Daily Dose: Football is Back
Football is back…kind of. The Steelers’ second team took on the Vikings’ first-and-a-half team in a Hall of Fame Game more notable for the players not playing than the ones who took the field. Adrian Peterson, Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and many others watched from the sidelines as both offenses struggled.
Despite the tedious nature of the game, there were some important fantasy takeaways. The first was clear offensive MVP MyCole Pruitt. The toolsy rookie tight end out of Southern Illinois mixed in with the first-team offense before taking advantage of blown coverage to score a 34-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. Pruitt does not have the size of a prototypical pass catching tight end, but he showed well at the combine and has been earning plenty of praise from the coaching staff. He may already be the No. 2 tight end behind injury-prone starter Kyle Rudolph.
Despite a meager 1-12-0 stat line, Steelers rookie Sammie Coates also stood out on Sunday night. His one catch was a nice adjustment grab off a tipped ball which gave Pittsburgh one of their 12 first downs in the game. It was not a spectacular catch by any means, but it was a promising sign for a player who has serious questions about his hands. Coates also burned the Vikings’ secondary on a double move which would have gone for a touchdown had Landry Jones’ pass been on target. Coates will be no better than No. 4 on the depth chart when the season begins, but it was a good first game out for the rookie.
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In Other News….
The Houston Chronicle reports Arian Foster (groin surgery) may only miss 4-6 weeks after initial reports put his timetable at 3-6 months. The Texans’ actions since the injury support the idea Foster could be back sooner than expected. They refused to put up the extra money needed to sign Pierre Thomas and have yet to bring in another veteran option. If Foster is forced to miss any time, Houston looks prepared to roll with a committee of Alfred Blue, Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes.
Browns RBs coach Wilbert Montgomery called out his position group after Sunday's practice, saying, "It just bothers me that guys don't want to be the lead bell-cow guy." Considering Terrance West (calf) just resumed practicing and Duke Johnson (hamstring) is still out, this rant is likely directed as Isaiah Crowell. Crowell has a great opportunity to secure the lead role in what could be a high-volume rushing attack, but he does not appear to be taking advantage of the chance. Despite the criticism, Crowell is still the best bet to begin the season as Cleveland’s early-down back
Ameer Abdullah has been the second-most “eye-popping player” at Lions’ camp behind just Calvin Johnson. Though his position coached waffled when asked if Abdullah could handle a three-down role, Detroit may have no choice to give Abdullah a significant workload. Joique Bell is coming off another surgery-ridden offseason, and Theo Riddick’s role is not expected to change.
Niles Paul was listed as the No. 1 tight end on the Redskins’ initial depth chart, ahead of Jordan Reed. The depth chart could just be the result of Reed missing minicamp and OTAs while recovering from a clean-up procedure on his knee, but Paul’s receiving upside makes this a situation to monitor through the preseason. Paul turned 52 targets into a 39-507-1 line last season.
ESPN Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky said Marcus Mariota’s highly publicized interception-free training camp has not been the result of dinking and dunking. He has reportedly built good chemistry with Kendall Wright, and even the enigmatic Justin Hunter has shown some consistency in camp. What Mariota does in the preseason will be much more important, but his strong start to training camp is a promising sign.
ESPN's Mike Triplett believes Marques Colston's touchdown total could spike in the absence of Jimmy Graham. After averaging a little over eight touchdowns his first seven seasons in the league, Colston has recorded five scores each of the last two years and saw just 13 red-zone targets last season. With Graham gone and 5’10 Brandin Cooks set to be the primary passing-game target, Colston could see his red-zone targets jump back up to the low twenties.
Johnny Manziel is expected to see some snaps with the first-team offense during the Browns' preseason games. Cleveland has been adamant Josh McCown is their starter, but it would be foolish to not give last year’s first-round pick a chance to show what he can do with the first team, especially considering how bad McCown was last season. The smart money says Manziel will be forced into a starting role at some point this year.
Richard Rodgers was listed as the No. 1 tight end on the Packers’ initial depth chart. Andrew Quarless topped the depth chart last season and is a better blocker, but Rodgers has more upside in the passing game. If Rodgers can improve as a blocker, he should easily out-snap Quarless this season. Unfortunately for Rodgers, there are not many targets to spare in the Green Bay offense.
Quick Hits
FOX Sports’ Mike Garofolo said Eric Ebron is “showing signs in camp he may be ready to take the next step.” … The Raiders are expected to give Trent Richardson “lots of work” this preseason. This would be a great DFS note if he were not terrible. … Bucs signed Lavonte David to a five-year, $50.25 million extension. … Victor Cruz (knee) is expected to miss the Giants’ preseason opener. … Rod Streater (undisclosed, active/NFI) has yet to practice in camp. Michael Crabtree is locked in opposite Amari Cooper. … Matt Cassel is expected to start the Bills’ preseason opener. He is currently winning the quarterback competition by default. … Jonas Gray has shed 10 pounds this offseason and is now playing at 225. Gray could see the bulk of the Patriots’ early-down work while LeGarrette Blount (MCL) is suspended Week 1. … “Nobody has been able to cover” Tyler Eifert in camp. The preseason of hype continues. … No receiver has caught more passes than Danny Amendola at Patriots camp. Amendola had 23 receptions over the final five games of last season including the playoffs. … Phillip Dorsett is “so fast” at practice is difficult for Pep Hamilton to observe him from the sidelines. … Stevan Ridley is “close to a return” from the active/PUP list. … The Jaguars are expected to “12” personnel (one back, two tight ends, two receivers) as their base formation this season, leaving Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee fighting for one receiver spot. Hurns is currently winning the competition handily. … Rob Housler was listed as the third-string tight end on the Browns’ first depth chart. … Antone Smith is playing behind rookie Terron Ward in Falcons camp. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman are both out with hamstring issues. … Earl Thomas (shoulder) is still a “couple weeks away.” … Washington is reportedly serious about using rookie Brandon Scherff at guard, where he has reportedly looked more comfortable.
