Niners TE George Kittle said this week that QB Trey Lance appears to be taking over the offense. “I definitely think he’s taken ownership, for sure,” Kittle said, via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “You can kind of tell that in meetings, he’ll talk. He’s assuming responsibility. … He’s letting his personality show a little bit. And he’s going to be out there slinging the rock around.” Jimmy Garoppolo remains on the San Francisco roster, but we'll be surprised if Lance isn't the Week 1 starter. The current uncertainty is keeping Lance outside the top 12 at QB in best-ball drafting.
Vikings beat writer Chad Graff writes that RB Dalvin Cook might see more pass-game involvement in 2022. Cook “lined up in bunch wide receiver sets” at minicamp, though Graff admits it might just be some “tinkering” from a new staff. “I don’t want to just sit up here and tell y’all everything,” Cook said. “We’ve got Green Bay Week 1, so we’re gonna wait and see.” The veteran RB saw ~3.8 targets per game last season. Current projections have him at 41 catches (in 14 games).
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy praised 2nd-round DE Sam Williams after the team's 1st rookie minicamp practice over the weekend. "I think we'd all agree that Sam Williams looks like a guy that was born to play professional football," McCarthy told the Dallas Morning News on Saturday. "He has the gifts. He has the physical traits." Williams set the Ole Miss single-season record with 12.5 sacks last season and then delivered a 99th-percentile speed score at 6'4, 261 pounds in pre-draft testing. Off-field concerns might have pushed him into Round 2. Williams landed in a defense that presents immediate opportunity if he proves ready to seize it. Keep an eye on Williams as a potential late-round sleeper in 2022 IDP drafts. And check out his spot in our dynasty rookie IDP rankings.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic describes the “blockers in front of [Trey] Lance” as “question marks.” The real issue is along the interior, where nobody’s locked into a starting spot. Of note: C Alex Mack, 36, is questionable to return for another season. And reliable RG Laken Tomlinson signed with the Jets in free agency. The 49ers used a mid-round pick on UTSA OT/OG Spencer Burford, but he’s unlikely to make a year 1 impact. Lance remains a fringe QB1 with a wide range of outcomes.
Jon Machota of The Athletic believes rookie WR Jalen Tolbert “should be able to immediately compete for a starting spot.” That, of course, would be the WR3 job behind CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, who’s recovering from a January ACL tear. Consider him questionable for Week 1 right now. As for Tolbert, the words of VP of Player Personnel Will McClay speak volumes about the team’s interest. "Tolbert can play multiple spots,” McClay said. “He’s got size, he’s extremely intelligent and the type of player you want to grow in that room. The upside is there because he’s an NFL style receiver, body style, size, ability to find space to be able to play inside and outside, so that versatility made him very attractive to us.” Tolbert’s main competition will come from former Steeler James Washington, who signed just a 1-year deal worth ~$1.2 million.
The Cowboys added Wisconsin TE Jake Ferguson in the 4th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He opened his college career with a 36-456-4 line as a freshman but never progressed from there. Ferguson was primarily an in-line TE for the Badgers. He has reliable hands and is comfortable working in traffic at 6’5, 250 pounds. But he has 4.8 speed with a below-average vertical, leaving him as a low-upside fantasy prospect. Ferguson will compete for scraps behind TE Dalton Schultz in Dallas this year.
The Cowboys added South Alabama WR Jalen Tolbert in the 3rd round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Tolbert was just a 2-star recruit out of high school and didn’t win a starting job until his 3rd year at South Alabama. He led that 2019 squad with 6 receiving TDs and ranked 2nd with 521 receiving yards. 2020 brought a true breakout: 64 catches for 1,085 yards and 8 TDs. Tolbert accounted for 40% of South Alabama’s receiving yards and 44% of the TDs that year. He was even more productive as a redshirt senior this past season, posting an 82-1,474-8 line. Only 5 WRs in the country tallied more receiving yards. Tolbert ranked 18th among 251 qualifying WRs in Pro Football Focus’ 2021 receiving grades. The 6’1, 194-pounder is at his best working deep. He has good-not-great speed (4.49-second 40 time) and is an excellent ball tracker with sticky hands. Tolbert is already 23 years old and faced lower-level college competition, though, so the ceiling feels capped. He likely maxes out as a field-stretching #2 or #3 WR as a pro. He’ll compete for the #3 WR job with James Washington in Dallas.
The Cowboys selected DE Sam Williams in Round 2 of the NFL Draft. Williams sports plenty of on-field potential. After 2 solid years at Ole Miss, he delivered 57 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in his final campaign. Williams then delivered a 99th-percentile speed score at 6'4, 261 pounds. He may have fallen in the draft for off-field issues. Williams lands in a Dallas defense with immediate opportunity on the edge and looks like a high-upside pick for IDP dynasty rookie drafts.
