MLB Best Bets – Free (Wednesday 5/15)
Josh Gross
Training camps provide our first look into NFL players and teams as we prepare for the upcoming fantasy football season. Information will now begin to flood our social media timelines, leaving us to determine the subsequent fantasy impact. It’s a matter of knowing which information matters, and which should be ignored.
So each day in this space, we’ll take a trip through the top news and takeaways around the league’s training camps to offer up what fantasy managers need to know as we head through draft season and into the 2023 NFL regular season.
Today, let’s review the major news from Wednesday, July 26.
Multiple RBs in Philadelphia
Entering the 2023 season, the Philadelphia Eagles backfield is one of the most intriguing in all of fantasy football. The team added D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny this offseason with Miles Sanders now in Carolina. There is still plenty of ambiguity, but we got our first look at this backfield during practice Wednesday. ESPN’s Tim McManus reported that Swift was used in many different ways, whether out of the backfield, lining up out wide or motioning into the slot. McManus stated that Swift was primarily used in the passing game. We also saw Penny get the first carry with the first-team offense so although it is still incredibly early, it appears for now that Penny is the 1A in this offense. But given the emphasis on Swift’s usage today, it’ll be interesting to see if the Eagles are scheming up more designed targets to the running back this season.
Cole Kmet, Bears Agree to Four-Year Extension
Cole Kmet signed a four-year, $50 million extension Wednesday, with about $33 million guaranteed. It was a bit surprising considering how underwhelming Kmet’s production has been so far in his career. He ultimately finished as the TE8 in fantasy in 2022, though he was extremely touchdown-dependent. After failing to catch a pass through the first two weeks and totaling 14.8 fantasy points through Week 7, Kmet went on to score five touchdowns in Weeks 8-10. Kmet scored seven touchdowns on the year, despite seeing just six end zone targets.
Calvin Ridley Looks Unstoppable
There has been a ton of hype surrounding Calvin Ridley this offseason, and the start of training camp has been no different. Ridley has looked unbelievable for weeks and that continued during Wednesday’s practice where he was essentially running routes, well, like he always has — with ease. With how great he looks and Trevor Lawrence ascending, Ridley has massive upside in his first season in Jacksonville.
Aaron Rodgers Signs New Two-Year Deal
Aaron Rodgers and the Jets agreed to a new two-year, $75 million guaranteed contract through the 2024 season. The veteran signal caller is taking less money with this deal in hopes of winning a title with the Jets. Rodgers is coming off his worst season, ranking 22nd in fantasy points per dropback (0.43) and fantasy points per game (14.8). His 12 interceptions were his most in a season since 2008, while he finished as a top-12 fantasy signal caller just twice all year long. It is unlikely he’ll be that inefficient again this season but there also seems to be a limited ceiling with Rodgers. The Jets are going to be a slow, run-first team that relies on their defense more. This is an amazing move for the Jets and the offense, but Rodgers remains a high-end QB2 at best for fantasy.
