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Davone Bess - WR - Cleveland Browns
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Posted 6/16/13 6:35pm et   |
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Cleveland Browns WR Davone Bess could start while WR Josh Gordon
serves his two-game suspension.
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Huddle Up: Bess, who's had at least 51 receptions in each of his 5 NFL seasons,
has the chance to make an early impression with his new team -- a
team desperate for offensive playmakers -- and carve out a role for
himself even after Gordon returns.
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Jacksonville Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert is expected to be the starting quarterback Week 1 unless he performs very badly in training camp and preseason. Gabbert is one of five QBs currently on the roster as he's joined by Chad Henne and Mike Kafka and rookies Jordan Rodgers and Matt Scott.
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Huddle Up: It's definitely a sink-or-swim third season for Gabbert, who has a 5-19 record and only has 21 TD passes and a single 300-yard passing game in 24 career starts.
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The Indianapolis Colts believe WR Darrius Heyward-Bey could be an explosive playmaker this season that could get behind the defense. Heyward-Bey is expected to receive more opportunities than he received when he was with the Oakland Raiders.
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Huddle Up: After a career season in 2011 (64-975-4), DHB's numbers slipped to 41-606-5 this past season, but playing with one of the game's top young QBs in Andrew Luck and having talented WRs Reggie Wayne and T.Y. Hilton to help divert defensive attention should net a statistical uptick for Heyward-Bey.
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Philadelphia Eagles WR DeSean Jackson clarified but ultimately stood behind his comments about wanting to have the Eagles' starting quarterback named before training camp. 'I wish I could know, but at the end of the day, that's the coach's decision,' Jackson said. 'I'm going to play that how it goes. I think we have four great quarterbacks, with [Michael] Vick, [Nick] Foles, [Matt] Barkley and [Dennis] Dixon ... I think throughout the offseason, everybody did everything the right way, everybody practiced hard, everybody was there, accountable, and did the things they were asked to do ... moving forward, we just look forward to knowing who will be [the starter], because that'll definitely help us prepare better going into the season. He's [Chip Kelly] never been a coach of ours; of course, with a new system, he's going to want to know who best fits the system.'
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Huddle Up: Jackson and fantasy GMs -- not to mention everyone in Philly -- want clarification on the QB situation, but it's clearly a wait-and-see proposition with a new offense and a new coach at the helm for the first time since the late 1990s.
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Houston Texans LB Brian Cushing (knee) said he expects to receive medical clearance from Dr. James Andrews by July 17.
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Huddle Up: Having a healthy Cushing could make a big difference for the Texans' D, in terms of play-making and leadership. The LB had 29 total tackles, an interception and two passes defensed in 5 games last season before his injury.
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San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh did not rule out the possibility of the team signing a wide receiver before the start of training camp. The team did work out free-agent WR Austin Collie (Colts) but have not signed him at this point.
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Huddle Up: In other words, both issues -- the state of the Niners' WR corps and Collie's NFL future -- remain in flux. San Fran definitely could use another wideout with Michael Crabtree (Achillies' tear) out until late November at the earliest and Mario Manningham still recovering from last season's knee issues. Collie, though, and his history of concussions might be too risky of a signing for the club.
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Le'Veon Bell
- RB - Pittsburgh Steelers
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Posted 6/16/13 6:18pm et |
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Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell said he is working on his pass-blocking techniques because he will not be on the field if he can't block during passing plays. 'I am looking forward to it,' Bell said. 'I am a big guy too. There are other running backs that are a lot smaller than me who can protect great. I am going to watch technique, learn technique and use my size to my advantage. I know how important it is.'
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Huddle Up: If Bell can clear the rookie pass-blocking hurdle, he'll be, clear and away, the Steelers' back to own. If not, Bell will still be the team's No. 1 back, but it'll be shades of recent Steeler seasons past with Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman also carving out their own share of the action.
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Denver Broncos TE Julius Thomas has received some reps with the first-team offense during offseason workouts.
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Huddle Up: The Broncos already have two dependable TEs in Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen, but the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Thomas, a former college hoops player, would provide more athleticism down the seam after missing most of the 2012 season with an ankle injury that required offseason surgery.
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Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell said he expects the team to use a receiver-by-committee approach while WR Justin Blackmon serves his four-game suspension. Caldwell mentioned WRs Ace Sanders, Mike X. Brown and Mohamed Massaquoi as possible members of the committee.
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Huddle Up: Cecil Shorts steps into Jacksonville's WR1 role sans Blackmon, while the rookie Sanders has the most upside of those battling for the secondary role--especially in leagues where his return skills bring added fantasy value.
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Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell said the plan is for RB Maurice Jones-Drew to fully participate in practice once training camp begins. Caldwell said he is not concerned that Jones-Drew will be rusty if he comes to camp in shape.
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Huddle Up: Jones-Drew is a pro so he can be expected to be ready. However, on a bad foot there's only so much he can do and Jacksonville does have a new coach and offense--just a couple reasons why it's difficult to simply insert MJD back among the top tier of fantasy backs.
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Randall Cobb - WR - Green Bay Packers
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Posted 6/16/13 12:39am et |
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Green Bay Packers WR James Jones said he believes he, WR Randall Cobb and WR Jordy Nelson could all post 1,000-yard seasons in 2013. "I've been on record as saying that I believe we have three 1,000-yard receivers in this room. I believe me, Randall and Jordy, if we all stay healthy, we can all reach over 1,000," Jones said.