The Vikings selected CB Andrew Booth in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft. Booth might have slid in the draft for injury concerns, but his most recent issue was just a sports hernia. His college numbers don’t point to huge IDP upside in the NFL: 68 total tackles, 5 INTs and 9 passes defensed across 3 seasons. Booth goes to a Minnesota secondary that presents immediate opportunity to compete for a starting gig.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has resumed throwing and is "fully recovered" from offseason surgery on his left shoulder, according to Rob Phillips of the team's official website. "Pumped up is the way I feel, the leg feels, arm feels, body feels. I'm excited," Prescott said. That non-throwing shoulder isn't a concern as we look ahead to the 2022 season. Dak is QB8 in early FFPC best-ball ADP.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler hears that the 49ers are still planning to start QB Trey Lance this season. QB Jimmy Garoppolo remains of the roster as of now, at least in part because he's still recovering from shoulder surgery. "I'm told that [Lance has] gotten indications, at least informal indications from the team, that he'll be the guy next year. He's set to be that," Fowler said. "Now, whether that means that they would still keep Garoppolo and that could change the dynamic, possibly. But right now, Lance is going to be the starter." We're comfortable drafting as if Lance will be under center for San Francisco this year. And his ADP has actually sunk to QB13 recently, making him a nice value.
The Texans have agreed to a 2-year extension with WR Brandin Cooks. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Houston will pay Cooks just less than $20 million per season through 2024. Clearly, this means he's not going anywhere in trade (at least this offseason). Cooks finished 21st among PPR wideouts last season and is going much lower than that in early 2022 fantasy football drafts.
The Cowboys are bringing S Malik Hooker back on a 2-year, $8 million deal, according to multiple reports. Hooker operated as the 3rd/4th safety in his 1st season with Dallas on a 1-year deal that paid him just $920,000. The new contract points to Hooker likely elevating to a starting role in 2022. Expect him to take over Damontae Kazee's spot. We'll see whether the team retains Jayron Kearse for the other safety spot. Hooker has yet to prove useful for most IDP formats -- even when he was healthy with the Colts.
The Cowboys are re-signing DE Demarcus Lawrence to a 3-year, $40 million deal with $30 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports. Many expected Lawrence to move on, given Dallas' salary-cap issues. But the 8-year veteran heads into his age-30 campaign looking like he might finish his career a Cowboy. Lawrence lost 10 games to a foot fracture in 2021 and logged just 3 in the other 7. We'd bet on a 2022 rebound, but it's worth noting that Lawrence also tallied just 10 QB hits in 2020 -- his fewest in a season since becoming a starter. So he's probably not a great bet for double-digit sacks.
Cowboys VP Stephen Jones commented on the status of RB Ezekiel Elliott. “I want Zeke on my team,” Jones said. “Obviously, his contract, his money is guaranteed. He’s going to be here [in 2022], no question. We’re fortunate to have him.” Zeke carries a massive $18.2 million cap hit for the upcoming season, but moving on would cost Dallas ~$30 million. 2023 is the first year the guarantees in Elliott’s contract dry up, so it’s quite possible the team cuts him then. It’s worth remembering that the veteran played through a partially torn PCL from Week 4 on in 2021, which surely contributed to his decline in play. Still, it’s clear that the explosive Tony Pollard — who enters a contract year — deserves a bigger share of backfield touches. Zeke averaged 16.7 touches per game; Pollard was at 11.2.
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said Tuesday that QB Dak Prescott underwent offseason shoulder surgery. Described as a "clean-up," the procedure was done on his left shoulder. Said McCarthy: ”It's not a concern. We have no concerns. He is doing well." Prescott will be a full-go for offseason activities, but this news is certainly worth filing away. Prescott finished as the QB6 last year, missing only 1 game.
49ers QB Trey Lance "was probably further behind than people realized," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. "Trey Lance is greener than people realize, Trey Lance is going to need more work than people realize." Schefter added that QB Jimmy Garoppolo is not a lock to get traded this offseason. "Garoppolo unquestionably is one of the most popular and respected players in your locker room. Players love playing with him. You have him under contract this year at a very friendly $25 million cap number. And if you play with him this year and you lose him after this year, you're going to get a third-round compensatory pick back in return. So are you better playing this season with Jimmy while getting Trey the training he still needs, or are you better trading Garoppolo for a two, a four and a six? What's the better alternative?" We're still expecting Garoppolo to be dealt this offseason and for Lance to be San Francisco's 2022 starter. But this is a reminder that that's not guaranteed -- and that there will likely be ups and downs for Lance if he does take over.
NFL insider Albert Breer writes that the 49ers “feel good about where they are with [Trey] Lance and are poised to hand him the reins.” Lance proved to be predictably raw in his limited 2021 action. But the 49ers' staff felt like he was “ascending” late in the season, per Breer. If Lance can even assemble a league-average passing performance, he'll carry top-10 fantasy upside into year 2. Note that he rushed 24 times for 120 yards in 2 starts. While Jimmy Garoppolo is currently under contract for 2022, San Francisco can cut or trade him with minimal cap repercussions.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott said after Sunday’s loss to San Francisco that he played part of the season with a PCL injury. "It was hard," Elliott said. "It's never fun being banged up. But it's my job to make sure I get my body right and be ready for this team, for the fanbase and for the coaches. It's hard, but that's my job. I won't need a procedure. I just partially tore my PCL this year. It was an injury that wasn't going to get worse, but it was just going to take time. I was just doing my job in playing through the injury. I was going out there and doing what I needed to do for my team.” Zeke, 27 in July, will return for his 7th season in Dallas next fall.
Texans WR Brandin Cooks suffered a knee injury in the 3rd quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Titans and is officially questionable to return. We'll pass along an update when we get one.
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