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Yahoo
12-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
TreVeyon Henderson's early returns paying off for Patriots
Yahoo Sports host Andrew Siciliano, senior NFL writer Frank Schwab and senior NFL reporter Jori Epstein discuss why New England is already feeling very high about their rookie running back. Hear the full conversation on 'Inside Coverage' - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.n.l View more Video Transcript You're watching inside coverage on Yahoo. I'm Andrew Ceciliano in the middle of your screen. Frank Schwab, Jerry Epstein on the other side of your screen, people you know and love and trust and respect, and read, and coming up in a matter of minutes you are going to read, you are hereby demanded and and and remanded and ordered to read. Jury's piece on Travon Henderson, the 38th overall pick in the draft, part of a great 12 combination that Ohio State ran and rode to a national championship last year with Quinon Judkins. Travon Henderson in his debut for the England Patriots. All he did Joy was bust off a 100 yard kickoff return for a touchdown, um, run for 18 yards, 12 yards receiving, so 30 yards from scrimmage. He may not be the biggest, he may not be a workhorse, but wow, he's special. Special and versatile. I mean, like you said, you've got the carry, you've got the catches, you've got the return touchdown. I mean, when you talk about getting juice into a team en route to what ended up being what, a 48 point preseason outing, this is a guy who, who catches the return, and then he says, OK, no matter that I'm at the goal line, I see where I wanna go. I know where I want to break these tackles. It doesn't matter if the first guy's coming at me 20 yards and I'm gonna keep going for 80 more and have multiple. I think there's at least. Three commanders scrawled out by the time he got to the 50, and he just kept going and, and just everyone at the Patriots was fired up. I visited them on Sunday of this week, so after their game, and they were all just like, look at this guy, he's explosive, he's versatile, he's special, and he's still learning and oh by the way, on top of all the statistical elements, he's physical and pass protection, and they're really impressed with that. And so I, I was talking to their de facto general manager Elliot Wolf, the VP player personnel, I should say the. Official title and Elliot Wolf was telling me that going into the 2nd round of the draft, he says, you know what, there are about 3 players who we'd be really excited to have. I'm going to sit down and watch all of them and review them going into the draft, and he queues up about 100 runs that Treveon Henderson had specifically against good teams. That was the way that Elliott put it. I didn't ask him what that threshold was, and he gets 15 runs in and he's like, what am I doing? Like, this is our guy. Close
Yahoo
05-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Can Jaydon Blue be a surprising fantasy weapon in 2025?
Yahoo Fantasy analyst Matt Harmon and contributor Ray Garvin explain why Dallas' rookie running back could flourish for fantasy managers in a pass-heavy offense. Hear the full conversation on the 'Yahoo Fantasy Forecast' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript I think there's a real opening for a guy like Jayden Blue because neither of these two guys, Gervonta or Miles Sanders, are passing game weapons. And this is going to be an offense that throws the hell out of the football. I would not be shocked if the Dallas Cowboys lead the NFL in pass attempts this year. Jayden Blue is a guy who is a mismatched weapon, can be used as a receiver out of the backfield. And just like bottom line, this is a great offense with a good offensive line. The interior is definitely a strength. We want to take shots on this running back. And if Jayden Blue, running back, 54, 128 overall, yes, when you get to the late rounds, that is the type of profile. should be targeting because again, Ray, if it doesn't work out, who gives a damn? You cut him and you move on. You've got a passing offense led by Dak Prescott, and I'm not getting into the playoff wins or any of that. Dallas Cowboys last year threw the ball 637 times between Dak and Cooper Rush, 637, OK? You've got C.D. Lamb and George Pickens who are going to command a ton of attention on the outside, and you have a really good tight end in Jake Ferguson kind of working the middle. The thing that this offense lacks, the thing that this offense lacks from either Miles Sanders or Javanta Williams is no speed. Neither of those two running backs bring an element of speed to this offense to truly unlock some of the things that Dak Prescott likes to do, right? Tony Pollard, Ezekiel Elliott, we've been chasing that next running back in Dallas for years and we were surprised when we got the 1000-yard seasons out of Rico Dado. Shout out to him. He's in, he's in Carolina now. But Jayden Blue's speed is, is different. He clocked over 22 MPH in college multiple times. It was a disappointment when he only ran a 4.37 at his pro and just disappointed, just not that fast. I thought he'd be a 4-2 guy. I think he came out and said he was gonna run a 4-1. But his ability in the screen game is outstanding, and he's the type of running back that I'm not gonna compare him to Devon Achan. I think Achan was a much better runner between the tackles, and Jayden Blue, but that speed, when he hits the open field, that second gear is different. Close
