The Athletic's Matt Barrows expects to see "plenty of rotation" in the 49ers' backfield this season. That wasn't the case last year, when RB Elijah Mitchell dominated carries whenever he was healthy. But Barrows believes "the 49ers are hesitant to give Mitchell or any of the running backs too great a load this season" after Mitchell dealt with a variety of injuries in 2021. Barrows expects rookie RB Ty Davis-Price to be part of San Francisco's RB rotation. Trey Sermon, Jeff Wilson and JaMycal Hasty are also on the roster.

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49ers TE George Kittle -- along with LB Fred Warner -- is sitting out OTAs with what HC Kyle Shanahan called a "lower-half" issue. "Both have similar issues, so we’re being smart with them," Shanahan said. "Could go. Being smart. Good chance we’ll hold them out until training camp. ... They’ll be alright." It doesn't sound like this is something that'll impact Kittle's 2022 season, but we'll keep an eye on him when the 49ers open training camp.

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Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence has been impressed by WR Christian Kirk this offseason. "He’s great. Just from a football IQ sense, I think he’s really quarterback friendly," Lawrence said. "The way he sees the field, different coverages unfold, the way he runs his routes, I just think he’s quarterback friendly. And then obviously his speed is something that we really needed and it’s going to help us a lot." Jacksonville gave Kirk a boatload of money in free agency -- $72 million over 4 years, with $37 million guaranteed -- making him the favorite to lead the team's WRs in targets this season. Kirk is a solid value at his 11th-round ADP in FFPC best-ball drafts.

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Saints QB Jameis Winston was a limited participant in OTAs this week, according to The Athletic's Katherine Terrell. Winston took part in individual drills, 7-on-7s and some 11-on-11s but was sporting a "bulky" brace and had a noticeable limp, per Terrell. Winston just resumed running earlier this month after last October's season-ending left knee injury. “The biggest thing about my specific injury was the meniscus,” Winston told reporters. “It wasn’t the ACL and MCL. The MCL actually healed on its own before surgery and the ACL, Dr. Neal ElAttrache did a phenomenal job. … It was a pretty simple procedure. But the meniscus repair has been the biggest limiter for me right now, in terms of moving, rolling out, in terms of certain movements that I’m not able to do just because of the timetable of the recovery. But my ACL is very stable, my MCL is very stable. Right now I’m building around and fighting with the meniscus.” The fact that Winston was on the field at all in May is a positive sign. We're expecting him to be under center for the Saints come Week 1.

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The NFL announced changes to the 2022 IR rules, the most notable being that designated-to-return players must miss at least 4 games. It was a minimum of 3 games last season. Also noteworthy: A player can now be designated-to-return twice per season, rather than just once. These changes will be worth keeping in mind as you make roster moves during this coming fantasy football season.

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Niners TE George Kittle said this week that QB Trey Lance appears to be taking over the offense. “I definitely think he’s taken ownership, for sure,” Kittle said, via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “You can kind of tell that in meetings, he’ll talk. He’s assuming responsibility. … He’s letting his personality show a little bit. And he’s going to be out there slinging the rock around.” Jimmy Garoppolo remains on the San Francisco roster, but we'll be surprised if Lance isn't the Week 1 starter. The current uncertainty is keeping Lance outside the top 12 at QB in best-ball drafting.

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The Browns have agreed to a 4-year, $56.75 million extension with TE David Njoku, NFL Network reports. The deal includes $28 million guaranteed and makes him the league's 5th highest paid TE by annual average. Njoku looks like a 2022 breakout candidate and sits inside the top 15 of our dynasty fantasy football rankings.

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Saints HC Dennis Allen told reporters Thursday that WR Michael Thomas "isn't ready yet," according to John Hendrix of SI.com. Allen added that he expects to have Thomas back in time for training camp. That kind of report on a veteran this time of year is often not a big deal, but Thomas missed all of last season with an ankle injury that dates all the way back to Week 1 of 2020. So we'll consider him high risk at least until he's back on the field -- and probably even after that.

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Cowboys WR James Washington had a walking boot on his left foot at team OTAs Wednesday, according to multiple reports. The team refused to reveal Washington's specific injury, but Pro Football Talk says multiple outlets point to tendinitis. Washington called it "nothing serious, more precautionary" afterward, according to SI.com. The wideout added that he expects to be back soon. With Michael Gallup coming of an ACL tear, we'll be interested to track Washington's status leading up to training camp. There figure to be some early-season targets available in Dallas.

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The Falcons on Thursday announced the signing of RB Jeremy McNichols. The former 5th-round pick of the Buccaneers has just 90 career carries and 55 targets through 5 seasons, with all but 2 of those opportunities coming in Tennessee over the past 2 years. The shaky state of Atlanta's backfield, though, makes every addition worth noting. It should be a wide-open competition for touches alongside Cordarrelle Patterson.

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