Fantasy Football: Notable news to use in last-minute drafts

Fantasy football analyst Sal Vetri compiles all of the latest NFL news YOU need to know ahead of the biggest draft weekend of the year.

Chase Brown will have a significant role for Cincinnati

Brown’s stock has risen all offseason, and it started when Joe Mixon was traded to the Texans. This opened the door for Brown to earn a larger role in Year 2. The Bengals only added veteran RB Zack Moss to replace Mixon.

Moss is a solid pass-protector who can get you four yards per carry but won't be a threat as a receiver or a threat to create explosive plays. Moss ranked just 32nd in explosive run rate last season.

But over the past month, Brown has been the talk of Bengals camp as someone who looks the part and has been improving as a pass-blocker. The pass-protection piece is most important because that's what the Bengals coaches really care about. We already know Brown is athletic and explosive, but the coaches need to see that he can protect Joe Burrow. His improvement in this area has led to him running with the first team more often in camp.

Jordan Mason is a Tier 1 backup for fantasy

The 49ers recently placed Elijah Mitchell on season-ending IR. This opens the door for Mason to be the team’s RB2 behind Christian McCaffrey.

McCaffrey is also dealing with a calf injury that’s not thought to be serious, but it could lead to a higher re-injury risk for him after not being fully active the past month.

Mason should now be drafted and rostered in all league formats. In his limited sample in the NFL, he’s been great. Mason has 83 career NFL carries and has averaged 5.6 yards per carry on these touches while showing an ability to break tackles at his strong size of 223 pounds.

Mason has received support from Kyle Shanahan a few times during camp. He's now a top-tier insurance back in one of the game's best running schemes.

Rashee Rice is unlikely to get suspended before Week 1

We are less than one week away from the Chiefs' season opener against the Ravens. It seems unlikely Rashee Rice will be suspended before then. According to Drew Davenport, there's a good chance Rice will play all of 2024.

With the suspension risk dropping, plus Marquise Brown getting injured, Rashee Rice has been climbing up draft boards. He often goes in the fourth round of drafts right now. This may be fair considering he earned 100+ targets as a rookie last season and is still connected to Patrick Mahomes

But one concern I do have is his overall role in the offense. Will he be used more downfield this season? It may be difficult for this to happen with the additions of Xavier Worthy and Brown. If Rice remains a short-area target only, it could be harder for him to pay off his rising draft price due to increased target competition. But it’s not impossible, especially if he’s able to score a reasonable number of touchdowns.

I’m a fan of Rice in Round 5 or 6, but anything earlier becomes harder for me to get behind.

Jerome Ford is the Browns' RB1

The Browns have officially placed Nick Chubb on the PUP List. He’ll miss at least four games, but there’s a good chance it’s more. The team hasn’t shown any signs of optimism when discussing Chubb this offseason.

Cleveland also added Nyheim Hines to NFI list (he’ll miss at least four games). They have three other backs on their roster right now, D'Onta Foreman, Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong.

Ford filled in for Chubb last season and was a top 25 fantasy option while producing over 1,100 total yards across 17 games. Ford should benefit from running behind the Browns' top-five offensive line that’ll see the return of a few key pieces from injury this year. Ford is worth considering in Round 10 as someone you can start right away in Week 1.

Colby Parkinson is the Rams' clear TE1

Parkinson signed a three-year deal with the Rams this offseason for $22.5 million. This was the second-largest contract the Rams gave out to a free agent. The investment shows how important landing a TE like Parkinson was to Sean McVay and the Rams.

This makes sense because veteran TE Tyler Higbee tore both his ACL and MCL in the playoffs last year and won’t be ready until midseason, at best. Parkinson brings versatility to the position for the Rams and appears to be the clear TE1 after resting with the starting offense during all three of their preseason games.

Devin Singletary is the Giants' clear RB1

Singletary has operated as the Giants' RB1 throughout all of camp and in his limited preseason action. He played 88% of the snaps in the team's second preseason game. This makes sense given the Giants paid him a $9.5 million guarantee this offseason. But it's good to know he's the clear back and no one is threatening him for RB1 snaps right now.

Singletary is re-united with his former coach Brian Daboll. During their three years together in Buffalo, Singletary averaged over 1,000 total yards per season. Daboll has spoken glowingly of Singletary this offseason.

The veteran back is a nice option in Round 8 of drafts.

The Patriots and Saints offenses are a mess

Both teams have had a rough time this preseason, and it starts with their offensive lines. Patriots coach Jerod Mayo recently stated that the team's starting tackle and guard may not even be on the team yet. That's not an encouraging statement to hear just two weeks before the season starts.

The team will start Jacoby Brissett with a primary receiving group of Tyquan Thornton, Demario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk and KJ Osborn. Avoid this team if you can in fantasy.

As for the Saints, PFF has them ranked as the 32nd offensive line in football entering Week 1. Ryan Ramczyk was arguably their best lineman last season, but he'll miss all of 2024 with a knee injury. The Saints didn't add any key pieces to their skill position groups, which isn't great considering they were a bottom-half-of-the-league team in yards per play last season.

It seems like the team will look to get Taysom Hill involved more in 2024 as well. Avoid this offense in your leagues.

Cooper Kupp is healthy

It’s been two years since we’ve had a healthy Cooper Kupp entering a season. I haven’t heard a single report of Kupp dealing with any discomfort in his ankle, an injury that has plagued him for a few seasons now.

In 2023, Kupp finished as the WR23 in fantasy. But this is a bit skewed because he left one game early. If we look at only his 10 completed games, Kupp averaged 8.5 targets and was a top-20 producer for fantasy. There are definitely concerns for Kupp entering 2024, like his age and past injury experience, but as a late third-round pick in drafts, these risks are accounted for. Target Kupp in your upcoming drafts.

Buy low on the Panthers offense

One of the biggest edges in fantasy football is paying attention to key offseason changes. Most fantasy managers will know when a big-time free agent signs with a new team, but few will pay attention to the key details. This takes me to the Carolina Panthers.

This offense is new and improved. It has arguably the most improved offensive line after signing guards Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt this offseason. The team also traded for Diontae Johnson and drafted a first-round receiver in Xavier Legette and a fourth-round TE in Ja’Tavion Sanders.

Not to mention, Dave Canales is the new head coach and he's going to be aggressive on offense. According to reporters on location, the offense has looked good in camp, and this carried over into the limited run the starters got in the third preseason game where Bryce Young completed 75% of his passes.

Buy low on Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette and the rest of this Panthers offense.

Trent Williams' contract situation is a real concern

Williams reportedly won't return to the 49ers until his contract issue is resolved. He hasn't been at training camp and he's trending to miss Week 1 against the Jets.

This isn’t the same situation as a player holding out on their rookie contract and then ultimately playing right before Week 1. Williams is 36 years old and has made well over $100 million in his career. He has the ability and leverage to sit out the entire season if he truly wants to.

Williams is arguably the 49ers' best player. He’s the best tackle in football and without him, San Francisco has one of the worst offensive lines in the league. If he sits out it’ll impact the entire offense, especially Christian McCaffrey. I’ve recently moved CeeDee Lamb ahead of McCaffrey in my overall rankings based on this situation.