Panthers edge Brian Burns had surgery last Wednesday on his right ankle, the team announced Monday. Burns missed Week 18 with what was deemed an ankle sprain, but he returned to participate in the Pro Bowl games. Panthers.com's Darin Gantt reports that Burns continued to feel soreness as he began the offseason program, however. Tests revealed a "small fracture," which Dr. Robert Anderson repaired. Carolina expects Burns to be ready for training camp and play the season with "no limitations." This obviously adds a challenge for a rising, young pass rusher, though. We'll be watching Burns' progress this summer. Don't be surprised if we're a little cautious with his initial projections, coming in mid-May.
Broncos HC Sean Payton gave a pretty chilly response when asked about TE Greg Dulcich at the league meetings in late March. "We'll see," Payton said. "Some of it was hard -- the evaluation [on Dulcich.] Some of it was hard." Dulcich flashed between injuries as a rookie last year, tallying a 33-411-2 line across ten games. He ranked 17th among TEs in PPR points per game and 19th among 32 qualifiers in yards per route run. But the fact that he's now playing for a brand new coaching staff adds risk to his 2023 fantasy football outlook. Denver still has TE Albert Okwuegbunam, a popular breakout candidate this time last year. And The Denver Post's Kyle Newman believes the Broncos could add a TE in the draft later this month. The good news with Dulcich: He's just TE15 in recent FFPC ADP — a fine shot to take at that price.
Broncos QB Russell Wilson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee earlier this offseason, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The procedure addressed an issue "that had nagged [Wilson] for a few seasons," per Rapoport. Wilson has already resumed training since the surgery and is expected to be available for OTAs. We'll keep an eye on him the rest of the offseason, but it doesn't sound like this news will impact Wilson's 2023 campaign. The 34-year-old has missed five games over the last two years after playing in 144 straight regular-season games to open his career.
The Texans and RB Devin Singletary have agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth up to a reported $3.75 million. The former Bill will immediately walk into a backfield previously devoid of depth behind the incumbent RB Dameon Pierce. From a fantasy perspective, the biggest fallout here is how Singletary's mere presence alone cuts into Pierce's value. In fairness, the Texans adding depth RBs behind Pierce was almost inevitable. This issue was a glaring team need that the Texans had to address this off-season. Even so, Singletary has exceeded 200+ touches in each of the last two seasons and logged three-consecutive years of 50+ targets as a pass-catcher. He's not elite, though he isn't some nobody name either. This spells bad news for Pierce, a player who finished 2022 as the RB27 in PPR scoring on the heels of 250 touches through 13 games prior to a season-ending ankle injury. Simply put, Pierce's effectiveness as a fantasy asset was heavily tied to his high volume, and now, that's not looking likely to work in his favor in 2023. Assuming the Texans don't add anyone else into the fold, a potential backfield split on a lower-tier NFL offense likely means both Pierce and Singletary will cannibalize each other into RB3/flex range at best. That said, it's still too early, and unfair, to believe this will be a 50-50 split. Keep an eye on the NFL Draft next month in case the Texans make this busy RB room even busier.
WR Darius Slayton re-signed with the Giants on a 2-year, $12 million deal. Slayton has been pretty consistent through 4 NFL seasons, finishing with 46-50 catches and 724-751 receiving yards in 3 of them. That, of course, isn't enough to really get the fantasy juices flowing. Slayton is still just 26 and a candidate to take a step forward in his 2nd season under HC Brian Daboll. But don't consider him more than a WR4 in early best-ball drafts. The Giants' WR corps now reads: Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, Wan'Dale Robinson, Parris Campbell, Sterling Shepard.
The Raiders have agreed to a trade sending TE Darren Waller to the Giants in exchange for a 2023 third round pick (100th overall). The pick Giants are sending was initially acquired via the midseason deal that sent WR Kadarius Toney to the Chiefs, thus marking the first fantasy-relevant contribution Toney has ever made for the team. The need to address pass-catchers around QB Daniel Jones stood atop the list of priorities for the Giants this offseason, and now Waller arguably becomes the best receiver on this team. Though hamstring injuries plagued Waller's 2022 campaign, we're not far removed from three-consecutive seasons of 90+ target and 12+ PPR PPG production from the former Pro Bowler. We'll see what the Giants do in the NFL Draft next month regarding the WR position, but as of now, we're looking at some fairly intriguing fantasy upside here from Waller.
CBS' Josina Anderson reports that Saints QB Jameis Winston is "finalizing" a deal to stay with the Saints. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that it's a one-year agreement worth "up to" $8 million. Rapoport adds that Winston faced "no starting opportunities," which would explain the QB settling for a backup spot behind QB Derek Carr. There would be fantasy upside to Winston if Carr goes down. But it's bad news that the 29-year-old couldn't get a better shot anywhere else just a year after opening 2022 as the New Orleans starter. This comes at the same time as the Buccaneers are rumored to be interested in Baker Mayfield and Jacoby Brissett -- just to add some context. Don't expect big things from Winston going forward.
