Randall Cobb Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Packers WR Randall Cobb has been seeing "extensive duty as the third-down back," according to insider Bob McGinn. We've seen Green Bay use Cobb in the backfield before. He's carried 24 times over the past 2 seasons. Getting the ball in his hands more often is a good idea for the Packers and good news for his fantasy owners. Cobb's backfield role could also dent Eddie Lacy and James Starks' production.

Packers WR Randall Cobb was knocked out in the 1st quarter of Saturday night's loss to the Cardinals with a chest injury.  NBC cameras caught him coughing up blood after landing hard on a diving catch attempt.  NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that Cobb has a bruised lung, and the team announced that he spent the night in the hospital for observation.  We'll keep an eye on Cobb's status, but this injury shouldn't impact his 2016 campaign.  He'll look to bounce back from a disappointing 79-829-6 line in his 5th NFL season.  Cobb only turns 26 in August.

Packers WR Davante Adams (knee) is out for Saturday night's game against the Cardinals.  His sprained MCL is likely a multi-week injury.  Adams' absence leaves Randall Cobb, James Jones and Jared Abbrederis as Green Bay's top 3 WRs.  Cobb and Jones figure to struggle getting open on the outside, making slot-man Abbrederis a sneaky fantasy play.

The forecast for today's Cowboys-Packers game calls for an 80% chance of rain with 11-14 mph winds.  It's not quite enough for us to move any guys in this game in the Week 14 rankings, but use the weather as a tiebreaker.  This could turn into a run-heavy game on both sides.

Packers WR Randall Cobb confirmed that he avoided a setback with his injured shoulder in the team's Week 1 win over the Bears.  "I feel the same way I did before the game yesterday, so I guess that's a good thing," he said. "Hopefully it continues to progress."  Cobb played 54 of 60 offensive snaps (90%), hauling in all 5 of his targets for 38 yards and a score.  He admitted, though, that he was thinking about the shoulder throughout the game.  "I just had to try to dodge some of the hits, get out of bounds when I could and dodge the hits on other occasions," Cobb said.  QB Aaron Rodgers also revealed that Cobb's route tree was scaled back to protect him.  The good news is that he should be closer to 100% for this Sunday night's game against the Seahawks.  Cobb remains a must-start.

Packers WR Randall Cobb (shoulder) is officially active for today’s game against the Bears. He’ll be operating at less than 100% but is impossible to bench in season-long leagues. Cobb has scored 5 times in his last 3 games vs. Chicago.

Packers WR Randall Cobb (shoulder) will play against the Bears today, but he won't be at 100%, according to ESPN's Bob Holtzman.  Cobb is still dealing with pain and will wear extra protection on that shoulder, per Holtzman.  Cobb already admitted earlier this week that he won't be at full strength today, so this is just confirmation.  Cobb carries more risk than usual this week, but you can't sit him in a plum matchup vs. Chicago. 

Packers WR Randall Cobb (shoulder) is officially probable for Sunday's game against the Bears.  He was limited in practice all week, but the "probable" listing suggests he's a virtual lock to play.  Cobb carries more risk than usual as he fights through that shoulder injury, but he's a must-start in a juicy matchup vs. a team he's scored 5 times against in their last 3 meetings.

Packers WR Randall Cobb (shoulder) put in a limited practice on Wednesday and plans to play against the Bears this weekend.  But he admits that he doesn't have full range of motion and is still dealing with "a lot of pain."  He's experimenting with different types of protection for that shoulder this week.  "I'm going to do everything I can to protect myself," Cobb said.  "But I have to play fearless. I've always been a fearless player and that's part of it."  We'll see if Cobb makes any progress over the next few days.  He'll certainly carry more risk than usual this week, but his role in a top-notch passing game in a plus matchup keeps him in must-start territory.

Packers WR Randall Cobb (shoulder) is expected to be ready for Week 1, according to Fox Sports' Alex Marvez.  “He’s going to be fine,” a source told Marvez.  “He feels good about it.”  Cobb figures to sit out practice the rest of this week, then we'll see if he gets back on the field when Week 1 prep starts next week.  But Cobb seems safe to continue drafting in the back-half of Round 2.

Packers WR Randall Cobb is dealing with an AC joint sprain, per insider Ian Rapoport. There’s no timetable for his return, but this is relatively good news for a team that already lost Jordy Nelson for the season. Cobb has 2 weeks to get ready for the season opener at Chicago. For now, consider him 50/50 for that matchup.

Update: Team insider Rob Demovsky reports that Cobb has a "good chance" to be ready for Week 1.  The 25-year-old is worth considering in Round 2 of fantasy drafts.

