Fantasy News

Julian Edelman (knee) is not wearing a brace at Patriots OTAs.

Edelman is participating in OTAs on a limited basis, but that’s not surprising as the team manages the 32-year-old’s (his birthday is today) spring reps. After tearing his ACL at the end of the preseason last year, Edelman should be more than ready for the start of the regular season. Edelman will offer obvious 1,000-yard upside as one of Tom Brady’s top targets, and he has WR1 upside in PPR leagues in particular.

Via: James Palmer 5/22/18 - 12:43 PM ET

Carson Wentz is moving around and throwing.

The video in the link below shows Wentz in action before the Eagles’ OTA practice session, and he doesn’t look like a guy that just suffered a serious knee injury in December. Week 1 is clearly the target for Wentz and the Eagles, and they certainly appear to be on track. The only concern is that Wentz might be pushing things a bit too much, but hopefully the team doctors are closely monitoring him. And he’s presumably been given the OK to move the way he is. Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles will take the first-team reps while Wentz continues to work and rehab on his own.

Via: Tim McManus 5/22/18 - 11:55 AM ET

Curtis Samuel (ankle) is participating in OTAs.

Earlier this offseason, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera indicated Samuel might not be ready until training camp, so this is a good sign. Samuel is likely limited, but it’s still good that he’s out there on the field.  The second-year receiver has a nice opportunity to carve out a role as one of the top three wide receivers for Carolina this season, and he’s someone worth watching leading up to fantasy drafts this summer.

Via: Jourdan Rodrigue 5/22/18 - 10:01 AM ET

Ryan Tannehill (knee) will participate fully in OTAs, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Coming off a torn ACL from last August, the Dolphins quarterbacks is over nine months removed from the injury. Rapoport notes that Tannehill will do “everything” when Miami starts OTAs today, which is obviously an excellent sign. Remember, Tannehill hasn’t played since initially injuring his knee in early December 2016, but it’s great that he’ll have a full offseason to get acclimated with some of his new teammates on offense. Tannehill’s presence throughout the spring and summer is ideal for the team’s skill position players like DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills, and Tannehill himself has QB1 potential in Adam Gase’s offense.

Via: Ian Rapoport 5/22/18 - 08:31 AM ET

Russell Shepard is signing with the Giants.

Shepard made the announcement on his Instagram page, posting the Giants logo. This is a good spot for the former Buccaneers and Panthers receiver, as the Giants have a wide open depth chart behind Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard at wide receiver. Shepard is likely to compete with Cody Latimer, Roger Lewis, and others for the third receiver spot.

5/21/18 - 10:04 PM ET

Le’Veon Bell does not plan to attend OTAs, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

This was 100% expected. If he and the Steelers don’t agree to a long-term deal by the July 16 deadline, Bell is very likely to do the same exact thing he did last year and hold out all summer before reporting to the team ahead of Week 1. Ideally, Bell would be in training camp, but we’ll see what happens.

Via: ESPN 5/21/18 - 06:49 PM ET

Tom Brady is not at Patriots OTAs.

This isn’t huge fantasy news, but it’s worth noting that Brady has yet to show up with the team this offseason, and it’s reportedly the first time he hasn’t been at the third phase of OTAs. Obviously, Brady has a legendary work ethic and devotes his life to football, so it’s a bit of a head-scratcher that he isn’t building a rapport with this new 2018 team. But these are still voluntary training sessions, and TB12 probably wants to spend time with his family while he can. Brady is so good and is undoubtedly working out on his own, and it’d be a surprise if he didn’t play as well this season based on missing a few spring training sessions, but perhaps this is something to keep in mind if you’re stuck between Brady and some of the other top fantasy quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers in fantasy drafts this summer.

Via: Ian Rapoport 5/21/18 - 08:35 AM ET