Raiders WR Davante Adams was relatively quiet in Sunday's season-opening win over the Broncos, catching six balls for 66 scoreless yards. He dealt with tough coverage from All-Pro CB Patrick Surtain for much of the contest. The good news is that Adams drew nine targets -- a big 34.6% share on a day when QB Jimmy Garoppolo threw it just 26 times. Adams won't have many tougher matchups than this one going forward. And he'll remain a fantasy WR1 if he continues to see that type of volume.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison out-carried Ty Chandler 11-3 in Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay. Mattison didn’t find much room to run, but he salvaged his day with an excellent individual effort on a goal-line receiving TD. Mattison also ran 22 routes to only 7 for Chandler, so there’s no concern over the passing-game role. Week 2 brings a tough matchup with Philly, but Mattison will remain an RB2. Keep Chandler stashed as a high-value handcuff.
"Do not underestimate the Vikings’ commitment to [RB Alexander] Mattison," The Athletic's Alec Lewis writes. "The team believes in him and it believes he is a key cog in their attempt at improved rushing efficiency. Mattison might not provide the explosive element that [RB Dalvin] Cook possesses, but the Vikings are committed to providing him an every-down workload." Mattison isn't the most exciting talent, but everything we've heard from Minnesota since Cook's departure is that Mattison is in for big volume this year. He's a solid pick in the fifth or sixth round of fantasy drafts.
Raiders WR Davante Adams is "trending in the right direction" after going down with a lower-leg injury on August 11, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports. "Should be on the practice field soon, depending how Las Vegas wants to manage him," Fowler adds. It doesn't sound like Adams is in any danger of missing the start of the regular season, but we'll continue to keep a close eye on his status.
Update: HC Josh McDaniels says Adams is returning to practice Wednesday, per Tashan Reed of The Athletic.
Raiders WR Davante Adams left Friday's joint practice with the 49ers with a lower right leg injury. A source tells The Athletic's Tashan Reed that Adams' injury is "minor." We'll keep you updated on his status, but we aren't moving Adams in the WR rankings now.
Plenty of opportunities are available in the Vikings' backfield following the offseason release of long-time starter RB Dalvin Cook. Alexander Mattison figures to be the new lead back in Minnesota, but the competition remains open for the RB2 spot behind him. According to The Athletic's Alec Lewis, neither Kene Nwangwu nor Ty Chandler seem to be winning the battle. Lewis highlights "questions about their abilities in pass protection" as big red flags and adds that "it would not surprise [him] to see the Vikings take a shot on a veteran who has experience with a considerable early-down workload," given the large number of available backs on the open free agent market. This report provides far more questions than it answers. It helps to reaffirm that Mattison is secure in his role, but that's about it. Any sort of deeper read into this situation would be mere speculation, though we'll be sure to keep our ears to the ground should any information linking a veteran back to the Vikings arise.
Raiders RBs Zamir White and Ameer Abdullah have been splitting first-team work with RB Josh Jacobs still holding out, according to The Athletic's Tashan Reed. White has been handling "most of the carries," with Abdullah playing in passing situations. That's how we'd expect this backfield to operate if Jacobs misses regular-season games. White's ADP has remained in check, making him an intriguing bench stash as we continue to monitor the Jacobs holdout.
Vikings OC Wes Phillips highlighted RB Alexander Mattison's versatility on Thursday. "[It's] the consistency of who he is every day, what he's put on tape every opportunity he's gotten: his multifaceted run game, pass protection and then his hands in the pass game — his route-running ability," Phillips said. "I think we're going to see a lot of good things, and maybe people didn't realize how good a player Alex Mattison really is." HC Kevin O'Connell made similar comments back in May, calling Mattison a three-down back. All signs continue to point toward Mattison getting a heavy workload in a strong Minnesota offense. See where he sits in the updated RB rankings.
Cowboys WR Michael Gallup is seeing extra snaps in the slot, per HC Mike McCarthy. Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News says the “goal is for [Gallup] to develop into more of a moving piece.” Gallup ran only 8% of his routes from the slot last year and hit the same number in 2021. We're not expecting a major spike, but it's nice for Dallas to add more versatility to Gallup's role -- especially with Brandin Cooks in town. Gallup profiles as a fantasy WR5.
The Raiders and CB Marcus Peters have agreed to a one-year deal, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Peters instantly looks like a favorite to start for a weak Raiders D. He lost seven total games to injuries over the past two years, but has remained an INT and TD-return threat when healthy. Peters isn't a big factor for IDP teams but can make your week in a big-play, large-roster format.
