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.
Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon (groin) has been designated to return from IR. That makes him eligible to play in next Sunday's Super Bowl, although it's still unclear if he will. McKinnon has been out since mid-December and had surgery to repair a core muscle injury and fractured pelvis on January 2. He averaged 1.8 carries and 2.7 targets across 12 games this season.
Kliff Kingsbury has pulled his name out of consideration for the Raiders' OC job, according to his agent. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that contract talks between the two sides broke down late in the process. We'll see who the Raiders eventually land on as OC under HC Antonio Pierce. Kingsbury, meanwhile, is a "leading candidate" for the Commanders' OC job, per Schefter.
Liam Coen is expected to be named the Bucs' new OC, according to NFL Network. Coen broke into the NFL coaching ranks as a Rams assistant under HC Sean McVay from 2018 to 2020. He headed to the college ranks in 2021 as Kentucky's OC, re-joined McVay as Rams OC in 2022, and then bounced back to Kentucky's OC job this past year. The most noteworthy aspect of this hire is that Coen spent the second half of that 2022 season with QB Baker Mayfield, who's scheduled to hit free agency next month. A return to Tampa Bay seems to make the most sense for both sides.
The Patriots named Alex Van Pelt their new OC under HC Jerod Mayo. Van Pelt spent the last four seasons as Cleveland's OC, although he didn't call plays for the Browns. Van Pelt did call plays for the Bills way back in 2009. That team finished 30th in total yards and 28th in points under QBs Ryan Fitzpatrick and Trent Edwards. Van Pelt worked as QBs coach for the Bucs, Packers, and Bengals in between his OC stints and is expected to bring a West Coast offense to New England. We'll see what the Patriots do at QB this offseason. They hold the third overall pick and will have a crack at USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye, and/or LSU's Jayden Daniels.
The Raiders are set to hire Kliff Kingsbury as their new OC under HC Antonio Pierce, ESPN's Adam Schefter 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. We'll see exactly how Kingsbury meshes with the defensive-minded Pierce. The Raiders offense has some big questions to answer this offseason, with RB Josh Jacobs set to hit free agency and QB Jimmy Garoppolo a strong release candidate.
The Commanders are hiring Dan Quinn to be the new HC. Quinn spent the past three years as Cowboys DC. Those teams finished seventh, fifth, and fifth in points allowed after checking in 28th and 11th the two years before he arrived. Quinn spent 2015-19 as HC of the Falcons, going 43-37 over that span with two winning seasons. Atlanta fired him five games into 2020 (with an 0-5 record). As a career-long defensive coach, Quinn shouldn't affect offensive outlooks in Washington with his arrival. We'll see who he brings in to assist on that side of the ball and what the Commanders decide to do at QB. We'd bet they'll select one with the second overall pick in the draft. The Washington defense can only improve after ranking last in both yards and points allowed in 2023.
RB Kareem Hunt recently underwent sports hernia surgery to repair a ruptured adductor, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Hunt was on the injury report with a groin for much of the season, which might have played a part in his career-low 3.0 yards per carry. Hunt is set to hit free agency in March. He's unlikely to capture a significant backfield role or be a major fantasy factor in 2024.
The Seahawks are hiring former Ravens DC Mike Macdonald as the new head coach, according to multiple reports. The 36-year-old becomes the league's youngest HC. He spent the past two years as DC for the Ravens after a year as DC under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and seven prior seasons on the Baltimore staff. The Ravens led the league in scoring defense, sacks, and takeaways in 2023. They ranked among the top 9 in yards allowed and top 3 in points allowed in each season under Macdonald. We'll likely have to wait at least until he chooses an OC to find out more about Macdonald's offensive philosophy. He, of course, inherits a Seahawks team with plenty of passing-game upside but also a pair of second-round RBs. This will be an interesting offense to track through the offseason. For now, we're not altering fantasy outlooks for any Seattle players on this coaching news.
Bobby Slowik is getting a "significant raise" to remain the Texans' OC, according to insider Albert Breer. Slowik drew significant HC interest after leading Houston to top-13 finishes in both total yards and points this past year. His return is good news for QB C.J. Stroud and the Texans offense, although we'd like to see Slowik lean further toward the pass in 2024. Last year's Texans ranked 16th in neutral pass rate and 19th in Pass Rate Over Expected.
Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson underwent surgery on January 29 to repair his torn ACL, the team announced. Doctors waited for 36 days after the injury to do surgery in order to let Hockenson's MCL heal. It's standard practice but obviously pushes back Hockenson's timeline for return. Consider him iffy to be ready for the start of the 2024 season, which kicks off in about 7.5 months.
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