Fantasy Football Weekly News Roundup: Is Javonte Williams Going to Get Cut?
Ted breaks down the biggest fantasy football stories from the first week of NFL training camps.
Every single NFL team has officially started training camp! This has led to an absolute flood of reports, clips, and hype coming out of beat reporters. But there is hugely valuable information to be found hidden among the countless “best shape of his life” quotes. Here are my top takeaways of the week for fantasy football:
Fantasy Football Implications Of This Week’s Biggest NFL News
Javonte Williams Is (Probably) Not Getting Cut
This story both came into existence and completely died over the last week, but it’s still worth mentioning. Early in the week, reports came out that Williams, the presumed lead back in the Broncos’ backfield, might actually find himself competing for a roster spot with fellow RB Samaje Perine.
But once camp actually began, we received confirmation that Williams was still taking first-team reps in every single drill. He’s almost certainly not going anywhere.
I’m tempted to read between the tea leaves here and say that Perine is likely to get cut. If that does happen, he will likely find himself as a contributing member of a backfield that is currently lacking pieces (Las Vegas? Minnesota? Cleveland? Chargers?). Regardless of who it is, if one of these veteran backs does fail to make the roster, it will boost the fantasy value of Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime.
The Jameson Williams Hype Train Prepares To Leave The Station (Take Three)
As always, the beginning of this year’s training camp season has come with hundreds of beat writers breathlessly reporting on how their team’s former high draft pick has finally put it all together.
But this Jameson Williams hype might be something different. Not only are reporters gushing about the former 12th-overall pick, but Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jared Goff, and Dan Campbell all have good things to say about his change over the offseason. Given that Campbell hasn’t been afraid to show Williams some tough love in the past, his high praise means something.
All training camp comments should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt, and I still wouldn’t expect Jameson to ever be more than a WR3 on an offense with tons of mouths to feed … but it might be worth buying a ticket or two for this train.
Tua Tagovailoa Gets Paid
Tua has officially cashed in after leading the NFL in passing yards in 2023, signing a four-year, $212-million extension with the Dolphins. This was always the most likely outcome, but it’s still nice to know for certain. Being tied to Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and (most importantly) Mike McDaniel for the foreseeable future can only be good for Tagovailoa’s dynasty value.
Malachi Corley Has “A Long Way To Go”
Given that training camp is normally a time of unencumbered optimism, it’s worth noting when a player has negative news coming out. Corley, whom the Jets selected in the third round of this year’s draft, has been a popular sleeper pick as a YAC monster who could start right away in the slot for the Jets. But Robert Saleh calling his route-running ability into question is a big red flag.
At his current price, I’m way out on Corley until we start hearing more positive reports. Instead, sophomore WR Xavier Gipson could be a sneaky late-round pick if he can claim the starting spot role in this offense … although he is currently out with a leg injury.
A New Deneric Prince In Line For The Throne In Kansas City?
The pun may be a bit of a stretch, but I think the consistent reports that second-year RB Deneric Prince is running as the RB2 behind Isiah Pacheco for the Chiefs are absolutely worth noting. This is one of the league’s best offenses, and we all know how often running backs get hurt. If he is indeed the Chiefs’ RB2, Prince will be one of the most valuable handcuffs in the league — worth drafting and stashing in deeper formats.
Our First Glimpse At The Bills’ New-Look Offense
One of the most important questions to answer heading into the 2024 fantasy football season is who will be catching passes for the Buffalo Bills. We know Josh Allen is going to throw it to somebody with Stefon Diggs out of town, but it’s not at all clear who that will be.
Based on early reports, my bet is Curtis Samuel. We got some negative reports on the concept that Dalton Kincaid will fully replace Dawson Knox in this offense, and neither Khalil Shakir nor Keon Coleman seems slated for a full-time role. I just can’t believe that Mack Hollins is going to lead this team in targets, so that leaves Samuel. We’ve seen him have great success in the past with Joe Brady,
Kendre Miller Suffers Hamstring Injury
Things aren’t looking good for the Saints’ third-round pick from last year, who missed time last year with another hamstring injury and an ankle issue. Even worse, Saints HC Dennis Allen responded to his injury by saying, “Look, that’s a player that’s gonna have to figure out how to stay healthy, cause it’s hard to make the team when you’re in the training room all the time.”
Given what I said earlier about negative coachspeak at this time of the season being worth paying attention to, this is a HUGE red flag. Miller is someone I’d look to trade away right now in dynasty leagues, and Jamaal Williams is firmly on the fantasy radar as the Saints’ RB2.
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