July 2016 4for4 Player News Articles

It's safe to say New Orleans Saints tight end Coby Fleener is still trying to learn the nuances of playing with Drew Brees after playing with the same quarterback for his entire college and NFL career in Andrew Luck.

Brees is still learning Fleener's game, of course. Yet Fleener seems well aware of who's the boss and it's more about learning Brees than vice versa.

"There's absolutely some catching up to do on my part," Fleener said after Day 4 of training camp practices Sunday at The Greenbrier. "Drew can write the playbook if he wanted to. He's just that well versed in what we're doing.

The last two days displayed how quickly the two are coming along the story said. It added Brees connected with Fleener on a few intermediate routes in team drills, and also a one-armed grab with a ball thrown behind him in team drills. On Sunday, Brees hit Fleener perfectly on a deep seam route for a long touchdown connection.

Titans HC Mike Mularkey has talked most of the offseason about getting Marcus Mariota running much more in his second NFL season.

The Titans plan to run the ball much more in 2016 after trading for DeMarco Murray and drafting Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry out of Alabama.

Mariota, the No. 2 pick of the 2015 draft and a Heisman winner, ran for 2,237 yards in his career at Oregon and will be a big part of that after running only 34 times as a rookie. The quarterback took off on two designed runs during a team period Sunday, and Mularkey said they will plan accordingly against the defenses they play while trying to avoid leaving a defender unblocked, the story said.

The Detroit Lions have suffered their first injury of training camp.

Tailback Theo Riddick participated the first two days of camp, but missed Sunday's padded practice due to an issue that coach Jim Caldwell declined to disclose. He watched from the sidelines in shorts and a baseball cap.

"Anytime you don't have someone out there you'd like them to be out there working," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. "But he'll be all right."

Riddick is coming off a season in which he set club records for receptions and receiving yards by a tailback, and figures to have an equally expansive role in the new Jim Bob Cooter offense. Ameer Abdullah and Stevan Ridley both returned in time for the start of training camp on Friday, though Abdullah is wearing a red no-contact jersey. His activity has ramped up the past two days, though, working as the club's No. 1 tailback and also shagging punts.

The most action Matt Forté has been getting the first four days of Jets training camp has been with the JUGS machine. Today it was seven low fastballs to one side, two getting away, then seven more to the other side, all of them thunking solidly into his gloved hands.

Then the featured back with the cranky hammy came over to talk with reporters in the Atlantic Health Training Center fieldhouse not about what he's been doing but what he's been seeing.

"I love it, just going through it in OTAs, seeing the leeway and the versatility you are able to have," Forté said of coordinator Chan Gailey's scheme. "Chan likes to motion running backs out of the backfield, run routes from the backfield, and that's what I'm used to. I think it'll be fun to see it when I practice."

Besides averaging more than 1,000 rush yards a season over career, he's also just two years removed from his 102-catch 2014 campaign with Chicago, which set the NFL season record for most catches by a running back. And in the past 12 seasons among Jets backs, only LaDainian Tomlinson (10.7 yards/catch in 2011) has a better season per-catch average than Forté's career 8.5-yard average, the story said.

Chargers wide receiver Steve Johnson was carried off the field Sunday with a right knee injury after going down in a pass drill.

Johnson, who applied no pressure to his right leg as he was carried off, was examined by trainers for several minutes before he was taken inside.

The injury occurred on an pass from Philip Rivers.

Johnson was poised to be the slot guy with Keenan Allen and newly signed Travis Benjamin on the outside. It was shaping up to be the deepest the Chargers WRs have been in a few years. It's obviously not a good sign he couldn't put pressure on the injury but it could have been out of caution. We'll continue to monitor the situation. Dontrelle Inman is next up on the depth chart.

After the retirement of Calvin Johnson, the Lions made receiver Marvin Jones a priority in free agency because they believed Jones brought a lot to the table.

“I thought Marvin was a very good route runner,” Lions general manager Bob Quinn said shortly after signing Jones. “He’s not just a one-dimensional receiver. He can run vertical routes, he can run short routes, he can run intermediate routes. He’s got very good hands, so I think he’s a guy that can get open and catch the football.”

Getting open and catching the football is something we’ve seen a lot from Jones early and often so far in training camp. That’s especially been the case down the field both in one-on-one drills and in team portions of practice.

It’s still early in training camp, but Jones has already shown to have a nice repertoire of short, intermediate and deep playmaking ability the story said. Also important, he and Stafford seem to already be building a nice rapport.

Last year, there were Denver Pro Bowlers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders and not much else, as those two pass catchers accounted for 80 percent of the team's production at wide receiver.

This year, coaches are excited about the leaps being made by holdovers Bennie Fowler, Jordan Norwood and Cody Latimer, all of whom stepped it up in the playoffs and are now vying for the No. 3 receiver job this summer.

They're joined by two free agent acquisitions familiar with Kubiak's system in DeVier Posey and Marlon Brown.

''I've said from day one: that really has the chance to be the strength of our team,'' HC Gary Kubiak said Sunday. ''It's going to be really hard to make our team at that position.''

The bad news is the QB position is up in air right now. Mark Sanchez could be the starter and has been inconsistent through most of his career but especially as of late with the Eagles. The battle for the team's WR3 spot could have some fantasy impact so it's worth monitoring.

Last year at this time, Todd Gurley faced question after question about how his knee was healing and when he might be ready to play. That line of questioning continued through Week 4, when the running back made his first start and ended up with 146 yards rushing in the victory over Arizona.

As Fisher put it on Saturday, 2016 already has a feel unlike 2015 for the second-year RB.

“This is Todd’s first full offseason program, so that’s different for him,” Fisher said. “He’s in great shape right now.”

Fisher said the bulk of Gurley’s work will come in practice. In short, don’t expect to see too much of him in the four exhibition games. Gurley averaged 91.6 rushing yards in his final 12 games, which is a 16-game pace of 1,465 yards. But he only caught 21 passes for 188 yards, which serves to limit his value in PPR formats. If his offseason work as a receiver pays off during the season, that would change.

The Kansas City Chiefs are looking for ways to get more big plays and improve offensively. To that end, tight end Travis Kelce has an idea.

“I’d love to see all of us on the field at once," Kelce said of the Chiefs’ five tight ends. “We’re that athletic in the tight-end room that I feel you could throw all of us on the field. But that’s wishful thinking."

It is a stretch, but not too far from reality. Judging from the first two days of practice, the Chiefs intend to use plenty of their multi-TE formations. Because of their depth at the position, they could keep four tight ends when the regular season begins in September.

The Chiefs do have an athletic group of tight ends, the story said. Kelce, who caught 72 passes last year, is one of the best athletes at his position in the NFL -- even at 260 pounds. Kelce averaged 4.8 receptions for 57 yards and 0.28 TD (on 6.8 targets per game). Kelce owners have a legitimate gripe about his overall targets (103), which tied Jason Witten for 8th at the position during the regular season. Not coincidentally, he finished 8th among tight ends in scoring. He's currently the 5th TE off the board in early drafts in the 6th round. He has boatloads of potential, but Andy Reid hasn’t shown that he’s willing to give Kelce the 7.5-plus targets per game required to finish in the top 5 at the position.

Humility, level-headedness and consistency are traits Michael Thomas is making sure to grasp as a rookie receiver, less than a handful of days into his first NFL training camp with the New Orleans Saint, after already having wowed teammates and fans alike with several highlight-type catches.

“That’s life,” he said Sunday. “You’re going to have your highs and your lows but when you get to the top you’ve got to remain the same, do what you did to get there, or else you’ll fall off.”

But let’s be real: The man’s Twitter handle is @Cantguardmike.

That’s Can’t Guard Mike, and in all honesty it often has been true during his first four days of training camp, and the Saints’ offseason workouts.

Thomas, so far, looks like he's shaping up to be a deep threat. We still have him behind Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead but could be a late-round guy to take a look at. He's off to a hot start in camp and has an ADP of the 13th round.

WR Sammie Coates has lost about five-to-six pounds and clearly looks more comfortable in his second Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, from his on-field presence to conducting interviews.

Coaches said Coates had a big offseason that included daily trips to the team facility, even in the slow months. Now he's starting to find the payoff. Coates generated buzz with several impressive grabs during Saturday's practice, prompting coach Mike Tomlin to say Coates had a "good day." For Tomlin, who's not an excessive back-patter, "good" is doing mighty fine.

The Steelers plan to replace the suspended Martavis Bryant’s No. 2 receiver spot collectively, with Markus Wheaton, Coates, Darrius Heyward-Bey and others, the story said. Wheaton would seem to be the favorite for more consistent targets and Coates is more of a vertical threat, according to the story.

Colin Kaepernick evenly split starting reps with Blaine Gabbert Sunday in the 49ers’ first practice of training camp, and both completed 7-of-10 passes in 11-on-11 drills.

Kaepernick had a pass intercepted in 7-on-7 drills.

Each quarterback appeared to handled a few more than their prescribed 12 snaps on the first- and second-string units in what promises to be the franchise’s most scrutinized quarterback duel in years, perhaps since Joe Montana and Steve Young 25 years ago.

HC Chip Kelly said he's looking for a QB to get the team to the end zone and not turn the ball over. Although Kelly likely won't admit it, Kaepernick seems like a better fit for his system but he didn't have a mobile QB with Nick Foles or Sam Bradford in Philly.

DeAndre Hopkins is returning to the Houston Texans.

One day after choosing not to report to training camp, the star wideout is ending his brief holdout, a source close to the player told NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. Hopkins on Sunday announced his change of heart via a statement provided to ESPN:

Hopkins said in the statement he's disappointed the Texans have elected to not enter contract negotiations. He said his focus is now on 2016 season. With two years left on his rookie contract, Hopkins is slated to make just $1 million in base salary this season. He's obviously unhappy with his situation, but hoping that a team-first approach will help him land a new pact in time.

The uniform is different. But there were flashes from new Miami Dolphins running back Arian Foster Sunday where he looked like his same old self.

Foster made a "wow play" in drills right off the bat when he caught a one-handed pass in the corner of the end zone. He also had a nice, cutback run in team drills for a solid gain.

The Foster updates will likely come fast and furious, much to the dismay of Jay Ajayi owners, but Foster is looking more and more like he's going to have fantasy value in the Miami offense so his progress is worth monitoring. We continue to have Foster slightly ahead of Ajayi in our PPR rankings. Looks like at this point he just needs to stay healthy.

Sammy Watkins is close to being unleashed in Buffalo.

After undergoing offseason foot surgery, the Bills wideout has passed his obligatory conditioning test, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today.

Watkins opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list -- and he remains on that list for now -- but the third-year pass-catcher has been running for weeks and promised earlier this month to be "back on top soon."

Despite the positive development, Watkins isn't quite ready for the practice field, the story said. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the team is exercising caution before taking him off the PUP list. Watkins broke a small bone in his foot this offseason. Other sources said it will be about a week before Watkins is back.

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski might not want to talk about it, but there seems to be some dissatisfaction with his current contract.

The Patriots may be trying to take care of those early in training camp.

According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, the Patriots and Gronkowski’s camp are talking about a pay raise, though nothing appears imminent. His agents, Drew and Jason Rosenhaus, are present at the Patriots facility today.

The Patriots triggered the remaining four years of his deal, through 2019, by paying a bonus in March, which will move his earnings for the next four seasons to $27 million.

The story went on to say Gronk initially signed a six-year, $54 million deal in 2012, which came during his rookie contract. He’s clearly outperforming the contract now, but that’s part of the risk of signing with years remaining on a deal. Recent deals for players such as Jordan Reed and Travis Kelce and others have underscored how underpaid Gronkowski is.

Odell Beckham Jr. left the practice field early Sunday after suffering "a cut or two" to his leg after after colliding with teammate Janoris Jenkins while attempting to make a catch, Giants coach Ben McAdoo said.

"He's probably going to be sore for a couple days," McAdoo told reporters after practice.

OBJ got cleated, according to McAdoo. The star receiver landed awkwardly after going up for a deep ball. He required attention from trainers for a few minutes after. Beckham stayed on the field for a while, walking gingerly on his left leg, and he was spotted on the sideline grabbing his ankle area. Despite trying to jog it off, the Giants' superstar eventually rode a cart back into the team's facility before the practice's conclusion.

Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn said wide receiver Julio Jones, who suffered a minor injury on the first day of training camp Thursday, will return to full practice Tuesday.

Jones, who was pictured rolling a ball under his left foot Saturday, took part in a portion 11-on-11 drills Sunday. He caught the first two passes of the two-minute session at the end of practice. Jones was held out of 1-on-1 drills and sat out the first play of 11-on-11 before making an appearance.

"Not necessarily a pitch count," Quinn said of Jones' Sunday regimen. "We wanted to have probably quarter to half of him out today, make sure tomorrow off, and then we'll be back into full for Tuesday."

The Falcons have Monday off, giving Jones an added day of rest. He expressed little concern about the injury despite being limited for four days.

When Alfred Morris signed with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, the Redskins made very clear they were comfortable with Matt Jones as their starting running back. A few days into training camp, it's obvious the organization is committed to Jones. Watch the running back group in drills, and Jones consistently takes the first rep. Coaches are in Jones' ear constantly, talking body lean and ball location and working hard to get the second-year man ready.

Ready or not, Matt Jones is the unequivocal starter at running back for the Redskins.

This really isn't a shock, but we've had some posts that the Skins may still have to throw the ball given the talent they have at WR and how the team did struggle to run the ball last season. Still, Jones is one of those RBs to nab later in drafts if you're using the Zero-Rb strategy just because his workload looks pretty safe without much of a backup behind him. Chris Thompson is next up but is more of a change of pace back and is great out of the backfield. Behind Thompson there isn't much of a proven commodity however.

Head coach Doug Pederson said Eagles' No. 1 Ryan Mathews back is day to day and expected to return next week, so at least it sounds like this is a minor ding and nothing to get overly worked up about.

Then again, this is always the question with the talented ball-carrier, a former first-round draft pick who's twice rushed for over 1,000 yards, but managed to suit up for all 16 games only once in six NFL seasons. Odds are at some point Mathews will be unavailable, and then what will the Eagles do?

"Right now the running back (position), we've got a lot of talent right there. We've got some young talent," Pederson insisted after Friday's practice, rattling off the depth chart. The reality of the situation is there's not a great deal of NFL experience coming off the bench.

In terms of a proven commodity who could take over as starter, there isn't one. Third-year back Kenjon Barner has 34 rushing attempts in 18 career games, while fifth-round pick Wendell Smallwood and undrafted rookies Byron Marshall and Cedric O'Neal round out the unit.

If Mathews were to miss an extended period, Smallwood seems poised to benefit the most from the absence.

This is something we've already talked about here at the site this past week. Sproles and Barner aren't really cut out for carrying the load over a long period of time. Sproles did tote the ball 15 times last year against New England but most likely wouldn't hold up in a longer stretch with that much work. That's why Smallwood makes the most sense as a guy who could get double-digit carries if Mathews is hurt. Given Mathews injury history, it's a real possibility the Birds will have to deal with this at some point in 2016.

The Steelers surely are concerned with the possibility of not having running back LeVeon Bell for the first month of the season, and for good reason, as he continues to wait to hear the results of the the appeal of his four-game suspension for violation the NFL's drug policy.

As for being concerned about Bell's surgically repaired knee, there are far fewer worries, and that's been solidified through the first three days of training camp at St. Vincent College.

Bell is less than nine months removed from an ugly knee injury he suffered in November against the Bengals that tore his his MCL and PCL, requiring surgery and keeping him out of the final two months of the season.

Through the early stages of camp, you'd be hard-pressed to tell that Bell is recovering from any injury let alone a severe knee injury. You can lump offensive coordinator Todd Haley into that group of being pleasantly surprised, the story all said. That's good news for potential owners and it looks like Bell's injury recovery isn't a cause for a lot of concern. But as the story said, a possible four-game suspension awaits, and we've dropped Bell down our list as a result.

The Dolphins activated former Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster from the physically unable to perform list. Sunday will mark Foster’s first practice in a Dolphins uniform.

Let the camp battle begin. Foster had drawn a lot of compliments from HC Adam Gase up to this point. We should start to see how the Dolphins will use Foster and Jay Ajayi going forward and what it will mean for their fantasy value.

The Rams placed running back Tre Mason on the reserve/did not report list Saturday.

Mason was a no-show when the full squad was required to report on Friday for the team’s first camp at the University of California-Irvine.

The team had excused Mason from the offseason program due to personal reasons. Last week, TMZ reported that police were called to Mason’s house for the fifth time in four months.

It’s probably not a surprise to team officials that Mason didn’t show up for camp, but it still has to be concerning given his recent arrests and the additional police visits.

Mason, who turns 23 next week, has been the Rams’ backup running back for the last two seasons. He got limited work last season with the emergence of Todd Gurley, but he’s scored five touchdowns and averaged 3.8 yards per carry on 254 carries over two seasons.

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has lamented the grind of training camp. Training camp is here for the Vikings, and he’s not yet grinding.

Via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, coach Mike Zimmer said that Peterson has a pulled hamstring. He got the injury while working out on his own before camp.

But Peterson passed his physical and is practicing. So it’s not a major issue.

The story pointed out that hamstrings only heal with proper rest. There’s an extent to which the muscle can be pushed before it tightens up and delays the healing process.

In the Seattle backfield, Christine Michael gets the first shot at running back, with Thomas Rawls on the PUP list, but there is a clear rotation with Alex Collins and Zac Brooks seeing plenty of opportunities with the starters.

C.J. Prosise tweaked his hamstring at the beginning of practice and is not participating in team drills. It will probably take until the beginning of the preseason to figure out which of the backs is inching ahead of the rest.

Michael would seem to be the favorite to be first behind Rawls (assuming he's the starter) based on his second tour of duty with the team last year and playing pretty well. But there are some other names to keep an eye on as long as Rawls remains out.

Everyone wanted to see the Giants’ high-profile wide receivers perform in public today, so naturally tight end Larry Donnell all but stole the show.

Donnell made several catches in the first training camp workout fans were permitted to attend. It was a satisfying performance for a player who missed the second half of the 2015 season with a neck injury.

Donnell may have to knock off Will Tye for the Giants TE1 spot. Tye took over when Donnell got hurt and played well last season, and Tye has also looked good in the spring. This will be a camp battle to watch if Donnell continues to impress.

Larry Fitzgerald isn't ready to hang it up just yet.

The Arizona Cardinals wide receiver told ESPN NFL Insider Josina Anderson that his career could continue "for a while."

Fitzgerald, 32, is slated to be one of 26 unrestricted free agents on the Cardinals after the season. He told Anderson he has not asked for an extension. Fitzgerald is heading into in his 13th season and is coming off a career-high 109 catches and his first 1,000-yard season since 2011.

Giants WR Sterling Shepard has been lining up opposite Odell Beckham Jr. in two-receiver sets in the first two training camp practices. When the Giants use three receivers, Shepard has played outside and in the slot.

The bottom line is that the second round pick out of Oklahoma has been on the field a lot. The same was true during minicamp in the spring. So Ben McAdoo's comment about playing young players didn't come as a surprise.

The 5-foot-10, 194-pound Shepard has the prototypical frame and quickness of a slot receiver, but he's comfortable moving around the formation. McAdoo said he trusts Shepard and the team isn't going to be afraid to play younger players. It's not always easy for rookie WRs to make an impact, and some following the team felt Shepard's final stats may not impress this year, however that could change if Shepard keeps getting opportunities.

