AFC Team-by-Team OTA Notes

The notes below pertain to all 16 AFC teams. For the NFC notes, click here.

BALTIMORE
First-round WR Breshad Perriman was not handed a starting job at OTAs, running behind sneaky talent Kamar Aiken and showing some of the inconsistent hands we saw at Central Florida. Perriman remains a strong bet to win the No. 2 job and a reasonable bet to capitalize on the opportunity left behind by Torrey Smith, but I prefer guys like Allen Robinson, Charles Johnson and Zach Ertz in Rounds 7-9. ... Dennis Pitta (hip) did not participate in spring workouts. If the Ravens get anything from him at all this season, it will be a bonus. ... Maxx Williams admitted to swimming in the playbook a bit. Rookie right ends are never on my radar in fantasy. ... The Ravens confirmed RB checkdowns will be a bigger part of the scheme under new OC Marc Trestman. Justin Forsett’s PPR arrow is pointing up and Buck Allen is a deep-league PPR flier. ... Hard to buy coach John Harbaugh’s claim the team would like to reduce Steve Smith’s snaps. They don’t have any other reliable options for Joe Flacco.

BUFFALO
The quarterback battle was predictably ugly, with Matt Cassel faceplanting badly. It looks like E.J. Manuel will head to camp with his nose slightly in front of both Cassel and Tyrod Taylor. Yikes. I’m most intrigued by Taylor thanks to his running ability, and it sounds like Rex Ryan may be as well. ... Sammy Watkins (hip) did a little 11-on-11 work and should be ready for training camp. But he’s still in a Rex offense with a zero at quarterback. Even as Watkins’ ADP tumbles, I’m passing. ... Fumbling sideline-magnet Bryce Brown will need a big camp to keep his job ahead of Anthony Dixon. Even franchise favorite Fred Jackson isn’t guaranteed a spot at the crowded running back position. ... The Bills haven’t been shy about their desire for LeSean McCoy to push for the league-lead in carries. Effectiveness behind a poor offensive line and reception volume are question marks, but volume is not.

CINCINNATI
Welcome back, Marvin Jones. Finally fully healthy off foot/ankle injuries, the playmaking Jones is penciled in opposite A.J. Green. Available in the Round 11-14 range, he’ll be one of my favorite fliers. ... Tyler Eifert (elbow) is also back and “caught virtually everything thrown his way” during spring practices. A talented pass-catcher who will have a big role now that Jermaine Gresham is gone, Eifert is firmly on the TE2 radar. ... A.J. Green may slip in your draft because his 2014 numbers were not that impressive. Realize those numbers were heavily impacted by injury. Green led the entire NFL in yards per route run last year (2.96) and is a steal in the mid- or late-second round. ... 2014 fifth-rounder A.J. McCarron showed up big in the spring, leading to some whispers he could push Andy Dalton at camp. I doubt that, but the win-now Bengals should have Dalton on a short leash this season – especially now that he has all his weapons back healthy. No excuses.

CLEVELAND
The star of Browns OTAs was rookie RB Duke Johnson, who outplayed incumbents Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West. It’s not a surprise, as speedy space backs always excel at padded practices. Johnson’s skyrocketing ADP is not something I’m on board with as he could max out in a Gio Bernard kind of role. .... Isaiah Crowell opened the offseason as the starter and is in the lead for the early-down portion of this mix-and-match/hot-hand committee. I’d rather take a shot on the Crow over Johnson considering both are available in Round 7 or so. ... The good news is Johnny Manziel hasn’t had any serious off-field incidents since getting out of rehab. The bad news is he continued to struggle on the field and enters training camp firmly behind 36-year-old journeyman Josh McCown. ... Buried in Bruce Arians’ TE-unfriendly scheme with the Cardinals, pass-catching Rob Housler is locked as the first-teamer for the Browns. He’s a good bet for 50-60 catches as an “ideal” flex tight end (Mike Pettine’s words).

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DENVER
Cody Latimer didn’t know the plays as a rookie last season. This year, he was at Duke for the Peyton workouts and is penned in as the No. 3 wideout. I’d be higher on him if the Broncos weren’t shifting to a balanced offense under a new head coach that prefers to run lots of two-TE sets (Virgil Green and Owen Daniels). ... I actually believe the Peyton Manning pay cut/trade rumors. Look at his tape over the final six games of last year and tell me if you wouldn’t take a couple first-round picks for him. That horrid play was all a result of the quad injury? Are you sure? Expect Manning’s attempts to dip sharply as Gary Kubiak emphasizes the run game. ... A slimmed-down C.J. Anderson held the first-strong RB job throughout the spring, as expected. Don’t expect Montee Ball to muster any real threat in August – CJA’s one-cut style and pass-game ability fits perfectly. ... Even Emmanuel Sanders thinks his statistics to take a hit this season thanks to the scheme change. I’m not chasing last year’s stats. More from Manny on that here.

