LSU QB Jayden Daniels didn’t throw or work out at the NFL Combine. He wasn’t measured, either, so we’ll have to wait until LSU’s March 27 pro day for official numbers. (The team lists him at 6’4, 210.) The slender, fifth-year breakout displayed a dynamic run/pass ability last fall alongside stud WRs Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. Daniels’ raw stats really jump off the page: 3,812-40-4 passing, plus 1,134 rushing yards and ten scores. It’s the rushing that supplies an enticing fantasy ceiling. The 23-year-old could enter the spot-start QB1 mix as early as 2024.
USC QB Caleb Williams declined to throw or work out at the NFL Combine. He spoke to the media but passed on medical testing. “I’ll be doing the medical stuff, just not here in Indy,” Williams said. “I’ll be doing that at [individual team visits pre-draft]. You know, not 32 teams can draft me. There’s only one of me. And so the teams that I go to for my visit, you know those teams will have the medical and that’ll be it… I didn’t feel the need to go out and throw. I played around 30-some games, I believe. Go ahead and watch real live ball with me and see how I am as a competitor.” We’re fully behind Williams as a future dynasty asset. As of early March, he’s the heavy favorite to land No. 1 overall in Chicago.
Giants TE Darren Waller told the New York Post that he's "still undecided" whether he'll continue playing in 2024. He'll turn 32 in September and has dealt with a plethora of injuries throughout his career, including a lingering hamstring issue last year. Waller is set to make $10.5 million this season and count $14 million against the salary cap, but the Giants have no intention of cutting him, according to the New York Post. We'll keep an eye on this situation, but Waller obviously carries elevated risk in fantasy drafts until he makes a decision on his football future. We've moved him down the fantasy football TE rankings for now.
Tennessee RB Jaylen Wright confirmed faith in his long speed by running a 4.38-second 40 time at the Scouting Combine on Saturday. That gives him a speed score well above average for the position and ranked second among RBs at this year's Combine. Wright delivered limited college production, including just 8 receptions before last season (when he had 22). Wright averaged only 5.7 yards per catch for his college career but averaged 6.2 per rush. That increased each year, topping out at 7.4 per carry in 2023. Wright's draft capital will be interesting. Be careful not to overrate him in early best ball drafting.
Florida State RB Trey Benson helped his NFL Draft case with a 4.39-second 40 time at the Scouting Combine on Saturday. At 216 pounds, that gives him 98th-percentile speed score for the position. That backs up Benson's 6.1 career yards per carry and 11.2 yards per catch -- nearly all compiled over the past two seasons with the Seminoles. We'll see about his draft capital, but Benson has carried a reasonable ADP in early best ball drafting.
Oregon RB Bucky Irving posted a weak 3.71 Relative Athletic Score in Scouting Combine testing Saturday. That ranks 1,111 among 1,765 RBs since 1987, according to RAS.football. That's not good, but it's also not necessarily a killer. We need only look back two years to find Kyren Williams scoring even lower in his Combine workout. The fifth-round pick of the Rams endured a quiet rookie campaign before a breakthrough 2023. Like Williams, Irving delivered a productive college career. That included leading the Ducks in carries and yards per carry each of the past two years, averaging 6.2 yards per rush for his career, averaging 8.3 yards per catch for his career, and tallying 95 career receptions. His Combine testing should temper excitement for his NFL upside and seems likely to hurt his draft status. But it certainly doesn't kill his chances of becoming fantasy relevant.
Louisville RB Isaac Guerendo rocked a 4.33-second 40 time at the Scouting Combine on Saturday. That rated 99th-percentile among historical Combine RBs. Doing so at 221 pounds gave him a 100th-percentile speed score (125.7) for the position. Be careful about getting overly excited for Guerendo, who failed to eclipse 64 carries across four seasons at Wisconsin. He rushed 132 times and caught 22 passes in a fifth year at Louisville, averaging 6.1 yards per rush and 10.6 per reception. Guerendo still trailed teammate Jawhar Jordan in carries, yards per carry, yards per catch, and TDs. We'll see where he lands in the NFL draft, but Guerendo looks more like an intriguing third-round pick for rookie drafts than a guy who should vault into the first two rounds.
