NFL coaches and players are constantly on camera, even at times when they're not actually playing football. These frequent press conferences provide NFL fans with dozens and dozens of quotes on a weekly basis. These quotes can often be used to make informed decisions about our fantasy teams.
These useful quotes can pertain to injury outlooks, player usage, overall offensive tendencies and philosophy, and more. The key is to know which quotes are actionable, and which ones are just fluff that can be ignored.
The vast majority of these quotes will be sourced from the interviews that beat reporters conduct with players and coaches throughout the week. The Coachspeak Index (CSI) does a phenomenal job of listening to these interviews and picking out the key nuggets. In this article, we'll be taking a look at quotes (from CSI and other sources) and analyzing their fantasy impact. Some may be more serious than others, but it's all about getting a feel for coaches and players from information that may not show up in the box score.
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Fantasy Football Coachspeak Highlights: What are coaches saying about Jonathan Brooks, Deshaun Watson, and more?
Deshaun Watson remains the starter in Cleveland
In an interview with the media on Monday, Browns' head coach Kevin Stefanski said that Deshaun Watson is the quarterback who gives the Browns the best chance to win football games. Despite the countless pieces of evidence that point to the contrary, Cleveland will be sticking with their quarter-billion-dollar man as we head into Week 7.
Key Fantasy Takeaway: At this point in the season, Watson is an afterthought in single-quarterback leagues. The biggest impact here falls on the shoulders of Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, and David Njoku, who struggle to produce in an offense that can't sustain drives. Cooper in particular has been heavily impacted by Watson's poor play. Just 62.3% of his targets have been deemed catchable, which ranks 154th out of 174 pass catchers who have run 50 routes this season. Until something changes at quarterback, it's hard to rely on Watson to support fantasy-relevant pass catchers.
Sean Tucker impresses Todd Bowles in career-best game
With Rachaad White sidelined in Week 6, it was Sean Tucker who stepped up as the secondary back in the Tampa Bay backfield. He took full advantage of his opportunity, turning 17 touches into 192 yards from scrimmage. It's not exactly stunning that head coach Todd Bowles wants to get Tucker more touches after this performance.
Key Fantasy Takeaway: A third body entering the rotation would be absolutely devastating for the fantasy value of Rachaad White and Bucky Irving. It was hard enough for either to emerge from the 50-50 split they were previously in. If Tucker is getting a handful of touches each week, it will be almost impossible to rely on White or Irving on a weekly basis. The usage in this backfield should be monitored when White is back in action.
WEEK 7 WAIVER WIRE ADVICE
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Dave Canales comments on Jonathan Brooks' role
After the team initially said Jonathan Brooks would be ready for the start of training camp, his practice window has finally been opened ahead of Week 6. In the press conference where Dave Canales announced Brooks' return to practice, he mentioned that they'll be taking a "wait and see" approach when it comes to his workload.
Key Fantasy Takeaway: As Brooks ramps up to NFL game speed, don't expect him to see a whole lot of work. He will likely play a very limited role in his first couple of games. The high-quality play of Chuba Hubbard also provides a significant roadblock in Brooks' path to touches. Unless Brooks blows the team out of the water in practice and in games, he seems destined to play a 1B role during his rookie season.
Shane Waldron was not scripting plays in Chicago
One of the most common practices in the NFL is for offenses to predetermine the 15 plays they will run to begin the game. For some reason, Shane Waldron was not doing that for the Bears' offense early this season. Wide receiver DJ Moore has since revealed that has changed, and the Bears are using a script to begin their games on offense.
Key Fantasy Takeaway: This is simply preposterous. Using 15 plays that are catered to succeed against a specific opponent is the easiest way to get your team off on the right foot to begin games. When your quarterback is a rookie, this seems like an even more obvious practice to utilize. Thankfully, the change has been made in recent weeks, and the Chicago offense has been humming in recent weeks. It seems that the Bears have been forced to give Waldron some tough love, but it's been for the best. Caleb Williams and this offense as a whole should improve as they gel with their new quarterback.
Jerod Mayo comments on rookie receiver Ja'Lynn Polk
Patriots' head coach Jerod Mayo clearly does not seem happy with rookie wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk's progression through six games. Apparently, Polk has been struggling to adapt to the mental side of the game at the NFL level. Mayo also went on to say that he views Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, and Kendrick Bourne as the team's most reliable receivers at the moment
Key Fantasy Takeaway: Many fantasy managers and Patriots fans expected the rookie duo of Drake Maye and Polk to carry their offense into a new era. Maye seems to be doing his part, but Polk can't quite win over the favor of the coaches. Polk was a bench stash to begin with, but he is best suited on the waiver wire if coaches don't feel comfortable getting him on the field.
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