Maurice Jones Drew was the most high profile holdout going official today, but it wasn’t the only one. Seahawks’ defensive end Chris Clemons was also a no show at mandatory minicamp today. Clemons is seeking a new deal as he heads into a contract year. He’s owed 4.5 million this season, which is very inexpensive for a player who has emerged as one of the best pass rushers in the league in 2 years with the Seahawks. He has 24 sacks, 18 quarterback hits, and 97 quarterback pressures over that time period.

However, Clemons turns 31 in October so the Seahawks might be wary of giving him the long term deal he wants. They also just used a 1^st round pick on a player with a similar skill set at his position, Bruce Irvin. The idea with Irvin was likely for him to serve as a situational player as a rookie and then play a bigger role in his 2^nd season with Clemons gone. There’s a very good chance that Clemons won’t get paid and will have to serve the final year of his contract and try to get paid on the open market in 2013 as a 31 year old who has never produced outside of Pete Carroll’s specific system. He doesn’t have much leverage.

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Maurice Jones Drew has made it very clear this offseason that he wants a new deal and today he made it even clearer. MJD was not present for the start of the Jaguars’ 3 day mandatory minicamp today and is not expected to attend at all, which officially makes him a holdout. The Jaguars can fine him 60 thousand for missing all 3 days, but that money is a drop in the ocean compared to what he’s seeking in terms of a raise in a long term deal.

Maurice Jones Drew is one of the league’s top running backs and the Jaguars’ best offensive player by far. He’s set to make just 9.4 million over the next 2 seasons and is seeking, presumably, to be paid in the neighborhood of what LeSean McCoy, Arian Foster, and Chris Johnson have gotten in the last calendar year, 5 years, 8-9 million per.

The Jaguars, meanwhile, have said that they are not going to give him a new deal and want MJD to “fulfill his obligation,” even though they, like every team in the league, frequently rip up the contracts of underperforming players rather than “fulfilling their obligation.” The Jaguars just recently did that with Aaron Kampman. The two sides seem very, very far apart right now and MJD seems very, very serious about wanting a new deal.

Adam Schefter believes this hold out could go into the preseason and even the regular season, which would be a huge loss for an already bad team. This is the most serious hold out this season and reminds me a lot of Chris Johnson’s last year. Johnson got his money right before the season, but had his worst season as a pro because he failed to stay in shape during his holdout. A similar thing could happen with MJD this season. Given that he’s coming off a season in which he led the league in carries and that he plays on a stagnant offense, let him be someone else’s problem in Fantasy Football leagues.

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According to Todd McClure, an offensive lineman for the Atlanta Falcons, the Falcons will put more emphasis on the screen game in 2012. This is a major change from their offensive philosophy in 2011 (the Falcons targeted backs a mere 97 times last year out of 594 attempts, one of the lowest percentages in the league), but offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has been making major changes all offseason. The Falcons will pass more, go to the no huddle more, feature Julio Jones more and Roddy White less, and give Jacquizz Rodgers more carries and Michael Turner less.

This is yet another red flag for Michael Turner’s fantasy value. Turner was already set to get significantly fewer carries in 2012. The Falcons will run less overall and Mike Smith said that Turner would have a reduced role, in favor of Jacquizz Rodgers, a talented 2011 5^th round pick who the coaching staff really likes. Turner will be on the field less the more the Falcons use screen plays because catching passes out of the backfield is one major weakness in Turner’s game. Let Turner, who is now 30, be someone else’s problem in fantasy football leagues. Rodgers, meanwhile, is a nice late sleeper, especially in PPR leagues.

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According to ESPN Twin Cities, Stephen Burton, a 7^th round pick in 2011, has been impressing when given 1^st team reps in OTAs. Percy Harvin has missed some practice time after shoulder surgery and, while it won’t cause him to miss any games, it has allowed Stephen Burton to get 1^st team reps opposite Michael Jenkins. An athletic player who ran a 4.44 at 6-1 224 at his Pro Day last offseason, Burton seems to be living up to his natural abilities.

Harvin will be back soon, but with Jerome Simpson starting the season with a 3 game suspension, Burton could start the season 3^rd on the depth chart ahead of Devin Aromashodu or even 2^nd ahead of Michael Jenkins, if he continues to impress. Simpson will start opposite Percy Harvin when he returns, but Burton could end up coming in on 3-wide receiver sets, where Harvin moves to the slot. Simpson is only on a one year deal, so Burton is a name to know for the future.

