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.
Panthers WR Terrace Marshall (back) returned to practice on Tuesday. He wound up missing about two weeks. Marshall projects as the No. 4 in a healthy Carolina WR corps, but WR D.J. Chark is still sidelined with his hamstring injury.
"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.
Panthers WR Terrance Marshall is expected to miss "a few weeks" with his back injury, according to Fox Sports Radio's Sheena Quick. We're about three-and-a-half weeks away from the start of the regular season, so Marshall seemingly has a shot to be ready for Week 1. But it looks like he'll open the season as Carolina's No 4 WR, behind Adam Thielen, D.J. Chark , and Jonathan Mingo.
Panthers HC Frank Reich said Monday that WR Terrace Marshall hurt his back in practice and is getting checked out, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. We'll see whether it's anything serious, but Marshall has already been trending toward landing no higher than fourth on the WR depth chart.
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.
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.
New Panthers WR Adam Thielen told the team website that he's been "so impressed" with teammate WR Terrace Marshall Jr. both on and off the field. "He's been so great in the meeting room, and then being on the field with him, there's a lot of potential there," Thielen said. New HC Frank Reich added that Marshall showed improvement late last season, the WR's second in the pros: "I think it's just a matter of him getting more play time and making those plays consistently. I think we saw that last year with the reps that he got, the catches that he had, the big plays that he had, that he shows the capacity to kind of be a big play guy." Marshall will have to compete for those reps with imports Thielen, D.J. Chark, and Jonathan Mingo this summer. The good news for his fantasy outlook is that Marshall's disappointing first two seasons has him lingering on the board until the very end of best ball drafts. He's far from a must-add, but there's no real risk to taking some shots on Marshall in that range. See where he and all the new Panthers teammates sit in our 2023 fantasy football rankings.
Falcons QB Desmond Ridder has teammates fired up about his leadership heading into his second season. “When he talks, you listen,” TE Jonnu Smith told The Athletic. “Having leadership qualities is the most important trait you should have as a quarterback. He has that. He’s been coming in here and working his butt off. I have nothing but great things to say about Desmond.” Those words come from a seventh-year veteran heading into his age-28 season and in his first offseason with the Falcons. Others had similar praise for Ridder, who has not only led on-field work but reportedly been organizing events with teammates away from the field. All of this could mean nothing for his in-game performance. And Taylor Heinicke stands in wait as Ridder insurance. But all signs point to the Falcons hoping that Ridder will be their guy for at least the near future. He’s a fine late shot to take in superflex drafts. Check out his spot in our superflex rankings.
The Athletic's Joe Person highlighted WRs Terrace Marshall and Jonathan Mingo in the "Stock Up" section of a recent article. The Panthers re-made their WR corps this offseason under new HC Frank Reich, trading away D.J. Moore and adding Mingo, Adam Thielen and D.J. Chark to Marshall and Laviska Shenault. It seems like playing time is up for grabs heading to training camp later this month. We'll keep you updated on the situation.
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.
Speaking at OTAs, Panthers HC Frank Reich gave his thoughts on 3rd-year WR Terrace Marshall. “We saw that last year with the reps that he got, the catches that he had, the big plays that he had. He shows that capacity to be a big-play guy,” Reich said. “The next step with every player is just more reps, more plays, more confidence where it’s like, ‘Hey, give me the ball.’” Marshall spent part of the offseason working with Mo Wells, a former LSU sprinter who also trains Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. The goal was to build muscle with the hopes of avoiding injuries that’ve slowed his development. Still only 23, Marshall isn’t a name to forget in dynasty leagues. But it’s clear the Panthers’ new staff isn’t expecting much after adding Adam Thielen, D.J. Chark, and Round 2 WR Jonathan Mingo.
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.
When asked about the team's QB situation on Tuesday, Falcons HC Arthur Smith shared the plan is for Desmond Ridder to open training camp as the starter. Smith also spoke about QB Taylor Heinicke, the former Commanders signal-caller who inked a two-year deal with the Falcons in free agency. "The chemistry in the quarterback room is important, as we expect Desmond to take the next step," said Smith. "But we also have [Heinicke] who can go in and win you football games and be ready to play." Reading between the lines a little bit, it sounds as though this could be a camp battle in which Heinicke would have an opportunity to win the job if Ridder slips. That said, we can't put too much stock into vague statements like this in late March. We'll surely have our attention on this situation should it evolve into something more into the summer. If nothing else, dynasty managers could consider throwing out some feelers to acquire Heinicke on the cheap in superflex leagues, but that's about all there is here.
Search
