(The Fantasy 5 is a quick-hit wrap-up of some of the biggest news topics of the day for fantasy football players, giving you advice you need to improve your team.)
Opening day is less than two months away, and fantasy draft season is in full swing. Sure, you aren’t drafting for at least another month, but there’s no time like the present to start building your draft board. We have a number of new tools and features here at PFF to help you in that process.
Of course, fantasy football isn’t just about tools and data. Information is key, so here are five things you need to know from around the NFL this past weekend:
1. Three-down role for Leonard Fournette?
Though he’s yet to be anointed the starter, the rookie first-rounder is the clear favorite for the Jags’ lead-back duties. However, the question fantasy owners need to ask about Fournette is how much he’ll be involved in the passing game?
T.J. Yeldon served as the Jacksonville third-down back last season, catching 50 balls on 60 targets. Only eight running backs saw more targets during the regular season. Initially, it would seem logical for the Jags to use Fournette on early downs with Yeldon coming on the field in passing situations. But this is by no means a lock. Fournette saw a lot of work as a receiver during OTAs and minicamp, and reportedly impressed head coach Doug Marrone.
Fournette wasn’t used heavily as a receiver in college, with just 41 catches in 32 games played. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that he can’t catch the football. Melvin Gordon was labeled as a back who wasn’t particularly adept at catching the football when he entered the league, and last season he caught 41 balls. At this point, there’s little conclusive information on Fournette’s role in the passing game, but he would move from a borderline RB1 to a solid RB1 option if he emerges as a true three-down back.
Join PFF Elite for access to PFF Signature Stats across all positions.
2. Will the Rams offense be more “Gurley-friendly”?
Todd Gurley was asked this question on SiriusXM NFL Radio, and he responded with “I hope so.” Not the most convincing response, but Gurley went on to say that he’s “definitely been loving” new head coach Sean McVay’s offense.
While it’s still too early to tell if the McVay regime will be a success, we can expect to see a dramatic departure from the Jeff Fisher era in this year’s edition of the Rams. Despite seeing a heavy workload, Gurley struggled in former OC Rod Boras’ offense. Expect that vanilla approach to go out the window, as he’ll likely be moved around the formation to exploit matchups this year. Gurley is far from a sure thing, but his explosive upside makes him a very interesting second-round option.
3. Demaryius Thomas is fully recovered
The Broncos wideout said he feels the best he’s felt in his whole career. It’s a common thing for players to say at this time of year, and it doesn’t really move the needle. However, fantasy drafters shouldn’t overlook Thomas.
He’s been remarkably consistent, with 1,000-plus yards and at least 90 catches in each of the last five seasons. Of course, those numbers have declined a bit in the post-Peyton Manning era, but Thomas still managed to finish 16th among receivers in fantasy scoring last season. While his ceiling is somewhat capped due to the lackluster Denver quarterback situation, Thomas is an appealing fantasy option who is currently being undervalued with an ADP in the fourth round as the 18th receiver being selected.
4. Still no news on Andrew Luck
With training camp just three weeks away, there remains no clarity in Luck’s rehab. The team website said “we still don’t know” if Luck has started throwing. It isn’t quite time to push the panic button, but the spidey senses are tingling a bit here. Luck has been locked in as the No. 4 quarterback in our fantasy rankings all offseason. We aren’t going to move him just yet, but those in early drafts and best-ball formats may want to err toward the side of caution when considering Luck.
5. Derrick Henry improved, but DeMarco Murray is still the workhorse
Fantasy drafters love themselves some Henry right now, as the second-year back is currently the 30th running back off the board with an ADP in the sixth round. There’s certainly a lot to like about Henry, especially with reports that he looks faster and improved this offseason. At the same time, the Titans have been very clear about their intentions in their backfield.
Murry, who has also drawn positive reviews this offseason, remains the team’s workhorse back. He carried the ball 293 times last season. Henry managed 110 carries and only topped double-digits four times. While he certainly could see an uptick in carries this year, this isn’t a situation where the touches will be evenly distributed. For fantasy purposes, that makes Henry more of a handcuff, which means he’s overvalued at his current ADP. Fantasy drafters would be wise to place an eighth- or ninth-round value on him.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.