PALM BEACH, Fla. — The NFL annual meetings were held this week at The Breakers resort, and most of the head coaches met with the media. I got the chance to ask several of the coaches questions about the upcoming season, as well as just listen to a few of them talk about their players.
With that in mind, here are some of the relevant quotes I got, and the impact they could have on your Fantasy rosters this season.
Andy Reid excited for Ronald Jones
I asked Reid about the addition of Jones, who signed a one-year, $5 million free-agent deal with the Chiefs, and what it means for Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
“I like Ronald,” Reid said. “I like the size, speed that he has. He’s got good vision. He needs that opportunity to feel like he’s a major part of this thing. We’ll give him that as long as he comes in the right frame of mind and all those things. He’s a pretty good athlete that we liked coming out.”
Reid then said about Edwards-Helaire, “I’ve got Clyde in there, too. It’ll help take some pressure off of Clyde, and they’ll work together and have a pretty good combo there.”
Edwards-Helaire and Jones should form a potentially good tandem in Kansas City’s backfield, and we’ll see if any other running backs of note are added in the NFL Draft.
Bottom line: For now, treat Edwards-Helaire as a low-end No. 2 running back worth drafting in Round 4, and Jones is a low-end No. 3 running back worth selecting in the Round 8 range.
Nathaniel Hackett to move his WRs around
I asked Hackett, the new Broncos coach, how he plans to use Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick this season, and Hackett said he wants them to be diverse and play multiple roles.
“I watched their tape from last year, and it’s going to be great to see them be implemented into our system and how they’re going to fit at all the different positions,” Hackett said. “We want to move guys around as much as possible. We want to have them play all over the field. We don’t want to put guys just in one spot. As they can slowly develop and learn the system, it’ll be great to see all the things they can do.”
Hackett was also excited about new quarterback Russell Wilson already having throwing sessions with Sutton and Jeudy.
“Those guys are down there getting to know each other,” Hackett said. “I just can’t wait until they get in the building.”
Jeudy, Sutton and Patrick all gain tremendous value this season with the addition of Wilson, and hopefully, Hackett will put all of them in a position to succeed, especially if they play multiple roles.
Bottom line: I like Jeudy as a low-end No. 2 receiver worth drafting in Round 5, Sutton as a borderline No. 2 receiver worth drafting in Round 6 and Patrick as a sleeper worth drafting as early as Round 9.
Zac Taylor expects more from Chase, Higgins this year
Taylor loved what Ja’Marr Chase did as a rookie in 2021 with 81 catches for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns on 128 targets, but Taylor knows Chase is capable of more. Taylor is looking forward to what Chase can do in his sophomore campaign.
“There are a lot of fun things we can continue to do with Ja’Marr,” Taylor said. “I think he’s eager for it. Ways to stretch the defense, ways to create mismatches for other receivers to take advantage of that stuff.
“I think for anybody who gets on campus in May and only spent seven months in our building, now he’s going to come into Year 2 probably a lot more comfortable with life in the NFL. Now he knows what’s expected. He’s competed at a high level and done a great job. But he can continue to build on that now that he’s more comfortable living in Cincinnati for a year. Knowing how to get to work. Knowing what the meeting structure is. Knowing the quality of the corners that he’s going to play against. You get a chance to sit on that information for six months, come back and attack Year 2. And I’m excited to see what he can do.”
Taylor also has high expectations for Tee Higgins in his third year. Higgins had 74 catches for 1,091 yards and six touchdowns on 110 targets in 14 games in 2021.
“Year 2, I thought Tee came back in tremendous shape, ready to attack the year,” Taylor said. “I thought he made the most†of his opportunities. He really made some tremendous plays for us in some big games — contested catches, run after the catch. He still hasn’t even reached his ceiling. We have a real exciting group of receivers.”
Bottom line: Chase will be a first-round pick in all leagues, and he’s my No. 3 receiver this season behind only Cooper Kupp and Justin Jefferson. And Higgins has top-10 upside and is worth drafting as early as Round 3 in all leagues.
