Cardinals WR Marquise Brown was, not surprisingly, more productive in games without WR DeAndre Hopkins than with him last year. How much more productive? Brown averaged just 4.3 catches, 39 yards, and 0 TDs in four games with Hopkins. Those numbers spiked to 6.3 catches, 69 yards, and 0.38 TDs in eight games without Hopkins. Brown's 15.5 PPR points per game in those outings would have ranked 14th among WRs for the season. Most importantly, Brown went from 7.5 targets per game on a 19.7% share without Hopkins to 9.6 targets on a 23.8% share without him. Hopkins, of course, was released by Arizona in May. And the team only added WRs Michael Wilson and Zach Pascal this offseason. It sets Brown up for hefty volume in 2023. See exactly where he lands in the 2023 WR Rankings.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce will turn 34 in October but has shown no signs of decline. He just registered his second-best Pro Football Focus receiving grade and fourth-most yards per route run of his career last season. Those marks ranked first and second, respectively, among 32 qualifying TEs. From a fantasy perspective, Kelce easily led all TEs in PPR, half-PPR, and non-PPR points. He's now finished as a top-2 fantasy TE in seven straight seasons, including six No. 1 finishes. Just how high should Kelce go in 2023 fantasy drafts? Check out where he sits in the overall rankings.
The Chiefs "hope" RB Isiah Pacheco will be ready to return by the "middle" of training camp, according to The Athletic's Nate Taylor. Pacheco continues to rehab from offseason surgeries to repair a torn labrum and broken bone in his hand. He missed all of spring workouts, and it sounds like he won't be cleared to return until some time in August. His health will be worth watching closely next month. Jerick McKinnon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and undrafted rookie Deneric Prince are the next men up in Kansas City's backfield.
Patriots WR JuJu Smith-Schuster missed all of spring practices because of the knee injury he suffered in last year's AFC Championship Game, according to The Athletic's Chad Graff. Smith-Schuster was able to play in the Super Bowl, so it's surprising that this is still an issue four months later. The missed reps aren't ideal as JuJu works to settle into a new offense. We'll see if he's ready to go for the start of training camp next month.
Broncos RB Samaje Perine left practice on Wednesday with a thumb injury. Perine walked to the locker room with Denver’s training staff, although HC Sean Payton downplayed the injury later on. We’re not expecting Perine to be limited for the start of training camp.
UPDATE: Perine's injury was a thumb bruise. Carry on.
Per ESPN's Mike Reiss, the Patriots are being "cautious" with WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. Reiss signaled that the move stems from JuJu's knee injury in the AFC Championship game. New England is also looking to get 2nd-year WR Tyquan Thornton back to 100% following a "soft-tissue-related injury." We'll keep an eye on both players as training camp nears. Thornton, given his elite speed profile, remains worthy of a late best ball pick. Just note: DeAndre Hopkins is set to visit the Patriots this week.
The Athletic’s Nate Taylor believes Chiefs TE Travis Kelce is “skilled enough to be the Chiefs’ top passing option” for two more seasons. “An argument can be made that Mahomes is so brilliant, from the pocket and improvising out of the pocket, that perhaps he and Kelce can continue to connect for at least 1,000 yards the next three years,” Taylor concludes. Kelce, 34 in October, has hit 1,000 yards in seven straight seasons. He showed no signs of decline last year, but that’ll be a topic worth revisiting each offseason. For now, Kelce remains king of the TE rankings.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer spoke to NFL executives on free-agent WR DeAndre Hopkins and found mixed opinions on what the 31-year-old has left in the tank. “Not much," one executive said. "He can’t run anymore.” Another was more optimistic: “He’s still a good player. Good route runner, big, physical target that can play a ball in the air. He’s still a threat.” The Cardinals spent the offseason trying to trade Hopkins but found no suitors willing to pay his $19.45 million salary. Per Breer, the Chiefs and Bills were the only two teams that engaged Arizona in trade talks. Those two teams sound like two of the favorites to sign Hopkins now that he's a free agent. Either landing spot would be good for his fantasy football value. Stay tuned.