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
One player from every NFC team who fantasy football managers should be watching in NFL training camp
Dallas Cowboys - Jaydon Blue The Cowboys' rookie running back caught some negative rumors over the weekend and even took to social media to reassure his doubters that he'd quiet the noise. Blue has every opportunity in the world to leap up the Cowboys' running back depth chart this summer, if he puts in the work. His 127th overall ADP on Yahoo is still reasonable, as you can just drop him if he doesn't earn an early-season role. His range of outcomes is quite wide — a possible value starting back to a healthy scratch on game day — and we should get some clues as to which path he'll wander in the coming weeks. New York Giants - Cam Skattebo I'd imagine that the Giants enter training camp with an open mind as to who will start at running back between Skattebo and last year's rookie, Tyrone Tracy. Odds are that this ends up being some form of a committee, which would make both guys tough to start on an offense not projected to score many points. Not to mention, veteran Devin Singletary is still on this roster. If Skattebo has a great camp, he could push Singletary off the roster but that's being treated far too much as a given right now in the fantasy streets. A three-way split backfield in New York would be an impossible puzzle to solve with no good, rewarding picture at the end. Philadelphia Eagles - Will Shipley The Eagles are set at all the skill position spots and only have a right guard vacancy on their much-praised offensive line. We don't have much fantasy mystery with this squad. The one man to watch may be someone most gamers hope to see very little of in 2025, because Shipley getting run would mean something happened to Saquon Barkley. While we don't wish injury on anyone, it is critical to know who is the next man up for an Eagles offense that has a strong rushing ecosystem and a lead back who touched the ball over 400 times last year. Washington Commanders - Deebo Samuel I don't have a strong stance on how Samuel will perform with the Commanders this season. I view him as a player in serious decline but believe how he will be deployed as a short-area and screen-based threat in Kliff Kingsbury's offense could help stave off the cliff. His ADP of 103rd overall doesn't require you to take a strong stance one way or the other. It's worth tracking how he looks and is deployed in training camp to determine if he's worth taking a chance on in the later rounds. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Chicago Bears - Luther Burden I hate when rookie wide receivers miss time in their first offseason. It's just so easy to fall behind. Burden missed almost all of the Bears' offseason to this point after a soft tissue injury early in rookie minicamp. However, he has every opportunity to change the course of his rookie season and make up ground if he's able to fully participate in training camp. Burden has a chance to earn a big role and shake up the Bears' wide receiver room. If he's slow out to get rolling early in his first season because he's still working back, there may not be much playing time behind D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze in what should be a 12-personnel-heavy offense. Detroit Lions - Tate Ratledge The Lions are one of the teams with a pretty set-in-stone group of skill-position players, and most fantasy gamers are concerned with what the unit will look like without Ben Johnson calling the plays. However, the offensive line got a big shakeup when All-Pro center Frank Ragnow retired last month. Detroit wasn't totally caught off guard here and are set to have rookie guard Tate Ratledge slide over to start at center. Not only is Ratledge a rookie but he didn't play the position in college. His progress at the spot is a significant pivot point for how the this offense will perform this season. Green Bay Packers - Matthew Golden The Packers' passing offense would be most dangerous if Golden and Jayden Reed were the top two guys in the pecking order and on the field for over 75% of the snaps every week. This team has leaned more into a rotation approach the last two seasons and the receiver room is still quite crowded on paper. Golden needs to have a great camp to solidify himself as the starting flanker and push some challengers to the side. I think we're all over-indexing on how run-heavy the Packers were last season. It's created some real possible value with both Reed and Golden. Minnesota Vikings - J.J. McCarthy Total layup here; you can argue that McCarthy might be the most important player to watch in any camp this summer. The second-year quarterback didn't play as a rookie after a season-ending August and now inherits a playoff-hopeful team with a fantastic offensive ecosystem. After upgrades made to the offensive line, you can argue Minnesota is even better set up for success in 2025 than last year. While Sam Darnold wasn't as good as his stats indicate, he still led one of the most productive pass games in the league. We should be rightly glued to every McCarthy rep this summer to see if he can come close to matching that production in his first year as the