There was no way Jared Abbrederis heard Mike McCarthy essentially discount the idea that the Green Bay Packers could keep seven receivers on the 53-man roster.

But he sure played like he did.

Abbrederis, likely one of the receivers on the proverbial roster bubble, made an early case for why he should warrant one of the five or six spots.

Jordy Nelson and Ty Montgomery haven't been cleared to practice and Abbrederis is getting to take advantage. The story was about the Packers possibly keeping seven WRs, but the Pack receivers do a nice job of being able to play everywhere, even Randall Cobb out of the backfield. But, McCarthy says the players dictate everything in the end.

Jags TE Julius Thomas has accepted the fact that he may always have some slight pain in his right hand whenever he catches a football.

He dealt with it all of last season after suffering a fractured bone in the back of his hand in the Jacksonville Jaguars' first preseason game. The pain was significantly worse when he did get back on the field in Week 5, but he played through it, so a minor ache now is no problem.

"I don’t know if everything always goes back [to the way it was before the injury]," Thomas said Saturday after the Jaguars’ third training camp practice. "I’ve learned how to do everything I need to do."

It will not impact the way he plays, the story said, and he’s looking forward to continuing to develop chemistry with quarterback Blake Bortles. He said that was going well during OTAs, minicamp and the beginning of training camp last season before the injury, after which it took him a while to find his way back into the offense. We have Thomas as a top-10 option among our TEs.

The image created by the ESPN report that Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins “walked out of camp” is jarring on the surface, inviting the visualization of Hopkins making a one-handed catch in the end zone, spiking the ball, and heading out the tunnel, Bo Jackson-style.

The truth, per a source with knowledge of the situation, is that Hopkins did not report for camp. While the result is the same (he’s not there), the procedures are much different.

The story pointed out there's a big difference between Hopkins never reporting and walking out. Per the story: When a player reports for camp and then later leaves, the team has the ability to send a letter warning him that, in five days, the club has the right to place him on the reserve/left squad list. For a player under contract who does not report, he is subject to fines in the amount of $40,000 per day and possible signing bonus forfeiture.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who left the team's Friday practice after landing awkwardly on his left shoulder following a diving catch, should be back relatively soon.

A league source said Saturday morning that Patterson's injury was "minor in nature," and added it shouldn't take Patterson too long to get back to 100 percent.

The news likely comes as a relief for the 2013 first-round pick, who again led the NFL in kick return average last season but didn't have his fifth-year option picked up this spring.

Patterson spent time with a route-running coach this offseason, though, and coach Mike Zimmer sounded encouraged by Patterson's approach during the Vikings' OTAs and minicamp this spring. If the receiver can get back on the field soon, he'll try to make the most of his opportunities to develop in the Vikings' offense, the story all said.

Some say that receiver Roddy White’s expression of reluctance to sign with a non-contender means he has no viable options anywhere. That’s apparently not the case.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, White was — and still is — on the radar in Tennessee. But he won’t accept a minimum-salary offer. Andre Johnson did, which is why he was recently signed.

Johnson’s deal was not guaranteed, so the Titans can kick tires and, if they decide he can’t truly help the team, move on. Possibly back to White the story suggested. Other teams to watch for White, according to the story, include the obvious dot-connection to the Buccaneers, where former Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is the head coach.

Falcons All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones ran routes during the individual period of practice on Saturday.

He’s battling some “tightness” or what coach Dan Quinn called a “tweak.”

“I’m just so explosive,” Jones said. “So I always get something that’s tight or something. I mean, it’s good. I’ll just keep getting treatment. I’m eating right and I’m hydrating. But I’m good. It’s nothing serious are anything like that.”

Jones left practice Thursday and was kept out Friday. He felt his partial return today went well which is good news for owners and potential owners.

Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins wants more money, and he’s holding out to get it.

Hopkins left training camp and began a holdout this morning, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

As the 27th overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft, Hopkins is heading into the fourth year of his rookie contract, and he’s due a base salary of $1 million this year. That’s a bargain for a player of Hopkins’ quality, but it’s what the Collective Bargaining Agreement dictates.

Next year, the Texans can keep Hopkins by picking up his fifth-year option and paying him $7.915 million. Hopkins is obviously looking for a deal that would pay him considerably more than $8.915 million over the next two years, and more for a few years after that as well.

Last week, the story said, Hopkins commented he wanted the Texans to pay him “what I’m worth,” but he did not elaborate on his feelings. By walking out of camp, he has made his feelings clear. This doesn't seem like a good sign, but it remains to be seen if this is a one-day protest or something that will keep him out for a while. Hopkins is ranked fourth on our WR list and is poised for a big year with the hope of some QB consistency as Brock Osweiler takes over. We'll keep you posted on the developments.

Just how big the crowd is at running back for the Denver Broncos can best be explained by the fact that the team’s leading rusher in a season that ended with a Super Bowl win -- Ronnie Hillman -- is in a battle to keep his roster spot.

While C.J. Anderson led the Broncos down the stretch and into the postseason, Hillman led the team in carries (207), rushing yards (863) and rushing touchdowns (seven). But in the things-change department, Hillman finds himself in an all-out, every-rep-matters competition to reclaim the kind of workload he had in the offense.

The Broncos also used a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft to bring in Devontae Booker. And at 219 pounds with vision, to go with receiving skills out of the backfield, Booker has shown enough for the Broncos to already be considering him part of the group. Add in Juwan Thompson, who can play both running back and fullback and Andy Janovich, a fullback drafted in the sixth round, and it's a big crowd.

In the spring, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said his twice surgically-repaired back felt as strong as it has in years, and nothing has altered that stance as training camp begins.

“We’re optimistic about him being able to have close to a full training camp,” said head coach Jason Garrett.

In the spring, Romo went through a full offseason program without missing a practice after undergoing left collarbone surgery in March.

Of course, the nature of training camp practices is different from organized team activities and minicamps. Players are in pads, which adds to the intensity, and the sessions are longer. The story added Romo and the training staff will likely come up with a schedule similar to the last two years which included rest days.

Ameer Abdullah was on the field Friday for the first practice of Detroit Lions training camp. Something was different for the running back, though.

Unlike every other player out there, Abdullah did not have a number on his uniform. Also, he was the only non-quarterback in a red "Don’t touch me" jersey, signaling he was not to be hit.

Abdullah has been cleared to practice, but the Lions are trying to take it easy with the second-year player, who underwent shoulder surgery in January.

Abdullah sat out spring workouts following the procedure to repair a torn labrum suffered in December. The key to the Lions running game is clearly Abdullah so expect the Lions to work him in slowly. After the team's Week 9 bye, and with new-OC Jim Bob Cooter calling the plays, Abdullah averaged 11.5 touches for 55.3 yards and 0.12 TD per game. He averaged 4.65 YPC in that span, and the running game as a whole improved considerably under Cooter (+6.75 carries, +27.5 yards and +0.37 TD per game).

Ben Roethlisberger says his powerful throwing arm feels great, and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ veteran quarterback has a doctor’s note to prove it.

An MRI before training camp showed Roethlisberger’s right shoulder is fully healed after doctors decided to rely on rest and rehab instead of a procedure to tighten the AC joint that was sprained in a January playoff win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Roethlisberger also suffered torn ligaments in the shoulder on a hit by Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict. But he made an improbable return to drive the Steelers to a game-winning field goal (with help from a couple Cincinnati penalties) and played the next week in a loss to the Denver Broncos. Big Ben is seventh on our QB list but his ADP is a round or two earlier than some others around him like Carson Palmer and Eli Manning.

Anquan Boldin looks good. Yes, there was no hitting. And yes, Boldin has officially been on the Lions for less than 48 hours.

Still, the 35-year-old slid in as if he had been with Detroit for a while already.

Coach Jim Caldwell said Friday the team never actually worked Boldin out, just had him visit. But he felt confident Boldin would have something left because of the “body of work” he has shown in the past and because Caldwell had worked with him before in Baltimore. So far, so good there, one day in.

The story went on to say Boldin worked with the first unit - Marvin Jones and Golden Tate - for a good portion of practice taking reps out of the slot. He made some nice catches and appeared to fit right in with the group.

Robert Griffin III took all the first-team reps on the first day of Browns training camp Friday, and is clearly the frontrunner for the job.

In fact, it doesn't look like much of a competition, and it won't be long before Hue Jackson names him the starter. At the latest, he'll wait until just before the first preseason game Aug. 12 in Green Bay.

Cabot went on to say if Friday's practice is any indication, there will be no need to wait even that long. Griffin worked exclusively with the ones, and his main challenger, Josh McCown, worked with the twos. Rookie Cody Kessler and Austin Davis stepped in after that. We heard RGIII would get 4-of-5 snaps with the first team but it seems like he got more than that, and it seems it's just a matter of time before he's officially named.

Tyler Eifert had surgery two months ago to repair a partial ligament tear that he suffered during the Pro Bowl. He was in a cast for six weeks and has to wear a protective boot for at least another week.

The injury actually happened in the Pro Bowl and the story said it will be the last time Eifert plays in the game if he's ever back. With the opener six weeks away, it's possible Eifert misses time in the regular season. The later you can get Eifert in your draft, the great value it would be. Obviously you will need to carry a second TE until Eifert can prove he's back to form, and roster spots can be valuable.

Tight end Dennis Pitta avoided a spot on the physically unable to perform list this week, leaving him eligible to take part in practices with the Ravens as they opened training camp.

Pitta didn’t practice at all last year as his twice-broken and dislocated hip was never well enough for him to get on the field. Pitta contemplated retirement in the offseason, but restructured his contract with the team in order to give it another go.

After the first two practices, Pitta told reporters that he’s not thinking about his hip unless he’s being asked about it and that he feels his chemistry with quarterback Joe Flacco hasn’t suffered as a result of his long layoff.

The Ravens are deep at TE but it would a great story if Pitta can return to form even as part of a committee at the position. A lot more will have to be settled in terms of his fantasy production. Our highest rated Raven TE is Ben Watson at 28th.

Josh Doctson doesn’t want his NFL career to start like this, but for now the 2016 first-round pick is being forced to wait.

“Yeah, we weren’t very satisfied with the way his Achilles was coming along,” Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said. “He still had a lot of soreness in the morning when he’d wake up. We just want to try to get another treatment. That’s something [Head Athletic Trainer] Larry Hess will have to tell you exactly what it was.”

Gruden added that the team is going to hold out the wide receiver until he’s 100 percent.

“I don’t think he’s very far away,” Gruden said. “We’re being probably more cautious right now because it is a significant deal. The Achilles for a wide receiver with his explosion, we want it to be 100 percent. We don’t want it to re-occur, so we’re trying to nip it in the bud right now.”

Even with Pierre Garçon and DeSean Jackson in the fold, the Redskins expect Doctson to be an instant contributor on offense. The story added the WR said he’s “feeling good,” but there’s no clear timetable on his return just yet.

Head coach Rex Ryan said Tyrod Taylor has taken over the team, and that he is going to do great things in his second year as the starting quarterback.

On Friday, Taylor's said he is eager to get this season underway with the first practice at training camp beginning Saturday morning at St. John Fisher College.

"Going into my second year as the starter, I'm definitely excited," Taylor said. "This is a big year for me, and a big year for the team."

Last year at training camp, Taylor was in a competition for the starting role along with E.J. Manual and Matt Cassel. Taylor won the battle for the starting role, and went 8-6 in his first year with the Bills. Now he's in search of a new deal as well. Taylor has crept into the QB1 talk this season and is ranked 11th on our list. We project him third among QBs in rushing which can obviously boost a QB's fantasy production. He's a low-end QB1 to high-end QB2 option heading into drafts, yet has an ADP of just the 12th round so he presents value.

For about a month early in the offseason, and then again in July, Marcus Mariota spent time with San Diego strength and conditioning coach Ryan Flaherty.

Their mission: Work to make the Titans' second-year quarterback less susceptible to injury.

Mariota had a fine rookie year but played in only 12 games as two separate knee injuries knocked him out of action.

Bad luck and bad timing can make some injuries unavoidable.

Flaherty said Mariota worked hard on improving muscle groups that are important in stabilizing knees that might take lateral hits: Hips, gluteus medius (the muscle that’s on the outside of both sides of the pelvis) and VMOs (vastus medialis obliques), the tear-drop muscles above the kneecap. Mariota is a guy to target has a mid QB2 option in drafts this year.

For a player who flew under the radar in free agency, Rueben Randle is quickly showing the potential to be a major addition to the Eagles offense.

We're only a couple of days into training camp, and it should be noted Randle is one of several wide receivers seeing reps with the first-team offense. That being said, the fifth-year veteran has been very active thus far, especially during Friday's practice.

Randle made two tough catches in particular, of the variety Eagles wideouts frequently dropped last season.

Yes, it's early, but the Eagles need Randle to give them something on the outside with Jordan Matthews, their best receiver, playing the slot. He's just 25 and signed a one-year deal so he'll be looking to earn a longer deal with a good season and could be a guy to target in the very late rounds.

The Raiders put running back Roy Helu on the physically unable to perform list at the start of camp because he had surgery on both hips this offseason, but it’s going to be a brief stay.

Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said Friday that the team has removed Helu from the 90-man roster entirely and replacing him with defensive tackle Derrick Lott.

Helu signed with the Raiders in March 2015, but he was hurt during training camp and wound up getting just 17 carries and nine receptions in nine appearances with the team. His hip problems suggested more of the same could be on tap this season and the Raiders will look elsewhere for backs to complement Latavius Murray. They have 2016 fifth-rounder DeAndre Washington, Taiwan Jones, George Atkinson and Jalen Richard on hand to compete for that role now. We had a story earlier that Washington could be the guy to win the job as the backup to Murray.

There has been some hand-wringing nationally about Chargers RB Melvin Gordon's health status after the revelation of his microfracture knee surgery in January.

But after a slow start, Gordon picked up the pace during mandatory minicamp and is expected to be full-go at the start of training camp.

The author said he wouldn't be shocked if the Chargers take a slow approach with Gordon, and maybe even start him on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list just to make sure he is fully healthy. Once on the field, how decisive Gordon runs and how well he holds on to the football after working out with mentor Adrian Peterson in Houston during the offseason will be points of evaluation during preseason play and training camp.

Julio Jones left the very first practice of training camp with what Falcons coach Dan Quinn called a “tweak” to an unspecified body part.

Jones did not practice Friday, either, after Quinn had said he likely would. But Quinn insists that the injury is a “small tweak” and a “one-off thing” and said Jones would “likely be back in the next day or so.”

“He’s fit,” Quinn said. “He’s strong. It was my decision, and I wanted to hold him back.”

It's worth note because Jones was expected back today. It's possible he was just held out to be safe as Quinn said, but at the same time it leaves some doubt among fantasy owners because Jones is a possible top-three overall pick.

The Titans agreed to terms on a two-year deal with seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Johnson on Friday, a team source told The Tennessean.

Johnson, 35, starred in his first 12 NFL seasons with the Texans before struggling last season with the Colts. Although he appears on the downside of his career, the 6-3, 229-pound veteran will still likely provide a reliable target for second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota and boost a Titans receiving corps that rated among the least productive in the league last season.

Johnson didn't seem to have much left with the Colts last year. And in a recent news story, one of four unnamed team execs said Johnson's upside was in some kind of limited role because of his size. Two of the four execs said he was done while one other said he could serve as a mentor. This particular story said Titans coach Mike Mularkey was impressed by Johnson's productivity in a limited role last season, because 24 of his 41 catches went for 10 yards or longer. It's doubtful Johnson is going to have a huge fantasy value but it's worth monitoring what his role is going to be with Tennessee.

New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz's first practice of the summer went off without a hitch.

Cruz participated in all the Giants' drills during their first training camp practice of the summer Friday. This was the first practice Cruz completed from start to finish since last August, when he originally felt a twinge in his calf.

Cruz called it a "huge accomplishment" after missing all of last year with a calf injury that admittedly was the result of overcompensation from a serious knee injury the previous season, the story said.

A day after rookie running back Kenneth Dixon hobbled off the field because of a left knee injury, the Ravens watched tight end Crockett Gillmore leave Friday's practice.

Gillmore, who started 10 games for the Ravens last season, tweaked his hamstring. Ravens coach John Harbaugh confirmed following the practice that Gillmore will have a magnetic resonance imaging test performed to determine the severity of the injury.

Gillmore caught 33 passes for 412 yards and four touchdowns last season despite dealing with myriad injuries. The Ravens are relatively deep at tight end with Gillmore, Benjamin Watson, Maxx Williams, Dennis Pitta and Daniel Brown.

The feeling around the team is that Bears WR Kevin White is going to prove to be worth the wait. He drew positive reviews from his position coach during offseason work and quarterback Jay Cutler thinks the sky is the limit for White once he has a full grasp of the offense.

“He’s got a lot of things he’s processing, thinking through,” Cutler said, via ESPN.com. “I think for anybody taking a year off football, jumping back into it is going to be hard. A rookie missing kind of that vital year, where you learn so much that first year jumping into that second year, it’s a big miss for him. But he’s so physically gifted I think he’s going to make it up really, really quickly. It’s just a matter of him letting those athletic gifts come through and him getting comfortable with the system and the verbiage and the splits and everything else that he’s going to learn, and being at a place where he doesn’t have to think and can just go out and play football. I think once we hit a fast-forward button and get to that point, he’s going to be something special.”

Although it's early, reports on White have all been positive. Keep in mind, he still has no NFL experience, but a big impact may not be out of the question because the Bears will need him. White is 37th on our WR list which is a low-end WR3. He could be a nice grab between rounds 8-10.

New England Patriots receivers Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman remain on the PUP list, but both appear close to returning to the practice field.

Amendola reportedly underwent knee and ankle surgeries in the offseason, while Edelman had a cleanup procedure performed on his left foot. He had suffered a Jones fracture in Week 10 against the Giants, an injury that kept him out until the AFC divisional round playoffs.

Both players warmed up and did some jogging. Neither player wore a helmet or pads. Midway through the practice, Edelman and Amendola left the practice field and headed to the lower field, presumably for conditioning, the story said. While Edelman and Amendola continue to be sidelined, receivers Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell and Chris Harper have seen additional reps.

When the Dallas Cowboys open training camp practice Saturday, wide receiver Dez Bryant will be ready to go.

Bryant had surgery on his right foot in January.

The story said that doesn’t mean Bryant will participate in every drill from the start of camp. While healthy, the Cowboys have a history of working players in over a few days before clearing them for full work. Still, it's a good sign for Bryant and his potential owners.

The Jaguars’ second practice of training camp will be held without receiver Marqise Lee and running back T.J. Yeldon.

It’s another setback for Lee (hamstring), who didn’t miss an OTA or minicamp practice this spring/summer. He has missed practice time the last two training camps with knee and hamstring issues. Yeldon (right ankle) was limping around the locker room after yesterday’s workout because of an issue with his new cleats.

Patriot TEs Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett spent notable time together during practice Thursday, at one point breaking away to the second field with Tom Brady to work close to the goal line. The pairing brought a smile to Gronkowski's face.

"He’s great, a great guy to work with. He’s football smart. He came in and has picked up the playbook very well, which is super, super beneficial here in our offense. So that’s super good to see," he said.