The Giants have agreed to a four-year pact with LB Bobby Okereke. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that it's worth $40 million total, with $22 million of that guaranteed. It clearly positions Okereke as the lead LB for a team that has lacked such a guy since Blake Martinez tore an ACL early in 2021. Okereke spent the past two seasons starting for the Colts, racking up 283 total tackles. He has also defensed 17 passes across four seasons. Okereke sits among the top 15 LBs in our dynasty rankings. Don't be surprised if he lands inside the top 10 when our 2023 IDP rankings come out.
Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt weighed in at just 176 pounds (on his 6-foot frame) at the NFL Scouting Combine. His testing numbers looked good, though. He led all WRs with an 11'3 broad jump and ranked fourth with a 40-inch vertical. Altogether, Hyatt rated seventh among 44 WRs in Relative Athletic Score. The early draft entrant is coming off a huge receiving line: 67 catches, 1,267 yards, and 15 TDs. His 18.9 yards per catch match the 4.4-second speed he flashed at the Combine. His relatively late breakout -- as a nearly 21-year-old junior -- is a negative, however. We'll dig further into the likely early-round pick for his upcoming prospect profile. Hyatt's current WR49 ADP in Underdog fantasy best ball drafts makes him OK to mix in, though it's hard to imagine a huge spike after he finds his NFL team.
Panthers EDGE Brian Burns (ankle) is inactive for today's game against the Saints.
Broncos QB Russell Wilson scored twice on the ground in Sunday's 3-point loss to the Chiefs. He totaled 27 rushing yards on 4 carries, including the TDs from 16 and 4 yards out. Wilson added 222 yards and a TD (plus an INT) passing, finding TE Albert Okwuegbunam for a 25-yard score. WR Jerry Jeudy led the team in targets (8) and catches (7) but collected just 38 yards. WR Courtland Sutton followed with a 4-44 receiving line on 6 looks. Denver closes out vs. the Chargers at home in Week 18.
Broncos TE Greg Dulcich (hamstring) has been placed on IR. He'd already been ruled out for Sunday's game vs. the Chiefs and will now also miss the finale. Dulcich dealt with a few different injuries this year but flashed when healthy, finishing with a 33-411-2 line in 10 games. He currently ranks 18th in Pro Football Focus receiving grade and 21st in yards per route run among 39 TEs with 30+ targets. We're not optimistic about QB Russell Wilson's chances of bouncing back in 2023, but Dulcich will be worth considering as a TE2 in early 2023 fantasy football drafts.
Broncos TE Greg Dulcich (hamstring) has been ruled out for Week 17 vs. the Chiefs. The rookie didn't practice at all this week due to this ailment. It's onto 2023 with Dulcich for fantasy purposes.
Broncos TE Greg Dulcich (hamstring) was listed as a non-participant at practice on Wednesday. With Week 17's game vs. the Chiefs scheduled for a Sunday kickoff, there's plenty of time for Dulcich to increase activity and receive the green light to play. Continue to monitor this situation as the week unfolds.
The Broncos have fired HC Nathaniel Hackett, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. So Hackett doesn't even make it a full season in Denver. His tenure was a disaster from the start and ends with an embarrassing 51-14 loss to the Rams on Christmas. We'll see who the Broncos tab as their interim HC, but we doubt the move has much of a fantasy impact over the final 2 weeks of the season.
Update: Senior assistant coach Jerry Rosburg has been named Denver's interim HC, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. The 67-year-old has spent much of the last 2 decades as a special teams coordinator and has no head-coaching experience at any level.
Broncos QB Russell Wilson went just 15-of-27 passing for 214 yards in Sunday's lopsided loss to the Rams. He tossed 1 TD vs. 3 INTs and took 6 sacks in the game. Wilson gave way to QB Brett Rypien for the team's final 2 possessions (1 of which produced a Rams pick-6). We'd bet on Wilson returning to the lineup for Week 17 against the Chiefs but would hope to not have to use him in fantasy football lineups.
Broncos TE Greg Dulcich was knocked out in the 4th quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Rams with a hamstring injury. He caught 4 of 8 targets for 39 yards and a score before exiting. We'll see if the rookie can make it back for Week 17's meeting with the Chiefs.
The Bills racked up 254 yards and 3 TDs on the ground in Saturday's win at Chicago. RB Devin Singletary rushed 12 times for 106 yards and a TD. His score came from 33 yards out. RB James Cook carried 11 times for 99 yards and his own TD, which came from 27 yards out. QB Josh Allen contributed the other rushing score, among 6 carries for 41 yards.
Broncos TE Greg Dulcich managed just 1 catch for 11 yards on 2 targets in Sunday's win over the Cardinals. He ranked 2nd on the team in routes, according to Pro Football Focus, trailing only WR Jerry Jeudy. Yet Eric Tomlinson led Denver TEs in targets (3), catches (3) and yards (28) and snared the team's only TD reception. He did so despite running only 6 total routes, 22 fewer than Dulcich and 12 fewer than TE Eric Saubert. Jeudy led the team in targets (8), receptions (7) and yards (76). QB Brett Rypien totaled 197 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT on 21-of-26 passing.
Giants TE Daniel Bellinger (rib) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Commanders. He was limited in practice all week and carries elevated risk in fantasy lineups.
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