Early 2015 Preseason Updates

Training camps are underway and the Hall of Fame game is this weekend. Lots of things to cover so let's get to it right away.



Arian Foster Injury
While we really shouldn't be surprised by this injury, it's tough to see a guy like Arian Foster go down with this kind of injury. In the Texans' first fully padded practice, Foster suffered a groin injury where the muscle actually detached from the bone. From a fantasy perspective, Foster's ADP was 1.09 which had many of us excited for what 2015 would hold. Last year he missed 3 games completely and 3 more partial games, yet rushed for 1,246 yards - yardage that any RB playing a full year would be proud of. Foster could return to practice by Week 6 and has the potential to play again in Week 8. Depending on where he lands, he could be the stash of the draft if you can get him late enough. No reaching here.



Matt Forte - Balanced Attack
According to Matt Forte, he has no plans to catch 100 passes this year. With Marc Trestman's departure, that shouldn't surprise us, but don't expect Forte's production to dip very much. He's still going to catch passes and he's still going to get the bulk of the carries. With an ADP of 1.12, he's likely to be the RB1 on someone's team - be happy if it's yours.



Adrian Peterson - Workhorse
Any hesitation that Peterson might not make it back to previous form has been removed from our minds. He's in incredible shape, and according to coach Mike Zimmer, All Day "will get as much work as he can take, and as much as he can handle." Peterson has been going off the boards in most drafts within the first 4 picks.

Josh Hill - Who Dat? Not Jimmy Graham...
Let's face it. Jimmy Graham's shoes are going to be awfully tough to fill so the expectations on Josh Hill need to be more realistic. The enticing part is that the Saints offense is going to throw and they'll throw a lot. They always do, and those passes have to go somewhere. Until we see some preseason action and get a feel for what Hill's role will be, he's on our sleeper radar but not necessarily in our draft queue. He's going at the tail end of the 10th round so perhaps a backup fantasy TE with upside here.

Joseph Randle - RB Lottery Winner
Any running back who gets to run behind that offensive line in Dallas is going to be very fortunate. So far, it looks like Joseph Randle is going to be that guy. Jerry Jones has indicated that the top job is Randle's to lose. Add in the fact that Darren McFadden will start camp on the PUP list and it does appear that this is Randle's job to lose. With an ADP of 4.01 (37th overall in a 12-team league) and an FFN ranking of 65th overall (ADP equivalent of 6.05), Randle is currently being drafted far ahead of where he's being ranked.



Lamar Miller - 20+ touches is realistic
According to coach Joe Philbin, "If he's cranking and he got it 24 times a game and he's healthy and he's fast and he's explosive, it doesn't bother me one bit." An increased workload for Miller would be a bonus for Ryan Tannehill and fantasy owners alike. With an ADP of 2.09 (33rd overall), he's going to be someone's RB2 with potential to be a borderline RB1. It's a contract year for Miller and we expect him to put up some decent numbers.



Frank Gore - One Last Hurrah
It's easier to find a pot of gold than someone willing to talk negative about Gore at camp. Chuck Pagano and Andrew Luck love him. He's being given the opportunity to play in one of the most high-powered offenses in the NFL and certainly one of, if not the best offense in his career. Gore's ADP and FFN ranking are identical so look for him to be taken in the early 3rd round. He'll be someone's RB2 - hopefully yours.

Terrelle Pryor - What Position Do You Play?
If quarterback isn't working out for you, yet you're still freakishly talented, what do you do? How about switching to wide receiver? Pryor is attempting to do just that. Right now he's more of an interesting topic to discuss but not serious enough to consider drafting.

Cleveland - Messy Backfield
Apologies in advance to Cleveland fans... There's an old joke that asks "Why are female Browns' fans great to date?" The answer is "because they're not expecting a ring in the future." OK - a bit of a low blow there, but what expectations should we have for the Browns without a solid run game? Isaiah Crowell is being taken in the 8th round, Duke Johnson in the 9th, and Terrance West in the 15th. There was a lot of excitement around Duke; however, a hamstring injury has kept him off the field at a time when he needs every minute possible on the field. We expect Crowell to get the starting nod, but none of that backfield excites us right now.



Jameis Winston - Welcome to the NFL
Winston found out this week in camp that he's not going to be able to be as reckless in the NFL as he may have been at times while at Florida State. As coach Lovie Smith told reporters this week, "Our goal is to get Jameis ready. We're doing a lot of things that we normally don't do this early, too, to try and give him as many looks as we possibly can. And it was the one blitz period is where he had his most trouble and that's how it should be for a young quarterback." That one blitz period that Smith is referring to saw Winston throw 3 picks out a mere 5 passes. It has been a rough week for Winston. Welcome to the NFL bud.

We'll continue to keep an eye on training camps as they progress.

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