"The Raiders are not expected to see [RB Josh] Jacobs until later this summer, if then," ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted on Monday. Jacobs and the Raiders failed to agree to a long-term contract ahead of Monday's 4 pm ET deadline for franchise-tagged players. Since he hasn't signed the franchise tag yet, Jacobs can't be fined for skipping training camp. "Jacobs will have decisions to make as to when he is willing to report," Schefter adds. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero suggested back in June that Jacobs' holdout could extend into the regular season. We'll continue to keep you updated on the situation, but Jacobs clearly carries elevated risk in upcoming fantasy football drafts.
Raiders beat writer Vincent Bonsignore doesn’t expect the team to extend RB Josh Jacobs prior to Monday’s deadline. Jacobs hasn’t signed his franchise tag, so he’s not subject to fines if he skips training camp. Bonsignore expects Jacobs to show up for the regular season and calls a trade “unlikely.” The 25-year-old finished at RB3 last year, boosted by a massive 393 touches. He'll remain an RB1 when active, but second-year man Zamir White brings plenty of intrigue as a late-round handcuff. Get White starred on your cheat sheet.
Packers beat writer Bill Huber believes the team’s O-line enters training camp in “fine form.” Green Bay’s projected starters — save for LT David Bakhtairi — played together over the final nine games of last season. We’ll keep an eye on the health of Bakhtiari, nearly 32, but this unit looks like a positive for Jordan Love and the run game. Green Bay ranked top-8 last year in pass and run-block win rate, an ESPN metric. See where Love slots in our QB rankings.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero suggested in a recent interview on The Rich Eisen Show that Raiders RB Josh Jacobs could hold out into the regular season. "If there’s not a long-term deal I don’t anticipate Jacobs being there at the start of training camp and I don’t know that he shows up Week 1," Pelissero said. Jacobs was slapped with the franchise tag earlier this offseason, which would pay him $10.1 million this year. Skipping training camp wouldn't cost him any money, but he'd forfeit one-seventeenth of that salary for each game he misses. Jacobs and the Raiders have until July 17 to agree to a long-term deal. Until we have a resolution to this situation, Jacobs carries elevated risk in fantasy drafts. RB Zamir White would be the favorite to take over early-down work if Jacobs holds out into the regular season. RB Ameer Abdullah is still around to handle passing downs.
ESPN's Rob Demovsky named Packers WR Romeo Doubs the team's surprise offseason standout. "Doubs has seemingly become Jordan Love's go-to guy," Demovsky writes. "Whether it's in scripted team periods or move-the-ball drills like the two-minute simulation, Doubs has been targeted time and again." It's worth remembering that Doubs was awesome last preseason, with most of his production coming from Love. And while his rookie season wasn't as impressive as teammate Christian Watson's, Doubs got off to a solid start before a midseason high-ankle sprain got in the way. With rookie Jayden Reed joining Doubs and Watson, this young Packers WR corps will be worth monitoring closely in training camp and preseason.
Per a report from Fox Sports, Packers WR Romeo Doubs recently spoke glowingly about his new QB, Jordan Love. "When you go from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan, Aaron was a really great quarterback, but I believe Jordan can do the same exact thing," said Doubs, adding that he doesn't see "the big difference" between the two. That's certainly high praise to cast upon Love, especially when comparing him to a former MVP in now-Jets QB Aaron Rodgers. He'll have big shoes to fill in Green Bay. The question is, can he be a significant contributor in 2023? It's tough to say as of now. He's only appeared in parts of 10 games with one career start in Week 9 of 2021 when Love went 19 of 34 passing (55.8%) for 190 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT in a loss to Kansas City. But we know that the Packers' front office greatly believes in him. The team signed Love to a one-year/$13.5 million extension (worth up to $22.5 million) instead of picking up the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. Check out our QB rankings to see if we're as keen on Love as his teammate is.
Packers TE Luke Musgrave has been a standout in offseason work. He's already getting first-team reps and has drawn praise from both beat writers and teammates. “He’s going to be a great player," QB Jordan Love said. "He’s a lot faster than I think anybody thought. He picked up the offense really fast. He’s getting a lot of reps right now, which is great for him. He’s making the most of it.” Betting on rookie TEs usually isn't a good idea. But Musgrave has the talent and opportunity to make an immediate impact. He's an intriguing TE3 target in best-ball drafts.
The Jaguars are signing former Broncos K Brandon McManus to a one-year deal. Jacksonville is also waiving K Riley Patterson. McManus finished 2022 well behind Patterson in FG conversion rate, hitting just 77.8% of his kicks (29th in the league) vs. Patterson's 85.7% (tied for 17th). But has been better than that overall (81.9% career) and averaged 5 FGs of 50+ yards across seven full year's as Denver's kicker. Landing in the ascending Jaguars offense makes McManus a top-10 option in our updated kicker rankings.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Broncos are releasing K Brandon McManus. He spent the past nine years in Denver, converting 81.4% of his career FG attempts. McManus has been especially valuable from deep. He hit 23 FGs from 50+ yards away over just the past three seasons. McManus has also missed just 9 extra-point attempts for his career. He is coming off his third-worst FG rate (77.8%), which ranked 29th in the league. We'd still bet on the 32-year-old landing another opportunity. We'll see who Denver turns to at the position.
The Packers passed on picking up QB Jordan Love's fifth-year option and instead signed him to a 2-year deal. Love is getting $13.5 million guaranteed, and the contract can be worth up to $22.5 million total, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. It's a deal that says the Packers still aren't sure that Love is their long-term answer. That's fair, of course, considering Love has thrown just 83 regular-season passes. Green Bay bolstered Love's weaponry last week by drafting WRs Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks and TEs Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft. But he still shouldn't be drafted as more than a lower-end QB2 in fantasy football.
