James Starks primed for breakout season

Jul 06, 2012

Packers RB James Starks spent much of the off-season working on his hamstrings, which have given him fits for years. He's also thicker through the chest, and has lowered his body fat by 1-2%.

Does that make him ready for a breakout season?

"You hope that every guy gets better every year," Packer offensive coordinator Tom Clements said. "He has a lot of ability. He's powerful, runs hard, catches the ball out of the backfield pretty well. We're hopeful."

Fantasy Impact:

Starks currently represents nice value in the middle rounds. We have him ranked #24, but he is the 32nd RB off the board. He would make a nice RB3 or even a decent RB2 for a team that is stacked at other positions. The RB is something of an afterthought in the Packer offense, but if the defense improves as expected, the team should be in position to drain the clock more often late in games. That's where Starks could shine.

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.