49ers QB Trey Lance has made a "substantial jump" this offseason, according to private QBs coach Jeff Christensen. Lance recently worked with Christensen alongside Patrick Mahomes. “I said, ‘Watch this. Watch what he does here,’” Christensen said. “It was something I was telling him to do that he wasn’t quite doing. And then he saw Patrick apply it perfectly. And I think that visual buy-in, that mental buy-in, helped him past that mental hump. And to his credit he just kept getting better." Lance has adjusted his throwing motion and made improvements in accuracy, spin rate, and delivery time, according to Christensen. We'll get a glimpse at the new-look Lance when the 49ers open OTAs this week.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes Cowboys QB Dak Prescott will sign an extension this offseason. Dak is under contract through the 2024 season, but his cap number rockets from $26.8 million (2023) to $59.5 million in 2024. “Cowboys leadership has been very clear, publicly and privately, that they're all-in with Dak," Graziano writes. “They want him to be a Cowboy for his entire career.” Prescott, who turns 30 in July, projects as a low-end QB1 for 2023.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer hears that RB Dalvin Cook is now likely to remain with the Vikings for the 2023 season. "The Vikings have told other teams they're cap clean now, so there’s no urgency at this point to offload Cook," Breer writes. It sounds like Cook might still be available if another team was hot for him, but that seems unlikely considering Cook's age (28 in August), injury history, and cap hit ($14.1 million). We'll continue to keep an eye on this situation, but you should be drafting for now as if Cook will be a Viking this season.
The Cowboys chose RB Deuce Vaughn in Round 6 of the NFL Draft. Vaughn, of course, is best known for standing just 5'5 and 179 pounds. He got workhorse usage at Kansas State the past two years, though, with 528 carries and 91 receptions over that span. Vaughn might need return duties to help him make the active roster, but we'll be watching eagerly to see if he can work into an offensive role. There's room to climb a depth chart that currently includes Tony Pollard, Malik Davis, Ronald Jones, and Rico Dowdle. Vaughn will be just a late-round target for dynasty rookie drafts.
The Cowboys selected Michigan TE Luke Schoonmaker in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Call it strong draft capital in a year loaded with TE talent. The 6’5, 251-pounder tested as a high-end athlete following a breakout 2022 (35-418-3). NFL.com's Lance Zierlein comped him to Bills TE Dawson Knox. In Dallas, Schoonmaker has a chance to absorb a good chunk of the targets left behind by Dalton Schultz. The current Texan saw 89 targets with the Cowboys in 2022.
The Panthers selected Ole Miss WR Jonathan Mingo in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Mingo is a bet-on-traits prospect. He spent four years at Ole Miss but never led the team in receiving yards and totaled only 12 TDs. His career 25.6% Dominator Rating (share of team receiving yards and receiving TDs) lands in the 40th percentile. But Mingo goes 6’2, 220 pounds with a 4.46-second 40 time and a 39.5-inch vertical. His Combine performance earned him a 98th percentile Relative Athletic Score. That size and athleticism pops on tape. Mingo is a smooth mover who can win deep and after the catch. He was one of 12 WRs in the nation to earn a 99.9 Pro Football Focus grade on deep targets last year – AND averaged a big 7.3 yards after the catch per reception. Mingo lands on a Panthers squad without any long-term, impact WRs. Playing alongside the highly-accurate Bryce Young only adds to Mingo’s dynasty appeal.
"Several teams" have called the 49ers to check on the availability of QB Trey Lance, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Rapoport adds that San Francisco is not actively shopping Lance and that "no trade is imminent." But it certainly makes sense that there's interest from other teams after the 49ers publicly called QB Brock Purdy the favorite to start in 2023. We continue to believe that there's a good chance that Lance is a Week 1 starter this season -- whether it's for the 49ers or another team.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler hears that the Vikings might cut RB Dalvin Cook before the NFL Draft at the end of this month. Cook compiled 1,468 total yards and 10 TDs last year, finishing 10th among RBs in PPR points. But he ranked just 41st among 48 qualifying RBs in rush yards over expected per attempt, turns 28 in August, and is recovering from shoulder surgery. Cook carries a $14.1 million cap hit in 2023, although releasing him would save Minnesota just $5.9 million. The Vikings have also talked to at least one team about a Cook trade, Fowler adds. (The Dolphins have previously been rumored to be interested.) We'll see where this goes over the next couple of weeks, but Cook is a risky pick in current best-ball drafts. His departure would leave RB Alexander Mattison atop Minnesota's depth chart -- barring a significant addition in the draft.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook is making "excellent progress" in his recovery from mid-February shoulder surgery, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. That procedure addressed a broken shoulder that Cook suffered back in 2019 and has been playing through since. The shoulder is "now 100% stable and stronger," per Pelissero. It doesn't sound like this will impact Cook's availability for the 2023 season. He's been mentioned as a potential trade or even cut candidate -- but this shoulder issue might be holding up any potential move. Perhaps something transpires the week of the NFL Draft. Stay tuned.
