Tue Aug 6th 2024

Training Camp News - Week One

Training camps are in full swing, and this week, every team will play preseason games. Information from camp beat reports comes fast and furious this time of year. It's one of the most entertaining and important times of the dynasty year. I've followed the news closely since teams reported to camp, and I want to share some of my thoughts on what's been reported.

Dylan Laube

• Laube, the Raiders' 6th-round draft pick, is getting a lot of third-down reps at camp and appears to have surpassed Alexander Mattison as the team's RB-2. It's no surprise that Laube would excel in the passing game. He was a versatile weapon in college with 2095 total yards in his last season at New Hampshire. He has 749 rushing, 699 yards receiving, 467 yards on kickoff returns, and 180 yards on punt returns. He may be a late-round draft pick from a small school, but he was one of the most versatile running backs in the class. Ourlads also predict him to be the Raiders' starting kick and punt returner. Zamir White was ineffective in the passing game after he inherited the lead role last year, but he was a great thumper in the running game. He has that role on lockdown this year, but Laube could become the running back they use on passing downs and in hurry-up offense situations. I'm buying the hype on Laube, and I'm sad that I only drafted him once in my rookie drafts.

J.K. Dobbins

• Dobbins is back on the field and splitting reps with Gus Edwards, who also returned last week from his minor injury. It's anecdotal, but I heard a Dobbins interview on a podcast this week, and he is extremely confident that he's healthy and in better shape than ever after his recovery. D'Onta Foreman is the only back who has maintained a measure of success after Achilles surgery, so I doubt Dobbins will be productive this season. Still, his confidence in the interview made me more open to the possibility of a comeback. Kimani Vidal is battling injuries, and Jaret Patterson stood out at practice a few times last week. The Chargers' backfield is one of the toughest to figure out this offseason. I'm betting on Edwards to hold everyone off for the lead role, but the backfield will be more of a committee than dynasty managers would like. I'd be very surprised if Dobbins were the most productive back then.

Chase Brown

• Brown has been running with the first-team offense ahead of Zack Moss throughout camp. Because of his speed and his big plays in the passing game last season, dynasty managers wrongly think of him as a passing downs back. He's much more than that. He's 5'10" and 211 pounds and had 328 carries in his final season at Illinois. He can carry the load. If he can prove effective in pass blocking, he can dominate the touches in Cincinnati and keep Zack Moss's touches to a minimum. The team was willing to part with Joe Mixon because they liked what they found in Brown at the end of the season. While they added Moss for depth, I think they will give Brown the first looks. I'm glad I drafted Brown in one league last year, and I believe he'll see my starting lineup a lot this season.

Deneric Prince

• I picked up Deneric Prince in a couple of leagues about two weeks ago when beat reports repeatedly said he was the first back in the lineup behind Isiah Pacheco. I've seen many other dynasty managers do the same since then. All RB-2s should be on dynasty rosters, and adding the RB-2 in Kansas City at this time of year is a steal. On top of the beat reporters saying he was the RB-2, reports surfaced this week that Clyde Edwards-Hellaire is battling mental issues. If true, that opens the door even wider for Prince to solidify the backup role. He was recruited to Texas A&M but played his final three seasons at Tulsa, where he had a modest career before signing with Kansas City as a UDFA. Though he doesn't have the college production or draft capital of Hellaire, he's passed him on the roster and is now a great player to stash on dynasty rosters.

Denver Backfield

• It's annoying that all three of Denver's running backs have reportedly had great training camps. What's worse, Sean Payton has hyped all of them up in different interviews. Early reports indicated that Javonte Williams was a cut candidate, but more recent reports say he's lost weight and is back to full health two years after his ACL repair. Jaleel McLaughlin got all the buzz early in camp, but that was before the pads were on, when quicker players stood out more. Audric Estime has received a little less hype, but his back on the field after missing most of OTAs with an injury. He's a player who coach Payton likes and the one on the team with the most draft capital since he's been their head coach. Hopefully, each of them will play in preseason games and help dynasty managers gauge the likely depth chart. Until then, it's a guessing game. My hopes are fully set on Audric Estime since he was my most drafted rookie this year, but it's too unclear to know the depth chart at this point.

Ray Davis

• Davis made some big plays in camps this week. He's running with the first team in practice after James Cook and Ty Johnson have been sidelined with injuries. These reports and an interview I heard with their offensive coordinator bragging about his play and why they drafted him in the fourth round have me even more excited for Davis. If you've followed me this offseason, you know I was way higher on Davis than most dynasty analysts and had him ranked 20th in my rookie rankings. I drafted him in three leagues and would have in even more if I had not already traded away second-round picks. These reports are confirmation bias for me, but I am glad to have them. Davis will cut into Cook's workload a lot this year and become the team's goalline back. I can't wait to see it happen.