"It’s another guy who is super talented and just wants me to push harder too. Seeing his athleticism and how he gets off the ball, I can bring it in my game, use some of his routes. He can use some of mine, so it’s great to work off each other.”

This is similar to what the Patriots did last year with Gronkowski and Scott Chandler, but the results weren't what the team was hoping for, in part because Chandler battled a nagging knee injury. So they're trying it again this year, with Bennett representing an upgrade in talent alongside Gronkowski, the story said. Bennett is just 19th on our list but it’s feasible that both Gronkowski and Bennett could deliver TE1 numbers. It should be noted that the Patriots did not have a productive pass-catching running back that year with Aaron Hernandez, and Dion Lewis will see his share of targets out of the backfield. Bennett would have top-5 potential if anything were to happen to Gronk.

And as strong as Matthew Stafford finished last season, Lions coach Jim Caldwell made somewhat of a bold statement Thursday when he discussed the start of the 2016 season and how much his quarterback knows about the offense he's about to run.

“Matthew is better than he was at the end of last year right now,” Caldwell said. “I continue to say that I think he’s certainly going to continue to improve.”

Caldwell implied that Stafford understands OC Jim Bob Cooter’s offense better now that he has had a full offseason to learn it, as opposed to the piecemeal installation that took place over the second half of last season.

Under Cooter, Stafford threw 19 touchdown passes and two interceptions in the final eight games of last season. He completed 70 percent of his passes with a QBR of 73.1 -- better than Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. He was the #4QB over the final eight weeks. Stafford, of course, will be without Calvin Johnson this season but the team signed Mohamed Sanu in the offseason and most recently Anquan Boldin to go with Golden Tate. Stafford is 17th on our QB list with a 12th round ADP. We think if this offense is for real, Stafford could push for a QB1 ranking.

Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin only did individual work during OTAs, but made several catches during team drills on Thursday. While it’s early in the process and Benjamin has rust to knock off, Benjamin’s work made a good impression on head coach Ron Rivera.

“It could be a good harbinger in terms of seeing Kelvin — I don’t want to say in top form — but pretty doggone good form,” Rivera said, via the Charlotte Observer. “He’s still got a ways to go in terms of getting in game shape. But it’s really good to see him moving around.”

While Benjamin's return to the team will provide them with a WR1 option, we did have a story this week about how the Panthers want to continue to spread the ball around and not just count on Benjamin. We think Benjamin is still a lower-end WR2 option this season.

The Eagles signed Darren Sproles to a one-year contract extension, the team announced Friday morning. Ian Rapoport first reported the deal is worth $4.5 million, and that the two sides have been working on it since he reported for mandatory minicamp in June.

“Being one of the oldest guys on the team, to know you’re going to be here a little bit longer, that’s a pretty good feeling,” Sproles, who is now under contract through 2017, told the Eagles’ website.

When Sproles skipped OTAs during May, there were rumors about the Eagles potentially trading the running back.

Sproles' role as a RB probably won't have a major fantasy impact outside of deeper PPR leagues, however that remains to be seen as the team doesn't really have an accomplished back behind Ryan Mathews. Sproles has provided a spark in the punt return game, including two TDs last year, so he's likely to remain in that role.

The Miami Dolphins placed former Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster and four additional players on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list at the start of training camp on Friday.

Foster signed with the Dolphins last week and is expected to compete with incumbent Jay Ajayi for the starting job at tailback. Foster suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in 2015.

There seems to be a lot of excitement surrounding Foster these days, but those owning Ajayi can take this as at least a bit of good news. This should give Ajayi a chance to shine early in camp and earn some valuable reps, especially if Foster's stay on the PUP list is for a significant amount of time. However it still looks like if Foster is healthy, he's going to have a role in this offense.

After signing an $18 million, four-year contract with Denver, can C.J. Anderson really be counted on to tote the rock 20 times a game? Over the course of an NFL season that would require him to stay healthy to get more than 300 carries?

Since he first broke the huddle with the Cal Bears five years ago, how many times has Anderson rushed 300 times in a season? The answer would be zero. Let’s count them up: He earned 72 carries for the Bears in 2011; 126 carries during his final year in college; seven carries as an NFL rookie in 2013; 179 carries in 2014 and 152 carries during Denver’s championship season.

“It’s only possible if you can get one at a time. I’ll worry about carry No. 1. I can’t worry about 300, if I’m not taking carry one,” replied Anderson.

The author took Anderson's reply as Anderson knows he must walk softly, without any give-me-the-darn-ball ultimatums, until he wins the trust of coaches and teammates as a true No. 1 back in the NFL. During the past five years, Anderson has rushed the football an average of 107 times. We're not predicting Anderson for close to 300 carries, in fact, it's closer to 200 and less than 1,000 yards.

Fourth-year wide receiver Markus Wheaton likely must be more productive this year, considering big-play threat Martavis Bryant has was suspended for the season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

Even though he likely will garner plenty of attention during training camp, Wheaton insisted he doesn't feel pressured. And he's not sure whether he'll remain as the slot receiver or move outside.

“Who knows how's it going to be without Martavis?” Wheaton said. “I talk with him every now and then just to check on him to see how he's doing, and he sounds positive, which is always good. Maybe I'll get more work outside with (Bryant) out. It's really hard to say right now.”

The story went on to say quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will need someone to take the heat off All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown. Wheaton's workload hinges on how second-year player Sammie Coates develops and whether veteran Darrius Heyward-Bey can become an integral part of what could be one of the league's more explosive offenses.

Indianapolis Colts fans have yet another reason to believe breakout campaigns are on the horizon for talented young wide receivers Donte Moncrief and Phillip Dorsett.

Early in training camp, per the Indianapolis Star, it's "unmistakably clear" that Rob Chudzinski is moving away from the two-tight end offense that was a staple under former coordinator Pep Hamilton.

Along with the coordinator change, the organization's recent personnel moves dictate an adjustment. With receiving tight end Coby Fleener out of the picture and 2015 first-round draft pick Dorsett healthy, it behooves Chudzinski to take advantage with a three wide-receiver attack, the story said. It looks like Moncrief will be the team's WR2 with Dorsett's role expanding as the third WR.

In this, the second year of coach Gary Kubiak’s run-heavy variation of the West Coast offense, with Peyton Manning now retired, the Broncos probably will turn an eager eye to their tight ends.

The tight ends have returned to Denver — even if they never left.

“Peyton always knew where he wanted to go, based on coverage,” said Virgil Green, a sixth-year tight end who became so dispensable last season, the Broncos made him a fullback. “This a tight end-friendly offense,” Green said Thursday at Dove Valley. “This year, the quarterbacks we have, they’re expected to read coverage more and go to the open guy. I think tight ends should be a little more successful than years past.”

If that's the case, you might find some late-round gold at the position in Denver. Virgil Green is ranked just 32nd on our TE list and only getting late round attention. Garrett Graham is next up on the depth chart. While there are plenty of more proven options out there right now, this is certainly something to keep an eye on if you're looking for value, especially in deeper leagues.

Bears WR Kevin White has looked like anything but an inexperienced young player who'd missed his rookie season and virtually all of training camp with a stress fracture to his left leg.

QB Jay Cutler and White spent time together in the offseason, away from football, and one result is the receiver understanding what his quarterback needs and demands.

White was practicing late last season before the Bears opted to leave him shut down after their season. The lost season set him behind on his learning curve, particularly given his relative inexperience playing at the highest level at West Virginia. But the Bears also gave White’s injury time to heal rather than rush their No. 7-overall draft choice onto the field. The time off allowed more than just the stress-fracture surgery to mend. It's a good sign for the Bears offense that White is looking impressive early on.

The official launch of the Ladarius Era has been delayed. Via multiple reports, Green has been placed on the Steelers Physically Unable to Perform list, with an ankle injury. He had offseason surgery on that ankle.

With Heath Miller retired, the Steelers need a competent tight end to enhance their offense. They signed Ladarius Green to be that guy, the story pointed out. Of course, Green will miss at least some valuable time trying to find some chemistry in the Steelers offense. We see him as having TE1 potential and rank him eighth at the position.

LeVeon Bell is facing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy via missed drug tests, and the Steelers running back is planning his defense.

Bell told the media Thursday he plans to appeal the suspension "sometime in August" and that he was notified of a missed test and his suspension in March, according to Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin confirmed that Bell's appeal will not be heard until the second week of August.

"I don't want to be a distraction to my teammates or to Steelers Nation," Bell added. "So I'm just going to keep moving forward and let everything handle itself."

The appeals process is bound to interrupt Bell's rehab from his season-ending knee injury, but the running back added he was confident that he'd be ready for the start of the season, whether or not he's suspended. There have been lots of reports about why Bell missed the test, one of which he changed his cell number.

Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls and tight end Jimmy Graham won't practice on the first day of training camp Saturday, general manager John Schneider said.

"We’re going to be very, very careful with those guys," Schneider said. "Quite honestly, right now we’re still trying to decide if we’re going to place them on PUP. If we’re not, we’re just going to be very careful with them. We’re still working through that with our medical staff, our sports science staff."

Schneider added that both players are on track to be ready for the regular season.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports there's "a strong sense" the LeVeon Bell suspension will stand, adding that "none in the know believes Bell has a strong chance to win the appeal."

Per Stan Savran of Pittsburgh's 970 ESPN radio, Bell claims he changed his cell phone number and thus wasn't notified of when he was to be tested. However, it's unclear if that defense would be sufficient. Florio suggests Bell might be required to notify the league of any change in contact info, which would put the responsibility back on him.

ESPN's John Clayton noted Bell has a chance to get out of the suspension if the drug tester can't "show he made good effort to contact" Bell, but added that it will still be hard to win the appeal. From a fantasy standpoint, Bell owners will want to make sure they have DeAngelo Williams.

The Colts have talent at their skill positions, but they also have depth concerns.

“We have three guys at wide receiver [who] we know about and then we have a bunch of guys [who] have talent, can run, have height, weight and speed and can catch and do all those things, but they have to go do it now,” coach Chuck Pagano said. “Those guys are all going to compete for that spot, and that’s what training camp is all about. We’ve got talent, we’ve got guys that are capable, they are just unproven.”

The Colts have nine receivers on their roster not with the last name T.Y. Hilton, Phillip Dorsett or Donte Moncrief. Brian Tyms and Josh Boyce are the only receivers who have a reception in the NFL. The Colts have routinely kept around five receivers during the regular season.

There's no clear-cut favorite on who Frank Gore's backup is even though the team is high on undrafted free agent Josh Ferguson out of Illinois. Gore had 227 more carries than his next closest teammate last season.

The Colts are just fine with their starting skill spots, but any kind of injury the team will need to sort out who is up next. Whomever wins the jobs could certainly have fantasy potential if there is an injury at some point. The story also mentioned TE, where it's just Jack Doyle and Chase Coffman behind Dwayne Allen.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones suffered a minor injury on the first day of training camp but is expected to return for Friday's practice, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said.

Jones rested for most of practice Thursday after getting banged up during a drill in the earlier portion of practice. He motioned to the sideline to be replaced and appeared to stretch both legs to overcome the pain. It was not considered cramps, Quinn said.

"We just held him out," Quinn said. "He had a little tweak, so we just decided to hold (him). He'll likely be back in there for tomorrow. He could have gone back in today and was asking me to, but I decided not to."

Quinn would not specify what Jones tweaked but said he'll be back on Friday. Jones spent extensive time talking to the athletic performance staff while on the sideline. Late in practice, he put his helmet back on and caught passes from the other receivers, with a member of the performance staff providing resistance as Jones pushed off.

The good news for wide receiver Victor Cruz is that he wasn't one of the three Giants that coach Ben McAdoo said will start training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

But Cruz isn't out of the woods yet. McAdoo said he wouldn't make a determination on Cruz' status until after Thursday afternoon's conditioning tests.

"We'll find out here in a little bit," McAdoo said during his first press conference of camp on Thursday. "We have the conditioning evaluation. We're going to get a bunch of guys out there, move them around, do football specific movements and see how they recover from that. He looked good today when I saw him."

Cruz is trying to make a comeback after missing most of the past two seasons. The former Pro Bowl receiver missed the entire 2015 season with a torn calf muscle and he was sidelined for the final 10 games of the 2014 season with a torn patella tendon.

The biggest note was a scare late in practice when rookie running back Kenneth Dixon came up gimpy with a knee issue. He caught a pass in the flat and then collided with undrafted rookie linebacker Patrick Onwuasor along the sideline. Dixon got attention from the trainers after the play and then limped off the field into the locker room.

Harbaugh calmed any concerns with Dixon’s knee issue after practice when he said the rookie “has just a slight, slight thing with the knee,” and he could return to practice as early as Friday.

Third-year running back Lorenzo Taliaferro, however, might be sidelined for longer. After having his first two seasons ended by Lisfranc foot issues, the Ravens put him on the physically unable to perform list because Harbaugh said, “he’s not quite there yet as far as coming out and practicing.”

An update on Dixon says he's day-to-day with a MCL strain. Ironically, we had a news story just today about Justin Forsett wanting a bulk of the work but some think Dixon is a candidate to get a lot of touches as the Ravens like his skill set. Fortunately his knee issue seems to be a minor one.

The Browns haven’t named their starting quarterback for the 2016 season, but it doesn’t sound like coach Hue Jackson plans to extend the competition too deep into August.

During a press conference on Thursday, Jackson said that “whoever earns the job is going to earn it on the field” and suggested that they’ll do it pretty soon.

“It’s going to show itself really quickly and it would definitely be before we play our first preseason game,” Jackson said.

Every indication is it will be Robert Griffin III who starts, and those on the Browns beat feel the same. We had a recent news story that Griffin will take 4-of-5 snaps with the first team in practice. The addition of Josh Gordon will help RGIII, but Gordon will miss a few weeks with an injury as well as the first four games of the season.

The public message from Browns coach Hue Jackson and executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown was that RB Isaiah Crowell is taking necessary steps to make up for his Twitter mistake.

“It starts with grave disappointment in the action in the first place,” Brown said. “But to his credit, [after it happened] he called both Hue and I on his own to be accountable. Obviously, it was a huge mistake but he has taken steps at least at the outset that he should.”

Crowell quickly issued a formal apology, and attended the funeral of one of the police officers killed in Dallas earlier this month and pledged his first game check to the Dallas fallen officers’ fund, the story said. He'll likely feel some backlash, but still looks poised for a Jeremy Hill-like role in what could be a run-heavy Browns offense.

When asked how he felt about a running back by committee approach, Ravens RB Justin Forsett jokingly feigned ignorance.

"What's that?" Forsett said, per ESPN's Jamison Hensley.

Forsett's comedy bit oozed with sarcasm, but it underscores the idea that the career journeyman wants to carry the load.

One thing Forsett has in his favor is that the running game did struggle last season, especially when he was out of the lineup. On the balance, the Ravens fell to 1,478 total rushing yards in 2015, down from 2,019 in 2015.

But the 30-year-old back himself doesn't exactly have a history of consistent success. His first season in Baltimore in 2014 was a Pro Bowl year, but it was also his first with more than 120 carries and more than 650 yards.

Forsett may want to carry the load, but early indications are this will be a committee. The story mentioned NFL Media's Mike Garafolo noted rookie Kenneth Dixon has a "legitimate shot" to earn snaps early in the season. Dixon is said to have shiftiness and one-cut explosiveness and is a reliable pass-catching out of the backfield.

Bears general manager Ryan Pace said Wednesday he isn't concerned that the failed contract negotiations will rub WR Alshon Jeffery the wrong way.

"Honestly, I feel really good about where he's at right now and kind of where we're at," Pace said, via ESPN. "I don't think it's going to affect him at all."

The franchise tag will pay Jeffery $14.599 million in 2016. The Bears wanted a long-term deal that would pay the 6-foot-3 receiver closer to $11 million per year, in the vicinity of the contracts recently signed by wideouts in the second-tier of the pay grade.

With Kevin White coming off a missed season, the Bears need Jeffery to stay healthy. Jeffery missed seven games in 2015 due to injury. When on the field, he can be a difference-maker. Factor in a talented White, and QB Jay Cutler certainly has some weapons to work with in this offense.

According to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News, the possibility of a deal for Tyrod Taylor before the start of the season is real.

A source said the team and Taylor’s reps were talking “relatively frequently,” as they pursue a contract.

As the story said, it's an interesting turn of events because of the short time Taylor has produced as well as the hot seat those above him seem to be on.

When asked months ago what impressed him most about his No. 1 receiver, Brock Osweiler highlighted DeAndre Hopkins' work ethic.

Hopkins has seen the same from the Houston Texans' new quarterback. He said as much during a Twitter Q&A with fans on Wednesday evening.

Their relationship is one of the most important to watch with the Texans this offseason. The Texans' quarterback dramas during the past three seasons have certainly affected Hopkins more than most other players on the field. He powered through it. Hopkins became the first player in NFL history to have 100-yard receiving games catching passes from four different quarterbacks, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

Still, chemistry can only help, the story went on to say. Osweiler has a chance to be a nice upgrade at QB for the Texans and Hopkins, who really exploded on to the scene last year and is one of the top WRs to draft in fantasy this season.

Veteran receiver Hakeem Nicks is signing a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints on the eve of their first training camp practice, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Nicks worked out for the Saints last season and again in May, but they initially opted to sign veteran receiver Vincent Brown, who was placed on injured reserve earlier this week.

Saints coach Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis declined to confirm the signing. Nicks, though, posted the Saints logo on his Twitter feed.

Nicks, 28, now replaces Brown as the oldest receiver on the Saints' roster by far. After releasing veteran Marques Colston this offseason, New Orleans doesn't have another receiver older than 24. Because of that lack of experience, Nicks should have a decent shot at cracking the roster along with projected starters Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead and second-round draft pick Michael Thomas, the story pointed out. However, Nicks has struggled to stick with a team bouncing around with the Colts, Titans and Giants since 2014.

The New York Jets and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick ended their five-month contract dispute on Wednesday. The two sides finalized a one-year, $12 million contract on the eve of the team's first training-camp practice, sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The deal also includes another $3 million in incentives, which could boost the value to $15 million, a source told Schefter.

Sources told Schefter the Jets increased their offer Wednesday from $8 million to $12 million and gave Fitzpatrick until 7 p.m. ET to take the deal or the team would be "moving on." The team drafted Christian Hackenberg and Nick Foles recently became available, which perhaps helped Fitz agree to terms. FitzMagic threw for 3,905 yards last year including 31 TDs, which made him the #11 QB on the year. Matt Forte is an added weapon at RB along with WRs Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, so Fitzpatrick should again find himself as a high-end QB2 (or better) this year. The signing provides a bump to both Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, who finished #3 and #14, respectively, in PPR formats last year.

The Ravens will have their first full-squad practice of training camp Thursday and one of their high-profile free agent acquisitions might not be on the field.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh acknowledged Wednesday that Mike Wallace did not pass the team's conditioning test, which he'll need to do before he's permitted to practice with the team. Wallace took the test early Wednesday and Harbaugh said he hit five of six benchmarks but was unable to make the final one.

Wallace could get another opportunity to pass the test on Thursday, the story said. The Ravens will have their first practice at 9 a.m. He'll start training camp on the non-football injury list until he passes. The Ravens are known for having one of the more difficult conditioning tests in the league the story also said.

