The Steelers released QB Mitchell Trubisky. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo said the two sides agreed to "mutually part ways." Trubisky made two starts for Pittsburgh this past year, totaling 359 yards, two TDs, and three INTs on 6.2 yards per pass attempt. The 29-year-old will only land a backup job on the open market and has scant dynasty value. The Steelers are expected to add a QB this offseason to compete with or replace Kenny Pickett.
The Athletic's Paul Dehner writes that "all expectations" are that the Bengals will use the franchise tag on WR Tee Higgins. Higgins is scheduled to hit free agency in March, but the tag would keep him in Cincinnati for 2024 on a one-year, $20.7 million deal. The deadline for franchise tags is March 5. Our current fantasy football rankings have Higgins projected to remain with the Bengals this year.
We should know by March 12 whether QB Kirk Cousins will stay with the Vikings in 2024. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the final four years on Cousins' current contract will void that day, the last of the league year. More importantly, the resulting $28.5 million in dead cap would immediately apply to Minnesota's 2024 salary cap. The Vikings could offset that by signing Cousins to an extension before March 12 and are reportedly working on that. If the two sides don't agree by then, the veteran QB would reach the open market. We'll be interested to see not only how those talks play out, but also what Cousins gets coming off an Achilles' tear and heading into his age-36 campaign. For now, you shouldn't treat him as more than a low QB2 in best ball drafting.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce said after Sunday's Super Bowl win that he'll be back for the 2024 season. There had been some whispers that he'd retire, especially if the Chiefs won another title. But Kelce will help Kansas City gun for a three-peat. The 34-year-old averaged 14.8 PPR points per game this past year -- his fewest since 2016 but still enough to lead all TEs. Kelce then racked up 32 catches, 355 yards, and three TDs across four playoff games. He sits atop our 2024 fantasy football TE rankings.
Niners LB Dre Greenlaw tore his left Achilles' tendon running onto the field in the second quarter of the Super Bowl. It's devastating timing for a devastating injury that puts his 2024 season into question. On top of that, Greenlaw heads into the final season of a two-year extension. His 2024 carries a $9.6 million cap number vs. just $2.8 million in dead cap if San Francisco cuts him, according to Spotrac. That could make him a cap casualty for a team projected to be just $570K under the cap for 2024. We'll keep an eye on both the contract situation and the rehab for a star LB who will be heading into just his age-27 season. The injury also chips away at Greenlaw's dynasty value, though it doesn't necessarily make him an offseason cut for fantasy.
Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney is a healthy scratch for tonight's game vs. the 49ers. He's signed with Kansas City for the 2024 season, but it's tough to be optimistic about his fantasy value considering how this season went. WR Skyy Moore is active for the Chiefs tonight.
Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) is active for tonight's game vs. the 49ers. It's a surprise after HC Andy Reid said Tuesday that McKinnon had a "slim" chance to play. He evidently made more progress than expected throughout the week. We're still not expecting McKinnon to play a major role in his first action since mid-December, although he could siphon some passing-down snaps from RB Isiah Pacheco.
The Seahawks are expected to hire Ryan Grubb as their new OC under HC Mike Macdonald, according to multiple reports. This will be Grubb's first NFL coaching job. He's been in the college ranks since 2005, most recently serving as Washington's OC for the last two seasons. Both of those Huskies teams finished top 13 in the nation in both total yards and points per game. They were especially lethal through the air, ranking first and then second in passing yards per game. Grubb joins a Seahawks squad with plenty of passing-game firepower in WRs D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. QB Geno Smith will very likely be back under center in 2024. We'll see if Seattle reunites Grubb with QB Michael Penix, who was at the helm for Washington the last two years.
49ers TE George Kittle (toe) is not listed on the final injury report for the Super Bowl. He was a full participant in practice on Friday and should be ready for his usual role vs. the Chiefs on Sunday. Kansas City allowed the fifth-fewest receptions to WRs during the regular season but finished mid-pack in catches allowed to TEs. Kittle could be a big part of San Francisco's game plan.
Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) is listed as questionable for the Super Bowl. He was limited in practice all week. HC Andy Reid said Tuesday that McKinnon had a "slim" chance to play, so we're currently projecting him to miss this one. We'll get Kansas City's inactives around 5 pm ET on Sunday.
49ers TE George Kittle (toe) got in a limited practice on Wednesday. He's fully expected to play in the Super Bowl this weekend, but we'll keep you updated on his status over the next few days.
Chiefs WR Skyy Moore (knee) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. WR Kadarius Toney was not listed on the injury report. So it looks like both guys will be available for Sunday's Super Bowl, although it remains unclear if either or both will be active. Neither guy has played since mid-December. Rashee Rice, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Justin Watson will likely to continue operating as Kansas City's top three WRs regardless.
