Packers QB Aaron Rodgers strained a calf in Tuesday's OTA session, CBS' Josina Anderson reports. "It’s considered minor as of now. The anticipation is he should be back fairly quick," Anderson adds. It doesn't sound like this will have any impact on Rodgers' 2023 season, but we'll keep an eye on the 39-year-old.
According to Steelers beat writer Chris Adamski, TE Darnell Washington was “by all indications a full participant in all drills” at rookie minicamp. “He showed zero visible signs of any injury or hindrance,” Adamski added. Good to know. Recent reports pointed to knee concerns as the reason Washington dropped to Round 3 in April. But at least for now, he appears healthy. We remain uninterested in Washington as a TE3 in best ball leagues.
Steelers TE Darnell Washington dropped in the draft due to medical concerns, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports. Fowler says teams were concerned with at least one of Washington's knees -- and some teams were concerned with both knees. It's a surprising report considering Washington didn't miss any games in college with knee trouble. (He missed 4 with a foot injury in 2021.) We'll look for more information on Washington's health. He, unfortunately, landed in a tough spot for fantasy value behind TE Pat Freiermuth in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers selected Georgia TE Darnell Washington in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Washington’s college numbers aren’t great; he topped out with 28-454-2 last season. But you have to at least take notice of a TE that averaged 16.2 yards per catch. Of course, playing alongside the best TE in the country — Brock Bowers — didn’t help boost production. Washington also goes a supersized 6’7, 264 pounds, so he was heavily utilized as a blocker. That figures to be a key part of his NFL role, especially alongside Pat Freiermuth. We’ll also have to keep an eye on Washington’s health following reports of knee trouble.
The long-awaited trade is finally across the finish line. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Jets acquired QB Aaron Rodgers, the 13th overall pick, and a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft from the Packers in exchange for the 15th overall pick, the 42nd overall pick, a sixth-round pick, and a conditional second-round pick in 2024. To simplify the terms, the Jets brought in Rodgers by swapping first-round picks with the Packers, giving up a second-rounder in this year's draft and a second-rounder next year that could become a first if Rodgers plays more than 65% of the Jets' offensive snaps this coming season. This is a fairly big haul for the Packers as they look to move forward with QB Jordan Love at the helm. As for the Jets, Rodgers brings the franchise up immediately into contender status in the AFC with such talented weapons as WR Garrett Wilson and RB Breece Hall. We've recently released our complete 2023 fantasy point projections with Rodgers fixed as the Jets' starting QB. Check out how we see him performing this coming season in this revamped offense.
The Chargers re-signed TE Donald Parham to a 2-year, $2.65 million deal. The 6'8 behemoth was not tendered as a restricted free agent by Los Angeles and ends up returning on a cheap deal, suggesting that he didn't find much interest on the open market. Parham has been just a part-time player through 3 NFL seasons, totaling 40 catches for 479 yards and 7 TDs. TE Gerald Everett had been mentioned as a potential cap casualty for the Chargers but remains on the roster as of mid-March. Unless that changes, Parham is only worth a look in the deepest of fantasy drafts.
QB Aaron Rodgers announced on the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday that he's agreed to a trade to the Jets. The enigmatic former NFL MVP immediately presents an upgrade over QB Zach Wilson and should make fantasy managers excited for what’s to come. Though Rodgers slipped in production last season, he finished 2020 and 2021 with a fantasy PPG average over 20. Much of his lack of success can be attributed to the departure of weapons like WR Davante Adams, but now Rodgers won’t have to worry about a lack of weapons in his supporting cast. WR Garrett Wilson is already considered a high-end dynasty asset, and his value is only further solidified by the presence of a stellar QB. The player this affects the most is WR Elijah Moore, who saw a great deal of controversy last season deriving from his frustrations with his role and poor play from Zach Wilson under center. We may see him look more like the WR3 overall in PPR scoring from Week 7 through Week 12 of his rookie season in 2021 if he can stave off new teammate WR Allen Lazard.
The Steelers have agreed to a three-year deal with LB Cole Holcomb, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The move should make Holcomb the playing-time leader among non-edge LBs in Pittsburgh. He showed that he can produce numbers with a top-10 fantasy finish among LBs in 2021. Holcomb lost half of last season to injury but still managed a top-30 ranking in points per game. He lands in a solid spot for statistical upside, though we'll see what else the Steelers add to a position of weakness.
The Patriots are trading TE Jonnu Smith to the Falcons, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The move primarily looks like a salary dump for New England. Smith caught just 55 passes at 9.8 yards per reception across two seasons after signing a $50 million deal as a 2021 free agent. Atlanta might seem like an awkward fit for him as well, with TE Kyle Pitts already on hand. But the third-year Falcon is more receiver than TE. He has played just 21.8% and 25.6% of pass snaps from an inline position the past two years. Smith, meanwhile, has never run less than 52.6% from there. He was inline on 59.5% of routes last year and topped 64% in each of his first three NFL seasons. He spent those three years -- plus one more -- playing under current Falcons HC Arthur Smith. In Tennessee, Smith served as TEs coach over Smith's first two years, and then OC for the other two. Smith increased his receptions every season there but topped out with a 41-448-8 receiving line in 2020. It'll be similarly tough for Smith to find much fantasy value in Atlanta's run-heavy offense. And we're not downgrading Pitts' outlook for the short or long term on Smith's arrival. Check our dynasty rankings to see how optimistic we remain on Pitts. Smith's departure from New England, meanwhile, certainly can't hurt TE Hunter Henry's opportunities.
