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    Williams sits to give Blue and Mafah more work

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    DAL Running Back #33
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    Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said the team recently held RB Javonte Williams out of team drills to give RB Jaydon Blue and RB Phil Mafah more work.

    Reporters noticed Williams was not participating in organized team activities last week. The Cowboys hosted their three-day mandatory minicamp this week, and it sounds like Williams was either limited or held out again today. Schottenheimer was asked whether this was due to Williams’ shoulder injury from last season or simply veteran maintenance. Fortunately, Schottenheimer said Williams is “in a great spot” and “looks great.” His absence was “more about getting the young guys some reps in this last full-speed practice.” It seems like the Cowboys are hoping that one of Blue or Mafah can step up and be a reliable backup. If one separates from the other, he will be a worthwhile late-round pick.
UFL 'has a purpose' as NFL's developmental league
Mike Florio examines the UFL finding real success at the level they're at and highlights that it has a real purpose acting as a domestic developmental league for the NFL while occupying the Spring football window.

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  • DAL Running Back #23
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    There has been a drumbeat around Blue being a big winner at Cowboys OTAs. Early last week, we heard that Blue was rotating in behind RB Phil Mafah, so this is a bit of a change. Schottenheimer was very complimentary of his second-year back and said he had a “very candid” exit interview with Blue after last season. Schottenheimer also referred to Blue as being “football brilliant.” After a disappointing rookie season, Blue has seemingly bought himself another chance to earn the RB2 role in training camp. Stay tuned.
  • DAL Running Back #37
    Cowboys starting RB Javonte Williams was absent. Archer notes that fellow backups, RB Jaydon Blue and RB Malik Davis, also got some work. After backup RB Miles Sanders suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4 last season, Davis and Blue respectively served as the Cowboys’ RB2 and RB3. Mafah was limited to just 10 offensive snaps all season. It appears as though he is getting the chance to work his way up the depth chart behind Williams this summer.
  • DAL Running Back #33
    ESPN’s Todd Archer advises that readers not to get carried away with any of today’s observations. It’s a reasonable preface. There is no reason to think Williams’ absence is concerning. The Cowboys are still conducting voluntary workouts, so he is not compelled to be there. Mandatory minicamp is scheduled for June 16-18. Archer adds that RBs Phil Mafah, Jaydon Blue and Malik Davis split first-team reps, with Mafah notably taking the first snap.
  • DAL Running Back #33
    The deal includes $16 million in guaranteed money and ties the veteran back to the Cowboys through the 2028 season. Coming off a career year, Williams remains with the Cowboys after playing the 2025 season on a one-year, “prove it” deal. The value on the contract is the same as was recently signed by Bears running back D’Andre Swift, making Williams the 16th highest paid back in the league on an average annual value basis. Expect Williams to enter the 2026 regular season as a borderline workhorse after handling 252 carries and seeing 51 targets in 16 healthy games a season ago.
  • DAL Running Back #23
    “Even if [Javonte] Williams does not re-sign, the Cowboys will look to find a lead back in free agency,” Archer adds. Blue had a nice meaningless Week 18 game where he almost doubled his carry total for the season and scored, but we agree with Archer that it’s hard to view him as a potential 2026 lead back for the Cowboys at this point. Blue’s dynasty stock is well down from its 2025 preseason peak.
  • DAL Running Back #33
    Williams, 25, produced multiple career-bests this season, notably rushing for more than 1,000 yards for the very first time. A multi-year extension could keep Williams in a Cowboys uniform through the rest of his prime. Hopefully, the team can get the No. 2 RB role sorted out in 2026 to help keep Williams fresh down the stretch.
  • DAL Running Back #37
    This was the first NFL action for the seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He was used as a physical complement to fellow rookie Jaydon Blue and also added two catches for 11 yards. The 23-year-old will likely have to battle in training camp to keep his spot on the roster next season.
  • DAL Running Back #23
    Despite being quickly identified as a “sleeper” after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Blue couldn’t find the field in Dallas this season. He came into the day with just 64 rushing yards on 22 carries, but was given a larger workload with Javonte Williams and Malik Davis both out in Week 18. Blue doubled up on yardage on the day and looked solid on a few explosive plays, but totaling 128 yards on 38 carries (3.37 yards per carry) is not how many saw the year going. With Javonte Williams heading into free agency, the Cowboys likely can’t feel comfortable relying on Blue as their locked-in starter in 2026.
  • DAL Running Back #23
    With both Malik Davis and Javonte Williams ruled out, Blue will get a chance to showcase his future for the Cowboys in Week 18. It’s been mostly a lost year for Blue as he’s been active in just four games up to this point and managed just 22 carries for 63 yards on the ground, along with a fumble that sent him tumbling out of the rotation against the Broncos. It would be in Blue’s best interest to put up some good tape against the Giants to close out his rookie season on a good note.
  • DAL Running Back #33
    Williams had a breakout year with the Cowboys in 2025, rushing 252 times for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground and adding 35 catches on 51 targets for 137 receiving yards and two additional touchdowns. He was one of the true value picks of the fantasy football season as Dallas’ running game came together under new OC Klayton Adams. Williams seems fully recovered from previous knee, quad, and hip injuries and enters free agency in a much better position this offseason, perhaps a position that will keep him too expensive to come back to the Cowboys. The soon-to-be 26-year-old will be one of the best running backs on the market in March.