The Cardinals announced that they have released WR DeAndre Hopkins. Trade rumors have swirled around the veteran all offseason. This move clearly indicates that the team couldn't find a suitable partner. That almost certainly comes down to the money involved, as Hopkins carried a $30.75 million cap hit for 2023. By waiting for the release, other teams can now negotiate their own deal with Hopkins rather than pay his huge existing contract. Arizona moves on with Marquise Brown as the lead WR. He was scoring in WR1 range last season before fracturing a foot and getting Hopkins back from suspension. Rondale Moore figures to operate as the No. 2 WR. The big question will be how much time he spends in the slot vs. outside. Candidates for the 3rd WR spot include veteran Greg Dortch and third-round rookie Michael Wilson. Dortch is clearly a slot guy, having spent 82.5% of his career pass snaps there. Wilson stands 6'2, 213 pounds and ran 76% of his college routes outside. Of course, Arizona also might play more 2-TE sets under new coaches, if Zach Ertz makes it back from his ACL tear in time to join second-year TE Trey McBride. For now, move Brown and Moore up your draft board, and consider taking late best ball shots on Dortch and Wilson. We'll continue watching the recovery of QB Kyler Murray (ACL tear). See where everyone sits in our updated fantasy football WR rankings.
Nick Kosmider of The Athletic believes RB Samaje Perine “should be a fixture of Denver’s offense, regardless of when [Javonte] Williams returns.” It certainly sounds like new HC Sean Payton agrees. “When we signed Samaje, this is a guy that gave us flexibility,” Payton said. “We signed him because we knew he was durable and reliable. We felt like we got another solid runner who’s built in a strong way. There are a lot of things he does well. When we signed him, there was still uncertainty (with Williams). I was taught a long time ago to stack them up at that position. It’s a tough position in our league.” We’ll continue tracking the ACL/LCL rehab for Williams, who looks close to 50/50 for Week 1. For now, Perine’s Round 9 ADP on Underdog Fantasy looks tempting.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach suggested that the team views rookie WR Rashee Rice as a potential replacement for WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. “He was a guy that the contested catch and the run-after-the-catch (skill) was something that really stood out," Veach said. “We did lose JuJu. It makes sense to find a guy that can do a lot of things that he can do on the inside game. He’s almost like a running back after the catch." Rice has reportedly spent time out wide, in the slot and even attached to the line of scrimmage at rookie minicamp. He played 82% of his snaps out wide at SMU last year but was in the slot for 94% of his snaps back in 2021. That positional versatility can only help Rice's chances of earning a significant role as a rookie.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco is recovering from offseason surgeries on his hand and labrum, HC Andy Reid said. According to Rutgers Wire, Pacheco played "much of the season" with a torn labrum and then broke a bone between his wrist and thumb in the AFC Championship Game. "He's making progress," Reid said. "We'll just see how he does with it. I can't even give you a timeline on it, but he's doing well." Pacheco emerged as Kansas City's lead back over the second half of last season, averaging 13.6 carries over the final 12 games (including playoffs). He ceded most of the passing-down work to RB Jerick McKinnon, who just re-signed with the Chiefs last week. We'll likely see a similar arrangement this season, assuming Pacheco is back to 100% by Week 1. We'll keep an eye on his recovery.
The Chiefs selected SMU WR Rashee Rice in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Rice is coming off a huge 2022 season: 96 catches, 1,355 yards, and 10 TDs. He ranked ninth among 286 qualifying WRs in yards per route run (3.05) and seventh in Pro Football Focus receiving grade. He also led SMU in catches as a sophomore and junior. Rice isn’t a burner (4.51-second 40 time) but has the leaping ability, body control, and ball skills to win contested balls downfield. He led the FBS with 18 receptions 20+ yards downfield last year. Rice helped himself at the Combine with a 95th percentile Relative Athletic Score, highlighted by elite marks in the vertical and broad jumps at 6’1 and 204 pounds. He joins a depth chart featuring Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Skyy Moore. There’s room to climb into a fantasy-friendly role as soon as 2023. Longer-term, you’re chasing a potential full-time starter alongside Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs spent the final pick of Round 1 on Kansas State Edge Felix Anudike-Uzomah. The former Wildcat posted nice numbers over the past two years, totaling 25.5 tackles for loss and 19.5 sacks over that span. He didn't run a 40-yard dash leading up to the draft because of right foot and left hamstring issues. But Anudike-Uzomah otherwise tested well, including a 91st-percentile 3-cone drill. There's room for him to carve out an early role in Kansas City. Landing in Round 1 figures to move Anudike-Uzomah up our rookie IDP rankings.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes conceded that the right ankle he injured in the Divisional Round of the playoffs still isn't back to 100%. “Now, it’s been more about just kind of managing it, but getting the mobility back as best I possibly can,” Mahomes explained. “I wouldn’t say I’m 100%, but I’ve had no, necessarily, limitations. When you go through the grind of the week of training, you’re trying to push it and go through the rehab process, but at the same time, you want to make sure you’re still building. You might be a little sore on the weekends, but I think we’ve done a great job of pushing it to the right limit to where now I’m throwing and stuff like that and having no limitations there. Running and cutting, there will still be a few limitations going for the next few weeks.” Mahomes added that he expects to be at 100% come training camp. We'll continue to keep an eye on the situation, but the ankle is not impacting our 2023 projections for Mahomes.
