Vikings WR Justin Jefferson said he's "so excited" about new HC Kevin O'Connell's offense. "Our offensive style, it's not a run-first offense anymore," Jefferson said. "Just us being able to put different people in different positions and distribute the ball, really." We actually wouldn't describe last year's Vikings as "run first" considering they ranked 11th in pass attempts. But they finished 18th in situation-neutral pass rate, so there's room for at least a moderate climb in passing volume this season. Jefferson is a locked-in top 3 fantasy WR.
Per beat writer Jourdan Rodrigue, Rams RB Cam Akers said he feels “100%” healthy at minicamp. Recall that Akers suffered a torn Achilles last July, then shockingly made 5 appearances late in the year (1 in the regular season; 4 in the postseason). Rodrigue writes that Akers should be “worked into the passing game at an even higher volume than he was previously.” Currently, Akers’ ADP has settled into the late 3rd/early 4th round.
Lions TE T.J. Hockenson expects to be used more creatively this season in new OC Ben Johnson's scheme. Johnson was Hockenson's position coach the past 2 years. "Ben has seen me do routes that most guys or coordinators wouldn't think that a tight end could do," Hockenson said. "Splitting me out, running a comeback, splitting me out and running things that really only wide receivers do. He's seen me run it and he's seen me run it well. Just being able to have that in his head – we're already seeing it now (with me) being split out and doing some things and showing what we got." QB Jared Goff likes what he's seen with Hockenson's usage so far this offseason. "T.J. is a unique player and somebody that we need to take advantage of his full skill set," Goff said. "No one knows him better than Ben, so having him in that (OC) spot to make those decisions and draw things up is helpful. But he's doing a great job creatively with T.J." Hockenson is a safe pick in mid-range TE1 territory and might still have untapped upside beyond that.
According to beat writer Jonathan Alexander, Panthers QB Sam Darnold “seems primed" to start the season opener vs. Cleveland. Alexander points to Darnold's experience and performance at OTAs thus far as supporting evidence. While Darnold’s a near lock to start Week 1, the smart money is on rookie Matt Corral taking over at some point in 2022.
Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com expects RBs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon to have a “big role” in the passing game. Jones saw 65 targets in 2021; Dillion handled 37. While Green Bay added several bodies to the WR corps, there’s uncertainty regarding how they’ll replace 224 targets left by Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Current projections have Jones for a career-high in catches.
The Vikings selected RB Ty Chandler in Round 5 of the NFL Draft. A 5th-year senior, Chandler transferred from Tennessee to North Carolina last year. “Ty Chandler came to Carolina with loads of potential and we thought he'd have a tremendous year," HC Mack Brown said. "That's exactly what he did. He grew into the offense with his combination of speed and quickness, and was extremely productive for us. Ty was also great in the locker room as an experienced presence and went on to be voted captain by his teammates.” Chandler does bring top-end, 4.38 speed — but he’s on the smallish side at 204 pounds. He also turns 24 prior to Week 1. He’ll likely start out as a practice squad guy with the Vikings likely to stick with Alexander Mattison and Kene Nwangwu behind Dalvin Cook.
The Vikings grabbed LB Brian Asamoah early in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. Asamoah is smallish at 6'0, 226 pounds, though that's closer to the norm by current NFL standards. He tested well leading up to the draft (74th percentile speed score) after solid college production. Asamoah is likely at least a year away from the opportunity for real playing time in Minnesota, though, with Eric Kendricks and free-agent addition Jordan Hicks in the way.
Per multiple sources, the Giants are declining the 5th year option on QB Daniel Jones. Such a move would have paid him over $22 million for the 2023 season. Jones carries some upside as a QB2 for this year, especially if the Giants invest in WR early in tonight's draft. New York picks 5th and 7th in Round 1.
The Colts are signing CB Stephon Gilmore to a 2-year deal, according to multiple reports. The move lands Indy's defense the top remaining corner on the market and a guy capable of performing as 1 of the top cover men in the league. Gilmore hasn't been much of an IDP factor throughout his career, though, and shouldn't be counted on for worthwhile fantasy numbers in his new spot.
Former Rams OC and new Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell wants to use WR Justin Jefferson in a role similar to the one Cooper Kupp played last year. “The one thing about Cooper Kupp this past season is he lined up in a lot of different spots. It was hard for defenses to really know where he was," O'Connell said. "I see that with Justin. I see an incredible, incredible skillset, but I also see a player we can move around. We can make it hard for defenses to know where he’s going to be. He doesn’t have to line up in the same spot all the time. He doesn’t have to run the same type of routes all the time. He’s dynamic with the ball in his hands. He’s willing in the run game. This guy’s a special, special player." It's no surprise that O'Connell will make Jefferson the focal point of his passing game. But it's exciting to hear about a more diverse role -- especially considering the season Kupp just had.