Alabama WR Jermaine Burton turned in a strong Combine showing on Saturday, highlighted by a 4.45-second 40-yard dash. He also registered a 38.5-inch vertical and 133-inch broad jump at 6'0 and 196 pounds. Burton's 9.55 Relative Athletic Score ranks 32nd out of 3,063 WRs from 1987 to 2024. We'd already been eyeing Burton as a potential sleeper in this WR class. After transferring from Georgia, Burton led the Crimson Tide in receiving yards in both of the past two years while averaging 18.7 yards per catch. We'll see when and where Burton goes in next month's NFL Draft.
UCF WR Javon Baker clocked a 4.54-second 40-yard dash at the Combine on Saturday. It's not a bad time for the 6'1, 202-pounder, but it was slower than we expected to see from a guy who averaged 17.5 yards per catch for his college career and 21.9 yards per catch last year. There are, of course, other ways to win downfield besides pure speed. Baker's downfield ability should still be respected -- and we still have him highlighted as a potential sleeper. We'll see if the 40 time impacts his draft stock.
While Ohio State's Marvin Harrison and LSU's Malik Nabers -- widely considered the top-two WRs in this year's class -- opted not to work out at the Combine, Washington WR Rome Odunze went through the full gauntlet. Smart choice considering how well he performed. The 6'3, 212-pounder ran a plenty-fast 4.45-second 40-yard dash. He posted a 39-inch vertical and 124-inch broad jump. And he rocked a strong 6.88-second 3-cone. It all earned Odunze a 9.91 Relative Athletic Score that ranks 96th among 3,063 WRs from 1987 to 2024. He's a virtual lock to be a top-10 pick in April's NFL Draft and looks like a top-5 pick in 1-QB dynasty rookie drafts.
ESPN's Matt Miller said from the Combine on Saturday that South Carolina WR Xavier Legette reminds him of Eagles WR A.J. Brown "from a body type standpoint." Legette checked into Indianapolis at 6'1 and 221 pounds -- an inch taller and five pounds lighter than Brown. Legette's 4.39-second 40-yard dash actually beats Brown's time by a tenth of a second. Legette had a strong overall Combine showing, also registering a 40-inch vertical and 126-inch broad jump to earn a 9.92 Relative Athletic Score. He's a polarizing prospect who totaled just 42 catches across his first four college seasons before breaking out with a 71-1,255-7 line last year. Be careful not to overrate Legette's Combine performance -- but it certainly helps his upside case.
LSU WR Brian Thomas blazed a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the Combine on Saturday -- second-fastest among the 30 WRs that ran. It certainly matches his pre-draft profile as a deep-ball weapon. Thomas averaged 17.3 yards per catch last year, with 15 of his 68 receptions coming 20+ yards downfield. He earned a 99.9 Pro Football Focus receiving grade on targets of 20+ yards. Thomas also registered a 36.5-inch vertical and 126-inch broad jump in Indianapolis. His 9.97 Relative Athletic Score is. the 10th-highest out of 3,063 WRs from 1987 to 2024. Thomas has been widely considered the No. 4 WR in this year's class and a potential top-20 pick. His Combine showing will only boost his draft stock.
Texas WR Xavier Worthy stole the headlines with his 4.21-second 40-yard dash at the Combine on Saturday. But teammate Adonai Mitchell had the more impressive overall workout. The junior wideout earned a 9.98 Relative Athletic Score, a composite measurement of athleticism that factors in all the Combine tests and player size. It's the eighth-highest RAS score among 3,063 WRs from 1987 to 2024. Mitchell checked into Indianapolis at 6'2, 205 pounds and then registered a 4.34-second 40-yard dash, a 39.5-inch vertical, and a 136-inch broad jump. Considered a potential first-round pick prior to that showing, Mitchell now seems like a good bet to hear his name called on the first night of April's draft. His dynasty stock is ascending.
Texas WR Xavier Worthy ran an official 4.21-second 40-yard dash at the Combine on Saturday, breaking WR John Ross' old record by one one-hundredth of a second. That followed a three-year college career that saw Worthy average a big 14.0 yards per catch, including 7.3 yards after the catch. He also impressed in Indianapolis with a 41-inch vertical and 131-inch broad jump. But the most important measurable might have been when Worthy weighed in at just 165 pounds. That was seven pounds lighter than his college listing and lands him in a bucket of players that rarely make significant fantasy impacts. In fact, Tank Dell and DeVonta Smith are the only sub-170-pound WRs since 2000 to reach 11 PPR points per game in a season. Of course, none of those light WRs were as fast as Worthy. And most didn't get first-round draft capital, as Worthy likely will after running the 4.21-second 40. His fantasy stock certainly gets a bump post-Combine. Just don't forget to factor his size into the evaluation.