The Jets have agreed to a one-year deal with WR Mecole Hardman, worth up to $6.5 million. Hardman missed the final nine regular-season games last year, as well as the playoff opener. He returned for limited use in the conference-title game but then missed the Super Bowl. He'll have a tough time climbing higher than fourth among Jets WRs, behind Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, and Elijah Moore. WR Corey Davis also remains on the roster, though he has been rumored to be a candidate for trade or cut. It seems telling that the Chiefs didn't bother keeping Hardman around at such low contract terms. Don't bother mixing him into your best ball draft plans as anything more than an end-of-draft flier.
Update: Right after the Hardman deal's announcement came the Jets trading WR Elijah Moore to Cleveland. That obviously creates more room for Hardman, though we'll see what other moves are coming. We'll also see about Hardman's recovery from Feb. 21 pelvic surgery.
The Patriots have agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth up to $33 million with WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. The former Chief and Steeler is set to earn $22.5 million in guaranteed money over the first two years of the contract, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Smith-Schuster immediately steps into the mix with an offense that lost WR Jakobi Meyers (a recent signee with the Raiders) and has a lot of work cut out for them. It's tough to say how much fantasy value Smith-Schuster, or any pass-catcher in the Patriots' offense, will have under new OC Bill O'Brien as of now. Even so, there's only room for QB Mac Jones and company to move upward and improve upon their 23rd-ranked aerial attack in Football Outsiders' passing offense DVOA last season. Smith-Schuster logged an impressive 78 receptions and 933 receiving yards as a member of the Super Bowl-winning Chiefs in 2022. The Patriots have a long way to go in righting the ship, but this is a solid step in the right direction.
The Broncos have agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million deal with RB Samaje Perine. This contract also includes an additional $1 million in potential incentives. Perine makes a lot of sense for the Broncos given the uncertain recovery timeline for RB Javonte Williams, who tore his ACL in Week 4 of 2022 vs. the Raiders. Even if Williams is able to recover in time to play a majority of the 2023 season, Perine stands to shoulder a decent amount of the rushing workload in a Sean Payton-led offense that historically uses a committee approach at RB. The Broncos have invested heavily in their offensive line this offseason as well, inking large contracts with T Mike McGlinchey and G Ben Powers so far. How much this move impacts fantasy will depend on the health of Williams, but this move is far from insignificant, especially if the Broncos don't spend any more on the RB position this offseason.
SMU WR Rashee Rice earned the fifth-highest Relative Athletic Score (RAS) among receivers at the NFL Scouting Combine. The 6'1, 204-pounder registered the position's second-highest vertical (41 inches) and a strong broad jump (10'8). His 4.51-second 40-yard dash was closer to decent for the position (63rd percentile), but Rice's 1.49-second 10-yard split rated elite. Rice posted huge numbers as a 2022 senior, catching 96 balls for 1,355 yards and 10 TDs. He broke out as a 20-year-old sophomore. Look for much more on Rice in his upcoming dynasty prospect profile.
Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Chiefs are “bracing to lose” WR Mecole Hardman in free agency. Hardman, who underwent groin surgery in February, appeared in only 8 games this past season. 30% of his fantasy production came in one game (Week 7, at San Francisco). According to Fowler, the Chiefs will “attempt” to re-sign WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. Even if the 26-year-old returns, we expect Kansas City to add WR talent this offseason.
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