Steelers HC Mike Tomlin 'saw growth' in WR Martavis Bryant

Feb 18, 2015

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin’s end-of-season assessment of WR Martavis Bryant, who was inactive for the first six games of his rookie year only to come on to catch 26 passes for 549 yards (21.1 average) and eight touchdowns was on point. “I saw growth in him. And that growth came with snaps,” said Tomlin. “I would imagine he is going to get more opportunities to grow with those snaps. The thing is, he has to continue to grow and have an open mind. He has to acknowledge that he doesn’t have all the answers. Sometimes that is seemingly more difficult than it appears. He probably has less anxiety now than he did nine or 10 months ago because there are less unknowns. Sometimes that’s a good thing for men, and sometimes that’s a bad thing for men. I am going to be watching him very closely as he proceeds.” If Bryant remains the coachable individual he was in 2014, he can develop into a dynamic NFL receiver.

Fantasy Impact:

Bryant averaged 2.8 catches for 56 yards and 0.82 TD in the final 11 games of the season (including a 5-61-1 outing against Baltimore in the playoffs). Thanks to the incredible touchdown rate, those are high-end WR2 numbers in standard formats and solid WR2 numbers in PPR. What's more, he didn't play 60 percent of the snaps until the postseason, so there's upside here from a playing time standpoint. If he earns a starting role this offseason -- and it looks like he will -- he’ll be a middle round pick in 2015 fantasy drafts.

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Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown's practice window to open "Friday or Monday"

Ian Rapoport

2 hours ago

Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown has received final clearance to practice, paving the way for him to play before the regular season ends.

Brown, who is recovering from surgery to repair his SC joint, should have his window opened Friday or Monday. The team will be cautious.

Fantasy Impact:

If Brown were cleared by Week 17, he would be incredibly tough to start in pretty much any sort of fantasy league with Championships on the line. However, he could be an interesting click for Playoff-only leagues if he can ramp up in time.

Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker misses second straight practice

Adam Schefter

2 hours ago

For a second straight day today, Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III didn’t practice due to his calf injury.

Related Players: Zach Charbonnet, Kenny McIntosh

Fantasy Impact:

Looks like things should be cleared out for Charbonnet once again in what could be a very close game against the Packers. If Walker misses Week 15, fire Charbs up as a high-end RB2.

49ers RB Isaac Guerendo, Nick Bosa, and Dre Greenlaw active for Week 15

Lindsey Pallares

3 hours ago

In Week 15, the red and gold have defensive lineman Nick Bosa and linebacker Dre Greenlaw active and ready for the team's second meeting with their NFC West rival, the Los Angeles Rams.

On the other side of the ball, the 49ers will have rookie running back Isaac Guerendo available against the Rams. He was listed as questionable on Wednesday on account of a foot sprain but was given the green light to play ahead of "Thursday Night Football."

Fantasy Impact:

We do expect Guerendo to handle the majority workload for TNF, but you do have to wonder if he gets the same type of workload he would have, had he avoided the injury report all week. Consider him closer to an RB3 than a locked-in RB2 he otherwise would have been.