I've mostly only been checking up on the dudes that I already have on my watch-list, but here are some of the guys I've read multiple reports stating they're having an eye-popping off-season / beginning of TC:
- Eli Rogers
- Erik Swoope
- Tim Hightower
- Zay Jones
- Donte Moncrief
- Michael Thomas (rich getting richer)
Thomas is 100% owned, of course, but I still feel like he's worth mentioning here just because of how effusive the reports I've read were; sounds like an All-Pro season could be arriving for him as soon as year two. If you don't own him and you're thinking of buying, you may need to act now before he becomes
super blue-chip. Moncrief is nearly 100% owned, but considering this season will probably make or break his long-term dynasty value I think it's worth noting he's been heavily lauded in mini-camp and start of TC; hearing descriptions like "best player on the field" when Hilton's been sidelined. Zay too I know is hardly under the radar, but I figure not all leagues have drafted their rooks yet and it's worth noting he's reportedly sprinting away from the rest of the depth-chart below Watkins.
The other guys:
- Ben and the coaches have been singing Eli Rogers' praises (again), and reportedly he's been a man possessed in voluntary workouts all offseason. Then Rogers himself tweeted this:
https://twitter.com/__bELIeve17/status/ ... 3018537984; jeez, that's some confidence from an undrafted player. There's suddenly a lot of this sort of tone on his twitter feed this offseason, and it jumps out at me because he was much quieter last year. Presently Rogers is sharing first-team snaps with JJSS in a heated position battle. I don't know how much we can plausibly expect of him in fantasy even if he does hold down the first-team slot job, but I will say that I was constantly reminded of Wes Welker when I studied his '16 tape this off-season. It was kind of eerie, actually.
- Don't sleep on Hightower successfully beating back Williams/Breida/Bipps to secure #2 on the chart. Reportedly he's been the best pass-catcher in their backfield by a wide margin, and historically that's been very important to Shany when it comes to RBs. Breida has been subdued since the pads came on, Williams is reportedly struggling, and I haven't dug up anything at all on how Bipps has been doing (good or bad).
- Tracking reports and snippets and sound bites out of Indy (I'm already invested in a few players there), I keep hearing mentions of Swoope. Persistently. Reportedly he's added weight and is still making eye-popping plays. It's been enough for me to elevate him from someone I casually dismissed to possibly my favorite deep sleeper at TE this year. I'm not throwing shade on Doyle, I think he proved last year he's a good pro football player, but I'm starting to get A Feeling about Erik Swoope.
I didn't even know the Niners added Smelter back to their roster late last season until a month ago. He's actually caught an NFL pass now. Before Week 17 last year, he didn't even have so much as preseason snaps for me to look at. Still doesn't, of course. Gah.
Jjipp wrote: ↑Tue Jul 25, 2017 4:46 pm
I feel like each fall I try to scour the beat reports and Twitter pages of teams to try to identify players who are doing great things in training camp. Many of them don't necessarily pan out, but last year Tyreek Hill, Rob Kelley, and Jalen Richard all were very obviously doing great things in training camp, and those who were following had a leg up on scooping them up off of waivers.
I can honestly say this forum is the one and only reason I have had Jalen Richard rostered since preseason last year.
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