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan stated on Tuesday that he anticipates having QBs Trey Lance and Sam Darnold split first-team reps in practice this offseason, according to David Lombardi of The Athletic. This comment comes on the heels of reports that QB Brock Purdy is the "leader of the clubhouse" in San Francisco, suggesting that Lance's standing on the depth chart is in serious jeopardy. Dynasty managers who roster Lance probably aren't feeling too great right now. There was always a level of understanding that Lance would be a developmental project, especially coming into the NFL with little starting experience at an FCS-level college program at North Dakota State. But now, two years into his career, Lance has four starts under his belt, a severe ankle injury on the mend, and Purdy seems poised to be the starter once he recovers from the elbow injury he sustained in the NFC title game vs. the Eagles. So it wouldn't be fair to characterize Lance as a bust. We don't have enough evidence to suggest he can't be a starter for an NFL team. What we do know, however, is that the odds of that team being the 49ers are beginning to dwindle. Those who feel confident in Lance's potential are looking at a solid buy-low window right now, but it would be best not to be super aggressive in trying to acquire him. We're into some pretty muddy waters with this situation. We'll be sure to keep an eye on this storyline as the spring and summer unfold.
The Cowboys are getting WR Brandin Cooks from the Texans for a fifth-round pick in 2023 and a sixth-rounder in 2024, according to multiple reports. Dallas likely views Cooks as the new No. 2 WR, ahead of Michael Gallup. We wouldn't bet on him beating CeeDee Lamb in target share. Cooks is coming off a disappointing 2022 that saw his receptions per game, yards per game and catch rate fall significantly vs. his previous two Houston campaigns. He managed just a WR40 finish in PPR points per game. But we're not betting that the 29-year-old (until Sept. 25) is over the hill just yet. If the team change doesn't boost Cooks' ADP too much vs. his current low-WR4 position, he's a solid-to-good option for your best ball drafts. Cooks' arrival also helps QB Dak Prescott, who sits low in QB1 territory in best ball ADP. As for the Houston WR corps: Try not to get too excited about anyone. The Texans signed Robert Woods to a two-year deal this offseason. Nico Collins has averaged just 2.9 receptions per game through two NFL seasons. And 2022 second-round pick John Metchie is expected to debut after missing his rookie year for leukemia treatment. The whole group should at least get a new QB next month via the NFL Draft.
The Cowboys have decided to release long-time former Pro Bowl RB Ezekiel Elliott after seven seasons spent with the franchise. This move will save the Cowboys $10.9 million in cap space. Elliott entered the league in 2016 and immediately led the league in rushing yards (1,631) as a rookie. For as good as the affectionately nicknamed Zeke has been as a pro, his production has seen a precipitous dropoff over time. 2022 saw Zeke post career lows in rushing yards per game (58.4), total touches (248), and PPR fantasy PPG (12.4). It's certainly feasible that Elliott can latch on somewhere as the hammer in a committee, but it's tough to imagine he'll have much of a market entering his age-28 season. This move does, however, free up RB Tony Pollard to take on the lead role in the Cowboys' backfield. The soon-to-be fifth-year back averaged 15.6 PPG en route to an RB8 overall finish in PPR in 2022. Whispers of the Cowboys' interest in Texas RB Bijan Robinson might put a damper on the prospective upside of Pollard. However, if the franchise opts to pair Pollard with another RB of lesser acclaim, he should have a highly productive season in 2023 and find himself well within the RB1 conversation. The absence of Elliott is now one hurdle cleared for Pollard, the RB16 in our dynasty rankings.
