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.
Several outlets reported on Sunday evening that the Dallas Cowboys and OC Kellen more have mutually agreed to part ways after 4 seasons. HC Mike McCarthy is expected to take over play-calling duties in 2023. The Cowboys' offense ranked top-10 in scoring in 3 of Moore's 4 seasons at the helm. Moore will be a highly sought-after candidate whether as an OC or head coach. The former QB has interviewed for several head coach openings over the years, including an interview for the Carolina Panthers' vacancy that was ultimately filled by HC Frank Reich. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on Sunday that the newly-available Moore is expected to speak with the Los Angeles Chargers about their vacant OC position. Where he ultimately lands will have ripple effects for fantasy purposes. We'll keep our eyes out for any updates that come up regarding Moore's future employment status.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb hauled in 10 of 13 targets for 117 yards in Sunday's Divisional Round loss vs. the 49ers. TE Dalton Schultz also came up big again, catching 5 of 10 targets for 27 yards and 1 TD in the contest. Lamb will be locked into the WR1 conversation again in the coming season. On the other hand, Schultz is staring down free agency with an uncertain future ahead. It would certainly be great to see him return to the Cowboys long-term in hopes of extending his streak of TE1 finishes to 4 seasons and beyond. Add Schultz's name to the list of big question marks for the franchise looking ahead into the offseason.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott tallied 26 yards on 10 carries in Sunday's Divisional Round loss vs. the 49ers. It's difficult to project the veteran's future fantasy value looking ahead into 2023. Elliott has seen his average rushing yards per game drop year-over-year and concluded this season at a career-low 58.4 in 15 games. The Cowboys have an out in Elliott's contract with an $11.86 million dead cap hit that would enable them to move on if they choose to. That may sound like a lot of money to cut, but it's certainly a cheaper option than paying Elliott an average of around $16 million a year for the next 4 seasons. There's also the difficult situation of the franchise figuring out what to do with upcoming free agent RB Tony Pollard, who left Sunday's game with a fractured left fibula in the 2nd quarter. This will certainly be a backfield to watch in the coming months.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott completed 23 of 37 attempts for 206 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs in Sunday's Divisional Round loss vs. the 49ers. The veteran QB also added 22 rushing yards on 4 carries in the contest. Prescott fell back into his ways of throwing risky passes after a stellar performance last week vs. the Buccaneers in the Wild Card round, and the resurfacing of this turnover issue couldn't have come at a worse time. He'd had a 7-game INT streak prior to last week's contest. Prescott's 15 INTs in 12 games led the NFL in the regular season, though averaging 16.6 fantasy points per game with a stabilizing plate in his thumb could be worse. We expect Prescott to return to the QB1 conversation in 2023.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott completed 25 of 33 attempts for 305 yards and 4 TDs in Monday’s Wild Card win vs. the Buccaneers. The veteran QB added another 24 yards and a red zone TD on the ground. Prescott seems to have found his groove after entering the playoffs on a 7-game turnover streak. Next up on the agenda is a tough road battle vs. the 49ers’ defense that ranks 8th-toughest in adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook tallied 15 carries for 60 rushing yards and 6 receptions on 7 targets for 10 yards in Sunday's Wild Card loss vs. the Giants. This inefficient outing is undoubtedly disappointing for fantasy managers who enlisted the help of Cook for points. It's worth noting that the Vikings have an out in Cook's contract that could make him a free agent in 2023 should they choose to exercise it. Such a move would carry a dead cap hit just north of $6 million and is merely hypothetical at this point. He'll be a name to watch this offseason just in case.
According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 TV in Houston, the "standing trade request" by Texans WR Brandin Cooks "is expected to be worked on and, in all likelihood, accommodated this offseason." Such a move certainly wouldn't come as a surprise after the way this season played out between the team and the wideout. Cooks added that he, his agent and GM Nick Caserio "have a good working relationship." The Texans don't appear likely to give Cooks away for less than they believe he's worth. And he still has 2 years left on his contract. The coming season carries a particularly large dead-cap number ($34.2 million) should Cooks move on. So there remains little motivation on the team side to make a move, other than to pacify the player. It's tough to judge how much Cooks has left off this season, which has found him post a career-worst 6.8 yards per target. In addition to his conflict with team management, Cooks has dealt with injuries and poor QB play. He'll still be 29 until next September, though. And the dip in production plus uncertainty with his future should mean a low price on the dynasty trade market this offseason. We wouldn't mind taking a run at the perennially productive vet. Given his big salary and advanced age, we'd bet that a team acquiring Cooks is likely to be a contender with a quality QB. See where Cooks sits in our dynasty rankings.
Vikings RB Dalvin Cook managed just 27 yards on 9 carries in Sunday's lopsided loss to the Packers. He added just 2 catches for 17 more yards. It was Cook's fewest rushes and rushing yards since Week 2. The whole offense gets a better matchup at Chicago in Week 18.
49ers QB Trey Lance underwent a 2nd surgery on his right ankle on December 30, the team announced. This procedure removed hardware from the initial September surgery that was causing irritation. The 49ers expect Lance to be ready for OTAs. His health and standing on the 49ers' depth chart will be 1 of the bigger storylines of this coming offseason.
Cowboys LB Micah Parsons is questionable for Thursday night's game against the Titans with a left-hand injury that limited his practice the past 2 days. He said after Tuesday's workout that he still expected to play. The team has ruled out LB Leighton Vander Esch (shoulder), which will boost the playing time for LBs Anthony Barr and Damone Clark. Check our Week 17 IDP rankings to see whether either should factor into your fantasy football plans.
Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch (shoulder) is expected to miss his 2nd straight game Thursday against the Titans. He did some work on the side during Tuesday's practice but likely need more time before he's game ready. Rookie Damone Clark started in LVE's place against the Eagles but played just 69% of the defensive snaps and logged 4 total tackles. Veteran LB Anthony Barr has played 2 of his 4 largest snap snares all season the past 2 weeks. He has topped out at 7 total tackles, though, and has exceeded 4 solos just once (Week 15). We wouldn't bother with any Cowboys LB other than Micah Parsons for IDP lineups in most cases.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott threw for 347 yards and 3 TDs in Saturday's win over the Eagles. He found WR CeeDee Lamb twice for scores, from 36 and 7 yards out. His other TD went to WR Michael Gallup from 12 yards out in the 3rd quarter. Week 17 holds a pass-funnel matchup with the Titans, who sit 4th-toughest on RB scoring but 6th most friendly to QB fantasy numbers.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb racked up 10 catches for 120 yards and 2 TDs in Saturday's win over the Eagles. It was his 2nd straight game with 120+ yards. All 4 of his 100-yard games this season have come among the past 7 contests. He'll get a pass-favoring matchup with the Titans in Week 17. WR Michael Gallup snagged Dallas' other passing TD against Philly, totaling a 4-36-1 receiving line on 7 targets. TE Dalton Schultz added 3-43 on 4 targets.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott tallied a mediocre 61 total yards on 17 touches in Saturday's win over the Eagles: 16-55 rushing, 1-6 receiving on 1 target. He scored the team's lone rushing TD, marking his 8th straight game with at least 1 score. Elliott has also carried 15+ times in every appearance since Week 7. He gets 1 of the league's worst RB-scoring matchups in the Titans in Week 17, however. That will challenge his usability in fantasy football lineups. RB Tony Pollard managed just 19 yards on 9 carries against the Eagles, adding 6 catches for 61 yards on 8 targets. Each of those receiving numbers ranked 2nd on the team. That aspect will make Pollard better suited for the Tennessee matchup.
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