News: Raiders running back
Darren McFadden participated fully in a minicamp practice on Tuesday, proving that he's over the right Lisfranc foot sprain that cost him nine games in 2011. The
Contra Costa Times reported that he participated in every drill and ran, caught and made cuts. He reportedly also did some work in a previous minicamp that wasn't open to the media. McFadden rushed for 614 yards and caught 19 passes for 154 yards with five total touchdowns in seven starts last season. "He's out here running around, and it looks like he's running full speed," head coach Dennis Allen said after Tuesday's OTA. "I've been pleased with the way he's looked. We want him to be healthy, we want him to stay healthy and we're going to do everything we can to try to keep him that way."
Analysis: The more we hear about McFadden practicing and doing well, the more likely Fantasy owners will gamble a Top 20 pick on him this summer. Potentially, McFadden could evolve into a 20-touch-per-week running back now that there isn't a dedicated or reliable backup behind him on the Raiders roster (Mike Goodson figures to be the guy). But he's also been injury prone over his career -- he's never played more than 13 games in a season. But when he has played, he's been awesome: He's averaged 88.5 rush yards and 33.0 receiving yards over his last 20 starts with 15 total touchdowns (and that's been with Bush playing alongside him!). Staying healthy is a major factor, and it's something Fantasy owners will have to consider with him regardless of where he winds up playing. It's OK to draft McFadden with that Top 20 pick (likely between 13th and 20th overall), but in doing so you must also commit to drafting his backup -- for now that's Goodson -- as a handcuff for if/when McFadden gets hurt.
Welker signs one-year tender
Wes Welker, WR, NE
5/15/2012
News: According to a league source, wide receiver
Wes Welker has signed his franchise tender. That means he'll play out the 2012 season under a one-year deal guaranteed at $9.5 million. Welker wants a long-term contract extension and hopes his signing is a show of good faith leads to one.
Analysis: Welker played big in his contract year, catching 122 passes for a career-best 1,569 yards and career-high nine touchdowns in 2011. And now that he's signed, sealed and delivered, he will report to camp on-time and be a part of everything the Pats do between now and then. Welker will be 31 years old by the time the season starts, but so long as he remains in the Patriots’ offense he has to be considered a top-notch Fantasy option. Consider taking him by the third round in standard formats (Round 2 in PPR).
News: The
Dallas Morning News reports that Cowboys running back
DeMarco Murray said Monday that the ankle injury that prematurely ended his standout rookie season has healed and he has been cleared by team doctors. “It's great,” Murray said during an interview on ESPN. “I've been officially cleared by our doctors, and I've been doing everything the past month or two without any limitations. I feel great.” Murray suffered a fractured right ankle and a high right ankle sprain in a Week 14 loss to the Giants. Murray had surgery in December, began rehab shortly after and started running in February. The third round pick finished the 2011 season with 897 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Analysis: We're excited Murray is ready to go, and we look forward to him picking up where last season ended. He will again share carries with Felix Jones, but Murray should be considered a solid No. 2 Fantasy running back worth drafting in Round 3 in all formats.
News: The
Florida Times-Union reports that Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey said Tuesday that the reason running back
Maurice Jones-Drew is not with the team for OTA workouts is because he wants a new contract. "It's all voluntary," Mularkey said. "I wish he was here. He knows we wish he was here. ... He's talked about trying to get an extension for his contract."
Analysis: CBSSports.com Senior NFL Columnist Pete Prisco first reported that Jones-Drew wants a new contract extension, and now we know why he's not with the team. He has two years left on a contract he signed in 2009, but that deal makes him the eighth-highest paid running back in the league -- and he was the NFL's top rusher last season. We hope MJD will show up for training camp, and hopefully this situation is resolved soon. We consider Jones-Drew a No. 1 Fantasy running back, and he's worth drafting in Round 1 in all leagues as long as there isn't a holdout.
Martin has hamstring strain
Doug Martin, RB, TB
5/15/2012
News: The
Tampa Bay Times reports that Bucs general manager said Tuesday that rookie running back
Doug Martin has a slight hamstring strain. He did not practice with the team during OTA workouts.
Analysis: Martin was drafted to compete with running back LeGarrette Blount, and Martin has the chance to start right away. But he needs to be 100 percent healthy, and hopefully he will be ready for the start of training camp. Keep an eye on what happens with Martin, and he should be considered a low-end No. 2/high-end No. 3 Fantasy option if his hamstring is OK. He will lose reps, possibly at the goal line, to Blount, but Martin has the potential to be a three-down rusher as long as he's healthy.
Broncos, Manning willing to make adjustments
Peyton Manning, QB, DEN
5/15/2012
News: Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy spent some time talking about some adjustment the team will make to cater to new quarterback
Peyton Manning, as well as some adjustments Manning will make to cater to the Broncos' coaching staff. "This is going to be a work in progress for everybody," McCoy said. " ... There are plenty of things that we've done in the past here that we want to give Peyton the opportunity to see. He is very flexible. He wants some new ideas and to run some new things. We've spent some time in the last couple of weeks explaining the things as an offensive staff we really like and things we can help him with. And that is our job. It's going to come down to the next couple of months, by the time we come out of training camp to say, 'OK, what do our players do best? What are the things that Peyton likes best as the quarterback?' Because it all starts with the quarterback in our system. There are a lot of things that he hasn't done that he is excited to look at -- getting some two-back situations and things he hasn't done a whole lot of, and we have had a lot of success with that here in the last couple of years so we are going to continue to build that. There are going to be some things that we're going to try whether he has done then or we have done them here or other coaches have run them somewhere else and we'll pick and choose what we're going to do."
