This article series will analyze recent NFL news to track the development of the league's most notable fantasy prospects.
Prospect profiles need adjusting when new relevant data emerges, and this series means to provide the latest valuation on prospects based on post-draft developments.
While this is essential for dynasty managers, those in re-draft leagues can benefit as well from catching up on news they might have missed during a busy spring and summer.
Be sure to check out all of the latest news on RotoWire's NFL news page.
- Rome Odunze, WR, Bears — "New Normal" Changes Things
Odunze was close to a blue-chip prospect in 2024 out of Washington, where he posted nation-leading production as a big wideout (6-foot-3, 212) with elite athleticism (4.45-second 40, 39-inch vertical, 124-inch broad jump, 10.91 agility score). He recently said of his surgically repaired stress fracture, "it's never really back to normal." Now that he is managing an apparently permanent new status quo, it's no longer clear if he's the same guy he was in college.
If Odunze hypothetically were "only" running a 4.55 as opposed to a 4.45 or jumping "only" 37 inches following surgery it doesn't mean he can't be an above-average starting receiver in the NFL, but the hope out of college was that he would be one of the five best NFL wideouts at his peak. Even if someone was a big Odunze fan all along, the talk of ongoing, indefinite foot management is worrisome.
At the very least, a reduced version of Odunze is unlikely to outrank talents like Luther Burden and Colston Loveland in the Chicago target rotation this season. Perhaps the full-strength version of Odunze would be the clear WR1 over even a substantial talent like Burden, but few NFL wide receivers can match loud talent like Burden's if they're managing some physical condition or another.
- Brian Thomas, WR, Jaguars — Likely "Offseason MVP" for Jaguars
Brian Thomas was one of the most disappointing players of last season, with the star-level talent he showed as a rookie evaporating into an inconsistent, one-dimensional game that only materialized on the margins of the field. If his showings in minicamp were any indication, there's a chance Thomas might yet round into something more closely resembling a WR1.
According to Jaguars beat writer John Shipley, Thomas has arguably been the MVP of the Jaguars' offseason.
Thomas appeared to play through a shoulder injury in 2025 and seems to be healthier at this point, yet Shipley's observations seem to raise the additional possibility that Thomas has found his groove again and is working on turning the next corner in his development.
- Bhayshul Tuten, LeQuint Allen, RB, Jaguars — Holding Serve in Jacksonville
Shipley's reporting also addresses the Jaguars' backfield, where Chris Rodriguez has been sidelined due to a foot injury.
In Rodriguez's absence, second-year backs Bhayshul Tuten (fourth round, Virginia Tech) and LeQuint Allen (seventh round, Syracuse) have both shown well, with Tuten presumably the best candidate to replace most of the work left behind by free-agent departure Travis Etienne.
Allen is already a distinguished pass blocker even before turning 22 in August, and he'll clearly have a passing-down role again in 2026 for that reason. The question is whether Allen can establish a presence from scrimmage, because in his rookie year he turned 258 snaps into just 148 yards (94 rushing, 54 receiving).
Rodriguez figures to eventually factor in as a power-rushing specialist yet has no history as a pass catcher. If Allen makes a push for more usage from scrimmage then it might sap the utility of Rodriguez or/and Tuten, but if Allen posts a similar snap-to-yardage ratio in 2026 then there might be room for Tuten to more or less be the new Etienne in Jacksonville.
- Jaydon Blue, RB, Cowboys — Earning Praise
Blue's rookie year was pretty much a waste as a fifth-round pick out of Texas, but it's common for rookie running backs to need a redshirt year upon reaching the NFL, particularly when they are underclassman like Blue was.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the switch seems to have flipped for Blue going into his second season, with coach Brian Schottenheimer saying, "The intelligence is off the charts … the guy is football brilliant." Such comments would seem like laying it on a bit thick unless Schottenheimer intended to give Blue a promotion after logging just 38 carries on 79 snaps in 2025.
As much as Javonte Williams is locked in as the clear RB1 in Dallas, there would be room for Blue to make an impact off the bench as a big-play or/and pass-catching specialist if Blue can continue to earn Schottenheimer's approval. Fellow second-year back Phil Mafah (seventh round, Clemson) seems to be developing well in his own right, but it would sooner be Blue who could earn a role alongside Williams given the change of pace Blue can offer with his speed.
