August’s arrival loudly signals that the NFL season is rapidly approaching. As coaches, team personnel, and players all return to prepare for the upcoming season, fantasy football fans also start preparing for their upcoming drafts, which could start kicking off in only a week or two.
Part of that draft prep should be to spend some time keeping up with noteworthy events that could wind up having a major impact on player values. It’s also important to study updated fantasy football rankings and to check out some of the new advanced metrics and efficiency metrics that can really give you a huge advantage when it comes to identifying late-round sleepers and breakouts.
Here are some of the fantasy-relevant news items from the first week of the 2019 NFL training camps. Be sure to bookmark Fantasy Data’s NFL News and Rumors page for the latest developments.
Training Camp News & Notes
Cam Newton looks to be ahead of schedule in the recovery of his surgically-repaired throwing shoulder. Newton isn’t throwing too many deep passes but has looked very accurate and is building a solid connection to WR Curtis Samuel. If Newton enters Week 1 fully healthy, he will be an excellent bargain at his currently-deflated ADP.
Third-round rookie wideout Miles Boykin has been turning heads at Ravens’ training camp. Boykin has meshed extremely well with QB Lamar Jackson. Boykin (6-4, 220) is huge, possess a 100th-percentile catch radius, and posted a phenomenal 94th-percentile SPAR-x score at the NFL Combine. Boykin is barely being considered in redraft leagues so keep his name in mind as one to monitor during the preseason.
Another third-rounder, Bills’ RB Devin Singletary has been getting a lot of run with Buffalo’s first team and seems to be making the most of his opportunities. With only aging veterans Frank Gore and LeSean McCoy–who could be a cap casualty–in front of him, Singletary has a legitimate shot at leading Buffalo’s backfield in touches. He’s an excellent target in the mid-to-late rounds…In Buffalo’s receiving corps, Zay Jones and John Brown have been running with the starting unit as outside receivers, with free-agent addition Cole Beasley in the slot. That leaves Robert Foster, who flashed some potential last year, as the odd man out early on.
Trouble for the Giants’ already-maligned receiving corps. Corey Coleman tore his ACL and will miss the whole season, while Sterling Shepard suffered a broken thumb injury that will keep him out of drills for several weeks. Additionally, Golden Tate is now potentially facing a four-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy while undergoing fertility treatments. An already ugly situation in New York now looks even worse, so avoiding any part of the Giants’ passing game looks like a solid strategy.
RB Kalen Ballage has been getting significant work with Miami’s first-team offense and in fact, got the first reps daily. Ballage is bigger than Kenyan Drake and appears to have a legitimate shot at winning the starting running back job in Miami. Ballage could take on more of a role on first and second downs, while Drake would likely remain a threat in the receiving game. Ballage looks like a solid late-round sleeper to target, while Drake’s value looks very sketchy.
Donte Moncrief appears to have a distinctive early edge on Pittsburgh’s WR2 job. Moncrief opened camp ahead of James Washington and has looked comfortable in the offense and built a solid connection with QB Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers enter the season with 137 available targets, which ranks fourth-most in football.
Sixth-round rookie WR KeeSean Johnson has been a standout in Arizona’s camp. Johnson has developed solid chemistry with fellow rookie Kyler Murray, particularly on underneath crossing routes. The Cardinals’ receiving corps should be considered completely wide open and the potential of the team’s Air Raid offense to put up a ton of yards and points makes Johnson an intriguing late-round draft target. Fellow Cards’ rookie Hakeem Butler has also made a lot of plays and made an impression.
NFL insider Adam Caplan thinks that rookie RB Miles Sanders has fallen behind and Caplan foresees Sanders only getting “8-to-10 touches” per game, at least initially. That’s not to say that Sanders can’t earn a larger role, but if that scenario plays out, Sanders should be a fade at his current ADP. Jordan Howard may actually turn out to be the better bargain due to his proven short-yardage success.
WR Trey Quinn appears to have secured Jamison Crowder‘s old slot receiver role in Washington. Head coach Jay Gruden talked up Quinn in OTAs and has again stated that Quinn will be heavily involved in the team’s offense. Quinn is almost completely ignored in the vast majority of fantasy drafts but looks like a good bet to possibly have a 75-plus target role.
Parris Campbell has been a standout at Colts’ camp and looks to have a clear path to the WR3 job. Campbell has displayed solid route-running and a good feel for how to use his frame to get open. With only perennially-overrated WR Devin Funchess in front of him, Campbell could easily wind up as the second-leading wideout in a talented but overcrowded Colts’ offense.
The Saints released WR Cameron Meredith after an injury-marred and disappointing stint in New Orleans. Meredith suited up for six games with the Saints but received only 10 targets. Keith Kirkwood, Austin Carr, and Emmanuel Butler look like the best bets to wind up making the Saints’ 53-man roster.
Injuries to Monitor
The first major injury of the training camp happened to Cincinnati WR A.J. Green, who tore knee ligaments and is expected to be sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks. That timetable would go into September, meaning Green is looking very doubtful for at least the opener. Now 31 and becoming increasingly susceptible to injuries, Green looks like a fade at his current third-round ADP.
Todd Gurley ceded many first-team reps to third-round rookie RB Darrell Henderson, as expected. But Gurley has been on the field, taking reps in a limited capacity as the Rams try to protect his knee. Gurley has repeatedly claimed his knee was fine, but there are plenty of red flags. He’s a boom-or-bust RB1 that is now regularly available in the second round. Henderson, who could be destined for change-of-pace duties, is on the RB3 radar, even with a healthy Gurley.
Derrick Henry suffered an undisclosed lower leg injury that is expected to keep him sidelined for a few days or possibly weeks. Tennessee brass seems completely unconcerned, so it’s probably nothing to be worried about. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, the Titans are expected to give Henry a big workload this season. He remains a locked-in RB2. UDFA rookie Alex Barnes has taken advantage of Henry’s absence and has made a positive impression.
Presumptive Chiefs’ starter Damien Williams hurt his hamstring but the injury doesn’t sound like anything too serious. Anytime a hamstring is tweaked, it’s always something to closely monitor. Willaims remains a fringe RB1/2.
Calvin Ridley appears to be dealing with a minor hamstring ailment, but it’s considered a non-factor.
Titans’ second-round wideout A.J. Brown has also missed several days with an undisclosed injury. Brown battled a hamstring injury during OTAs, so the assumption is that that is probably the issue. It doesn’t seem like anything too serious. Tajae Sharpe has been running with the ones while Brown is missing but that should change once Brown is fully up to speed.
Bengals’ bust WR John Ross tweaked his hamstring and is expected to miss around two weeks. Ross is listed as Cincinnati’s No. 3 WR but has been one of the league’s least reliable pass-catchers since entering the NFL.
WRs with the worst hands last season (50+ targets) per True Catch Rate:
Kelvin Benjamin
John Ross
Jermaine Kearse
Courtland Sutton
John Brown
Michael Gallup
Zay Jones
David Moore
Donte Moncrief
Marvin Jones— Jody Smith (@JodySmithNFL) July 6, 2019
Jerrick McKinnon (knee) should be cleared to return to practice. McKinnon recently suffered some swelling in his surgically-repaired right knee. McKinnon tore his ACL last September 1st. With Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida also competing for touches, McKinnon will have a hard time ever living up to the significant draft hype he carried at this time one year ago.
