The Patriots are signing WR K.J. Osborn to a one-year deal worth $4 million, with a top value of $6 million. That's not enough to guarantee a significant role. But Osborn clearly lands in a place with opportunity. WR Demario Douglas led the team in targets last year as a late-round rookie who played just 14 games. RB Ezekiel Elliott led the team in receptions as a 28-year-old addition averaging just 6.1 yards per catch. And TE Hunter Henry was the only other Patriot to reach 40 catches. We'll see how this year's pass-catching corps sorts out and who's throwing passes. Osborn arrives as an unexciting option, topping out at 3.5 receptions per game in 2022.
The Rams signed QB Jimmy Garoppolo to a one-year deal. He was decent for the Raiders early last season but then suffered a back injury and struggled when he returned, eventually getting benched. Garoppolo is a subpar NFL starter but a quality backup for the Rams behind 36-year-old Matt Stafford.
The Bears are sending QB Justin Fields to the Steelers for a low-level draft pick. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Chicago gets only a sixth-rounder in 2025 that will become a fourth-rounder if he plays at least 51% of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps this year. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that a source told him "Russ is the starter." That, of course, refers to Russell Wilson, also recently acquired. It's a steep fall for Fields but a decent landing, behind a 35-year-old starter in clear decline. Fields is also unlikely to have his fifth-year option picked up this offseason. So we're betting he'll hit unrestricted free agency ahead of the 2025 season. We'll see about Fields' status at that point. For now, hold him if you can in dynasty -- just in case he finds a starting opportunity this year. We've seen that Fields can deliver fantasy points even while playing iffy-to-poor football. But Fields isn't a must-hold in shallower formats.
The Steelers traded QB Kenny Pickett and the 120th overall pick of this spring's draft to the Eagles in exchange for pick No. 98 and a pair of 2025 seventh-rounders, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Pickett wanted out of Pittsburgh after the arrival of QB Russell Wilson, according to Schefter. So Pickett goes from Wilson's backup ... to Jalen Hurts' backup. He still has two years left on his current contract, so it'll be at least 2026 before Pickett has a chance to sniff a starting job. Considering his lackluster play in Pittsburgh, it's more likely that Pickett settles in as a career backup.
Rams DL Aaron Donald has announced his retirement after 10 NFL seasons. He won three defensive player of the year awards, 2014 defensive rookie of the year, and eight first-team All-Pro honors. The coming season will be the Rams' first without Donald in the lineup since 2013. From 2014-2023, he missed just nine total regular-season games. L.A. will obviously be hard-pressed to ever find another D-lineman near Donald's level. Expect them to look for help in that area with the 19th pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, though.
The Giants signed QB Drew Lock to a one-year, $5 million contract. Seahawks GM John Schneider said shortly after the deal was announced that he was hoping to bring Lock back but that the Giants promised him a shot at the starting job. "They basically sold him on the opportunity to compete to be the starter," Schneider said. "And he felt like it was the right opportunity. He looked at Baker Mayfield’s opportunity last year and felt that this could be something similar." The New York Post's Paul Schwartz has since countered that idea, reporting that the Giants signed Lock as a strict backup. Schwartz adds that Lock "could get plenty of action with the first-team offense in the spring and summer" as QB Daniel Jones works back from his torn ACL but that the Giants expect Jones to be ready for the start of the season. We'll keep you updated on this situation. Neither Jones nor Lock are worth targeting in early best-ball drafts.
The Seahawks shipped 2024 third- and fifth-round picks to the Commanders for QB Sam Howell. GM John Schneider said shortly after making the trade that QB Geno Smith remains the starter. "Geno's the guy and Sam will be backing him up," Schneider said. We're buying that considering Smith still played quality football last year, ranking 12th among 30 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus passing grades. Smith, of course, is 33 now and carries a big $38.5 million cap hit in 2025. So there's a chance that Howell replaces him then. "We were just really excited to be able to acquire him," Schneider said of Howell. "We know he's a serious dude. He's into it, he works his tail off. We got great reviews on him and we loved him coming out of college. So yeah, we're happy to get him in the mix." Howell is worth keeping stashed in most dynasty leagues.
The Texans and RB Joe Mixon agreed to a three-year extension worth $27 million total with $13 million guaranteed, according to insider Jordan Schultz. If there was any doubt that Mixon will be Houston's clear lead back at least this coming season, this deal should erase it. The 27-year-old is on the downside of his career but can still carry a load on the ground and is reliable in the passing game. Set to see nice volume in an ascending Texans offense, Mixon has a shot to turn in another RB1 fantasy season in 2024.
