2018.

Via: Giants.com 6/25/18 - 10:40 AM ET

Broncos head coach Vance Joseph says Royce Freeman “absolutely” has a chance to be the team’s lead back this season.

After the Broncos selected Freeman early in the third round (71st overall) of this year’s draft, it’s not surprising that he’s seen as a guy that could immediately take over the backfield as a rookie. When the team drafted Freeman, Broncos GM John Elway said “he’s a banger that we haven’t had for a while.” ESPN’s Jeff Legwold believes that Freeman “made it fairly clearly that he’s going to push Devontae Booker to be at the top of the running back depth chart” throughout the offseason. Freeman was a workhorse for Oregon during his four years there, rushing for 5,621 yards and 60 touchdowns on 947 carries. Elway seems to see him as a potential workhorse in the NFL, and the head coach seems to feel the same way. Devontae Booker shouldn’t be counted out, but there’s a chance Freeman gets the majority of the carries for Denver in 2018. It’s a key situation to watch throughout the summer.

Via: ESPN 6/25/18 - 08:45 AM ET

Alex Smith talks up Jamison Crowder.

It sounds like Smith and Crowder have quickly formed a good connection in their first offseason together. According to John Keim of ESPN, Smith said Crowder is “so easy to read as a quarterback. Such great body control, body language, He sees defense well and it’s hardest to do that in between the hashes.” Smith went on to say Crowder has “things you know as a quarterback come crunch time that here’s a guy who will constantly work his tail off to get open.” Through three NFL seasons, Crowder has 192 receptions, 2,240 yards and 12 touchdowns. There are a good amount of weapons in Washington—including Jordan Reed, Vernon Davis, Paul Richardson, Chris Thompson, and Josh Doctson—but Crowder could end up being Smith’s most trusted target. A 1,000-yard season is certainly possible for the Redskins’ slot man in 2018.

Via: ESPN.com 6/24/18 - 01:46 PM ET

Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com believes Ricky Seals-Jones will be the team’s starting tight end for Week 1.

Urban notes that veteran tight end Jermaine Gresham is coming off a torn Achilles from the final game last season, so his status for Week 1 is very much up in the air. (And he also notes that it’s still only June and a lot can change.) As an undrafted rookie last season, Seals-Jones caught 12 passes for 201 yards (16.8 yards per reception) and three touchdowns. Seals-Jones is a very athletic player, and he could potentially have a big role for the Cardinals in 2018. The big concern is blocking, as he might not stay on the field close to full-time if he doesn’t execute as a blocker. Seals-Jones remains a very intriguing dynasty option, and he could deliver TE1 value this season.

Via: AZCardinals.com 6/24/18 - 12:52 PM ET

Malcolm Mitchell said “we’ll see” when asked if he’ll be ready for training camp.

The team didn’t come out and say anything, but the thought during offseason training was that the Patriots were limiting Mitchell so that he would be healthy for the season. However, Mitchell could still be having issues after he missed all of last season with lingering knee problems. Perhaps Mitchell just didn’t feel like talking in-depth about it, but the fact that he said “we’ll see” instead of saying that he’ll be out there for the start of camp might not be a great sign. It could also be up to the Patriots if they have a plan to limit him throughout the summer. In a crowded receiving corps with a big role potentially up for grabs, Mitchell’s status will be one to watch over the next couple of months.

Via: Steve Hewitt 6/23/18 - 08:05 PM ET

Hue Jackson expects to see “a huge jump” from David Njoku this season.

Jackson said after offseason training that he thinks the second-year tight end will make a jump this season, but that they won’t know “until the pads come on.” Njoku was selected in the first round last year, and he’ll be given an opportunity to carve out a big-time role as Cleveland’s clear number one tight end in 2018. Teammate Seth DeValve had 33 receptions for 395 yards last season, and the team also added veteran tight end Darren Fells to the mix, but Njoku will have at least backend TE1 upside  this season. He’s currently going toward the end of fantasy drafts, which is probably where he’ll get drafted later this summer.

Via: ClevelandBrowns.com 6/22/18 - 08:36 PM ET