Chargers WR Keenan Allen says he is splitting his time between lining up inside and outside in training camp. That's different from his role under OC Joe Lombardi the past two years. "I was stuck in the slot all the time," Allen said Tuesday, according to Alex Insdorf of Chargers Wire. Indeed, Allen spent 62.6% and 64.3% of pass snaps in the slot the past two years. That followed four years of rates from ranging 49.2% to 54.3%. It sounds like we should expect a return to that range. That should help his average target depth at least a little. Allen also saw his yards per route dip to 1.81 over the past two years vs. 2.09 for the previous four. Just another reason you should chase pieces of the Chargers offense in your drafts. See where Allen and crew sit in our fantasy football rankings.
The Bears' first "unofficial" depth chart lists rookie RB Roschon Johnson third. He unsurprisingly trails incumbent Khalil Herbert and veteran free-agent pickup D'Onta Foreman. Reports have had both working ahead of Johnson in training camp. An earlier version of the depth chart also had Johnson behind Trestan Ebner and Travis Homer, but Chicago corrected that. These early depth charts can often prove to hold no value, and Johnson will need to work past at least one veteran to find 2023 fantasy relevance. But he's in a decent spot considering the limited career production of Herbert and Foreman. None of the Bears' backs cracks the top 36 in our RB rankings.
Pro Football Network's Adam Caplan says based on the early practices of training camp, new Eagles RB D'Andre Swift "will easily be the Eagles' most targeted running back." That's been the assumption of most people, of course, since Philadelphia acquired the former Lion in the middle of the NFL Draft. This semi-confirmation is worth noting, though, for anyone wondering if Kenneth Gainwell might fight off Swift in that area. Caplan adds that "most of the passes Swift caught last week appeared to be designed pass plays to him." That would help Swift's receiving volume in an offense that sported the league's second-fewest RB receptions last year. Of course, it's also worth noting that Caplan didn't talk about Swift being the all-around touch leader for the Eagles. We've preferred Rashaad Penny at ADP so far and consider him much more of a fantasy football sleeper than Swift. See how all Philly backs stack up in our RB rankings.
The Bears signed TE Cole Kmet to a four-year, $50 million contract extension with $32.8 million guaranteed. The deal ties Kmet with Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith (LOL) for ninth among TEs in average annual salary. He's now signed through the 2027 season. It's a surprisingly lucrative deal for a guy who's been just fine through three NFL seasons. Kmet has racked up 110 catches over the last two -- 13th most among TEs -- but averaged just 10.5 yards per catch. He ranked 25th and then 22nd at his position in Pro Football Focus receiving grade. Kmet is coming off a TE16 finish in PPR points per game -- and even that was boosted by a 14% TD rate. With WR D.J. Moore bringing additional target competition in a run-heavy offense, Kmet sits in mid-range TE2 territory in our rankings.
The first half of Chargers WR Keenan Allen's 2022 season was wrecked by a hamstring injury. But he was a fantasy football stud over the second half. Allen led all WRs with 60 catches over his final eight games and ranked second to only Justin Jefferson with 83 targets. Allen scored the third most PPR points at his position over those eight contests. He's now finished as a top-13 WR in PPR points per game in six straight seasons and has shown no signs of decline, ranking 12th among 80 qualifying WRs in both Pro Football Focus receiving grade and yards per route run last year. Even with the addition of first-round rookie WR Quentin Johnston, Allen looks like a rock-solid WR2 pick in fantasy football drafts. See exactly where he lands in our WR Rankings.
Bears RB Khalil Herbert indicated the team will utilize a backfield rotation this fall. “You know how things go in the NFL now. They’re doing things running back by committee,” Herbert said. “You need one, two, three really good guys that really carry the rock and there be no drop-off. I feel like we’ve got a really strong group. We’ve got guys who can take it to the house at any given moment. I’m excited to see what we can do.” After averaging 5.7 YPC last year, Herbert said he’s added five pounds, with a goal of playing between 215 and 220. “Just his ability to hit the home run,” HC Matt Eberflus said of Herbert's strengths. “He’s got great vision. He’s got great cut-back ability. He can take the ball outside and bounce it outside, but he’s really good at cutting it back when it’s there. We’re excited where he is.” Scan the RB rankings to see full numbers for Herbert, D'Onta Foreman, and rookie Roschon Johnson.
Bears GM Ryan Poles highlighted RB Roschon Johnson's pass-protection ability when discussing what he likes about the 4th-round rookie. Johnson allowed just eight pressures and two sacks on 160 pass-blocking snaps across four college seasons. Pass-blocking doesn't score us fantasy points, of course. But it gets a RB on the field for the all-important passing downs. Considering Khalil Herbert and D'Onta Foreman's scant pass-catching resumes, Johnson has a good chance to win a passing-down role in Chicago this season.