The woman who accused Dallas Cowboys running back and former Ohio State star Ezekiel Elliott of assaulting her is taking the case to the prosecutor's office and an investigation into the incident is underway.

Columbus police referred the case to the Columbus City Attorney's office due to "conflicting statements" given by Elliott, the woman and witnesses after he was accused of assaulting her in a parked car early Friday morning.

According to the director of the prosecution resources unit, Robert Tobias, the city attorney's office is now gathering evidence as the woman, identified as Tiffany Thompson, is pursuing criminal charges.

The Kansas City Chiefs indicated early in the offseason that with no setbacks, Jamaal Charles would be ready to participate when training camp started. Charles returned to practice on a limited basis late in the offseason, and even last week on his blog wrote "everything is going according to schedule" with regard to his rehab from a torn ACL.

That's why news that Charles won't be practicing on Saturday when the Chiefs begin full squad camp was surprising. Everything had been building for the return of the Chiefs' best offensive player, a boost Kansas City badly needs.

The story said that Charles' return is on hold indefinitely, though coach Andy Reid sounded as if he expected Charles to be practicing sooner rather than later. While that's good news, it's something to monitor if you own, or plan to own, Charles this fantasy season. An earlier report from today indicated Spencer Ware would see a big part of Charles' reps. Charcandrick West would factor in as well.

Patriots RB coach Ivan Fears is looking for LeGarrette Blount to return to his "dominant" self.

"I want to see the LeGarrette that I know can be a dominant player when he's playing up his stuff," Fears said. "I want to see him get back to that. He's been hurt, he's been away from us. There's a lot of opportunity there for him. Let's see what he can do. There's got to be some consistency in his play, there's got to be production. Of course with his size we expect to see some physicality."

When Fears says there is "a lot of opportunity" for Blount, he's not lying.

Perhaps somewhat unexpectedly, the Patriots did not draft a bigger back, or any back, in April. They signed undrafted rookie D.J. Foster, a pure pass-catching back, and they signed veteran Donald Brown, who can play all three downs but has never been a 15-20 carry-per-game guy.

In theory, Blount should be in fine position to secure a roster spot and earn carries, the story said. He did not participate in the spring and is returning from a season-ending hip injury, so it'll be important that his conditioning is up to par. Either way, Dion Lewis is going to figure into this offense as well at the RB position, whether or not Blount is part of that 1-2 punch remains to be seen, but it sounds like the team wants him to.

Eagles RB Ryan Mathews has been placed on the Active/NFI list with an ankle injury suffered last week.

Mathews, whose injury wasn’t noticeable as he walked by reporters today when he reported for training camp, is expected to receive the bulk of the carries this season in the Eagles’ new offense.

After Mathews there are a lot of questions in the Eagles backfield. Darren Sproles does the most damage as a punt returner and receiver out of the backfield on offense, and he’s now 33-years-old. Kenjon Barner has only 34 career carries, although Wendell Smallwood has continued to impress Doug Pederson this summer. Smallwood could be a guy to benefit the most with Mathews missing reps.

Raiders fifth-round pick DeAndre Washington will get a good shot at being the primary backup behind Latavius Murray.

Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave said, “we’re putting him in different situations to get a feel for he’s strengths and how we can tailor plays, tailor situations so he can really flash for us. He’s going to be good in first, second or third down.”

The team is looking for a second good back to help keep Murray fresh down the stretch. Taiwan Jones is more of a special teams back and Roy Helu Jr. disappointed last year so it seems the team wants Washington to step up and take over the RB2 role. Fullback Marcel Reece is suspended for the first three games of the season and the team has high hopes for Jamize Olawale to take over Reece's role.

Matt Jones is the likely top dog in the running backs corps as the Washington Redskins head into training camp, but there are concerns.

And while the 23-year-old running back, who rushed for 480 rushing yards, three touchdowns and 3.4 yards per carry last season, is expected to be a factor from Week 1, the concerns are enough to evaluate the rest of the running back depth.

Behind Jones on the depth chart is Chris Thompson, who is expected to take on a lot of carries during the preseason; Keith Marshall; Mack Brown; Robert Kelley; and Kelsey Young.

Coach Jay Gruden did not rule out the possibility Wednesday that the team could add another veteran free agent to compete with the group.

Jones' surgically repaired hip and his fumbling issues are the main concerns. After the team moved on from Alfred Morris during free agency, it is thin on experienced running backs. Keep an eye on this situation, whomever the team gets could end up with significant work. Thompson is more used in the passing game and likely isn't a heavy-workload back.

Denver Broncos coach Gary Kubiak continues to insist all three quarterback have a shot at the starting gig, but Mark Sanchez will get the first snaps.

Kubiak said Wednesday that Sanchez will start with the first-team unit when training camp opens on Thursday, but noted that the rotation isn't written in stone. Kubiak added that reps will remain equal between Sanchez, Trevor Siemian and rookie Paxton Lynch.

"The bottom line is we're gonna give them equal reps," he said. "It's an open competition. We've laid out our plan of how we're gonna rep them and those types of things, so that we're getting an equal look at all of them. Tomorrow we line up. Mark's gonna go first, Trevor is gonna go second, Paxton is gonna go third. That will change on a day-to-day basis and how we do things. We just want to give them all an equal opportunity."

Kubiak said Sanchez and Siemian will likely split more first-team reps to start camp, but the Broncos want to ensure Lynch remains on a quick developmental path. It's probably not a good sign for Sanchez but he may still very well in the job. However, given his inconsistent play over the last few years with the Eagles, he's unlikely to keep it if Siemian and or Lynch show anything.

Although Chargers TE Antonio Gates turned 36 in June, QB Philip Rivers said during minicamp this summer that Gates can still consistently get open.

“There’s still such a suddenness there, even at the age of 36,” Rivers said. “He still looks fast. He’s sharp.”

Gates should still put up decent numbers this season.

After missing the first four games of last season due to a suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, Gates limped through the second half of 2015 following an MCL knee sprain in a Week 6 loss against the Green Bay Packers. Despite the suspension and being slowed by injury, he finished the season with 56 catches for 630 yards and five touchdowns.

The Chargers drafted Hunter Henry in the second round of this year’s NFL draft to be Gates’ eventual replacement for a reason. Gates is near the end of a remarkable NFL career. Still, Gates is 12th on our TE list making him a low-end TE1 option. We project him for a 60-685-6.8 line this season making him a solid, late-round option. Buyers should probably have a backup plan, however.

The Kansas City Chiefs will be without another veteran to start training camp.

The team placed running back Jamaal Charles on the physically unable to perform list for the start of workouts.

Charles suffered an ACL tear in October and underwent his second knee surgery in the past four years. Turning 30 in December, the Chiefs won't rush Charles back about nine months after going under the knife.

There's no need to rush Charles back because of last year's success of Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware. The two combined for over 1,200 yards and 11 TDs after Charles went down. The story said Ware likely takes the lead role in camp as long as Charles is out.

As the clock ticks toward Saturday’s opening practice of camp for the Tennessee Titans, the roster stands at 89.

Will they use the 90th spot to sign veteran receiver Andre Johnson (35), who was one of several players who visited the team Tuesday?

That remains unclear, and a source said nothing is pending.

The author spoke to four personnel executives with other teams. Two of the four executives pretty much said Johnson is done. One other thought he could mentor, and the fourth said Johnson's size could at least be used in a limited role. From a fantasy perspective, none of the four made it seem like Johnson could have a big role with an NFL team, which doesn't bode well for fantasy purposes.

The Jets on Wednesday are signing free agent running back Bernard Pierce, a league source confirmed.

The Jets report to training camp Wednesday and begin practicing Thursday. Pierce, 25, was a third-round draft pick by the Ravens in 2012.

Since we published this story, NFL.com reported that Zac Stacy failed his physical and was waived while Khiry Robinson was placed on the PUP list for the Jets.

Green Bay Packers tight end Jared Cook was placed on the physically unable to perform list to start training camp after having “preventative” surgery in June on his ailing foot.

According to Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Cook is still uncertain when he’ll be able to get back to practice with the Packers.

However, the surgery was minor and isn’t expected to hinder his availability for the start of the season.

“No, it wasn’t anything serious,” Cook said. “It was just, they didn’t want it to prolong and something happen later on down the road in season….I’d just rather be safe than sorry.”

Unfortunately, it's valuable time lost as Cook joins a new team and tries to form chemistry with Aaron Rodgers. Cook also missed the end of offseason programs. If Cook can come back healthy we think he has a great shot at TE1 numbers this season.

Despite being one of the best bargains in the league, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown will report to training camp Thursday, hopeful and confident that his contract will be addressed before the start of the regular season, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN.

Having Brown in training camp will be one less headache for a Steelers team that already has running back LeVeon Bell facing a four-game suspension and wide receiver Martavis Bryant serving a one-year suspension.

But at some point, Pittsburgh likely will be asked to consider options to compensate Brown like one of the top receivers in the game that he has proved to be, per a source.

Brown is obviously a top fantasy pick in all formats, but it looks like owners won't have to worry about a holdout situation. He's coming off a 136-catch season and is schedule to make 6.25 million this year. He still has two years left on his deal.

Jags QB Blake Bortles enters this year's camp with a clear mind.

That should be good news for the Jaguars' offense. Bortles had a rough rookie season in 2014. He threw for 11 touchdown passes and 17 interceptions, then spent the entire offseason reworking his throwing motion (he shortened his windup and lengthened his follow-through) and cleaning up fundamentals. That helped him make a significant leap in his second season, when he set franchise records in attempts (606), completions (355), passing yards (4,428) and passing touchdowns (35).

Earlier this month, Bortles spent six days in California with throwing coach Tom House, who helped him the previous offseason, but only to fine-tune a few things. He spent the rest of the offseason throwing with receivers in town, seeking advice from quarterbacks such as Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers. The fantasy community is expecting Bortles to regress in his third season due to his outrageous share of total touchdowns (taking part in 37 of the team’s 40 offensive touchdowns), the addition of Chris Ivory as a short yardage threat and a boatload of free agency money and draft picks thrown at the defensive side of the ball. Still, as the 10th or 11th QB off the board, he’s a solid pick given his weapons in the receiving game.

Victor Cruz has heard all the doubters.

The Giants wide receiver is aware of the skepticism about his ability to return to Pro Bowl form after missing most of the past two seasons with injuries. But Cruz is confident that he'll have a comeback season as he prepares to report to training camp on Thursday.

"Don't worry, my ears are to the streets," Cruz said in a video posted by UNINTERRUPTED. "I know all the naysayers. I hear all the people saying I can't do it or they're doubting me or whatever the case may be. But I've proved people wrong before and I'm excited to prove people wrong again. So, here we go on another journey."

Cruz suffered a season-ending torn patella tendon in his right knee in the sixth game of the 2014 season. He returned for training camp last summer, but a torn fascia in his left calf caused him to miss the entire 2015 season. With the emergence of third-year star Odell Beckham Jr. and the addition of rookie Sterling Shepard, Cruz could prove to be an X-factor in the Giants offense this season. Cruz is ranked just 77th on our list and is getting late-round attention likely based on name. Hopefully camp gives us a better indication of a potential Cruz comeback.

The question now is how the Carolina offense will look with the 6-foot-5 Kelvin Benjamin back in the mix with emerging star Devin Funchess, Ted Ginn Jr. and the rest of a group that overachieved in 2015.

There's no doubt that Benjamin will provide an upgrade. General manager Dave Gettleman said it’s like having an extra first-round draft pick.

Cam Newton grew as a quarterback when he was forced to spread the ball among a receiving corps that had no star. This camp could be about resisting the temptation to lean on Benjamin, which Newton often did in 2014, when the first-round pick out of Florida State had 73 catches for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns.

Banjamin is back in our rankings as a lower-end WR2. We still project a nice season for him with a 74-1,008-8.2 line. Based on ADP, it looks like Benjamin is going before he should in drafts, likely because owners speculate a little less spreading around of the ball. However, that doesn't appear to be the goal of the offense this season.

Going into this season, there is persistent talk of second-year back Tevin Coleman, who had one touchdown on 89 touches last season, taking much of the load off Devonta Freeman. The coaches are extremely excited about Coleman's breakaway speed and big-play potential, provided he remains healthy and tackles the fumbling issues that plagued him last season.

"We want to know what's best for the team, so giving it to him every snap may not be the best way for us to win ballgames," HC Dan Quinn said about Freeman. "Could he do it? Is he tough enough? 100 percent. But for us to play at our best, we're going to feature both the guys and use their strengths."

Training camp, which starts Thursday, will give a glimpse of how much more the Falcons plan to incorporate Coleman. Quinn also talked about the possibility of giving Coleman touches as a kick returner with Devin Hester no longer on the team, but he'll have to prove he's over his fumbling issues. Like it or not, Coleman is going to cut into Freeman's workload which will limit Freeman's fantasy value. But that's life in the NFL at running back, and we still rank Freeman sixth among our backs in PPR and his projected 61 receptions is third most among RBs. Looks like his real value will be in PPR leagues.

Colin Kaepernick got the green light Tuesday from his personal physician to fully participate in 49ers training camp, which opens Saturday with quite the compelling quarterback competition.

Kaepernick was limited throughout the offseason program following multiple surgeries since November, on his left shoulder, left knee and right thumb. Dr. Peter Millett, of The Steadman Clinic in Colorado, performed those surgeries and the most recent exam.

The story went on to say entering his sixth season, Kaepernick is vying to reclaim the coveted job that Blaine Gabbert assumed at midseason last year. It's now unlikely the 49ers would place Kaepernick on the physically-unable-to-perform list to open camp, seeing how they asked for Millett's opinion and clearance, a league source said.

General Manager John Schneider signed an extension with the Seahawks over the weekend and, as expected, his partnership with coach Pete Carroll won’t be ending any time soon.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Seahawks and Carroll have agreed to an extension that puts Carroll under contract in Seattle through 2019. Carroll and Schneider both joined the Seahawks in 2010 and their record leaves little reason to wonder why the Seahawks will keep everything in place.

The team has gone 60-36 under Carroll in the regular season and 8-4 in the playoffs. The latter record includes their Super Bowl XLVIII title, their run back to the game the next year and at least one playoff win in each of the last four seasons.

Broncos QB Mark Sanchez worked with the first team most often in the spring and has more experience than Trevor Siemian and first-round pick Paxton Lynch. Siemian has appeared to be the likelier alternative of the two, but Lynch said Tuesday that he hasn’t gotten that impression from Kubiak or anyone else despite.

“I definitely think I have the opportunity to better myself and put myself up in that position to play right away or sooner than I had thought,” Lynch said, via ESPN.com. “I knew those guys were going to be ahead of me just because of experience — Trevor his experience in the offense and Mark his experience in the league and me being a rookie, and this is the first time I’ve seen a playbook like that.”

All indications point to Sanchez being named the starter but a lot can happen between now and the start of the season. Sanchez can look good at times and terrible at others so even if he's named the starter there's a chance he won't hold the job for any length of time.

Pats wide receiver Julian Edelman (offseason foot surgery) should be removed from the physically unable to perform list very soon. Doctors uncovered a small break over the spring, and sources indicated all along it should be a quick recovery.

The story pointed out Edelman looked good while fielding ground balls and taking batting practice last week at Fenway Park.

Browns put WR Josh Gordon (quad) on active/NFI. Expected to be at least couple weeks before he can practice.

The tweet said Gordon was injured working out on his own this summer. This puts a little damper on the news of his return and he'll miss some valuable time trying to build a connection with Robert Griffin III. Gordon is ranked 42nd on our WR list, which puts him in WR4 range. Based on name alone, he may go well before that in fantasy drafts. It's looking like his full-time return to the field could end up being a slow one when it does begin in Week 5.

There's reason to believe Andrew Luck was never fully healthy at any point in a disappointing 2015 season.

He missed two early-season games with an injury to his throwing shoulder, played through torn cartilage in two of his ribs and went down with a lacerated kidney at midseason.

Going all the way back to the season opener we saw a quarterback with waning arm strength and shaky pocket presence, suggesting Luck was hiding an injury he never revealed.

"Personally, I know I wasn't playing well, whether I was injured or not," Luck recently acknowledged to the Indianapolis Star. "I have some thoughts, but I don't want to share them. I wasn't doing a good job and it's no one else's fault but mine."

Luck said he feels as good as ever coming into a training camp. He should bounce back nicely this season, and we're thinking he ends up a top-five QB.

The Bengals made a host of pre-camp roster moves Tuesday, most notably placing Pro Bowl tight end Tyler Eifert on the active/physically unable to perform list.

This isn't a shock if you've been following Eifert this spring. Eifert had offseason ankle surgery. He’s likely to miss all or most of training camp and the preseason. Eifert had 13 TDs in 13 games last year, if he’s healthy for Week 1, he could be a nice value in the 7th/8th round.

Raiders TE Clive Walford flashed his ability several times last year. If he takes off and becomes a consistent and effective weapon for Derek Carr, the Raiders’ offense adds a new dynamic.

Some of the momentum in that regard stalled though this offseason when Walford was involved in an ATV accident. He injured his knee enough that it required surgery, but the expectation has always been that he’ll be back for training camp.

The story went on to say Walford needs as much time during training camp with Carr as possible. Walford missed the bulk of training camp last year with a pair of injuries. That missed time together came after Carr was out for OTAs with an injury. The Raiders offense has a chance to be good this year and a weapon at TE can only make it better. Walford should be around late in drafts to take a chance on, esp. if your league gives you the option of playing multiple at the position.

The Jets report to training camp Wednesday, and to no surprise, it looks like they won't re-sign free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick before then.

The Jets' first training camp practice is Thursday.

With Fitzpatrick still unsigned, Geno Smith remains the Jets' No. 1 quarterback entering camp. In spring, HC Todd Bowles made it seem he wouldn't be comfortable with talks dragging out past the first couple of weeks of camp.

This is the time for last-minute roster-tweaking, and for veterans, a last chance to find a chair before training camps begin.

For veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin, that means another trip to Detroit, after his visit in June.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the Lions are finalizing a one-year deal with the veteran wideout today.

Boldin has some familiarity with Lions coach Jim Caldwell from their days together with the Ravens, and he gives the Lions the kind of physical receiver they may have lacked after the retirement of Calvin Johnson this offseason, the story pointed out. Boldin will remain behind free agent signing Marvin Jones and Golden Tate on the depth chart but may see time in three-WR sets.

Jordy Nelson said he had a "hiccup" with his other knee, not the ACL knee. He said Week 1 is not in jeopardy but doesn't know when he'll practice in camp.

While it may not be a reason to panic, there perhaps is some cause for concern that the 31-year-old Nelson potentially has issues with both knees. We can relate back to a news item from yesterday where there was talk about Nelson finding chemistry with QB Aaron Rodgers after a year off, and how timing could be an issue. With no timetable for a return, timing could very well end up being an issue the later Nelson returns to camp.

Dolphins HC Adam Gase talked about RB Arian Foster's route running:

“I’ve always been a fan of how he does things. He’s the type of guy that he can run his route tree similar to what a wide receiver’s is. When we worked him out, I put him in a couple of spots just to see how that looked and he runs about as smooth as any running back that I’ve ever seen. I’ll be interested to see how far we can grow the running back position with him.”

