Following another week of minicamps, we have finally concluded this portion of the offseason schedule.
Two weeks ago saw a few teams in the first round of AFC minicamps come to a close. This week was the large majority. While these practices are without pads, this first glimpse can provide some valuable information in terms of which players are standing out, who needs additional work, and where we could see some depth chart shuffling.
We’ve already taken a look at how the second week went for the NFC teams.
Let’s continue unearthing key news and notes from the AFC teams and their fantasy implications heading into training camp and the regular season.
Baltimore Ravens
The biggest thing to report from Baltimore was the progression of Lamar Jackson as a passer. After spending the entire offseason working on his throwing motion and delivery, it’s clear there was some progress made — and that there’s still work to do. Steady improvement has been the offseason theme for Jackson and it was even noted by some reporters that he improved as the week went on. At one point during the final practice on Thursday, Jackson threw five touchdowns in a span of seven plays from the 5-yard line.
One of Jackson’s most frequent targets has been tight end Mark Andrews. Andrews has stood out at camp with his ability to catch balls in the red zone, over the middle, and when Jackson bootlegs in motion. The wide receiver depth chart will still take some time to sort out, but Jackson has a bonafide No. 1 target in Andrews who looks to take his game to the next level in 2019. He’s an absolute steal in fantasy drafts currently available in the 13th round.
Buffalo Bills
Rookie tight end Dawson Knox was a repeated name in camp as someone that stood out. Knox’ speed and athleticism has led him to being an early favorite target of Josh Allen. The Bills also added Tyler Kroft this offseason, but a foot injury kept him out of camp. Knox struggled at times with inconsistency, but the third rounder could turn this into an interesting training camp battle.
Injuries along the offensive line were a big concern throughout camp as the coaching staff continued to rotate bodies to try to find something that worked amongst a bunch of new faces. Buffalo added seven new offensive linemen this offseason, including making Mitch Morse the highest paid center in the league. Last year’s unit ranked third-worst in FootballOutsiders’ Adjusted Line Yards (3.89) and top-12 in quarterback hits (101). The medical staff has to get these guys ready for training camp or it could be another year of constant shuffling along the offensive line.
Cincinnati Bengals
Coming off the heels of his breakout 2018 season, Tyler Boyd has continued to build off that success by putting in a strong camp. He’s hoping to earn an extension next year and you can tell that he’s betting on himself to get that accomplished. Boyd is coming off a 76-1,028-7 season and is available at the fifth/sixth round turn in fantasy drafts.
Joe Mixon and Rodney Anderson have been sidelined for much of OTA’s due to injuries. Trayveon Williams has taken advantage of those increased snaps and looks good out there catching the ball in space. Williams saw a lot of reps over the course OTA’s and minicamp and now has the potential to usurp Giovani Bernard for backup duties behind Mixon.
Houston Texans
While DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller continue to work on their respective rehabs, Keke Coutee has headlined the group of receivers in minicamp. Coutee had a mini-breakout of his own last season when healthy, debuting with 11 receptions in his first NFL game. He and Vyncint Smith have seen elevated routes with the first team unit. Both second-year wideouts have impressed with their different route running and ability to attack the defense at multiple levels.
The Texans jettisoned Alfred Blue to Jacksonville this offseason and are now relying on D’Onta Foreman and Josh Ferguson to step up in relief of Lamar Miller this year. Foreman is now over a year removed from his Achilles tear and is entering his age-23 season. Houston is going to try and see if Ferguson can take over third-down responsibilities given his size at 5’-10”, 205 pounds. It’s shaping up to be an interesting backfield behind Miller, who remains one of this year’s cheapest feature backs.
Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck was held out of minicamp this week (calf), but we still were able to see some valuable reps at the wide receiver position as the depth chart begins to take form. Offseason acquisition Devin Funchess made some noise with a strong camp. His size (6’-4”, 232-pounds) will be a welcome addition on the perimeter. Zach Pascal and Marcus Johnson performed well when given reps with the first team. Rookie Parris Campbell saw some work doing punt returns and his explosiveness was on full display.
Cornerback Pierre Desir has continued his impressive 2018 campaign and turned that into an impressive minicamp as well. He was dominant at time shutting down wide receivers (PFF’s No. 18 CB) and showing he was well worth his contract extension. He blanketed opposing receivers in coverage and looks to segue that into another productive season. Rookie Rock Ya-Sin started opposite Desir and was able to hold his own against the vets. He’s done well routinely forcing interceptions when tested.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars look like they want to get Leonard Fournette more involved in the passing game this season. Fournette entered camp in shape and looked particularly sharp in receiving drills. Nick Foles utilized running backs out of the backfield often during his time in Philadelphia. A well-rounded Fournette that’s able to stay in on third downs and not leave during obvious passing situations should help keep defenders honest. Averaging just 3.5 targets per game over his career, don’t be shocked if that number skyrockets in 2019.
2017 UDFA C.J. Board could be a name for us to keep an eye on during the preseason. Board was consistently open during practices and ran very precise routes. Possessing 4.47 speed and 90th percentile burst and agility scores (per PlayerProfiler), Board could make some noise this summer. He’s on a crowded depth chart, but it’s not the most polished group after leading the league in drops last year. Don’t be surprised if we see Board active in the first two weeks of the preseason putting up receiving numbers.
