Team news: Tennessee Titans | Page 8

Ja’Lynn Polk likely will be one of the starting wide receivers when Week 1 arrives, at least until Kendrick Bourne returns from injury. Polk’s training camp hasn’t been spectacular or filled with other-worldly catches, but he has been consistent and done enough for the quarterbacks to trust him.

Demario Douglas probably has been the best wide receiver, but Polk isn’t far behind. He might start behind K.J. Osborn on the depth chart, but optimism is high around the second-round pick out of Washington.

Related players: Javon Baker

While optimism is high around Polk, it sounds like even if he doesn't get a starting job out of the gate, it should only be a matter of time. Meanwhile, fourth round pick Baker started strong, but looks to be further down the depth chart after a tough stretch, according to the rest of the story. Baker is dealing with drops in practice and running with the fourth-string QB at times. The story said he'll likely start as the team's WR4 or WR5.

Someone in the set of wideouts has to emerge as an eventual No. 1. Right now, rookie Ja’Lynn Polk has as good a shot as anyone.

Related players: Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas, Javon Baker, K.J. Osborn, Kayshon Boutte

For what it's worth, we've already reflected this on our fantasy depth charts listing Polk as the top option. Robinson thinks Polk could step in and get a ton of targets immediately. In the preseason opener, Polk played limited snaps but caught three balls for 14 yards. Robinson expects those numbers to grow. Polk could be worth targeting in the later rounds of drafts given his very late ADP.

For those thinking the RB2 battle was firmly between Michael Carter and rookie Trey Benson, Emari Demercado has something to say.

Throughout camp, Demercado has been a common occurrence subbing in for starter James Conner during first-team work.

It’s only been one day of pads, the story went on to say, but Demercado's pass-protecting ability, which earned him valuable playing time as a rookie, has been on display early on. The story went on to say keeping Murray upright is crucial to a successful season, and it’s clear the Cardinals are liking what Demercado is bringing to the table so far. It went on to say behind Conner and Demercado, Carter got first crack at second-team reps, with rookie Trey Benson subbing in for the veteran. Given the draft capital the team paid for Benson, it should only be a matter of time before he starts to make a move up the depth chart.

The best-case scenario, in my opinion, would be if Jelani Woods puts together a huge training camp and earns the starting job. The 25-year-old missed all of last year due to repeated hamstring injuries and revamped his body this offseason in hopes of staying healthy. If Woods can remain on the field, he’s the one tight end on Indianapolis’ roster who has all of the physical tools to be a constant mismatch, while creating explosive plays and blocking well enough to stay on the field.

Related Players: Kylen Granson, Mo Alie-Cox, Will Mallory, Drew Ogletree

The Colts once again have a huge swath of tight ends on the roster, but we have to assume those names will be pared down by the 53-man roster cuts. Woods had a literal 10/10 RAS score while coming out of the 2022 NFL Draft, setting a record for the highest score out of the 997 tight ends who tested between 1987-2022. He can be a legit fantasy asset if he's the clear-cut TE1, and should be on streaming radars if that ends up being the case.

While they moved quickly to sign Tony Pollard in March, they don’t project the former Cowboy will play a similar role to the one that Travis Henry filled in Tennessee. Last year’s third-round pick Tyjae Spears is also on hand and head coach Brian Callahan made it clear on Tuesday that he expects both players to see plenty of time in the offense this season.

“The fun part for me is: How are we going to deploy those guys?,” Callahan said, via the team’s website. “Maybe they both play at the same time, maybe one gets hot and you let him run, maybe we just rotate back and forth. I don’t know what that’s going to look like yet. But they are both going to play quite a bit of football for us, and I don’t view either one of them as a starter or a back-up. They are both starting players to me.”

Not exactly what fantasy owners want to hear. The statement makes a lot of sense and probably shouldn't come as a surprise. However, many consider Pollard and Spears to be of the same mold. As you would expect, the expectation of both players seeing lots of time puts a hit on their rankings. We have Pollard ranked 32nd and Spears 34th, with Pollard's ADP in the 8th round and Spears' the 9th round. Hopefully we get a better feel by the time fantasy drafts come around, but it looks like both players could be Zero RB targets for those using that approach.

Rico Dowdle, an undrafted, 26-year-old running back, functioned as the Cowboys No. 2 running back behind Tony Pollard in 2023 at the age of 25, but in 2024, there's the chance he may end up leading Dallas in carries in the regular season.

"Definitely, he's had a good off season, looks great," HC Mike McCarthy said at Cowboys OTAs on May 30. "You know, I think just like anytime these guys have a chance to really hone in their training. So, Rico's done an excellent job there. Very comfortable [with him]. He's very, very bright, very instinctive football player. So, he's definitely one of the the lead lead guys in the room as far as his experience here, but also his understanding of the offense."

Related players: Ezekiel Elliott, Deuce Vaughn

Dowdle was listed among five potential Cowboys breakout candidates for this coming season. Dowdle compared his running style to Elliott's, just smaller in size, and he believes he is more of an all-around RB. In the story, Elliott said he views himself as a starter but also wants to keep himself fresh for a stretch run and potential playoff run, meaning Dowdle could get significant work in the offense. The Cowboys RB situation is just one of many things to keep an eye on this offseason.

Jelani Woods missed all of the 2023 season due to hamstring injuries, but he offers something none of the other tight ends have shown, an impressive size-speed combination that could make him a devastating downfield target.

Indianapolis will likely use at least three tight ends heavily on offense this season.

Related players: Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Adonai Mitchell, Alec Pierce, Kylen Granson, Mo Alie-Cox, Drew Ogletree, Will Mallory, Anthony Richardson, Jonathan Taylor

Pittman and Downs are the team's top-two WRs with rookie Mitchell and Pierce also battling it out for time. Granson led the way at TE last year but as the story said Woods has the potential to bust out. The use of three TEs certainly indicates the Colts are going to be run-heavy this season. However, any of the team's TEs could be passing options as well in that formation, so the situation is worth monitoring this summer.

It is too early to know which direction it will head, but as the Patriots are currently on break before their first training camp practice July 24, one thing can be decisively stated about Polk's initial work: His toughness and relentless mentality reflected well on the culture Wolf and Mayo hope to create.

Related Players: DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, Kendrick Bourne, Javon Baker

Reiss would later remark that Osborn, Douglas, and Polk could be the team's "top three targets if everyone is healthy." It's an interesting group to target, considering we have no way of knowing exactly how things will shape out. Douglas and Polk make for great late-round dart throws.

Daniel Bellinger will slide back into his pre- DarrenWaller role, and it appears more will be expected from Theo Johnson and former wide receiver Lawrence Cager in the pass-catching tight end role. Johnson and Cager are among the players who have received first-team offense opportunities this spring.

Bellinger was having a decent rookie season in 2022 before a freak injury forced him to miss some time. He then played second-fiddle to Waller last year but looks to be in the lead for pass-catching duties ahead of '24.

This will come at the expense of rookie Theo Johnson, who is nothing more than a deep flier in Giants stacks.

New York Giants tight end Darren Waller is likely to make a decision by next week's mandatory minicamp about his playing future, and people in and around the team expect that he's going to retire, multiple sources told ESPN. Those close to him believe he's leaning in that direction.

Related Players: Daniel Bellinger, Theo Johnson

It seems more likely by the day that Waller is going to retire. This would make Bellinger a streaming option throughout the season, while Johnson would get quite the boost in Dynasty leagues.