Team news: Minnesota Vikings | Page 9

T.J. Hockenson has not been doing any team work since the start of camp and he said last week that his equilibrium has been off because of an ear infection. Hockenson said the condition was improving and he said on Monday that he’s still “taking it day by day” and wants to be out there as a full participant.

The story said there has been speculation that Hockenson’s contract might also factor into his workload. Hockenson is in the final year of his rookie deal but he said he wasn't concerned about a future deal. Hockenson is our third-ranked TE.

Dolphins RB Devon Achane is also dealing with a shoulder injury. He's week to week and avoided serious injury.

QB Mike White is also in concussion protocol.

Related players: Jeff Wilson, Raheem Mostert, Myles Gaskin

Achane has been a highly-touted rookie RB who has gained a lot of traction, especially early on in dynasty leagues. Achane's biggest asset is his speed, and talk was building he'd have a significant role in the Dolphins offense because of HC Mike McDaniel's love of fast players. He still was going to lose touches to Wilson and Mostert, so it remained to be seen how much of the workload he could garner. This setback could end up costing him some work, at least to start the season. But the good news is he avoided a more serious injury.

A year ago, Chandler won a roster spot after leading the Vikings in preseason rushing yards; if he could show a broader set of skills in 2023, he might be able to win the team's No. 2 running back job.

Related Players: Kene Nwangwu, DeWayne McBride

Alexander Mattison is for sure slated for the RB1 job but it's a stretch to expect him to garner the type of workload Dalvin Cook held on to for years. Chandler could sneak into a third down role and start popping more on fantasy radars

Bills WR Gabe Davis said he felt like he “lost a step” when he suffered a high ankle sprain early in the 2022 season, and that impacted his whole year. Said it messes with your head. He added he feels fully back to normal and healthy now.

Related Players: Trent Sherfield, Justin Shorter, Khalil Shakir

Davis certainly had some off-weeks last season, much to the chagrin of those of us who were certain he would produce opposite Stefon Diggs. In 10 of his 16 games last year, he had three-or-fewer receptions and only bested 100 yards once (a monster 3-171-2 game in Week 5). Davis was more of a focal point in the Bills two playoff games (8-147-1 on 13 targets) and is back in the mix as a WR3 for fantasy purposes.

Gabe Davis projects as a very reasonable 2023 post-hype sleeper.

49ers GM John Lynch says Brock Purdy (elbow) has been cleared to practice. "The great news is Brock has worked his tail off and he's ready to go."

Kyle Shanahan says Purdy will throw two out of every three days initially, and he'll take the first rep the days he's out there.

Related Players: Trey Lance, Sam Darnold

This is incredible news, as a full-year QB option will be a giant positive to both himself and the skill position players in fantasy. This doesn't ensure that he is the Week 1 starter but it's clearly a step in the right direction.

Including the postseason, Purdy played 82% of the snaps in eight games. In those games, he averaged 232 yards, 8.43 yards per attempt, 2.0 touchdowns, and 0.38 interceptions. He added 0.25 rushing touchdown per game. The resulting 18.8 fantasy points per game would have been the seventh-highest last season.

Vikings rookie WR Jordan Addison was cited just after 3 a.m. today for speed and reckless driving in St. Paul. He was driving 140 MPH in a 55, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

Related Players: K.J. Osborn, Jalen Reagor, Jalen Nailor

This is a *very* tough look for the rookie, particularly with the sort of outcome that happened with a young former NFL player just a couple of years ago. As of now, it looks like maybe no one was hurt but that doesn't rule out league discipline. For fantasy purposes, Osborn has proven to be a reliable target when given the opportunity. We will watch for more news updates.

Devon Achane, a third-round rookie, has "already looked like one of the Dolphins' more explosive offensive players."

Related Players: Jeff Wilson, Raheem Mostert, Salvon Ahmed, Myles Gaskin

Beat writer Louis-Jacques would continue, "Even in non-padded team drills, Achane showed prowess as a pass-catcher and home run ability after the catch. It's a crowded running back room in Miami, but it may not be long before the rookie has a prominent role. "

We already have Achane ranked clear tiers above Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson, as the RB27. Those of us who have been grabbing Achane throughout best ball drafts continue to hold our breath that the team won't sign a veteran in the vein of Dalvin Cook or Ezekiel Elliot.

The ramifications of the Stefon Diggs minicamp drama could still be playing out, but a player who benefited from Diggs not taking part in OTAs and parts of minicamp was Sherfield, one of the Bills' acquisitions to add depth to the receiver room.

Related Players: Justin Shorter, Deonte Harty, Khalil Shakir

The article continues by saying, Sherfield got increased opportunities as the Z receiver for quarterback Josh Allen with Diggs not present and made an impression in that time, with Allen saying of Sherfield during OTAs, "I've loved what I've seen from Trent so far; the dude works extremely hard. He's one of the hardest-working guys on the team. Doesn't complain about anything. He's rolling right now."

Trent Sherfield is currently ranked in the stratosphere, all the up at WR148 in 4for4's most recent rankings update, but a steady drumbeat could move him into a more reasonable drafting range.

Vikings are to officially release Dalvin Cook on Friday. One of the NFL’s most dynamic playmakers, Cook is coming off a fourth straight 1,000-yard season and has 52 career TDs. Now he’ll be a free agent at age 27 and will have multiple suitors.

Related Players: Alexander Mattison, Ty Chandler

The move has been long-rumored, so this doesn't come as much surprise. According to talks throughout the offseason, Mattison should be expected to takeover the lead-back role, with Chandler acting as the team's No. 2.

Vikings OC Wes Phillips on whether second-year RB Ty Chandler is ready for an increased role: "I think he's going to have to be."

Chandler probably has the advantage in the competition for the presumptive No. 2 RB spot behind presumptive No. 1 RB Alexander Mattison.

Related Players: Dalvin Cook

Yet more smoke to the fire that is Dalvin Cook playing the 2023 season outside of Minnesota. We're past June 1st, so the news on Cook moving on is presumably right around the corner.