According to multiple accounts, Patriots TE Hunter Henry left Tuesday morning's practice early. We have yet to see details on an injury but will keep watch for updates.
Commanders RB Antonio Gibson was working on the punt protection team in Tuesday's practice, according to ESPN's John Keim. This, of course, follows a rough preseason opener that saw Gibson get yanked after losing a fumble on his 2nd carry. For what it's worth, Gibson played zero snaps on special teams across his first 2 NFL seasons. We'll see exactly where this goes, but Gibson is trending in the wrong direction.
Patriots HC Bill Belichick said Tuesday that RB Rhamondre Stevenson "has done a real good job improving his pass-game skills," especially as a pass protector. Stevenson said back in June that his primary focus this offseason was in the passing game, and it sounds like the work has paid off. New England's pass-catching role is up for grabs with RB James White's retirement. It sounds like Stevenson, Ty Montgomery and rookie Pierre Strong are the top contenders for that job.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes Titans TE Austin Hooper “should see a healthy red-zone [target] share.” Hooper’s never topped 6 TDs in a season. But he joined a Titans squad this summer that lost ~45 red zone targets to trade (A.J. Brown) and free agency. QB Ryan Tannehill has also posted a top-3 TD rate in 2 of the past 3 seasons (2019 and 2020). Ultimately, Hooper enters the year as a TE2.
Patriots DB Kyle Dugger did not start in Friday night's simulated intrasquad scrimmage. NESN reports that he rotated in with slot CB Jonathan Jones on the "blue" team, which featured 1st-stringers. It's obviously early in the process, but this doesn't seem good for the playing time of the 3rd-year player. Dugger spent most of last season playing near full time. He came in short of 75% playing time just twice across the 1st 12 games, exceeding 80% 6 times. But his final 3 regular-season outings checked in at just 56%, 63% and 51%. Dugger rebounded to 83% in the playoff loss at Buffalo. If he continues to be more of a sub-package player through the preseason, Dugger might be hard pressed to reach 70% playing time consistently without injury to a teammate. That, in turn, would make it tough for him to deliver regularly useful fantasy points. We've knocked Dugger way down the IDP rankings for now.
New Titans TE Austin Hooper has been getting extra reps with QB Ryan Tannehill after practice. "Chemistry is just repetitions over time," he told reporters afterward. Titans TEs have disappointed with their target shares over the past couple of years, and Hooper might face a challenge from buzzy rookie TE Chig Okonkwo. But he also faces nice opportunity in a Tennessee offense that traded away WR A.J. Brown and released WR Julio Jones since last season. Hooper has consistently gone in TE3 range of drafts.
Commanders RB Antonio Gibson (hamstring) returned to position drills Monday, according to Ben Standig of The Athletic. We'll keep an eye on his status -- as well as specific role -- going forward.
"My guess after being around this team a little is that Rhamondre Stevenson probably will get the bulk of the carries," NBC Sports' Peter King said after attending Patriots training camp. It's a tepid prediction -- and King reminded us that "you're not gonna have any Patriots RB run it 300 times. That's just not the way Bill Belichick wants to use his personnel in the backfield." But it's still noteworthy considering RB Damien Harris is going a round or 2 ahead of Stevenson in fantasy drafts. We'll be keeping a close eye on this backfield in the preseason.
Pats RB Rhamondre Stevenson has slimmed down to 225 pounds, per insider Doug Kyed. He’s listed at 230 pounds on NFL.com, so it’s not a drastic cut. The move is believed to be because of an increased emphasis on the passing game. Per Kyed, Stevenson said he has a better understanding of 3rd-down concepts entering year 2. With James White’s health a question mark, Stevenson looks like the Pats’ primary receiving back in 2022.
Commanders RB Antonio Gibson worked on a side field on Wednesday as he recovers from a hamstring injury. HC Ron Rivera said they'll "ramp up" Gibson and slowly work him back into practice. This injury sounds minor, but Gibson has had trouble staying healthy over his first 2 NFL seasons. We'll keep an eye on him.
Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson ran with the 1st-team offense on Wednesday, while RB Damien Harris was with the 2s, according to multiple sources in attendance. It's the 1st day of Patriots training camp, so we're not overreacting or even adjusting projections for the backfield yet. But it's a situation to keep a close eye on through the rest of camp and preseason action.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, WR Stefon Diggs said he wants to finish his career in Buffalo. The 28-year-old mentioned how it would be a “dream” to team up with his brother, Cowboys DB Trevon Diggs, but that’s unlikely in the short-term. Stefon, of course, signed an extension in April that keeps him under contract through the 2027 season, so his words match his actions. (Trevon is signed for 2 more seasons.) If the Bill plays out his entire contract, he'll be a 35-year-old free agent.
Commanders RB Antonio Gibson has dropped 7 pounds and several points from his body-fat percentage with the help of a dietician and a physiotherapist this offseason. Gibson says he played last year around 235 pounds -- 10 pounds heavier than he'd like. "I’m so used to being twitchy … and I feel like I lost a good bit of that," Gibson said. "So I wanted to cut some weight and get back to that and show people what I’m really capable of.” Gibson faces lots of touch competition this season after Washington re-signed RB J.D. McKissic and drafted RB Brian Robinson. But his ADP has sunk into the late 5th round of recent FFPC drafts.
Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson said Tuesday that his focus this offseason was "route running and being a third down back." That doesn't necessarily mean that he'll be New England's primary pass-catching back this season. But it's certainly possibly, especially if he's improved in that department after a promising rookie year. Stevenson caught 14 of 18 targets for 123 yards in 2021, ranking 12th among 89 qualifying RBs in yards per route run. The Patriots re-signed RB James White in March, but the 30-year-old coming off hip surgery is a big question mark.
ESPN's John Keim writes that the touch count "should remain high" for Commanders RB Antonio Gibson this season but that "his usage could vary weekly." That comes after the team drafted Alabama RB Brian Robinson in Round 3, an addition that has elicited multiple comparisons to former Panthers RB duo DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Keim specifically highlights Robinson's power and short-yardage potential. That could vulture goal-line touches from Gibson, who has racked up 18 TDs on the ground through 2 seasons. Add the return of J.D. McKissic, and it's easy to see the risk factors on Gibson's 2022 workload. His best-ball ADP has dipped significantly since the NFL Draft. We'll see where he settles as summer approaches.
The Bills and WR Stefon Diggs have agreed to a 4-year, $104 million extension with $70 million guaranteed, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Tyreek Hill is the only WR with more guaranteed money in his contract. This extension tacks on to Diggs' old deal and keeps him under contract with Buffalo through the 2027 season. Diggs will be 34 at that point, so he's basically tied to QB Josh Allen for the rest of his career.
Former Giants S Jabrill Peppers is joining the Patriots on a 1-year deal. Peppers is still just 26 (until Oct. 4) and a former 1st-round pick, but he's likely headed for a reserve/rotational role with New England. His playing time dipped even before an ACL tear and high-ankle sprain ended his 2021 campaign early. Peppers lands in a crowded Patriots secondary. His best path back to IDP relevance would be if New England envisions some sort of hybrid safety-LB role for a guy who has played both and looks better in the box than in deep coverage.
The Titans are signing former Browns TE Austin Hooper to a 1-year, $6 million deal. It's a nice landing spot for Hooper on a roster who's top remaining TE had been Geoff Swaim. We'll see whether Tennessee adds anyone else significant and what they do at WR, but Hooper's a solid option late in current best-ball fantasy football drafting.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Browns are releasing TE Austin Hooper (with a post-June 1 designation). That will send Hooper to a free-agent market that has seen little TE movement in the early days. His departure leaves room for David Njoku to take over the lead TE spot, with 3rd-year TE Harrison Bryant behind him. Njoku has remained a solid value in best-ball drafting since re-signing with Cleveland. We'll see how much his ADP climbs with the Hooper news. Fowler says the Browns planned to keep Hooper but that acquiring WR Amari Cooper and pursuing QB Deshaun Watson changed the cap situation.
CB Carlton Davis and the Buccaneers have agreed to a 3-year $45 million deal, according to multiple reports. Davis has played in 51 of a possible 65 games in 4 years since arriving as a 2nd-round pick, starting all but 1 of those contests. He has topped 1 INT just once among his 4 seasons but averaged 1.3 passes defensed per game over the past 3 years. Davis has also been a solid tackle collector for the position. He should be drafted in most CB-required leagues and is even worth a look in plenty of formats with generic DB slots.
Search
