Posted by Howard Bender (@rotobuzzguy) on 08/16/2013 | 0 Comments
Tags: fantasy football, trainin gcamp, injuries, NFL, Jordan Cameron, Vernon Davis, Antonio Gates, tight ends, Percy Harvin, Chris Ivory, Le'Veon Bell, Keenan Allen, Mike Willie, Vincent Brown, Doug Martin, Montario Hardesty, Dion Lewis, Tom Brady, Dwayne Allen, Roddy White, Arian Foster
Time to take a little stroll around the league and check out what’s going on in training camps around the NFL. We’ve got a number of position battles that still need to be sorted out, a rash of injuries to sort out, and, of course, a few preseason highlights and how they could affect ADP and other draft trends. So without further ado, let’s just dive in head-first and get right to it.
But before I jump in with relevant training camp news, let’s just start with the elephant in the room – Jordan Cameron and his two-touchdown performance Thursday night. Here’s a guy who does virtually nothing in his first season, plays more regularly but not in a prominent role in his second year, and now headed into his third season, is ranked fifth amongst tight ends here on Fantasy Alarm by our very own Jeff Mans. He’s not even ranked in the top 20 of tight ends on any other site. While I may have a tough time ranking Cameron that high up, the real question is: who’s better?* Vernon Davis? Huge disappointment last season and there’s little or no indication that he’ll be better this year. Antonio Gates? He’s been on the decline and his quarterback throws more INTs than he does TDs on most days. Martellus Bennett? Good ol’ Hands of Stone might not even get a look as Jay Cutler continuously fixates on Brandon Marshall. You see where I’m going with this? The position has a clear-cut number one in Jimmy Graham and then each and every other tight end has both positives and negatives. For me, the majority of tight ends are pretty interchangeable. Cameron has tremendous size, decent speed and good hands. If Brandon Weeden locks onto him regularly, he is more than capable of having an explosive season. And when he does, man are the skeptics gonna feel stupid.
OK, now onto the latest relevant news…
While it’s great news to hear that Percy Harvin’s surgery went well and that the doctor who performed it is raving about his current progress, but let’s be realistic, folks. There is no reason to draft and stash the Seattle wideout who is highly doubtful to return to the field this season. Could he return? Sure. But is he going to have any remote impact during the fantasy season? No. You’re wasting a roster spot, wasting a draft pick and have zero chance of looking like a genius by making the pick. Move on. He’s done.
Despite the fact that he’s been sitting on the sidelines with a hamstring injury throughout camp, Jets running back Chris Ivory remains a sneaky mid-round pick. Durability has certainly not been his strong suit, but if the Jets are really thinking 200 carries this season, he is easily worth the risk. Whether it’s Mark Sanchez or Geno Smith at the helm, the Jets are going to need to lean heavily on the ground game. No one respects the Jets passing game, but they still won’t throw eight men in the box, so Ivory, if healthy, could easily become a great flex play just on the number of touches he’ll see.
Steelers rookie running back Le’Veon Bell was back in full pads Friday and the knee is apparently fine. No need to worry or downgrade him on your draft boards. He may be listed as the co-starter with Isaac Redman, but it should easily be Bell who emerges from this battle as the number one guy.
With Danario Alexander lost for the year and Malcom Floyd severely banged up right now, the Chargers are giving as many wide receivers as they can, a chance to earn a spot on the roster. I still believe that Vincent Brown will ultimately emerge as the top receiver on that team, but Keenan Allen and Mike Willie look as determined as they come right now. It was tight end Ladarius Green who saw the most work during Thursday’s game, but he’ll easily remain behind Gates on the depth chart.
Well, Montario Hardesty’s job just got a little easier as Dion Lewis, the guy who was barely inches away from stealing his job as the Browns number two running back, suffered a fractured left tibia which could land him on IR and out for the entire season. Whether the injury is season-ending or not, it secures Hardesty’s spot and makes him the immediate handcuff for Trent Richardson.
And as we speak, Tampa Bay’s Doug Martin leaves the game with an apparent head injury. We’ll wait for test results before assuming a concussion.
Injury Update Rapid Fire:
Tom Brady, QB NE – knee is fine; took every snap with first-team offense Thursday
Dwayne Allen, TE IND – out of the walking boot but still a few weeks away from returning
Roddy White, WR ATL – minor ankle sprain; should be just fine
Danny Woodhead, RB SD – undisclosed injury has kept him out of two preseason games but had been at practice earlier in the week.
Kenny Britt, WR TEN – knee seems fine; returned to practice and should play Saturday
Ahmad Bradshaw, RB IND – foot still an issue, but not serious enough for concern just yet.
Cecil Shorts, WR JAC – calf injury will keep him out Saturday, but team says it’s precautionary
Arian Foster, RB HOU – back problems will keep him out all weekend; might return Monday
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Howard Bender has been covering fantasy sports for over a decade on a variety of web sites. You can find his personal musings on RotobuzzGuy.com and for questions, thoughts or comments, you can follow him on Twitter at @rotobuzzguy or email him at rotobuzzguy@gmail.com.
