Fantasy News

The Rams are trying to find the right workload for Todd Gurley.

Head coach Sean McVay made it clear his third-year back will be a workhorse, but wants to find the “fine balance between him being at his best and not wearing him out.” McVay also said Lance Dunbar being out and not being able to practice has allowed them to see more of what Gurley can do as a receiver and called him “very functional in the passing game as well.” The Rams want Gurley to get a lot of carries because he’s their best player on offense, but they also want to keep him fresh for the end of games. Gurley’s fantasy upside will likely be determined by the play of his offensive line—if they aren’t improved from last season, he will very much struggle to be a top option.

Via: TheRams.com 8/2/17 - 09:35 AM ET

Le’Veon Bell is not at Steelers training camp.

The All-Pro running back has not yet signed his franchise tender and isn’t at training camp yet. There was speculation he wasn’t going to come, he’s officially not there. Teammate Antonio Brown said he’s talked to Bell about it and thinks he needs to be there with the team. Bell will do what he believes is best for him, but the team is trying to win a championship and having one of their best players in camp would probably help that cause. The good news is Bell is a notoriously hard worker that will stay in great shape while working out on his own. If you’re stuck between Bell and someone else for the first pick in fantasy drafts, the longer Bell stays away, the easier the decision could become.

Via: Aditi Kinkhabwala 7/27/17 - 03:10 PM ET

Christian McCaffrey continues to get excellent reviews at training camp.

Dan Graziano of ESPN visited Panthers camp and head coach Ron Rivera showed him a few plays of McCaffrey doing a great job in pass protection. Team veterans have been giving great praise to the rookie back, including linebacker Thomas Davis, who said “the McCaffrey hype is most certainly legit.” There was a video earlier in the week of McCaffrey getting open then putting a couple moves on All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly in practice. The dynamic running back from Stanford is probably going to be a huge mismatch against linebackers in the NFL.

Via: ESPN 8/5/17 - 09:32 AM ET

DeVante Parker “[blew] up” the first day of Dolphins training camp, according to the Miami Herald.

Armando Salguero wrote the first practice of training camp “did nothing to change” the hope DeVante Parker will have a breakout year. Parker, who was basically challenged by head coach Adam Gase to mature after the season, seems to have gotten the message. Gase said of Parker’s practice yesterday, “I think he was looking to not ease into camp. When I saw him last night, I could tell he was ready to get after it.” Parker wasn’t bad by any stretch over his first two seasons, but he might have turned a switch and could have a monster season in 2017. The talented receiver is currently going outside of the top 100 in fantasy drafts.

Via: Miami Herald 7/27/17 - 02:15 PM ET

Jay Ajayi is confirmed to have a concussion.

He will miss at least one week, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Ajayi got hit hard by Dolphins safety T.J. McDonald in practice yesterday, and it’ll cost the team. It’d be a major surprise to see Ajayi in the team’s first preseason game. The third-year back should be fine well before the regular season and this shouldn’t affect his fantasy value, but concussions can very much linger for several weeks.

Via: Miami Herald 8/2/17 - 09:17 AM ET

Cam Newton says he “took last season real personal.”

The Panthers quarterback added, “this is not just another year.” After a great 2015 MVP season in which the Panthers went to the Super Bowl and Newton scored 45 total touchdowns, Newton took a step back with accuracy last season and the team struggled. When asked about running less this year, Newton said “that’s my edge…you don’t expect a Lion not to roar?” Newton said he’s going to continue to use his great running ability to his ability and take what the defense gives him, adding that he wants to win “in the worst way” and will do what is necessary to win. The team—and Newton himself—said during the offseason that they want to get the ball in the hands of playmakers more and that Newton doesn’t need to do it all alone. Well, the 6’5″ quarterback made it clear, while he’ll get the ball to the players around him, he isn’t going to stop running the ball. Fantasy owners shouldn’t be too worried about Newton not running as much as usual in 2017.

Via: Carolina Panthers 7/27/17 - 01:41 PM ET

Josh Reynolds is day-to-day with a quad injury.

It doesn’t sound too serious. The rookie receiver from Texas A&M has reportedly been showing up in training camp, so hopefully he can get back on the field because it looks like he could have a solid role during his first season in the league. At 6’3″ and someone that showed he can score at A&M, Reynolds could be Jared Goff’s wide receiver best target in the red zone.

8/5/17 - 08:45 AM ET