This article is part of our Training Camp Notes series.
One of the more polarizing players in fantasy drafts this year is David Johnson. Many point out that he hasn't been a consistent fantasy factor since 2016 while others point to poor OL play and injuries as a reason why he's been unable to post great production. According to coach Bill O'Brien, the staff has high hopes for Johnson, and he's expected to be the lead back, and with a much better OL than he had in Arizona, he'll be given every chance to fulfill his promise. Going as RB20 in average drafts, he's fairly priced for his expected volume, but should he perform as well as he did the first six week of 2019, when he had 20 fantasy points per game, he could be a steal.
· With WR being very deep in fantasy drafts, solid options can be found even in the latter rounds, and one example of this is Randall Cobb, who's going at WR70 while serving as the Texans' primary slot WR. With the team having mostly downfield speed guys (Will Fuller, Brandin Cooks and Kenny Stills) who often avoid the middle of the field, Cobb could soak up targets, and in PPR leagues, he could be a steal as a WR5 or WR6.
· After Robby Anderson prospered in his role as the deep threat for the Jets over the past couple years, there's hope that Breshad Perriman has similar success, but after being expected to return to practice Saturday with a knee injury, he sat out again. As long as he returns soon, he's a reasonable upside pick outside the top-50 WRs, but the more time he misses will hurt his ability to have chemistry with Sam Darnold and lowering his probability of a breakout season.
· As the fantasy world anxiously awaits the news as to whether Nick Foles or Mitch Trubisky will be the Bears' starting QB, Matt Nagy announced that a decision won't be made until the days leading up to Week 1. All kidding aside, both QBs are going undrafted in typical leagues, and even when one is named the starter, there's no guarantee that it'll stay that way throughout the season. With the exception of fantasy managers looking for a QB3 in two-QB leagues, it's likely wise to pass on both of them.
· In TE premium leagues, Trey Burton was starting to get drafted in a few leagues with an ADP of TE43, but as has been the case the last couple years, he's dealing with another injury. After injuring a calf in practice, he's slated for an MRI, though coach Frank Reich stated he feels the injury will need a little bit of time to heal. In any case, he's looking like a player who now should be on the waiver wire watch list in the hopes he moves into an Eric Ebron-type role with the Colts, and he's not looking like good use of a late draft pick.
· Not that he's been fantasy relevant in quite a while, but Donte Moncrief is joining the Jets. Since the team is dealing with injuries to Breshad Perriman (knee), Denzel Mims (hamstring) and Vyncint Smith (abdomen) he could be pressed into an emergency role to start the season should all of those WRs continue to miss time. In terms of fantasy, Moncrief is unlikely to be more than a salary relief play in Week 1 DFS if he's in the lineup, and he's not a player to target in redraft leagues.
· Speaking of Denzel Mims, he's now missed a couple weeks with that hamstring injury, making it very unlikely that the rookie will be a factor early in the season, and his recent ADP as WR83 is reflecting that. For those able to stash players away until later in the season, he could make sense as a mid-to-late season fantasy contributor, but to expect an early-season impact may be a bit too optimistic.
