😡 Uh Oh, JK Dobbins Is Pissed AGAIN

I'm old enough to remember when John Lynch said Trey Sermon was one of their best players throughout training camp...

In today’s Fantasy Life Newsletter presented by RosterWatch:

• J.K. Dobbins is pissed again
• 3 interesting moves in the wake of cutdowns
• Who is the Packers WR1?
• Jonathan's 2 rookies to target
  
• Cooterdoodle's 2 undervalued picks
• Eliot's favorite late round pick: David Njoku
• It's 9/1. Take it away, Peter Overzet...

Roster cutdowns were Tuesday, which meant yesterday yielded a flurry of moves as teams claimed players off of waivers and continued to sculpt their roster.

But before we get to three interesting moves, I need to let you know that J.K. Dobbins is once again mad at a reporter.

Yesterday afternoon Adam Koffler shared a video of Dobbins looking slightly gimpy after a drill at practice. Dobbins, to say the least, did not like the implication:

@AdamKoffler@jonas_shaffer Do I have to walk like a robot? Stfu it ain’t a limp

— Jk dobbins (@Jkdobbins22)
Aug 31, 2022

As you might remember, Dobbins went off on Ian Rapoport earlier this offseason for reporting that he might not be ready for Week 1. 

It's clearly a sore subject for the Ravens RB, who does in fact seem legitimately questionable to be ready for the start of the season. Please no one tell him I said that, though.

This is a truly confusing situation as Dobbins doesn't seem to be 100% on video, yet he and the coaches are telling a different story:

John Harbaugh on J.K. Dobbins: “His quickness is back.”

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley)
Aug 31, 2022

We'll get more clarity next week based on practice reports, but I'm inclined to buy the dip on him in drafts.

🤝 The Vikings trade for Jalen Reagor

The Eagles famously drafted Reagor over Justin Jefferson in the 2020 draft, so it's only fitting they'd trade him to the team who did cartwheels after they passed on Jefferson. 

In return, the Eagles received a 2023 7th-round pick and a 2024 conditional 4th-round pick that would "deescalate to a 5th-round pick if certain statistical marks are not met."

Reagor isn't on the redraft radar as of now, but the change of scenery was clearly needed.

 ⚡ Sony Michel signs with the Chargers

A day after getting cut by the Dolphins, Michel heads to Los Angeles where they continue to hunt far and wide for a complementary back to Austin Ekeler. Rookie Isaiah Spiller, who missed some time with an ankle injury, did recently return to practice, but I doubt we see him much early in the season. With Larry Rountree released and Joshua Kelley a disappointment, I wouldn't be surprised to see Michel have a role right out the gate. 

✂️ The Niners cut Trey Sermon

Remember when I said yesterday that the Sermon making the 53-man roster would seem to indicate things were looking better for him with the Niners?? Welp, that was apparently a red herring because they ended up cutting him a day later.

The new pecking order in the Niners backfield is Eli Mitchell, Jeff Wilson, Tyrion Davis-Price, and Jordan Mason. 

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🧀 Who is the Packers WR1? If you like Allen Lazard, don't click this link.

🅾️ The Broncos player you need to draft. Things have changed quickly. 

🚑 Uh oh, key Cardinals could miss Week 1. We'll be monitoring this closely.

🚀 The RB the Raiders like...A LOT. Good intel here.

😕 What the hell is going on with Kenneth Walker? What a bizarre quote from Pete Carroll.

🤑 Remember when Darren Waller was "hurt." I think he just wanted a new contract.

📱 You make the team, you call your mom. Love this story from Steelers RB Jaylen Warren.

One of the best ways to draft league winners is targeting rookies. Due to uncertainty around their talent and early season role, they are often available at a discount relative to their true worth. Today, Jonathan shares two rookies he's heavily targeting in drafts...

🚀 Drake London (WR36)

The first WR selected in the NFL Draft has had a quiet offseason. He suffered a minor injury in the Falcons first preseason game and hasn’t appeared since. This has prevented buzz from building on London, who by all reports was having a great camp. You can take advantage of this by targeting him in the 8th or 9th round and landing yourself an extremely high upside bench receiver. 

London is in line for significant volume as a top two target on his team alongside Kyle Pitts. He is a very good prospect who is stepping into an offense that needs playmakers. I expect him to be featured early and often. If he is anything close to the player that his draft capital and college production suggests, then he should be fantasy relevant immediately. 

Don’t be tempted by the mediocre TEs or high floor receivers that go in the same range of drafts, take Drake London and crush your opponents at the WR spot.  

