Montee Ball says offense is now 'super easy'

May 31, 2014

When asked about where he is now compared to his rookie season, Broncos running back Montee Ball sounded like he was reminiscing on a goofy childhood photo.

"So much easier the second time around," Ball said, laughing. "Now [the playbook is] just super easy, so I'm able to play a lot faster."

"Instead of being a little nervous in the backfield with Peyton, now I’m completely calm."

The second-year back credits a major part of that calmness to "kind of making my own checks" while watching film, guessing what Manning might do in that situation. He says he's now able to anticipate some of Manning's calls before they're made, speeding up his own execution.

Fantasy Impact:

Now that Knowshon Moreno (and the #5 fantasy RB in 2013) has signed with the Dolphins, it’s clear that Ball’s stock has taken a huge jump. Prior to the Moreno signing, Ball was being drafted in the 4th round due to the uncertainty of his situation. With Moreno out of the way, he’s starting to go in the late 1st/early 2nd. Ball had a higher YPC (4.7) than Moreno (4.3), but wasn’t quite the weapon in the passing game. Still, his catch percentage (receptions/targets = 74.1%) wasn’t bad for a running back. The only real question is whether or not his workload will suffer if his fumbling problem rears its ugly head. We currently have him ranked as our #6 RB in standard formats.

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.