Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up
Odds by

    Beat: Rams prepping for 2027 with TE Max Klare

    Link copied to clipboard!
    Link copied to clipboard!

    The Athletic’s Nate Atkins thinks the Rams selected TE Max Klare “in the second round this year to get ahead of the learning curve” for a potential role in 2027.

    The Rams field a deep tight end room, and Atkins expects the personnel to undergo turnover in the next year or so. Second-year TE Terrance Ferguson could function as the de facto No. 3 wide receiver while TE Colby Parkinson continues “to be a focal point on third downs and in the red zone in this three-tight end offense” this season. He adds that Klare could get involved on “some yards-after-catch designs and wrinkles this season,” but it does not sound like Klare is due for a fantasy-friendly role in 2026.
How does Mayfield compare to other starting QBs?
The Shipping Container puts Dave Dameshek on the spot, asking him which QB he'd take when comparing Baker Mayfield to Trevor Lawrence, Bo Nix, Caleb Williams, CJ Stroud and Brock Purdy.

Related Player News

  • LA Tight End #18
    Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    Atkins added, “The ideal outcome for him is to lead their tight ends in catches and yards.” He noted that the coaching staff was focused on bringing Ferguson along incrementally in 2025. Now they will have the chance to move him into a more prominent role for his second season. Ferguson only caught 11 passes as a rookie, but he parlayed a seam-stretching role into 231 yards and three scores despite the low reception total. Atkins sees Ferguson as a de facto No. 3 receiver for the team, with Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee both fulfilling the role of a traditional inline tight end. Rookie Max Klare will also be in the mix for snaps, but will likely be brought along slowly as well. With an ADP that barely even registers in early best ball drafts, Ferguson is worth a look as a high-upside TE3.
  • LA Tight End
    Klare (6’4/246) was a four-star recruit for Purdue and played a reserve role as a freshman. He only appeared in five games as a sophomore before an ankle injury ended his season. Klare finally broke out with a 51/685/4 receiving line in his third outing. As is often the case in the current college football landscape, Klare’s breakout made him a hot name in the transfer portal and the Buckeyes picked up the phone. Klare’s numbers tanked at Ohio State, though playing alongside at least two potential NFL stars in Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith is a reasonable alibi. He went for 448 yards and just two touchdowns. Despite the counting stats taking a hit, Klare likely improved his draft stock by bulking up for a more traditional tight end role. He increased his rate of inline routes and improved as a run-blocker. After rounding out his skill set at Ohio State, Klare looks ready to contribute on an NFL field out of the gates.
  • FA Tight End
    Per NBC Sports Houston’s Aaron Wilson, Klare has met “extensively” with the Texans, Buccaneers, Rams, Broncos and Panthers. Klare could be the second tight drafted next week, profiling as a potential every-down player. Although he performed better as a receiver at Purdue in 2024, he earned a respectable 71.6 PFF run-blocking grade at Ohio State last year. Klare could be a year one contributor, but he is not guaranteed to reach the TE1 ranks in fantasy.
  • BAL Tight End #89
    Ravens team reporter Ryan Mink adds that although TE Mark Andrews posted a career-low 422 receiving yards last season, “the Ravens see a rebound in 2026.” DeCosta’s comments could indicate otherwise, though the team lost TEs Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar in free agency. Mink also notes that the Ravens have picked two tight ends in the same draft four times in franchise history: 2022, 2018, 2015 and 2010. DeCosta has been with the Ravens for his whole career, dating back to 1996, and the strategy has worked well for the organization. Mink believes replacing Likely with a receiving tight end could be viewed as a need in the short term. He lists 10 potential draftees, including Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq, Ohio State TE Max Klare, Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers, Baylor TE Michael Trigg and NC State TE Justin Joly.
  • FA Tight End
    This is the second incoming rookie tight end the Broncos have brought in for a top-30 visit this week. The position remains an area of need despite head coach Sean Payton spending the last three years trying to find a Joker. In his final college season, Klare caught 41-of-53 targets for 420 yards and two touchdowns. Per 9News’ Mike Klis, Klare could potentially be the second tight end drafted this year and is “arguably the most well-rounded.”
  • CLG Tight End
    Sadiq out of Oregon is widely expected to be a first round pick after setting record at the NFL Combine. Bowen believes the hyper-athletic tight end could be a situation matchup player for Sean McVay, who used three tight end sets at the NFL’s highest rate in 2025. “With his frame and 4.39 speed, Sadiq could be a seam stretcher for quarterback Matthew Stafford. Plus, McVay could use Sadiq as a backside X receiver/power slot to draw favorable man matchups.” Sadiq, who had 80 receptions over three seasons at Oregon, could fit the LA offense “as a catch-and-run target on boot action concepts,” Bowen said. Stafford last season led the NFL with 75 pass attempts on designed rollouts. It’s a crowded tight end room in LA, with Colby Parikson, Tyler Higbee, Terrance Ferguson, and Davis Allen on the roster. Sadiq would likely function as a rotational player if he lands with the Rams, who have the 13th pick in the 2026 draft.
  • LA Tight End #84
    Parkinson’s touchdown run finally ran out of steam over the past two weeks, but he ends the year with 43/408/8 in the regular season and another score in the playoffs. He did drop a third-down pass in this one, but was otherwise what we’ve come to expect. It’s hard to imagine that the Rams will phase him out of the offense altogether in 2026, the final year of his contract, but teams will probably have better answers for Los Angeles’ 3TE sets with a year of tape to pick over and Terrance Ferguson will be a likely breakout candidate. It all adds up to Parkinson being more of a TE2 in 2026 offseason drafts.
  • LA Tight End #84
    It is, amazingly, Parkinson’s ninth touchdown in his last 10 games despite cracking 50 yards just once over that span. The Rams steered away from their 13-personnel sets in this game without Terrance Ferguson, but Parkinson continued to eat up snaps, playing a tight-end-room high 57 of the team’s 75. Can you call someone a touchdown or bust option if he almost always spits up a touchdown? That’s what you’re confronted with in the Divisional Round slate.
  • LA Tight End #84
    Tyler Higbee was back for this game and even exploded for 91 yards and a touchdown, but Parkinson led the room in targets and snaps. Parkinson had already set career-highs across the board coming into this game, and he put an exclamation point on the season with a pair of touchdowns in the second half. He is now up to eight scores on the year. Parkinson will be a touchdown-or-bust DFS play in the Wild Card Round versus Carolina.
  • LA Tight End #18
    Both of Ferguson’s receptions went for chunk gains of 27 yards, with the rookie tight end cashing in on a touchdown in the third quarter to keep the Rams in the game after taking a 21-0 deficit into the half. Ferguson’s late-season breakout continues to hint at the potential for untapped upside, although his playing time is likely tied to the team’s usage of heavy personnel while playing behind established veteran Colby Parkinson, the latter of whom caught 6-of-7 targets for 53 scoreless yards in the loss.

