NFC South Owners Meeting Notes: Raheem Morris hints at Bijan Robinson taking on more responsibility, and more

PALM BEACH, Fla. — The NFL Owners Meeting took place last week, and I had the privilege of attending to hear what the head coaches and general managers said. With that in mind, here are some relevant quotes about players who matter to you.

We’re breaking this down by division, and here is the NFC South. Raheem Morris said Bijan Robinson can handle a bigger workload this season in Atlanta, while Kellen Moore isn’t concerned about managing the touches for Alvin Kamara in New Orleans. Dave Canales expects Chuba Hubbard to build off his breakout campaign from 2024 in Carolina, and Todd Bowles said Jalen McMillan is poised to improve in Year 2.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t get updates on every player. But here are some notes that could help you prepare for your Fantasy leagues this season.

Falcons: Raheem Morris says Bijan Robinson “wants all the smoke”

Robinson is my No. 1 running back heading into 2025, and I’m expecting him to build off his stellar finish from last season when he averaged 22.5 PPR points per game in his final eight outings. That was better than what Saquon Barkley (22.2) and Jahmyr Gibbs (21.4) did in 2024, and a big reason for Robinson’s strong ending was his workload.

Robinson, who averaged 20.1 PPR points per game for the season, averaged 17.2 total touches per game in his first six outings last year. But over his final 11 games, Robinson averaged 23.9 total touches per game, and Morris said that should be the norm in 2025.

“I don’t know what he can’t handle,” Morris said. “He showed me that he’s a man, and he wants all the smoke. He goes out there and he takes it every single week, whether it’s practice, whether it’s games, whatever the case may be. He accepts all the challenges.”

Morris indicated Tyler Allgeier will continue to get work in tandem with Robinson, but Morris loves everything about Robinson on and off the field. Fantasy managers will struggle with the choice of Robinson vs. Barkley as the No. 1 running back, but I like Robinson’s upside slightly more in 2025.

“I always want to get emotional when you start talking about Bijan because of how great of a kid he is and how great of a human,” Morris said. “He’s just a great human that just happens to be one of the best players in the world. He’s looking forward to showing us every single week his competitive nature, what he is, who he is. It is real, it is authentic, and it’s fun for us to be around every single day to watch.”

Saints: Kellen Moore not planning to limit Alvin Kamara’s workload

Kamara turns 30 in July, but Moore doesn’t plan to limit his touches in 2025. Moore, the new Saints coach, is excited to work with Kamara this season.

“Premier player in our league,” Moore said. “Obviously, you’re really excited to have him on your side. He’s just a big play waiting to happen. Great person, great player, great teammate. He’ll be a big part of our offense.”

Kamara had a standout season in 2024 when he averaged 18.9 PPR points per game, but he missed the final three games of the year with a groin injury. The Saints currently have Kendre Miller and Clyde Edwards-Helaire as the top backups behind Kamara, but New Orleans can always add someone in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Even if that happens, it doesn’t sound like Moore is worried about giving Kamara a significant amount of touches in 2025. And he averaged 21.1 total touches per game in 2024 before getting injured.

“All running backs, as you go through the season, there’s awareness (of their workload),” Moore said. “It’s a longevity game. The season is very long. He’s been able to carry the ball a decent amount over the last couple of years, and we’ll just kind of see as we go through the season how to evaluate that.”

Kamara should continue to be productive despite turning 30 because of his role in the passing game. He should be considered a high-end No. 2 running back, especially in PPR, and he’s worth drafting as early as Round 4 in the majority of leagues.

Panthers: Dave Canales gives Jonathon Brooks update, plan for Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle

Brooks suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in Week 14 last season, and he also tore the same ligament in the same knee in 2023 during his final collegiate season at Texas. Canales said Brooks is doing well in his recovery so far.

“He’s in the early process of his rehab still,” Canales said. “I’ve seen him around the office. He has a smile on, and he knows how to do this. He feels like he has a plan with it.”

Canales did not offer a timeline for when Brooks will play in 2025 if he can at all. For now, the Panthers are moving forward with Hubbard as the No. 1 running back, and Carolina signed Rico Dowdle as a free agent this offseason.

Hubbard had a breakout campaign in 2024 when he averaged 16.1 PPR points per game. He had 250 carries for 1,195 yards and 10 touchdowns and 43 catches for 171 yards and one touchdown on 54 targets in 15 games.

He should be considered a solid No. 2 running back in all leagues, and Hubbard is worth drafting as early as Round 4. As for Dowdle, he should be a solid complement for Hubbard, but Dowdle is only worth drafting with a late-round pick.

Dowdle had a breakout season in 2024 with the Cowboys when he averaged 12.4 PPR points per game. He had 235 carries for 1,079 yards and two touchdowns and 39 catches for 249 yards and three touchdowns on 49 targets. We hoped he would get the chance for a more featured role, but we’ll see how he works in tandem with Hubbard in 2025.

Canales likes both running backs, but Hubbard is the starter and should continue to improve in his role.

“It’s great for the mentality of football we wanted him to play,” Canales said of Hubbard in 2024. “He certainly embodied that the way that he finished runs. The patience and the detail with which he ran our scheme was so huge. And then to add Rico to that room as well. To watch his play style come alive last year, we’re really excited about having that combination in our backfield.”

Buccaneers: Todd Bowles excited for Jalen McMillan in Year 2

McMillan had a strong finish to his rookie campaign in 2024 when he scored seven touchdowns in his final five games, and he scored at least 16.7 PPR points in each outing over that span. He took advantage of Chris Godwin (ankle) being out, but Godwin is back in Tampa Bay this season after signing a three-year, $66 million contract, including $44 million guaranteed.

With Godwin and Mike Evans on the roster, McMillan will struggle to produce at a high level on a consistent basis, so Fantasy managers are only going to select McMillan with a late-round pick if everyone is healthy. Still, Bowles has high expectations for McMillan entering the second year of his career.

“Once he caught up mentally, he really started to show himself, especially with Mike and Chris going down for a little bit of time,” Bowles said. “He became one of our guys. He blossomed from there. He’s a heck of a football player. As long as he takes care of his body we expect him to be even better this year.”