HOUSTON
Rookie WR Jaelen Strong missed a lot of time due to a hamstring injury, leaving the coaching staff to talk up Nate Washington. It’ll be an underwhelming three-man competition between Strong, Washington and Cecil Shorts for the right to complement rising stud DeAndre Hopkins. ... Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett split first-team reps during the spring. Beat writers came away more impressed with Hoyer, but this is a competition that won’t be decided until mid-August at the earliest. Volume should mitigate the QB troubles Hopkins is sure to deal with. ... Arian Foster enjoyed one of the healthiest offseasons of his career, participating fully in the program. The Texans are going to ride him at least as hard as they did last year, when he averaged 22.9 touches per game.

INDIANAPOLIS
First-round WR Phillip Dorsett spent time at multiple positions during practices. He’s a sneaky bet to see the field more than some expect in Year 1, at the expense of Donte Moncrief and quite possibly Coby Fleener. ... Another rookie to keep an eye on is sixth-round RB Josh Robinson. He could easily beat out Boom Herron and Vick Ballard for the right to back up 32-year-old Frank Gore. Ballard (Achilles’) remains a PUP candidate. ... Andre Johnson and Gore did not take any veteran time this spring. They appear poised to hit the ground running right away in their new surroundings. ... Johnson was singled out for his early chemistry with Andrew Luck. Remember that Reggie Wayne had a 106-1,355-5 line at age 33 while playing the possession receiver role for Luck in 2012.

JACKSONVILLE
Allen Robinson was the most hyped player in the NFL this spring. Beat writers wouldn’t stop raving about the way the second-year WR dominated practices, calling him “unbelievable” and a “star.” I love taking Robinson in the sixth round. He can pay off that position even if Blake Bortles doesn’t make a leap. If Bortles does improve, look out. ...The Jags wasted no time with rookie T.J. Yeldon, immediately installing him as their starter and talking up his three-down tools. He’s going to get a big workload while Denard Robinson and Toby Gerhart fill complementary roles. I like Yeldon if we can get him in the fourth or fifth round. ... Julius Thomas has gotten so “overrated” that he’s now underrated. He’s a talented athlete and red-zone focal point at a thin position and is available in the eighth or ninth round in many leagues. ... Marqise Lee can’t stay out of the training room. This spring, it was his knee that bothered him. I’m completely off this train as he enters camp behind Allen Hurns. ... The Jags have written off troubled wideout Justin Blackmon.

KANSAS CITY
Anthony Fasano is gone. That means Travis Kelce spent the offseason as the man, “demanding the ball” and exclusively running as an every-down first-teamer. Kelce won’t be cheap in drafts (current fifth-round ADP), but he’ll be worth it. He was fantasy’s No. 8 TE last year even though he only played 66 percent of the snaps and saw a meager 5.4 targets per game. ... Rookie WR Chris Conley is a size/speed freak that got a lot of first-team work during the spring. It’s just hard to see him having success with checkdown king Alex Smith. ... A healthy Jamaal Charles has slimmed down to 204 pounds and enters the season as the offensive focal point once again. He’s averaged 19.1 touches per game since Andy Reid took over. ... Albert Wilson didn’t separate from the pack during OTAs as he battled a hamstring injury.

MIAMI
DeVante Parker (foot surgery) is in a race to be ready for Week 1. Expect him to be eased in slowly at first, leaving Greg Jennings and Kenny Stills as outside complements to slot maven Jarvis Landry. Add in pass-catching tight end Jordan Cameron and we have a very crowded situation. I’ll be avoiding. ... I’m not buying talk that the Dolphins will be moving Landry around the formation more this season. We’ve seen where he wins and they have plenty of options on the outside. Landry and his pathetic aDOT (average depth of target, h/t Mike Clay) is a PPR-only option for fantasy leaguers. ... Cameron enjoyed a healthy offseason and Dolphins were pleased with what they saw out of their new acquisition. Remember Charles Clay averaged 4.2 catches, 45.4 yards and 0.3 touchdowns over the last two years – and Cameron has better size and speed. ... No news is good news on Jay Ajayi’s knee. I don’t think the Dolphins want to give Lamar Miller much more than the 13.5 carries per game they gave him last year, leaving Ajayi with decent opportunity.

NEW ENGLAND
We’re not expecting to have a final ruling on the Tom Brady appeal until mid- or late-July. There could even be another appeal after that, putting the situation further in limbo. ... The passing back job is wide open. Some beat writers thought James White won the spring, while others thought it was Travaris Cadet. It’s a situation I’ll be watching in camp to see if anyone can separate and push for the 9.9 touches per game Shane Vereen got over the last two years. ... Aaron Dobson is healthy and had a solid spring. He’ll be a primary backup to Brandon LaFell on the outside and shouldn’t be written off. ... Rob Gronkowski spent the previous few offseasons rehabbing back, elbow and knee injuries. This year, he enjoyed a fully healthy Summer of Gronk. He’s very safe as a back-end Round 1 pick.