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  • LAC Wide Receiver #9
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    Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes a Tre’ Harris breakthough “wouldn’t surprise me, and shouldn’t surprise anyone.”

    Harris figures to be Los Angeles’ third receiver this year, but he played a majority of his snaps on run downs last year and could gain extra playing time over Ladd McConkey if he clearly is the best option in that area. There are still a few veteran free agent land mines in the way of Harris having fantasy value, but the Chargers seem to be trending towards a bigger, more run-focused outfit with the additions of David Njoku and Charlie Kolar. Harris should be an interesting sleeper this year.
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    ESPN’s Rich Cimini reports a “person close to the situation” doubted the Jets interest in Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby.

    The person is quoted as saying the Jets “don’t want to deal to deal with it.” Sorsby will probably be picked in the NFL’s supplemental draft, but considering how late he’s going to finally walk in the building, it wouldn’t be surprising if it were a team that could afford a redshirt year rather than a team with a legitimate hole at the position like the Jets or Browns. Jets coach Aaron Glenn deflected a question about Sorsby earlier this week, saying that he’s “focused on the guys that we have here now.”
  • IND Tight End #84
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    FOX 59’s Mike Chappell reports that the Colts are asking for more from TE Tyler Warren this season.

    Warren led the team with 112 targets last season, joining former Colts WR Marvin Harrison (118) as the only rookies to lead the team in receiving in franchise history. Chappell notes that the Colts will need more from all of their pass catchers, with former No. 1 WR Michael Pittman Jr. now a Steeler, but he chose to build the article around Warren’s 2026 outlook, which says something. Warren has focused on exploding out of his breaks this offseason, in an effort to create more space from defenders as a route runner. If he can refine this aspect of his game, he should continue to generate explosive gains regularly this season. Warren is a TE1 in fantasy drafts, whose stock should increase as QB Daniel Jones (Achilles) continues making progress in his rehab.
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    Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur said he expects TE Tip Reiman (ankle) to be “ready to roll” when training camp starts.

    Reiman is expected to be an “important cog in the offense” this year, as a reliable blocker in the run game. Per Cardinals team reporter Darren Urban, LaFleur has, unprompted, mentioned Reiman multiple times this offseason. LaFleur told Urban that he had a lot of respect for Reiman as a prospect and was excited to inherit Reiman when he accepted the Cardinals’ head coaching vacancy this offseason. Reiman’s expected return is good news for both RB Jeremiyah Love and TE Trey McBride. He will provide extra help in the run game while fully freeing up McBride in play action. That said, it does not sound like Reiman will be fantasy-relevant at all this year.
  • DEN Quarterback #10
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    The Denver Post’s Luca Evans said he saw “a lot of passes being caught over the middle” at the Broncos’ mandatory minicamp this week.

