1 week agoThe San Francisco 49ers announced on Friday that they signed first-round wide receiver
Ricky Pearsall to his four-year rookie deal. The 49ers now have all eight of their 2024 draft picks under contract before the start of training camp at the end of July. San Fran surprisingly selected Pearsall at the tail end of this year's NFL draft despite not training Deebo Samuel or
Brandon Aiyuk leading up to the draft. While the 23-year-old is an intriguing option for fantasy managers in dynasty/keeper formats in head coach Kyle Shanahan's system, his playing time in his rookie year in 2024 is probably going to be limited as long as Samuel and Aiyuk stay healthy. The Florida alum would immediately become fantasy relevant in redraft leagues if Samuel or Aiyuk are injured or traded this season.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN - Adam Schefter
1 week agoSeattle Seahawks new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said the offense won't be as pass-happy as his offense was with the University of Washington, and he also plans to use fewer pre-snap motions and shifts, but Grubb wants to put a lot of responsibility on quarterback
Geno Smith. The 33-year-old veteran signal-caller has welcomed more responsibility, but the results have so far been mixed in offseason workouts. Head coach Mike Macdonald has been impressed with Smith's plan, and the offense will have an extra opportunity to test itself during the preseason in joint practices with the Tennessee Titans. Smith had a career year in 2022 and was the QB5 in fantasy, but he predictably fell to QB15 in 2023. Nobody is saying Smith is a QB1 in fantasy, but a bounce-back is entirely plausible in what could be a more dynamic offense. Target him as a low-end QB2 in superflex formats.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - David DeChant
1
week
agoThe
Athletic's
Mark
Kaboly
writes
that
the
biggest
surprise
of
the
Pittsburgh
Steelers'
offseason
is
that
they
seem
perfectly
satisfied
watching
how
the
WR2
position
plays
out
in
training
camp
among
middle-of-the-road
receivers
Van
Jefferson,
Quez
Watkins,
read more...
1 week agoEntering training camp this summer, The Athletic's Nate Taylor writes that quarterback
Patrick Mahomes appears to have a lot more viable passing options than he did in 2023. Last year, the Chiefs started the season with
Kadarius Toney as their No. 1. But this year, Toney will likely be fourth or fifth on the wideout depth chart. Mahomes showed promising chemistry with new pass-catcher
Marquise Brown in OTAs and minicamp, and rookie
Xavier Worthy should give the team a strong deep passing attack. Rookie tight end
Jared Wiley has shown strong receiving skills behind
Travis Kelce. Even if
Rashee Rice is suspended as expected, Mahomes should have plenty of receivers that he trusts enter the regular season opener against the Baltimore Ravens. As the Chiefs seek an unprecedented third straight championship, Mahomes is an easy top-four fantasy QB.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Nate Taylor
1 week agoCarolina Panthers wide receiver
Adam Thielen said on The Rich Eisen Show that it's been an awesome offseason for the team, and second-year quarterback
Bryce Young just looks "more comfortable." Thielen went on to explain that Young is just more immersed in the offense heading into his second season in the NFL and that the two have gained valuable chemistry on and off the field. It was a whirlwind for Young leading up to his first NFL campaign, which couldn't have gone much worse. The 22-year-old former Alabama product is already on his second head coach in two seasons, but there's nowhere for him to go but up in 2024. The Panthers added receiver
Diontae Johnson to give Young some help in the passing game. Not many fantasy football managers are going to want anything to do with Young after what they saw in 2023, but he's not a bad low-end QB2 target in superflex leagues with upside.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Rich Eisen Show
2 weeks agoArizona Cardinals wide receiver
Greg Dortch is expected to have an expanded role in 2024, according to Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic. Dortch has been a steady, reliable contributor to Arizona's wide receiver corps over his two seasons with the team. Now, even though
Marvin Harrison Jr. will be the focal point of the offense, Dortch is expected to get plenty of looks. He'll operate ahead of
Zay Jones and
Chris Moore, instead mixing in with the likes of Harrison,
Michael Wilson, and
Trey McBride. The now-26-year-old had 23 catches for 278 yards over his final seven games last season, and he figures to rank as a high-end WR5 heading into fantasy football drafts this year.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Bob McManaman
2 weeks agoNew York Jets wide receiver
Xavier Gipson "made plays throughout OTAs and minicamp and seems to have taken a leap forward after a year of NFL experience," according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. Rosenblatt even suggested that Gipson might have a leg up on the No. 3 receiver role over
