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  • Odd man out with Slayton's return
    Hodgins caught a lot of passes with the first-team offense last week but seems to be the odd man out now that Darius Slayton is at OTAs, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

    Advice: Slayton, Malik Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson figure to be the top three wide receivers, leaving Hodgins to compete with Jalin Hyatt, Allen Robinson, Isaiah McKenzie and others for depth roles. It's hard to find a roster with more backup WRs that have starting experience in the NFL, but in Hodgins' case, he mostly got that opportunity because the Giants were so thin at his position the past two seasons. Now that they're in better shape -- at least at wide receiver -- he'll head to training camp without assurances of a Week 1 roster spot, after signing a one-year contract that includes only $325,000 guaranteed. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 9:58 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    1.88 (371st)
  • Lions want to use Jahmyr Gibbs downfield, in slot
    Lions running backs coach Scottie Montgomery said the team wants to use Jahmyr Gibbs more in the slot and down the field.

    Advice: Lions GM Brad Holmes said two weeks ago said the team is ramping up the second-year back for a heftier workload in 2024. Montgomery said the team needs Gibbs “to do from a passing game standpoint is go to the next level. ... I do think there’s a certain difference between being a really efficient check-down versus a great route-runner, a guy that can run all types of choice (routes). We know we’ve seen him do those things. But now can you go into the slot and a little bit more down the field, some intermediate stuff. Can we continue to grow him there, and that’s what we’re trying to do.” This is standard fare for offseason talk of a talented pass-catching running back. Gibbs in 2023 ran 9.2 percent of his routes from the slot. We could see a slight bump in that slot usage but it doesn’t change much about his statistical profile. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:06 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    13.55 (35th)
  • Thriving at OTAs
    Coach Shane Steichen said Thursday that Mitchell is "making a lot of plays" at OTAs, Kevin Bowen of 107.5 the Fan reports.

    Advice: It sounds like the rookie second-round pick is getting a lot of first-team reps, in part because top wide receiver Michael Pittman has been out with a minor knee injury. Wearing a No. 10 jersey to signify the number of WRs drafted before him this spring, Mitchell has taken advantage of the early opportunity by catching a number of passes from starting QB Anthony Richardson. Still, it's unclear if Mitchell will head into Week 1 as a depth/rotation receiver or if he'll immediately supplant Alec Pierce as a starter alongside Pittman and slot man Josh Downs. There's also the question of how different that role might look if/when Mitchell replaces Pierce, as the latter was targeted on just 10.2 percent of his routes last year -- easily the the lowest rate in the league among regular starters at wide receiver. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 7:38 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    6.80 (188th)
  • Gets incentives added to contract
    Slayton showed up to OTAs this week after the Giants added $650,000 of incentives to his contract, ESPN's Jordan Raanan reports.

    Advice: The 27-year-old is entering the second season of a two-year, $12 million contract, and while he might have been hoping for an extension or additional guaranteed money, it seems he'll settle for the boosted incentives. Slayton has led the Giants in receiving yards in four of his five NFL seasons, topping 700 yards each time without ever getting to 800. He'll likely be one of the team's top three WRs in 2024, along with sixth overall pick Malik Nabers and slot man Wan'Dale Robinson. Of the three, Slayton is least likely to draw a large number of targets, as he's never seen passes on a large percentage of his routes even when playing a lot of snaps in offenses with subpar receiving alternatives. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 7:20 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    5.34 (236th)
  • Feels better in second offseason
    Mims said things are going "a lot smoother" for him in his second NFL offseason, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic reports.

    Advice: In addition to having a much better understanding of Sean Payton's offense, Mims mentioned that he's "as healthy as I've been in a long time." The 2023 second-round pick was limited by hamstring injuries last spring and summer, though that didn't stop him from having a big impact early in the season, including four receptions of 38 or more yards and a kick-return TD within the first four weeks. While Mims remained effective on special teams apart from a pair of lost fumbles, he had only 135 receiving yards on 22 targets in his 12 appearances after Week 4. The NFL's new kickoff rules figure to make Mims even more important for Denver's special teams this year, and he should also be part of a competition for the No. 2 receiver job opposite Courtland Sutton. If not Mims, it'll likely be Josh Reynolds, Troy Franklin or Tim Patrick (Achilles) stepping up as the No. 2 receiver, though a rotation also is possible. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 7:09 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    5.81 (224th)
  • Report: Smith-Njigba has improved practice habits
    ESPN’s Brady Henderson reports the “feeling inside the [Seahawks] organization was that Jaxon Smith-Njigba has really improved” his practice habits.

    Advice: New Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald agreed, describing JSN’s work ethic as “awesome.” The implication is that Smith-Njigba didn’t put in the necessary work during his disappointing rookie season, during which he caught 62 of 90 targets for 628 yards and four touchdowns. JSN would have to leapfrog DK Metcalf or Tyler Lockett in the team’s pass-catching pecking order if he’s going to be a reliable fantasy option in 2024. That seems unlikely. Rotoworld Yesterday, 6:58 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    8.18 (134th)
  • Goes to IR
    Stepp (undisclosed) reverted to the Jets' injured reserve list Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

    Advice: Stepp was waived with an injury designation Wednesday, but he wasn't claimed by another team during the last waiver period, so he'll go back to the injured reserve list. The precise nature of his injury is unclear at this point. Rotowire.com Thursday, 1:43 pm
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    0.00 (707th)
  • Payton: ‘Going to see a lot of growth’ from Mims
    Broncos head coach Sean Payton said of Marvin Mims, “You’re going to see a lot of growth from year one to year two.”

    Advice: The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider in Thursday’s OTAs. We’re at the peak of coach-speak season, so take Payton’s quotes with a grain of salt, but a second-year leap from Mims could be on the way. Mims caught 22 passes for 377 yards and one touchdown as a rookie but was frustratingly buried near the bottom of Denver’s wide receiver depth chart behind the likes of Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Brandon Johnson. Payton and the Broncos traded up in the 2023 draft to select Mims in the second round, which should serve somewhat as a signal of how the team envisions him for the long term. With Jerry Jeudy now gone and rookie Troy Franklin carrying fourth-round draft capital, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Mims earn starting reps in his second season, giving Bo Nix an explosive weapon on the outside. Rotoworld Thursday, 11:52 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    5.81 (224th)
  • Giants add incentives to Darius Slayton’s contract
    Darius Slayton has reported to Giants OTAs after the team added incentives to his 2024 contract.

    Advice: Slayton was hoping to earn a new contract this offseason but agreed to report to the team after having $2.5 million worth of incentives baked into his 2024 deal. Now in the final year of his contract, Slayton is set to earn at least $8.15 million this season and is likely headed for free agency in 2025, barring a breakout year. Slayton caught 50 passes for a career-high 770 yards last season and found the end zone four times. The speedy field-stretcher doesn’t profile as a WR1 and is expected to be behind rookie Malik Nabers in the target pecking order. Rotoworld Thursday, 9:32 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    5.34 (236th)