X-rays on Packers WR Randall Cobb's shoulder came back negative, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky.  Cobb will undergo additional testing on Sunday, but it at least sounds like he avoided a major injury.  "You know, we're taking it day by day right now," he said after Saturday night's preseason game. "We'll see come tomorrow what more we find out, and we'll go from there."  Dr. David Chao, a former NFL head physician, believes Cobb is most likely dealing with a sprained AC joint.  The severity would determine how long he'd be out.  Grade 1 or 2 sprains would likely have Cobb ready for Week 1.  Grade 3 would make him "unlikely" for Week 1 but wouldn't send him to IR designated for return, per Chao.  We should have more clarity on Cobb's status by Sunday night.  If you're drafting in the meantime, you might bump Cobb down a couple of spots in your WR rankings.  We'd still be comfy drafting him late in Round 2 and anywhere in Round 3. 

Packers WR Randall Cobb headed to the locker room early in Saturday night's game against the Eagles, appearing to favor his right arm or shoulder after a Philly defender fell on him. Needless to say, a significant injury here would not only take away another WR1 from fantasy owners but further chip away at a Green Bay offense already down Jordy Nelson. We'll all be watching this situation closely.

Update: The Packers announced that Cobb has a shoulder injury.  We'll keep an eye out for more details.

The initial diagnosis on Packers WR Jordy Nelson's knee injury is a torn ACL, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.  The team is still awaiting MRI results to confirm, but it's an injury that doctors can usually recognize right on the sidelines.  If confirmed, Nelson would miss the entire 2015 season.  It'd vault WR Randall Cobb to the top of the totem pole and mean a bigger role for WR Davante Adams.  Jeff Janis would become the favorite for the #3 WR job.  Stay tuned for updates.

Packers HC Mike McCarthy applauded 2^nd-year WR Davante Adams. "I think he's had a heck of a camp,” McCarthy said. “Looking for big things from him." Unless an injury strikes Randall Cobb or Jordy Nelson, those “big things” are unlikely to amount to steady WR3 totals. Last year, Green Bay passed on 55.2% of their plays – 23^rd league-wide. They also ranked 24^th in plays per game. Aaron Rodgers helps boost this unit’s efficiency, but we still perfer Adams as a WR4.

Packers insider Bob McGinn points out that 33 of WR Randall Cobb's 46 backfield snaps came in the final 5 games last season.  He carried 8 times for 28 yards in those contests after totaling just 9 yards on 4 carries in his first 11 outings.  Cobb averaged just 3.1 yards per carry last year but ripped off 15.0 per carry over the previous 2.  We'll see if the increased rushing role at the end of 2014 carries over to 2015.  That'd only raise the fantasy ceiling on a guy who finished as a top-8 WR across formats last year.

The Packers have signed WR Randall Cobb to a 4-year, $40 million deal. It's a great move for the fantasy value of a guy who finished 8th among PPR wideouts in 2014. Cobb should remain a WR1 in fantasy football drafts this year and for the foreseeable future. We'll see if his $10 million annual average sets the bar for any other receivers on the market.

Packers WR Randall Cobb will enter the season as the team's lead punt returner once again, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette.  The Packers wanted to remove Cobb from return duties but couldn't find a suitable replacement.  Micah Hyde will reportedly share the role but sits behind Cobb on the special-teams depth chart.  Keeping return duties obviously only adds value for Cobb in fantasy football leagues that give points for return yardage.  Everyone else will just hope he doesn't get hurt on a return.

The Packers signed WR Jordy Nelson to a 4-year extension worth $39 million, including $14.2 million guaranteed. It’s a well-earned raise. Nelson’s developed into Aaron Rodgers’ top target over the past few years, notching 30 TDs since 2011. He’s locked in as a WR1 in fantasy. Green Bay could now turn up the heat on negotiations with Randall Cobb, who enters the final year of his rookie contract.

The Packers offense is looking to play faster in 2014. HC Mike McCarthy wants to run 75 plays per game. That’d easily lead the league and probably isn’t realistic. Denver ran an NFL-high 72 plays per game last year. Green Bay averaged 67 plays per game. But that number climbed to 69 in games QB Aaron Rodgers finished. "Aaron Rodgers is a beast the way he plays the game, the way he attacks the defense, whether it's his cadence, his ability to recognize defenses to take advantage of a certain pressure, and then on top of it he's so well-rehearsed in this offense," McCarthy said. “Playing faster” has become the overused buzz term over the past couple offseasons, but the Packers certainly have the personnel to make it happen. More plays would obviously mean more fantasy upside for Rodgers, RB Eddie Lacy and WRs Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Jarrett Boykin.