🚀 Dameon Pierce (RB24)

I chose Dameon Pierce for this segment before the Texans cut Marlon Mack on Tuesday and things got out of control. In both of my drafts yesterday, Pierce went with a top 50 pick. He's not a target for me at that price but he is still worth mentioning as someone to monitor in case your league mates aren't as aggressive.

Pierce was so impressive in training camp and the preseason that he locked up the Texans’ RB1 job last week. That is no easy feat for a fourth round rookie and speaks to just how much confidence the team has in him.

We know that volume is important at the RB position and Pierce is going to see lots of it. He has also flashed enough talent to suggest there is real upside if the Texans offense proves to be competent. He runs hard, breaks tackles, and is capable as a receiver so he should eventually earn most of the high value touches in this offense. Rex Burkhead will have a role, but the offense is going to run through Pierce.

Unless someone in your league reaches multiple rounds to take him, Pierce should be a top target on draft day.

👑 Who will be the King at TE?

Hunting for value in our drafts is how we build superteams. Today, Cooterdoodle shares her two favorite values in drafts right now...

🚀 Leonard Fournette (RB13)

“Value” doesn’t always have to equate to a “late round ADP." Value can also originate from disparaging narratives that cloud our view of a player’s potential. So let’s talk about Fournette. 

I won’t spend too much time on the ‘fat’ narrative that surfaced earlier this offseason, but Twitter was more focused on Fournette’s average diet than his average draft position. They were more worried about his roundness than his receptions. They were more focused on his snacks than his stats. YOU GET IT. 

Fournette is being drafted in the late second round, but he often falls to the third. Fournette tied for 10th in rushing TDs (8) last season. That’s more than David Montgomery and Dalvin Cook. Tampa Bay has a high powered offense that will get the ball to Fournette. 

Sure, Tampa’s OL has some recent injuries, but this might benefit Leonard in the passing game. In 2021 he was 3rd amongst RBs for receptions with 69 (nice). Don’t let the ghost of Eddie Lacy’s past spook you away from drafting Lenny. If he falls to the third, that’s fat value. I mean big. Big value.

Editor's note: We think this entire backfield undervalued. Check out Kevin's piece on Rachaad White from yesterday.

🚀 Robert Woods (WR46)

When searching for value picks, a good rule of thumb is to look for good players with unresolved narratives. In other words, players that have facets of doubt surrounding their future. Woods fits into this category nicely. 

Woods is coming off of an ACL injury and his ability to be ready for week 1 is in doubt. He was also traded to the Titans this offseason. Woods’ potential to shine on a run-heavy offense is in question. What’s more, Woods finds himself chasing the high of his 1,000+ yard seasons from 2018-2019. Each of these leave fantasy managers hesitant.

The result of this uncertainty is Woods being drafted in the 8th round. He’s currently going around guys like Christian Kirk, Tyler Lockett, and Kadarius Toney - all of which play for teams with less capable QBs. (Geno what I mean?). 

But keep in mind that he is now upgrading to a WR1 role on Tennessee’s offense. Run heavy or not, this is the same offense that supported AJ Brown’s success in that position. While he may be drafted for your bench, Woods has shown that he’s got what it takes to command the WR1 role on his team with the potential for WR2 in your lineup.

Sure, your first round picks are important, but those decisions are generally pretty straight forward. Where we can really crush our opponents is at the end of the draft. In this new series, our contributors will highlight some of their favorite flyers to take with a last round pick. Take it away Eliot...

🌌 David Njoku (Underdog ADP - TE16 / 156.3)

There is much to be excited about the upside of late-round TE David Njoku. The Browns prioritized Njoku this offseason, signing him to a four-year, $56 million dollar contract (making him a top-five paid TE).

They then parted ways with the previous starter Austin Hooper, paving the way for Njoku to get heavy playing time. Historically TEs who played 80% of their team's snaps have finished as a top-12 TE, and all signs point to Njoku doing exactly that.

In the final preseason game, Njoku played 30 of 33 snaps with Jacoby Brissett, including 11 in the slot position. The money and usage given to Njoku point to a breakout season for the former first-round pick, and while Brissett may limit the upside of most on the offense, historically he loves TEs.

In 2019, half of Brissett’s TDs (9) were thrown to tight ends, and last year on the Dolphins Mike Gesicki saw a 20.2% target share with Brissett under center. With that kind of volume, Njoku is sure to pay off his upside and has a chance to be this year’s Dalton Schultz.