Fantasy Football

Rodrigue believes that the two sides’ continued contract talk “is a good sign” for an early extension. “Williams is a team leader and one of the more productive at his position,” but “he doesn’t hit ‘home run’ explosives,” which hurts his negotiating power, particularly at a position considered low-value by some. Still, Williams’ overall productivity works in his favor. Rodrigue notes, “training camp is the usual timeline for such deals under this era of Rams leadership,” giving fantasy managers an expected timeline to follow.

The Patriots’ first training camp practice is scheduled for July 23rd. This report fails to provide clarity on Tavai’s expected participation status, though ESPN’s Mike Reiss does list LBs Christian Elliss and Jack Gibbens as Tavai’s “projected top competition” for the No. 2 inside linebacker job. Free agent signee, LB Robert Spillane, is locked into the No. 1 spot.

Howell came under scrutiny after it was revealed last week that he worked part-time as a paid consultant for The Carlyle Group, which is a private equity firm. On Sunday, the NFLPA released a statement that it rejects “attempts to mischaracterize the committee’s views or divide membership” regarding this news, while adding any reports of the NFLPA calling for Howell to step down are false. It would appear Howell, who was appointed to his position in 2023, will remain in his role for the upcoming season.

Details around Judkins’ arrest continue to emerge. On Sunday, Sergeant David Soika of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department Media Relations Unit shared that upon arriving at the scene where the reported crime took place, officers determined after speaking to the victim that a battery occurred, which led to the arrest of Judkins soon after. The rookie second-rounder remained in police custody overnight and is scheduled to have an initial hearing on Sunday. As ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio points out, Judkins is sure to face scrutiny from the NFL under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy, while Florio also notes that “the baseline punishment for a battery is six games,” which can vary based on other factors. Judkins has not yet signed his rookie deal, and will likely take less guaranteed money than he hoped for following his arrest, which could cause a trickle-down effect for the 29 other rookie second-rounders who have yet to sign their deal. Judkins was expected to compete for the Browns’ RB1 spot in training camp, and while he will still get a chance to do so, fantasy managers should remain open to the possibility of a suspension being handed down at some point this season. In any case, Jerome Ford rookie Dylan Sampson would both see slight boosts to their fantasy stocks if Judkins were to miss any time.

Judkins was booked on Saturday and remains in custody as of this evening. ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reports Judkins’ initial court appearance will come Sunday morning. The Browns have said they are “aware and gathering more details.” Judkins’ arrest comes on the eve of training camp, and gets his professional career off to the worst possible start. A lengthy stay on the commissioner’s exempt list would be all but guaranteed if the charges stick. A suspension would then follow if he were convicted or admitted guilt. The situation should be updated on Sunday.

That effectively makes Harris a holdout, something that has become common practice for second-round players amidst ongoing negotiations regarding guaranteed money. 30 of the 32 second-round selections from the 2025 NFL Draft have yet to sign their rookie contracts, with Harris now the first official holdout after the Chargers’ rookie report date came and went. This appears to be nothing more than “just business,” but fantasy managers will want to track the ongoing behind-the-scenes saga unfolding this year.

Suh announced his retirement in a heartfelt post on X early Saturday morning, bringing up a conversation he had with his father before the latter’s passing as the deciding factor of his decision. “It’s time to let football go. You’ve done everything you set out to do. Now it’s time for the next chapter,” Suh reflects. The five-time All-Pro amassed 600 combined tackles in 199 games during his 13-year professional career, winning Super Bowl LV as a member of the Buccaneers during the 2021 season. He last played for the Eagles in 2022 before failing to catch on as a free agent the following two seasons.

At 27 years old, Pickett is the middle-aged member of the Browns’ four-person quarterback competition. Although he is perhaps the least discussed member of the bunch, Oyefusi notes, Pickett respectably went “14-10 as a starter in two seasons with the Steelers.” Developing rapport with the team’s top option could give Pickett an edge in training camp and the preseason, though Pickett is unlikely to produce even high-end QB2 results were he to win the starting job.

The Browns employed a 24.9 percent play-action pass play rate last season, ranking 17th among NFL teams. In his first season at the helm in 2020, Stefanski ran play action at a sixth-ranked 28.7 percent rate. Increasing the fantasy-friendly play’s usage would be a boon to Browns pass catchers. They can use all of the schematic advantages they can get, given their team’s unsettled quarterback situation.

Per ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques, Waddle viewed his hand-eye coordination as an area that “needed immediate improvement.” We agree. Although Waddle’s six drops last year tied for his career low, they led all Dolphins pass catchers and his 9.4 percent drop rate was just 0.2 percent under his career high. Louis-Jacques also notes, “these practices have also proven to be valuable reps for Waddle with Tagovailoa. Waddle is operating as the team’s No. 1 WR with Tyreek Hill (wrist) sidelined, which Tagovailoa said has allowed him and Waddle to “grow [their] chemistry.” Head coach Mike McDaniel adds that Waddle’s offseason performance is an “example of the culture the team is trying to build in 2025.” If Waddle can continue asserting himself as the team’s No. 1 WR in training camp and the preseason, a WR1 season-long finish is possible.