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.
Jets GM Joe Douglas confirms that the team has granted QB Zach Wilson's request to seek a trade, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Duh. It would pretty obviously be best for both sides if Wilson moves on for the final year of his rookie contract. (His fifth-year option remains available ... but who's picking that up?) We're certainly not betting on any team giving up much to land Wilson -- or him suddenly turning fantasy-relevant. But we'll be curious to see where he lands. We'll also be watching to see who backs up Aaron Rodgers for the Jets. That player figures to be worth keeping in mind for late in superflex drafts.
The Chiefs released WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling. It was a no-brainer move, saving the team $12 million against the 2024 salary cap. MVS was a major bust in Kansas City, totaling just 1,002 receiving yards and three TDs across 33 regular-season games over the past two seasons. We'll see where the 29-year-old lands next, but he's a long shot for reliable fantasy value. Valdes-Scantling can be ignored in early best-ball drafts.
Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles told reporters at the Scouting Combine that he'd "definitely like to have another back in here to take some of the weight off" RB Rachaad White. That statement shouldn't surprise anyone. White ranked sixth in the league in opportunity share last season and second in carries. He remained inefficient as a runner, though. He averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and ranked 38th among 44 qualifying RBs in rushing success rate. We're not betting Tampa Bay will replace White as the backfield leader. But the team would clearly like to upgrade on the rest of its 2023 backfield. And that's likely to cut into White's work share some. You might be surprised to see where White sits in our 2024 RB rankings, because we're already factoring in that expectation.
The Falcons released TE Jonnu Smith. The 28-year-old set career highs last year with 50 catches and 582 receiving yards. Both marks ranked top-4 on the run-heavy Falcons. Smith's 1.55 yards per route ranked 11th among 45 qualifying TEs. He's still capable of making a fantasy football impact in 2024, depending on the landing spot. Smith's departure from Atlanta obviously doesn't hurt TE Kyle Pitts' outlook.
QB Kirk Cousins posted video on Monday of him dropping back and throwing passes. He's about four months removed from his torn Achilles and has had a setback-free recovery by all accounts. "Encouraged by the progress," Cousins wrote. He and the Vikings are reportedly in talks on a contract extension ahead of March 12, when Cousins' current contract will void. Turning 36 in August and coming off a significant injury, Cousins is a bit of a wildcard heading into 2024. But he remained very effective before last year's injury, completing 69.5% of his passes and ranking fourth in Pro Football Focus passing grade.
Texas RB Jonathon Brooks (knee) is expected to receive medical clearance by training camp. The news comes from Dr. Dan Cooper, Dallas' head team physician who repaired Brooks’ torn ACL late last year. The Texas product is likely to be a day 2 draft pick, but early-season fantasy contributions are unlikely.
The Bengals have told WR Tee Higgins they'll be applying the franchise tag ahead of free agency, according to multiple reports. This confirms the general expectation and means Higgins will be in Cincinnati for at least one more season. We're betting the Bengals hope to work out a longer-term deal ahead of the July deadline to do so, but we'll see how that plays out. Higgins has been a strong value in early best ball drafts, including his WR28 Underdog Fantasy ADP. QB Joe Burrow's modest QB7 ADP (early Round 7) enhances the value on that stack. We'll see whether Higgins' ADP moves earlier now that his situation is clearer.
The Rams re-signed WR Demarcus Robinson to a one-dear, $5 million deal. He flashed in 2023 with 26-371-4 across only 8 games. He'll likely stick in the Rams' WR3 role behind Puka Nacua Cooper Kupp, supplying some late-round fantasy appeal.
New Chargers OC Greg Roman told reporters recently that he wants a "balanced" offense. "We want to be able to run it when we want to run it and throw it when we want to throw it," Roman added. "If they present looks that are favorable to run it, then we want to be able to run it at a high level. Every place I’ve been, that’s kind of been the goal, to try to have that complete attack." That jibes with HC John Harbaugh saying at his introductory press conference that he wants to "beef up the run game." Both Harbaugh and Roman have extensive histories of run-leaning offenses. That'd be a big shift for the Chargers, who ranked top-5 in pass attempts in each of QB Justin Herbert's first four seasons. It wouldn't make sense for Roman to deploy a super run-heavy offense with a QB as talented as Herbert. But we're certainly expecting the Chargers to throw less this coming season than they have the last four. Herbert and his pass catchers will need to make up for the loss in volume with improved efficiency.
Falcons RB Bijan Robinson shared one of his goals for the 2024 season. "I want 2,000 yards rushing," Robinson told Sports Illustrated. "I know those are big expectations, what we can do as an offense, with all the weapons, our O-line with [OC] Zac [Robinson] being at the helm… it can be something special.” As a rookie, Robinson tallied 976 rushing yards across 17 games. And note: in league history, only eight RBs have reached 2,000 rushing yards. Clearly, it's an aspirational goal. Still, Robinson should push for the league lead in touches, making him a top-3 target in our fantasy football RB rankings.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says Jacksonville "plans to keep" WR Calvin Ridley, who is set to hit free agency in March. By allowing him to hit free agency before they re-sign him, the Jaguars would avoid upgrading to a second-rounder the third-round pick they currently owe Atlanta for the 2022 trade. We'll see exactly how this situation plays out. If you're drafting now, treat Ridley as though he's most likely to stay with the Jags -- but don't treat it as guaranteed.
