Training Camp Buzz Is All Around

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Welcome back! It’s that time of year when the training camp news/hype/buzz cycle is in full effect. Separating the fluff from the actual insights is easier said than done, but it’s a fun time of year.

If you’d like to join the conversation about any of the headlines, you can jump into the threads I’ll be posting on Reddit shortly: /r/fantasyfootball - /r/dynastyff - /r/fantasy_football.

News & Notes:

RB Nick Chubb enters concussion protocol after a high hit in practice.

49ers 2nd year WR Jalen Hurd suffered torn ACL in practice.

TE T.J. Hockenson says the ankle has been an issue for him this offseason, he notices it's still not quite 100%, but he's out there running around and trying to push forward.

RB Todd Gurley walked with a noticeable limp and wore a compression sock on his left leg during practice

Free-agent WR Dez Bryant is expected to travel to Baltimore this week for a workout with the Ravens. Quick video of Dez preparing for the visit.

Bengals waived RB Rodney Anderson (failed physical).

Jaguars 2nd year TE Josh Oliver suffers broken foot.

QB Alex Smith is officially back on the practice field playing football. Incredible.

Training Camp Hype, Buzz, Fluff:

Tampa Bay Bucs beat writer advising fantasy players to fade RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn and WR Tyler Johnson.

Packers beat writer: “Rookie RB AJ Dillon getting a lot of work early. Showed good hands on a pass down the field with a safety bearing down on him.” A second beat writer: “Another good ball downfield from Tim Boyle, dropping in a pass in front of a safety to [RB] A.J. Dillon. Dillon, it should be said, looks like he has natural hands so far, impressive for a RB his size.”

Packers beat writer: “Don’t sleep on Robert Tonyan as TE1.”

Kliff Kingsbury "feels like [RB] Chase Edmonds is a starting running back in this league."

Kliff Kingsbury wants to get RB Kenyan Drake more involved in passing game.

McCarthy when asked how big it is to have a quality No. 2 WR in Michael Gallup: “Let’s make it clear. Michael Gallup is a No. 1 WR in my view.” McCarthy says Gallup’s tape was one of the most impressive parts of his offseason research.

WR Mike Evans enjoying Tom Brady as teammate, says QB is 'trying to turn me into a living legend.’

Doug Pederson says they have told RB Miles Sanders “You’re the guy this season” Doug says they want to increase his reps. They also listed Sanders as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. This is widely believed to be a precaution and that he’s fine. More from RB coach Duce Staley: “As much as I can get him the ball and let him create .. that’s what I’m going to do.” "I think Miles can do it all. When you have a guy like Miles that can make people miss, that can lower his shoulder and also can run you over, you want to put the ball in his hands as much as possible." … Sometimes where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Washington beat writer: “[RB] Antonio Gibson taking his first spin with 1s today, second pitch, he cuts it up and finds a lot of daylight up the sideline. When I’ve seen him touch the ball, he finds a way to get big yards”

RB Bryce Love is "looking really good" at training camp and could be a factor in the Washington backfield.

WR Paris Campbell "starting to resemble the star the Indianapolis Colts believed they drafted in the second round in 2019."

Gruden agrees RB Josh Jacobs needs more receptions in 2020.

“I thought [QB] Jalen Hurts was one of the biggest winners today at #Eagles training camp. Was great in the red zone, threw the pass of the day and looked very comfortable in the pocket”

Vikings have been "experimenting with lining [TE] Irv Smith up outside a little more often."

“Rivers to [WR T.Y.] Hilton already in full effect. Three of Rivers’ first three pass attempts were completions to T.Y.”

Chiefs beat writer: “[RB] Clyde Edwards-Helaire, when not dehydrated, has dazzled the Chiefs.”

RB D’Andre Swift impressing in the passing game in camp.

Seahawks beat writer: “Toughest guy out here so far, by far: RB DeeJay Dallas.”

Bill Belichick hints at a larger role for 2nd year RB Damien Harris.

Ravens beat writer: “[RB] J.K. Dobbins is a wow. He has explosive lateral movement, vertical burst, and looks silly smooth out of the backfield in the passing game. First round talent that the Ravens nabbed with a second round pick.”

Ravens beat writer: “Ravens second-round pick J.K. Dobbins is explosive when getting the ball in his hands. He gets to the edges fast and hard. It's difficult to see No. 27 running with the ball and not think of Ray Rice.”

“Carson Wentz says [RB] Miles Sanders lined up in the slot can create a “coverage nightmare” for defenses… They have been working on more plays for Miles in passing game”

Jets beat writer: “That was quick: Sam Darnold touchdown to [WR Breshad] Perriman. 70-ish yard touchdown on a slant. Smoked Maulet off line. Perriman having a really good start to camp.”

