The Vikings have agreed to a contract restructure with LB Jordan Hicks that will keep the veteran around for 2023. That's noteworthy because it comes shortly after Minnesota released longtime LB Eric Kendricks. Hicks turns 31 in June and saw his playing time slip late last season. That included snap shares of less than 70% in each of the final four contests (before the Vikings yanked most starters in a meaningless finale). We'd bet on Hicks remaining a 2023 starter, but he's far from a lock for full playing time. Youngsters Troy Dye and Brian Asamoah should compete for time as well. And we'll see whether the team makes any significant LB additions via free agency or the NFL Draft.
The Giants have agreed to a one-year deal with WR Sterling Shepard ahead of free agency. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston reports that Shepard will make just $1.317 million. That's not enough to guarantee any significant role on offense. Our guess is that Shepard (and his representation) didn't expect to find much of a market. So he elected to stick with the familiar team on a "prove it" deal. He's not more than an end-of-draft flyer for best ball formats at the moment -- and an unexciting option even there.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says trying to sign QB Baker Mayfield is "certainly going to be a priority" for the Buccaneers in free agency. Rapoport says that would set up a training-camp competition between Mayfield and Kyle Trask, but we'd certainly bet on Mayfield in that scenario. Mayfield is going very late in best ball ADP right now. So go ahead and toss him onto some rosters with WRs Chris Godwin and/or Mike Evans -- and/or Russell Gage. The Gage-Mayfield pairing, in particular, can be had over the final few rounds of your draft. That means very little risk.
The Jets and LB Quincy Williams have agreed to a three-year, $18 million deal, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Incentives could push the total value to $21 million. Either way, it signals continued starter duty for Williams. And it's particularly noteworthy because Williams' playing time fluctuated each of the past two years. He closed out 2022 playing more than 80% of snaps in five of the final six games, including more than 90% in each of the final two. This contract makes it look like we can expect more of the same, which boosts the IDP outlook for the 26-year-old (until Aug. 28). Check out where Williams sits in our dynasty LB rankings after this boost.
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 Broncos released RB Chase Edmonds, saving $5.9 million against the 2023 salary cap. A colossal free-agent bust for the Dolphins last year, Edmonds mustered just 2.9 yards per carry on 42 attempts before being traded to Denver as part of the Bradley Chubb deal in November. Edmonds averaged 4.8 yards on 26 attempts across 5 games for the Broncos -- 2 before hurting his ankle and 3 after. Edmonds turns just 27 in April but seems headed for a secondary role in 2023. We'll see where he lands, but consider Edmonds no more than a late-round flier in early best-ball drafts.
WR Greg Dortch has signed his one-year tender from the Cardinals. It keeps the four-year veteran from reaching free agency, but he would have been an exclusive-rights free agent. So Arizona would have controlled his options. Dortch broke through for 52 catches and 467 yards last year, ranking fourth on the team in targets and third in receptions. He disappeared from the lineup when DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown, and Rondale Moore were all healthy, though. Dortch will need a Hopkins trade to create him 2023 opportunity
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
The Bears agreed to a trade sending the number one overall pick in the 2023 draft to the Panthers in exchange for the ninth overall pick in 2023, the 61st pick in 2023, two future picks, and WR D.J. Moore. There's certainly a lot to take in here. GM Ryan Poles managing to swing a high-end WR in Moore to go with QB Justin Fields is a tremendous boost for the team's future. Any doubts surrounding Fields and his cast of receivers are gone, solidifying his status as a top-end dynasty QB. There's got to be bad news for someone here, though. Between this move and the deadline deal that brought WR Chase Claypool over from the Steelers, it's hard to imagine a ton of fantasy upside for WR Darnell Mooney in this offense now. TE Cole Kmet also loses some value now that he seems doomed to be stuck between third or fourth in the pecking order for targets. As far as the Panthers are concerned, this is a significant investment made into finally solving their QB woes. Going up to number one enables the franchise to put an end to exploring retread experiments as they tried with QBs Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. New HC Frank Reich will have his pick of a young signal-caller to build toward the future with. One of either Alabama QB Bryce Young or Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud feels like a natural fit to plug in right away to a pro-style offense. Unfortunately, without Moore in the mix, this Panthers' offense is devoid of weapons for whoever ends up under center. It's tough to say right now who, if anyone, emerges from this Panthers' offense as a fantasy contributor. Free agency and the NFL Draft in April will help color in those missing pieces of information. Keep up with our coverage here at Draft Sharks as the offseason continues to unfold.
The Dolphins have picked up QB Tua Tagovailoa’s 5th-year option. In doing so, Miami guarantees his $23.4 million salary for 2024. Essentially, he’s locked in as their short-term starter. Consider Tua-Tyreek Hill and Tua-Jaylen Waddle fine best ball stacks at cost.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the Vikings are releasing WR Adam Thielen. It's been a long-rumored, contract-related move. The 32-year-old (until August) has seen his target share decline for two straight seasons. Thielen also tallied a career-low 10.2 yards per catch last season and posted his second smallest averages in both receptions and yards per game since becoming a starter in 2016. We'd still bet on Thielen finding opportunity somewhere else, but it's tough to know how big a role to expect until he lands. You can take some shots on Thielen at his already depressed ADP in current best ball drafts. But don't target him too heavily or expect a huge payoff. Thielen's departure leaves opportunity for WR K.J. Osborn and TE T.J. Hockenson. Don't be surprised, though, if Minnesota adds a wide receiver early in the NFL Draft.