Kansas City Chiefs
A finally healthy Sammy Watkins has helped the entire offense operate well this minicamp. Coach Andy Reid had this to say on Watkins, “He was able to play faster. He’s in great shape. He did a heck of a job. He had a nice camp. He got a lot of reps, obviously, and he wanted those. I thought overall he did a really nice job.” Kansas City also has Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson, and Byron Pringle all drawing offseason praise. No matter what happens with the Tyreek Hill situation, the Chiefs receivers have done everything they can to mitigate that loss.
Another surprising thing I found while digging into this team’s reports was just how frequently Carlos Hyde’s name was brought up. Hyde joins the Chiefs after playing for both Cleveland and Jacksonville last season, but with the team recently releasing UDFA James Williams, perhaps they’re content with the players they have in-house. Hyde is slated to back up Damien Williams, who by all accounts, is penciled in for the fantasy-friendly RB1 role in Reid’s offense. Hyde has joined Williams in some rare offensive sets and been sprinkled in with second-team reps, but this is Williams’ backfield to own. Handcuffing backs isn’t really my forte, but Hyde is someone I’ll be continuing to monitor throughout the preseason that may just have standalone value.
Los Angeles Chargers
The starting receiver spots are locked up by Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, but the depth chart behind them has a lot of sorting out to do. Travis Benjamin is penciled in for the early No. 3 role, but don’t be surprised if Dylan Cantrell, Artavis Scott, or Geremy Davis give him a run for his money battling for the No. 3 and No. 4 roles. All of them have been sprinkled in with the first team and made plays when their number has been called. This will be a fun one to watch develop throughout training camp and into the preseason.
The other most notable thing from Chargers camp was that Russell Okung missed minicamp due to an undisclosed injury. Sam Tevi took his place at left tackle, but without any diagnosis of what happened, it’s certainly something to keep an eye on. Okung was a top-12 graded tackle by PFF last season after allowing just three sacks on 533 pass blocking snaps. His absence would be a massive one for the offensive line.
Oakland Raiders
Another offseason overhauling the roster, Jon Gruden put his stamp on the offensive side of the ball by replacing 359 vacated targets and 101 unaccounted for carries. Antonio Brown’s presence on this team is going to open up the passing attack by a sizable amount. Gone are the oft-thrown checkdowns as they’re being replaced with more down-field throws to better fit Brown and Tyrell Williams’ style of play. The passing offense has looked sharp all spring with Brown and Williams paving the way and we’re going to see a very different offense than the one that took the field in 2018.
Longtime dynasty sleeper Darren Waller has been a name repeatedly mentioned in camp as someone who has impressed. At 6’-6”, 255 pounds, Waller has shined during practice without pads where his size and natural athleticism have given him an immense advantage. Jared Cook’s absence opens a whopping 101 targets to the tight end position. There’s a reason Waller has been a hot name in summer “fantasy sleeper” articles already.
Brandon Marshall and Vontaze Burfict were major additions to the linebacking corps. Both additions add a veteran presence to a defensive squad that finished last year in most points allowed and seventh-most yards allowed. Both are coming off disappointing 2018 seasons with something to prove here in Oakland.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Offseason addition Donte Moncrief has impressed not only the coaching staff, but perhaps even more importantly, Ben Roethlisberger. This battle between Moncrief, James Washington, and Diontae Johnson was never going to be settled at this point of the offseason, but it remains one of the more fantasy-relevant discussions to be had. Washington, last year’s second-round draft pick and Johnson, this year’s third-round pick, aren’t going to make this an easy competition. Antonio Brown leaves behind 168 targets making this a very valuable fantasy role to acquire.
The other most important fantasy discussion is what exactly is going on with the Pittsburgh backfield? Historically, we’ve seen one running emerge as the clear workhorse — a player that’s seeing over 75% of the team’s running back snaps, carries, and targets. James Conner took that role last season and ran with it, finishing as the fantasy RB5 in Weeks 1-13 averaging 22.3 fantasy points per game (PPR). Conner has now reportedly stated that he “think[s] it’ll be spread out pretty evenly.” This is a major red flag surrounding Conner and something we need to monitor extremely closely for any conflicting statements from the coaching staff. I’ve been reluctantly moving Conner down my board and prefer both Mixon and Dalvin Cook over him outright at this juncture.
Tennessee Titans
One player that was consistently mentioned by beat reporters in his performance was wide receiver Adam Humphries. He consistently caught the ball and had little trouble gaining separation from the slot. He was also in the mix as the team tries to find its next punt returner. Rookie A.J. Brown (hamstring) returned to do individual drills after missing some time during OTA’s. Has also been reportedly working with Corey Davis to work on his craft and get better acclimated to this offense.
It was interesting that the Titans worked a good amount on the screen game. Running back Derrick Henry exploded down the stretch last year as a massive fantasy producer. He was used regularly here in minicamp on screen passes, dropping just one of his opportunities. If Henry can add even just baseline receiving production of two-to-three receptions per game, he could blow away his current RB18 ADP.
