McDaniel could lead to ‘fireworks’ for Hampton

Skattebo was already taking 11-on-11 reps before the end of the early offseason and did a backflip at Brian Burns’ celebrity softball game, while ESPN’s Jordan Raanan believes he will be a full participant when training camp begins. Skattebo’s contact-heavy style opens up some fantasy football questions about his longevity, especially given his injury last year, but he played to a low-end RB1 ranking most weeks under Brian Daboll after taking over the lead role. Currently heading off the board towards the back of the top 50 picks by ADP and bolstered by his head coach’s confidence, it sure seems like the Giants run game is trending towards being Skattebo-forward again this year.

“If McDaniel can build a top-five offense, Hampton will be an essential part in that process,” Popper writes while noting that he “has a chance to be one of the best running backs in the league. That is not hyperbole.” It seems some of you have already caught on as Hampton is being drafted ahead of backs like Saquon Barkley, Kenneth Walker, and Derrick Henry as a top 10 RB by ADP. Assuming he can avoid the injuries that derailed his rookie season, Hampton has a chance to finish as one of the best backs in fantasy football this season.

We’ve had blurbs about a bounceback season for McConkey, but given how McConkey was behind Keenan Allen in targets last year and only 18 targets ahead of Quentin Johnston, this quote jumped off the page. McConkey managed 884 yards in the final 10 games of his rookie season, along with 197 more yards in the playoffs — the offense may be too deep to get him that level of production again, but he’s certainly shown he’s capable of great things as the No. 1 option. The offseason hype has already priced him right around WR20, so fantasy managers are already expecting a big year from McConkey despite last year’s dud.

“Time will tell,” Tuipulotu said when asked about contract negotiations. Popper writes that the Chargers and Tuipulotu are in active contract extensions. The star EDGE had a career-best 13 sacks in 2025 and it would behoove the Chargers to lock him up before he hits free agency after the season.

While Jones did “a bit more” at OTAs and was at least present, he himself has said he doesn’t have a timeline to return, and the Steelers declined his fifth-year option and drafted Max Iheanachor in the first round while moving Troy Fautanu to left tackle. It doesn’t sound like there’s any guarantee that Jones suits up this season from either his words or the Steelers’ actions.

In a mailbag column, Alexander was asked specifically if the Texans had any interest in adding Deebo Samuel. Alexander writes that the Texans like their current receiver group and will give them every opportunity to show what they’ve got in training camp. Samuel has had an extremely quiet free agency compared even to other veterans like Stefon Diggs and Keenan Allen, and it’s puzzling from the outside because Samuel was still putting up solid YAC numbers last year and didn’t appear to have lost a step. He’s still a threat to pop back on to the fantasy radar if he lands in a good situation.

“I don’t think that we have any individuals or personalities in our offense that are saying, ‘Hey, I need this, I need that,’” Sutton told The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider. “I think we have a bunch of guys that are willing to put their pride aside and say, ‘What do I need to do for this team to be successful?’” Kosmider guesses that the Broncos won’t have two 1,000-yard receivers this year as they spread the ball around. Sutton is coming off the board around the WR35 mark, surrounded by rookies and other players with real usage or injury questions. This is a great quote for Broncos fans, but fantasy managers would probably prefer a squeakier wheel from Sutton. He may fade into the WR4 picture if the Broncos decide to feature new additional Jaylen Waddle.

“I think we’ll see Harvey make a big jump in Year 2, even as he elbows for room in a more crowded backfield,” Kosmider writes. Harvey is definitely one of the more interesting bets on the board — his ADP is slightly ahead of backfield mate J.K. Dobbins, but well outside of the top 50 overall. It’s worth noting that Harvey did crush as a receiver already last year as he posted a 47/356/5 line, so we already know he can be a high-efficiency winner in this offense. Still, with Jonah Coleman potentially elbowing his way into the third-down mix and Dobbins back, Harvey does have some low-floor results in his range of outcomes.

It’s possible the Broncos are just easing him back from a torn triceps that took most of this year. But Kosmider believes there’s a chance that Denver simply moves forward with Alex Palczewski at left guard and releases Powers ahead of the season if they think Palczewski is their best option at the position. Sean Payton told reporters that Powers “is right on schedule to where we thought he’d be at this point.”

Yes, well, the door has been open for almost two years now. O’Connell, entering the final year of his rookie contract, played only in the Week 18 finale with Geno Smith hurt and Kenny Pickett self-combusting. It’s clear the front office doesn’t want much to do with him. He’s a plausible trade or release candidate at last cuts as the Raiders look likely to roll with Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza on the active roster.