Fantasy Football Cheatsheets & Rankings

The Facts: Beckham hasn't done much work on the field during the offseason as he returns from a broken ankle. While Beckham was cleared to practice for the mandatory minicamp, the star wide receiver was limited to individual drills. Nevertheless, quarterback Eli Manning liked what he saw from his top receiving threat. "He looks great," Manning said. "He looks healthy." Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: Manning also revealed he and Beckham got together after a Giants' minicamp camp practice and ran a few routes. Manning's proclamation provides good news ahead of training camp, and the Giants appear primed to get the best out of Beckham on the field. With a fully healthy Beckham, the Giants have one of the league's elite wide receivers. And fantasy owners have a front-line weapon worthy of a first-round pick. Remember, Beckham produced three straight 1,000-yard receiving campaigns and 35 touchdowns from 2014 to 2016 before being limited to just four games and two starts in 2017. Although he wants a new contract, Beckham recently told reporters he would attend training camp, so the Giants apparently won't need to worry about an ugly contract dispute in the late summer months.

The Facts: Mariota is still getting used to the changes around him, from the new scheme to the new coaching staff to new players. Minus the bulky knee brace he’d worn previously, however, he’s sure looked fast on the occasions when he’s taken off. Reported by TitansOnline.com

Diehards Line: This according to TitansOnline.com's Jim Wyatt, who added that Mariota also made progress while working to clean up some technique issues. It should pay off when training camp rolls around. That would be nice. Mariota's numbers dipped in 2017 in his second full season under former HC Mike Mularkey and OC Terry Robiskie. After throwing for 3,426 yards with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2016, Mariota threw for 3,232 yards with 13 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 2017. While he guided the Titans to another 9-7 record, and into the playoffs, his passer rating dipped from 95.6 to 79.3. Mariota's passer rating as a rookie was 91.5, when he threw for 2,818 yards with 19 touchdowns in 12 starts. New OC Matt LaFleur spent the past two years in the two most explosive offenses in the NFL, under two of football's the most creative play callers (2016 with Kyle Shanahan's Falcons; 2017 with Sean McVay's Rams). If the Titans' offense comes close to replicating those fiery schemes, Mariota will be a big reason why.

The Facts: Ajayi expressed excitement in late May on potentially absorbing a lead role in the backfield. HC Doug Pederson confirmed on the team's final day of minicamp that Ajayi will have the opportunity and enter training camp atop the depth chart. "Yeah, he's definitely going into camp as the No. 1 guy," Pederson told reporters on June 14. Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: Pederson continued: "It takes nothing away from what Corey [Clement] did or what [Darren] Sproles has done here, Wendell [Smallwood], Pump [Donnel Pumphrey] is coming back, Matt Jones. You've got guys that are going to compete in that role." The Eagles utilized a three-back committee approach in 2017 with Ajayi, Clement and LeGarrette Blount, who signed with the Detroit Lions during free agency. Ajayi joined the Eagles via trade from the Miami Dolphins in late October 2017, and totaled 408 yards rushing and a touchdown on 70 carries, averaging 5.8 yards per attempt, in seven games for Philadelphia. "Came in last year and obviously proved to us that he can handle it," Pederson told reporters. Ajayi isn't new to a workhorse role, as he produced 1,272 yards rushing and eight touchdowns on 260 attempts (4.9 yards per carry) for the Dolphins in 2016. Still, Pederson made it clear the offense will continue utilizing a backfield rotation depending on game situations.

The Facts: The Cleveland Browns plan on riding the "hot hand" at running back this season. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: This is not surprising as Cleveland's backfield has three good running backs. They signed Carlos Hyde this offseason, extended Duke Johnson, and drafted Nick Chubb in this year's draft. The safest bet would likely be Johnson in PPR formats due to his ability to catch passes out of the backfield. Hyde will like run first and second downs most weeks, while Chubb to do the same some weeks. It is a situation tough to decipher at this time and it is one to keep an eye on as we head into the season.