The Bears selected Cincinnati WR Tyler Scott in Round 4 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Scott played RB in high school – and it shows. He’s excellent with the ball in his hands, combining vision, contact balance, and burst to average 6.6 yards after the catch per reception last year. He also has the speed to win deep, confirmed by a 4.44-second 40 time at the Combine. Scott is a raw prospect with just 1 season of big college production and plenty of work to do in the route-running department. But he has just three years of experience at WR and is only 21, so he should have more room for improvement than your typical rookie receiver. At 5’10 and 177 pounds, he’s likely destined for the slot as a pro. But he can be a dangerous after-catch weapon with seam-stretching ability from the inside. This isn’t a great landing spot for Scott on the run-heavy Bears. He figures to open the season behind at least D.J. Moore, Darnell Mooney, and Chase Claypool. Consider Scott more of a dynasty stash than redraft factor.
The Lions are trading RB D'Andre Swift to the Eagles, according to multiple reports. Detroit gets a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a 30-spot move up in Round 7 this year. A move has been expected since Detroit drafted RB Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round. Swift joins a crowded backfield in Philly but is also likely the best player in the group. We'll see exactly what he can command in terms of regular workload, but we're drafting Swift ahead of Rashaad Penny and Kenneth Gainwell. The other two remain in play for best ball rosters but should come off the board in double-digit rounds. Check our 2023 fantasy football RB rankings for the initial projection on Swift and adjusted numbers for his new backfield mates.
The Bears added RB Roschon Johnson in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Living in the shadow of Texas teammate Bijan Robinson, it’s difficult to say precisely how good Johnson is. Not only did he initially commit to Texas as a QB and change positions, but he’s the only prospect in this class we profiled who was never the leader of his college backfield. It’s tough to point to Johnson’s stats because of that, but you’ll like what you see if you dig into his film. At 6’0, 219 pounds, Johnson is a brick house with plenty of versatility. He’s an excellent pass protector, a capable receiver out of the backfield, and even matched Robinson with a 1.52-second 10-yard split. With his quick burst and well-rounded skill set, there’s an outside shot that Johnson could blossom into being a reliable depth piece on fantasy rosters with a tantalizing three-down upside at best. He joins Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman in a relatively up-for-grabs backfield. Johnson is a candidate to carve out a significant role as a rookie.
The Bears are signing LB Tremaine Edmunds to a four-year, $72 million deal, according to multiple reports. It's the second starter-LB pact of the day for Chicago, who reached agreement with T.J. Edwards earlier. That clearly positions Edmunds and Edwards as the full-timers for the near future. Bet on Edmunds taking over MLB and Edwards slotting on the weak side. The additions push 2022 rookie Jack Sanborn back into a reserve role. Expect both Edmunds and Edwards to land among the top 30 when our 2023 IDP rankings come out. Both already live in that territory in our dynasty rankings.
The Bears have agreed to a three-year deal with LB T.J. Edwards, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The length of the deal and timing -- right at the start of "legal tampering" -- points to Edwards taking a starting role in Chicago. The Bears have 2022 starter Nicholas Morrow hitting free agency, so there's room for 2022 rookie Jack Sanborn to remain in the starting lineup with Edwards. We'll see, of course, how the rest of free agency and the NFL Draft play out. The deal solidifies Edwards' short-term dynasty outlook, giving him a bump up our dynasty rankings. We'd hang on to Sanborn for now as well. He proved quite productive across five full outings after Roquan Smith left, before an ankle injury cost Sanborn the final three games.
The Bears agreed to a trade sending the number one overall pick in the 2023 draft to the Panthers in exchange for the ninth overall pick in 2023, the 61st pick in 2023, two future picks, and WR D.J. Moore. There's certainly a lot to take in here. GM Ryan Poles managing to swing a high-end WR in Moore to go with QB Justin Fields is a tremendous boost for the team's future. Any doubts surrounding Fields and his cast of receivers are gone, solidifying his status as a top-end dynasty QB. There's got to be bad news for someone here, though. Between this move and the deadline deal that brought WR Chase Claypool over from the Steelers, it's hard to imagine a ton of fantasy upside for WR Darnell Mooney in this offense now. TE Cole Kmet also loses some value now that he seems doomed to be stuck between third or fourth in the pecking order for targets. As far as the Panthers are concerned, this is a significant investment made into finally solving their QB woes. Going up to number one enables the franchise to put an end to exploring retread experiments as they tried with QBs Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. New HC Frank Reich will have his pick of a young signal-caller to build toward the future with. One of either Alabama QB Bryce Young or Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud feels like a natural fit to plug in right away to a pro-style offense. Unfortunately, without Moore in the mix, this Panthers' offense is devoid of weapons for whoever ends up under center. It's tough to say right now who, if anyone, emerges from this Panthers' offense as a fantasy contributor. Free agency and the NFL Draft in April will help color in those missing pieces of information. Keep up with our coverage here at Draft Sharks as the offseason continues to unfold.