The Chargers have restructured WR Keenan Allen's contract, shaving $8.9 million off his 2023 salary cap number, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. That's big for two reasons: 1) The team opened the offseason with one of the league's worst cap situations. 2) That plus Allen's contract had driven speculation the Chargers would cut or trade him. You can now bet on that not happening. And that makes Allen a strong value in current best ball drafting. His ADP has sat in WR3 range since 2023 drafting began. Even with big-time injury issues last year, Allen still finished the season 12th among WRs in PPR points per game and 13th in half-PPR. L.A. also restructured WR Mike Williams' contract to save another $5.5 million in cap space.
The Cardinals have released WR Chosen (Robby) Anderson. Last year, he managed only 20 catches, 282 yards and 1 score across 16 games. Going on 30, we’d bet against the veteran re-emerging as a fantasy factor.
The Giants are applying the franchise tag to RB Saquon Barkley. It's not yet clear whether it's the exclusive version, which would keep Barkley from being able to negotiate with other teams. But the tag effectively keeps him with the Giants. It's unlikely another franchise would give two first-round picks for the right to sign Barkley. Expect the star RB to stick with the team that allowed him to finish fifth at the position in PPR points per game this past season.
The Giants have agreed to a four-year deal with QB Daniel Jones. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the contract will pay him $160 million, with another $35 million available in incentives. And it pays $82 million over the first two years. The agreement came just before the franchise-tag deadline, allowing the Giants to use the tag on RB Saquon Barkley. Now we'll see what the team can add at WR to help Jones' fantasy upside.
The Ravens are placing the non-exclusive franchise tag on QB Lamar Jackson. That means Jackson can negotiate with other teams after NFL free agency opens. If he reaches agreement with another team, Baltimore would have the option to match or get two first-round picks from the new team. Given that the two sides haven't been able to agree on a new deal yet, this move makes sense. Now the Ravens can let the market set Jackson's value. We'd still bet on him re-signing, but it'll be an interesting situation to watch. We'll also see whether the uncertainty can push Jackson's best ball ADP down any further. (If so, pounce.)
The Seahawks and QB Geno Smith have reportedly reached an agreement on a three-year, $105 million contract extension. The 32-year-old finished the 2022 NFL season with Pro Bowl honors and the Comeback Player of the Year Award after he spent several seasons serving as a backup. It'll be tough for Smith to maintain his fantasy production from last year (QB9 in points per game with 17.9), but this deal locks him in with the likes of WRs D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett for the foreseeable future. We've bumped up Smith to QB18 in our dynasty rankings as a result of this news. He'll be a quality QB2 in superflex leagues. As for Metcalf and Lockett, their dynasty values are relatively the same. Continuity at QB does eliminate some of the risk associated with Metcalf in dynasty formats if anything. We don't yet know the details of Smith's contract and if the Seahawks would be able to maneuver out of the deal should the franchise choose to explore younger options at the position. But for now, it's great news for a player with a great story.
The NFL announced Monday that it has reinstated Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley. The 28-year-old hasn't played since Week 7 of 2021. Ridley initially left the team for personal reasons. The league then suspended him for all of 2022 after revealing that Ridley had placed football bets while he was away from the Falcons. Jacksonville acquired the wideout last November for a fifth-round 2023 NFL Draft pick and a conditional fourth-rounder for 2024. (That can become a third- or second-round pick.) The Jaguars now add Ridley to an offense that got quality fantasy football output from WR Christian Kirk, WR Zay Jones, and TE Evan Engram in 2022. Projecting the 2023 target shares will be a challenge, but each remains an upside player. Ridley's best ball ADP has been all over the place this early draft season. He has climbed as high as WR16 in Underdog drafts and currently sits 20th there, four WR spots ahead of Kirk. FFPC drafters, meanwhile, have Ridley 29th among WRs -- two spots behind Kirk. The two also sit close together on other draft sites. Keep the ADP variations in mind as you decide both whether and where to draft each Jaguars wideout. The collective talent can only help QB Trevor Lawrence, who's going eighth at the position in FFPC drafts right now.
As expected, the Cowboys are applying the franchise tag to RB Tony Pollard. That will cost the team $10.1 million on a one-year deal, if the two sides can't agree to a longer-term contract before the July 15 deadline. Pollard's anxiously anticipated breakout this past season made Dallas' move inevitable. There is still some question about whether the team also keeps RB Ezekiel Elliott around. Cowboys leadership has spoken as though that's the plan. And HC Mike McCarthy intimated in February that he split with former OC Kellen Moore because McCarthy wants a more run-leaning offense. The ankle injury that knocked Pollard out of the playoff loss to San Francisco isn't expected to affect his 2023 availability or contract negotiations with the Cowboys. You'll have to pay up if you want to draft him, though. Pollard's already going 13th among RBs in best ball ADP.
The Vikings are releasing LB Eric Kendricks, which will save the team $9.5 million in 2023 cap space. It was a necessary move for a team that hit the offseason among the furthest over the cap. Kendricks turned 31 at the end of February, so he likely doesn't have many productive NFL seasons left. We'd bet on him landing a 2023 opportunity somewhere, though. The veteran started every game last season for just the second time in his career and has started 113 of his 117 career appearances. Don't be surprised if Kendricks lingers on the open market until after the NFL Draft, though.
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