The Packers re-signed RB A.J. Dillon to a one-year deal, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Dillon didn't seem to garner much interest on the open market after averaging a career-low 3.4 yards per carry last year. He'll return to Green Bay as a clear backup behind RB Josh Jacobs, who inked a four-year, $48 million deal earlier this week.
The Vikings acquired the 23rd overall pick of this year's draft -- plus pick No. 232 -- from the Texans in exchange for picks 42, 188, and a 2025 second-rounder. Minnesota now holds the 11th and 23rd overall picks in the draft. The obvious conclusion here is that the Vikings are stockpiling ammo to make a move up for a QB. They'd likely need to trade into the top three to land Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, or Drake Maye. Or they could make a smaller move up for J.J. McCarthy. Any of those guys would be good news for the short and long-term fantasy outlooks of WR Justin Jefferson, WR Jordan Addison, and TE T.J. Hockenson. QB Sam Darnold currently tops Minnesota's depth chart.
The Chiefs are signing WR Marquise Brown to a one-year deal worth "up to" $11 million, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. If you have to settle for a "prove it" deal, it's tough to imagine a much better place to do it. The Chiefs return TE Travis Kelce as the most likely top target. WR Rashee Rice seized a large role late in the season and appears likely to hit 2024 as at least the lead wideout -- maybe a challenger to Kelce. But last year's No. 3 in targets was WR Justin Watson, whose 53 checked in 49 behind Rice. Brown obviously gets a boost to his weekly upside by joining QB Patrick Mahomes. He might have a tough time finding consistent targets. But he should easily emerge as at least the clear No. 3 target. We'll see where Brown lands in ADP before judging how good a draft value he is. "Mahomes WRs" often get pushed up the board a little too much. If Brown can stay outside the top 36 in ADP, he'll be fine to target. Climbing high into WR3 range would start to add more risk. Check our best ball rankings to see where Brown lands post-signing.
The Chargers are trading WR Keenan Allen to the Bears for a fourth-round pick. That low price clearly comes because of Allen's contract. He carries a $34.7 million cap number, according to Over The Cap. Of course, we don't care about that for fantasy. Allen remained highly productive last season, finishing third among WRs in PPR points per game -- before missing the final four contests. He'll compete with D.J. Moore for the target lead in Chicago, where we're all awaiting confirmation that Caleb Williams will take over at QB. Whoever pilots the Bears offense will have a nice crew of pass-catchers, including new RB D'Andre Swift. Allen's ceiling comes down with the target competition and offense that's almost certain to be less pass-leaning than the Chargers of the past few years. Moore also takes hits to both his floor and ceiling. L.A., meanwhile, has to be a strong candidate to draft a WR fifth overall after dumping both Allen and Mike Williams. Josh Palmer is the top incumbent and looks like a better bet to seize opportunity than Quentin Johnston, who stunk as a 2023 rookie. We'll see how the situation sorts out, but losing Allen obviously hurts QB Justin Herbert. And it further fuels the expectation that the offense will lean much more toward the run under HC Jim Harbaugh and OC Greg Roman. That obviously hurts Herbert's 2024 fantasy outlook. We still believe in the QB's talent, though. So it might be a good time to check Herbert's trade price in dynasty. The whole market has already been down on him this offseason. Check our dynasty rankings to see how these moves affect the players involved.
The Bills are signing WR Curtis Samuel to a three-year, $24 million deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The contract can be worth up to $30 million and includes $15 million in guarantees. It almost certainly locks Samuel in as the No. 2 WR alongside Stefon Diggs. It's worth noting, however, that he's getting significantly smaller annual averages than Gabe Davis (Jaguars) and Darnell Mooney (Falcons). Each of those free-agent WRs got deals with $13 million annual averages and more guaranteed money. For now, Samuel looks poised to battle TE Dalton Kincaid for the No. 2 spot in targets. Though we'll see whether Buffalo adds a WR early in the draft. Samuel presents intrigue in that his short-range game differs from the skill sets of Diggs and Davis, who spent the past four years in Buffalo. Samuel also played under Bills OC Joe Brady in Carolina in 2020, when he trailed Robbie Chosen and D.J. Moore by more than 20 targets apiece. Samuel did garner a career-high 41 carries that season, but the Panthers only got three games of RB Christian McCaffrey. For fantasy, Samuel looks interesting and obviously lands with an upside QB. But it's tough to like him as more than a high-WR4 to low-WR3. Samuel's short-range game makes him more attractive for lineup-setting leagues than best ball drafts. His arrival is also bad news for WR Khalil Shakir, who has spent 72% of his snaps in the slot over two seasons in Buffalo. Shakir can play outside as well. But you shouldn't consider him before the end of best ball drafts.