The Chargers have restructured WR Keenan Allen's contract, shaving $8.9 million off his 2023 salary cap number, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. That's big for two reasons: 1) The team opened the offseason with one of the league's worst cap situations. 2) That plus Allen's contract had driven speculation the Chargers would cut or trade him. You can now bet on that not happening. And that makes Allen a strong value in current best ball drafting. His ADP has sat in WR3 range since 2023 drafting began. Even with big-time injury issues last year, Allen still finished the season 12th among WRs in PPR points per game and 13th in half-PPR. L.A. also restructured WR Mike Williams' contract to save another $5.5 million in cap space.
Weighing in at 6’0 and 219 pounds, Texas RB Roschon Johnson showed good promise at the NFL Combine on Sunday. His official 4.58 40-yard time left a little to be desired, but his 1.52-second 10-yard split ranks tied for 3rd with fellow Longhorn teammate Bijan Robinson and Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs. Johnson looked fairly fluid in running drills and displayed competent pass-catching ability as well. It'll be intriguing to see if he did enough to hear his name called on Day 2 of the NFL Draft in April.
Lions HC Dan Campbell suggested from the Combine on Wednesday that the team is still trying to figure out how to best manage and deploy RB D'Andre Swift. "We thought we had a recipe going into the year, and it didn’t work out," Campbell said. “He got a little bit banged up and then by the end of the year he started to feel better and his production started to go up." Swift appeared in 14 games last year but was limited in the majority of them by ankle and shoulder injuries. "Let’s find another way to see if we can help him stay on the field, you know? I already know he’s doing that for himself, so we’ve got to do that on our end," Campbell added. "What can we do better by him? Can we? Because he’s too talented. He’s too talented to not have out there. He’s an explosive athlete.” It sure doesn't sound like the Lions plan on giving Swift a ton of touches in 2023. But if he can at least hang on to a significant passing-game role, he'll keep himself in the RB2 mix in PPR leagues.
The Panthers named Thomas Brown their new OC. The 36-year-old spent the past 3 seasons working under Sean McVay in Los Angeles, serving as RBs coach and then TEs coach. He bounced around the college ranks prior to that, with his only OC experience coming at Miami from 2016 to 2018. Those offenses finished just 54th, 60th and then 105th in total yards per game. The first 2 were pass-centric attacks, while the 3rd shifted toward the run. Brown will be working under offensive-minded HC Frank Reich in Carolina. We'll see who ends up calling the plays. There's a good chance that Brown is working with a rookie QB in 2023. The Panthers hold the 9th overall pick of this spring's draft and only have QBs Matt Corral and Jacob Eason on the roster currently.
The Athletic's Daniel Popper considers WR Keenan Allen 1 of the Charger's most likely salary cap casualties. (L.A. is currently about $23.5 million over the projected 2023 salary cap.) Allen missed 7 games and most of 2 others with hamstring trouble this past season and turns 31 in April. But he averaged 10.4 targets, 7.5 catches, 84 yards and .5 TDs over 8 healthy regular-season games. And he ranked 12th among 96 qualifying WRs in yards per route run. Allen would draw plenty of interest on the open market if he is released. His departure would be a significant boost to WR Mike Williams and especially WR Josh Palmer. Palmer averaged 7.3 targets, 4.6 catches and 49 yards across 8 games with Allen out or limited this past year.
The Panthers are hiring Frank Reich as their next HC, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Reich was fired by the Colts in November after getting off to a 3-5-1 start. But he went 37-28 across his first 4 seasons in Indianapolis, despite losing QB Andrew Luck just prior to the start of the 2019 campaign. Three of those 4 Colts teams finished top 9 in points; 2 of them ranked top 10 in total yards. Prior to arriving in Indianapolis, Reich spent 4 seasons as an OC -- 2 with the Chargers and 2 with the Eagles. Reich's offense was middling in his 1st season in both stops but improved to finish top 9 in yards in year 2. We'll see how Reich fills out his new staff, but this is a rock-solid hire for Carolina. The Panthers, of course, still need to find an answer at QB after cycling through Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker this past season. Mayfield is now with the Rams, while neither Darnold nor Walker is currently signed for 2023.
Chargers TE Gerald Everett snagged 6 of 8 targets for 109 yards and 1 score in Saturday’s loss at Jacksonville. He paced the team and yardage and was on the receiving end of Justin Herbert’s lone TD. The former Seahawk ended his first year in L.A. as the TE13 in PPG, boosted by injuries to Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. Everett, 28, is under contract for 1 more season.
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