Tip Drill | RealTime Fantasy Sports

Cutdown Day Fallout

Wed Aug 28 10:01am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer

Mason is likely backup for 49ers

Well, there is certainly a lot to sort out after cutdown day yesterday. There weren’t a ton of surprises but enough to keep everyone on their toes. And as always, we are here to help you sort it out before your next fantasy draft.

Here is the latest. . . . .

Lions second-year quarterback Hendon Hooker has won the top backup job to Jared Goff. He beat out Nate Sudfeld, who was released. Hooker has some potential if he ever gets a chance to start in this explosive offense.

The Packers have some big issues at running back. The depth behind Josh Jacobs is almost nonexistent. Green Bay put AJ Dillon on Injured Reserve because of a neck injury, ending his season before it even started. That leaves rookie MarShawn Lloyd as the likely No. 2 back but he has been battling a hamstring injury nearly all of training camp. Jacobs could really be in for a heavy workload early in the year.

It looks like Greg Joseph has won the kicking job in Green Bay. The Packers released kickers Anders Carlson and Alex Hale. Carlson made just 81.8 percent of his field goals last year, so the Packers decided to with the more reliable veteran in Joseph.

This was expected but the Vikings officially put tight end T.J. Hockenson on the PUP list. This means he will miss at least the first four games of the season as he recovers from his torn ACL. Hockenson still has a chance to make a fantasy impact this year but likely won’t be a big factor until the second half of the season.

The Panthers released receiver Terrace Marshall. He is a former second-round pick that hasn’t lived up to expectations. Marshall should get another chance with a new team, though. He has some talent and has played well at times with past chances.

Carolina placed rookie running back Jonathan Brooks on the PUP list. Brooks is another player recovering from a torn ACL. He is going to be out at least the first four games, leaving Chuba Hubbard as the starter early in the year for the Panthers. Hubbard seems to be a little undervalued right now in fantasy circles. He could start half the season while Brooks gets up to speed.

The Bucs released veteran receiver Sterling Shepard. Tampa decided to go with younger options at the position. Shepard has battled injury issues in recent years and could have a hard time finding significant work going forward.

Arizona surprised some with the release of running back Michael Carter. He was picked up last year and played pretty well with his chances. He also looked solid in camp this year. Carter was in a crowded running back room, though, and was forced out. Carter should be able to find work with one of the running back-needy teams in the NFL.

The Cardinals also released quarterback Desmond Ridder. He started games each of his first two seasons in the NFL but wasn’t able to win the backup job in Arizona. This was a little surprising. He has fallen off in a hurry.

The Rams didn’t really make any big news but had one announcement that caught many off guard. Los Angeles has named starting running back Kyren Williams the punt returner. We aren’t so sure what this says about Williams’ role as the No. 1 back in this offense. We would worry a little about this, especially with the way head coach Sean McVay has moved on from backs in a hurry.

There was big news in San Francisco with the 49ers placing Elijah Mitchell on Injured Reserve because of a hamstring injury. He was not designated to return, so his season is over. This really improves the value of Jordan Mason, who seems the clear No. 2 back in this high-powered offense. He should be a must own for any Christian McCaffrey owner.

The Patriots will have a new starting kicker this year. Joey Slye beat out second-year kicker Chad Ryland for the job. Ryland was a fourth-round pick but really struggled with his chances. Slye has been a dependable option throughout the years and should bring stability to the position for New England.

Cleveland released running back D’Onta Foreman despite not having a whole lot of depth at the position. Foreman is a veteran back with past starting experience, so it would not surprise to see him catch on with another team to provide some depth at the position.

Running back Nick Chubb will open his season on the PUP list, meaning he will miss at least the first four games. This was expected as Chubb was returning from a gruesome leg injury. He is making good progress, though, and it seems his entire season won’t be lost. Jerome Ford will open the season as the starter for the Browns.

The Texans released receiver Noah Brown, who started some last year and played very well. It was a little surprising to see him let go, providing quality depth for the Texans. Houston has a ton of top options at the position, though, so it was a numbers game as much as anything for Brown.

Tennessee traded quarterback Malik Willis to the Packers. He will become the top backup for Green Bay, giving the team an upgrade for that position behind Jordan Love. Willis was a bust in Tennessee but will look to revive his career in Green Bay.

It really looked like receiver Tim Patrick was positioning himself to play a big role with the Broncos passing game this year, but the team had other ideas. Patrick was released despite having a strong camp and preseason. Denver went with younger options at the position. Patrick should be able to latch on with another team as a veteran depth piece.

The Broncos released another veteran player, letting running back Samaje Perine go. Perine couldn’t move up the depth chart in a crowded running back room and will look to catch on with another team. Perine has some value to an NFL roster because of his experience and past success, especially in the passing game.

The Chiefs finally cut ties with the erratic Kadarius Toney. It looks like Toney was expendable after the team just signed JuJu Smith-Schuster. Toney has all sorts of talent but has been all over the map since entering the league. He has made plenty of big plays but stumbled plenty of times as well. Toney has the talent to land him another job, but will need to show a lot more consistency if he hopes to get some consistent playing time.

Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at [email protected]. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.

Cutdown Day Fallout

The Paur Report