Fantasy Football News | Page 850

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is hopeful that WR Deebo Samuel (foot) could be available for Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals but added he “is not counting on it”.

Week 1 would be a pleasant surprise for the return of Samuel, who underwent foot surgery in June and was expected to miss 10-12 weeks, putting him on track to only miss about three or four games. A possible return date could the 49ers’ Sunday night date in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Samuel is being drafted around the 10th round, which could end up a major bargain for those that take the chance on him. In the meantime, rookie Brandon Aiyuk will see plenty of practice reps and the team signed veterans Tavon Austin and J.J. Nelson.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy talked about his excitement for rookie wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and said “he’s definitely shown the ability to play all three spots at the receiver position. ...He looks very natural on the football field.”

Lamb was the top wide receiver for many draft analysts in the 2020 class and wound up as the third one selected in April. But the landing spot was incredible for Lamb, being alongside Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. With Dallas possibly throwing the ball more in 2020, there could certainly be room for three fantasy-relevant receivers, even in a unique 2020 season.

The first series of offensive drills was centered around the run game and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN NFL Nation.

This is not a surprising development, but it is visual confirmation that CEH will have a significant role in the Chiefs offense in 2020. Expect to see CEH drafted early in drafts.

Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb started camp running routes as the slot receiver. Lamb "is breathtaking...does everything like a game breaker," according to Clarence Hill Jr. of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram.

The rich get richer as CeeDee Lamb has shown early signs of fitting well into the Cowboys offense. Lamb will start as the third wide receiver target behind Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, but early signs of fitting in are great for Lamb and his potential workload.

Tight end Travis Kelce officially signed a contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs. Terms were not disclosed.

Kelce is locked in with the team that has allowed him to flourish and become an elite producer at tight end. The Patrick Mahomes-Kelce connection will roll on for at least the next few seasons.

According to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs is aiming for ‘at least’ 60 receptions this season.

Josh Jacobs proved that he has soft hands both last season and at Alabama, but was not used much as a receiver out of the backfield as a rookie. He had a strong 74% catch rate, but lacked opportunity, catching 20 of just 27 targets. The running back position as a whole was heavily targeted by the Raiders with 117 passes being funneled to the position last season (10th most in the NFL). The Raiders failed to make any impact additions to the backfield this offseason, instead choosing to stick with Jalen Richard, while adding more pass-catching backs by drafting college wide receiver/wildcat quarterback Lynn Bowden Jr., and signing veteran receiving back Devontae Booker. 60 receptions would mean tripling his rookie season numbers. Josh Jacobs is our 11th ranked running back for the 2020 season, but he's going to have a tough time getting that many receptions with Jalen Richard and Lynn Bowden on the roster.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback called third year wide receiver Calvin Ridley elite: “But I think the people who know, the people who have to play against Calvin or try to guard him in man-to-man coverage, know he is elite. He’s exceptional. He’s really, really good.”

While calling Calvin Ridley elite may be a bit of a stretch (he has yet to hit 1,000 receiving yards in a season), there is no denying that he has been highly productive for the Atlanta Falcons. As per ESPN, the only four receivers in NFL history that finished their first two seasons with more than Ridley's 17 touchdowns are, in order, Odell Beckham Jr. (25), Larry Fitzgerald (18), A.J. Green (18), and Julio Jones (18). All four wideouts operated as their team's number one receivers. Matt Ryan was correct in his assertion that Ridley excels against man-to-man coverage, but Ridley will have to learn to deal with zone coverage to truly put his hat in the ring as one of the NFL’s top receivers. He was incredible against zone coming out of Alabama, but made waves early last season when he suggested that he could not get open because he was struggling against the Indianapolis Colts zone defense. An exceptional talent, Ridley is our 16th ranked receiver for the 2020 season.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Kansas City Chiefs and star tight end Travis Kelce have agreed to the parameters of a four extension.

With George Kittle setting the market, both Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs had an established ballpark to work around, which allowed the talks to rapidly progress. Kelce and the Chiefs had been in discussions for a while, and they have now agreed to an extension that will keep him in Kansas City for six years. The deal is not yet official, so no specifics have been released, but Ian Rapoport suggested that it is between $14 and $15 million AAV in new money, with $25 million guaranteed. Travis Kelce has been one of the top receiving threats in the league regardless of position for years now, and this extension will keep him as one of Patrick Mahomes top targets for years to come.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has signed a five year extension worth $75 million.

George Kittle has deservedly become the highest paid tight end in the NFL. While the full year to year breakdowns are not yet known, we have learned that the star tight end will receive an $18 million dollar signing bonus, and that the deal has $30 million in true guarantees. The injury guarantee is $40 million. The size of this contract appears to be quite the value for the 49ers given Kittle's age, role, and production. Kudos to both sides for being able to agree to a market altering deal during the uncertainty NFL teams and players are currently contending with.

Seahawks TE Will Dissly practiced with the team on Wednesday despite suffering a torn achilles tendon in Week 6 last year.

Dissly ran routes and caught passes in light drills as reporters watched from the sidelines. The Washington product has been productive on a per-game basis in what has been an injury-laden career to this point. Dissly has only finished eight regular season games in two seasons but has six career touchdowns and flashed great chemistry with Russell Wilson before going down last year. He will be eased into action and likely split snaps with Greg Olsen, but Dissly has sleeper appeal as a late-round tight end.