    Broncos OC Davis Webb will add elements to Denver’s offense this season. Last year, the Broncos attempted the sixth-fewest (51) passes thrown 10-plus yards downfield and between the painted numbers. For reference, the league-leading Lions attempted 102 passes in this area of the field. Evans did not provide an average target depth in today’s report, but we are pleased to hear Webb is focusing on the middle of the field, regardless. Passes thrown in this area give the pass catcher more room to work, both before and after the catch, which helps them score fantasy points. Even a moderate increase in targets thrown to this area of the field would be great for QB Bo Nix and his pass catchers, like WR Jaylen Waddle and WR Courtland Sutton.
  • TEN Defensive Tackle #98
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    Titans signed DT Jeffery Simmons to a three-year, $105.8 million extension through 2030.

    According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the contract makes Simmons, 28, the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history and includes $100 million guaranteed. Per PFF, Simmons led NFL defensive tackles with 12 sacks last season, while ranking in the top three in both quarterback pressures (64) and TFLs (12). His 43 solo tackles tied for sixth. Through seven NFL seasons, Simmons has appeared in four Pro Bowls, while earning two second-team All-Pro spots and one first-team All-Pro spot.
  • NO Running Back #41
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    New Orleans Football reporters unanimously listed Saints RB Alvin Kamara as the team’s RB2 in their first 53-player roster projection.

    The participants include Nick Underhill, Mike Triplett, John Hendrix and Adam Guttuso. Kamara’s status with the team is still up in the air, and Underhill notes that all four reporters “have Kamara on the roster for now, but none of us really understands the endgame there.” The Saints have reportedly been lining up RB Ty Chandler in the backfield, out wide and in the slot, theoretically foreshadowing Kamara’s role, if he indeed remains a Saint. If Kamara leaves, RB Travis Etienne can be expected to handle a high-end workload. If Kamara remains, his touch count could keep Etienne stuck in the fantasy RB2 tier.
  • ARI Wide Receiver #14
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    Cardinals team reporter Darren Urban writes that he does not know when or if the team will extend WR Michael Wilson.

    That is unfortunate. Wilson posted top-four NFL receiving marks in targets (87), receptions (56), receiving yards (775) and receiving touchdowns (six) from Weeks 11-18, powering fantasy managers to fantasy titles along the way. When asked whether he planned to offer Wilson an extension, GM Monti Ossenfort said Wilson “is about everything we want in our program to be about, and hopefully he is here for a long time.” It is tough to project Wilson’s 2026 outlook because, odds are, he will take a backseat to both TE Trey McBride and WR Marvin Harrison Jr. in the target pecking order.
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    Cardinals team reporter Darren Urban believes QB Jacoby Brissett will start in Week 1 against the Chargers.

    Among the Cardinals’ currently rostered quarterbacks, Brissett is the clear-cut top starting option for fantasy purposes. While his play might not — okay, will not — lead to wins, he can support at least two skill position players in the passing game. Urban acknowledges that although Brissett and the front office have still not come to terms on a fix to get Brissett back on the practice field, he still thinks Brissett is “the guy.”
  • NYJ Wide Receiver #15
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    The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt reports AD Mitchell has demonstrated “budding chemistry” with Geno Smith in offseason practices.

    Rosenblatt said in early June that Mitchell would have a shot to become a “crucial piece” of the team’s offense. Mitchel highlights have poured out of Jets OTAs over the past couple weeks as the third-year wideout looks to carve out a role in the New York passing offense. Mitchell over eight games with the Jets in 2025 had 301 yards and two touchdowns as the team’s WR2. He was an air yards dominator from Week 11-18 with the Jets; only Michael Wilson had more air yards than Mitchell over that span. “I just want to be in a room that he’s in because he’s going to light up the room,” Jets OC Frank Reich said, adding that Mitchell can “complement” Garrett Wilson. “First of all, just with his mentality, he’s got this winning mentality, this positive vibe about him, and I think we all feel that on the field.” With enough confidence from Geno, Mitchell could be an exciting if volatile fantasy option in 2026.