ESPN's Kevin Seifert writes that "all evidence suggests" that the Vikings will use RB Alexander Mattison "in the same every-down role that [Dalvin] Cook performed last season in coach Kevin O'Connell's offense." Cook played 72% of Minnesota's offensive snaps last year, averaging 15.5 carries and 3.3 targets per game. He ranked 12th among RBs in expected PPR points per game and 14th in actual PPR points per game. Mattison will return a nice profit for fantasy teams if he approximates that role. Seifert also believes that RB Ty Chandler is the favorite for the #2 job, ahead of RBs Kene Nwangwu and DeWayne McBride.
WR Davante Adams' usage changed considerably in his first year with the Raiders. He was mostly a short-range target in his final three seasons in Green Bay, registering average target depths of 10.0, 8.9, and 9.6 yards. He caught 71.2% of those targets and averaged 12.2 yards per catch. In Vegas last year, Adams posted an 11.8-yard average target depth. As a result, his catch rate sunk to 55.6%, but he set a career high with 15.2 yards per catch. Adams’ 8.4 yards per target last year was down a bit from his 8.8 yards over those final three seasons with the Packers. But it still ranked 30th among 85 WRs with 50+ targets. The concern heading into 2023 is that new starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo has never ranked better than 16th in Pro Football Focus' deep passing grade. So Adams' efficiency could suffer if he continues working downfield as much as he did last season. We'll keep a close eye on the situation throughout the summer.
RB Alexander Mattison sits second on the Vikings' depth chart right now. But he'll climb a peg if RB Dalvin Cook is traded or released. And HC Kevin O'Connell sounds confident that Mattison could handle the lead role. “It’s been really good to see Alex Mattison take a few more reps and really show that all three-down kinda ownership that he’s been capable of for a long time,” O’Connell said Wednesday. Mattison has shown the ability to handle hefty workloads in the past. He's topped 20 touches five times over the last three seasons. His RB29 ADP in recent FFPC drafts will prove to be a bargain if Cook departs before Week 1.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott gave his take on the health of WR Michael Gallup. “[He’s] starting to come back into who Michael Gallup is and feel himself. That’s a guy that I’ve got a lot of trust in," Prescott said. "He’s getting his feet under him, and he’s going to be better.” Gallup tore his ACL in early January, 2022, and labored through last season. Dallas added Brandin Cooks over the offseason, but Gallup profiles as a low-risk flier at WR79 in ADP.
Cowboys WR Michael Gallup admits that he struggled last season returning from his January 2022 ACL tear. "I was thinking too much,” Gallup said. “My knee was feeling sore, and it was just different. Last year at this time, I couldn’t walk. It’s different now. I feel springy again. It just feels different.” Gallup posted career lows last year in yards per game (30.3), yards per catch (10.9), and yards per route (1.0). We're buying a bounce back for the 27-year-old this season. But he still sits outside the top 50 in the WR Rankings after the Cowboys added WR Brandin Cooks earlier this offseason.
Raiders GM Dave Ziegler said he tried to trade back into the first round to secure TE Michael Mayer. Vegas ended up landing Mayer with the fourth pick of Round 2. "He was one of the top 15 players on our board," Ziegler said. We were surprised to see Mayer slip into the second round. But he landed in a solid spot for immediate opportunity, with only TEs Austin Hooper and O.J. Howard to conquer.
The Raiders selected Cincinnati WR Tre Tucker in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. A strict slot at 5’9, 182 pounds, Tucker wins with 4.40 speed. The 22-year-old will likely fit in as Vegas’ WR4 or WR5 this season. He’s also a candidate to contribute in the return game.
The Raiders selected Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Mayer stepped into a starting role as a true freshman. Across three seasons, the Notre Dame TE set records for career catches (180), receiving yards (2,099), and TDs (18). Despite small, 31 5/8” arms, Mayer is a polished, contested-catch winner. The 249-pounder has also proven tough with only one missed game in three seasons. The Raiders certainly had a TE need following the trade of Darren Waller. Austin Hooper joined the club in March, but he’s not much of a barrier to Mayer capturing a three-down role. The 21-year-old could be a TE1 spot-starter this fall.
The Raiders selected Edge Tyree Wilson with the seventh pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Wilson’s college career started slowly, with a redshirt season and transfer from Texas A&M to Texas Tech before he became a starter. He broke out over the past two seasons, totaling 27.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks over that span. Wilson was on pace for easily his best college campaign in 2022 before a foot fracture cost him the final three games. That recovery will be worth watching for his 2023 IDP outlook. He goes to a Las Vegas defense without an immediate starting need on the edge. Bet on Wilson working into the rotation with Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones initially, with a chance to take playing time from Jones this year. Don't be surprised if the rookie starts slowly, though. Read more about Wilson in our early IDP rookie rankings.
The Colts signed QB Gardner Minshew to a 1-year, $3.5 million deal. It's backup money, which is what Minshew figures to be for at least most of 2023 behind whichever QB the Colts nab in next month's draft. It's worth noting that Minshew spent the past 2 seasons in Philadelphia with new Colts HC Shane Steichen, so he'll be familiar with the offense.
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