Andre Ellington back up to speed

Aug 13, 2016

Andre Ellington has the pure talent to be a starting running back in the NFL, but with a long injury history and the emergence of David Johnson, that won’t be his role for the Cardinals in 2016.

Instead he will be a change-of-pace complement, an elusive athlete with home run capability. That was on display in Friday night’s 31-10 loss to the Raiders, as Ellington had three carries for 41 yards and a touchdown, including a 35-yard scamper in the second quarter.

Although it seems like a lifetime ago, Ellington was the projected starter heading into the 2015 season. A knee sprain and other ailments took their toll, but now he feels healthy and looks explosive.

Fantasy Impact:

Ellington admitted he was never fully healthy at the end of last season, but he has been impressive in training camp and the first preseason game, the story said. As the story also pointed out, he's set to be the change of pace back with Chris Johnson serving as the backup to David Johnson. Ellington just needs to stay healthy, but we're only projecting him for 19 catches this season and he's just 59th on our RB rankings.

yesterday

Chargers to sign RB J.K. Dobbins on one-year deal

Tom Pelissero

yesterday · 7:45 PM EDT

Former Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins is planning to sign with the #Chargers on a one-year deal. Electric when healthy, Dobbins — who averages 5.8 yards per carry in his career — reunites with OC Greg Roman and can hit the market again in March.

Related Players: Gus Edwards

Fantasy Impact:

Dobbins has had poor injury luck in his career, but has only managed 234 total rushes since being drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. This is a low-risk, high-reward move by the Chargers and might give them a runway to wait a little longer in the '24 Draft before they address the position.

Apr 16

Cowboys sign RB Royce Freeman

Todd Archer

Apr 16 · 8:15 PM EDT

The Cowboys have signed running back Royce Freeman to a one-year deal. Freeman had 319 yards on 77 carries with 2 touchdowns last year for the Los Angeles Rams. He was 3rd round pick of Denver in '18.

Related Players: Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn

Fantasy Impact:

Freeman hasn't rushed for 500 yards since 2018, his rookie season. This shouldn't have any impact on the team drafting at the position and/or bringing back Ezekiel Elliott.

Apr 15

Eagles sign WR DeVonta Smith to three-year extension

Ian Rapoport

Apr 15 · 10:45 AM EDT

The Eagles have paid another big-time, rising player. This time, WR DeVonta Smith gets a 3-year, $75M contract extension that includes $51M guaranteed.

Related Players: A.J. Brown, DeVante Parker, Parris Campbell

Fantasy Impact:

Great news for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense as a whole. Smith will continue his 1b role in which he finished the 2023 season as fantasy's WR22.