The Packers are releasing K Anders Carlson, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. That leaves Greg Joseph as the lead in-house candidate to open the season. But Green Bay might not be done considering kicker options.
Jets HC Robert Saleh talked up RB Braelon Allen's passing-game ability after Saturday's preseason game. Allen caught just two of four targets for 12 yards in that one but has reportedly been impressing with his route running and pass protection in camp.
ESPN's Adam Schefter believes Justin Fields has gained some ground on Russell Wilson in the race for the Steelers' starting QB job. Fields has "gotten better at practice every day," per Schefter, while Wilson missed a few days with his calf injury. "I think Russell Wilson remains in the pole position, but I also think that Justin Fields has opened some eyes, and they see the type of offense they could have," Schefter said.
Jets RB Breece Hall said, "I feel like I'm back to my old self" heading into the 2024 campaign. He spent his 2023 offseason rehabbing a torn ACL. He was able to get back into his regular offseason routine this time around, particularly focusing on adding strength back to that left knee and left quad.
Multiple Jets beat writers have WR Xavier Gipson ahead of WR Malachi Corley on the depth chart heading to training camp. Those two are battling for the slot role between boundary WRs Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams.
Jets WR Garrett Wilson aims to rebound from a 2023 season that was high on volume and low on efficiency. He garnered 168 targets but tallied a poor 56.5% catch rate. Wilson also scored on only three of his 95 catches -- a 3.1% TD rate.
Jets fourth-round rookie RB Braelon Allen "has been one of the biggest standouts during OTA practices," according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. Rosenblatt calls Allen the "clear frontrunner" for the No. 2 job behind Breece Hall, "especially because of his emergence as a legitimate option as a pass-catcher. That's especially noteworthy for Allen, who got little credit for his receiving ability coming out of Wisconsin. He totaled 49 catches across three starting seasons and averaged a mere 5.6 yards per catch.
The Jets selected South Dakota State RB Isaiah Davis in Round 5 of the NFL Draft. If you value productive RBs, Davis is your guy. Across four seasons at South Dakota State, the 218-pounder racked up 677 carries, 4,552 yards (6.7 YPC) and 50 TDs. He hit 1,400+ rushing yards in his junior and senior seasons. Now, the heavy workloads might be some cause for concern long-term. He missed eight career games across 2021-2022 – all with a shoulder. Davis didn’t miss time last fall, though, and the tape is undeniably impressive. The Missouri native runs hard at nearly 220 pounds, yet he moves like a satellite back. ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said Davis has “vision and feet/jump cut skills as good as any runner in [the] draft.” The 22-year-old earned every yard, too. Per PFF, Davis ran into heavy boxes (7+ defenders) on ~82% of his carries. That mark led the class – along with his 6.6 yards per carry in such situations. Davis isn’t a zero in the passing game, but he lacks reliable hands and a developed route tree. He joins fourth-round rookie Braelon Allen in the Jets’ backfield, behind Breece Hall. It’s a rough spot for Davis’ dynasty value.
The Jets took Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen in Round 4 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Allen is the youngest player in this entire draft class, turning just 20 back in January. He exploded as a 17-year-old true freshman in 2021, running for 1,268 yards and 12 TDs on 6.8 yards per carry. But by most measures, that was his best season at Wisconsin. Allen topped 1,200 rushing yards again in 2022, but his yards per carry, yards after contact per carry, and missed tackles forced per attempt all sunk from the previous season. Then his usage and production took a hit in a pass-heavier Wisconsin offense last year. Allen carried 181 times for 984 yards (5.4 YPC) and 12 TDs. He at least rebounded in yards after contact per attempt, ranking 29th among 157 qualifiers. But Allen ranked just 97th among those 157 RBs with a career-worst 78.6 Pro Football Focus rushing grade. The burly 6’1, 235-pounder runs with good vision and has better long speed than you’d expect. But he doesn’t always play to his size and doesn’t possess much wiggle. It’s also worth noting that Allen suffered shoulder, right leg, and left ankle injuries, plus a concussion, during his three years at Wisconsin. Allen joins a Jets backfield that will be dominated by Breece Hall for the foreseeable future. The rookie will duke it out with 2023 fifth-round pick Israel Abanikanda for scraps.
The Jets used a Round 3 pick on Western Kentucky WR Malachi Corley. Corley has commonly drawn comparisons to Deebo Samuel for his after-catch skills. The 5’11, 215-pounder averaged a huge 8.2 yards after catch per reception over his four-year career, including 9.2 over the last two seasons. Corley boasts an impressive combination of power, acceleration, and agility. He forced 55 missed tackles over his final two seasons. There’s not much else to his game at this point, though. In fact, 133 of Corley’s 259 receptions at Western Kentucky – or 51.4% – came on screens. He did very little work downfield, with a minuscule 6.3-yard career average target depth. Corley totaled just 20 catches on 47 targets 20+ yards downfield over the past four years. He has enough athleticism to develop into a more complete receiver. But, at least in the short term, Corley will need heavy volume and designed touches to be a real fantasy factor. He projects as the third or fourth target for a Jets squad that’s expected to remain pass-centric.