Analysis: Chances are the Broncos will cater more to Manning and what he's capable of doing rather than trying to fit Manning into what they want to do. For instance, John Fox is known as being a run-heavy coach but he might ease on his stance with Manning under center. This is a smart team that will definitely lean on Manning. The bigger issue remains Manning's health following months of rehab from multiple neck surgeries. We should all wait until Manning goes through his paces in training camp and the preseason before getting really excited about him. If he looks as good as we remember, he'll be in the discussion as the seventh quarterback taken in drafts, right behind brother Eli, in Round 3 or 4. If he's not quite as smooth but clearly on track to play, he'll be more of a fifth-round pick with the likes of Matt Ryan and Ben Roethlisberger. And if he's not playing at all but still expected to be ready for the season, Fantasy owners might start gambling with him starting in Round 6 or 7. It's a very good idea to pay attention to Manning's progress this offseason.
Bengals might have a starter in Sanu
Mohamed Sanu, WR, CIN
5/15/2012
News: It didn't take long for Bengals rookie receiver
Mohamed Sanu to establish himself with the team. Following their recent rookie minicamp, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said Sanu did very well. "I thought Sanu was everything we expected him to be," Lewis said according to the
Cincinnati Enquirer. "He's going to be able to come in here and play right away as a rookie. He's going to push to start and for playing time."
Analysis: Sanu doesn't have a ton of competition for the job opposite A.J. Green and could be a factor this season for the Bengals' passing attack. He's a productive receiver who had 115 catches for 1,206 yards (10.5 avg.) and seven touchdowns last season with Rutgers. Now that he's in the starting mix, Sanu will be worth a late choice in seasonal drafts (especially PPR formats). He's also worth a mid-to-late pick in dynasty/keeper leagues and a second-round pick in rookie-only drafts.
Cutler concerned about O-line
Jay Cutler, QB, CHI
5/15/2012
News: Bears quarterback
Jay Cutler says his thumb is healed following offseason surgery after breaking it during the 2011 season. And he certainly gives a thumbs-up to the Bears adding
Brandon Marshall via trade and
Alshon Jeffery in the draft. But he told the
Chicago Sun-Times that his offensive line is still a concern of his. "If Gabe [Carimi] comes back, if J'Marcus [Webb] pans out. Where are we going to put Chris Williams? There are some question marks there," Cutler candidly said. "Until we really get that resolved, and get our front five settled in, we've got some work to do on offense. ... There are going to be times it's 3rd and 8, 3rd and 10, and we're going to have to take seven step drops and we're going to have the longer route and they're going to have to protect."
Analysis: Cutler and the Bears know what they have to do: Move the pocket. Several coaches and Cutler himself have talked about using bootleg rollouts on passing plays, something he did in Denver. That keeps defenses on their toes and keeps plays alive. Anything is better than Cutler having to take seven-step drops all the time in Mike Martz's offense, which happened last season. Now he should be able to scamper around and slice up defenses with his arm and his legs. Getting a pair of solid receiving threats will only help him. Without a stud receiver in Chicago, Cutler has averaged 225.8 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game. Expect that average to go up with the addition of Marshall and Jeffery. Cutler is now worth discussing as a sleeper quarterback worth taking after about a dozen passers go off the board. We'll probably see him taken in Round 8 or 9 in a lot of drafts this summer.
News: Raiders rookie wide receiver
Juron Criner put on a receiving show during Tuesday's OTA. On one play, he made an acrobatic grab between two defenders of a 50-yard pass from
Carson Palmer. On another, he blew past a defensive back for a long catch from Palmer. It appeared that Palmer and Criner already had their rhythm down pat. "I think every day he gets a little bit better," coach Dennis Allen said. "I was pleased with the way he practiced today. It's not a whole lot different than what we saw on tape in college. That's what we expect from him."
Analysis: This is nice to hear but we'd like to see Criner do this against first-string competition before we start touting him as a sleeper. Funny thing is that Criner slipped in the NFL Draft partially because of his speed. The guy otherwise is a gem -- he's 6-foot-3 and 224 pounds and caught 75 passes for Arizona last season for 956 yards and 11 touchdowns. If he can keep this up through the summer then we're talking about a serious sleeper.
News: The Jaguars official team website reports that rookie receiver
Justin Blackmon returned to practice Tuesday after dealing with a sore foot. Blackmon said his sore foot was caused by wearing new cleats at the rookie minicamp.
Analysis: It appears like Blackmon is fine and should be 100 percent ready for training camp. We consider Blackmon a No. 3 Fantasy receiver at best, and he will have to prove himself while dealing with a young quarterback in Blaine Gabbert. He's worth a middle- to late-round pick in seasonal drafts, a middle-round pick in dynasty/keeper leagues and a Top-5 pick in rookie-only formats.
I value the matchups a player faces more than anybody, but last week owners were burned on starting either of the Ravens' running backs at the Colts and their "bad" run defense. I realize Baltimore was forced to throw because Peyton Manning came out throwing and helped build a big lead. Who's to say he won't do it again versus a banged-up Packers secondary? That would take the ball out of Ryan Grant's hands. Additionally, Grant had a 33-carry game last week and couldn't crack 100 yards. He'll have a good matchup this week, but I don't like his chances to take advantage of it. That's why I'd sit him. 
You've hated Grant all season, and for good reason. No touchdowns. No 100-yard games. Only two catches, and for minus-4 yards at that. But he's getting better, and this week he goes back to being a No. 1 Fantasy option. You can see it coming the past two weeks, with the Packers feeding him the ball. He had 18 carries for 83 yards against Atlanta and 33 carries for 90 yards against Seattle. It's only a matter of time before he breaks a big run, and the Colts run defense isn't going to stop him. Indianapolis is still without safety Bob Sanders (knee) and is allowing 161 rushing yards per game and five touchdowns. Look for Grant to get going this week and put him back in your lineup. 
