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.
Beat writer Mike O'Hara of the Detroit Lions team website recently wrote that quarterback Matthew Stafford played the 2018 season with broken bones in his back. Per O'Hara, "He had a broken back last year … Broken bones in his back.” The injury report began listing the quarterback's injury Week 14, but the severity was unknown. This partly explains why Stafford had his lowest number of passing attempts since 2010. He also had a poor yards-per-attempt average and touchdown ratio. But, the elephant in the room is the conservative offense employed by the Patricia-coached team. The signing of C.J. Anderson could signal a move to running the football even more than last season. While still talented, Stafford will likely never again approach the 727 attempts in 2012. He has not been over 600 attempts since 2014 (602). Fantasy players are encouraged to treat the 31-year old as a mid-level QB2.
With Carson Wentz still recovering from injury, eyes are on youngster Nate Sudfield. He is replacing the departed Nick Foles. NJ.com's Zack Rosenblatt said that Sudfield had “a rough go in the spring" as he attempted to seize the reins of the backup role. Given the Eagles salary cap situation, a free agent signing or trade is unlikely so Wentz needs to show full health soon or tongues will wag. The concern is that Wentz has not proven durable as a professional and Philadelphia is in a position to challenge for the Super Bowl once again.
In deep dynasty leagues, Houston tailback Josh Ferguson is a player to watch. Star beat writer Aaron Wilson recently opined that Ferguson is the lead candidate for the Texans' RB3 job. With Alfred Blue now in Jacksonville, there is a void for Ferguson to fill behind Lamar Miller and D'Onta Foreman. The latter is coming off a nasty Achilles injury so opportunity could knock given Miller's age (28) and relative lack of production. He has never topped 1,100 rushing yards and only received 210 carries in 14 games a season ago.
A forgotten running back is second-year Chase Edmonds. Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury said of Edmonds, "He's a really good player. I've been surprised at his ability as a pass catcher … I think watching (Edmonds), you know, I knew what David (Johnson) could do out of the backfield, but watching (Edmonds), that's a strong point of his game as well. So, he'll have a really nice role in the offense." Further in the interview, Kingsbury did concede that Edmunds would not threaten Johnson for touches. As a rookie, he had 60 carries for a meager 208 yards and 20 receptions for 103 yards. Given the expected wide-open nature of the Cardinals offense, a strong receiving back is a great option to stash on the cheap.
It is still early in the offseason, but new addition, Donte Moncrief, looks to be asserting himself into the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. The Athletic's Mark Kaboly recently wrote that the former Jaguar and Colt "looks like a slam-dunk No. 2" receiver. This is news. Many in the fantasy community expect second-year pro James Washington or rookie Diontae Johnson to emerge into the role. In the article, Kaboly projected Moncrief to catch 50 or 60 passes and catch 5 or 6 touchdowns. The Steelers offense is expected to be high pass volume once again so the WR2 will be fantasy viable. Moncrief makes a great stash at his current market price.
Dynasty general managers must keep close tabs on the Detroit Lions receiver corps through training camp. Danny Amendola was signed to man the slot, reuniting with coach Patricia from their Patriots days. Kenny Golladay is expected to emerge as the unquestioned top receiver. Marvin Jones is the wild card. He missed the entire offseason program with a knee injury. Any delay in return could allow one of the younger receivers to emerge.
Beat writer Ben Volin reported that rookie NKeal Harry "didn't have the best minicamp." He was putting things mildly. Volin mentioned that Harry struggled to line up in the right spot and could not separate when lined up across from Stephon Gilmore. Gilmore is an All-Pro so him dominating the rookie is not a surprise. But we see few rookies play meaningful offensive snaps early in season one. It takes time for Tom Brady to trust the youngsters. There still is plenty of time for Harry to learn the Josh McDaniels offense, but he has never created separation with regularity … which could limit his upside. An early return of Demaryius Thomas from injury or Josh Gordon from suspension could also limit Harry in 2019. This is a volatile fantasy situation.
Jay Morrison was the latest beat writer to report about John Ross struggling. This comes days after teammate Tyler Boyd told reporters that Ross has been slow to pick up the playbook of new coach Zac Taylor. Blessed with much speed, Ross will need to learn the offense soon or he may not make the Bengals final roster. Cincinnati has a plethora of young pass-catchers who are anxious for an opportunity.
Adam Teicher gave rookie Byron Pringle as the name of the Chiefs' biggest surprise offseason standout. Pringle is a local product from Kansas State. While he went undrafted in 2018, Pringle is a favorite of many in the scouting world, including Footballguys own Matt Waldman. He missed his rookie season with injury. With Kansas City adding the talented Mecole Hardeman in the NFL Draft, Pringle will need a lengthy Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins injury to see meaningful snaps this year, but he still is a player to monitor.
With the gaps at the wide receiver position, keep an eye on Trey Quinn to assume the slot receiver position for Washington. Quinn caught 114 passes for 1,236 yards and 13 touchdowns for SMU in 2017. Many remember the awesome season of his teammate Courtland Sutton that year, but Quinn had better numbers. We do worry about Quinn's ability to hold up to the big hits laid on slot receivers, but he has a legitimate chance to be an every-week flex starter for PPR (Points-Per-Reception) leagues.
Long-time Colts beat writer Stephen Holder is the latest to sing the praises of Mo Alie-Cox. Alie-Cox is a former basketball player playing behind veterans Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle. Holder predicted a breakout season for Mo Alie-Cox. While this is possible, it would come at the expense of either Ebron or Doyle. Indianapolis played two tight ends for the majority of the snaps until Doyle got hurt. Ebron becomes a free agent next offseason so Alie-Cox is likely one year away from contributing in fantasyland. This makes him a great player to pick up off the waiver wire and hold as roster space permits.
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