“TE coach Todd Downing on Jonnu Smith's vast skill set: He makes it fun. When you have a guy on your offense that can do so many things you can be creative and find ways to get him touches.

QB Jimmy Garoppolo says that WR Brandon Aiyuk and RB Jerick McKinnon both see the field like quarterbacks, so he’s on the same page as them. “They find the soft spot and go get YAC after."

49ers beat writer on RB Jerick McKinnon: “None of the 49ers linebackers could cover him during the one-on-one drills. He surprisingly seems to have regained most or all of his quickness. He also seems like the favorite to return kickoffs during the season. The 49ers have plans for McKinnon.”

49ers beat writer: “Pads don’t come on until tomorrow, but it’s clear Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk already have rapport. Several completions between the two at practice today, including a bomb from Garoppolo that hit Aiyuk in stride for a TD in 7-on-7s. Aesthetically pleasing”

Mike McCarthy: “I think [TE] Blake (Jarwin) is going to make a real impact on our offense. ...The ability to attack the middle of the field, in my view, is always critical to the passing game. ...I’ve been so impressed with him and really the entire tight end group.”

It will be “very difficult” to defend WR Jerry Jeudy, according to Kareem Jackson “He can get in and out of his breaks better than anyone I’ve ever seen before. For him to be a rookie, his tempo & his routes, the way he can change pace, the way he sells things, is very rare”

Gruden gushes about TE Darren Waller.

Adam Gase has big expectations for TE Chris Herndon.

Browns beat writer: “[TE] Austin Hooper is quietly fantastic. He's not making spectacular catches or anything, but he's just excellent at doing his job, getting open and catching passes. It already feels ho hum between he and Mayfield. It looks like they've been doing this for years.”

WR Scotty Miller is getting a lot of attention in Bucs training camp. Off to a fast start with Brady according to a Tampa Bay beat writer.

Ravens beat writer: “Ravens rookie RB J.K. Dobbins plays with an emotional edge in practice. He didn't back down from the verbal sparring with DeShon Elliott and then got in a heated exchange with Nigel Warrior…”

Lions beat writer: “RB Kerryon Johnson was still rocking a knee brace, but didn’t seem limited in his starting role. Meanwhile, 2020 second-round pick D’Andre Swift appeared to be squarely behind Johnson in the pecking order.

"The buzz has been that [WR] DeSean Jackson is as fast as ever following core muscle surgery last season."

Ryan Fitzpatrick expected to win Dolphins' QB battle over Tua Tagovailoa.

Jared Goff and Sean McVay rave about rookie WR Van Jefferson: 'He's been really good.’ Goff has also compared Van Jefferson to Cooper Kupp.

For those of you in really deep dynasty leagues: keep your eye on Dolphins rookie WR/RB? Malcolm Perry.

Camp Video Highlights:

RB Jonathan Taylor running defenders over in slow motion.

Brady and WR Mike Evans hooking up on some deep shots. Tom Brady likes that.

At 247 lbs, RB A.J. Dillon looks pretty fluid catching a (slightly underthrown) football.

Hollywood Brown burning Marlon Humphrey in practice.

Rookie Broncos WR KJ Hamler running a sharp route.

Rams rookie WR Van Jefferson grabs one for six.

WR DJ Chark making a big play downfield.

New Steelers TE Eric Ebron with a nice one handed snag.

Early look at QB Joe Burrow to RB Joe Mixon.

QB Jameis Winston dropping a pretty, pretty, pretty, dime.

Rookie WR Chase Claypool going up for a catch that looks like it’ll be tough to defend.

Non-Camp Analysis/Hype:

RB Ronald Jones was lights out in his limited opportunities in the red zone last year.

Ultimate guide to drafting tight ends in 2020 (part 2).

Believe it or not, WR Breshad Perriman has been pretty good over the last two years.

Running backs who will benefit from vacated targets.

15 bold predictions for the 2020 fantasy football season.

8 players destined for regression in 2020.

Stop sleeping on QB Jared Goff (A Twitter thread).

The Fun Stuff:

CB Stephon Gilmore is also watching the training camp hype.

Danny Dimes is giving his teammate Saquon Barkley some quad competition.

Rookie RB A.J. Dillon showing off those legs.

Confirmation that WR A.J. Green is still competitive.

That’s it for now. Find me on Twitter where I follow 1,000 (and counting) fantasy football analysts and retweet all the good stuff.