2 weeks agoPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver
DeVonta Smith heads into Sunday's NFC Championship game against the Washington Commanders as one of the team's most reliable weapons. Smith now leads the Eagles this season in receptions (76) and receiving touchdowns (8), proving to be a crucial target for
Jalen Hurts in the passing game. While the Eagles have leaned heavily on
Saquon Barkley's dominant ground game in the postseason, Smith remains a key option when the offense looks to the air. His ability to make big catches in critical moments will be pivotal if Philadelphia diversifies their attack to keep Washington's defense off balance. With his consistent production all season, Smith is poised to make a big impact in this high-stakes matchup.
--Tyler Thomson - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
2 weeks agoPhiladelphia Eagles running back
Saquon Barkley enters Sunday's NFC Championship matchup against the Washington Commanders with a history of dominance. In 11 career games against Washington, Barkley has averaged 137.5 scrimmage yards per game, the most by any player against any opponent in the Super Bowl Era (min. 10 games). This season, he torched the Commanders in two matchups, totaling 296 rushing yards, 63 receiving yards, and four touchdowns. The Commanders' defense has struggled mightily against the run, ranking 30th in rushing yards allowed per game (137.5) during the regular season. They've also given up 5.4 yards per carry and three rushing touchdowns in the playoffs. With Barkley logging 20+ touches in nine of his last ten games, expect the Eagles to lean heavily on their star running back once again.
--Tyler Thomson - RotoBallerSource: RotoBaller
2 weeks agoPer team owner Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys are hiring offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer as their head coach. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the news. Schottenheimer took over as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator in 2023 after Kellen Moore left for the Los Angeles Chargers. The former found success in his first season, leading the Cowboys to a league-leading 30.1 points per game in 2023. However, his luck was not as fair in 2024 -- with injuries to star wideout
CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) and quarterback
Dak Prescott (hamstring) sapping much of the juice from Dallas' offense. Still, they finished with over 20 points per game and will be better off with the aforementioned players healthier in 2025. With Mike McCarthy out, we'll see who is calling plays for the Cowboys next season.
--Alex CiullaSource: Adam Schefter
2 weeks agoAccording to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Chicago Bears are signing former Detroit Lions coach Antwaan Randle El as their new assistant head coach and wide receiver coach. Wow. Head coach Ben Johnson is wasting no time filling out his staff, snagging former colleagues from his old squad in Randle El and J.T. Barrett and former defensive back Al Harris from the Dallas Cowboys. The former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout started coaching with the Buccaneers in 2019 but began working as the Lions' wide receiver coach in 2021 -- notably being part of the development of WRs
Amon-Ra St. Brown and
Jameson Williams. Now, he'll work with
D.J. Moore and
Rome Odunze in a new-look Chicago offense in 2025, setting up for an intriguing season.
--Alex CiullaSource: Adam Schefter
2 weeks agoPer ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Chicago Bears have signed former Dallas Cowboys defensive backs coach Al Harris as their defensive passing game coordinator/DBs coach. Harris, a former Green Bay Packers DB himself, was hired to coach Dallas' secondary in 2020 -- reuniting him with his former coach Mike McCarthy. In that time, his teams have ranked in the top eleven regarding pass yards per game allowed in four of five seasons, notching fifth-place finishes in the last two years. The Bears have been on a hiring spree -- nabbing three coaches from their division-rival Detroit Lions', including brilliant offensive-minded head coach Ben Johnson. Chicago is gearing up for a big season in 2025 and is looking to improve upon a unit that allowed 219.9 pass yards per game.
--Alex CiullaSource: Adam Schefter
2 weeks agoPhiladelphia Eagles defensive lineman Byron Young (hamstring) has again been ruled out for his team's Conference Championship tilt with the Washington Commanders. The 24-year-old practiced as a full participant this week -- a trend he's continued for a few weeks now -- but still isn't healthy enough to go since injuring his hamstring in late October. Fellow defensive linemen Moro Ojomo and
Jordan Davis will continue to work in behind Milton Williams and Jalen Carter. As it stands, Young has yet to log a snap for the Eagles in 2024 while battling through knee and hamstring issues. He'll wait at least one more week before making his debut.