Doug Pederson gives updates on Robinson, Etienne
Travis Etienne missed his rookie season with a Lisfranc injury in his left foot, and James Robinson suffered a ruptured Achilles in December. Pederson said Etienne should be ready for the start of the offseason program, and the Jaguars are hopeful Robinson is healthy by training camp.
“It’s a really good 1-2 combination,” Pederson told me. “There’s not a lot of tape on Travis, but just listening to Bernie Parmalee, my running backs coach, talk about Travis and some of the things that they did last year with him in camp, there are some things that we see in him as an offensive staff. James is a guy that first, second or third down, he’s explosive. A bigger back. He had a really good season last year, so I think it’s a really good 1-2 combination when healthy.”
For now, given the injuries to both, I like Etienne better than Robinson on Draft Day. Etienne can be drafted as early as Round
4, with his value higher in PPR, and Robinson is more of a Round 8 selection given his health.
Bottom line: I asked Pederson if Etienne is ready to be the No. 1 running back for Jacksonville, and Pederson said “I do.” But Pederson also said Etienne can play a variety of roles, which could depend on Robinson being ready for Week 1.
Pete Carroll updates status of Metcalf, Carson
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There’s some speculation that the Seahawks could trade D.K. Metcalf instead of giving him a contract extension, especially in light of Seattle trading Wilson this offseason, as well as the contracts for receivers getting pricey for guys like Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams. Carroll, however, indicated Metcalf isn’t going anywhere.
“We intend for him to be with us,” Carroll said. “We’d love to figure that out. We’re in a normal kind of mode this time of year, we have not gotten to that topic yet specifically because we’ve got so many other things going on. But we’d love to have him. There’s no way I could imagine playing without him.”
Of course, Carroll said at the NFL Combine in early March that the Seahawks had “no intention” of trading Wilson before sending him to Denver, so it’s easy to dismiss what Carroll said about Metcalf until a new deal is signed. For now, Fantasy managers should treat Metcalf as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, and his value will hopefully improve if Seattle solves its quarterback situation.
If Drew Lock starts for the Seahawks in Week 1 then Metcalf is only worth drafting in Round 4 in all leagues. Tyler Lockett should not be drafted prior to Round 5.
Carroll also provided an update on Chris Carson, who played four games last season before suffering a season-ending neck injury, which required surgery in November. Carroll is hopeful Carson can be ready for training camp.
“We’re looking optimistically at it,” Carroll said. “He won’t know until he gets back and really gets going. Physically, he’ll be able to run around and all that kind of stuff. (The question) is whether or not he can take the hits and all that kind of stuff. We’ll have to wait and see, but he’s planning on it.”
Even if Carson is ready for training camp, Rashaad Penny should have the chance to be the lead running back in Seattle this year. Penny, who signed a one-year deal worth $5.75 million to stay in Seattle, had 692 total yards and six touchdowns on 97 total touches (92 carries, five receptions) over his final five games.
Bottom line: Penny is worth drafting in Round 5 in most leagues, while Carson should not be selected before Round 9 until we get an update on his health in training camp.
Sean McVay expects better Akers this year
Cam Akers came back from the Achilles injury he suffered in July in Week 18 and became the lead running back for the Rams in the playoffs. He didn’t have an overwhelming performance, averaging just 2.6 yards per carry in four postseason games, but McVay expects Akers to be better with a full offseason.
“What an amazing story,” McVay told me. “To be able to come back is such a testament to Cam. It’s almost hard to believe that he was able to do that. For him to play the way that he did, I thought he was outstanding against Arizona in the wild-card round (95 total yards on 19 total touches). You could really feel the explosiveness, the twitch. He’s a complete player, and he’s a guy that’s going to be a really special player for years to come. What Cam did last year is an incredible story. It’s awesome.”