The Cowboys have agreed to a three-year deal with S Donovan Wilson that includes $24 million total and full guarantees on the first two years, according to NFL Network's Mike Garofolo. Wilson got his first chance at full-time starting duty last season -- his fourth in Dallas -- and racked up big numbers. He led all Cowboys with 101 tackles and led all NFL DBs with 5 sacks. Wilson ranked among the top 12 fantasy scorers at the position. The money locks him in for at least one more year of starting, and likely two. That makes Wilson worth keeping in dynasty leagues. And he'll almost certainly land a top-20 spot among DBs in our 2023 IDP rankings.
The Chargers have agreed to a two-year, $13.25 million deal with LB Eric Kendricks, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The Vikings released Kendricks earlier this offseason to free up cap space. His arrival to L.A. comes with last year's lead LB, Drue Tranquill, still on the open market. So Kendricks looks like the best bet to lead the LB corps in 2023 playing time. There's still room for Tranquill to come back and play a significant role. If he doesn't and the Chargers don't make any other significant additions at off-ball LB, then Kenneth Murray could get one final starting shot in the fourth year of his rookie contract. We'd be quite surprised if L.A. picks up the fifth-year option on the highly disappointing former first-round pick. Expect Kendricks to land inside the top 30 when our 2023 IDP rankings drop.
The Vikings are releasing LB Eric Kendricks, which will save the team $9.5 million in 2023 cap space. It was a necessary move for a team that hit the offseason among the furthest over the cap. Kendricks turned 31 at the end of February, so he likely doesn't have many productive NFL seasons left. We'd bet on him landing a 2023 opportunity somewhere, though. The veteran started every game last season for just the second time in his career and has started 113 of his 117 career appearances. Don't be surprised if Kendricks lingers on the open market until after the NFL Draft, though.
The Athletic's Bob Sturm writes that the consensus opinion from analysts and scouts is that Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott "has very little left in his legs." Zeke isn't even 28 yet but has amassed well over 2,000 touches through 7 NFL seasons. He posted career lows this past year in yards per carry (3.8) and yards per catch (5.4), while ranking outside the top 30 RBs in Pro Football Focus' rushing and receiving grades. The Cowboys are reportedly hoping to get Elliott to agree to a pay cut to stick around for 2023. We'll see how that plays out over the next few weeks. Elliott is cheap in early best-ball drafts, with a current Underdog ADP of RB37. But he's not an exciting pick even at that price point.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook underwent surgery today to address a broken shoulder that he suffered back in 2019, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Cook has dealt with a plethora of shoulder issues throughout his football career: a labrum tear in 2014 at Florida State, a re-injury in college in 2016, the aforementioned 2019 injury, a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum in 2021 and another injury this past September. Cook's agency suggested in a statement that he'll be ready for the start of the 2023 season, but we'll look for more details on the procedure and Cook's exact timeline for return. He turns 28 in August.
The Cowboys named Brian Schottenheimer their new OC. He spent this past season in Dallas as an offensive consultant. HC Mike McCarthy is expected to take over play-calling duties from the departed Kellen Moore, so we're not sure Schottenheimer's role will change much in 2023. He does have 12 seasons of experience as an NFL OC, most recently from 2018-2020 with the Seahawks. Those were run-leaning attacks, with 2 of the 3 finishing top 3 in rushing attempts.
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy will take over play-calling duties from departed OC Kellen Moore, owner Jerry Jones said. Jones added that McCarthy will deploy a "version of the offenses he ran in Green Bay," according to The Dallas News' Calvin Watkins. McCarthy spent 13 years running the Packers offense, leading 10 of those teams to top 10 finishes in points, total yards or both. He was helped, of course, by having Brett Favre under center for his first 2 seasons and Aaron Rodgers for the final 11. McCarthy's offenses leaned pass, with 9 of them ranking higher in pass attempts than rush attempts. We'd expect a similar attack with QB Dak Prescott in 2023 but will keep an eye on McCarthy's plans throughout the offseason.
49ers QB Trey Lance (ankle) said Tuesday that he'll be fully cleared in 3-4 weeks and will be 100% for OTAs. He's rehabbing a fractured and dislocated ankle that required a 1st surgery in mid-September and a 2nd in late December. It sounds like that process has gone smoothly, though, and that Lance will be a full-go for the offseason program. Although he's entering his 3rd NFL season, he needs all the reps he can get. Lance has made just 4 pro starts after spending just 1 season as a starting QB in high school – and then just 1 full season as North Dakota State’s starter. The fantasy upside remains high here thanks to Lance's rushing ability combined with San Francisco's offensive scheme and weaponry.
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