NFL

DeMarco Murray out with minor hamstring injury

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Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray is sidelined for the start of OTAs with what insider Calvin Watkins calls a “tweaked” hamstring.  He did some rehab work off to the side on Tuesday and is expected to be back with the team next week.  It’s obviously a minor injury that shouldn’t impact Murray this season.  But it’s worth mentioning considering this guy’s durability problems.  Murray entered the league with an “injury-prone” tag and has missed 9 games over his first 2 seasons.  He’ll be a risky pick in 2013 fantasy drafts — albeit one with considerable upside.

Stevie Johnson Back on the Practice Field

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Bills WR Stevie Johnson practiced with the team on Tuesday.  He had previously been sidelined with a lower back injury.  “It was great to see him,” OC Nathaniel Hackett said. “He looks great in a uni. It was great to see him run some routes instead of being on the side. We’ve just got to work him back in.”  The back issue was never considered serious and shouldn’t be an issue this season.  Johnson has played in all of Buffalo’s 48 games over the past 3 seasons.

Rob Gronkowski back issue could linger

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Former NFLer Ross Tucker believes it’s “ambitious” to believe Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski will need only 10 or 11 weeks to recover from surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back.  Tucker underwent a similar procedure in 2004.  “I was able to come back in 12 weeks, but I didn’t feel right,” Tucker said.  “I didn’t feel good, and it led to other issues.  I partially tore my hamstring.  I hurt my neck.  I was not totally right 12 weeks later.  I really didn’t feel good or normal until a full year later.  And even then, I’ll maintain that I was never the same player.”  Scary stuff for Gronk’s short and long-term outlooks.  And remember that this will be his 2nd back surgery in the last 4 years.  Gronk is expected to meet with doctors in 3-4 weeks to confirm that this latest surgery is needed.  That already puts us into mid June.  The regular season kicks off 13 weeks after that.  Based on Tucker’s timeline, Gronk won’t be at 100% by then.  We’ll continue to track his status throughout the summer.

Brandon Weeden the heavy favorite for starting job

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Despite the additions of Jason Campbell and Brian Hoyer, it’s sounding more and more like Brandon Weeden is the strong favorite for Cleveland’s starting QB spot.  New OC Norv Turner spoke highly of Weeden on Monday.  “Brandon is a one-year player in the NFL who did a lot more good things than people give him credit for,” Turner said. “I like his composure, the way he competes, he’s worked awfully hard. He’s got to be one of the hardest-working guys on our team. So you look and say, ‘Hey, you hope there’s a big upside.’ He’s got a big arm. He’s very intelligent. He makes good decisions. He throws the ball up the field the way we would like to, but he’s very accurate underneath.”  Weeden would need to tank this summer to lose the starting gig.  We’ll see if he can up his game enough to get into the QB2 discussion.

Russell Wilson even better already

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HC Pete Carroll told the Tacoma News Tribune that Seahawks QB Russell Wilson is “a million miles ahead” of where he was last season.  Carroll specifically mentioned Wilson’s ball placement on deep throws and cadence at the line.  A smarter Wilson should scare most of the league.  He proved excellent in leading Seattle to the playoffs as a rookie but threw just 393 passes.  Look for Seattle to let Wilson fling it much more, especially with WR Percy Harvin in town.  Wilson looks like a perennial top 10 fantasy football QB going forward.  He’s also shaping up as a strong value in early drafting.

Robert Woods the favorite for #2 WR spot

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Bills beat writer Jay Skurski says rookie Robert Woods is “penciled in” as the team’s #2 WR.  We’d expect that to change to ink by mid-August.  Woods was widely regarded as one of the most NFL-ready WRs in the rookie class.  He started all 38 career games at USC, setting a school record with 252 catches.  His competition for a starting job in Buffalo will come from the undersized T.J. Graham and Marquise Goodwin — plus undrafted free agent Da’Rick Rogers.  Rogers could be a threat long term but has a ways to go.  Expect Woods to be in Buffalo’s Week 1 starting lineup.  We’d keep fantasy expectations in check, though.  Stevie Johnson remains the clear-cut #1 WR.  And the Bills passing game figures to struggle in a new offense and with a new QB.