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Huddle Up: The Packers certainly throw enough--and their wide receiving corps is talented enough--to produce three 1,000-yard receivers. But Jermichael Finley will take a bite, and if Green Bay plans to run more with Eddie Lacy that too will take a slice of the pie. Bottom line there's plenty of talent among Green Bay's wideouts, but there's bound to be at least one frustrated fantasy owner each week based on how the catches, yards, and TDs are distributed.
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Heath Miller - TE - Pittsburgh Steelers
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Posted 6/16/13 12:39am et |
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Pittsburgh Steelers TE Matt Spaeth could be the team's starting tight end early in the season if TE Heath Miller is not able to play.
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Huddle Up: Miller is working his way back from an ACL injury and his availability for the start of the season is uncertain. Spaeth would be an adequate fill-in, but he wouldn't have nearly the fantasy upside of a healthy Heath.
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Chicago Bears WR Alshon Jeffery has been limited during offseason workouts, but the team is pleased with how he has worked to get himself in better physical condition. He even added strength, working with teammate WR Brandon Marshall in Miami. "He's had a really good spring. Mentally he's been locked in since we got started," receivers coach Mike Groh said Friday, June 14. "He's made good improvement on the field with things (we) wanted to work on, and in terms of grasp of offense, he's where he should be."
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Huddle Up: A hamstring issue has kept Jeffery from participating fully in offseason workouts, but it sounds as if he's picking up the new offense and has put in some work to give the Bears a legitimate option opposite Brandon Marshall. Physically he's a good fit for Marc Trestman's system, and with Marshall on the other side Jeffery should benefit from mostly single coverage, so there are plenty of reasons to expect big things in 2013.
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New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski is scheduled to undergo back surgery Tuesday, June 18, in Los Angeles, according to sources.
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Huddle Up: We'll have to wait for the official timetable, but this is certainly not good news for Gronk and his prospective fantasy owners. Keep in mind that Gronkowski missed his final collegiate season due to back surgery.
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Indianapolis Colts RB Ahmad Bradshaw is expected to start once he is recovered from foot surgery he had this offseason. Bradshaw could begin training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list.
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Huddle Up: Of course the Colts would love Bradshaw to be healthy and start, but if he'd been able to stay healthy consistently he'd still be a Giant. Bradshaw's presence hurts Vick Ballard's fantasy value, but history suggests Ballard will still have a role in Indy because Bradshaw won't be on the field for all 16 games.
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Tandon Doss - WR - Baltimore Ravens
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Posted 6/14/13 10:38pm et |
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Baltimore Ravens WR Tandon Doss looked quicker during minicamp than he was last season and appears to be playing with more confidence. He could compete for a starting job if he continues to make plays during training camp.
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Huddle Up: The Ravens lost Anquan Boldin in the offseason so there's definitely a need for one of the secondary targets to step up. A quicker, more confident Doss could push Jacoby Jones for the starting gig opposite Torrey Smith.
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The New York Jets have signed free-agent TE Kellen Winslow to a one-year deal. Financial terms were not disclosed. Winslow is expected to be a candidate for the starting tight end job during training camp because of his past success.
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Huddle Up: Winslow hasn't had much left in the tank in his most recent NFL stops, and it's unlikely the combination of Geno Smith and Mark Sanchez is what he needs for one last season in the sun.
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Jay Cutler - QB - Chicago Bears
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Posted 6/14/13 10:38pm et |
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Chicago Bears quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh said the team wants QB Jay Cutler to throw the ball quicker in order to avoid some sacks. "We've stressed that we want the ball out. There's a rhythm to what we do. He appreciates that, and he knows if he's getting the ball out he's not getting hit. We're all involved in it and everybody is responsible for it. Since we said Day 1 that's our No. 1 goal, we've got to live up to it and make sure we are not holding onto the ball forever," Cavanaugh said.
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Huddle Up: Getting rid of the ball quicker will help Cutler avoid the copious sacks he's been prone to behind the Bears' shaky offensive line. Bears coach Marc Trestman has had plenty of success getting previous quarterbacks to function within his system; it's perhaps the biggest reason the Bears hired him. The benefit of fewer sacks, coupled with Chicago's bevy of quality WCO targets, should help Cutler surpass the ordinary stats he's put up as a Bear and perhaps even approach the big numbers he was accumulating in Denver.
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Victor Cruz - WR - New York Giants
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Posted 6/14/13 4:13pm et |
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New York Giants restricted free-agent WR Victor Cruz has signed his one-year tender offer and will make $2.879 million this season. Cruz said the two sides will continue to discuss a long-term deal. Cruz could still hold out training camp, but he would be subject to a fine of $30,000 per day if he does not report. He could have lost $2.289 million if the Giants had retracted the tender offer on Monday, June 17, and replaced it with an offer of $590,000. At that rate for fines, Cruz could afford 76 days of them before he'd reach the $2.289 million for which he's signing his tender. A source said there were no indications that the team was going to rescind the offer, but Cruz didn't want to take the chance.
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Huddle Up: So Cruz is inked, but there's still the possibility of a holdout. Not much has changed, and there's still nothing to worry about here unless and until we hit August and the Giants and Cruz have yet to agree on a new deal.
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Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith said TE Tony Gonzalez has been excused from participating in the team's mandatory minicamp next week.
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Huddle Up: You can bet the official okey-dokey for Gonzo to skip minicamp was in the contract he signed when he agreed to stave off retirement for at least one more season.
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