Tue Aug 8th 2023

Training Camp Player Hype - Week Two

Week two of training camp is in the books, and we got to see the first fake football game of the season, the Hall of Fame game, where very few dynasty-relevant players played. Still, it was a blast to watch football, and this weekend we get a full slate of games where we will get to watch dynasty-relevant players take the field. Until we can see the players in preseason games, the best we can do is follow reports from coaches and beat reporters at training camp.

Each week I'll write about twenty or so players that are receiving some hype from camp, and I'll try to avoid repeating players from week to week. I'll share whether the hype is real news or just noise. Here are my thoughts on the players hyped up during week two in training camp.

Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett

• Sam Howell received most of the hype early in training camp, but last week, coach Rivera told reporters not to rule out Jacoby Brissett as the starter. I'm not buying Rivera on this. I don't see how Howell does not get the starting job to begin the season. Brissett was brought in to steady the ship if Howell falters as the starter. Howell has taken the first-team reps during training camp and will start the season after only starting one game last season. Before his final season at North Carolina, Howell was predicted to be a first-round draft pick and was a top-tier quarterback in devy leagues. It was a huge surprise that he fell to the fifth round of the NFL draft. I remember when college players were once thought to be among the top in their position in devy leagues before NFL teams drafted them. I like to draft players like Howell when they fall in the NFL draft because they were once so highly touted. I drafted Howell late in two leagues last year and look forward to seeing him prove himself this season. He'll quickly become a reliable starter in superflex leagues and a streamable starter in one-quarterback leagues. He's got a room full of weapons and will increase the dynasty value of Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson this year. He's also hit his college teammate, Dyami Brown, on several touchdowns during training camp, leading me to add Brown to a few of my deep-league rosters this week.

Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask

• Baker Mayfield started camp running with the first team, but this week beat writers reported that Trask has been pushing Mayfield for the job. In this case, I believe the reporters. I think the starter will not be named until after the first two preseason games. That's how close this competition is. I like Mayfield to win the battle, but both will see playing time this season for the Buccaneers. Mayfield's experience and draft capital give him a leg up on Trask, but the Buccaneers will not be a competitive team this year, and they'd be wise to see what they have in Trask before the next class of quarterbacks gets drafted next year. I traded a second-round draft pick for Mayfield in a superflex league, and the other manager selected Tank Bigsby, who I wrote about last week. I will deeply regret that trade if Mayfield can't hold down the position. My bet is still on Mayfield, but we don't know until we've seen them in preseason games. I trust Mayfield to hold the dynasty value of Chris Godwin and Mike Evans more than I would Trask, so I'll watch this battle carefully for the sake of my Godwin and Evans shares.

Javonte Williams

• Coach Payton told reporters last week that Williams will get reps in a preseason game. All reports this offseason have indicated that Williams was recovering well from his ACL surgery and would be ready to start the season healthy. Still, no one predicted he'd play in the preseason. Given that the Broncos have limited his workload in training camp, I find Coach Payton's comments unbelievable. It's still good news for Williams, and he will play some to start the season, but I am still betting that he will share time with Samaje Perine to start the season before taking over the lead role by midseason. The Broncos will use both backs throughout the season, limiting Williams and Perine's fantasy upside. Perine is one of my most rostered players, so I am excited to see how he will start the season and what role he can maintain as the season progresses. Williams's dynasty value has held steady despite his injury, but it will not return to its peak in 2021. I regrettably traded Williams for Dalvin Cook at last year's trade deadline as my team made a championship push. I lost in the Super Bowl and could have done so without Cook's help. I'll take the "L" on that trade for sure. My team would look a lot better with Williams on it. Here's to hoping Cook signs with the Dolphins, not the Jets.

David Montgomery

• Coach Campbell said this week that the Lions see Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs as part of the two-back system. Anyone paying attention knew that already. Montgomery is this year's Jamaal Williams, and Gibbs is this year's DeAndre Swift. Gibbs will be used as the passing downs back and an overall offensive weapon, whereas Montgomery will be their running downs and short-yardage back. The Lions made clear to everyone what they intended to do this season after signing Montgomery, letting Williams go, drafting Gibbs, and trading Swift. Now they have the guys they want for the two-back system they want. This year, however, Gibbs will be far more involved in the offense, and Montgomery will not fall into the 17 touchdowns Williams had last year. Both will be productive from a fantasy perspective, with Montgomery having a safer floor week to week and Gibbs having the highest ceiling week to week. In PPR leagues, Gibbs will have a high floor, too. Thanks, Coach Campbell, for telling us what we already knew. I can't wait to see it, though.

