5 things you need to know for Monday

Good morning football fans! Here are the five things you need to know coming out of the weekend to get your morning started right:

1. Once the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, Jaguars edge rusher Dante Fowler expects to make a big leap in 2017. Fowler blew out his knee in his first practice as a pro, missing his entire rookie season, and while he didn’t set the world alight in 2016, he did end the season with two strong performances, and will now be a year removed from his injury recovery.
2. Contract talks between QB Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins have reportedly been “really positive.” Neither party is in a rush to get something done, with Cousins scheduled to play 2017 under the $24 million guaranteed franchise tag, but the team in particular needs a solution to the quarterback issue long-term, and if they don’t get it before next year, a third franchise tag would see them hand Cousins $34 million for a single season.
3. WR Robert Woods wants to be the No. 1 receiver for the Rams after coming over for big money in free agency. Woods has never seen more than a hundred targets in a single season, and consequently his career high in receptions is 64, for just 697 yards back in 2014. He has never been the team’s number one option, and needs to prove that he can justify being one for the Rams.
4. Patriots beat writer Mike Reiss predicts that RB Dion Lewis will stick on the roster despite a lengthy injury history and a very crowded backfield competition this preseason. Lewis brings an elusiveness that none of the other backs the Patriots have collected can match, and this is a team that values having players on the roster that are the right key to unlocking particular defenses they will come across.
5. In his debut for PFF Fantasy, Dan Clasgens looked at five players with late average draft positions who could return fantasy starter value. The list starts with Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton, who has a stable of weapons that includes Joe Mixon, A.J. Green, John Ross, and Tyler Eifert.