After months and months of waiting, NFL Training Camp is finally here!
Throughout each afternoon, the RSJ staff is tracking fantasy football news and highlights from around the league, serving as your lead blockers to fantasy greatness. From viral highlights to familiar coach-speak narratives to season-altering injuries, we’ve got you covered.
Here are some standout fantasy news and notes from training camps around the NFL on Aug. 3.
DOUG PEDERSON WANTS TRAVIS ETIENNE TO PUSH ‘1,600-1,700 YARDS’
“That’s the next step for him, I mean it was his rookie year,” Pederson said. “You don’t just hand a guy a ball and let him go run, sometimes that happens but there’s that skill and ability to anticipate a hole. We always talk about speed through the hole, not to the hole type of thing. He’s really embraced that this training camp. That, to me, is the next step for him and that 11-12-13, now the yards start creeping up, and maybe he’s pushing 1,600-1,700 yards as a rusher.”
The popular talk of the offseason has been the impact Tank Bigsby would have on Travis Etienne’s fantasy stock.
Last season, Etienne took over the backfield as James Robinson disintegrated in front of everyone’s eyes. He turned that opportunity into 1,125 yards and five rushing touchdowns. He was also named the league’s third most explosive player, behind Kenneth Walker and Justin Fields.
Pederson was quick to heap praise on Etienne’s improvements and efforts this offseason. He pointed out that Etienne needed to get downhill quicker as a runner and be able to anticipate the holes better in 2022 and has improved on that in 2023.
“He’s done an outstanding job. He’s bought into that. He sees it, we’ve been able to show it to him. He’s working on that in training camp right now,” Pederson said.
It’s worth noting Bigsby has been shining in camp in his own right.
In practice on day six of camp Bigsby reportedly, “looked like a runaway freight train when hitting the hole and if Tuesday was any indication, he could be in line for short-yardage touches early in his career.” according to John Shipley.
Still, the strong reports of Etienne catching everything thrown his way and the lofty expectations of Pederson and his coaching staff suggest he is in line for a big season in 2023.
D’ANDRE SWIFT HAS MADE ‘THE STRONGEST IMPRESSION’ SO FAR IN CAMP
The off-season hype around D’Andre Swift is about to pick back up again! According to Eliot Shorr-Parks, Swift is “definitely RB1“.
It’s safe to say Swift has impressed Nick Sirriani.
“He has a unique ability,” Sirianni told reporters on Sunday, regarding Swift. “He has unique ability, which is part of the reason why we wanted him to be on this football team. So we really like some of the things that he can do out of the backfield as a runner and also as a receiver. He is showing that he has that ability of what we thought that he had when he was in Detroit and then coming out of Georgia also.”
The former Lions running back registered nearly as many rushing yards (1,680) as he did receiving yards (1,198).
Eagles insider Dave Spadaro is comparing Swift to Eagles legends Brian Westbrook, Darren Sproles, and LeSean McCoy.
Last season, Swift was highly efficient for fantasy, averaging 1.13 fantasy points per opportunity, which ranked third among running backs with at least 100 opportunities. This trailed only Jerick McKinnnon (1.36), and Austin Ekeler (1.15) in FPPO. He also ranked third in red-zone targets and scored 0.93 fantasy points over expectation per game.
This backfield is still crowded, with Rashaad Penny impressing and Kenneth Gainwell making strides forward. If Swift gets as much work in the passing game as he is in practice, then he offers league winning upside in a high-octane offense.
JK DOBBINS CONDUCTING A “HOLD-IN,” ABSENT FROM PRACTICE FOR OVER A WEEK
“I don’t know. It’s a fair question. And there is a point in time when it does become a concern because – and he knows – JK and I talked last night. We talk a lot. He wants to be out, and he needs to be out there, just like any player does. Other than that, there’s nothing else that I can really add because I don’t know when he’s gonna come back. But, I know I’m gonna be really happy when he does.”
– John Harbaugh
Add JK Dobbins to the list of disgruntled running backs. Dobbins appears to be fully healthy for the first time in a long time, but now he wants to get paid after earning only 226 carries over 23 games during his first three NFL seasons. When Dobbins is on the field, he’s a beast, averaging 5.9 yards per carry and finding the end zone 11 times. However, he suffered a nasty injury that resulted in damage to his ACL, LCL, hamstring, and meniscus.
To make things clear, Dobbins has no leverage. The Ravens added veteran back Melvin Gordon to the running back room and we all know the Ravens do not necessarily care about who is in the backfield alongside Lamar Jackson. Dobbins is currently on the PUP, but it’s clear he’s upset about his contract and is conducting a “hold-in.” The former Buckeye attended mandatory minicamp in June to avoid a fine, but he did not participate in any on-field activity.
This is something to keep an eye on.
OTHER FANTASY NOTES
- Pump the brakes! The Chiefs’ first-team receivers have consistently been Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, and Justin Watson
- We might’ve been a year too early on Gabe Davis, who is having a tremendous camp
- Jalin Hyatt continues to cook defenders on deep balls
- Hunter Henry, not Mike Gesicki, is the tight end to target in New England
- Bryce Young is connecting with DJ Chark, while the veteran is earning the rookie’s trust downfield
- Don’t count out Trey yet! Trey Sermon continues to stack “impressive” days at Eagles camp