RB Gus Edwards' contract with the Ravens voided on Monday, setting him up to hit free agency next month. Edwards led Ravens RBs and set career highs last year with 198 carries, 810 yards, and 13 TDs. His 4.1 yards per carry was a career low, although Edwards still ranked a respectable 20th out of 49 qualifying RBs in NFL Next Gen Stats' Rush Yards Over Expected Per Attempt. Edwards turns 29 in April and offers next to nothing in the passing game. But he's still capable of helping as a between-the-tackles and short-yardage back. We'll see where he lands in free agency. The Ravens' RB depth chart, meanwhile, is topped by a couple of guys recovering from serious injuries in J.K. Dobbins and Keaton Mitchell. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported recently that Baltimore could target a RB "with pedigree" in free agency. Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Tony Pollard, and D'Andre Swift highlight the free-agent RB class.
Browns QB Deshaun Watson (shoulder) is expected to resume throwing in March, according to insider Mary Kay Cabot. His rehab from November surgery on his right shoulder has gone smoothly by all accounts. Watson got back in the weight room this week, per Cabot, and should at least be a limited participant in April's OTAs. Watson was mostly disappointing prior to that shoulder injury last year, finishing the 2023 campaign with a 61% completion rate and 6.5 yards per attempt. It's been three years now since Watson's big 2020 season -- and it's becoming increasingly unlikely that he returns to that level of play. But he did still average 23.7 rushing yards per game last year, which gives Watson a chance to be a fantasy asset in 2024 even if his real-life performance is lacking. He scored as a top-10 fantasy QB in three of his five full games last year. We'll keep tabs on that right shoulder.
Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling has a year left on his contract, but that doesn't mean he's a lock to stay in K.C. this season. The Chiefs have decisions to make on extensions with other players, including DT Chris Jones and CB L'Jarius Sneed. If they need more cap space, MVS looks like a prime candidate to help. He's set to count nearly $14 million against the 2024 cap, whereas cutting the vet would leave just a $2 million dead-cap hit. Valdes-Scantling averaged a career-low 1.3 receptions per game in 2023, his second with the Chiefs. He also set a career low with 15.0 yards per catch and has scored just three TDs across two seasons. Frankly, we'll be a little surprised if Kansas City doesn't at least look to restructure MVS this offseason. You shouldn't be looking his way in best ball drafts right now anyway, so there's low potential fantasy impact to this situation.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Buccaneers would owe WR Mike Evans $28.4 million for 2024 if they use the franchise tag to retain him. That's significantly higher than the league-wide WR tag salary of $21.6 million because Evans carried a $23.7 million cap hit in 2023. This obviously doesn't keep Tampa Bay from signing Evans to a longer-term extension ahead of free agency. And it might not even keep the Bucs from tagging Evans. Spotrac projects the team to be more than $37 million under the 2024 even with the existing $12.2 million hit of Evans' voided 2024. The team could also tag Evans and then rescind the tag if he doesn't sign the tender and the two sides fail to work out a longer deal. We're betting for now that the 31-year-old (come Aug. 21) sticks around. But that's no sure thing.
Update: Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz says his "understanding is Evans is trending toward becoming a free agent, barring an unexpected change in discussions."
The Jaguars already owe Atlanta a third-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft from the trade that brought WR Calvin Ridley to town in 2022. If Jacksonville re-signs Ridley before then, though, the pick would become a second-rounder -- jumping from 79th overall to 48th. That might be enough to keep the Jags from returning the 29-year-old wideout. We'll find out come March's opening of free agency. For now, though, don't treat Ridley as a Jaguar if you're drafting in best ball formats.
The Ravens have signed WR Nelson Agholor to a one-year extension. Agholor finished fifth on the team in targets last season but tied Odell Beckham Jr. for third in receptions, trailing only Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews. Agholor finished just 71st among WRs in PPR scoring and cracked the top 36 just three times -- with a high of WR23 in Week 2. Don't expect him to be much of a 2024 fantasy factor. Though he could pop up for the occasional annoying week to get in the way of another Ravens pass catcher you're starting.
Texans WR Tank Dell expects to be able to participate in the team's offseason program, according to insider Aaron Wilson. Dell's rookie season ended with a fractured fibula in early December, but the injury shouldn't be an issue for his 2024 fantasy value. Dell was brilliant before that injury, ranking 12th among WRs in PPR points per game. His 2.22 yards per route run ranked 16th among 80 qualifying WRs and third among 14 qualifying rookie WRs. Dell sits 20th in our initial PPR WR Rankings.
QB Jimmy Garoppolo has been suspended two games for violating the NFL's Performance Enhancing Substances Policy, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Garoppolo reportedly used a banned medication without having an exception from the league. He will not appeal the suspension and will miss the first two games of the 2024 campaign. Schefter also confirms that the Raiders will release Garoppolo before the fifth day of the new league year in mid-March, saving the team an $11.25 million roster bonus. Garoppolo will be able to participate in the offseason program and training camp with his new team, despite the suspension. The Raiders, meanwhile, will be left with QBs Aidan O'Connell and Brian Hoyer. They'll certainly add to that group in free agency and/or the draft.
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