Team news: Arizona Cardinals | Page 29

Head coach John Harbaugh said that Rashod Bateman, who sustained a season-ending foot injury last year that required surgery, got a cortisone shot recently, and the goal for him is to continue his rehab and be ready for training camp.

Related Players: Odell Beckham, Zay Flowers, Devin Duvernay

The Ravens are set up with probably the best receiving group Lamar Jackson has ever seen at the professional level if everybody is fully healthy. Bateman is currently ranked as the No. 1 wide receiver in fantasy terms, but that still only makes him a modest WR41. If he can prove that he is fully healthy well ahead of the regular season, we could see him sneak up the rankings a little bit.

The Jets think Michael Carter will bounce back and also believe that Israel Abanikanda — whom they drafted in the fifth round out of Pitt — can make an immediate impact. He’s a home-run threat and will be part of the running back rotation right away, pushing to start if Breece Hall is out to begin the season.

Related Players: Zonovan Knight

This is music to analytic nerds everywhere. Abanikanda was a spreadsheet darling but when he went to New York in the fifth round, it took a little bit of the air out of the balloon. But it turns out that Breece Hall could be missing well into the season and Carter was far less effective with the ball in his hand than his rookie counterpart in the 2022 campaign.

Izzy makes for an interesting late-round option on teams desperate for RB help.

Per Fortier, who was at the presser with head coach Ron Rivera; Rivera still considers it a competition between Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett.

In a later conversation, Fortier asked if it was important for Brissett to receive first-team reps. The veteran responded with "we'll cross that bridge when we cross that bridge."

This is clearly an annoying situation for fantasy owners. The easiest thing we can boil this down to at this point; Jacoby Brissett represents a clear floor for both himself and his pass catchers in Washington. On the other hand, Sam Howell offers a very intriguing ceiling while offering what amounts to an incredibly low floor.

We'll have to wait and see how this develops.

This has been the hope for DeAndre Hopkins for some time. The Cardinals had trade talks for months, and they heated up before the draft. Ultimately, no deal. Now, he's a free agent.

Related Players: Marquise Brown, Rondale Moore, Michael Wilson

We will have to wait and see what other team will be heavily impacted by the eventual signing of Hopkins, but as of now we can expect a target increase for each of Brown, Moore, and, likely, third-round rookie Michael Wilson.

Per Zac, "Jerome Ford got the first action (and first carry) in the first team drill. Chubb’s absence makes this an even bigger spring for Ford, who impressed the team’s decision-makers as a rookie but appears headed for a much larger role this season."

It looks as if it was just a general rest day for Nick Chubb.

Related Players: Demetric Felton, John Kelly

It looks like all systems go for Jerome Ford as the team's locked-in RB2, barring anything unforeseen. Ford was used sparingly in his rookie season, but the fifth-round rookie looks poised to take over the backup role that is currently vacant with Kareem Hunt sitting in free agency. Chubb should have a monster workload this season, but it doesn't mean we should ignore Ford in fantasy.

Rashod Bateman took another step in his recovery from foot surgery, joining the Ravens on the field Monday for the first practice of OTAs.

While Bateman will likely be eased back into action this summer, it's a good sign for an integral part of the Ravens' offense in 2023.

Related Players: Odell Beckham, Zay Flowers, Devin Duvernay

If Bateman is on the field throughout the Summer to learn new Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken's system, there's no reason to believe he won't be the team's WR1. Bateman is a good target in best ball leagues, where his big-play potential has been flashed in the past. He is currently ranked as the WR41 at 4for4, but could be moving up if we continue to get positive reports on his health.

The #Dolphins have signed TE Tyler Kroft to a one-year deal, per agent
Mike McCartney.

Related Players: Durham Smythe, Eric Saubert, Elijah Higgins

The Dolphins let Mike Gesicki walk this offseason but didn't do anything to replace the passing game specialist outside of sixth-rounder Elijah Higgins, who will likely be transitioning from the wide receiver position. Kroft has been bouncing around the last few seasons and hasn't produced much since his breakout 42-404-7 2017 season with the Cincinnati Bengals.

This situation is almost assuredly going to be rotational, with Durham Smythe being the de facto TE1. His previous career highs (34-357-0) came during the 2021 season.

The article repeatedly emphasizes the need to be patient with rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, insinuating that he may not get the job until later in the season -if at all during the rookie campaign.

GM Chris Ballard is quoted as saying, "not to crown him" just yet, while Assistant GM said, "We drafted him not for what he is,” he said, “but what he could become.”

Related Players: Gardner Minshew

Get ready for an offseason of quotes just like this. We'll need to read between the lines in this, and the many subsequent articles that are sure to touch on this exact subject. Here in mid-May, it looks like Gardner Minshew may be starting the season behind center, yet Richardson is coming off the board in the ninth round of Underdog drafts.

The Colts have released quarterback Nick Foles, the team announced Friday.

Related Players: Gardner Minshew, Anthony Richardson

With the team going and getting free agent Gardner Minshew to later pair with their first-rounder Anthony Richardson, it only makes sense to keep the depth chart free from muddle while also allowing Foles to test the waters with other teams. Maybe the veteran will rejoin Frank Reich, who is now down with the Carolina Panthers.

Jets continue making moves, and here’s another: they reached an agreement today to bring back RB Ty Johnson on a one-year deal.

Related Players: Zonovan Knight, Michael Carter

Johnson has done most of his work as a third-down receiving threat since joining the Jets in 2020. He's a special teams contributor and shouldn't in any way impede on Breece Hall's snaps.