5 things to know for Thursday

Hey football fans! Here are five things you need to know to start off your Thursday mornings:

1. Our unveiling of the top 50 players for the 2017 continues! Yesterday, PFF Senior Analyst Sam Monson brought you numbers 20 through 11. Odell Beckham Jr. and David Johnson make the list, as does the highest ranked rookie player, who collected the most pressures through 12 games in the PFF era.
2. In short, Patrick Peterson is really, really good. But for some real breakdown of his game, you should check out Mike Renner's Teaching Tape on Peterson. Peterson has become the go-to example of what a shadow corner is in today's NFL.
3. Julio Jones will be ready for training camp. Jones, who has regularly dealt with foot injuries, says he will be ready for training camp. He is one of, if not the most dominant receiver of the PFF era (beginning in 2006), and he will look to continue that trend in the upcoming year.
4. Jordy Nelson is expected to participate in OTAs. The star Packers receiver has missed the last two years of organized team activities with two different injuries. This year however, he is healthy and ready to participate. Last year, he alone caught more touchdowns than 10 other teams' entire receiver corps.
5. Do players perform better on their birthdays? Fantasy writer Tyler Loechner investigates this narrative in our ongoing Narrative Street series. Fantasy players will take any advantage they can get, so you should know if it's really true that players get a boost in fantasy production on their birthdays.