The Jets are "extremely high" on WR Xavier Gipson, The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt writes. Rosenblatt projects Gipson as New York's starting slot receiver between Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams -- although he concedes that the Jets could take a WR early in the draft. Gipson went undrafted last year but captured a significant role over the second half of the season. We'll see what the draft brings and still wouldn't recommend rostering Gipson in any redraft league. But he might be worth stashing in deeper dynasty formats.
The Broncos signed WR Josh Reynolds to a two-year, $14 million deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Reynolds ranked third among Lions last year in both receiving yards (608) and TDs (5), fending off Jameson Williams for the No. 2 WR job. He's developed into a reliable receiver. But he's also never topped 618 yards across his seven NFL seasons. Reynolds should find plenty of snaps for a Broncos team with Marvin Mims, Tim Patrick, Brandon Johnson, and Phillip Dorsett behind No. 1 WR Courtland Sutton. But he's not an exciting fantasy option. If Reynolds is the most significant WR addition Denver makes this offseason, Mims will have every chance to earn a major role in his second season.
It was reported when the Steelers traded for QB Justin Fields that he was coming in to back up QB Russell Wilson. HC Mike Tomlin clarified the situation over the weekend, calling Wilson the favorite for the starting job but adding that Fields is in the mix, too. "When it's time to compete, Justin will given an opportunity to compete," Tomlin said. "But I thought it was appropriate to describe it in a way for when we get started. Russell's in pole position, and I think his body of work justifies that." Wilson was decent last year, completing 66.4% of his passes, averaging 6.9 yards per attempt, and ranking 19th among 30 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus' passing grades. It's certainly possible that he plays well enough throughout 2024 to keep Fields on the bench. But fantasy drafters should not be treating Wilson as a locked-in starter at this point. Fields, meanwhile, is tough to spend a pick on in early best-ball drafts. But this could be a nice time to buy low in dynasty leagues.
The Bears are sending QB Justin Fields to the Steelers for a low-level draft pick. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Chicago gets only a sixth-rounder in 2025 that will become a fourth-rounder if he plays at least 51% of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps this year. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that a source told him "Russ is the starter." That, of course, refers to Russell Wilson, also recently acquired. It's a steep fall for Fields but a decent landing, behind a 35-year-old starter in clear decline. Fields is also unlikely to have his fifth-year option picked up this offseason. So we're betting he'll hit unrestricted free agency ahead of the 2025 season. We'll see about Fields' status at that point. For now, hold him if you can in dynasty -- just in case he finds a starting opportunity this year. We've seen that Fields can deliver fantasy points even while playing iffy-to-poor football. But Fields isn't a must-hold in shallower formats.
The Bears have fired OC Luke Getsy and other members of the offensive staff, NFL Network reports. QBs coach Andrew Janocko is also among the coaches being dumped. Chicago did improve its ranking in both points and yards in the second season under HC Matt Eberflus but still ranked just 18th and 20th, respectively. The Bears also finished just 22nd in offensive DVOA (a slight boost from 24th in 2022). It's tough to say whether these moves tell us anything about the team's plan at QB. Chicago could keep rolling with Justin Fields, move him and replace with a rookie, or keep Fields and draft a QB early. It'll be an interesting offseason for that spot no matter which path the Bears choose. And Fields remains a solid-to-good fantasy asset. We'd bet on him starting somewhere in 2024. You might not want to go buying him in dynasty, though. It's possible Fields' passing struggles knock him out of a consistent starting position beyond the coming season.
Giants QB Tyrod Taylor is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the Eagles with a thumb injury. He's been replaced by Tommy DeVito. We'll update Taylor's status when we know more.
Update: Taylor returned early in the second quarter.
Bears QB Justin Fields completed 20 of 38 passes for 268 yards and a TD in Sunday’s win vs. the Falcons. He also ran for a score and tallied 45 rushing yards on 11 carries in the contest. Though he missed 4 games due to a thumb injury, Fields ranks second among QBs in rushing yards (630) through Week 17 and helped fantasy managers with seven top-12 weekly finishes in four-point per passing TD scoring in that span. It’s evident that he can be a difference-making player, but the largest question looming over him this offseason is still whether or not he’ll be the Bears’ QB in next season. Chicago holds the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and could opt to either part ways with Fields or continue to build the offense around him. It’s reasonable to view him as a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 in dynasty at this stage, though we’ll be anxiously awaiting clarity surrounding his future. Where he suits up next year will have a sizable influence on how he’s viewed moving forward.
Jets WR Allen Lazard (illness) is inactive for tonight's game vs. the Browns. He has three catches for 21 yards over his last four games, so hopefully this news doesn't impact your Week 17 fantasy plans.
Giants QB Tyrod Taylor will start this weekend's game vs. the Rams, HC Brian Daboll said. Taylor played reasonably well in relief of QB Tommy DeVito in Philadelphia on Monday, throwing for 133 yards, one TD, and one INT in the second half. He completed 64% of his passes at 7.4 yards per attempt with two TDs and 0 INTs in starts against the Bills and Commanders earlier this season. Taylor is just a low-end QB2 for Week 17, but he should bring more stability to the offense than DeVito.
Jaguars S Andre Cisco (groin) and CB Tyson Campbell (quad) are active for today's game against the Buccaneers. Each remained limited in practice all week and carries some risk, but use them as planned if you've waited for either player.
Search