Braelon Allen, RB, Jets — Up to 250 Pounds, Stronger/Faster than Ever
Braelon Allen is by all accounts fully recovered from the MCL injury that ended his 2025 season. Allen bulked up from around 235 to the 250-pound region, giving him a Greg Jones-like build at 6-1.
Coach Aaron Glenn used the Three-Headed Monster line again in reference to Breece Hall, Allen and Isaiah Davis, with Allen's snaps presumably featuring especially in short-yardage or/and passing downs with blitz pickup in mind. Just how Glenn plans to split that three-man workload is unclear, but Allen stands out as a power specialist relative the all-around skill sets of Hall and Davis.
Nate Boerkircher, TE, Jaguars — Still the Worst Pick of All-Time
Maybe it's not quite that bad. But on the other hand ... maybe it is.
2026 fifth-round Jaguars tight end draft pick Tanner Koziol has predictably already made noise in practices, whereas Boerkircher, a second-round pick this year, has reaffirmed he's a near zero as a pass catcher. According to Shipley, "[Koziol] looks closer to TE2 than the TE4" after minicamp.
For the Jaguars to justify a 56th overall selection on Boerkircher he would need to earn upward of 500 snaps as a rookie. Boerkircher is clearly not a good enough pass catcher to do that without taxing the passing game.
Boerkircher's selling point was always based on blocking, of course, but watch even that part of his pro game turn out a disappointment. Boerkircher turns 25 this fall and at 6-5, 245, he's not nearly as physically imposing at the pro level as he was at college. If you're a 24-year-old college tight end you better be good at blocking at that point — you're playing against players almost six years younger than you!
The fact that Boerkircher blocked well in college doesn't guarantee he'll hold the same presence in the NFL, because his reps occurred with a major age advantage and because his frame is conventionally poor for NFL blocking tasks.
The way to correctly scout a viable blocking-specialist tight end would be to target players who thrived at the task in college and have the frame and tools to continue thriving in the NFL. The Bills selecting Jackson Hawes in the fifth round of the 2025 draft is a good example: Hawes was a dominant college blocker who also had the physical tools to project well in the NFL, boasting superior athleticism to Boerkircher at eight pounds heavier. Similarly, watch the Dolphins get a better blocking tight end 31 picks later in their third-round selection of Will Kacmarek, who's much more athletic than Boerkircher even at 16 pounds heavier. John Bates in Washington is another example of how to do this right.
Anyway, Koziol is an interesting long-term prospect as a pass-catching specialist. He will always be more wide receiver than tight end, yet Koziol drew targets so rapidly at Ball State and Houston (359 in 47 career games) there's a chance he eventually establishes himself as a mainstream fantasy factor on something as few as 600 snaps annually.
That would be particularly true if Koziol can make a disproportionate amount of his impact in the red zone, which absolutely makes sense given his rare catch radius (6-7, 247). For 2026, though, Koziol likely will be a passing-down specialist role player in what looks like a loaded Jacksonville pass-catcher group.
Josh Cameron, C.J. Williams, WR, Jaguars — Receiving Good Reviews in Jacksonville
Among the Jaguars minicamp news, these bits might be the flimsiest. Some practice reports supply solid signal, while some others sort of misinterpret or prove impertinent.
Particularly in the case of someone like Williams, taken out of Stanford with Jacksonville's second sixth-round pick (203rd overall), there's reason to pretty much ignore the otherwise consistently positive reports about his play in OTAs. Players with Williams' (lack of) production in college almost never stick in the NFL, particularly when they have below-average athleticism like Williams (4.61-second pro day 40 at 6-1, 203).
There might be a glimmer of hope for fellow sixth-round rookie wideout Josh Cameron, on the other hand. Cameron (191st overall) was a late-blooming walk-on at Baylor but produced conclusively in years three through five, showing uncommon hands and running ability after the catch. Cameron also stood out as a punt returner at Baylor (14.0 yards per return on 45 attempts).
As much as Cameron remains a long shot to produce at any point in his NFL career and is a likely non-factor in 2026, the Jaguars have made a recent emphasis on reducing drops and Cameron's hands are truly rare at 6-2, 220. If Cameron can ever learn to run routes he could become a problem, and at worst he should be a solid special teams player.