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The Texans don’t have any veteran receivers behind Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter after cutting Jacoby Jones earlier this offseason. Their next 3 receivers on the depth chart, in any order, are Lester Jean, DeVier Posey, and Keshawn Martin, who have 0 combined catches in the NFL. The Texans brought in Mike Sims-Walker, a veteran receiver, for a workout at the end of May, but did not sign him to a contract. However, according to Pro Football Weekly, the Texans could still be interested in signing Mike Sims-Walker. We’ll have to see if they extend him an offer. He’d be no lock to make the final roster, however.

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According to the Indianapolis Star, Donnie Avery has been “one of the bright spots” for the Colts in practice this offseason. The Colts took a flier on Avery, who was solid in 2008 and 2009 for the Rams before essentially missing the last 2 seasons with injuries. The Colts have a very thin receiving corps, with Reggie Wayne, who is heading towards that age where wide receivers fall off a cliff statistically, Austin Collie, who has never produced without Peyton Manning, and 3^rd round rookie TY Hilton.

Avery can easily win the #3 receiver job if he continues to impress in practice. He made the ridiculous claim that he can run a 4.2 40 earlier this offseason, but even if that’s not true, he could still contribute in some way to the Colts this season. The fact that he’s impressing in practice is even more impressive when you remember that Andrew Luck has not been able to attend voluntary workouts yet as he’s been finishing up classes at Stanford.

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The Buccaneers have two talented starting wide receivers in Vincent Jackson, one of their big offseason acquisitions, as well as Mike Williams, who had a big season in 2010. However, it was slot receiver Preston Parker who was singled out by quarterback Josh Freeman as someone he was excited about for this coming season. Parker caught 40 passes for 554 yards and 3 touchdowns as a slot receiver in 2011 and, with Kellen Winslow gone, Parker could see more targets over the middle this season. With Josh Freeman likely to have a bounce back season, Parker could easily improve on his 2011 production, but still probably won’t have much value in fantasy leagues.

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Dorin Dickerson was one of the most fascinating prospects of the 2010 NFL Draft class. He played pretty much every position known to man at Pittsburgh, playing wide receiver, tight end, fullback, and linebacker. He also was productive in his final season at Pittsburgh, catching 49 passes for 529 yards and 10 touchdowns as primarily a tight end. He also ran the 40 in the 4.4s, but at 6-1 228, teams were not sure what position he would play at the next level.

Dickerson fell to the 7^th round for that reason and was drafted by the Houston Texans, where made absolutely no impact, catching 0 passes in 2 seasons and finishing the 2011 season on the Steelers’ and then the Patriots’ practice squad. He was signed by the Bills this offseason and has reportedly been seeing a lot of 1^st team snaps as an h-back type player. The Bills don’t have a pass catching tight end on the roster so Dickerson could see a decent amount of catches in that area of the field this season.

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Alex Green was a 3^rd round pick of the Packers’ in 2011, but managed just 3 carries last year before tearing his ACL. When asked today, Green was noncommittal about Training Camp saying that he’s “not sure.” This report comes on the same day that Mike McCarthy called Brandon Saine the team’s most consistent back. Saine will compete with Green for the #2 back role behind James Starks. My money would actually be on Saine having more carries than Green this season.

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Joseph Addai got a minimum contract from the Patriots this offseason, but Mike Reiss of ESPN New England believes that Addai could be the Patriots’ biggest free agent steal. Addai is 29 and doesn’t have much left in the tank, but he’s a veteran runner with good hands as a pass catcher and pass protector. Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley were both high picks of the Patriots’ last year, going in the 2^nd and 3^rd round respectively, and they are getting the 1^st team reps in OTAs, splitting them evenly.

However, Belichick is known for being unpredictable with his running backs and he does tend to favor veterans. Still, my money would be on Vereen and Ridley getting the bulk of the carries. The Patriots didn’t draft Ridley and Vereen for noithing. Addai will probably only see some passing downs behind Danny Woodhead, if he even makes the roster. For what it’s worth, Reiss does mention Addai is a “mentor-type professional,” which is a way he can provide value to the organization without stepping onto the field.

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