Fantasy News

The Browns plan to ride the “hot hand” at running back this season.

After adding Carlos Hyde in free agency, drafting Nick Chubb early in the second round at No. 35 overall, and extending Duke Johnson Jr., the Browns have three running backs they are very confident in. Browns running backs coach Freddie Kitchens said: “Ultimately, all three of those guys can run our running game.” Because all three guys are very capable backs, this is likely to stay a committee for 2018, though a hot-hand approach could lead to some up-and-down weeks for each guy. It’ll likely be a volatile situation, but Johnson could have steady value given his involvement in the passing game—particularly in PPR leagues.

Via: ClevelandBrowns.com 6/22/18 - 08:23 AM ET

The NFL is planning to suspend Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston three games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, according to ESPN.

A potential suspension stemming from an incident in 2016 about an alleged sexual assault of an Uber driver suddenly sounded like a possibility last night, and it apparently will happen. ESPN is reporting that Winston hasn’t been notified and could face a shorter ban on appeal, but we wouldn’t expect that to happen. This is obviously a huge blow to Tampa Bay in what could be a make-or-break year, and Ryan Fitzpatrick will likely start the season under center when the Bucs face the Saints, Eagles, and Steelers—three daunting opponents. We were lower on Winston than most before this news, so this should knock him off the map in standard-sized redraft leagues this summer. It also impacts the early-season outlooks for Mike Evans and company.

Via: Adam Schefter 6/21/18 - 05:58 PM ET

Frank Reich is “really excited” about the Colts tight ends.

The Colts have a talented group of tight ends on the roster, with Jack Doyle and free-agent signing Eric Ebron leading the way. Doyle had 80 receptions without Andrew Luck last season and figures to have a steady role in 2018. But Reich really talked up Ebron after offseason training: “Ebron is an explosive player. He’s really explosive. He’s really smart…he’s a really intelligent football player and that’s really good because when you want to use a guy with the versatility that he has and you can move him around and call all kinds of different things with him.” Andrew Walker of Colts.com says Reich “wasn’t shy about blowing up [Ebron’s] phone” when free agency began, so he clearly has big plans in mind for the tenth overall pick in the 2014 draft. The presence of Doyle, who might end up being the top fantasy option at tight end for the Colts, limits Ebron’s upside a bit, but he still has TE1 potential with Andrew Luck throwing him passes in a tight-end friendly offense.

Via: Colts.com 6/21/18 - 07:47 AM ET

John Oehser of Jaguars.com says Donte Moncrief “seems likely to be a major contributor” this season.

Oehser did qualify this by saying that Moncrief needs to stay healthy to have a good season. But when projecting Jacksonville’s starters on offense, Oehser believes it’ll be Marqise Lee and Moncrief as the top two guys. The Jags have a very deep receiver group, but they gave Moncrief nearly $10 million (for one season) in free agency, so they must have high hopes for him. Moncrief reportedly “showed speed and athleticism” throughout the offseason, and he has the size to be a solid red-zone threat for Blake Bortles. Jacksonville is a run-based team, and Moncrief has never had over 750 receiving yards in any of his first four NFL seasons, but he could potentially be a usable fantasy option this season if he has a sizable role. It’s likely the Jaguars rotate receivers in a lot, though, which limits Moncrief’s upside.

Via: Jaguars.com 6/20/18 - 08:20 AM ET

Josh Gordon says participating fully in the offseason is “a huge upside.”

As you would expect, Gordon says things are a lot better when you have offseason training to get a relationship and rhythm with the quarterback and the other players. Gordon, of course, has been suspended multiple times throughout his career and hasn’t had a full offseason more often than not. The former All-Pro says he feels “much better” now than he did when he was reinstated and finally able to play games toward the end of last season, saying that the offseason “definitely help me get into football shape and really build your wind up to run that many reps” and then be ready for training camp. If Gordon keeps his head on straight, he should be in tip-top shape entering the season; he offers obvious WR1 upside in fantasy drafts.

Via: WKYC 6/19/18 - 09:07 AM ET

Tyler Lockett says he was probably at “about 75, 80 percent” health last season.

Entering last season, Lockett was coming off a broken leg from Christmas Eve 2016, and those lower leg injuries can take a lot of time to get back to 100%—which could explain subpar seasons from Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota, who also broken their legs on Christmas Eve 2016, last year. The good news is Lockett is back to 100% now, and he fully participated in offseason training with the Seahawks. Lockett is a clear top-three receiver for Seattle, and he could be the no-doubt number two option behind Doug Baldwin depending on how veteran receiver Brandon Marshall pans out. Lockett will be someone to watch throughout the preseason.

Via: Seattle Times 6/18/18 - 07:05 PM ET

D’Onta Foreman (Achilles) is not expected to be ready for the start of training camp, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Foreman tore his Achilles and had surgery in November, but the team thought he might be ready for camp. Now, it doesn’t sound like that will be the case, which shouldn’t come as a huge surprise for such a serious injury. In the mean time, Lamar Miller will likely get most of the first-team reps with Alfred Blue and Tyler Ervin also mixing in. Fantasy owners drafting early might be wise to not take Foreman’s Week 1 availability as a given.

Via: Houston Chronicle 6/17/18 - 02:31 PM ET