Rotoworld

  • NE Running Back #34
    Player Stats
    Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Patriots team reporter Evan Lazar reports that RB Lan Larison “appears to be an early leader” for the RB3 role.

    Larison, 24, was a 2025 undrafted free agent. He is apparently competing for a role as a kick returner as well as the backup rushing role. He will need to contribute on special teams if he is going to make the final roster. Lazar notes that rookie RBs Jam Miller and Myles Montgomery “have flashed explosiveness and lateral quickness,” and he thinks one or both could make a “push” after showing off burst in the outside zone scheme that the Patriots have been working on.
  • Link copied to clipboard!

    Patriots TE Eli Raridon is “playing faster than he did in the spring and is getting first dibs on reps with TE Hunter Henry in two tight end sets.”

    The report comes from team reporter Evan Lazar and is great to hear. Henry, 31, is entering the final year of his contract. The front office spent a third-round pick on Raridon, ostensibly hoping he would convince them that he can be the TE1 after this season. In many instances, that means late-season utilization. The fact that he is already competing for the TE2 role, and doing so impressively, can only be viewed as a positive. Per Lazar, Raridon “caught the eye on multiple occasions working in the passing game.” He showcased the requisite speed to get behind the second level, and his “ability to catch the ball in traffic” stands out. Raridon can be treated as a best ball TE3 at this time.
  • NO OFFENSIVE GUARD (SUB) #71
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Andrus Peat retired after 11 seasons in the NFL.

    Peat spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Saints, who drafted him in the 2015 NFL Draft’s first round with the No. 13 overall pick. He made three Pro Bowls (2018-20) while in New Orleans. He spent one season apiece with the Raiders and Steelers to close his career.
  • Link copied to clipboard!

    Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said the team “isn’t happy about the way (Baker Mayfield) spoke about the organization.”