NEW YORK JETS
I’m not surprised the Jets named Geno Smith their starter without a fight. We’ve seen Ryan Fitzpatrick’s ceiling and you can’t win with it (33-55-1 record). Geno’s floor is obviously lower, but at least he gives them a chance. Evaluating him on a Rex Ryan team with Jeremy Kerley and Jeff Cumberland as primary weapons wasn’t completely fair. Now he has weapons galore and Chan Gailey is installing the spread Geno ran at West Virginia. ... One of those weapons, Jace Amaro, underwhelmed in the spring. For now, I’d rather take a shot on Vernon Davis, Virgil Green or Niles Paul as a deep-league TE2. ... Stevan Ridley (ACL) may not be ready for training camp, leaving pass-game specialist Bilal Powell as the No. 2. Coach Todd Bowles already confirmed Chris Ivory is the top dog in this backfield, but he’s a poor fit for the Gailey scheme. I’m ignoring this run game.

OAKLAND
Latavius Murray ran as the first-team back throughout the offseason and sources inside the Raiders said he “has a chance at a huge year.” Murray is 6’3/225 with 4.38 speed and is playing in a Bill Musgrave offense. Musgrave previously oversaw big seasons from Adrian Peterson, Michael Turner and Fred Taylor. ... Rookie TE Clive Walford impressed enough during OTAs to force a real battle with Mychal Rivera. Yawn. ... Amari Cooper did nothing to disappoint in the spring, leading beat writers to say he’s “ready to break out immediately” and call him “the real deal.” Given the lack of other pass-game options for Derek Carr, Cooper’s target count will be high and 80 catches is a fair projection. ... Rod Streater, back healthy, is expected to win the No. 3 job behind Cooper and Michael Crabtree.

PITTSBURGH
Le’Veon Bell still doesn’t know when the NFL will hear the appeal of his three-game suspension. Bell was originally suspended nearly three months ago. He’s still the No. 2 overall pick for me because we can easily navigate the suspension early in the season when there are no byes and we’re not fighting injuries. Tre Mason comes to mind as an interim play. ... Martavis Bryant lit up OTAs and is on track to push for a 70-80 percent of the snaps role. I prefer him to Charles Johnson if we’re talking mid-round WR breakouts. ... Markus Wheaton has been pushed into the slot and can be ignored. ... Talk is that DeAngelo Williams will only get 10-12 carries per game while Bell is in street clothes. Those games will be at NE, vs. SF, at STL. I’ll pass.

SAN DIEGO
The latest excuse for Keenan Allen’s sophomore regression is that he wasn’t working hard enough. Now he’s practicing with more “focus and determination” (per Philip Rivers) and has dropped some weight. I’m not on him this year for the same reason I wasn’t last year – he doesn’t have the speed or athletic ability to threaten defenses vertically. ... Another slight concern for Allen is the arrival of Stevie Johnson. He’s an upgrade on Eddie Royal in the slot and will steal targets. Johnson can also back up outside deep threat Malcom Floyd, who is six months away from retirement. Stevie is a sneaky late-round value pick.

Danny Woodhead is fully over the broken leg that ended his 2014 season. He’ll be the passing-down complement to Melvin Gordon, who did not really participate in the pass game at Wisconsin. Remember Woodhead caught 76 balls from Rivers and scored eight touchdowns just two years ago. ... Gordon was “as advertised” during OTAs. I’ll still pass on him as I rarely target strict two-down backs like Alfred Morris. It’s just too risky when game flow gets away from us. ... The annual Ladarius Green hype machine is hard to believe this year. Not only is Antonio Gates still feeling good, but the arrival of Johnson should mean fewer two-TE sets.

TENNESSEE
The Titans are allegedly adapting their offense to fit Marcus Mariota’s skill set and the rookie thoroughly outplayed Zach Mettenberger in the spring. He was “deadly accurate,” per QBs coach Shawn Jefferson. Quarterbacks with Mariota’s kind of running ability have a higher floor than their fantasy draft position typically reflects – I’m just concerned Ken Whisenhunt is going to bungle this. Still prefer Sam Bradford and Colin Kaepernick as my QB2. ... David Cobb reported to camp a bit overweight and was quiet from there. I like him to get roughly 200 carries plus goal-line work, but he’s still a fifth-round rookie. His progress in camp will be well worth watching. ... Bishop Sankey spent time during the spring working a “great deal” on taking handoffs. Seriously. He also put on some weight, rarely a good thing for a running back in today’s game.

Justin Hunter has bulked up a bit. That won’t solve his inability to make plays on balls that aren’t right in his hands. ... Dorial Green-Beckham missed a lot of OTAs with a hamstring issue. He’s still ahead of Hunter, but I prefer John Brown, Pierre Garcon, Brian Quick and even Terrance Williams over DGB in Round 10-13 range. ... Kendall Wright essentially let it be known he doesn’t believe in a Whisenhunt scheme that saw him go from 94 catches in 2013 to 57 in 2014. Pass. ... Talented seventh-round WR Tre McBride ran at the lower-upside possession slot and Z spots. He’s a backup to Wright and Harry Douglas for now.