Fantasy Football: The Late-Round Podcast, Mailbag 6/23/21

The Chiefs drafted Noah Grey, a tight end from Duke, in this past NFL Draft, and it seems as though he could play a big role in his rookie season. "Maybe more two-tight end sets than they've ever used since Patrick Mahomes became the starter," Palmer said Thursday regarding how their offense could look this season. He also cited Mecole Hardman as someone who could be relied upon more heavily in the wake of Sammy Watkins' absence.

Our models currently project Travis Kelce for 117.49 catches on 171.12 targets for 1,481.63 yards and 10 touchdowns.

However, despite the bad press that surrounded the performance, head coach Brian Flores clarified that the practice was meant to be one where the quarterbacks could take a lot of chances down the field. It's unclear how much these types of practices will translate to the gameplan during the regular season, but it's nice to see Tagovailoa - who struggled to produce explosive plays in his rookie year - work on stretching the field.

Our models currently project Tagovailoa to complete 388.89 of his 596.68 attempts (65.18 percent) for 3,997.25 yards with 29.83 touchdowns and 15.09 interceptions. They also project him for 216.87 rushing yards on 50.35 carries with 2.67 touchdowns.

"This is I think the fanciest, sweetest-looking receiver/tight end mix that we’ve had," Carroll told 710 ESPN. "[Everett's] like a wide receiver, he’s got terrific after-the-catch run ability, really aggressive and he’s a good blocker, too, and he knows the system inside and out. What Gerald brings us is a real threat in the throwing game. Should be a big factor on third down.” Seattle has been known to struggle getting production out of the tight end position in recent years, but it seems as though the offense will make a concerted effort to get Everett targets throughout the 2021 campaign.

Our models currently project Everett for 39.62 catches on 62.60 targets for 395.38 yards and 4.12 touchdowns.

Peoples-Jones, a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, flashed moments of true NFL potential in his rookie season. While the Browns will be excited for the return of Odell Beckham Jr. (torn ACL), Peoples-Jones could still challenge for the WR3 role in an exciting offense this season.

Peoples-Jones enjoyed a stretch of 3 games in 2020 where he played over 50% of the team's offensive snaps, during which time he converted 11 targets into 8 catches for 221 yards and a touchdown. He could be primed for a modest breakout in 2021 if he can supplant Rishard Higgins on the depth chart.

“I told [Eric]DeCosta, ‘Hey man, I think we got a pretty good one in [Rashod] Bateman,’” said Humphrey after practicing with Bateman at minicamp recently. A video of Bateman shaking Humphrey on an in-breaking route made the rounds on Twitter recently, and was our first look at the rookie's route-running chops translating to the NFL.

Bateman's big concern as a rookie for fantasy purposes the Ravens' low-volume passing offense (the team attempted just 406 passing attempts in 2020, 34 fewer than the next team). However, Bateman's elite route-running and ability to operate outside the numbers could be the key to unlocking the Ravens' passing game. We currently project Bateman for a strong 638 yards and 5 touchdowns on 53 receptions in 2021.

Wentz reportedly didn't have a great relationship with his teammates on the Philadelphia Eagles, but according to Wells, the transition has been "smooth" so far in Indianapolis. "He comes in and asks about my family, my sister and things like that," running back Nyheim Hines said. "As a new guy, it's pretty cool. It shows that he's caring and trying to take care of us." Hines added that Wentz has a "really pretty deep ball" and that he's "liked everything I've seen from him so far." Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton also said last month that Wentz's arm strength "jumped out" at offseason workouts. At least for now, things seem to be going well, both on and off the field, for the former No. 2 overall pick.

Wentz is the QB17 in numberFire's preseason fantasy rankings. Our models project him to throw for 3,977.9 yards with 29.5 touchdowns and 14.4 interceptions, with 287.4 rushing yards and 3.7 touchdowns. Wentz has finished as a top-15 quarterback in Total Net Expected Points per play just one time through five seasons. He should benefit from improved offensive line play, as the Colts ranked 7th in pass blocking last season, via Pro Football Focus, while the Eagles were 16th.