The Rams are trading CB Jalen Ramsey to the Dolphins for a third-round pick in this year's NFL Draft and TE Hunter Long. L.A. is obviously clearing salary amid what looks like a necessary rebuild. Ramsey is also coming off a down season that included allowing a career-high 98.6 passer rating in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. But he wasn't terrible and doesn't turn 29 until late October. So there's room to bounce back. And getting Ramsey can only help a Miami defense that missed CB Byron Jones for all of last season after Achilles' tendon surgery. Long is the sneaky fantasy move here. It's not great that he caught just one pass across two seasons since arriving as a third-round pick. But the current Miami regime didn't draft him. And if Long were just a throw-in here, we'd bet on the Rams targeting a different position. The team still has TEs Tyler Higbee and Brycen Hopkins under contract. We're guessing L.A. views Long as an upside player. He delivered an elite-level 8.61 Relative Athletic Score as a draft prospect. That followed 89 catches and 14.6 yards per reception across three seasons at Boston College. Long looks worth stashing in dynasty leagues over the two years left on his rookie contract. Higbee's deal runs out after 2023.
The Texans have signed WR Robert Woods to a two-year deal. The pact includes $10 million guaranteed and could be worth as much as $17 million, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. This signing ahead of NFL free agency opening signals that Houston either wants Woods to replace WR Brandon Cooks once he’s traded or that it prefers Woods to Nico Collins as the No. 2 receiver. Woods has been going near the end of best ball drafts, so signing anywhere helps his outlook. We’ll see what the Texans do at QB and whether they make any other WR moves before determine the veteran’s ultimate value
TE Darnell Washington measured in at nearly 6’7 and 264 pounds at the NFL Combine. He recorded excellent marks in the broad jump (10 feet, 2 inches), short shuttle (4.08) and 40-yard dash (4.64). At his size, Washington is simply an athletic freak. While his production was lacking at Georgia, note that he played with the top TE in the nation (Brock Bowers). Expect Washington to come off the board as a top-50 pick.
The Titans released WR Robert Woods, The Score's Jordan Schultz reports. It's no surprise considering Woods was set to count $14.6 million against the 2023 salary cap. 30 years old and coming off a torn ACL, Woods didn't appear to have much juice left this past season, averaging a career-low 9.9 yards per catch. He ranked 59th among 84 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus' receiving grades. We'll see where Woods lands, but don't expect to find him high in the 2023 fantasy football rankings.
Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell tallied 112 yards on 12 carries with a 35-yard TD run in Saturday's Divisional Round win vs. the Giants. Teammate RB Miles Sanders ran the ball 17 times for 90 yards. The Eagles' rushing attack collectively cranked out 3 of the team's 5 total TDs and 268 total rushing yards, their 2nd-highest total in a game all season. The big takeaway here is that Sanders had his first game of over 65 rushing yards since Week 14. Hopefully, this is a sign that the unfortunate skid of production he'd seen over the last month is over. We'll find out who the Eagles' opponent will be in the NFC Championship game tomorrow night.
Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf had a monster day in Saturday's Wild Card loss vs. the 49ers, posting 10 catches on 13 targets with 136 receiving yards and 2 TDs. Teammate WR Tyler Lockett ended the contest with 6 catches on 8 targets for 39 yards. The fantasy value of this pair of pass-catchers will be tied to the uncertainty surrounding the future of QB Geno Smith. Assuming Smith is brought back on a new contract, both Metcalf and Lockett will be top-20 considerations in drafts this summer.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth sprained an MCL in Sunday's finale vs. the Browns but won't need surgery, HC Mike Tomlin said. The injury shouldn't have much of an impact on Freiermuth's offseason. He finished his 2nd NFL campaign with a 63-732-2 line across 16 games, ranking 10th among TEs in PPR points per game.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth injured a knee in the 4th quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Browns and was quickly ruled out. That often portends a serious injury, but we'll update Freiermuth's status when we know more.
Patriots TE Jonnu Smith (concussion) is out for today's game vs. the Bills. That gives TE Hunter Henry the potential to play a big role again. He registered a 100% route rate and 18% target share last week. The issue is the matchup against the Bills, who rank 2nd in both adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs and Football Outsiders' TE coverage rankings.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth logged 3 receptions on 6 targets for 36 yards, leading all pass-catchers in Week 17 vs. the Ravens. WR Diontae Johnson wasn't too far behind with 35 yards and 2 catches on 7 targets. Sunday's win came mainly through the efforts of the Steelers' rushing attack and defensive contributions. This game wasn't a banner day for anyone whose primary responsibility is catching the ball. Week 18 will give this group an opportunity to bounce back in a fairly neutral matchup vs. the Browns.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers (right thumb, knee) practiced fully on Friday and doesn't carry an injury designation ahead of Week 17 vs. the Vikings. The former MVP hasn't tallied more than 14 fantasy points since Week 11. Rodgers is a high-end QB2 streaming option based on reputation and the fact that the Vikings' defense presents the 6th-best matchup for opposing QBs in adjusted fantasy points allowed.
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