Unsigned Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Chiefs have held RB Jerick McKinnon out of offseason practices. There’s no injury to report, as the plan is all about keeping McKinnon fresh. “Last year was a long year,” he said. “I was fortunate to make it through the whole season — every game. But those hits definitely take a toll on you. Going into Year 10, older guy, so the thing about being here — the coaching staff, medical staff, everybody’s on the same page with coming up with a plan to make sure I’m good to go for the season.” The 31-year-old is in for TD regression after scoring ten times on 128 touches in 2022.

Bears WR Chase Claypool has missed the last "few weeks," according to The Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs. HC Matt Eberflus only said Tuesday that Claypool is "dealing with a few things," adding that the plan is to have Claypool healthy for training camp. We'll keep an eye on the situation but aren't adjusting Claypool's 2023 projections right now.

The Vikings are releasing RB Dalvin Cook, according to multiple reports. The move (or a trade) has been anticipated all offseason. His departure leaves Alexander Mattison as the top candidate to lead Minnesota's backfield, and there's big volume upside. Cook ranked 11th among RBs in opportunity share last season, the team's first under HC Kevin O'Connell. Ty Chandler, DeWayne McBride and Kene Nwangwu will compete for roles behind Mattison. Cook now hits the open market, ready to significantly alter the RB projections for some new team. Check our fantasy football RB rankings for updated numbers.

Saints WR Michael Thomas said he expects to be a full participant on day one of training camp. We’ll see if the team pulls in the reigns on a guy with only 10 appearances over the past three seasons. For now, though, Thomas looks to be on the right track. The veteran even took some reps at OTAs on Tuesday. With an Underdog Fantasy ADP of WR47, Thomas is reasonably priced in early drafts.

It's no surprise that Seahawks S Jamal Adams and LB Jordyn Brooks have not participated in OTAs. Each is coming off a 2022 leg injury, and HC Pete Carroll said Thursday that it'll be a while before we know when to expect either player back. "We don't have time frames," he said, according to The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar. "We won't really know for another good six weeks, eight weeks or something like that. ... They've got their eyes set on getting back and getting ready to go for the season. Whether they can make it, we'll find out." You can tell by our 2023 IDP rankings that we're not betting on Brooks being ready early in the season. He tore his right ACL in Week 17 and doesn't seem like a good bet to return to full strength at any point in 2023. Adams sustained a far less common quad tendon injury in Week 1. That timeline would seem to indicate he has a much better shot than Brooks at being ready by September. But the fact that Carroll is addressing their returns similarly says you should be cautious with your Adams expectations. He sits conservatively in DB3 territory of our IDP rankings.

Eagles RB Rashaad Penny (leg) is participating in this week's OTAs. His 2022 season ended with a fractured fibula in October, but he was medically cleared in March. Being able to get on the field for these OTAs is good news for Penny as he settles into a new offense. How snaps and touches will be divvied between Penny, D'Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott this season will be one of the more intriguing fantasy storylines to track this summer.

Retired QB Tom Brady told Robin Lundberg of Sports Illustrated that he’s “certain” he won’t play football again. “I’ve tried to make that clear, and I hate to continue to profess that, ‘cause I’ve already told people that lots of times.” Rumors circulated that Brady, now a part owner of the Raiders, might return to play for the team. We're inclined to believe the 46-year-old (in August) has played his final NFL game.

Giants WR Sterling Shepard is running routes in 7-on-7 work, according to insider Art Stapleton. It's good progress as Shepard works back from a torn left ACL suffered on September 26. He re-signed with the Giants in March on a 1-year deal worth just $1.3 million with $0 guaranteed. So Shepard isn't even a lock to make the final roster -- although Stapleton says, "I think the speculation on here about Shep not making the team is very premature. Would not count him out." We'll see, but Shepard isn't worth a pick in early best-ball drafts.

Per Patriots beat writer Mark Daniels, RB Ty Montgomery “looks like the leader” for the team’s third-down back role. The 30-year-old missed nearly all of last year with an injury. Montgomery’s injury history extends well beyond 2022, so he’s far from a lock to cap Rhamondre Stevenson’s upside. Also note: Stevenson proved solid as a pass-catcher in 2022, ranking top-7 among RBs in targets (88), catches (69), and yards (421). We’ll track this storyline throughout training camp.

Bengals WR Tyler Boyd addressed his contract situation on Tuesday. The 28-year-old is entering the final year of a 4-year, $43 million deal. “I know I’m going to be a free agent next year, and at the end of the day, it will come down to money,” he said. “I have a great, strong feeling that they will come with an offer to where it’s still going to be tough for me to leave ’cause this is my family. I spent my whole career here.” Boyd also admitted he’s behind Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins when it comes to the Bengals’ contract priorities. For 2023, at least, Boyd remains a bench stash who's best utilized when either Higgins or Ja’Marr Chase are inactive.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott gave his take on the health of WR Michael Gallup. “[He’s] starting to come back into who Michael Gallup is and feel himself. That’s a guy that I’ve got a lot of trust in," Prescott said. "He’s getting his feet under him, and he’s going to be better.” Gallup tore his ACL in early January, 2022, and labored through last season. Dallas added Brandin Cooks over the offseason, but Gallup profiles as a low-risk flier at WR79 in ADP.

