NFL Today: NFC North Notes
David Montgomery could bounce back in Motown. (Sports Illustrated)
Cooper Kupp (hamstring) may miss a few weeks; Alvin Kamara will soon find out if he’s going to be suspended; and Aaron Rodgers has suggested he’ll be sticking with the Jets for another few years.
With preseason action beginning Thursday, let’s see what else is going around in the world of Fantasy football…
David Montgomery Could Deliver in Detroit
The last time we checked in on David Montgomery, he was still with the Bears (see video below for some memories of his time in the Windy City), and was hurting. Well, he’s definitely regressed since then and for the first time in his career, will suit up with a different team after joining the division rival Detroit Lions in free agency in mid-March.
But after two down seasons, there’s reason to not sleep on Montgomery, as he may see an expanded role in Motown — especially in the red zone.
In taking over the gig that Jamaal Williams occupied for the Lions last year, you can consider Montgomery a low-end RB2/high-end RB3 with potential upside.
Minnesota Resolves Hunter Situation
The Minnesota Vikings are currently +3500 favourites to win the Super Bowl as per FanDuel sportsbook, but frankly those odds could have been a lot longer had the team not come to terms with its star pass rusher, Danielle Hunter.
Last season, he posted a whopping 10.5 sacks and could be poised to be even better this year. Certainly the Vikes are counting on him being the man on D with Za’Darius Smith and Dalvin Tomlinson gone. And they’re paying Hunter like he is: his new one-year deal nets him a $5.5 million signing bonus and a guaranteed base salary of $10 million plus a guaranteed $1.5 million in per-game bonuses.
He has the chance to earn another $3 million based on incentives.
Better yet, the contract stipulates that Minnesota cannot franchise tag him next offseason, so Hunter will be in line for an even bigger payday assuming he produces as expected in 2023.
Expect him to flirt with top 20 value in IDP leagues.
Jordan Love’s Transition
We’ve known it to be the case for some time now, but will still find it weird to see the Green Bay Packers without Aaron Rodgers under centre. The big question now becomes: how quickly can Jordan Love adapt to being the full-time starter?
Sure, he may have gotten some advice from Peyton Manning, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Love’s transition from understudy to starter will be seamless. Could Love be a surprise and work his way into the top 20 quarterback discussion? Sure. He has a very good arm and is more mobile than most QBs.
And it’s clear the Pack has faith in Love.
But viewing him as much more than a middling QB2 would be unwise. There’s major upside potential here, but if you’re not completely comfortable with whoever you draft as your QB1, taking Love might prove too great a risk.
Still, the kid has an easy schedule, so perhaps he shocks us all, but chances are that even if that happens, it likely won’t be until the second half.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
Nirvana formed in Aberdeen, Washington and in 1991 released Nevermind, its first release on a major label (DGC). Here’s one of the album’s deep tracks, the punky/hard rock number “Stay Away.”