Gase said he's admired Foster for quite some time and thinks it's a great opportunity for both the Dolphins and Foster. It's still early, but those targeting or already owning Jay Ajayi probably don't find this a great opportunity. It appears Foster will at least be a big part of the passing game if he can remain healthy.

Packers HC Mike McCarthy didn’t share his thoughts about running back Eddie Lacy’s condition, which was of interest after McCarthy opened up the offseason by saying that Lacy was too heavy last season.

Lacy’s fitness came up on Tuesday as the Packers got set for their first practice of camp and the review was positive, although McCarthy added that it would be the last.

“Eddie is ready,” McCarthy said, via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I’m done talking about people’s weight. I felt like I gave an honest answer.”

The story added if the Packers had doubts about Lacy's condition, he could have been placed on the PUP list. The good news is it appears he was given the go to get on the field. Lacy worked this offseason with P90X creator Tony Horton, who estimates that Lacy lost 15-20 lbs over the course of two months. If he keeps the weight off for the rest of the summer, he has a good chance of returning as a top-10 RB, something he was his first two seasons.

The Cowboys want to get back to the formula that worked so well in 2014 when DeMarco Murray led the NFL in rushing with 1,845 yards.

They drafted Ezekiel Elliott fourth overall to be the lead back but have two other backs who can handle big workloads. In order to maximize -- or justify -- the selection of a running back that high, Elliott has to get a lot of work.

Can they keep McFadden and Morris happy? In his two years as offensive coordinator, Scott Linehan has relied mostly on one back to carry the load. First it was Murray, and last year, after Joseph Randle fell apart, it was McFadden.

The story quoted Linehan as saying he already trusts Elliott to be on the field in any situation and he thinks he's a full-package back, which means Morris and McFadden are insurance and/or role players. McFadden will not be ready for camp and Lance Dunbar is likely headed for the PUP list despite recovering quicker than expected from a torn ACL, but is more of a third down back. These are all reasons Elliott is one of the top backs to draft this year.

Both Garrett Celek and Vance McDonald surely will garner a lot of time together in two tight-end sets. Both are coming off career years. Both have durability questions. Neither is a touchdown machine, with three apiece for their career (all from last season).

Celek re-signed in February, so the pressure is on McDonald to really live up to his billing as a 2013 second-round draft pick.

This writer picks Celek as the Week 1 starter. But with questions at QB, there is a lot we need to learn about this offense and its fantasy value. In Philly, Chip Kelly needed the TE to block, and it was only later in the season when the O-line found some stability did we see Zach Ertz start to emerge a little at the TE position.

Torrey Smith is poised to assume (thrive?) as the No. 1 receiver, seeing how Anquan Boldin’s three-year term hasn’t led to an invitation back for Year 4. But who will complement Smith?

Quinton Patton (1 TD in 36 career catches) is no lock to assume the No. 2 role, and it will be worth studying how his overzealous approach will mesh with Chip Kelly’s ideals. Jerome Simpson has a great opportunity to revive his career. Bruce Ellington figures to see a lot of reps, especially from the slot.

Eric Rogers, a CFL import, has the 6-3 frame that will be especially enticing if he shows the desire to challenge for every ball. DeAndre Smelter, a medical redshirt as a rookie, remains raw at the position and his massive mitts surprisingly let several passes slip through his hands in the spring.

This writer predicts Ellington will win the WR2 job and we'll see Rogers in three-receiver sets, along with Smith. Reading the names in this news item, it's not hard to see there is a slew of unproven options abound on this young corps. With the QB also in question, there is a lot we need to learn about this 49er offense.

Carlos Hyde is the undisputed catalyst to this season’s offense, which promises to be run-oriented. But what if Hyde’s durability issues resurface? The 49ers scrambled for replacements after Hyde broke his left foot last season, and some viable options surfaced.

Shaun Draughn emerged as a surprising find off his Cleveland couch last midseason, but he scored only one touchdown in 76 carries. If not Draughn, then 5-foot-8 DuJuan Harris might be the shifty, change-of-pace back to complement Hyde.

Kendall Gaskins (practice-squad call-up), Mike Davis (1.7 yards per carry as a rookie) and sixth-round draft pick Kelvin Taylor (5-foot-10) aren’t ready to lead a run-oriented attack. Oh, and Jarryd Hayne is out of country, and out of the sport, with no comeback in sight.

This writer felt Draughn would win the job behind Hyde. He is probably the most proven out of the group. This could be a key battle to watch for Hyde owners as Chip Kelly's fast-paced offense and Hyde's injury history means the team's RB2 will have some fantasy value.

In listing some of the initial things to watch for with the New England Patriots' offense on Monday, the status of running back LeGarrette Blount was highlighted.

Blount had a season-ending hip injury last December.

With quarterbacks, rehabbing players and rookies already reporting to training camp, we now have more clarity on the status of Blount. Thanks to a training camp preview video from Patriots.com, which showed parts of Monday's practice, it is confirmed that Blount passed his initial medical tests at training camp and is cleared to practice.

We had a good idea of this yesterday as well, when the Pats announced who was starting camp on the PUP list and Blount's name wasn't listed. Blount will probably be the "2" in a 1-2 punch with Dion Lewis. In the six games in which they both played, Lewis averaged 11.0 touches (5.3 rec) for 84 yards and 0.66 TD, which extrapolates to high-end RB1 numbers both PPR and standard formats. Meanwhile, Blount averaged 16.3 touches for 80 yards (4.74 YPC) and 1.0 TD in the six games that Lewis also played. Blount slipped down the stretch, averaging 13.4 carries for 51 yards (3.61 YPC) and 0.20 TD in his final five games with Lewis sidelined. James White, Donald Brown and Brandon Bolden figure to compete, but this is shaping up to be a Lewis/Blount backfield.

Andre Williams has transformed his body this offseason and had a strong spring after a disappointing 2015 season. It's unlikely the Giants would give up on a draft pick, especially one like Williams they believe in, after just two years. But Williams could find himself in a dog fight for one spot with the promising Orleans Darkwa.

Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen and rookie Paul Perkins all seem to be locks to make the roster and Darkwa showed flashes at times last year.

Robert Griffin III hasn’t been promised the starting quarterback job in Cleveland, but heading into training camp, it’s his job to lose.

Longtime Browns reporter Tony Grossi said this morning on PFT Live that Griffin will get four out of every five reps with the first-string offense at Browns camp. That strongly suggests that coach Hue Jackson is heading into camp with the idea that Griffin is his starter, and will only change his mind if something surprising happens.

At the moment, the Browns’ depth chart appears to have Griffin on top, Josh McCown second, rookie third-round draft pick Cody Kessler third and Austin Davis fourth, the story said. As the story also indicated, this is Griffin's job to lose and his chances of keeping it got a little better with what looks like the return of WR Josh Gordon. Griffin is ranked just 30th on our list but has potential to climb a bit if things continue to trend in his favor.

There are three stages of intervention in the NFL, and before last week, LeVeon Bell was believed to be in Stage 2.

That was because Bell was suspended three games, later reduced to two games, to start the 2015 season. That ban was the result of Bell's marijuana arrest in the North Hills in August 2014. Coincidentally, that arrest was recently expunged from his legal record after he completed his 15-month probation.

Depending on your perspective, the good news for Bell is that he's only in trouble with the league this time. But another screw-up, another failed or missed test, and Bell is in Martavis Bryant territory, or Stage 3 of intervention.

The story nicely describes all three stages on how NFL drug testing works. As for Stage 3, the author said: After serving a suspension, players are placed in Stage 3, which unless the medical director chooses to discharge a player from the program, lasts the remainder of a player's career. Like stages 1-2, players are prescribed a treatment plan though testing is now random. A failed test will result in a one-year ban, unless the suspension is for marijuana, in which case it will be 10 games. Bryant was suspended for one year, not 10 games, for multiple failed or missing drug tests.

New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis, who is recovering from a torn ACL from last November, is one of seven players the club placed on the active/physically-unable-to-perform list on Monday.

Lewis had returned to practice for the final day of June’s mandatory minicamp and said that things were progressing nicely in his recovery.

“The trainers wouldn’t have put me out there if they didn’t think I was ready,” he said at the time.

The Patriots could be taking a more cautious approach with Lewis for the start of training camp, which unlike spring practices includes full pads and contact.

In addition to Lewis, wide receivers Julian Edelman (left foot) and Danny Amendola (knee/ankle) were other notable offensive players.

We've been hearing Lewis' recovery was ahead of schedule so this is a bit of a surprise. However the Pats may just be a little extra cautious at this point. Lewis was New England’s best fantasy back through the first eight weeks of the season before tearing his ACL in Week 9. In six healthy games in that span, Lewis averaged 12.8 touches for 95 yards and 0.67 TD. On a per game basis, he was #10 in standard and #5 in PPR at the time of his injury. Edelman is coming off foot surgery.

The Green Bay Packers aren’t ready to put Jordy Nelson on the practice field just yet, even though he’s 11 months removed from the torn ACL that wiped out his 2015 season.

The team placed the Pro Bowl receiver on the physically unable to perform list when players reported for the start of training camp.

It means Nelson won’t practice on Tuesday, when the Packers go through their first workout at 8:15 a.m. local time. They have non-padded practices scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday before their first full-pads practice on Thursday.

The story said with five preseason games in 2016 instead of the usual four (beginning with the Aug. 7 Hall of Fame game), there's less urgency to rush back players coming off injury. Nelson can come off the list at any time, but it's still a situation to monitor with Nelson being a WR1 option this fantasy season.

Those back-shoulder fades that Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson made look so easy were the result of rep after rep on the practice field.

The same thing can be said for those deep shot plays they connected on so often.

There’s a reason Rodgers has thrown more touchdown passes to Nelson (45) than any other receiver he’s played with despite the fact that Nelson didn’t play a single game in 2015.

So if there’s concern about how long it will take Rodgers and Nelson to regain their chemistry after the Pro Bowl receiver missed all of last season because of a torn ACL last summer. One theory is they’ve played so much together it will look like they never missed a beat.

Of course the other theory is their connection is so heavily based on timing that they’re going to need every possible moment of training camp together to recapture it. We're not too concerned, and project Nelson for a 76-1,242-10 line this year. He's already ranked as a top-10 WR coming in 10th on our list. If you pick at the bottom of your draft, he's a guy to target at least in the top of the second round.

Browns TE Gary Barnidge, recovering from offseason surgery, arrived to camp early as expected.

"(Barnidge) had the best doctor and he will be back and ready to go at training camp,'' head coach Hue Jackson said at the team's golf outing last month after announcing that his tight end underwent sports hernia surgery. "I'm glad that we're dealing with this now, so that we can get it behind us and get him back to where he needs to be. And me knowing him, he'll be champing at the bit way before time, but we'll slow him down and make sure he's ready to go.''

Barnidge said that he hoped to be ready by the start of camp.

Barnidge had the rare age-30 breakout season, posting 79 catches for 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns on 125 targets. There are a lot of changes in Cleveland this year with a new head coach/offense and a new quarterback (Robert Griffin III), and given Barnidge's short fantasy resume, he's not a safe pick. But Tyler Eifert played well under Hue Jackson last year, so it's likely that Barnidge will be an integral part of the passing attack, especially considering the sorry state of the Cleveland receiving corps.

Browns WR Josh Gordon is being reinstated, source said. He’s suspended for the first four games.

Gordon’s reinstatement is conditional, source said. But he can participate in training camp.

Gordon will be playing in preseason games, though he’ll still have to participate in treatment. When he’s suspended, he CAN be in meetings.

We're not sure what Rapoport means by "reinstatement is conditional," but maybe he explained that in his latest tweet on the subject where he talked about how Gordon can play in the preseason and attend meetings, but that he'll continue to participate in treatment. From a fantasy standpoint, this clearly will have big impact on the Browns' offense. The likely starter at quarterback, Robert Griffin III, is more attractive as a late-round pick, while Corey Coleman takes a hit as he's likely to see WR2-type targets instead of the WR1 targets for which he was already slated. As for Gordon, he was the #2 fantasy receiver in 2013 (in just 14 games), but he wasn't nearly as productive when he played in 2014. With Brian Hoyer at quarterback, Gordon averaged 4.8 catches (on 9.4 targets per game) for 61 yards and failed to find the end zone in five games. Presumably, Gordon will have to convince new HC Hue Jackson that he's truly serious about changing his ways, and if he's convincing, Jackson would be foolish not to try to utilize Gordon's talents in his offense. We'll update our rankings momentarily, but Gordon is shaping up to be a 6th- or 7th-round pick, though owners who are not risk-adverse may want to pull the trigger earlier.

The NFL has determined that Peyton Manning did not use human growth hormone or any other performance-enhancing drug banned under the league's policy.

The league announced its decision in a statement released Monday, saying it "found no credible evidence" of allegations in an Al-Jazeera America report that Manning's wife received deliveries of HGH in 2011.

Before making its final determination, the NFL interviewed Manning and his wife Ashley, who were "fully cooperative with the investigation," according to the league.

The NFL also received medical records pertinent to the case and, after reviewing them and the interviews, determined there wasn't any evidence that any violation had occurred.

There has been a palpable buzz around Giants WR Sterling Shepard ever since the Giants selected him in the second round of this year's NFL Draft.

All indications are he has the ability to be a perfect running partner to Odell Beckham Jr. and give the Giants a second star in their receiving corps. But it's tough for rookie wideouts to step right in and put up big numbers.

Shepard should put together a solid rookie year, but his stats may not knock you out when all is said and done.

The potential return of Victor Cruz could impact what Shepard does this year as could Dwayne Harris who also seems in store for work. Cruz is expected to be a full-go when camp starts on Friday but the Giants will likely take it slow with Cruz which could mean lots of early opportunities for Shepard in camp.

Giants WR Victor Cruz entered training camp last summer surrounded by optimism, only to suffer a calf injury days before he was expected to play in his first preseason game - an injury that robbed him of his entire season. Now he's back and expected to be 'full-go' starting with Friday's first practice of camp.

Cruz, the Giants and their fans are yearning for yet another storybook chapter to the saga of the undrafted kid from Paterson. But first, Cruz has to get through training camp, and has to prove he can still play at a high level after missing most of the last two seasons. Neither is guaranteed. But they cannot count on him playing a big role like they did a year ago.

The Giants will likely take things slow with Cruz and hope for the best the story said. If Cruz can even come close to his old self, it will be a major plus. This writer believes the team's top-four will be Odell Beckham, Victor Cruz, rookie Sterling Shepard and Dwayne Harris. Shepard and Harris could see significant work depending on how much Cruz can bounce back, if at all, this season.

Steelers running back LeVeon Bell is indeed facing a four-game suspension for missing a drug test. But Bell continues to insist that he hasn’t missed a drug test — and that he won’t be missing any games.

In a comment to an altered photo on Instagram of Bell wearing a gas mask with a bong, Bell said from his verified account that “I’m not gonna miss games, trust me.”

Many will scoff at the proclamation, given the lingering perception that Commissioner Roger Goodell retains final say over all player disciplinary issues. In 2014, however, the league agreed to use a panel of neutral arbitrators for all punishments arising under the substance-abuse and PED policies. So Bell will have a chance to have a truly independent party assess whether the league’s conclusions are warranted.

Of course the story from this past weekend is Bell missed several drug tests. He's dropped to ninth in our RB rankings for now and obviously this is a situation to monitor because Bell, you can argue, is the top fantasy back this year. DeAngelo Williams would again see the bulk of the work without Bell in the lineup.

The Chargers will report to training camp Friday and hold their first practice Saturday morning. Their spring ended with a scare, Danny Woodhead suffering an ankle sprain that could’ve been far more severe. He walked off the field under his own power. This week, he will sprint back onto it.

More than six weeks separated the end of minicamp and start of training camp. That gave ample time to recover for Woodhead, who will participate in the ninth training camp of his NFL career and fourth in San Diego. He is ready for it.

“It took a couple weeks, but now I’m as healthy as I’ve been in a long time,” Woodhead said. “I feel great going into the season.”

Woodhead is ranked 16th in PPR and is one of those backs to target in our Zero-RB draft strategy this year. Woodhead finished #12 in standard formats and #3 in PPR in 2015. He’ll have a new offensive coordinator, Ken Whisenhunt, who returns to the Chargers after coordinating the offense back in 2013. In that season, Woodhead averaged 9.3 FP (standard) and 13.8 FP (PPR) in 18 games, including the postseason. Those are solid RB2 (standard) and RB1 (PPR) numbers, respectively. Worries about the potential emergence of Melvin Gordon will depress Woodhead’s ADP, which is currently residing in the 7th round of early standard drafts (5th in PPR).

Veteran wide receiver Greg Jennings on Monday announced his retirement from the NFL after 10 seasons.

In a video posted on the FamiLeague channel on YouTube, Jennings said he was "done" with football and is "excited to be done."

Jennings, 32, said, "physically I know I can do it, I can still play ... but I feel like as though I would be going back to football instead of moving forward."

The biggest key to the Lions backfield success is the development of Ameer Abdullah. As a rookie last season, he was plagued by ball security issues early in the campaign, but closed out the year strong. He averaged 4.7 yards per attempt and put the ball on the ground just once across the final eight games. That's a stat line that should excite. Now it boils down to a smooth recovery from offseason shoulder surgery and if he can handle an increased workload.

Theo Riddick is what he is, a below-average runner, but elite receiver out of the backfield. He's a key offensive cog after catching 80 passes last season, but expecting significant growth as a ball carrier borders on unreasonable.

There are some threats to Abdullah's workload, but this particular writer doesn't even predict one of them - Stevan Ridley - makes the roster. That would leave Zach Zenner as perhaps the main threat to take away carries. It's a situation to keep an eye on because depending who makes the roster, Abdullah's value could rise and fall greatly.

There is a clear logjam at RB for the Ravens after resigning Justin Forsett last offseason, picking up Terrance West in November and using fourth-round picks on Lorenzo Taliaferro, Buck Allen and Kenneth Dixon in consecutive years.

Healthy again after breaking his arm last season, Forsett is still the likely starter even though Harbaugh has vowed to go with the hot hand. Until Allen solves his fumbling issues and gets better in pass protection and Dixon shows what he can do at the next level, Forsett remains the Ravens’ most complete back.

The story went on to say: Allen is the likely No. 2 following a solid rookie season and Dixon should also get opportunities. West impressed team officials last season and could get a spot while Taliaferro needs to stay healthy. The Ravens will likely lose one or two backs with promise and even though Forsett appears to be the starter, there is plenty of talent at the position behind him on the depth chart.

Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins said recently that everything is right where it needs to be in regard to his recovery from left foot surgery, although that doesn’t mean that he feels 100 percent comfortable doing everything on the football field.

Watkins said that he feels like his foot is “healed” and that he’s doing plenty of things at full speed during his workouts with the team’s strength and conditioning staff. He’s taking his time with the rest in order to avoid a setback that could put his availability for the start of the season into question.

He added certain things are full speed and certain things aren't, mostly meaning cutting off his left foot. He said he expects to be limited in his workload when camp starts before any restrictions come off. His final nine games of last season (5.4-100-0.78) gives him WR1 potential in 2016 provided he can stay healthy.

Bengals TE Tyler Eifert had surgery on his right ankle on May 27 after an injury suffered at the Pro Bowl on Jan. 31 did not recover as hoped.