Bottom line: Akers is expected to share playing time with Darrell Henderson this season, but Akers should be the lead running back. He’s someone to target as early as Round 3 in all leagues, and Henderson is worth drafting after Round 8.
Kliff Kingsbury expects big role for Rondale Moore
The Cardinals lost Christian Kirk as a free agent to Jacksonville, and A.J. Green remains a free agent. I asked Kingsbury about his expectations for Moore in Year 2, and Kingsbury said Moore will play a big role opposite DeAndre Hopkins.
“Last year, just with the numbers with Christian, A.J. Green, Hop, he kind of got lost in the shuffle more than he should have,” Kingsbury said. “He’s a dynamic playmaker. With Christian leaving particularly, we expect him to fill that role and really live up to it.”
I also asked Kingsbury about using Moore in the backfield, and Kingsbury referenced how the 49ers used Deebo Samuel as something Moore could do for the Cardinals.
“We’re going to try to give him the ball more,” Kingsbury said. “You’ve seen what Kyle has done there with Deebo, one of the best players in the league, he finds different ways to give him the ball. We’re going to be creative with Rondale because when he touches it good things happen.”
As a rookie in 2021, Moore had 54 catches for 435 yards and one touchdown on 64 targets in 14 games. He also added 18 carries for 76 yards. Kirk leaves behind 103 targets from a year ago, so it will be fun to see what Moore can do with upwards of 120 opportunities (targets and carries) in his sophomore campaign. He’s worth drafting as early as Round 8 in the majority of leagues.
As for Arizona’s backfield, I asked Kingsbury about James Conner coming back as a free agent, and Kingsbury said, “that was a real priority for us to try and get him back.” Kingsbury also expressed optimism for Eno Benjamin if he remains in the No. 2 role behind Conner.
“We’ve been really impressed with Eno and what he’s done so far,” Kingsbury said. “He’s excited about getting an opportunity†to step up. We’ll see how the draft goes, but every time†we’ve played Eno he’s made something happen.”
Bottom line: Conner, who was awesome last season at 17.0 PPR points per game, should be drafted in Round 3 in all leagues, and Benjamin is worth a late-round flier if he stays No. 2 on the depth chart. The Cardinals will likely add another running back of significance to help Conner, but Benjamin would be a lottery-ticket option if he remains in this role in training camp.
Matt Rhule expects a healthy McCaffrey
Christian McCaffrey has played 10 games in the past two seasons due to various injuries, which hasn’t been ideal for Rhule. I asked him if he expects McCaffrey to finally return to form this season and once again prove he’s among the best running backs in the league.
“I’m hoping that happens this season,” Rhule said. “When he’s out there, he’s dynamic. He has such an impact on the guys around him. He raises the level of everyone around him.† I’m excited to have that happen. I’m hopeful that we can get him healthy. On our end, we’re trying to make sure we’re looking at the way we practice him and train him to make sure we give him the best chance to be healthy the whole year.
“Christian McCaffrey holds himself to the highest level possible in anything he does. I know he wants to play. He’s one of the most driven … he’s driven to be great in everything that he does. Yes, obviously he wants to be ready to go. He’ll do everything in his power, training away to be healthy. He takes care of himself at an elite level. Hopefully, it all comes together for him this year.”
Despite playing just seven games last season, McCaffrey still averaged 17.3 PPR points per game. He was at 29.7 PPR points per game in just three games in 2020, and he averaged 29.4 PPR points per game in his breakout season in 2019.
“We can always move him around and utilize him, but at the end of the day, he’s a back,” Rhule said. “You can do a lot of things with Christian, but to take him out of the backfield to me is taking away what he does best. We’ll keep him at tailback, but try to get a matchup here, a matchup there. He can do so many different things.”
Bottom line: Fantasy managers are skeptical to draft McCaffrey as a top-five overall selection, but he’s my No. 2 PPR running back (No. 3 in non-PPR) because of his upside. And Rhule said the Panthers have no intention to make him a slot receiver to help keep him healthy.