The Facts: Following up on a previous item. ... The NFL is planning to suspend Winston the first three games of the season for violating the personal conduct policy, league sources tell ESPN. Reported by ESPN.com

Diehards Line: ESPN Tallahassee radio host Jeff Cameron initially reported Winston was bracing to be suspended -- and he will be. And while Cameron suggested it could be anywhere from one to three games, ESPN's Adam Schefter has now added a more definitive number with the three-game sanction. We'll follow up as needed.

The Facts: According to Vic Tafur of the Athletic, Bryant has not been notified of a pending suspension. Tafur adds that Bryant did not fail a drug test or miss a test. Reported by the Redzone.org

Diehards Line: Last week there was a report that the Raiders feared that Bryant would be suspended over the league’s substance abuse policy. The report didn't offer specifics over whether it was a failed drug test or he missed a test. Still, as Profootballtalk.com notes, it is possible for a player to violate the substance-abuse policy without failing or missing a test. For example, when Bryant was reinstated following his 2016 suspension, he reportedly was required to work with a clinician regarding his offseason activities. Failure to do so could be considered a violation of the substance-abuse policy even if he hasn’t failed a test. Bryant, who the Raiders traded a third-round pick for during the 2018 NFL Draft, missed the entire 2016 season with the Steelers for violations of the policy. We'll continue watching for more.

The Facts: Anderson has resolved the final charge from a January arrest in South Florida. Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports, via Anderson’s lawyer, that the wideout pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge on Wednesday. He was sentenced to six months of “non-reporting probation.” Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Garafolo adds that the NFL’s review of the incident under the Personal Conduct Policy is ongoing and that's something fantasy owners need to watch for. That said, Anderson is going so late in drafts that it seems the possibility of suspension is baked into the equation.

The Facts: Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston could face suspension for an incident in March of 2016 with an Uber driver. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: There's concern that he could miss up to three games if the league decides to proceed with a suspension. Winston played 13 games last season and threw for 3,504 yards with 19 touchdowns. He provides fantasy owners with upside and is reasonably priced considering his current ADP. He is the type of quarterback you want to target in best ball formats.

The Facts: Brady created headlines Sunday when he conceded retirement is coming “sooner rather than later.” Of course it is. He turns 41 in August. But for anyone thinking the Patriots quarterback might consider retirement after this year, Brady has news for you. After ESPN posted Brady’s comments to Oprah Winfrey in an Instagram post, with the caption “Tom Brady says he’s still motivated to keep playing, but he knows he can’t play forever,” Brady responded in the comments section. Brady’s verified account, tombrady, posted: “cuarenta y cinco,” which means 45 in Spanish. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: He followed that with three monkey emojis: see no evil; hear no evil; speak no evil. As PFT reminded readers, the future Hall of Famer long has targeted playing until he’s 45, so the end is near but not too near. ... And we'll continue to hang on his every word in the interim.

The Facts: The widely reported Gronkowski trade talks were real, but cooler heads eventually prevailed. First, there was a report the Patriots had talks with the Titans and 49ers about Gronkowski. Now, on Monday, The MMQB’s Albert Breer reported that the Patriots also talked to the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans about a trade for the seemingly disgruntled tight end. “I don’t think they were shopping Gronk to the entire league, but there were some teams they trust that I know they talked to. Detroit, Tennessee, Houston, San Francisco — you guys can make the connections there,” Breer said. Reported by nesn.com

Diehards Line: The “connections,” of course, are obvious. Lions GM Bob Quinn used to work for the Patriots, as did new Lions HC Matt Patricia. Former Patriots OC Bill O’Brien is the head coach in Houston. The Titans are in their first year under new HC -- and former Patriots linebacker — Mike Vrabel, while GM Jon Robinson spent more than a decade in Foxboro. There’s familiarity with the 49ers, too, as the two teams made the blockbuster trade for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo last season. Patriots coach Bill Belichick is friendly with Kyle Shanahan (dating back to Belichick’s admiration for Shanahan’s father, Mike), and general manager John Lynch even had a cup of coffee with the Patriots toward the end of his career. ... As far as Gronkowski, Breer indicated the tight end’s desire for a new contract was the driving factor for most of his discontent. A new deal still is “likely” to happen but isn’t imminent, according to a recent report.