Update: Former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook has been working out with Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, according to NFL.com’s Steve Wyche. Says Shiancoe of Westbrook: “This is the first time he’s been able to really work out fully and not feel [his previous injuries]. This is the first time where he’s not being bothered and he’s able to explode and really work out and prepare. He looks really, really fluid out there…He’s getting in training camp shape.” There is still no word on which teams, beyond the Rams and Redskins, are interested in Westbrook’s services, though Westbrook did inform Shiancoe that he would have “no problem” playing for the Vikings.

Fantasy Impact: If Westbrook were to sign with a rebuilding team like the Rams, I would say “stay away”, but if he goes to Minnesota, he’ll definitely be worth a late-round flier. Adrian Peterson’s presence is enough to make it so that Westbrook won’t have a workload that’s too big to handle, but his contract squabble, substandard ’09, fumbling issues, and departure this offseason of Chester Taylor, makes it so that there is more than enough opportunity for another back of Westbrook’s versatility and toughness in the Viking backfield, especially if they get considerably less than the 4,200 yards and 33 touchdowns that Brett Favre contributed to the passing game last season.

Update: Baltimore Ravens’ Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice recently told Rich Eisen that he still feels underrated, in spite of the amazing season he had in 2009. Rice says that the fact that other running backs, such as Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson, and other skill position players get more attention and more ink than he does will serve as a driving force for him as he continues to build upon what he’s accomplished so far in his short, two-year career.

Fantasy Impact: Rice might very well be my pick to go first overall in any and all standard drafts. Unlike Peterson and Johnson, he seems more focused on improving his game than on getting a new contract, and unlike Maurice Jones-Drew, he isn’t stuck on a team with a lackluster passing game, mediocre offensive coordinator, and head coach on the hot seat. The savvy and creativity of coordinator Cam Cameron, the continued development of third-year quarterback Joe Flacco, and Rice’s own versatility to run inside, run outside, and be a threat in the passing game, will make his improvement from year 2 to year 3 perhaps as great as from year 1 to year 2.

Update: ESPN.com has reported that second-year wideout Kevin Ogletree’s role in the Cowboys offense has expanded, as the former University of Virginia standout has practiced at all three receiver positions in Valley Ranch, this spring.

Fantasy Impact: Following a year and a half of disappointing production (or lack there of) from Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton angling for a trade, Dez Bryant having to learn a new offense and acclimate to his teammates as a mere rookie, and Miles Austin, as good as he was last season, being unlikely to match or exceed his ’09 production, Ogletree’s experience in the system and versatility to play all 3 WR positions will pay big dividends, particularly with a quarterback like Tony Romo and offensive coordinator like Jason Garrett who like to spread the ball around. Peg Ogletree as a mid to late-round sleeper.

Update: Buffalo Bills running back and ninth overall pick in this year’s draft, C.J. Spiller, has told Pro Football Talk that he’s “not going to rush” to sign a contract with the team that drafted him, unless he receives a deal that he feels is worthy of the skills that he plans on bringing to the Bills franchise.

Fantasy Impact: If Spiller hasn’t started rushing on his contract by now, chances are you won’t see him rushing on the field for the Bills in training camp. This is the shame for a team that already faces an uphill climb, as nearly every observer of the NFL has picked the Bills to finish last in AFC East.This isn’t like with Michael Crabtree last year, where he was joining an above-average team. This team needs all the talent and spark it can get, and if Spiller isn’t ready to go by Day 1, it could spell the beginning of another long season in western New York.

Update: Following a 2008 AP rookie of the Year campaign in which he led his Atlanta Falcons to their first playoff appearance in four years, Matt Ryan endured a tougher season in nearly every major statistical category, as the Falcons missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record. This year, Ryan has committed himself to returning to the Pro Bowl form he displayed during his rookie season, and hopefully beyond, to the point of being one of the game’s elite, as he has taken to studying tape of future Hall of Famers Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, in hopes of having a similar impact on his offense as the aforementioned living legends.
Fantasy Impact: My experiences in the world of fantasy tell me that, in many cases, there is no player more valuable than one coming off a subpar season who is willing to do whatever it takes to make himself one of the greatest at what he does. If Ryan can avoid the foot injury that plagued him in ’09, or some other such hinderance, he has more than enough talent, determination, and good players around him to flourish. If Michael Turner can bounce back and the offensive line can be more cohesive, look out. I wouldn’t let Ryan be anything less than the sixth or seventh quarterback taken in any fantasy draft.

