We scour the news around the NFL to bring you what matters most to you and your dynasty team: the most current news on players, both superstars and the relative unknowns, and analysis to decipher the respective situations. These are many of the major stories and not meant to be an exhaustive look at all the recent happenings around the league.
Adam Schefter rocked the fantasy community Saturday night with a tweet, "Filed to ESPN: Andrew Luck has informed the Colts he is retiring from the NFL, per source. There will be a press conference Sunday to make it official, but Luck is mentally worn down, and now checking out." The drop-off from Luck to Jacoby Brissett should not be overly impactful for the Colts receivers but he is still inferior to the neckbearded passer. He is much better than we remember from the 2017 season. Brissett was just acquired and was learning the system. Now, he has enjoyed two offseasons with coach Frank Reich. Andrew Luck had not participated in practice for a long while so Brissett had been assuming the starters' reps in practice. Indianapolis had a chance to trade Brissett earlier this year as he is entering the final year of his contract, but chose to keep him given Luck’s injury history. This decision looks great now but gives an indication that the organization knew this was a possibility. The Colts front office gets a year to evaluate the young passer before deciding to either extend his contract or permit him to walk. We fully expect the team to add a veteran quarterback to the mix, but keep an eye on the enigmatic Chad Kelly, who has played well this preseason. Kelly has loads of talent and an equal amount of troubles off the field.
Denver rookie Drew Lock injured his right (throwing) thumb in the Broncos second preseason game. He is not expected to be ready for the opener and there is talk that Lock could open the season on injured reserve. Joe Flacco is entrenched as the starter so the only fantasy impact is that the injury will result in less practice time for the youngster as he tries to get used to the speed of the NFL game. Kevin Hogan appears to be Flacco’s backup until Lock returns.
Many in the fantasy community are curious as to the distribution of touches for the New Orleans Saints tailbacks, Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray. Ace beat writer Jeff Duncan tweeted the following last week, “AK's workload will increase slightly from past years, primarily because of experience & the fact that Ingram is gone. Ingram was a Pro Bowler who needed touches to be effective. Plus, He's better than Murray. Kamara will get the call now in ALL key situations: red zone, 3rd down.” Duncan is expecting Kamara to score more touchdowns, especially in the red zone.
The Detroit Lions running game should anchor the offense. Coach Matt Patricia loves to run the football. Most of the training camp discussion has revolved around Kerryon Johnson and C.J. Anderson, but rookie sixth-round pick Ty Johnson has shined in preseason. He is quickly carving out a receiving-back role and could see his touches increase throughout the season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to employ a conservative offensive gameplan with Nick Foles at the helm. The one wide receiver worthy of dynasty consideration is Dede Westbrook. Westbrook has shined in preseason. His offensive coordinator, John DeFilippo, recently told reporters that Westbrook is the "best route runner" he has ever been around. Just a reminder that DeFilippo was in Minnesota with Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. While this appears to be hyperbole, the thought of Westbrook playing in a legitimate offense with a solid quarterback is an appealing sight.
The New England Patriots wide receivers have occupied the news the past two weeks. Last week, it was the reinstatement of Josh Gordon. This week started with the activation of Julian Edelman from the NFI list and ended with Demaryius Thomas’ activation from the PUP list. Edelman has recovered from the thumb injury that sidelined him for a few weeks. Thomas is back, almost fully healthy, from an Achilles injury that ended his 2018 season. With Gordon, Edelman, and Thomas, the Patriots have a veteran receiving corps with youngsters NKeal Harry and Jakobi Meyers playing well.
Last week, Washington beat writer, J.P. Findlay reported that the team has been trying to trade Josh Doctson for the last two years. Findlay said that Paul Richardson Jr, Trey Quinn, Terry McLaurin, and even Cam Sims are ahead of Doctson on the depth chart. Findlay even opined Doctson could be released if a trade cannot be consummated.
The buzz regarding receiver KeeSean Johnson has been strong throughout Arizona Cardinals training camp. Josh Weinfuss recently wrote that the rookie "may have had the best training camp of anyone on the Cardinals' roster, veteran or rookie alike." Even with the Michael Crabtree signing, Johnson looks to be the starter (along with Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk) with Andy Isabella nipping at his heels. Johnson had another big game Saturday against the Vikings. He has earned the trust of quarterback Kyler Murray. It also helps Johnson that fellow rookie Hakeem Butler has started slowly in training camp and preseason. Adding to Butler’s issues, he was injured last week. Ian Rapoport tweeted, “#AZCardinals rookie WR Hakeem Butler has an avulsion fracture in his hand and is a candidate for Injured Reserve, per source. He missed the last two practices with it. A potential redshirt year for the fourth-rounder.” Responding to the Rapoport tweet, beat reporter Darren Urban tweeted, “Kingsbury said Hakeem Butler is out for preseason with the hand injury. Too early to tell if he will go on IR.” Urban followed up with, “He is definitely raw. It wouldn't have been surprising to see him inactive often. But the problem with IR is that, even once healed, he cannot practice. The Cards want to develop him.” We do not expect Butler to see the field this season. He slid on draft day and could use the practice time. For those with strong stomachs, an avulsion fracture is when a tendon or ligament comes off the bone. The signing of Crabtree will give the Cardinals an opportunity to send Butler to injured reserve given the need to maximize roster spots.
Washington tight end, Jordan Reed, took a wicked shot to the head from Keanu Neal in last Thursday’s preseason game against the Falcons. Reed was immediately placed in the league’s concussion protocol. This would be Reed’s seventh KNOWN concussion. There has to be much more throughout his football career. Most have forgotten that Reed has missed several games due to concussions and there is no certainty that he returns any time soon … if at all. Vernon Davis is the obvious beneficiary but keep an eye on Jeremy Sprinkle. This offense has the makings of an inefficient mess.
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