The Commanders released TE Logan Thomas, saving $6.5 million against the 2024 salary cap. Thomas caught 55 balls last year -- 14th among TEs -- but averaged just 9.0 yards per reception on a 6.1-yard average depth of target. We'll see where he lands and how much playing time he claims, but Thomas is a low-upside fantasy asset at this point of his career. The Commanders, meanwhile, are left with TEs Cole Turner, John Bates, and Armani Rogers, who have combined for just 71 NFL catches. The team figures to add to that group in free agency and/or the draft.
Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins is running short sprints and jogging on a treadmill in a recent video posted to social media. He's 5.5 months removed from surgery to repair his torn Achilles. It was the latest setback for a guy who's been snakebitten by injuries, most notably the Achilles and a multi-ligament knee injury in 2021. Dobbins has averaged a big 5.8 yards per carry across 234 NFL attempts, but there's no guarantee that he makes it back to pre-injury form. We'll continue to track his rehab from this latest injury but consider him just a late-round flier in early fantasy drafts.
The Vikings are releasing RB Alexander Mattison, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The move saves the team $3.35 million in 2024 cap space. Mattison opened last season as Minnesota's lead back but eventually lost that job to Ty Chandler. Mattison has failed to reach 4.0 yards per carry in three straight seasons now and is unlikely to find more than a No. 2 RB job on the open market. The Vikings, meanwhile, are a virtual lock to add to the backfield this offseason. The level of addition will tell us how strongly they feel about Chandler, who played well down the stretch last year. He's currently RB38 in Underdog ADP but figures to get pricier now. Chandler sits 31st among RBs in our best-ball rankings.
Rams HC Sean McVay said from the Combine that TE Tyler Higbee's return timeline from knee surgery is "unclear," according to The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue. Higbee tore both his right ACL and MCL in the Wild Card loss to the Lions, which likely delayed the surgery. He's not a great bet to be ready for the start of the 2024 campaign and is an avoid in early best-ball drafts. Davis Allen is the best fantasy bet among Rams TEs right now, but the team could certainly add to the position this offseason.
Raiders HC Antonio Pierce said from the Combine that the team's starting QB job is Aidan O'Connell's to lose, per Levi Edwards of the team's official website. With QB Jimmy Garoppolo expected to be released within the next couple of weeks and Brian Hoyer the only other QB on the roster, we wouldn't expect Pierce to say anything different. O'Connell was just ok as a fourth-round rookie last year, completing 62.1% of his passes at 6.5 yards per attempt with 12 TDs vs. seven INTs. He ranked 23rd among 30 qualifying QBs in Pro Football Focus' passing grades. We fully expect the Raiders to make a relatively significant addition at QB this offseason -- potentially a trade for QB Justin Fields or a drafting a first-round rookie. We're betting against O'Connell leading Vegas in 2024 passing attempts and wouldn't target him in early best-ball drafts.
Jaguars HC Doug Pederson said this week that he'd like to limit the 2024 workload for RB Travis Etienne vs. what the starting back got in 2023. Pederson pointed to a D'Ernest Johnson injury and rookie Tank Bigsby's learning curve as two key factors in Etienne's touch total, which ranked third-highest behind Christian McCaffrey and Rachaad White. "It's not the recipe, necessarily, to put Travis in that situation," Pederson said. "So I would consider knocking a few of those reps down to keep him healthy throughout the course of the year." That makes sense. Etienne struggled with efficiency at times in 2023. You'll still find him inside the top 10 in our 2024 RB rankings, though. Johnson is headed for free agency in March. Bigsby obviously remains under contract heading into his second season, and it doesn't sound like the Jags have given up on him yet. "We really like Tank, and he'll have a bigger impact for us this year," Pederson said. We're certainly not betting on strong production from the former third-round pick after he managed just 51 touches and 2.7 yards per touch as a rookie. But consider Pederson's words enough to make Bigsby worth keeping on dynasty benches and considering in the mix of last-round best ball picks.
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