Roy Helu Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Raiders RB Roy Helu recently underwent surgery to address a hip impingement, according to ESPN's Adam Caplan.  He'll soon undergo the same procedure on his other hip.  It's unclear how long Helu will be sidelined, but it's not a good start to the offseason for a guy coming off a disappointing 2015 season.  Helu carried just 17 times and averaged an ugly 2.3 yards per.

Raiders HC Jack Del Rio confirmed on Monday that RB Latavius Murray sustained a concussion in the loss to the Steelers.  “Looks like he is going to bounce back fine," Del Rio added.  It's Murray's 2nd concussion in the last 12 months, though.  Consider him no better than 50-50 to be cleared in time for Sunday's game against the Vikings.  Taiwan Jones, Marcel Reece, Roy Helu and Jamize Olawale could all see more action if Murray can't go.

Raiders RB Roy Helu is a healthy scratch for today's opener against the Bengals.  He missed a bunch of time this summer with a hamstring injury.  Taiwan Jones will serve as Oakland's #2 RB, but Latavius Murray will dominate touches.

Raiders RB Roy Helu has fallen behind after missing most of training camp with a hamstring injury.  “Right now, he’s got to create a role,” HC Jack Del Rio said. “Right now, he’s been on the shelf and been unable to do anything for us.”  Helu has had trouble staying healthy, missing 16 games over his first 4 NFL seasons.  But if he can stay on the field, he shouldn't have any trouble beating out Trent Richardson and Michael Dyer for the #2 spot on the depth chart.  That role will make Helu a potential PPR asset and a valuable handcuff behind the unproven Latavius Murray. 

Raiders RB Latavius Murray has been "getting all the 1st-team reps" in training camp so far, according to insider Vic Tafur.  As much as we like RB Roy Helu, there's been nothing out of Oakland to suggest that he's a legitimate threat to Murray's starting job. The Raiders' coaching staff seems completely on board with Murray as their guy.  “For a big guy, Latavius has extremely good quickness,” offensive line coach Mike Tice said. “And when he gets behind his pads, he is hard to tackle. Smaller linebackers might be in serious trouble.”  It doesn't sound like workload is a concern for Murray.  Durability, inexperience and a still-questionable Raiders offense remain potential issues, but Murray is capable of returning value at his 5th-round price tag.

ESPN's Matt Williamson expects RB Roy Helu to play a significant role for the Raiders this season.  “While he isn’t great in protection, I think he will be a very valuable piece and a quick safe option for Derek Carr in this up-tempo passing game and offense overall,” Williamson said. “Helu has been extremely productive on a per-snap basis.”  That he has.  Helu averaged an uber-impressive 5.4 yards per carry and 11.4 yards per catch last season.  He ranked 2nd in fantasy points per touch among the 82 RBs who recorded 50+ touches.  Williamson believes the Raiders could use Helu in a similar role as the Patriots used Shane Vereen, who totaled 148 touches last year.  That type of volume could easily land Helu among the top 30 RBs in PPR points.

ESPN's Adam Caplan reports that the Raiders have reached a deal with RB Roy Helu. Oakland's backfield certainly presents opportunity, with Latavius Murray as the leading incumbent despite just 82 career carries to date. Maurice Jones-Drew retired this offseason, and Darren McFadden's a free agent. There's room for both Murray and Helu to play significant roles, though we could see Helu continue to serve primarily as a pass-catcher. He caught 49, 31 and 42 passes in his 3 mostly healthy seasons with Washington. Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo reports that Helu's deal is for 2 years and a little more than $4 million. Of course, Marcel Reece seems like he'll continue to go under-utilized.

Redskins RB Roy Helu (toe) is inactive for today's game against the Eagles.  He was listed as probable, so it's unclear if he suffered a setback in warmups or is a healthy scratch.  Either way, Silas Redd will get another game as Washington's pass-catching RB.

Redskins RB Roy Helu (toe) put in a full week of practice and is probable for Sunday’s game against the Eagles. He’ll step back into his pass-catching role but is just a flier in PPR fantasy leagues.

Redskins RB Roy Helu (toe) is out for Sunday’s game against the Giants. Silas Redd will step in as the #2 RB but will likely see only a handful of touches behind Alfred Morris.