J.K. Dobbins

• Dobbins is staging some hold-in and has yet to practice for the Ravens while he insists on a new contract. He's not getting a new contract because he does not deserve it, and coach Harbaugh is showing some of his frustration with Dobbins in recent interviews. The Ravens have now signed Melvin Gordon and Kenyan Drake while Dobbins holds in and Gus Edwards recovers from his own actual injury. The Raven's backfield is a mess in a year where the offense is changing to become more pass-oriented. These signs lead me to stay far away from this backfield and drop Dobbins' dynasty rankings down my board. All of my dynasty investments in the Ravens' offense lie in the passing game, and I'm more excited than ever to have shares of Lamar Jackson's pass catchers.

Israel Abanikanda

• Abanikanda and Cedric Tillman were the most watchable players from a dynasty perspective in Thursday's Hall of Fame game. Both did well, especially Abankanda. His yards per carry did not look great, but I watched the game, and half of his carries were doomed from the start because the offensive line was terrible. When he had some room, he was decisive and quick, and he appeared to know the offense and his responsibilities well. His ten-yard touchdown was great as he outran everyone to the pylon. If he's playing in the first preseason game, he's currently at the back of the running back rotation, but I am confident he can move his way into the RB-2 role ahead of Michael Carter and behind Breece Hall. I don't know why the Jets keep flirting with Dalvin Cook, but I do not believe he will sign with them. After recovering from ACL surgery, Hall will have to work his way back into a full-time role at the start of the season, giving either Carter or Abanikanda opportunities early in the season. I'm eager to see them both on the field with the first-string offense during the next preseason games, and Abanikanda will look the best.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

• To the surprise of no one, JSN has been a superstar in training camp. There's a reason he was the first wide receiver drafted in this class. The reporters tweet out a JSN highlight catch in practice almost every day. Undoubtedly, he's a playmaker and will have an immediate fantasy impact, even though D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett will demand a significant share of the targets. Geno Smith will continue his incredible late-career dynasty rebound with one more playmaker on the field. As good as JSN has looked, I traded him away in a two-for-one deal last week for two other players receiving camp hype. I traded JSN for Jordan Addison and Elijah Moore.

Jordan Addison

• After starting training with a boneheaded speeding arrest and a mild injury, Addison has settled into the practice and earned the praise of coaches and reporters. Like JSN, reporters tweet videos of great catches by Addison on the regular. He has the best receiver in the league, Justin Jefferson, on his team, but that's his only competition, whereas JSN has Metcalf and Lockett to compete with for target share. As a result, Addison will have a quicker start to his dynasty career and could very well have a better career than JSN. There's a reason they were back-to-back in my rookie rankings and were drafted three picks apart from each other in the NFL draft. I have JSN ranked ahead of Addison and would still draft him first today, but when I asked the manager to add Elijah Moore to the deal, I was more than willing to make the trade.

Elijah Moore

• The Browns and Jets reported to training camp a week before other teams since they played in the Hall of Fame game. Therefore, Moore has had three weeks of consecutive training camp buzz. Video after video has been tweeted out with Moore catching passes from Deshaun Watson, reporters describe how he's lining up all over the field and even being used in the run game, and coaches have raved about his versatility and the ways they're excited to use him. His hype has been out of control, and I'm 100% buying it, so much so that he's my most traded-for player this offseason. I added him in the trade when I traded away JSN, I traded a 2024 first and second-round pick for Zach Charbonnet and Elijah Moore, and I traded Keenan Allen for Moore and a second-round pick (pick #20) in my last remaining rookie draft. I believe Moore is the future WR-1 in Cleveland and could surpass Amari Cooper this season. The Browns' offense will open up this season, becoming far more pass-heavy, as they've added weapons and Watson returns to form after his rusty season last year. I'm all in on Moore and the Browns and have significantly put my money where my mouth is.

Jalin Hyatt

• After struggling to get on the field at the start of camp, Hyatt received much praise last week. For a few days in a row last week, I received a tweet of a Hyatt touchdown catch of deep ball catch. The reports have me curious for the first time about Hyatt. I thought he would need a year before he started to see playing time in the crowded Giants' wide receiver room, and I still believe that will be the case. Still, I will follow camp reports and watch the preseason games more carefully now that Hyatt is making plays in camp. A Giants' beat reporter was asked last week who he believed the starting wide receivers would be, and he answered Isaiah Hodgins, Darius Slayton, and Parris Campbell. He's right, but Hyatt could easily slide into Slayton's role if he continues to improve and make plays in camp.