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Tags: fantasy football, trainin gcamp, injuries, NFL, Jordan Cameron, Vernon Davis, Antonio Gates, tight ends, Percy Harvin, Chris Ivory, Le'Veon Bell, Keenan Allen, Mike Willie, Vincent Brown, Doug Martin, Montario Hardesty, Dion Lewis, Tom Brady, Dwayne Allen, Roddy White, Arian Foster
Time to take a little stroll around the league and check out what’s going on in training camps around the NFL. We’ve got a number of position battles that still need to be sorted out, a rash of injuries to sort out, and, of course, a few preseason highlights and how they could affect ADP and other draft trends. So without further ado, let’s just dive in head-first and get right to it.
But before I jump in with relevant training camp news, let’s just start with the elephant in the room – Jordan Cameron and his two-touchdown performance Thursday night. Here’s a guy who does virtually nothing in his first season, plays more regularly but not in a prominent role in his second year, and now headed into his third season, is ranked fifth amongst tight ends here on Fantasy Alarm by our very own Jeff Mans. He’s not even ranked in the top 20 of tight ends on any other site. While I may have a tough time ranking Cameron that high up, the real question is: who’s better?* Vernon Davis? Huge disappointment last season and there’s little or no indication that he’ll be better this year. Antonio Gates? He’s been on the decline and his quarterback throws more INTs than he does TDs on most days. Martellus Bennett? Good ol’ Hands of Stone might not even get a look as Jay Cutler continuously fixates on Brandon Marshall. You see where I’m going with this? The position has a clear-cut number one in Jimmy Graham and then each and every other tight end has both positives and negatives. For me, the majority of tight ends are pretty interchangeable. Cameron has tremendous size, decent speed and good hands. If Brandon Weeden locks onto him regularly, he is more than capable of having an explosive season. And when he does, man are the skeptics gonna feel stupid.
OK, now onto the latest relevant news…
While it’s great news to hear that Percy Harvin’s surgery went well and that the doctor who performed it is raving about his current progress, but let’s be realistic, folks. There is no reason to draft and stash the Seattle wideout who is highly doubtful to return to the field this season. Could he return? Sure. But is he going to have any remote impact during the fantasy season? No. You’re wasting a roster spot, wasting a draft pick and have zero chance of looking like a genius by making the pick. Move on. He’s done.
Despite the fact that he’s been sitting on the sidelines with a hamstring injury throughout camp, Jets running back Chris Ivory remains a sneaky mid-round pick. Durability has certainly not been his strong suit, but if the Jets are really thinking 200 carries this season, he is easily worth the risk. Whether it’s Mark Sanchez or Geno Smith at the helm, the Jets are going to need to lean heavily on the ground game. No one respects the Jets passing game, but they still won’t throw eight men in the box, so Ivory, if healthy, could easily become a great flex play just on the number of touches he’ll see.
Steelers rookie running back Le’Veon Bell was back in full pads Friday and the knee is apparently fine. No need to worry or downgrade him on your draft boards. He may be listed as the co-starter with Isaac Redman, but it should easily be Bell who emerges from this battle as the number one guy.
With Danario Alexander lost for the year and Malcom Floyd severely banged up right now, the Chargers are giving as many wide receivers as they can, a chance to earn a spot on the roster. I still believe that Vincent Brown will ultimately emerge as the top receiver on that team, but Keenan Allen and Mike Willie look as determined as they come right now. It was tight end Ladarius Green who saw the most work during Thursday’s game, but he’ll easily remain behind Gates on the depth chart.
Well, Montario Hardesty’s job just got a little easier as Dion Lewis, the guy who was barely inches away from stealing his job as the Browns number two running back, suffered a fractured left tibia which could land him on IR and out for the entire season. Whether the injury is season-ending or not, it secures Hardesty’s spot and makes him the immediate handcuff for Trent Richardson.
And as we speak, Tampa Bay’s Doug Martin leaves the game with an apparent head injury. We’ll wait for test results before assuming a concussion.
Injury Update Rapid Fire:
Tom Brady, QB NE – knee is fine; took every snap with first-team offense Thursday
Dwayne Allen, TE IND – out of the walking boot but still a few weeks away from returning
Roddy White, WR ATL – minor ankle sprain; should be just fine
Danny Woodhead, RB SD – undisclosed injury has kept him out of two preseason games but had been at practice earlier in the week.
Kenny Britt, WR TEN – knee seems fine; returned to practice and should play Saturday
Ahmad Bradshaw, RB IND – foot still an issue, but not serious enough for concern just yet.
Cecil Shorts, WR JAC – calf injury will keep him out Saturday, but team says it’s precautionary
Arian Foster, RB HOU – back problems will keep him out all weekend; might return Monday
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Howard Bender has been covering fantasy sports for over a decade on a variety of web sites. You can find his personal musings on RotobuzzGuy.com and for questions, thoughts or comments, you can follow him on Twitter at @rotobuzzguy or email him at rotobuzzguy@gmail.com.
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