The RotoWire Blog has been retired.

These archives exist as a way for people to continue to view the content that had been posted on the blog over the years.

Articles will no longer be posted here, but you can view new fantasy articles from our writers on the main site.

Training Camp Notes: The Bigger They Are The Harder They Foles

Nick Foles apparently requested to be released. The Rams, I'm sure giddily, accepted. As an Eagles fan, I can tell you one thing about Nick Foles: he stinks. He was even more atrocious in St. Louis than his final season in Philly, to the point where he was replaced by Case freaking Keenum; only to become more useless when the Rams traded up and selected Jared Goff to be the new face of their franchise. Foles will likely latch on as a backup somewhere, the man did throw seven touchdowns in one game dammit (insert sarcasm font); but he isn't likely to have any fantasy impact this season, even if he somehow makes his way onto the field during an actual NFL game.

  • Get ready for a shocker: Ryan Mathews is hurt. Again. Like always. However, we need to give Mathews credit for finding a way to get hurt before he even stepped on the field! Mathews, a guy who is justifiably labeled as injury-prone, actually reported to camp with an injury. Unbelievable. The ankle injury is not believed to be too serious, but it will cause Mathews to start camp on the Eagles' non-football injury list, and it puts Mathews behind the eight-ball in terms of learning a new head coach Doug Pederson's system and ingratiating himself to his new coaching staff. Having said that, Mathews is far and away Philly's best option at running back; he's an effective and talented runner, but he has to find a way to stay healthy to be worthy of his current ADP.
  • From Chip Kelly's former team to his current; according to reports, Torrey Smith will enter training camp as San Fran's top receiving option. Granted, this is not groundbreaking news considering the Niners' weak receiving core, but it's worth noting because Kelly's tempo offense creates a lot of opportunities for skill players to put up numbers. DeSean Jackson had the best season of his career in Chip's offense and it wouldn't be a surprise to see the same from another burner in Smith.
  • After what seems like 10,000 years of litigation, it appears that Tom Brady will finally serve a four-game suspension; hopefully putting an end - once and for all - to the worst saga of all time: Deflategate. For the first time, Bill Belichick publicly acknowledged the suspension and said the team needs to focus on getting "Jimmy (Garoppolo) ready to go." As a result, Garoppolo could make for an interesting late round option; even if his shelf life is only four games, they could be four outstanding games in New England's heavy pass-first offense.
  • I'm sure we all have "he's in the best shape of his life" fatigue already, so I won't belabor that. But, can I interest you in a "he's in slightly better shape" story? Eddie Lacy is apparently a "little slimmer" than when he last left the Packers six weeks ago, and is working with a personal trainer to continues in his quest to no longer be the fat running back who everyone says is overweight. Head coach Mike McCarthy refused to comment on Lacy's recent weight loss, but it's a good bet that Eddie needs to shed a few more pounds before McCarthy's going to be singing his praises. Regardless, keep an eye on Lacy's progress as he is obviously a high-upside back if he can stay in shape, and subsequently on the field.
  • According to ESPN, Antonio Brown will report to training camp Thursday while being "hopeful and confident" his contract situation will be addressed prior to the start of the season. In other words, Brown's agent used the mother ship to notify the Steelers that his client wants a new deal. Brown is the best receiver in the NFL and is woefully underpaid, so I'd expect a deal to get done; but monitor the situation in case it turns into some thing more.
  • John Elway has decreed that the Broncos' quarterback competition is "wide open," coming on the heels of rookie Paxton Lynch's proclamation that he can start immediately. However, despite the timing of the two comments, I'm dubious that Lynch has any real chance to start right out of the gate. First and foremost, Lynch is very raw and isn't ready to step right into an NFL lineup; especially not for a Broncos team that wants to contend. And while Mark Sanchez is the butt (fumble) of many a joke, he's still a better quarterback right now than Lynch. I just kind of game Mark Sanchez a compliment. Excuse me for a moment, I have to go throw up.
  • Lastly, the Cowboys continue to Cowboy, as they'll face a minimum fine of $250,000 for having at least three players (Rolando McClain, DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory) suspended heading into the 2016 season. And that doesn't include Ezekiel Elliott, who's currently being investigated for assault in Columbus, Ohio after his girlfriend accused and filed charges of said assault. Obviously, if Ezekiel is innocent and exonerated, there is nothing to worry about; but if this case proves to bear fruit, then owning Elliott will become both a strategic and moral nightmare, especially considering how high he's been going in early drafts.