In today's news, there's still plenty of uncertainty with the QB position in Miami, and also, let the backfield drama in New England continue!
- A day after the news broke that Ryan Tannehill's knee injury is serious, the team's still weighing its options, and have yet to make a decision on their course of action. Should the team decide to put their QB on the shelf for any significant part of the season, it's difficult to think that Jarvis Landry won't be the player most heavily impacted. Landry's had great chemistry with Tannehill, and should another QB take over, it's possible that DeVante Parker and Julius Thomas significantly cut into Landry's target share. It should be noted that Landry already saw his targets drop in the second half of last season once the Dolphins became a run-heavy offense.
- In related news, Jay Cutler and head coach Adam Gase have been in contact, and it's possible that Cutler could be the Dolphins starting QB should Tannehill miss time during the regular season. Cutler threw his fewest interceptions (11) in a full season when playing for Gase in 2015, so this might not be a terrible move. Based on Cutler's career profile of locking onto a big outside receiver, he'd likely gravitate toward throwing the ball frequently to DeVante Parker.
- Rex Burkhead's been steamrolled this offseason by the Mike Gillislee hype train, but with Bill Belichick desiring to be less predictable on offense, Burkhead has the versatility to keep opposing defenses guessing as to whether a play is a run or pass, so he certainly can end up carving out a sizable role in the Pats' backfield. On a side note, many are talking about Gillislee 'replacing' LeGarrette Blount and salivating over the 1,161 yards and 18 TDs Blount posted last year. What many fail to remember is that in Blount's previous 32 games with New England, he posted 1,756 yards and 15 TDs, and average of 878 yards and 7.5 TDs. It's likely that this backfield has touches split up more than ever this year, so spending a high pick on any of the Pats RBs could be very risky.
- For those concerned that Le'Veon Bell will be rusty when he finally reports to the team after he chose not to sign his franchise tender and skip at least part of training camp, Bell's hardly taking it easy. He'll been working with a footwork specialist through the middle of next week, which is great news, as he's working to make one of his biggest strengths even better. He'll be taken in just about every draft as one of the top two players off the board in fantasy drafts and there's no reason to re-think that position.
- In Eagles camp, Alshon Jeffery has moved past his shoulder injury and missed Friday's practice as a precaution. This is great news for both Jeffery and Carson Wentz, as the duo will need to get as many reps as possible to build the chemistry needed for this offense to take a big step forward this year.
- After an impressive rookie season, Derrick Henry is looking phenomenal in training camp. However, as long as DeMarco Murray stays healthy, Henry will be looking at the short-side of a timeshare. At his current ADP, which is about pick number 71, fantasy owners will likely need a Murray injury in order to fully earn the investment that such an early draft pick requires.
- Finally, in his return from a broken leg in 2016, Tyler Lockett was removed from the PUP list and was on the practice field Friday. Should he stay healthy throughout camp, he's expected to be the No. 2 WR for the Seahawks, and as a third-year player with a tantalizing skill-set, he could be in line for a breakout campaign. The good news for fantasy managers is that he's just about free in drafts, as he's coming off the board as roughly the 158th pick.
That'll do it for today, but there's less than a week until a full slate of preseason games await us!