The Packers selected South Dakota State TE Tucker Kraft in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Kraft missed most of this past season following ankle surgery. In 2021, he tallied 65-773-6 in 15 games, showing the skill set of a future NFL starter. His fantasy outlook isn’t clear in Green Bay, though, as the Packers selected Luke Musgrave earlier in the night. Kraft is off the redraft radar.
Michigan State WR Jayden Reed went to the Packers in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Reed broke out immediately at Western Michigan, outproducing then-junior D’Wayne Eskridge as a true freshman. Reed also quickly carved out a role after transferring to Michigan State, earning 22% of targets or more in each of his three seasons with the Spartans. Reed played inside and outside at MSU and was terrific as a college punt returner (15.3 yards per return, 3 TDs). Senior Bowl week found him working almost exclusively in the slot, which will be Reed’s most likely path to NFL receiving success. (Read more about his development and fantasy outlook in his Dynasty Fantasy Football Value report.) In Green Bay, Reed figures to compete with Romeo Doubs for the No. 2 role behind Christian Watson. The rookie won’t be a priority target in redraft, but if Jordan Love hits, Reed could quickly climb the Dynasty WR Rankings.
The Packers selected Oregon State TE Luke Musgrave in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Musgrave stands 6’6, 253 pounds with Mike Gesicki-like athleticism. The 22-year-old was likely on his way to a breakout 2022 before an early-season MCL tear. That wiped out his final college season, although he returned for the Senior Bowl. Musgrave is largely a bet on athletic traits, as he needs to improve both his hands and his YAC ability. He exits Oregon State with a 16.1% career drop rate and only two forced missed tackles on 47 catches. Prior to tonight, Green Bay featured a pair of uninspiring TEs in Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis. So Musgrave should step into a day-one role alongside Jordan Love. Consider this a strong landing spot for Musgrave's dynasty value.
The Packers selected Edge Lukas Van Ness 13th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Van Ness posted 19 tackles for loss and 13 sacks over the past two years but likely hasn’t come close to his ceiling. Van Ness declared early and saw his snaps limited a bit by Iowa’s line rotation. His combo of size (6’5, 272 pounds) and athleticism (91st-percentile 40 time; 80th-percentile 3-cone drill) are exciting. His immediate role in Green Bay might depend on how soon Edge Rashan Gary is ready to return from last year's ACL tear. Find out more about Van Ness in our early IDP rookie rankings.
Raiders RB Josh Jacobs won't report for the start of the team's voluntary offseason program on Monday, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. Jacobs has yet to sign his franchise tender, ultimately hoping for a longer-term deal. He's unlikely to get it, but at this point we don't expect a holdout into the summer. We'll keep an eye on the situation. Giants RB Saquon Barkley and Jaguars TE Evan Engram are also skipping voluntary workouts after getting franchise-tagged earlier this offseason.
The Jets have agreed to a one-year deal with WR Mecole Hardman, worth up to $6.5 million. Hardman missed the final nine regular-season games last year, as well as the playoff opener. He returned for limited use in the conference-title game but then missed the Super Bowl. He'll have a tough time climbing higher than fourth among Jets WRs, behind Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, and Elijah Moore. WR Corey Davis also remains on the roster, though he has been rumored to be a candidate for trade or cut. It seems telling that the Chiefs didn't bother keeping Hardman around at such low contract terms. Don't bother mixing him into your best ball draft plans as anything more than an end-of-draft flier.
Update: Right after the Hardman deal's announcement came the Jets trading WR Elijah Moore to Cleveland. That obviously creates more room for Hardman, though we'll see what other moves are coming. We'll also see about Hardman's recovery from Feb. 21 pelvic surgery.
Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Chiefs are “bracing to lose” WR Mecole Hardman in free agency. Hardman, who underwent groin surgery in February, appeared in only 8 games this past season. 30% of his fantasy production came in one game (Week 7, at San Francisco). According to Fowler, the Chiefs will “attempt” to re-sign WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. Even if the 26-year-old returns, we expect Kansas City to add WR talent this offseason.
TE Luke Musgrave posted an elite Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.94 at the NFL Combine. At nearly 6’6 and 253 pounds, the Oregon State product turned heads with a 36.0” vertical, a 10’5” broad jump and a 4.61 forty-time. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport passed along more good news. Musgrave, who suffered a torn MCL early last season, received “full medical clearance” at the Combine. See where he stacks up among dynasty TEs.
The Raiders plan to use the franchise tag on RB Josh Jacobs, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The tag deadline is Tuesday, so there's still time for a longer-term deal before the tag is applied. Using the tag would give a mid-July deadline for a longer-term pact. The Raiders, of course, declined the fifth-year option on Jacobs' rookie contract before 2022 ... and then handed him the largest workload of his career and watched him lead the NFL in rushing. If he plays on the franchise tag, Jacobs will make roughly $2 million more than he would have on the original option year. either way, expect him to remain the Raiders' workhorse for 2023. And go back to paying little attention to RB Zamir White.
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said from the Combine on Tuesday that he'd "absolutely" be confident in QB Jordan Love as the team's Week 1 starter. That's the most likely scenario for Green Bay if QB Aaron Rodgers is traded. “I think he’s ready to play and I think he’s ready to be an NFL starting quarterback,” Gutekunst said of Love. “Not every quarterback comes into this league ready to go out there and play. I think he needed a little time, but over the last year and a half or so, we’ve seen that’s the next step in his progression. He needs to go out and play." Love has thrown just 83 regular-season passes since being drafted in 2020, including 21 last year. But he entered the league as an intriguing prospect with prototypical size, a big arm and plus athleticism. Love is worth considering as a QB3 in early best-ball drafts as we continue to monitor the Rodgers situation.
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