    This is presumably in reference to the comments Mayfield made publicly on Thursday, when he said he felt “disrespected a little bit” about the fact that the two sides had not agreed to a contract extension earlier this offseason. Mayfield officially tabled negotiations with the team at the start of training camp and appears set to play out 2026 on the final year of a three-year, $100 million contract he signed with the team in 2024. Mayfield, who also said he felt “undervalued” by the team, is coming off a down season in which he threw for 3,693 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, but he also played through injuries and was without his top weapon, Mike Evans, for much of the season. Another strong season like we saw from Mayfield in 2024 (4,500-41-16) will be guaranteed to drive up his asking price next offseason.
  • Link copied to clipboard!

    Tua Tagovailoa said “I feel great right now” despite a back injury sidelining him for the beginning of training camp.

    Friday marked the first time Tagovailoa has had a chance to speak publicly with the media since training camp began. He hasn’t had a chance to practice in full with the team since camp opened, and said he isn’t sure when he will be a full participant, but also added that if this were a game week, he would likely be able to play. Tagovailoa has been sidelined since the start of camp with what has been reported as a “tight back” that flared up last week. It’s an issue he has never had to deal with before, per Tagovailoa, who said he believes the decision to sideline him early on is “just a precaution thing.” Tagovailoa’s quotes on Friday sound like those of a player who should be on the field sooner rather than later, but we’ll continue to provide updates on this situation until he is back in full capacity.
  • CLE Running Back #10
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Browns RB coach Duce Staley said he thinks Quinshon Judkins “can play all three downs” this season.

    Judkins earning a three-down role would be a massive development for the second-year back. Last season, Judkins appeared on only 35 third downs last season for the Browns, which ranked third-most on the team behind Jerome Ford (113) and Dylan Sampson (44). With Ford now in Washington, Judkins and Sampson should push for plenty of opportunities on third down this season, but any additional work for Judkins would add to what is already a strong fantasy profile. Despite not being known for his abilities as a pass-catcher, Judkins still managed to finish second on the team in routes (162) last season and put together a respectable 26-171-0 receiving line on 36 targets. He’s currently boasting an early fifth-round ADP, but Judkins could have a chance to easily exceed his draft slot if his third-down usage is ramped up under Todd Monken.
  • DAL Running Back #23
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer said the team wants Jaydon Blue to be more involved in the passing game.

    This news comes from Cowboys beat writer Clarence Hill Jr., who also noted that Blue “got a lot of work with the first team” during Thursday’s practice. Blue is entering his second season with the Cowboys and has reportedly turned in a strong first two days of camp, ripping off one big run after another while mixing in with the starters. He appeared in just five games last season, rushing for 38-129-1 while also catching one pass, but this isn’t the first time Blue’s pass-catching abilities have been highlighted during the offseason. Earlier this month, The Athletic’s Jon Machota said Blue was “the ideal fit” to complement Javonte Williams, specifically because of his ability to catch passes out of the backfield. We’re still in the very early days of camp, but Blue could make for an interesting late-round stash in PPR leagues this season and may even have some standalone value in deeper leagues if he can earn a reliable role in what’s expected to be a pass-heavy offense.
  • Link copied to clipboard!

    Packers activated TE Tucker Kraft (knee) from the active/PUP list.

    This is tremendous news for Kraft, who said earlier in the week that he expected to be activated “very soon.” Head coach Matt LaFleur said Kraft will practice on Friday but also added that he will not participate in 11-on-11s for the time being. Regardless of his participation, Kraft being back in any capacity is a great sign for his availability entering the season, and we would expect him to be a full participant in practice sooner rather than later. The fourth-year tight end caught 32 passes for 489 yards and six touchdowns over eight games last season before a torn ACL ended his breakout campaign, but he should be in line for a big 2026 if he can return to the player we saw before his injury.
  • Link copied to clipboard!

    Falcons beat writer Marc Raimondi reports Tua Tagovailoa (back) “did a walkthrough period at about half speed this morning.”

    Tagovailoa has now been on the field in some capacity in back-to-back days, but he’s still not participating in team drills. Tagovailoa was sidelined to start practice this week due to a “tight back,” but the team hasn’t suggested this is anything to be concerned about. Hopefully these last two days are signs that Tagovailoa is trending toward a return in the near future. Until then, rookie UDFA Jack Strand will continue to work with the first-team offense.
  • BAL Defensive Lineman #96
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Ravens restructured DL Broderick Washington’s contract.

    According to Spotrac, the Ravens and Washington agreed to a fully guaranteed, one-year, $2 million contract, freeing up $2 million in cap space for the Ravens this season. Washington suffered a torn Achilles last season but avoided the PUP list to begin training camp. The sixth-year vet has proven to be a reliable rotational piece for the Ravens since being drafted in 2020, but faces stiff competition for playing time with Nnamdi Madubuike and Calais Campbell back in the mix for this season.