Jameson Williams

• Coach Campbell said Williams would receive a lot of reps in the preseason. I believe it and think he absolutely should. Their first-round draft pick from two years ago has one career catch after missing much of his rookie season while recovering from surgery, and he's suspended for the first six games of this season for gambling. The team needs to see him on the field, and they'd do right to play him a lot in the preseason. Williams is a "stay away" player for me. He has too much "knuckleheadedness" for me to risk rostering him. I don't have any shares of Williams, but I have lots of shares on Amon-Ra St. Brown because he's about the business of football and takes his craft seriously. I'm eager to see if Williams can prove me wrong, but I'll have to wait a long time to see it unless Campbell does play him a lot in the upcoming fake football games.

Brandin Cooks

• Cooks have reportedly formed a good connection with Dak Prescott because, of course, he has. He's Brandin Cooks. That's what he does, no matter the team he plays for. Cooks are one of my most rostered players because he's a reliable top-24 receiver year to year on all four teams he's played for, and he'll do so again with Dallas, his fifth team. I am concerned that Michael Gallup, now that he's healthy, will compete with Cooks for the WR-2 role behind CeeDee Lamb, but my bet is still on Cooks to win the role. Jake Ferguson and/or Luke Schoonmaker will not get the number of looks that Dalton Schultz did over the last two years, so the slices of the receiving pie will be bigger for Cooks than it was for Gallup last year. He'll return to doing Brandin Cooks things again this year in Dallas.

D.J. Chark

• Reports indicated last week that Chark has become Bryce Young's favorite target in camp. I thought Adam Thielen would be that guy, but I am willing to change my mind. I think I have. Carolina's receiving coach said that he targets him whenever Young sees one-on-one with a defensive back. They connected on several deep-ball touchdowns last week as a result. Terrace Marshall, Thielen, and Chark should be the teams' starers at the start of the season, while Jonathan Mingo cuts into one of their playing times to become a starter by the end of the season. Laviska Shenault will be their gadget guy. Chark is only 26 years old, and he's been productive when he's not been injured, but injuries have derailed him in 21 of his last 35 games. If he stays healthy, he can lead the team in targets and touchdowns this season.

Tyler Scott

• Reporters said last week that Scott had been a fast learner in camp, and he's already made several big plays getting behind the starters on defense and winning one-on-one battles with corners. Scott is one of my most-rostered and most-drafted players in this year's rookie draft, so this is no surprise to me. He has a crowded depth chart to get through, and a few good reports from camp about Chase Claypool have made me think he won't get as many chances as I hoped this year, but he's poised to get a starting role in 2024 since Claypool and Mooney's contracts expire at the end of this season. He'll make some big plays this season a become a starter next season after Justin Fields improves as a passer this season.

Dalton Kincaid

• Dalton Kincaid's reports have been glowing in Buffalo since the first day of camp. Reports said this week that he's on the fast track to receive a prominent role in his first season. There's no reason not to believe the hype on Kincaid. As the first tight end drafted in this class, he is expected to be a featured part of the offense and could quickly become the team's second-most targeted player behind Stefon Diggs. Coaches indicated that the team plans to run more than 12 personnel this season, with Dawson Knox and Kincaid on the field simultaneously. I believe this report, too, because Kincaid will not be asked to be an inline blocker. He's more of a slot receiver than a traditional tight end, so Knox will play the traditional role, and they will often be on the field simultaneously. As I wrote about last week, I am buying the dip in Gabe Davis's dynasty value and think he's due for a big rebound season this year, making him Kincaid's top competition for targets behind Diggs. Kincaid will be an active part of the offense, but I believe Davis will wind up as the second-most targeted Bill.

Michael Mayer

• Las Vegas beat reports said last week that Mayer could become Jimmy Garoppolo's top target this season. That's a far-fetched statement with Davante Adams on the squad, but Mayer could quickly become the second-most targeted player on the team. The Raiders cut O.J. Howard this week, which is an indication that they're confident in Mayer, who currently sits behind Austin Hooper in Ourlads' depth charts. By the end of the preseason, Mayer should be named the starter. He'll need to develop as a blocker in the NFL, but he'll get used in the passing game right away, just as he did as a freshman at Notre Dame. For whatever reason, coach McDaniels has soured on Hunter Renfrow, and he brought in Jakobi Meyers, who he was familiar with in New England. Meyers and Mayer are the players he signed and drafted; Renfrow is not. Either Meyers or Mayer will be second on the team in targets. By the season's end, I bet it's Mayer.

Leave your comment using the form below

Name
Comment
Enter the code