Miami Dolphins Continuing to Take a Look at Arian Foster
Still a free agent heading into late May, veteran running back and former top fantasy player Arian Foster has indicated that he will soon be 100 percent and ready to go after suffering a torn Achilles last season. This has led to a lack of interest in his services.
That could come to an end soon with the Dolphins finding themselves in need of some talent at running back. After losing Lamar Miller to the Houston Texans in free agency, Miami is left relying on an injury risk in Jay Ajayi and rookie Kenyan Drake to share carries this season. Neither offers much upside from a fantasy perspective, especially if we are talking about a committee approach.
Unfortunately, Foster would also be a major risk if the Dolphins decide to go in that direction. At 29 years old, it's not yet known how Foster will return from his latest injury in a career full of them. The four-time Pro Bowler has missed 23 of a possible 48 games over the past three seasons.
Ezekiel Elliott No. 2 Behind Darren McFadden
This likely won't last too long, but Dallas Cowboys first-round pick Ezekiel Elliott found himself running with the second team during OTA's this week. Darren McFadden was practicing with the first team, a role he obviously earned after putting up 4.6 yards per rush and 1,400-plus total yards a season ago.
Though, Dallas exhausted the fourth overall pick in last month's draft on Elliott. While some might be scared off a tad by this week's news, it's nothing to be worried about in re-draft contests. The Cowboys have a whole heck of a lot invested in Elliott. He will be the team's primary running back in Week 1.
New York Jets Receiver Eric Decker Skips OTA's
Decker decided to stay away from the Jets' organized team activities this week in protest of the squad not re-signing free-agent Ryan Fitzpatrick. It's quite meaningless in the grand scheme of things considering the OTA's were voluntary. Outside of that, Decker has no legitimate gripe here. He'll show up when it counts during the summer.
The larger issue here is whther Decker will be the same type of fantasy performer next season should Fitzpatrick not return to the Jets. Decker finished last season as the 10th-best fantasy receiver after recording 80 receptions for over 1,100 yards and 12 scores. If it's Bryce Petty, Geno Smith or Christian Hackenberg under center, Decker won't come close to repeating that performance.
Sam Bradford Not Etched in Stone as Eagles Starter
After demanding a trade prior to the NFL Draft and staying away from organized team activities earlier this month, the recently re-signed Bradford is no longer guaranteed the starting job in Philadelphia.
While it's highly likely Bradford will be under center in Week 1, the Eagles will give both rookie Carson Wentz and veteran Chase Daniel an opportunity to unseat him during the summer months. That much was made clear by the coaching staff this week.
Even if Bradford does retain his starting gig, he's nothing more than a deep bench option in standard 12-team leagues. Even in Chip Kelly's quarterback-friendly offense a season ago, Bradford finished as the 24th-best fantasy quarterback. That's bottom rung QB2 levels right there.
Tyler Eifert Undergoes Ankle Surgery, Could Miss First Couple Weeks of the Season
The often-injured Eifert, a former first-round pick, underwent ankle surgery this week and could potentially miss the first couple weeks of the regular season. That's some huge news from a fantasy football perspective, as Eifert finished last season as the sixth-best fantasy tight end.
While this should drop Eifert down a tad as it relates to his ADP, those of you who are willing to take a shot on him should be rewarded with extra value. Now that Marvin Jones is on the Detroit Lions and Mohamed Sanu signed with the Atlanta Falcons, there's going to be extra targets to go around behind A.J. Green. Don't let ankle surgery in May throw you off too much here.
Ladarius Green Sidelined with Ankle Injury
In his first offseason as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Green has yet to take part in workouts after signing a four-year, $20 million contract back in March. This comes after he was replaced on IR as a member of the San Diego Chargers with an ankle injury last year — an injury that apparently required surgery in January.
Pittsburgh's expected starter after the retirement of Heath Miller, Green recorded 37 receptions for 429 yards and four scores as Antonio Gates' primary backup for San Diego last season. He has TE1 upside in Pittsburgh, but needs to show he's healthy this summer before anyone can rely on him in that capacity.