Update: Michael Lombardi of nfl.com is reporting that Adrian Peterson is unhappy with his contract and is not ruling out the possibility of holding out from training camp if significant progress isn’t made soon.

Fantasy Impact: With the uncertainty of Brett Favre’s return and Peterson coming off arguably the worst of his three NFL seasons, the last thing the Viking organization wants to hear is that their three-time Pro Bowl back is more concerned about increasing the worth of his contract than about improving his on-field production. For a team with offensive line issues, defensive questions, and the aforementioned quarterback problem, counting on a running back whose priorities appear to be aligned as Peterson’s are could prove to be a very risky proposition for anyone who plans on taking him with a top 5 draft pick, particularly with all of the other teams in NFC North improving.

Update: In spite of a strong finish to last season during which the team won 4 of its final 5 games, and the decision to release longtime starting quarterback Jake Delhomme at the end of the season, the prospects of Matt Moore as the long term option to be the Carolina Panthers’ starting quarterback seemed to fade almost as quickly as they were built up as this past April, the Panthers used their first draft pick (a second-rounder)on former Notre Dame star Jimmy Clausen and used their sixth-rounder on 6’6″, strong-armed former University of Cincinnati standout Tony Pike. Coupled with the uncertain job future of head coach John Fox, it seemed that Moore was just keeping the seat warm for Clausen or perhaps Pike until the organization felt that one of the younger signal-callers was ready to take over the show on a permanent basis.However, Moore has shown this offseason that he is not content to merely be an afterthought and did not climb from the depths of being an undrafted free agent just so he could have five good games and be upstaged by a young, high draft pick. Silver Fox at twitter.com has reported that heading into training camp, another undrafted quarterback on the Panthers’ roster, Hunter Cantwell, currently holds the number 2 spot on the quarterback depth chart.

Fantasy Impact: In addition to the team’s run-first offensive philosophy and the lack of true difference-makers at receiver other than star wideout Steve Smith, I would have shied away from drafting a Panthers’ quarterback because of the question of who will likely start for the majority of the season: Moore or Clausen? With Clausen not even in the top 2 on the depth chart, it’s safe to assume that it’s Moore’s job to lose. If he plays like he did over the last five games of 2009 over the course of a full season, there will be at least one owner in each fantasy league who will be satisfied with their mid, late-round sleeper.

Update: NFL.com is reporting that the Colts have not begun talks on a new contract, according to Michael Lombardi.  Bill Polian had made people believe that talks had begun, but that is not the case.

Fantasy Impact: Manning seems poised to play out the final year of the deal and will then most likely be franchised.  Manning isn’t going anywhere so don’t get excited.

Update: The Sporting News is reporting that rookie running back C.J. Spiller said he won’t rush to sign his rookie contract before training camp. “We’re going to make sure we cross our T’s and dot our I’s, however long the process takes. I just have to be patient,” said Spiller, the No. 9 overall pick in the draft.

Fantasy Impact: Spiller should get a deal done quickly and there should be no reason to expect him to hold out.

Update: Chicagobears.com is reporting that Bears running backs coach Tim Spencer confirmed that Kahlil Bell and Garrett Wolfe will compete for the No. 3 job at training camp.

Fantasy Impact: Wolfe is a special teamer also so he may have more value then Bell at this point.  At the end of the day Matt Forte and Chester Taylor will be the main backs.

Update: According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Browns running back Jerome Harrison has no plans to hold out during training camp, according to his agent.

Fantasy Impact: Harrison signed his one year tender and will report to camp on time.  Rookie Montario Hardesty is a rookie who will give Harrison a run for his money.

Update: The Washington Post is reporting that Redskins guard Mike Williams, is expected to miss the upcoming season because of blood clots near his heart. The condition could also be career threatening.

Fantasy Impact: Williams signed a two-year, $1.49 million deal in March.  He is former a No. 4 overall pick.

Update: NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi is reporting that Jets corner Darrelle Revis will not follow through on his threat to hold out of training camp as he seeks a new contract.

Fantasy Impact: Revis can void his current deal at the end of the year, and that is most likely what he will do, but the Jets can buy back those years at $20M guaranteed and if he holds out this year that money could be in jeopardy so it is unlikely he does it.