Malik Nabers

• No single player has been hyped more than Nabers during training camp. I get four to five video clips of Nabers making plays on Twitter every day. His Hard Knocks bump has him hyped up even more. Nabers will be the featured target of the offense from day one, and the team will give him 8-10 targets per game. I'm sure of it. Daniel Jones's spotty play in camp is the only thing that can hold him down. Jones's play will keep Nabers from being all he can be, but it won't be bad enough to keep him from being a top-twenty-scoring receiver in fantasy this year as a rookie. He's too talented to be unproductive.

Jalen McMillan

• McMillan may be the second most hyped player in camp. Reports from beat writers, coach press conferences, and player interviews repeatedly tell us that McMillan is shining in camp and will be an active part of the offense despite his tough competition. I drafted McMillan in two leagues this year, but I did so with hopes of him becoming a starter and star a year from now after the Buccaneers let Chris Godwin go after this season. He may not need to wait a year if what's reported in camp is true. I'm impressed by the videos and camp reports, but I am even more impressed by the glowing praise he's received from Mike Evans and Baker Mayfield. I'm buying the hype on McMillan and can't wait to see him in preseason games.

Chargers Receivers

• Quentin Johnston continues to drop balls and underperform in camp. Reporters believe that D.J. Chark will start ahead of him this season. That's terrible news for dynasty managers with Johnston on their squads, but it's true. Every year, at least one first-round receiver busts and Johnston gets the award for the 2023 class. News has been silent on Joshua Palmer, whose role is secure. He will be the team's top target this year. Ladd McConkey has a slow start due to injuries but has come on in recent days. He's sure to be the team's starting slot receiver, while Chark gets a chance to revive his dynasty value from the ashes.

Packers Receivers

• Every day during camp, a different Packers receiver was the star of the day. Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks have each had glowing reports, which is fantastic for the Packers but terrible for dynasty managers who want more clarity on the depth chart. I'm confident in two things, no matter what is reported during the rest of training camp. Reed has solidified the slot role, and Doubs has one of the wideout roles locked up. Reed's size and athletic skills make him the only one suited for the primary slot role, and the coaching staff loves Doubs because he does everything well, including blocking. That leaves Watson and Wicks to fight for the other wideout spot, which may turn into a rotation. I've made up my mind on this depth chart, so it would take more definitive reports from camp to cause me to change my mind.

Patriots Receivers

• Demario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, and Javon Baker have all received training camp hype, with reports and videos coming out every day about one or more of them. This news comes as no surprise to me. I've called Baker the Puca Nacua of this year's class. He will not get a starting role immediately as Nacua did, but he will be a starter over Kendrick Bourne and K.J. Osbourn by midseason. Demario Douglas has the slot position locked up, and Polk should start or rotate as a starter from game one. Bourne and Osbourn have not received any training camp hype. This fact could be because everyone wants to focus on the first and second-year players, or it could be that they're just not making plays. It will take some time for this depth chart to settle in this year, but the young guys are the future for New England, who finally learned how to hit on wide receivers in the draft.

Andrei Iosivas

• Iosivas is taking full advantage of Ja'Maar Chase's "hold-in" at camp. He's making plays and drawing the praise of reporters, coaches, and teammates, including Joe Burrow. Iosivas was one of my most rostered players at the end of last season. I held him because of his good games at the end of last season and because I expected Tee Higgins to sign with a new team. Higgins's franchise tag and the team's drafted Jermaine Burton caused me to drop Iosivas on most of my rosters after rookie drafts. After last week's reports, I added him back to a few. He's got a tough road to a future role given Burton's pedigree and third-round draft capital, but it's clear that his coaches and teammates like him, so it would not be a surprise if he can hold off Burton this season and earn an even better role next year after Higgins is gone.

Jameson Williams

• Williams has drawn praise from beat reporters and his offensive coordinator during camp. He has to get a more significant share of the passing game this season, whether he has truly improved or not. As a result, I'm sure that he will have his best fantasy season this year, but I am not optimistic that he will live up to his first-round rookie draft value. It's rare that a player who couldn't break out in his first two years can become a breakout in year three. I'm calling B.S. on these reports and am not buying the hype. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, and Jahmyr Gibbs are the engines in this offense, and everything will run through them. Williams will continue to be a disappointment and unreliable in starting dynasty lineups.

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