starter. Atlanta Falcons - Michael Penix Jr. We got a brief look at Penix in the final three games of last season. The product on the field was a bit volatile as his accuracy concerns reared their head but he also produced some highlight reel moments. Penix's progress in his first full season as the starter will matter a ton to RB Bijan Robinson and WR Drake London, both of whom leave fantasy drafts quite early. Penix's arm strength can help this scoring unit reach a ceiling they haven't touched yet. New Orleans Saints - Chris Olave Olave is one of the most productive wide receivers in the NFL on per route basis since he entered the NFL. He's just missed time with concussions and played in slow-paced offenses that don't run a ton of plays. Kellen Moore's offense will fix the latter, as he routinely calls fast-paced units. However, we should use training camp to track the reports on Olave's health and role in the offense. There's a chance he is featured in ways that will create more layup throws than he's used to seeing so far in his career. We can't know how the health issues will play out until we get to game day but training camp can still be a useful fact-finding mission for a talented wide receiver fantasy managers aren't drafting anywhere close to where he's gone the previous two seasons. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Emeka Egbuka We already got a pretty substantial clue in the Bucs' wide receiver room, as Chris Godwin is still working his way back to participate fully in training camp. Any absence from the big-name Bucs wideouts would create an opportunity for Egnuka to make strides forward. He appeared completely buried when originally drafted by Tampa Bay but there's more of a path to immediate playing time than it seems on the surface, even if he does settle in as the WR3. Egbuka has drawn rave reviews in Tampa so far, and if that momentum continues, he'll be a fine bench player in fantasy with the upside to crack starting lineups if Godwin or Mike Evans miss any time. Carolina Panthers - Tetairoa McMillan Rookie receivers are usually one of the best discount targets to take in fantasy football but depending on your draft room, it might be tough to get any such bargain for McMillan in this year. The Panthers' rookie leaves the board at 84th overall in Yahoo drafts right now but he goes closer to 50th overall in best ball drafts. If McMillan has a strong summer, there's a chance he climbs closer to that true WR2 designation by the time August comes to close. No matter what, McMillan's ADP implies he's the Panthers' clear WR1 and a Day 1 starter at the X-receiver spot. I'm betting that's the case but we can use training camp to confirm that for certain. Los Angeles Rams - Kyren Williams We're in the second straight offseason of fantasy analysts projecting a rookie back nipping at the heels of Williams, with Jarquez Hunter playing the role Blake Corum held last season. I'm open to Hunter or even Corum mixing into this offense more because Williams wasn't all that explosive last season and left some big plays on the field. However, we have little-to-no real indication from this team they want to minimize Williams' role as the workhorse back. That could change over the next month, which would then make Williams' RB12 ADP a little tough to stomach. For now, it's nothing more than a theoretical worry. Arizona Cardinals - Marvin Harrison Jr. We've talked about Marvin Harrison Jr. needing to see his deployment mixed up a little for the last 10 months after he played almost all of his rookie season as an X-receiver with a vertical-based route tree. Now, we're about to enter the time of the calendar where we might finally get some clues in discovering whether any change will likely occur. I want to read reports of Harrison moving around the formation, being weaponized with motion and taking reps in the slot. It isn't the only domino that needs to fall in order for Harrison to unlock his ceiling but it's a key first step. San Francisco 49ers - Ricky Pearsall Pearsall is one of my favorite breakout candidates after he finished last season dominating man coverage and playing so well in a multi-dimensional role for the 49ers. With Brandon Aiyuk coming back from a major injury, Pearsall is in a fantastic position to earn a ton of targets on an offense we know will be hyper-productive. However, he needs to be healthy and participate in camp to come through on that promise. Pearsall is currently on the active/PUP list but can be removed at any time. Let's hope he gets rolling soon and has a much cleaner summer than last year, as he's one of my favorite late-round wide receiver targets. Seattle Seahawks - Kenneth Walker Walker is by no means some screaming sleeper with a 45th overall ADP and an RB16 consensus ranking for most of the summer. However, there's room for upside as a back going outside the top 15 at the position. The Seahawks' run game should see a boost with Klint Kubiak taking over for Ryan Grubb as the offensive coordinator, along with improved play likely coming along the offensive line. The starting running back for this team could jump to clear RB1 status and be a significant win for those who take a chance. We just need to confirm in camp that Walker has a commanding hold on the lead back role, which is what early ADP suggests with Zach Charbonnet going outside the top-110 picks overall.
