Word from our own Brick Top is that the St. Louis Rams spent an inordinate amount of time at today's practice working on the play action pass. That should be music to your ears. The combination of Sam Bradford, Steven Jackson and a stable of wide receivers capable of working the middle portion of the field, behind the linebackers. There's another name to keep your eye on here, a guy that might be able to help your fantasy football fortunes: TE Lance Kendricks.
According to Brick Top, Kendricks was seeing lots of action in those play action drills.
It surprised me when the Rams announced their pick for the second-round of the draft this year. There were some really talented players on the board still when they picked Kendricks. The Wisconsin tight end was considered one of the best at his position in this year's draft, behind Kyle Rudolph who the Rams also looked at, but not many had him that high in the second round.
Early returns from training camp offer a good explanation of just how much Josh McDaniels valued Kendricks. He got plenty of work in the scrimmage this weekend, carrying and catching the ball and throwing in some blocking as well, something Wisconsin TEs are expected to do in a run-first offense.
Don Banks of Sports Illustrated talked up Kendricks in his report from training camp too.
McDaniels is moving the athletic Kendricks all over the field, from tight end, to fullback, even splitting him out wide. If he doesn't already lead the Rams in camp reps, he's close to it.
Here's what McDaniels said about him, something that I suspect approximated his draft room speech that got the Rams to deviate from their draft board:
He can really run, but the thing I'm most impressed with is how physical and tough he is. He can block. He's a rookie and he'll make mistakes, but to me the best thing about Lance is he's going to be able to affect the game positively in more than one way. He's not just a pass-catcher. He's a special guy and we're excited to have him.
Now, does this mean you should run out and draft Kendricks with your first pick in the fantasy football draft? No, but it is your money, so do want you want. Keep an eye on how many targets he sees in the preseason, though. That will give you an idea of just how much he'll be incorporated into the passing game. He might be worth a late round flyer if you miss one of the more reliable names, and is definitely someone to watch on the waiver wire.
Speaking of fantasy football. If you want in the TST league, head over to Yahoo! and sign up. We'll fill it up fast, but can open more leagues when that one fills. The league ID is 395929 and the password is bradford.
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