Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football

  • Standing out in passing game
    Cager has primarily worked as a pass-catcher throughout spring activities, Jordan Raanan of ESPN reports.

    Advice: Cager and rookie fourth-round pick Theo Johnson have split pass-catching duties this spring at the tight end position in the wake of Darren Waller's retirement and with Daniel Bellinger sidelined due to an undisclosed injury, and both have seen first-team reps. Coach Brian Daboll called Cager "one of the most improved players throughout the offseason," giving him some fantasy intrigue when training camp kicks off in late July. Rotowire.com Today, 8:41 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    0.00 (675th)
  • Surprisingly busy during OTAs
    Thomas caught a surprising number of passes during Carolina's offseason program, ESPN's David Newton reports.

    Advice: The 2018 fourth-round pick got a lot of snaps and routes early in his career but never improved on a rookie season with 36 catches for 333 yards and two touchdowns. He then had four straight years between 136 and 197 yards, before sinking to five catches for 56 yards last season while playing a career-low 206 snaps. It sounds like Thomas may be a better fit in new coach Dave Canales' scheme, but fantasy value still seems a bit far-fetched for a player with 1,055 yards and four TDs on 2,975 career snaps. The Panthers also have Tommy Tremble and 2024 fourth-round pick Ja'Tavion Sanders competing for playing time at tight end, with the former better suited to blocking and the latter more of a receiving threat. Sanders is the only one of the bunch that seems to offer any real upside to become a fantasy-worthy pass catcher. Rotowire.com Today, 8:35 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    0.49 (508th)
  • Lawrence Cager impressed coaches in minicamp
    Giants TE Lawrence Cager impressed coaches during minicamp.

    Advice: With Darren Waller’s recent retirement, the Giants are looking for a reliable pass-catching tight end. “It looked this spring like Cager and fourth-round pick Theo Johnson will be asked” to fill Waller’s role in the New York offense. Giants head coach Brian Daboll said Cager, a converted wideout who has 19 receptions over five NFL seasons, was “probably one of the most improved players throughout the offseason.” ESPN’s Jordan Raanan did not mention presumed starting TE Daniel Bellinger as a candidate to take on pass-catching duties in 2024. Rotoworld Today, 5:51 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    0.00 (675th)
  • Ian Thomas standing out in Panthers’ passing game
    ESPN’s David Newton said Ian Thomas has “stolen the spotlight” at tight end during Panthers’ OTAs and minicamp.

    Advice: Rookie fourth-rounder Ja’Tavion Sanders was expected to be the Panthers tight end who would impress in the passing game. While that still may happen, Newton writes that in head coach Dave Canales’ “tight-end-friendly scheme [Thomas] has become a big target” at the position. The Panthers rank dead last in the league in tight end targets over the last four seasons, and Thomas hasn’t gone for more than 197 yards since posting a line of 36-333-2 as a rookie back in 2018. We’ll take this one with a grain of salt, but it’s possible the seven-year vet is the preferred tight end for the Panthers in 2024 if his strong offseason carries into training camp. Rotoworld Yesterday, 3:03 pm
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    0.49 (508th)
  • Isaiah Likely becoming ‘chess piece’ for Ravens
    Isaiah Likely said he’s focused on becoming a “chess piece” for the Ravens this season.

    Advice: The Ravens hope to get Likely on the field more in 2024. The third-year tight end said that it’s possible we see him line up “in the slot, in-line, in the backfield” or “split out wide” by himself. After the Ravens lost Mark Andrews in Week 11 of last season, Likely stepped up to catch 21-of-28 targets for 322 yards and five touchdowns over the final five regular-season contests. He was the overall TE5 in fantasy points per game over that six-game stretch. He’s caught 66 passes for 784 yards and eight touchdowns in his career and is one of just a handful of backup tight ends who could have good fantasy value this season. Going in the late double-digit rounds, Likely is worth a dart throw in best ball leagues but shouldn’t be counted on in redraft leagues as long as Andrews stays healthy. Rotoworld Yesterday, 11:04 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    4.09 (272nd)
  • Impresses throughout OTAs
    Likely was one of Baltimore's standouts during spring practices, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.

    Advice: With Rashod Bateman positioned as their No. 2 WR and Nelson Agholor the No. 3, the Ravens may often prefer passing from two-TE formations using Likely and Mark Andrews together. Even if that's the case, Likely will have a hard time drawing enough targets to be a fantasy starter when Andrews is healthy, especially because Baltimore also has FB Patrick Ricard taking some skill-position snaps. Likely caught nine passes through his first 11 games last year before exploding for a 21-322-5 receiving line over the final six weeks of the regular season (28 targets) while Andrews was out with a leg/ankle injury. If nothing else, Likely should be a functional fantasy starter in the event Andrews misses games again. Rotowire.com Saturday, 12:28 pm
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    4.09 (272nd)
  • Timetable for return TBD
    Higbee (knee) remains without a timetable to return, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.

    Advice: Higbee suffered ACL and MCL tears during a wild-card loss to the Lions on Jan. 14, and the timing of the injury makes it likely that he'll start training camp on the PUP list. If he's unavailable at the start of the season, the Rams will rely onColby Parkinson, Davis Allen and Hunter Long at tight end. Rotowire.com Thursday, 12:18 pm
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    2.79 (331st)
  • Working to regain lost weight
    Kittle (core muscle) recently told the Bussin' With The Boys podcast that he lost nearly 30 pounds at the beginning of the offseason while rehabbing injuries.

    Advice: Kittle had core muscle surgery after the Super Bowl and was also recovering from shoulder and rib injuries at the time -- a combination that prevented him from doing both upper- and lower-body weightlifting for about a month. He said he's "almost back to 100 percent" and has regained most of the lost weight, but he still wants to add about 10 more pounds before the start of the regular season. It sounds like Kittle will be ready for the beginning of training camp in late July. Rotowire.com Thursday, 9:02 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    9.58 (93rd)
  • George Kittle lost 30 pounds after core surgery
    George Kittle said he lost around 30 pounds after undergoing core muscle surgery this offseason.

    Advice: Kittle in a podcast appearance said he was well below his 250-pound playing weight following his surgery. He sustained the core injury around midseason last year and played through it during the Niners’ Super Bowl run. “I couldn’t lift,” Kittle said. “I couldn’t do any upper body because of my shoulder and my rib, and I couldn’t do lower [body] because of my core surgery. … I didn’t lift from the Super Bowl until like almost mid-March. ... I went a month without doing anything, I wasn’t supposed to do anything.” Kittle, 30, plans to work this summer to gain back the weight he lost ahead of his eighth pro season. Last year, Kittle was tenth among tight ends in receptions (65) and first in receiving yards (1,023). Rotoworld Wednesday, 12:50 pm
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    9.58 (93rd)