Redskins HC Jay Gruden said Monday that RB Roy Helu will miss "at least" 1 week with an injured toe.  He's seeing a specialist and could end up landing on IR.  Helu isn't worth rostering in any redraft leagues.  Silas Redd will serve as Washington's #2 RB while Helu is out.

Redskins RB Alfred Morris injured his left ankle in the 1st quarter of Sunday's game against the Titans.  He's considered questionable to return.  RB Roy Helu will serve as Washington's lead back if Morris remains sidelined.

Update: Morris returned on Washington's next series.

Redskins RB Roy Helu reportedly suffered a knee injury in Week 2.  He's actually listed on this week's injury report with a quadricep and put in a full practice on Wednesday.  Regardless of what body part Helu injured, he'll be ready to roll for Sunday's game against the Eagles.  Helu has played 36% of Washington's offensive snaps so far and totaled 16 touches.  He's just a desperation fantasy option.

Washington RB Roy Helu left Sunday's game early with a left knee injury. He said afterward that he suffered the injury early in the game and was able to play through it. He doesn’t believe an MRI is necessary, but the Redskins might feel differently. We should get an update on his status tomorrow.

Washington HC Jay Gruden conceded Tuesday that he should have called more running plays in the opener.  "If I had to do it all over again Sunday, I probably would have run the ball more than I did," he said, per ESPN.com's Dan Graziano.  "We've got to have good balance on our team, but it does start with the run game."  It's good to see Gruden say that, because that seemed pretty clear from watching the game.  Alfred Morris and Roy Helu both looked good running the ball, racking up a combined 7.6 yards per rush on just 18 total attempts. The duo led Washington on its lone TD drive of the day (before giving way to FB Darrel Young at the goal line).  Gruden was more run-friendly as the Bengals OC than most seem to realize, so we're optimistic for Morris' fantasy outlook going forward.

Redskins insider Mike Jones believes the team's change of coaching staffs means RB Roy Helu's future is "shaky."  Helu was drafted in the 4th round of the 2011 draft by HC Mike Shanahan and crew.  New HC Jay Gruden hasn't said much about Helu or his role this offseason.  Jones believes Helu's experience gives him the early edge over Chris Thompson and Lache Seastrunk for the change-of-pace role but adds that Helu needs to make more plays and stay healthy.  We'll be keeping an eye on this situation when training camp opens in a few weeks.  Whoever wins Washington's #2 RB job could be worth stashing in PPR leagues.

Redskins HC Jay Gruden admits that RB Alfred Morris doesn't have "natural hands."  The numbers certainly support that.  Morris has totaled just 20 catches over the past 2 seasons.  He's committed 3 drops during that time, according to Pro Football Focus.  Gruden "hopes" Morris can catch 20-25 balls in 2014, but that seems like his absolute ceiling.  We're expecting to see RB Roy Helu see more action in passing situations this year.

The Redskins rushing attack "will be very similar" under the new coaching staff, according to OC Sean McVay.  RB Alfred Morris has ripped off 2,888 yards on a 4.7 per-carry average over the past 2 seasons.  Washington isn't going to mess with what's been working.  That means sticking with the zone-blocking scheme under new HC Jay Gruden.  “I don’t think it will change a lot,” McVay said of the run game. “The foundation and base principles will remain the same. Jay does a great job of adjusting to his players. He doesn’t make the player adjust to his scheme.”  McVay actually worked under former HC Mike Shanahan in Washington the past 4 years, so he should help keep the running game clicking.  It's good news for Morris' fantasy outlook, although we're curious to see if Gruden gets RB Roy Helu more involved.

Redskins RB Alfred Morris says he's "fine" after being knocked out of yesterday's game with a rib injury.  X-rays came back negative.  But Morris also refused to commit to a return date.  “It really depends on me and my recovery," Morris said Monday. "Different people recover at different rates, so it could be a fast recovery, it could be a slow recovery. But I really don’t know. I’ve never had anything happen to my ribs before, so my return, my guess is as good as any of you guys."  Morris lucks out with a Week 5 bye, but he shouldn't be considered a lock to be ready for Week 6.  Backup RB Roy Helu needs to be owned in all fantasy leagues.  He'd be a strong fantasy start if Morris misses time.