The Giants used the franchise tag to keep Saquon Barkley on the 2023 roster but never worked out a longer-term pact. ESPN's Jordan Raanan reports that the team won't do so in 2024 and that "it seems like this is headed for Barkley to hit free agency." That would be the first trip into the open market for the six-year veteran, who turns 27 this week. Barkley has rebounded after losing 20 games to injury from 2019 through 2021. He has missed just four total contests over the past two years despite posting his two largest carries-per-game rates (18.4 and 17.6). Barkley's 2.91 yards after contact per carry in 2023 also was his best mark since 2019. The guy can still play and should be a good fit in any system because of his versatile skill set. Barkley sits inside Round 2 in both Underdog and FFPC ADP so far. You might be able to get him at a nice discount in dynasty, however, where managers often over-emphasize youth.
The Chargers have hired Greg Roman as OC. He joins new HC Jim Harbaugh to lead a coaching staff with a run-heavy background. Roman has spent 10 years as an NFL OC with the 49ers (2011-14), Bills (2015-16), and Ravens (2019-22). Nine of those offenses ranked 28th or lower in pass attempts. All 10 ranked among the top 9 in rush attempts, including seven years inside the top 3. It's important to note the starting QBs for those teams. San Francisco (with Harbaugh as HC) transitioned from Alex Smith to Colin Kaepernick midway through 2012. Tyrod Taylor started for those Buffalo teams. And Lamar Jackson was the guy for Roman's full Baltimore run. Justin Herbert is clearly less of a runner than any of those guys and (arguably?) the best passer of the bunch. We wouldn't bet on the new Chargers going as run-heavy as all those previous offenses, but we have to expect more rushing lean than in the past few seasons. L.A. has finished three straight years with rush rates lower than 40%, ranking among the league's most pass-leaning teams. Roman's QBs have tended to pass efficiently. Smith, Kaepernick, and Taylor all posted better net yards per pass attempt under Roman than without him. And Jackson's hyper-efficient 2019 came in Roman's Baltimore debut. The Chargers have a lot more to sort through this offseason before we'll really know what the offense will look like. For now, though, we're lowering the expectation at least a bit for Chargers passing numbers. That said, Justin Herbert already sits just 10th among QBs in Underdog ADP. Feel free to take shots on him at that level, and know that he still carries upside beyond that.
New Bucs OC Liam Coen said he'll get WR Chris Godwin back into the slot going forward. Godwin played just 37% of his snaps last season -- down from 63+% in each of the previous four years. Per The Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud, the Bucs moved Godwin outside in order to preserve his health. Godwin has averaged 1.90 yards per route from the slot vs. 1.92 from the outside over the past five seasons, so there's not a major fantasy impact from this news.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid said Tuesday that chances are "slim" RB Jerick McKinnon plays in the Super Bowl. He was designated to return this past weekend but evidently isn't ready for game action after early-January surgery to repair a core muscle injury and fractured pelvis. RB Isiah Pacheco should continue to dominate Chiefs backfield work vs. the 49ers on Sunday.
New Steelers OC Arthur Smith talked up QB Kenny Pickett a little in his first interview since taking the job. "It's exciting to hear the way that this offense is built with a lot of young players and, obviously, where Kenny Pickett is at going into his third year," Smith said to Missi Matthews of Steelers.com. "There's a relationship that's got to be built between me and Kenny, and that's so paramount between the playcaller and the quarterback. I've got to earn Kenny's trust and vice versa as we build this offense and all the things we want to work on, and we want him to work on and take command of this offense." Does this mean Pickett is guaranteed to start Week 1 in 2024? Of course not. HC Mike Tomlin told reporters in January that Pickett heads into the offseason as the top QB but "will be challenged." Until and unless Pittsburgh acquires a significant challenger, though, Pickett is the likeliest 2024 starter. Early best ball drafting has him going outside the top 32 at the position on both Underdog and FFPC. That makes Pickett worth a look as your QB3, especially if you've drafted a Steelers pass-catcher or two.
Klint Kubiak is expected to be named the Saints' new OC, according to multiple reports. Kubiak is currently the 49ers' passing-game coordinator, so the move can't become official until after the Super Bowl. The 36-year-old son of Gary Kubiak has 10 seasons of NFL coaching experience. That includes serving as Vikings OC back in 2021. That team ranked 12th in total yards and 14th in points, ranking near the middle of the pack in run/pass split.
After their deal with Kliff Kingsbury fell through, the Raiders hired Luke Getsy as their new OC under HC Antonio Pierce. Getsy spent the last two years as OC in Chicago, where the Bears ranked in the bottom half of the league in both total yards and points. Those were run-heavy offenses, in large part because they were quarterbacked by Justin Fields. Getsy was the Packers' QB coach and passing-game coordinator before his stint with the Bears, so we'd expect a more balanced attack in Vegas. Unless, of course, the Getsy hire is a precursor to the Raiders swinging a trade for Fields.
The Commanders are hiring Kliff Kingsbury as their OC under HC Dan Quinn, according to multiple reports. Kingsbury had an underwhelming tenure as Cardinals HC from 2019 to 2022, going 28-37-1 over those four seasons. He landed two of those teams inside the top 8 in total yards, but none cracked the top 10 in points. Kingsbury at least deployed fast-paced attacks, with three of his four offenses finishing top 3 in pace and offensive plays. He joins a Washington squad with plenty of skill-position talent and the No. 2 overall pick in this spring's draft, which will presumably be used to take a QB.
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