LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The NFL Annual League Meeting is taking place this week, and the AFC head coaches met with the media on Monday. I tried to speak with as many of them as I could to gain some insight for the upcoming season.
Here are injury updates, news items and just general things of interest that the coaches from the AFC South said in the media session.
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Houston Texans
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans gave updates on several players of interest to Fantasy managers.
On C.J. Stroud heading into Year 2, Ryans said he expects his quarterback to take "a huge leap" in his production from his outstanding rookie campaign when he averaged 21.5 Fantasy points per game.
"He doesn't have to learn the playbook. He knows what we're asking him to do," Ryans said. "Now he can be more honed in on his mechanics and all those small things where he can get better as a quarterback. As he continues to grow, a lot of film is out there on him now, so defenses will have tendencies on him. Now it's a matter of him really honing in on himself to be a step ahead of the defense."
Stroud has the potential to be a top-five Fantasy quarterback in all leagues, and he's worth drafting with a mid-round pick. It will help Stroud that receiver Tank Dell (leg) is making significant progress in his recovery from last year's season-ending injury in Week 13.
"Tank is doing really well," Ryans said. "He's progressing well. He's on track. We should have Tank participating in our offseason program."
Ryans is also confident that Dell will pick up where he left off from last season prior to his injury. He finished his rookie campaign averaging 15.0 PPR points per game, and Dell is worth drafting as early as Round 3 in the majority of leagues.
"Tank just has to be himself," Ryans said. "Nothing changes. He's a great player. He just needs to continue to work his craft. Tank did an outstanding job for us, and I'm proud of what he did and the plays he made for us. I'm happy to have him back healthy."
Ryans is also excited for new addition Joe Mixon, who was acquired via trade from Cincinnati to replace the departed Devin Singletary (Giants). Even though Mixon turns 28 in July, Ryans is still confident his new running back can produce at a high level.
"I'm not thinking about a drop-off," Ryans said. "I'm thinking about the positives and the things that [Mixon has] done in his career. He's been consistent throughout his entire career -- a guy who can move the chains for you, a guy who can open up the passing game with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He just opens up the things that we can do offensively."
Mixon is worth drafting in all leagues as a No. 2 running back in Round 5. He averaged 15.7 PPR points per game last year for the Bengals, and hopefully he can stay near that level of production in Houston.
