(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.)
Training camp is here. Veterans and rookies report today in Arizona. Let the games begin.
Here’s today’s Fantasy 5:
1. Mike Williams likely to open camp on the PUP
Conflicting reports surfaced earlier this week regarding the rookie receiver, with Adam Schefter saying that Williams may need back surgery, but Ian Rapoport reporting that surgery is no longer on the table and that “Williams is improving.” Regardless of the long-term prognosis, Williams is a good bet to start training camp on the PUP, which is not the same thing as the regular-season PUP. In the preseason, players can come off the PUP at any time, but they’re forced to sit out the first six weeks on the regular-season PUP.
Williams has been sidelined all offseason after suffering a herniated disc on the first day of rookie minicamp practice. All of that missed time has put Williams well behind the eight ball in the battle for the No. 2 receiver job. At this point, Tyrell Williams seems to be all but locked into those duties to start the season. Tyrell Williams is coming off a surprise breakout season in 2016, but shouldn’t be considered more than a flex option for the upcoming season given the many mouths to feed in the Chargers offense.
Mike Williams now looks unlikely to make any major impact on the redraft landscape in 2017. However, there is opportunity here for dynasty purposes. There’s a good chance his value is depressed by the end of the season, which makes him a strong candidate to buy in trades. You’ll likely be able to get him on the cheap, which is worth pursuing. Williams’ long-term fantasy outlook is still bright.
2. Keenan Allen back to preinjury form?
Speaking of Chargers wideouts, Philip Rivers heaped praise on Allen on a recent appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, saying Allen has regained his pre-injury form. Allen tore his ACL in Week 1 last season after playing just 27 snaps. He was off to a great start to the season with six catches on seven targets for 63 yards. Allen also had his 2015 season cut short in Week 8 after lacerating his kidney. Up to that point in the season, he ranked third among wide receivers in targets with 86.
When a player misses 23 games over the course of the last two seasons, there’s naturally going to be cause for concern among the drafting public. But is this sentiment justified? Sure, last year’s ACL tear is far from ideal, but those injuries happen in the NFL. However, the kidney injury was a freak occurrence, and not something we can point to and say “he’s injury prone.” Predicting injuries is far from a precise science, and shouldn’t be a major factor in fantasy evaluation.
As such, Allen’s current ADP in the fourth round as the 21st wide receiver off the board is actually a bit of a value. He isn’t a player who will be targeted heavily downfield, which caps his upside. But Allen will see a high volume of targets, and makes for a rock solid WR2 option.
3. Chris Johnson signs with the Cards
The sky is falling on David Johnson’s fantasy value. Well, not really. The artist formerly known as CJ2K is merely a backup at this point in his career. The only way he becomes fantasy relevant is if injury strikes David Johnson, and even then his value will be marginal. Carry on with drafting David Johnson as the No. 1 or No. 2 player overall.
4. Carson Palmer wore out his arm in the offseason last year
So says Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, who also appeared on the Rich Eisen Show. “He’ll overwork all the time,” said Arians. He also noted that the coaching staff needs to rein Palmer in at times. Entering his age-37 season, that’s an important thing to do.
Palmer’s numbers tailed off last season following a career year in 2015. That being said, he still managed to throw for 4,233 yards and 26 scores. A healthy John Brown will help provide some stability for Palmer this season. He’s currently an excellent value as a late-round option.
5. Jamaal Williams to open camp as the No 2 in Green Bay
That means Ty Montgomery is the No. 1, but don’t go too overboard here. Montgomery flashed serious upside last season, but he also struggled at times as a runner. The Packers selected three running backs in this year’s draft. Along with Williams, they also picked Aaron Jones and Devante Mays. All three were Day 3 picks.
Montgomery currently sits as the 21st running back in ADP, which places him in the fourth round. He certainly has the potential to outplay that ADP, but there’s also a chance he gets leapfrogged by one of the rookies for early down work. Williams profiles as the most likely candidate there. He wasn’t asked to do much of anything as a receiver at BYU, but the team leaned heavily on him as a runner with Williams racking up 235 carries.
At this point, it’s fair to assume Montgomery will be the Packers passing-down back. He’s also the most likely candidate to open the season as the preferred early-down option. But it wouldn’t be surprising at all if Williams got a crack at those duties at some point this season. Still, Williams isn’t worth drafting as anything more than a late-round handcuff.
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