A little over eight weeks following the surgery and on the eve of training camp, a league source said Eifert’s rehab is on schedule and progressing as planned.

At the time of the procedure, the plan was for him to be ready for the Sept. 11 regular season opener in New York. But, there remains the possibility he could miss games should the rehabilitation process take longer than expected. The story went on to say typically, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis doesn’t allow a player to suit up on Sundays unless he participates in practice in some capacity that week, so a key marker for Eifert and his potential return will be when he is able to jump back into some kind of team drills in later in the preseason. The Bengals will have to begin to answer the question of where Eifert is in his rehab schedule when the calendar flips to September in order to make decisions on the role of second-year tight ends Tyler Kroft and C.J. Uzomah, as well as H-back Ryan Hewitt, and how that affects the offense, the story went on to say.

The Detroit Lions announced Sunday that the following players were placed on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List:

WR Corey Fuller
TE Brandon Pettigrew
T Corey Robinson

Pettigrew tore his ACL in December. Pettigrew won’t be able to practice with the team until he’s activated from the list and could miss up to six weeks of the regular season if he's not ready. Some thought RB Ameer Abdullah could be placed on the list after shoulder surgery, however he was not one of the three names.

Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said at the start of OTAs that WR Tavon Austin could be headed for a stellar season. With the revamped offense, Fisher told therams.com Austin has a chance to double his catches.

Austin racked up 1,187 all-purpose yards last season and 10 total touchdowns between his receptions, rushes, and punt returns. He's heading into his fourth season. Austin certainly has a chance to be the Rams top WR because there isn't a lot behind him with Kenny Britt and Brian Quick next on the depth chart. Mike Groh is the team's new passing coordinator who focuses on route running and making contested catches.

Both Larry Donnell and Will Tye should make the roster at TE for the Giants. Right now, the early edge for the starting job should belong to Tye, who is a better blocker than Donnell and showed better ball security last season.

This continues to fall in line with early talk out of the Giants camp, but we'll have to get through training camp in order to have a better idea of this situation. Remember Donnell had the job last year before a season-ending neck injury in Week 8. Whoever wins the job will certainly have some fantasy value as Eli Manning has always targeted the position in the red zone.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back LeVeon Bell is facing a four-game suspension for missing several drug tests, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday, per sources informed of his situation.

While Bell's case is still under review, the news cannot be welcome for the Steelers or Bell.

If he did indeed miss "several" tests (and not just one), it seems much less likely that he'll win his appeal and have his suspension reduced. We've moved bell down to #11 in standard formats and #9 in PPR. He's worth consideration in the second round, but it's difficult to invest an early round draft pick that will miss the first month of the season.

Chiefs RB Spencer Ware, a punishing downhill runner who is at his best on inside runs, is also a good blocker who caught lots of passes in OTAs.

It appears that Ware, not Charcandrick West, is the primary backup for Jamaal Charles, so Charles owners should target Ware in the later rounds in case he misses any time.

Dallas Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliott has been accused of domestic violence but has denied the allegation.

A woman who says she's Elliott's former live-in girlfriend has accused the former Ohio State star of assaulting her multiple times over the past week, according to police reports filed Friday morning in Columbus, Ohio, and obtained by ESPN.

Elliott, who turned 21 on Friday, denied assaulting the woman and told police that he never lived with her. He has not been arrested or charged with a crime.

The Cowboys are aware of the police reports but have not officially commented. The NFL will review the case under its personal conduct policy, a league representative told ESPN.

The woman, identified as Tiffany Thompson, told police that Elliott assaulted her while they sat in a parked car early Friday morning, according to one police report. She told police that she had pain in her right wrist and a red mark but declined medical treatment, according to the report.

Four witnesses, including one who was sitting in the car at the time of the alleged incident, told police that they did not observe an assault.

We're just passing this along until all the facts come in. It will be important to find out who the four witnesses are and what exactly they saw.

Pittsburgh Steelers RB LeVeon Bell is facing a four-game suspension for a violation of the NFL's drug policy, sources told ESPN's Dan Graziano.

The suspension is the result of a missed drug test, not a failed one, sources said. The reason it hasn't been announced is that the appeal process is ongoing.

No date for Bell's appeal has been set, although it's expected that it will be heard before the regular season. If it's not overturned, he would miss the first four games of the season.

According to the league, missing a test is the same as failing it. As the article notes, Bell is appealing the decision, so it could be overturned, but there's a good chance that he misses the first four games of the season. This would seriously hurt his draft stock while boosting the stock of his backup, DeAngelo Williams. Williams averaged 21.3 touches for 112 yards and 1.1 touchdowns in the 10 games that Bell missed last season. Williams is 33, so owners should not expect that sort of production again, though he should be a serviceable RB2 as long as Bell is out. After his ban was reduced to two games last season, Bell's ADP remained in the early 1st round, though a four-game suspension is a lot tougher to swallow. We expect he'll fall out of the 1st round, while Williams' ADP will rise a few rounds. The silver lining here is that Bell has an extra month to recover from MCL and PCL surgery, so he should be good to go in October.

Texans DE J.J. Watt has undergone back surgery and will start camp on physically unable to perform list but should be ready for the season.

Watt has never missed a game in his career and should ready for opener against the Bears.

Watt missed 2012 preseason because of an elbow injury, didn't miss a regular season game and won first NFL Defensive Player of Year award.

This would be a tough blow for the Texans defense if Watt were to miss any time.

The Titans drafted Dorial Green-Beckham to be a game-changer, and he had his moments in 2015. Green-Beckham finished the year with more catches (32), yards (549) and touchdowns (4) than six of the seven receivers selected in front of him, with the lone exception being Oakland’s Amari Cooper, the fourth overall pick of the draft. The Titans now need DGB to step up and be more consistent in his second NFL season. Green-Beckham dropped some weight from last season, but he’s one of the receivers who needs to return to Nashville in better shape. At the end of June’s minicamp, Green-Beckham vowed to be ready.

DGB had a solid fantasy points per target (1.18) and is slated for a larger target share in his sophomore season. He averaged 5.9 T/G over his final nine games and played at a 44-791-3.5 pace in that span. In offseason activities, Green-Beckham has been passed on the depth chart by rookie Tajae Sharpe, so it's no sure thing that he's starting Week 1. Risk-adverse owners may want to proceed with caution, though this may simply be a motivational tool to ensure that DGB reports to camp with a sense of urgency.

The Jets see Forte as their lead back, replacing Chris Ivory, but he is going to get plenty of rest in a rotation that includes Bilal Powell and Khiry Robinson.

The main question with Forte is how much tread he has left on the tire. He had a remarkable workload in Chicago. He leads the NFL in all-purpose yards (12,718) since he entered the league in 2008. Forte is now 30, which is seen by most as the point where running backs fall off the cliff. Forte is out to prove them wrong.

Chan Gailey will come up with plenty of creative ways to get Forte the ball. Gailey loves to throw to running backs, and Forte is as good as it gets in that department. I would expect to see plenty of screen passes and Forte lined up at wide receiver in certain formations.

Forte may lose carries to Bilal Powell and/or Khiry Robinson, and is unlikely to score many rushing touchdowns. But if he's utilized regularly in the slot, he should be able to catch at least 50 passes, maybe more. Jets running backs caught a total of 90 balls last season under OC Chan Gailey. Forte hasn’t finished outside the top 12 in PPR formats in his eight-year career.

Peterson, as he seemingly does every other offseason, has vowed to become a better pass-catcher. But what is more relevant in regards to his playing time is whether he will be able to adapt to the shotgun spread attack that better suits third-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Peterson struggled running out of the shotgun early last season, so the Vikings started calling more under-center plays. They figure to go back to a more shotgun-centric offense this season, which means Peterson will have to make the most of his shotgun carries. He will finally get a chance to take some in contract drills during training camp.

Peterson remains the man in Minnesota, but McKinnon, his uber-athletic backup, reminded the Vikings late last season that he can make plays, too. Barring an injury to Peterson, McKinnon does not figure to get more than 75-100 carries this season. But if he has improved enough in pass protection, the Vikings will be able to unleash him in passing situations, when he can put his elite quickness to use.

Norv Turner is no dummy. If Peterson continues to struggle in the shotgun, Turner will adjust the offense to fit his strengths. Peterson finished the 2015 season as the #2 RB in both standard and PPR formats. It was a historically bad season for the position, so with the same point totals he would have finished in the #5-#6 range in 2013 or 2014. Peterson is entering his age 31 seasons, but is showing no signs of slowing down, registering a 4.5 YPC last year. He’s a solid pick, especially in standard formats, but it’s doubtful that he’ll finish #2 or higher in PPR formats again in 2016.

Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, Ty Montgomery and Jared Abbrederis offer little deep dimension on the outside, and it remains to be seen if speedsters Jeff Janis and Trevor Davis can make the team or win a role from scrimmage.

Janis piqued the interest of fans and, subsequently, coaches with his rare size, speed and ruggedness. Scouts have downgraded him on the basis of straight-line athleticism, tendency to body catch and average ability to adjust, but it's incumbent upon HC Mike McCarthy and his staff to determine this summer just what he can offer.

Janis had seven catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns in a playoff game against the Cardinals, but only registered a catch in one other game last year (2-79 vs. the Chargers) despite a host of injuries to the Green Bay wide receivers. For whatever reason, the team wasn't comfortable giving Janis consistent snaps despite his ability to stretch the field with his 4.42 speed and elite athleticism, something that is lacking elsewhere in the receiving corps. We believe that he'll make the final roster and push for snaps, but stranger things have happened.

Due in part to surgical advancements and his own strong will, Packers WR Jordy Nelson appears to be well ahead of the curve in his rehabilitation. Nelson even indicated on a national radio show in January that he might have been ready to play in the Super Bowl if the Packers had qualified.

Luke Getsy, Nelson's first-year position coach, expressed no doubt whatsoever when asked in late May if Nelson would once again be an outstanding player.

Nelson has had three healthy seasons in his last five, and in those years he finished #2, #11 and #2 in standard wide receiver scoring. He’s currently going in the 2nd round of early fantasy drafts. If he continues to have a healthy offseason then a return to the top 5 is a real possibility.

Browns beat writer Tony Grossi: Even though Hue Jackson’s offense is built off the running game, I don’t expect Isaiah Crowell or Duke Johnson to topple 1,000 yards rushing individually. I can see them combining for 1,500 yards and Johnson totaling 70 or more receptions.

Let's put Grossi's prediction into perspective: Since 2010, seven running backs have caught between 60-69 passes. They finished with an average ranking of RB9 (PPR), with the lowest finish at RB24 (which was Duke Johnson last year). Nine running backs finished with 70-79 catches with an average finish of RB8. The lowest finish was RB23 (Darren Sproles, 2013). Five backs caught 80-plus passes in a season since 2010 with an average PPR finish of RB6 and a low of RB18 (Theo Riddick, 2015). Johnson is currently the #19 RB off the board in PPR formats. Considering only two of 21 running backs with 60-plus catches in the last six years finished below that level, he's a good bet to return value. Assuming Grossi's prediction is correct, he has upside from there. Fifteen of the 21 running backs with 60-plus catches finished in the top 12 in PPR formats.

Running back LeGarrette Blount's return from a season-ending hip injury, suffered in December, bears watching as it relates to his roster status. Blount, who signed a modest one-year deal as a free agent to return in 2016, didn't practice in the spring. If he returns to full health and runs hard like he did at times in 2015, there shouldn't be any issues. But that isn't a given based on the present snapshot.

The Patriots' lack of urgency at the running back position indicates that they believe that Blount will be ready for camp, though they could go another direction once camp cuts start to occur. The most likely scenario is that Blount is the "2" in a 1-2 punch with Dion Lewis. In the six games in which they both played, Lewis averaged 11.0 touches (5.3 rec) for 84 yards and 0.66 TD, which extrapolates to high-end RB1 numbers both PPR and standard formats. Meanwhile, Blount averaged 16.3 touches for 80 yards (4.74 YPC) and 1.0 TD in the six games that Lewis also played. Blount slipped down the stretch, averaging 13.4 carries for 51 yards (3.61 YPC) and 0.20 TD in his final five games with Lewis sidelined.

When Eagles RB Ryan Mathews got playing time last season, he was very good. He carried the ball 106 times for 539 yards (5.1 YPC) and 6 TDs, which made him the most productive runner on the team. We stress that he was a good "runner."

Mathews is not a great fit for Doug Pederson's offense. Pederson has said that he wants to be able to move his backs around to create mismatches for opposing defenses in the passing game. That is not at all a strength of Mathews'.

Mathews has caught 78.3% of his career targets, which is good for 11th among 102 running backs with at least 100 catches since 2006. His hands are fine. Where he may be lacking is gaining yards after the catch. His Y/R (7.57) is mediocre. He's by far he best running back on the team at this point and we like his value in the 5th or 6th round. In the 24 games over the past three seasons where Mathews has at least 10 carries, he has averaged 87 total yards and 0.50 TD, or 13.4 PPR points per game. Those are solid RB1 numbers.

Mary Kay Cabot: If Josh Gordon is reinstated after he's eligible to apply on Aug. 1, the Browns will sit down with him and assess where he's at. Hue Jackson has said everyone will begin with a clean slate and that includes Gordon. Jackson will look him in the eyes and try to determine if he's as committed as he needs to be. I'm guessing that Jackson will be surprised by Gordon, who's nothing like his public personna. Jackson just has to decide if he thinks Gordon can stay clean and not test positive again, which would result in another indefinite suspension. Jim Brown told cleveland.com that Gordon's been in rehab, which should help his case with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. But no one knows yet if it will be enough for reinstatement, or enough for the Browns to trust him.

Gordon would drastically alter the fantasy landscape in Cleveland, though he last caught a pass in December of 2014. He played five games that season, averaging 4.8 catches for 61 yards. We're not optimistic that he'll be reinstated, though the league has left the door open. He was reportedly living with Johnny Manziel in the spring, but according to former great Jim Brown, Gordon has been in rehab this summer. Gordon is worth a late-round flier, especially in non-best ball leagues where owners can cut him and move on if he isn't reinstated.

It's all about Matt Forte, who will be asked to replace 1,000-yard rusher Chris Ivory as the lead dog in the Jets' backfield. Forte will be highly motivated after getting the cold shoulder from his forever team, the Chicago Bears. Forte, 30, is battling Father Time and a cranky knee that sparked some concern in free agency, but he's said to be healthy and rejuvenated as he approaches his ninth season. His workload will be an ongoing story. As a three-down back for the Bears, he averaged 315 touches (rushes and receptions) per year. That's a bit steep for an aging runner, so look for a time-share system with Bilal Powell.

There was a noticeable improvement last season in Powell's speed and quickness. He set career highs in yards per rush (4.5) and receptions (47), becoming a valuable member of the offense. He was the ideal complement to the bruising Ivory, but the dynamics have changed. Powell and Forte have similar skill sets, so it'll be interesting to how it plays out in terms of role definition.

Khiry Robinson could wind up as the short-yardage/goal-line back (fantasy alert). Don't be surprised if he starts camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list. Robinson sat out the offseason as he recovered from a broken leg, but he should be good to go in the preseason.

Forte may lose carries to Powell and/or Robinson, and is unlikely to score many rushing touchdowns. But if he's utilized regularly in the slot, he should be able to catch at least 50 passes, maybe more. Jets running backs caught a total of 90 balls last season under OC Chan Gailey. Forte hasn’t finished outside the top 12 in PPR formats in his eight-year career.

Coming off a stellar 2014 season, DeMarco Murray’s numbers weren’t nearly as impressive last season with the Eagles, where he had few opportunities in an offense that wasn’t designed to take advantage of his strengths. The Titans plan to put Murray to work, and they’ve love how he’s handled himself over the last few months. Murray has looked good on the field, and he’s also spoken up and provided leadership. The expectation is he’ll return to form in 2016, and be the team’s workhorse in the backfield.

Related players: Derrick Henry

It’s fair to wonder if Murray’s best years are behind him after his disappointing season in Philadelphia (193 carries for 702 yards and six touchdowns). His 3.6 YPC was a full 1.1 YPC less than his 2014 average in his epic season with the Cowboys. Now he joins a Tennessee team that may have trouble staying in a run-heavy game script, and he’ll have to fend off 2nd-round pick Derrick Henry.

Before coach Mike McCarthy sent Eddie Lacy home for the summer, he issued something of a warning to the Green Bay Packers running back.

In so many words, he said he hoped Lacy wouldn't revert to his old habits during the break before training camp.

It appears Lacy listened.

According to a source, the Packers running back reunited this summer with trainer Tony Horton, the P90X founder who worked out Lacy shortly after last season after McCarthy gave him an ultimatum to lose weight.

In his first two seasons, Lacy posted back-to-back top 8 finishes in both standard and PPR formats. In 2015, he finished 25th and 32nd, respectively, struggling both with his health and staying out of Mike McCarthy’s doghouse. His playing weight was a major topic of conversation all year, and to his credit, Lacy followed through this offseason by working out with Horton, who estimates that Lacy lost 15-20 lbs over the course of two months. If he keeps the weight off for the rest of the summer, he has a good chance of returning to the top 10.

In Arian Foster, the Dolphins believe they are getting the player far closer to the one who averaged 4.8 yards and ran for 1246 yards in 2014 than the one limited to 2.6 per carry in four games last season before a ruptured Achilles.

Foster, who ranks 10th among active backs in career rushing yards, is only 29. But durability has been an issue in recent years. He missed 23 of a possible 48 games, due largely to a 2013 back injury and last year's Achilles' injury, which was sustained in late October against Miami.

But Foster impressed the Dolphins in a workout today -- "looked good," one source said -- and the Dolphins wanted to move quickly before he had a chance to board a flight and work out for Detroit.

Foster will compete with Jay Ajayi for the starting job. But regardless of who starts, both should get plenty of carries, presuming Foster stays healthy. Remember, Adam Gase has raved about Ajayi throughout the offseason program, though he has dropped a few passes.

We're anticipating a timeshare for now, with Foster having the better chance to earn a lion's share of touches (if healthy). He also has the better chance of going down with a season-ending or long-term injury.

RB Arian Foster is signing with the #Dolphins, source said.

Related players: Jay Ajayi

Foster struggled last year (2.6 YPC on 63 carries) before tearing his Achilles, so there's no guarantee that he's going to come back and look like his old self. He must have looked good enough in Monday's workout to convince the Dolphins to sign him. Jay Ajayi's touches are seriously threatened by this addition, though the team may be looking at Foster to take on 5-7 carries per game. We'll know more when camp starts and the depth chart starts to shake out.

Bears GM Ryan Pace and coach John Fox are counting on running backs coach Stan Drayton to get the most out of Jeremy Langford and KaDeem Carey (fourth-round picks in 2015 and 2014, respectively). For Langford, that means running with a wider base and gaining more yards after contact. For Carey, that means building on his toughness and energy to become a more complete back. Expect both to be part of the committee approach Fox has favored throughout his career. It promises to be hell for fantasy football owners, but Fox wants to limit backs' workload and play the so-called hot hand. Jordan Howard adds a bruiser's skill set to the rotation, and Jacquizz Rodgers provides veteran leadership to a group of runners who must earn each snap.

