Martavis Bryant to compete for starting job

May 19, 2014

There is a job open for someone to start catching footballs in real games for the Steelers since they lost three of their top four wide receivers over the past 14 months, two since March. Antonio Brown is the only fixture of a group that also includes Markus Wheaton, who had six receptions as a rookie, and newcomer Lance Moore, who caught a bunch in New Orleans the past eight seasons. Moore will play in the slot, so it figures that either Wheaton or Martavis Bryant will become the split end, where Mike Wallace and then Emmanuel Sanders played.

His position coach sounds as if he already has been won over.

"We had him here for a visit and we bonded then," said Richard Mann, an Aliquippa native who has seen his share of NFL receivers. "We didn't know we were going to get him. We didn't think we were going to get him, but we got him and I'm delighted."

The Steelers thought Bryant was a second-round talent but with the draft so deep in receivers, he fell to them in the fourth.

Fantasy Impact:

There are some observers who have anointed Wheaton as the starter opposite Brown, but with only six catches as a rookie, he didn't make much of an impact. Bryant has the size and skills to start and produce, provided he can hold onto the ball. This is a camp battle to monitor. The winner will be the Steelers' WR2, and the loser will likely slip to WR4, with Moore playing the slot as the team's WR3.

yesterday

Broncos waive TE Greg Dulcich

Pro Football Talk

yesterday · 6:46 PM EST

The NFL’s transaction report for Monday shows that the Broncos have waived Greg Dulcich off the 53-man roster.

Fantasy Impact:

Dulcich was a 2022 third-round pick and he caught 33 passes for 411 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games during his rookie season, the story pointed out. Those numbers made him a hot prospect for a while, however, hamstring injuries have caused him to fall off the fantasy radar. He's been inactive for the team's last eight games, the story added.

49ers QB Brock Purdy does light throwing with no issues

Pro Football Talk

yesterday · 5:18 PM EST

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy did some light throwing without issue Monday, coach Kyle Shanahan said.

Purdy, who missed Sunday’s game with right shoulder soreness, will rest Tuesday.

“We’ll see how it feels on Wednesday,” Shanahan said, via KNBR. “Hopefully, it responds better this week than it did last week with the rest.”

Fantasy Impact:

Purdy appeared to injure the shoulder when his hand hit the arm of Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon as he released a pass early in the fourth quarter in Week 11, the story said. The story added the 49ers, though, don’t know specifically when Purdy injured it as he not miss time in that game with the injury.
An MRI showed no damage but after experiencing soreness Purdy got a second MRI last week. The Niners will need Purdy in Week 13 when they travel to the Bills in a Sunday night game. Those counting on Purdy may need to have a backup plan in place this week.

QB Daniel Jones clears waivers and is a free agent

Pro Football Talk

yesterday · 4:33 PM EST

Quarterback Daniel Jones cleared waivers as expected Monday, making him a free agent.

Jones now is free to sign with any team.

Fantasy Impact:

The story said a team claiming him off waivers would have had to pay Jones $11.83 million for the rest of the year and assume $23 million in injury guarantees. The Giants now are responsible for the $11.83 million. The story also added, 10 teams reportedly already have reached out to Jones. The story suggested Jones' best move would be to sign to a contender’s practice squad because it would allow Jones to sign to the active roster of a different team if a starter gets injured. The Ravens, Vikings and Raiders have been rumored to be interested in Jones.