Malachi Corley, the fast-rising rookie who has turned some heads during camp but is still adjusting to NFL speed. If Gipson does open 2024 ahead of Corley on the depth chart, he'll still fall behind
Garrett Wilson and
Mike Williams in the pecking order. As a result, the second-year receiver is merely a bench option in deeper redraft leagues.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Zack Rosenblatt
2 weeks agoNew York Jets wide receiver
Malachi Corley is still adjusting to NFL speed and the team's offense, according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. Specifically, Rosenblatt cautions against automatically viewing Corley as the Jets' No. 3 receiver over
Xavier Gipson, who has made several players while taking a significant leap this offseason. As of now, it appears Gipson and Corley are the two candidates vying for the No. 3 receiver role, and it's possible that the former actually has a slight advantage. Of course, Rosenblatt also notes that Corley drew plenty of hype following the draft and "has a lot of talent and made some plays," even if his position on the depth chart is still in flux.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Zack Rosenblatt
2 weeks agoArizona Cardinals wide receiver
Marvin Harrison Jr. has been impressive throughout OTAs and mandatory minicamp. As expected, Harrison has emerged as the top option in the wide receiver room. This comes as no shock given his talent and the fact the Cardinals selected him as the 4th overall pick in this year's draft. The rookie wideout has reportedly had no issues with picking up the Cardinals playbook. The expectation is that he'll be the unquestioned top target for quarterback
Kyler Murray. The hype is real as Harrison has risen to the early second round in many 2024 fantasy drafts.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 weeks agoLas Vegas Raiders wide receiver
Tre Tucker put together a fairly quiet rookie campaign, but could see a bigger role next season. Tucker is a bit undersized but Raiders' head coach Antonio Pierce doesn't care about his size and says everyone should watch Tucker play. Tucker finished with 19 receptions for 331 receiving yards and two touchdowns during his rookie season. It seems possible that the Raiders use Tucker in a dual-threat type of role because they like his athleticism. On paper, Tucker is a distant No. 3 option behind
Davante Adams and
Jakobi Meyers on the depth chart.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
2 weeks agoNew York Giants wide receiver
Jalin Hyatt has reportedly put on weight this offseason. The second-year wideout is listed as 185 pounds heading into camp. Hyatt didn't provide the exact number, but he has added some bulk this offseason. The young wideout mentioned that he needed to get bigger in order to play more on the outside as a wide receiver. It'll be interesting to see how Hyatt is worked into the gameplan after a fairly quiet rookie campaign. The wide receiver room is only getting more crowded with
Malik Nabers joining the team as their first-round draft pick. Hyatt could be a late-round flier on draft boards this fall.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: New York Post
2
weeks
agoThe
Athletic's
Doug
Haller
writes
that
there
is
a
lot
of
optimism
from
the
Arizona
Cardinals
this
offseason,
with
the
biggest
reason
being
that
quarterback
Kyler
Murray
is
on
the
field.
Murray
was
off
to
the
side
working
with
the
team's
conditioning
staff
at
read more...
2 weeks agoThe Atlanta Falcons signed offensive tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith and defensive tackle Prince Emili on Thursday, according to NFL.com. Jones-Smith has six NFL game appearances since entering the league in 2018, and he has spent time in the XFL and UFL. Emili, an undrafted free agent in 2022 out of Penn, spent time with the San Antonio Brahmas this spring and racked up 23 tackles and three sacks. Several franchises are signing former UFL players as low-risk, high-reward depth pieces ahead of training camp, so it will be interesting to see how many of them can make 53-man rosters in 2024.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com
2 weeks agoThe Denver Broncos announced the hiring of former Stanford head coach David Shaw as a senior personnel executive on Thursday. Shaw interviewed for a few NFL head coaching gigs this offseason but now lands in Denver in a front-office role. The 51-year-old coached in the NFL from 1997 to 2005 before joining the college ranks. After taking over for Jim Harbaugh at Stanford in 2011, he compiled a 96-54 record and won five bowl games in 12 seasons.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com
2 weeks agoThe Cleveland Browns released defensive end Lonnie Phelps on Thursday, according to NFL.com. Phelps was arrested and charged with drunken driving on Wednesday night after police said he crashed his SUV into a Florida restaurant, and the team wasted no time letting him go. It's an unfortunate incident for all involved, and Phelps, who did not appear in a game last season after going undrafted, could be hard-pressed to find another opportunity around the league.
--Jackson Sparks - RotoBallerSource: NFL.com
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