Langford averaged 21.3 touches (17.0 carries) for 122 yards and 1.3 TD in the three games that Forte missed, while Carey saw 10.0 carries per game in that span. Langford finished as the #23 RB in standard formats with a significant role even when Forte was healthy enough to play. He only averaged 3.6 YPC and caught just 22 of the 42 targets that came his way. His NFL talent is a topic of hot debate this offseason, but no one can question the opportunity he has in Chicago.

Jerick McKinnon’s elusiveness (5.2-yard average on 213 touches), combined with strong pass protection of Matt Asiata meant the Vikings made little change at running back even though the third-down role could shift. McKinnon (5-9, 205) sits at No. 2 on the depth chart after a strong finish to 2015 with a per-touch average of 8.1 yards in the final four games. He’s a productive change-of-pace back and quick receiver. His playing time could increase as the Vikings look to get more from the passing game.

Asiata (6-0, 219) re-signed on a one-year deal with a minimum base salary ($760,000). He’s a bruiser and served as the primary third-down back behind porous protection, though an improved offensive line could mean a lessened role.

Peterson is not particularly good as a receiver, so McKinnon could carve out a significant role and become a PPR RB3/RB4 even if Peterson stays healthy. In the 10 games over the last two seasons that McKinnon has played without Adrian Peterson, he has averaged 13.9 touches for 67 yards, or 9.4 points per game (PPR). That was with Matt Asiata getting most of the goal line work in 2014, but McKinnon out-touched Asiata by a 13-to-8 margin in the red zone in 2015. So if something were to happen to the 31-year-old Peterson, McKinnon and his 4.9 YPC would likely serve as the lead back and see enough red zone work to make him a worthwhile start on a weekly basis.

During a recent podcast, ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bell explained why it's so difficult to come back from patellar tendon ruptures.

"It's this big tendon that anchors your quad, that large muscle in the front of your thigh, to your shin," she said. "So when it ruptures, essentially you incapacitate your quad. That's why guys go down in a heap when the injury happens."

New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in 2014. Last season, he was sidelined by a calf injury, but Bell noted that the issues could have been connected.

"If you look at what Victor Cruz said later in the season, he said, 'I believe that calf injury came from me compensating always having that leg -- because it was on the opposite side -- had to do all the work while I was recovering from the patellar tendon injury,'" Bell said.

"A study just published in June of this year in the American Journal of Sports Medicine looked at orthopedic procedures on over 550 NFL athletes," Bell said. "And of all the different surgeries that these guys have, those who fared the worst when it comes to rate of return to play and performance metrics like yards gained and touchdowns scored, [it was] patellar tendon repair.

"And their careers were shortened overall significantly. It's not to say that one individual can't come back and be phenomenal, but it's telling you that the odds are against them in terms of returning to form."

Through the first 12 weeks, Graham was the #9 tight end in both standard and PPR formats. It was disappointing production given his history as a top fantasy threat, and now he has to recover from a torn patellar tendon injury. If he's healthy for training camp, we expect that he'll be one of the first 10-12 tight ends off the board on draft day, but that’s looking like a "big if."

Arian Foster will be visiting the Dolphins and set to workout this week. Keep an eye out for the Lions on potentially monitoring Foster.

Related players: Jay Ajayi, Ameer Abdullah

The report comes from a Texans blog which presumably has some connections with those in the know in the Foster camp. Obviously, he'll change the fantasy landscape wherever he lands, though he's coming off of a torn Achilles. Jay Ajayi would be the big loser in Miami, though Foster may remain in a backup capacity as he recovers from his injury.

The Jaguars’ running back situation, chiefly how the carries will be divided between Ivory and T.J. Yeldon, is a frequent question. Most expect Ivory to be the starter and Yeldon a third-down back. But don’t be surprised if it ends being a more even split (55-45 range).

What will be interesting is if the Jaguars coaches take the Hot Hand Approach, giving Ivory and Yeldon equal first-half work and then leaning on one guy in the second half.

We currently project a 53/47 split in carries between Ivory and Yeldon. Ivory is probably the better bet in standard formats, while Yeldon could end up with more points in PPR leagues.

Tim Hightower seems like the best bet to back him up. It would be hard to envision C.J. Spiller not making the team, but he needs to prove he can still be productive.

Given the fact that Ingram has missed 12 games over the last three years due to injury, Hightower is one of our favorite late-round attrition plays. Hightower averaged 24.0 touches for 114 yards and 1.0 TD over the final four games last year with Ingram sidelined.

‪NFL salary cap expert ‬Joel Corry suggests Mo Wilkerson’s 2016 cap relief deal could free up cap room for a one-year deal with Ryan Fitzpatrick because the Jets had $3.425 million of space before the deal.

Offer Fitzpatrick one year for $12 million and the opportunity to bet on himself.

That part of the Jets’ three-year, $24 million offer was always a no-brainer for Fitzpatrick to sign if only because he has no other suitors.

FitzMagic was the #11 fantasy quarterback last season. It was his first finish in the top 12, though he was the #13 QB in 2011, playing for then-HC (and current-OC) Chan Gailey in Buffalo. It’s clear that with these two, the sum of the parts is greater than the whole, and given the weapons would have at his disposal -- Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker and now Matt Forte -- Fitzpatrick will once again be a threat to finish with QB1 numbers, assuming he re-signs.

The Buffalo Bills experienced a shortage at running back due to injury last summer in training camp. On Friday the club learned they’ll be short a ball carrier due to a league-imposed suspension come the regular season.

Running back Karlos Williams was served with a four-game suspension for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. The team issued the following statement in the wake of the discipline handed down by the NFL.

While this certainly puts a damper on his season-long outlook, Williams played well enough as a rookie to have the inside track on the backup job when he returns in October. Last year, Williams found the end zone in eight of his 11 games, but only averaged 6.9 touches in the eight games he played alongside LeSean McCoy. He averaged 15.1 FP (PPR) in the three games that McCoy missed, so he’s a high-upside handcuff provided he doesn't lose the job while sidelined.

Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady end his legal battle with National Football League to get a new hearing on his "Deflategate" suspension, he wrote on his Facebook page on Friday.

"It has been a challenging 18 months and I have made the difficult decision to no longer proceed with the legal process," Brady wrote, thanking his supporters. "I'm going to work hard to be the best player I can be for the New England Patriots and I look forward to having the opportunity to return to the field this fall."

If Brady's ADP drops into the 8th-10th round, savvy drafters can use the Angry Tom Strategy again and draft Brady along with a late-round quarterback to "get by" for the first four weeks. Last year, we were targeting Carson Palmer, but it turned out to be a non-issue since Brady was able to play in the first month of the season. This year it looks like Tyrod Taylor is the best value in the 12th-14th rounds. Jimmy Garoppolo would be a solid option as well. Our projections have assumed he'd miss four games for months, so they will remain relatively unchanged. We're not too worried about Julian Edelman and Dion Lewis, since Garoppolo has a tendency to check down to the shorter pass. Rob Gronkowski should be fine as well, since he can make so many plays after the catch.

Buffalo Bills rookie running back Jonathan Williams was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated by Fayetteville (Arkansas) police early Thursday morning, according to a police report obtained by NFL Media.

There was some concern about Karlos Williams showing up to camp overweight, but Williams' arrest is a setback/distraction that might keep him from overtaking Williams, who played terrific as a rookie. Williams' ADP has been slipping, but he looks like one of the best attrition plays in the league if he can lose the extra weight quickly.

Seth Roberts knows his role and how to thrive in it. He's expected to be the Raiders slot receiver in 2016, a role earned last year and kept with a solid campaign that featured 32 receptions 480 yards, five touchdowns and several clutch catches.

Who could forget the game-winning touchdowns caught against Baltimore and Tennessee? He was a red zone target, clearly trusted by Derek Carr to make big plays even with Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree on the pitch.

Big plays didn’t build chemistry with his quarterback. Consistency was the key there.

“I always go back and study last year’s film, one thing I continued to see over and over again is when he was man-to-man, he won his route,” Carr said. “That is huge. And he’s not just winning, he’s creating separation.”

“We don’t number our receivers but when he comes in, he’s the third guy in,” Carr said. “When you have that and the third corner guarding him or a safety coming down guarding him and have that guy consistently winning, it just opens up so many things. … It just takes pressure off of everybody. His role is huge, then you put a guy like (Andre Holmes), knowing the big play ability he has and you put Seth next to him, now safeties and defensive coaches have to make decisions because Seth continues to win on his routes.”

Roberts finished as the #62 WR in PPR formats as a 24-year-old rookie. He's a player to consider on the waiver wire if anything were to happen to Amari Cooper or Michael Crabtree.

No matter what happens with Davante Adams, the Packers figure to give third-year man Jeff Janis more opportunities than a year ago.

Janis was a forgotten man much of 2015, as McCarthy elected to play Adams instead. But Janis delivered one of the most memorable playoff performances in team history, with seven receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns — including a 41-yard Hail Mary touchdown reception on the final play of regulation — in Green Bay's overtime loss to Arizona in the divisional playoffs. Janis finished with the third most receiving yards in Packers' playoff history, and his two touchdown receptions tied eight other players for second place in that category.

Janis (6-3, 219) has almost identical measurables to Nelson (6-3, 217). Janis also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds at the 2014 NFL combine and has a vertical jump of 371/2 inches.

The Packers haven't had a burner outside since Javon Walker (4.38) more than a decade ago. If Janis proves this summer that his route running and knowledge of the offense are up to speed, he could add an element that Green Bay's offense desperately needs.

"When he can stop thinking so much and react more, you see the athletic ability," Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said of Janis. "He's obviously gifted very well with his athleticism, his jumping ability and his speed. He just needs to get to a level where he's not thinking as much and his instincts take over."

This headline is not saying much, since Janis barely played last year, but he appears poised to pass Adams on the depth chart if he has a good camp.

The NFL will not take any action against Bills RB LeSean McCoy for role in nightclub brawl, league spokesman told me..

This was the last outstanding piece of information about this situation -- would the NFL take any action? It appears that they won't. Last year, McCoy finished #17 in standard formats and #19 in PPR, but was a low-end RB1 in both formats on a per game basis since he only played 12 games. He averaged 19.6 touches for 98.9 total yards per game, and should continue to see that type of workload as he enters his age 28 season.

Drug possession charges have been filed against former Utah State football player Robert Turbin, who was reportedly found in possession of marijuana, during a traffic stop in Logan.

Logan City Police Capt. Curtis Hooley said an officer pulled over a black Audi Friday night, near 950 N. 200 W. after the car ran a stop sign.

“The officer made a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, who was Robert Turbin,” said Hooley. “Upon contact, the officer immediately smelled the odor of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle.”

Related players: Josh Ferguson

This further enhances the prospects that rookie Josh Ferguson will be the primary backup to Frank Gore in Week 1.

The second circuit court of appeals has denied Tom Brady's request for a rehearing. His recourse now: Appeal to the supreme court.

Given his ADP, the fantasy community has mostly ignored Brady's suspension, probably assuming that he would get it overturned again and play in the first month of the season. But for that to happen, he'll have to come to some settlement with the league (unlikely) or appeal the Supreme Court, who may or may not elect to hear his case. There isn't much time for that process to play out, though the court could stay his suspension if they elect to hear his case. For now, it does look like Brady will miss the first four games of the season. If his ADP drops in to the 9th or 10th round, he'll once again be a candidate for the Angry Tom Strategy, which worked beyond expectations last year. Jimmy Garoppolo will be under center for the first quarter of the season, and Brady's absence will have a negative impact on all of the Patriots' skill position players. Our rankings have assumed that Brady would miss four games since news of the reinstatement of his suspension broke.

Coming off a broken arm that cut his season short last year, Ravens RB Justin Forsett returned to summer workouts as the clear lead dog. He’s healthy once again and just two years removed from a Pro Bowl season. Still, Forsett will have to fend off talented younger competition, especially after his average yards per carry dropped from 5.4 yards in 2014 to 4.2 yards last season. He has to prove himself once again, but it’s his job to lose.

Forsett's YPC (4.25) was better than Javorius Allen's (3.75), but the rookie showed good receiving chops, hauling in 45 catches for 353 yards and two touchdowns. Allen was the #6 RB in standard formats (#3 in PPR) from Week 11 to Week 17, while Forsett was sidelined with a wrist injury. Forsett was #17 in standard and #12 in PPR through the first 10 weeks. According to HC John Harbaugh, the two will compete for touches in 2016. Rookie Kenneth Dixon is another potential headache for Forsett owners.

Nick Underhill on WR Brandin Cooks:

I would set the floor at 1,200 yards. I think he could even flirt with 1,500 if he has a couple big games. I think that having other weapons like Michael Thomas and Coby Fleener should help open things up for him. Fleener is a guy that can draw safety help, and Cooks was almost unguardable last season against single-high coverage. If that remains true, Cooks should be freed up for a few more shot plays.

1,200 yards would push Cooks into WR1 territory in both formats. The Saints spread the ball around, and the last receiver to crack the 1,200-yard mark was Marques Colston in 2007. Jimmy Graham cracked it twice in five seasons.

Bills RB Karlos Williams showed up overweight in minicamp, maybe by 20-25 pounds. Even Rex Ryan said the Bills would need to set a realistic weight-loss goal for Williams by Day One of training camp, which probably means he’ll be starting practice conditioning on the sideline.

We're not worried about Williams' RB2 role being secure. He averaged 5.56 YPC and found the end zone nine times on 104 touches. He has weekly flex appeal and could post RB1-type numbers if anything were to happen to LeSean McCoy.

The Browns have no plans to cut Isaiah Crowell, but they made it clear that actions must speak louder than words when it comes to his apology for an Instagram post depicting a police officer being stabbed in the neck by a person in a black hood.

Crowell posted the photo on Wednesday after the fatal shooting of two black men by police, one in Minnesota and one in Louisiana. But he took it down after a few minutes and issued an apology Monday through the Browns.

With racial tensions running high in the country in the wake of the fatal shootings of five police officers in Dallas on Thursday many fans and some media, including ESPNCleveland's Bruce Hooley, have called for Crowell's immediate dismissal by the Browns.

They currently have no plans to do that, but stressed in a statement that he must back up his words with action.

Crowell came into the league with various off-the-field missteps and he showed poor judgment here. It appears that the team is going to stand behind him for now, though the Cleveland PD has threatened to boycott Browns games if Crowell doesn't "make it right."

Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders flashed a commercial-worthy smile as he delighted the 400 kids running through drills Monday morning at Englewood High School.

In two short years Sanders has gone from a relative unknown with Pittsburgh to a fan favorite with Denver.

He remains hopeful of staying long term with the Broncos as he enters the final season of his three-year contract. Negotiations for a new contract are on hold, which Sanders understands given the enormity of the team dealing with Von Miller’s contract deadline.

We had a story recently where a Broncos beat writer said if Sanders is looking for big money, he may have to go somewhere else as he's unlikely to get it from the Broncos. The story went on to say recent deals for Jacksonville’s Allen Hurns (four years, $40 million) and Seattle’s Doug Baldwin (four years, $46 million) created potential parameters for Sanders, who has more catches and yards than those wide receivers over the past two seasons, but at 29 is several years older.

Widely respected Falcons running backs coach Bobby Turner hopes to decrease Devonta Freeman’s carries in 2016.

“It’s about growth,” Turner told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Free had a good year, but I’m expecting even a better year. Well, you’re saying, how can it be better? It can be even better with less carries or less catches because I’d obviously like to get Tevin (Coleman) more involved and that also keeps Free fresher.”

Freeman, who went to the Pro Bowl, rushed for 1,056 yards on 265 carries and scored 11 rushing touchdowns last season. He also caught 73 passes for 578 yards and three touchdowns.

Coleman, who was drafted it the third-round (73rd overall) of the 2015 draft out of Indiana, opened last season as the starting running back and got off to a promising start before suffering fractured ribs in the second game. While out, Freeman took over the position.

The story said despite Freeman's success, the team still has high hopes for Coleman, who was drafted with the current set of coaches. However, Coleman has proved to have ball security issues. While a tandem approach sounds like bad news for potential Freeman owners, the good news is Turner expects a better season out of Freeman so he should still get significant work. Freeman is ranked eighth on our RB list and has early-to-mid-second round value.

I’ll believe Jason Witten’s done when he says so. He’s got three years left on his contract with the Cowboys, and I expect him to play all three of them.

Once he gets to that point, maybe it’ll be time to have a conversation about his future. And I’m sure the front office will continue to try to address the position in the draft. But in the short-term, I don’t think it’s something anyone in the building is worried about.

Witten has finished in the top-10 in PPR formats the last 12 years and has averaged .44 TD per game with Tony Romo. As long as Witten's age doesn't get the best of him, he should continue to be a productive target for a healthy Romo. This season, Witten comes in ranked 15th among our TEs and could present nice value later in drafts if you want to draft more than one at the position.

Fortunately, the Cowboys added their best "defender" on offense: Ezekiel Elliott.

That may sound like a confusing statement, but it's not. Elliott is going to help Dallas' defense greatly with his ability to keep it off the field. Much like DeMarco Murray did in 2014, Elliott is going to carry the load, take pressure off of quarterback Tony Romo, and allow the defense to get plenty of rest throughout games.

"He's definitely a three-tool player that can just play on every single down," safety Barry Church said on Sirius XM NFL Radio. "And it helps out the defense a lot. It takes up our play downs by a lot. That also happened in 2014 when we had DeMarco Murray. He was punishing defenses and we were three-and-out here, three-and-out there, and we were fresh in the fourth quarter. That's how we won all of our games, by getting takeaways in the fourth quarter, but that was because we were fresh."

Church added in the piece the Cowboys could return to their 2014 form of grounding and pounding, and with an aging Romo at QB, the strategy makes sense. Couple that with a very good O-line, and it's easy to see why Elliot ranks fourth on our RB list coming into this season. With Darren McFadden's injury, he's on pace to get RB1 touches.

While he went through his progressions quicker and the ball came out faster, Jets QB Geno Smith actually thought he was more methodical than anything this spring.

“In my mind, the game is so slow right now. I’m not playing super-fast,” he said as the Jets broke minicamp in June. “I’m actually taking my time out there. I’m not rushing things.”

Not in a hurry, Smith made fewer mistakes. He got rid of the ball on time and delivered with accuracy while limiting the turnovers. While last spring he struggled at times with interceptions in the red zone, this year he cashed in with touchdowns.

"The ball might come out faster, but it’s a result of me actually thinking faster and moving slower with my body if that makes sense,” he said. “So the release is quick and the ball gets out fast, but to me it’s like everything’s moving in slow-mo.”

Smith, who took first-team reps all spring, has a full year under his belt with both offensive coordinator Chan Gailey and quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo, the story pointed out. As a backup last year, Smith believes he benefited from watching a unit that set a franchise unit record for total offense with 5,925 yards. Last year's starter Ryan Fitzpatrick remains unsigned and the team drafted Christian Hackenberg, so right now Smith is penciled in as the starter. He's ranked just 29th on our list and doesn't have an ADP. With weapons around him, Smith could end up with QB2 fantasy value if he can prove to be more consistent.

When the Chiefs closed their offseason workouts last month, running back Jamaal Charles was on the field doing individual work but coach Andy Reid wasn’t making any promises about his participation level when training camp opens.

Reid said the team was optimistic about what Charles would be able to do once it did get underway, but that there was no rush to have him back to a full workload after last year’s torn ACL. That’s a prudent approach, although it may not be one they have to employ for too long.

