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  • Back on field
    Mallory (hamstring) participated in OTAs last week.

    Advice: Mallory finished the 2023 campaign sidelined by an injury, but it appears the 2023 fifth-round selection has fully recovered. Although he was able to contribute 18 receptions and 207 yards in 12 regular-season games during his rookie campaign, he faces a crowded tight end room in Indianapolis with the return of Jelani Woods from a Hamstring injury, as well as holdovers Kylen Granson, Mo Alie-Cox and Drew Ogletree. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 2:08 pm
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    3.33 (298th)
     
  • Inks three-year extension
    Collins agreed to terms Tuesday on a three-year, $72.75 million contract extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

    Advice: Collins is coming off a breakout 2023 season in which he piled up a 80-1,297-8 receiving line on 109 targets (15 games), and even with Stefon Diggs in town on a one-year deal, Collins represents the future for Houston's wide receiver corps, as does second-year pro Tank Dell. While the addition of Diggs crowds the Texans' target distribution, as does the presence of capable pass-catching options like Joe Mixon in the backfield and tight end Dalton Schultz, this significant monetary commitment to Collins provides a bit of extra incentive for offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik to allow Collins and C.J. Stroud to feature the chemistry they demonstrated last season. If Stroud and the Texans can build off 2023 and hit the ground running, Collins should find himself as a frontman in one of the league's elite passing offenses. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 1:54 pm
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    11.43 (60th)
     
  • Not at OTAs, as expected
    Higgins and teammate Ja'Marr Chase are not present at voluntary OTAs on Tuesday, Ben Baby of ESPN reports.

    Advice: Higgins still hasn't signed the franchise tag Cincinnati placed on him back in February, and with Chase also eligible for an extension, both of the Bengals' top wideouts appear to be vying for new deals. Until Higgins signs the franchise tag, he won't be eligible to report for organized team activities. He formally requested a trade after having the franchise tag placed on him but has since indicated he anticipates suiting up for the Bengals for the 2024 season, and coach Zac Taylor plainly stated that he's not worried about the absence of either Higgins or Chase at this time. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 12:43 pm
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    11.26 (63rd)
     
  • Absent from OTAs
    Chase and teammate Tee Higgins are not present for voluntary OTAs on Tuesday as they continue to negotiate potential contract extensions, Ben Baby of ESPN reports.

    Advice: Chase hasn't yet participated in voluntary workouts for Cincinnati this offseason, and he's now eligible for a contract extension. The Bengals picked up his fifth-year option. Higgins, meanwhile, has yet to sign his franchise tender after Cincinnati placed the one-year tag on him back in February. Coach Zac Taylor stated that he's not worried about the absence of either wideout, saying "they'll be ready and focused when it's time to come back." For now, though, Joe Burrow (wrist) will be taking reps without either of his top receivers present. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 12:38 pm
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    14.61 (27th)
     
  • Participating in OTAs
    Slayton (thumb) participated in Tuesday's OTAs practice, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

    Advice: Slayton is working toward a hopeful contract extension with the Giants, but he's on the field for voluntary workouts at OTAs. The 2019 fifth-round pick still appears slated for a starting gig, though rookie first-rounder Malik Nabers should be the top man in this wide receiver corps, with Jalin Hyatt and Wan'Dale Robinson also in the mix. Slayton appears fully healthy after having dealt with a thumb injury down the stretch in 2023. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 12:27 pm
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    5.34 (236th)
     
  • Tee Higgins not in attendance at Bengals OTAs
    Tee Higgins is not in attendance at Bengals voluntary OTAs.

    Advice: Higgins has yet to sign his franchise tag tender as he seeks a long-term deal or a trade. The franchise tender would pay Higgins, 25, $21.9 million in 2024. Ja’Marr Chase, who had his fifth-year option picked up by the Bengals last month, was also absent from the voluntary workouts. Higgins’ situation is devolving by the week and could end up with a prolonged holdout later this summer unless the Bengals decide to deal him to another team before the regular season kicks off. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:44 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    11.26 (63rd)
     
  • Ja’Marr Chase absent from Bengals voluntary OTAs
    ESPN’s Ben Baby reports Ja’Marr Chase is absent at the start of Bengals OTAs.

    Advice: OL Trent Brown and Tee Higgins are also absent from the voluntary offseason practices. Probably it’s not a big deal that Chase, 24, entering his fourth NFL season, is not in attendance, though it is something to monitor in the summer months. The Bengals in April picked up Chase’s fifth-year option; he’s now signed through the 2025 season, slated to make a guaranteed salary of nearly $5 million this season. The superstar wideout is likely to show up to summer practices if and when the team can hammer out a lucrative long-term deal with him. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:25 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    14.61 (27th)
     
  • McDermott ‘very impressed’ with Claypool in OTAs
    Bills HC Sean McDermott said he is “very impressed” with what Chase Claypool has shown so far in OTAs.

    Advice: It’s just pad-less practices, but for a player hoping to contribute to a team more than he did in 2024, it’s a positive sign for Claypool, who entered the league as a second-round pick of the Steelers in 2020 but has already been labeled a journeyman. The fifth-year receiver is on his third team in two seasons and has totaled just 22 receptions for 217 yards and one touchdown since being traded to the Bears during the 2022 trade deadline. Claypool joined a rather thin receiver room earlier this offseason when he signed a one-year deal with the Bills. He joins veterans Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, along with rookie Keon Coleman, as new faces on the team. At just 25 years old, Claypool has a chance to contribute if he can get back to his rookie-year form in which he went for 62-873-9. Rotoworld Saturday, 8:47 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    1.74 (386th)
     
  • Jalen Tolbert could see bigger role in 2024
    ESPN’s Todd Archer says Cowboys WR Jalen Tolbert “has a chance to take the No. 3 role behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks” this upcoming season.

    Advice: The departure of Michael Gallup this offseason immediately opened the door for Tolbert to step into a bigger role. Couple that with the fact that the Cowboys didn’t take a receiver until the sixth round of the draft, and his path to snaps becomes all the more clear. Archer reports that Tolbert has “joined [Dak] Prescott at the hip” this offseason, spending additional time with Prescott in hopes of developing additional familiarity and trust with the quarterback come game day. Head coach Mike McCarthy also praised Tolbert’s growth, saying he’s “taken leaps and bounds” with his confidence and understanding of the game. Tolbert entered the league as a third-round pick out of South Alabama and turned in a solid combine, posting an 8.76 RAS. He’s played sparingly through his first two years in the league, amassing 24 receptions for 280 yards and two touchdowns for his career, and has likely faced a steep learning curve going from the Sun Belt conference to the NFL. Any significant role would make him an interesting dart throw in the later rounds of fantasy drafts, as an injury to either Cooks or Lamb could thrust Tolbert into a starting role. Rotoworld Saturday, 6:31 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    3.76 (283rd)