ESPN's Jordan Raanan says "it seems likely" that the Giants will decline the 5th-year option on QB Daniel Jones' rookie contract when that decision comes up this May. Raanan works the Giants beat and surely has more insight into the team's thoughts on Jones than we do. But this reads like a guess/assumption on his part rather than a report. It's certainly fair to say that the early returns haven't been great, and exercising the option would guarantee Jones a little more than $20 million for 2023. That could be a particularly big number for a Giants team currently strapped for cap space. Fortunately, we'll get the answer to this question well before the coming season starts. And Jones remains in line to at least start for the Giants in 2022. Jones told Raanan this week that new HC Brian Daboll has sought the QB's input in designing the offense.
The Vikings are expected to name Rams OC Kevin O'Connell their new HC, according to multiple reports. The move can't be made official until after the Super Bowl. The 36-year-old O'Connell was a 3rd-round pick of the Patriots back in 2008. He washed out of the league after just 5 seasons and took his first coaching job with the Browns in 2015 under OC John DeFilippo. O'Connell worked for HC Chip Kelly in San Francisco in 2016 before spending the next 3 seasons in Washington, earning the OC title in 2019. He's spent the past 2 seasons as Rams OC, although HC Sean McVay has called the plays.
New Giants GM Joe Schoen threw his support behind QB Daniel Jones at his introductory press conference on Wednesday. "We'll build an offense around Daniel to accentuate what he does best," Schoen said. "I know he's a great kid ... The kid has physical ability. He's got arm strength, he's athletic, he can run. I'm really excited to work with Daniel." Jones has failed to show tangible improvement over his first 3 NFL seasons and missed the final 6 games of 2021 with a neck injury. We'll see when he's cleared from that injury -- and who Schoen and the Giants hire as HC and OC. But Jones can't be considered more than a low-end QB2 in early 2022 fantasy drafts.
Rams HC Sean McVay expressed confidence in RB Cam Akers following a 2-fumble day at Tampa Bay. "[I] still have tremendous faith and confidence in Cam Akers, he's going to be a great player -- there will be a couple plays that he wants back. Then we had a little miscommunication on the one snap after we end up getting the turnover in their territory," McVay said via NFL.com. "Those are things that [we] can't have, but we were able to overcome it, and I'm excited for those guys." Akers fumbled once last year and 10 times in 36 career college games, so it’s an area to monitor going forward. Still, the fact that L.A. fed him 24 carries -- vs. just 1 for Sony Michel — says all we need to know about the team's plans in the NFC Championship.
Packers RB Aaron Jones (knee) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Lions. He’d likely be playing if this game meant anything to Green Bay and should be back for the playoffs. All of the Packers’ other regulars on offense are active, although it’s unclear how much guys like Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams will play.
Rams RB Cam Akers is expected to have a "limited role" vs. the 49ers today in his 1st game since tearing his Achilles this summer, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Schefter adds that Akers will have "an increased role" in the playoffs. We'll see how Akers looks today and what that means for his postseason volume. But he's not a viable Week 18 fantasy option. RB Sony Michel remains a strong play.
The Packers list RB Aaron Jones (knee) as questionable for Sunday's game vs. the Lions. That should be reason enough for him to sit out this meaningless finale. We'll get Green Bay's inactives around 11:30 am ET on Sunday.
Rams HC Sean McVay said Wednesday that he's looking forward to seeing RB Cam Akers (Achilles) make his season debut vs. the 49ers this weekend. McVay said early last week that Akers was on track to play vs. the Ravens, so take this with a grain of salt. We'll see if Akers ends up active on Sunday, but we don't expect him to see more than a handful of touches if he is.
Rams HC Sean McVay said Friday that RB Cam Akers (Achilles) is not likely to play vs. the Ravens this weekend. Akers wasn't a realistic fantasy option this week anyway, but his absence just makes RB Sony Michel an even bigger lock to dominate backfield work. Jake Funk will be Los Angeles' #2 RB.
Panthers QB Sam Darnold will start this weekend's game vs. the Saints, HC Matt Rhule said Wednesday. Rhule added that QB Cam Newton "will be ready," but it's unclear if he'll play at all. Darnold, of course, isn't a recommended fantasy play even if he's out there for 100% of the snaps.
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