The Falcons acquired WR Rondale Moore from the Cardinals in exchange for QB Desmond Ridder. Moore is coming off a disappointing 2023 campaign, mustering just 40 catches for 352 yards and one TD over 17 games. He struggled with injuries over his first two NFL seasons but averaged 4.3 catches and 39 yards per game. Still only 23, Moore has a chance to rebound with the Falcons. But he was a low average-target-depth player in college and has remained so as a pro, so he needs significant volume to deliver in fantasy. That'll be tough to find in Atlanta alongside WR Drake London, TE Kyle Pitts, and RB Bijan Robinson. The Falcons also added WR Darnell Mooney to the pass-catching corps in free agency. It's a solid group for QB Kirk Cousins. Ridder, meanwhile, will be no threat to QB Kyler Murray in Arizona. Ridder is only worth rostering in deeper superflex dynasty leagues.
The Raiders signed TE Harrison Bryant to a one-year, $3.25 million deal with a max value of $4 million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Bryant spent the past four seasons in Cleveland backing up TE Austin Hooper and then TE David Njoku. He'll play a similar secondary role in Las Vegas behind TE Michael Mayer. Bryant is off the redraft radar and is not a must-hold in dynasty.
The Colts signed QB Joe Flacco to a one-year deal worth "up to" $8.7 million, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Flacco gets $4.5 million guaranteed. The 2023 Comeback Player of the Year played well down the stretch for the Browns last season, averaging 321 passing yards on a 63% completion rate and 7.7 yards per attempt across six outings. He tossed 14 TDs but also 10 INTs. Flacco is quality insurance for the Colts behind QB Anthony Richardson, who made it through just two full games as a rookie last year. The signing makes guys like WR Michael Pittman and WR Josh Downs slightly safer fantasy bets.
The Titans surprisingly landed WR Calvin Ridley on Wednesday with a four-year, $92 million deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The pact includes $50 million guaranteed, adding Ridley to a WR corps that returns DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks. That's probably the strongest collection of WR talent the franchise has had since moving from Houston to Nashville. And the Ridley move just might be the strongest sign that HC Brian Callahan's Titans plan to throw the ball quite a bit more than the Mike Vrabel version. Even big-money RB Tony Pollard brings more receiving pedigree than rushing. How will all these WRs fit together by target share? Burks figures to sit a clear third, barring some gigantic steps for him this summer. Ridley hasn't been as much of a target earner as Hopkins throughout their respective careers. So we'll likely favor Hopkins between them. But expect both veteran wideouts to garner shares of 20+%. As for scheme fit, Burks enjoyed quite a bit of success from the slot at Arkansas before arriving as a first-round pick. This will be a very interesting offense heading into the 2024 season. And the biggest individual winner might be QB Will Levis. He's available late in best ball drafts (QB27 Underdog Fantasy ADP) but can at least offer high weekly ceilings. There might be top-16 season upside to Levis. Check our best ball rankings for everyone's updated numbers.
The Chargers are releasing WR Mike Williams, according to multiple reports. It makes sense. Dumping Williams saves the team $20 million against the 2024 salary cap, which they sat about $25 million over before this move. It doesn't help Williams that he's coming off a September ACL tear. That could delay his signing with a new team -- or perhaps lead the 29-year-old to take a one-year "prove it" deal somewhere. We'll be watching the next step for Williams, who has scored on 10% of his career receptions and regularly ranked among league leaders in end-zone targets. The Chargers now sport Keenan Allen, Josh Palmer, and Quentin Johnston as their top three WRs, in an offense that figures to run the ball quite a bit more than it has since 2013. Those Chargers ran on 45.8% of offensive plays. The 10 versions since have reached 40% in run rate just twice and never exceeded 42.2%. Check our WR rankings for updates on Williams and the rest of the affected wideouts.
The Patriots are signing TE Austin Hooper to a one-year deal worth "up to" $4.5 million, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Hooper is reuniting with OC Alex Van Pelt, who was Cleveland's OC when Hooper was there in 2020 and 2021. Hooper finished 22nd and 30th among TEs in PPR points per game those years and was even less productive the last two in Tennessee and then Las Vegas. The 29-year-old will slot in behind TE Hunter Henry in New England and is not worth rostering in fantasy football.
A day after being released by the Patriots, WR DeVante Parker inked a one-year, $4.69 million deal with the Eagles, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's a bit surprising that Philadelphia made this move so quickly and might make Parker the favorite for the No. 3 WR job this season. Even then, though, he'd need an A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith injury to sniff reliable fantasy value. Parker hasn't topped 539 receiving yards in a season since 2020 and turned 31 in January.
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