Charles posted a video from one of his rehab sessions late last week that showed him making lateral moves while making his way through a set of drills with an agility ladder.

As we all know, this isn't the only time Charles has had to come back from a torn ACL. As the the story pointed out, don't be surprised if Charles has a quiet camp as the team takes a cautious approach, getting him ready for the start of the season. Also, don't be shocked if Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware continue to get work once the regular season starts. Charles dips a little from where we're used to seeing him in our rankings, coming in seventh among RBs.

For the first time since the summer of 2010, the Seattle Seahawks are preparing to enter the season without running back Marshawn Lynch, who has announced his retirement.

But they should have Thomas Rawls, whose 2015 rookie season ended with a broken ankle in mid-December.

Rawls said Sunday that he will be ready for the start of training camp.

ESPN beat writer Sheil Kapadia tweeted Rawls' quote that he'll 'most definitely' be ready to go. Right now we have Rawls ranked 14th with an ADP of the fourth round, but we think that ADP could climb now with the news he'll be ready to go for camp. In the six games in which Rawls played and Lynch did not, the rookie averaged 20.5 touches for 120 yards and 0.84 touchdowns (on a stellar 5.6 YPC). That doesn't even include Week 3, when he turned 16 carries into 104 yards while Lynch was limited to five carries.

Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot answered a question about Corey Coleman being the Browns No. 1 receiver this season:

All signs are pointing that way. Coleman still has a lot to learn about running a pro style offense, but he's fiercely competitive and working his tail off. In spring practices, he showed tremendous athleticism and good hands. Now, he needs to improve his route-running and his mastery of Hue Jackson's offense. Once he learns the nuances of the position and the complicated pro-style route tree — as opposed to the simple assignments he had at Baylor — he'll play faster and his athleticism will take over.

This offseason, he vowed to work out with Robert Griffin III to perfect their timing and chemistry. Expect them to look very much on the same page at the start of camp, Cabot went on to say. Coleman gets a pretty respectable ranking on our list at 39. The athletic Coleman is on the small side (5’11”) so the team will need to manufacture touches.

Robert Griffin III had his ups and downs in offseason practices as he came up the learning curve, but he made enough good plays for the Browns to be encouraged heading into training camp. He's learning a whole new offense and Hue Jackson and Pep Hamilton are riding him hard after every rep. I saw him make some tremendous throws, including a long touchdown pass to Terrelle Pryor on the last play of minicamp, but he also threw some interceptions and had other passes batted down at the line.

It was the kind of spring you'd expect from a quarterback who sat out all of last season and who's trying to learn a new scheme and new mechanics. He made it abundantly clear that he's willing to slide and throw the ball away — and that he's coachable. He's also working with quarterback expert Tom House in the time off before camp, which should help tremendously. It's too soon to say if his career can be salvaged, but he's certainly working hard at it.

Jackson and company haven't named RG3 the starter yet, saying the team wants to see the QBs practice in pads, but beat writer Mary Kay Cabot expects that to happen with Josh McCown the likely QB2. Griffin will get some late-round attention in deeper QB leagues but is currently ranked 31st on our list meaning there are much safer options in typical 10- and 12-team leagues.

Rueben Randle is the most accomplished receiver on the Eagles' roster, and was brought in to be a safety net for the younger players. Despite missing a portion of OTAs due to surgery, it wouldn't be surprising to see Randle be the receiver with the most targets this season outside of Jordan Matthews.

Matthews will likely remain in the slot for most of his snaps and can create mismatches with his size, but on the outside, it wouldn't be shocking to see Randle ahead of second-year player Nelson Agholor. Inconsistent Josh Huff projects to be the fourth guy with Chris Givens fifth. Randle is only 85th on our list but is getting some late-round attention in drafts for just this reason.

Broncos beat writer Mark Kiszla answered a question about the team potentially paying WR Emmanuel Sanders:

Meaning no disrespect to Demaryius Thomas, but Sanders is not only the best pass-catcher on the team, he is also the team’s top offensive player. But, the Broncos’ way of doing business doesn’t seem to be quite as generous now that Pat Bowlen is no longer in charge of day-to-day operations of the franchise.

Sanders is clutch. Sanders is fearless. Sanders deserves top dollar. But if he wants top dollar, I’m afraid Sanders will have to leave Denver as a free agent after the 2016 season to find it in another NFL city.

Sanders is ranked 27th on our WR list with an ADP of the sixth round. He and Thomas obviously come with some question marks because of the QB situation, but we still project him for over 1,000 yards and almost 7 TDs this year. He's part of a large group of WRs around that spot who are projected with similar numbers but may have a better QB situation.

Pittsburgh Steelers star running back LeVeon Bell says he's on schedule for training camp and that his leg is "probably stronger than it ever was" after rehabbing a right knee injury that knocked him out of last season.

In a sit-down interview with ESPN on Saturday, Bell said he's beyond all the physical hurdles he faced, and right on time for him to report to the Steelers on July 28. But it will be up to the team to decide his workload in training camp and the preseason.

Bell suffered a torn MCL and PCL in Week 8 and had surgery last November. He played five games last year and rushed for 556 yards with three touchdowns. He'll likely be the first RB off the board in your fantasy draft this summer and perhaps even a top-five selection. Looks like there are no issues with his rehab up to this point and he's ready to go.

A year ago, Joseph Randle was preparing for his first year as the starting tailback of the Dallas Cowboys, taking over the job from DeMarco Murray. Now, Randle is moving closer and closer to an extended stay in prison.

Via TMZ, a Kansas judge has found Randle to be mentally competent to stand trial on felony charges arising from a beer-pong game gone bad.

Randle allegedly reacted to whatever happened during the game by attacking guests at a party in Kansas and then hitting multiple people with his car.

Randle remains in custody, and a competency exam resulted in a finding that Randle is mentally capable to participate in a trial.

Those who follow the Giants were asked who had the best spring, and here is one opinion to keep in mind:

JOHN SCHMEELK: I’m going to go with a real sleeper and go with TE Will Tye. I thought he did a wonderful job all of OTA’s and minicamps adjusting his body to make difficult catches. He caught everything that came in his direction and showed remarkable consistency for a second-year player.

Tye essentially took over as the Giants’ starter in Week 8, and was the #13 tight end in standard formats from that point on. From Week 9 to Week 17, he had the 10th-most targets at his position. If he can keep the job this summer, he's a guy to target late in fantasy drafts as the TE position has always been a big red zone target for QB Eli Manning.

Titans running backs coach Sylvester Croom is sold on veteran running back DeMarco Murray.

He loves his work ethic, his leadership skills, and his ability. He’s been blown away by what he’s seen this offseason.

“He’s a coach’s dream,’’ Croom said of Murray.

While Murray is expected to get the bulk of the workload for the Titans this fall, Derrick Henry could earn more opportunities if he performs well.

It’s fair to wonder if Murray’s best years are behind him after his disappointing season in Philadelphia (193 carries for 702 yards and six touchdowns). His 3.6 YPC was a full 1.1 YPC less than his 2014 average in his epic season with the Cowboys. Now he joins a Tennessee team that may have trouble staying in a run-heavy game script, and he’ll have to fend off 2nd-round pick Derrick Henry. But it's good to hear that he's off to a good start.

Bills WR Sammy Watkins posted a video of himself running a sprint.

4for4 injury expert Russell Manalastas: "Definitely a nice sight to see but his timetable doesn't seem to be changed much, running in straight line should be happening at three months, cutting is when we'll get a better idea but he's definitely trending in the right direction. Cutting should start to occur after able to sprint in straight line with minimal to no issues."

Pennsylvania AG's office officially dismissing investigation into Feb nightclub brawl involving Bills LeSean McCoy, his attorney says.

It looks like McCoy is in the clear. Last year, he finished #17 in standard formats and #19 in PPR, but was a low-end RB1 in both formats on a per game basis since he only played 12 games. He averaged 19.6 touches for 98.9 total yards per game, and should continue to see that type of workload as he enters his age 28 season.

The Jets let Bilal Powell know how they felt about him by signing him to a three-year, $11.25 million contract in free agency. Powell is one of the few holdovers left from the Mike Tannenbaum era. Powell’s ability to stick with the Jets through three general managers and four offensive coordinators shows how valued he is.

The Jets revamped their running back corps this offseason, but Powell remains in the middle of it. It will be interesting to see how Gailey divides up the carries between Powell and Matt Forte, who arrives with a great reputation and resume. Powell complemented former Jets running back Chris Ivory, who was more of a bruising back than he is, but Powell and Forte have similar skill sets, so this could be a trickier division of labor for Gailey.

You can count on Powell getting major touches this season, though. Gailey will figure out a way.

Powell's role is one of the things weighing down Matt Forte's ADP. Since the two have similar skill sets, Powell could eat into Forte's catches with Khiry Robinson getting some of the between-the-tackles if Forte doesn't improve in that area.

He didn’t tell a soul outside Buffalo’s locker room, but Robert Woods had no explosiveness to his game in 2015 after tearing his groin on both the left and right side. The fact that he played through that injury for about half the season is hard to fathom knowing the demands of his position when it comes to cutting, twisting, changing direction and leaping.

Following offseason surgery and a length rehab process, Woods is a different player, a unique player.

Woods has always been a solid receiver off the line. Though not a physically imposing receiver at 6-0 and 190 pounds, Woods is crafty at getting clean releases at the start of his routes. What was demonstrably different about his game in the spring practices was how quick and sudden he was off the line of scrimmage at the snap. It is a dramatic step up in explosiveness for Woods and it’s a significant enhancement to his personal game.

“His drive phase is one of the best on the team,” said Lal. “He comes off every ball like he’s running a go route. He’s really gotten a good job of holding that longer in his routes at break, he’s in and out of his cuts. The best I’ve seen him. Again, I’m proud of him because he had the surgery, and I said, ‘Promise me you’ll go run with a track coach. Go on the track and run.’ And he did, and it’s showing here.”

“Being back at USC I got back on the track just to get back to my playing speed,” Woods said. “Speed is the most important part of this game. I’m getting my stride back and I’m feeling very explosive. I felt like I lacked that last year with the injury and I didn’t want it impact me again this year. So I wanted to try to open back up and be an explosive receiver.”

In the 21 games over the past two years where Woods has seen five-plus targets, he has played at a 70-755-3.8 pace, which are solid WR4 numbers in PPR formats. Now that he's fully healthy, he could be primed for a mini-breakout (especially if Sammy Watkins' foot injury lingers longer than expected). Remember, at 24 years-old, he's quite young for a fourth-year receiver.

Browns RB Duke Johnson carried the ball just 104 times last season, but caught 61 passes for 534 yards and a score. He had six games of five or more catches.

"Duke Johnson was a draft pick a year ago who kind of burst onto the scene and had a ton of catches and made some unbelievable plays," Jackson said. "So I'm looking forward to working with him. I think he's very talented."

Isaiah Crowell outscored Johnson in standard formats, but Johnson (61 catches) had the edge in PPR, finishing #24 on the year. We can glean new HC Hue Jackson's playcalling tendencies from his usage of Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill last year in Cincinnati. When the Bengals were trailing by a field goal or more, Bernard saw 33 touches to Hill's 32. When the Bengals were trailing by two points or less, tied or leading, Hill saw 206 touches to 170 for Bernard. Since the 2016 Browns are likely to be trailing far more often than the 2015 Bengals, Johnson has a chance at an even larger share of the touches than Bernard, who finished #17 in PPR formats last season. Given Johnson's 6th-round ADP in early PPR drafts, he looks like a nice target for the "wait on RB" crowd.

Browns RB Isaiah Crowell has at times expressed frustration over lack of consistency in carries and an inability to find a rhythm running the ball. He'll have the first crack this season at finding that consistency.

"I think he has the characteristics of a back that can be a big-time runner but he needs to do it very consistently and kind of in the way that we want it done, so I think he's up to the challenge," Hue Jackson said.

Crowell had a good offseason. The Browns hired a run-heavy head coach and the team didn’t draft a replacement running back. So Crowell will have the opportunity to be the Browns’ version of Jeremy Hill while Duke Johnson does his best Giovani Bernard impression. If Crowell doesn’t fall flat on his face, he should see 190-plus carries and get most of the goal line work.

"I don’t think there’s a question what coach (Kubiak) wants to do," Broncos running back C.J. Anderson said recently. "All you have to do is look out there and see a fullback running around ... I mean, we even drafted one. [Kubiak] wants to run the ball."

The team that lined up in a two-back set all of 25 times in the 2015 regular season -- the Broncos had eight regular-season games when they didn't use the personnel grouping for a single snap -- has designs on a little something different this time around. Kubiak is intent on pumping up the Broncos' run game, and executive vice president of football operations/general manager John Elway is on board. The offseason on offense has included signing two tackles -- Russell Okung and Donald Stephenson -- in free agency, matching an $18 million offer sheet from the Miami Dolphins to Anderson, and using a sixth-round pick to select Janovich.

The key part of the plan is Anderson. When the Broncos chose to match the Dolphins' offer this offseason, the decision came with a message it was time for Anderson to show he wants to be the franchise back. Anderson has held up his end of the bargain, showing up in better condition for an offseason program than at any point in his career.

Anderson kept his weight down -- he said was between "218 and 220" pounds throughout the offseason program -- and intended to spend much of the break "working out, making sure my body is right."

"C.J. is ready to be an every-down guy," Kubiak said as the offseason program drew to a close. "Just watching him, I think his condition level is the best that I’ve seen it since I’ve been here. You all watch him practice. He’s had a really good offseason."

Anderson wasn’t fully healthy heading into the season and struggled at the onset, averaging just 2.69 YPC on 11.4 rushing attempts through the first six weeks of the season. He turned it around in a big way after the Week 7 bye, however, racking up an average of 64.5 yards on 11.6 carries (5.57 YPC) and 0.58 TD over his final 12 games, including the playoffs. Those are mid-level RB1 numbers in standard formats and low-end RB1 numbers in PPR. Moreover, the Broncos committed to Anderson down the stretch, feeding him 15.6 carries over the final five games. In that span, he averaged 13.7 fantasy points in standard (and 15.9 FP in PPR). Those averages would have been good enough to finish #3 in both formats. Even though he finished strong, playoff numbers don’t count for fantasy, so the fact remains that Anderson burned his owners in 2015. As a result, his ADP is likely to remain a bit depressed heading into 2016 fantasy drafts.

Jaguars running back Denard Robinson’s July 4 weekend took a turn for the worse early on Sunday when the car he was driving took a turn into a retention pond.

The Florida Times-Union reports that Robinson was found asleep behind the wheel of a car by police responding to reports about a car crashing into a pond early on Sunday morning. Neither Robinson nor his passenger were hurt.

Per the responding officer, Robinson woke up and then went back to sleep after a knock on the window before eventually being roused from his slumber. The police report adds that both Robinson and the other passenger were reluctant to exit the vehicle despite the officer telling them that the car was sinking into the pond.

According to the report, Robinson was screened by two officers and found not to be intoxicated, the story went on to say. In a post to Twitter, Robinson indicated that he fell asleep at the wheel. We just posted a news story about the Jags RB situation and Robinson would likely be battling for the RB3 spot behind T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory.

There may be no Redskin who is under more pressure this year than second-year running back Matt Jones.

Last year, he shared carries with Alfred Morris and averaged just 3.4 yards per carry, the lowest average of any back who had enough attempts to qualify.

This year Morris is gone and the team is counting on Jones to carry the load. Morris rushed for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons with the Redskins.

Rich Tandler thinks Jones will hit the mark, adding that it only takes about 62 yards a game to accomplish. Tarik El-Bashir, meanwhile, doesn't believe Jones will hit the mark, noting the weapons the team has in the passing game may indicate the Skins throws more. Our opinion is Jones falls just short with 949 rushing yards. Jones is ranked 23rd on our RB list with an ADP of the fifth round. You may not think Jones is worth the value there when you see Frank Gore, who we project to have similar rushing stats but be a bigger factor in the passing game, is ranked 24th and can be had a couple of rounds later in the seventh round, according to ADPs.

Giants beat writer James Kratch answered a question about the team's RB situation:

I expect the Giants to start the season with Rashad Jennings as their starting running back and Shane Vereen as the third down/hurry-up back, with Andre Williams being the short-yardage/change-of-pace guy.

I think rookie Paul Perkins could definitely make an impact, but my guess is that would come later in the season. If Jennings stays healthy, I think he can be the Giants' first 1,000-yard rusher since Ahmad Bradshaw in 2012.

Kratch said it helped last year the Gaints broke up the RB committee down the stretch and as a result Jennings took over as the hot hand behind an improved offensive line. Jennings is 30th on our RB list but is another later-round selection who could produce as part of your fantasy committee.

Quarterback Drew Stanton’s contract expired at the end of the 2015 season, but he didn’t wade into the free agent market in March.

Stanton re-signed with the Cardinals for two years before free agency opened, leaving him set to serve as Carson Palmer’s backup for a fourth season. Stanton’s deal includes $4.5 million in guaranteed money, but no immediate chance to lead the offense.

He told Alex Marvez and Rick Neuheisel of Sirius XM NFL Radio that being in a place he and his family enjoy was more important in the short term and that the Cardinals have told him he’ll have a chance to be the next starter in Arizona.

Palmer will turn 37 this year. Stanton knows the offense well and would be in a great situation with a group of WRs who are both established yet still seem to have some upside. The big question is how long will Palmer stick around and perform at a high level.

Browns beat wrtier Mary Kay Cabot recently answered a question about the Browns offense being a run-first one.

I think Hue Jackson will operate a high-powered, balanced attack with a heavy emphasis on the run early and often to make the passing game more effective and to take pressure off Robert Griffin III or whoever's starting.

Take it from running game coordinator Kirby Wilson, who told us in June that the Browns will play the kind of smash-mouth football their fans will love.

"We're going to be a run-oriented football team,'' he said. "Everything starts with the run game, our offensive line and our backs. As coach told us, we're going to be a physically dominant, running football team."

Cabot added she believes Isaiah Crowell will have a 1,000-yard season and Duke Johnson will run more than he did last year. Crowell could certainly have some value at the position if available late in drafts. His current ADP is the 10th. We are comparing the situation to Cincy's where Crowell could possibly be Jeremy HIll-like.

When the Broncos traded for quarterback Mark Sanchez — and didn’t acquire any other quarterbacks this offseason — it appeared that he was set to be the team’s starter. But there’s no guarantee of that.

Broncos coach Gary Kubiak has said repeatedly that Sanchez will have to earn the job in a competition with last year’s seventh-round pick Trevor Siemian and this year’s first-round pick Paxton Lynch.

Troy Renck of the Denver Post thinks Sanchez has only a “slight edge” over Siemian heading into training camp, and Renck thinks Sanchez has to win the job over Siemian, as opposed to the job being Sanchez’s to lose.

The story went on to say Siemian has the advantage that he’s the only Broncos quarterback who has spent a year in Kubiak’s offense. Lynch isn’t expected to be ready to start in Week One, but the Broncos didn’t draft him in the first round to sit him on the bench forever. So Sanchez needs to look good in training camp and the preseason to earn the job, and he needs to play well to keep the job. Sanchez's recently history with the Eagles shows he did play well at times but can play poorly other times. Even if he earns the job, he's likely not to keep it.