--Alex CiullaSource: Philadelphia Eagles
2 weeks agoThe Indianapolis Colts announced on Friday that they signed free-agent wide receiver
Ajou Ajou to a Reserve/Futures deal. Ajou will head to the NFL after spending the 2024 season playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, where he caught 20 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games. The 6-foot-3, 218-pounder was taken by the Roughriders in the seventh round of this year's CFL draft after playing collegiately at Garden City Community College, Clemson and South Florida. He had eight catches for 114 yards and a touchdown in 22 games at Clemson and 17 catches for 186 yards and two scores in his seven games at community college. Ajou played in just one game at South Florida. He will now continue his development in the NFL with the Colts but will be a long shot to make the active roster out of training camp this summer.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Colts.com
2 weeks agoOhio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka officially declared for the 2025 NFL draft on Friday on social media. The announcement comes after Egbuka helped the Buckeyes win the national championship on Monday over Notre Dame. The 22-year-old set Ohio State's all-time receptions and receiving yards record in his time at the school, which is really saying something given all the talented pass-catchers that have been in the program over the years. He stands at 6-foot-1, which isn't overly impressive, but he was able to record 81 catches for 1,011 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns during the 2024 season. In his four-year collegiate career, Egbuka totaled 205 receptions, 2,868 yards and 24 touchdowns. Given his production in college, he figures to be a first-round selection in April's NFL draft.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jordan Reid
2 weeks agoThe Houston Texans announced on Friday that they signed free-agent wide receiver
Kearis Jackson and offensive guard Jerome Carvin to Reserve/Futures deals. Jackson, 25, was a former undrafted free agent out of Georgia who made his NFL debut in 2023 with the Tennessee Titans. He only appeared in two games and only appeared on special teams, returning six punts for 48 yards. Jackson was with the New York Giants' practice squad this year but wasn't active for any regular-season games. He will now join the Texans this offseason and hope to stick through training camp this summer as a return specialist. Carvin, 24, worked out for Houston back in October of 2023 but will now join the team. The Tennessee alumni has never appeared in an NFL game.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Houston Texans
2 weeks agoThe Houston Texans will conduct full searches for their vacant offensive-coordinator role after firing Bobby Slowik on Friday, but NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that their top internal candidate is quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson. Meanwhile, Cole Popovich is Houston's top internal candidate to be elevated to offensive-line coach for the 2025 season. The Texans fired O-line coach Chris Strausser on Friday as well. Houston finished with a top-12 offense in quarterback
C.J. Stroud's rookie season in 2023, but the team's offensive line was inconsistent for all of 2024, leading to Stroud taking the second-most sacks (52). The Texans' downfall on offense in Slowik's second season wasn't helped by the fact that the team lost both receivers
Stefon Diggs and
Tank Dell to season-ending knee injuries. Johnson was a top OC candidate last year but chose to stay in Houston.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
2 weeks agoLos Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead indicated that the team might be open to working out a long-term contract extension with running back
Kyren Williams this offseason after he had another strong year in 2024. Williams accounted for almost 81% of the Rams' rushing attempts out of the backfield this year and ran the ball 316 times for a career-high 1,299 yards and a career-high 14 rushing touchdowns while adding a career-high 34 catches (40 targets) for another 182 yards and two scores through the air in 16 regular-season games. He'll be heading into the final year of his rookie deal in 2025, which makes him eligible for a contract extension this offseason. The 24-year-old has gone for 1,000 rushing yards in each of the last two years and is the first Rams RB since
Todd Gurley to score 14 rushing TDs in a single season. Williams will be a strong RB1 choice for fantasy managers in 2025.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: TheRams.com - Stu Jackson
2 weeks agoWashington Commanders tight ends
John Bates (shoulder) and
Ben Sinnott (shoulder) were both removed from Friday's final injury report and will be available on Sunday for the NFC Championship against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles.
Zach Ertz (rib) will also be active after practicing in full on Thursday and Friday, so neither Bates nor Sinnott are realistic DFS options for fantasy managers this weekend. The 27-year-old Bates has played through a shoulder injury in both postseason games but has only one catch on three targets for 20 yards to show for it. He had eight grabs on 13 targets for 84 yards and no scores in 17 regular-season games (six starts). Sinnott, meanwhile, has not even been targeted in two playoff games and caught all five of his targets for 28 yards and one touchdown in his first 17 NFL games during the regular season.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Washington Commanders
2 weeks agoPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver
Britain Covey (neck) has been ruled out for the NFC Championship game on Sunday against the division-rival Washington Commanders, while center/guard Cam Jurgens (back) is listed as questionable. Covey was limited in practice all week but will not return from Injured Reserve. However, the 27-year-old could be ready to play in a few weeks if the Eagles are victorious this weekend and advance to the Super Bowl. Covey isn't fantasy relevant when active, as he caught only seven of eight targets for 34 yards and no touchdowns in five regular-season games in 2024 in his second year in the league. The 25-year-old Jurgens missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday but was limited on Friday, giving him a chance to play. If he's inactive on Sunday, expect Nick Gates to start under center for the Eagles.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: PhiladelphiaEagles.com
2 weeks agoPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver
A.J. Brown (knee, illness, rest) practiced in full on Thursday and Friday and was removed from the final injury report. He will play on Sunday in the NFC Championship against the division-rival Washington Commanders and will be hoping to do some damage after barely being heard from in the first two postseason games. Even though the 27-year-old has just three catches on 10 targets for 24 yards and no touchdowns in playoff wins against the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams, Brown will have some of the most upside on Championship weekend at the receiver position. In the last meeting against the Commanders on Dec. 22, he had eight catches for 97 yards and a score on a season-high 15 targets. And in the first meeting on Nov. 14, he caught five of eight targets for 65 yards. Brown has high-end WR1 upside for DFS lineups.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: PhiladelphiaEagles.com
2 weeks agoThe Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan reports that New England Patriots safety Kyle Dugger (ankle) recently had surgery for a high-ankle sprain that was initially misdiagnosed earlier this season. Dugger had tightrope surgery on Jan. 9 to re-stabilize his right ankle that progressively worsened during the 2024 season. He was initially diagnosed with a mild sprain in late September and he was later told he was dealing with a bone bruise. Dugger's ankle injury led to a career-high 13 missed tackles while he also graded out as the third-worst safety in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. Normally a starting-caliber defensive back in IDP fantasy leagues, Dugger didn't even register in the top 50 at his position in overall points by the end of the year. With better health in 2025, though, Dugger could easily bounce back for a Pats D under new head coach Mike Vrabel.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Boston Herald - Andrew Callahan
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