5 things you need to know for Sunday

Hello football fans! Here are the five things you need to know from Saturday to start your day:

After struggling with drops as a rookie in 2016, Chicago RB Jordan Howard reportedly had vision surgery in May, according to a Chicago Sun Times reporter. Per the report, Howard had the surgery to improve his field vision and pass-catching, after he had the second-highest single-season drop rate for a running back since 2006 (min. 45 targets). Howard was much better as a runner, with the fourth-most yards after contact per carry and the No. 2 average yards per attempt in 2016.
The Baltimore Ravens will be without tight end Darren Waller for 2017 after he was handed a yearlong suspension for a reported violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy. After losing Waller and Dennis Pitta in the offseason, the Ravens went from having a lot of depth at the TE position to apparently looking for help, with reports that the team might look at free agent Gary Barnidge as an option.
Eagles RB Darren Sproles told ESPN’s Josina Anderson that he expects to be the Eagles’ third-down back this season, and that he thinks Ryan Mathews and LeGarrette Blount will both handle the early-down work. The role makes sense for Sproles, who lined up for 62.2 percent of the team’s third-down plays in 2016 and got 61.8 percent of the team’s backfield targets.
After four years with the Jets, Sheldon Richardson appears to be no lock to remain with the team in 2017, with reports out of ESPN that the team could be looking to trade the defensive end. Richardson is coming off a season in which he ranked second out of 30 qualified 4-3 DEs in run-stop percentage and in total run stops, but with the Jets looking at rebuilding, the team might deal Richardson.
Defensive players can have a significant impact on fantasy even in non-IDP leagues. To wit, when Washington added CB Josh Norman last offseason, it changed the evaluation for the top NFC East receivers. PFF Senior Fantasy Analyst Scott Barrett dives in on Norman’s effect on the rest of the division, primarily on Dez Bryant, Odell Beckham Jr., and NFC East newcomer Alshon Jeffery.