Steelers WR Allen Robinson is “not yet involved in all team activities,” per beat writer Brian Batko. Robinson underwent foot surgery for a stress fracture around the start of December. The 30-year-old (in August) isn’t someone to circle as a late-round flier.

Cowboys WR Michael Gallup admits that he struggled last season returning from his January 2022 ACL tear. "I was thinking too much,” Gallup said. “My knee was feeling sore, and it was just different. Last year at this time, I couldn’t walk. It’s different now. I feel springy again. It just feels different.” Gallup posted career lows last year in yards per game (30.3), yards per catch (10.9), and yards per route (1.0). We're buying a bounce back for the 27-year-old this season. But he still sits outside the top 50 in the WR Rankings after the Cowboys added WR Brandin Cooks earlier this offseason.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, there’s “no indication that the Titans plan to move on from [Ryan] Tannehill this offseason.” Tannehill is scheduled to make a non-guaranteed $27 million in a contract year. Graziano adds that he wouldn’t be “surprised” to see Tannehill’s name come up in trade talks — if the Titans start poorly. Rookie QB Will Levis is off the redraft radar, but there remains a real chance he takes snaps in 2023.

Saints GM Mickey Loomis believes WR Michael Thomas can “absolutely” catch 100 passes again. "He's worked so hard (at getting healthy) over the last 2-3 years. And while the results haven't been good as we all hoped, it's not because of a lack of effort or desire by him, that's for sure,” Loomis remarked. Per beat writer Kat Terrell, Loomis added that everything is “pretty much according to plan” after Thomas recently had hardware removed from his foot. The 30-year-old appeared in only three games last year; seven in 2020. He projects as a bench stash in our fantasy football WR rankings.

In a move that should surprise absolutely no one, the Jets have agreed to a one-year deal with WR Randall Cobb. The Aaron Rodgers teddy bear averaged just 3.6 targets per game with Green Bay over the past two seasons, after returning from exile ... er, Houston. Cobb has reached 40 receptions just once in the past five seasons. He's not a fantasy factor heading into his age-33 campaign. We'll see, though, how much he disrupts the playing time of younger teammates. Even while missing four games last year, Cobb still ranked fourth among Packers WRs in snap share.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer hears that RB Dalvin Cook is now likely to remain with the Vikings for the 2023 season. "The Vikings have told other teams they're cap clean now, so there’s no urgency at this point to offload Cook," Breer writes. It sounds like Cook might still be available if another team was hot for him, but that seems unlikely considering Cook's age (28 in August), injury history, and cap hit ($14.1 million). We'll continue to keep an eye on this situation, but you should be drafting for now as if Cook will be a Viking this season.

The Chiefs are expected to re-sign RB Jerick McKinnon, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. McKinnon played a big role in Kansas City's offense over the 2nd half of last season, particularly in the passing game. He averaged 4.7 targets, 3.7 catches, 33 receiving yards, and .6 receiving scores over his final 13 games (including postseason). The Chiefs didn't add a RB in the draft, so their backfield figures to look similar this year to last: McKinnon as the passing-down back and Isiah Pacheco as the lead ball carrier.

Update: The Chiefs have officially re-signed McKinnon, according to ESPN's Field Yates. See where McKinnon lands in the updated RB rankings.

The Bills announced Monday morning that they have signed RB Latavius Murray to a one-year deal. It's noteworthy that he comes off the market ahead of bigger-named free agents Ezekiel Elliot, Leonard Fournette, and Kareem Hunt. But that might just indicate what Buffalo is looking for vs. what those players would seek. Murray likely won't challenge the role of Damien Harris, who signed back in March. And he shouldn't challenge James Cook's role either. Murray looks like veteran depth. We'll see whether the contract terms even make him a lock for the regular-season roster. Don't bother with Murray in your best ball drafts at this point. See where the other Bills RBs sit in our 2023 fantasy football rankings.

The Jets grabbed TE Zach Kuntz in the 7th round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Kuntz is a rare athlete. He clocked a 4.55-second 40 time with a 40-inch vertical at 6’7 and 255 pounds to earn a perfect 10.0 Relative Athletic Score. Kuntz broke out at Old Dominion with a 73-692-5 line in 2021 before tearing an ACL five games into this past season. He spent his first 3 college years at Penn State, where he did virtually nothing. Kuntz is a project – but that size and athleticism at least makes him worth stashing on deeper dynasty rosters.