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 Browns signed WR Marquise Goodwin to a one-year deal. He's coming off a 387-yard, four-TD season in Seattle -- which was actually his most productive since 2018. Goodwin adds speed to Cleveland's WR corps but won't be higher than fourth on the totem pole behind Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Broncos HC Sean Payton tells NFL Network's Tom Pelissero that people shouldn't buy into the trade rumors surrounding WR Jerry Jeudy or WR Courtland Sutton. "We're not trading those two players," Payton said. We could simply take the coach at his word. Of course, these rumors have been swirling for a while now, with no Broncos leadership previously swatting them down. If you're doing best ball drafts right now, then you should treat Jeudy and Sutton as though they'll be in Denver this season. That said, we had no idea a year ago at this time that A.J. Brown and Marquise Brown were about to get traded on Night 1 of the NFL Draft. A month ago, we had no idea that D.J. Moore was about to move to Chicago. So be wary of treating any NFL team decision maker as though he's telling the full truth over the next five weeks.
The Seahawks have agreed to a one-year, $7 million deal with LB Bobby Wagner, according to multiple reports. This is a high-upside landing spot for Wagner, who became a cap casualty just a year after signing in free agency with the Rams. He returns to a Seattle LB corps that let starter Cody Barton walk in free agency. Incumbent Jordyn Brooks is coming off a Week 17 ACL tear, which could challenge his readiness for the start of the 2023 NFL season. That all means Wagner could open the year as the Seahawks top fantasy LB, with upside well into the position's top 10. We'll keep an eye on the whole situation through the summer.
The Panthers agreed to a one-year deal with WR D.J. Chark. The 26-year-old missed six games in the first half of last season with ankle trouble but made some noise in the second half, averaging 57.7 yards on 17.6 yards per catch over the final seven games. Chark ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash at the 2018 Combine and is averaging 14.4 yards per catch through five NFL seasons. He adds much-needed juice to a Panthers WR corps that added WR Adam Thielen last week. Those two are the current favorites to open the season as Carolina's top two WRs -- although don't count out WR Terrace Marshall. The Panthers, of course, are expected to select their starting QB with the first pick of next month's draft.
The Ravens signed WR Nelson Agholor to a 1-year, $3.25 million deal. It's an uninspiring addition for a team that's made a habit of making uninspiring moves at WR. Agholor has yet to reach 900 yards across 8 NFL seasons and averaged just 26.9 receiving yards per game in New England over the past 2 years. He joins Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay and James Proche in Baltimore's WR room for the time being. Hopefully the Ravens aren't done addressing the position.
Broncos WR K.J. Hamler recently underwent surgery to repair a partially torn pectoral he suffered while training, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Hamler is expected to be sidelined for four to six months, which means he'll miss the entire offseason program and potentially training camp. It's just another setback for a guy who's piled up a lengthy injury history. Hamler is off the redraft radar at this point -- and his dynasty value is fading fast.
The Giants are signing WR Jamison Crowder to a 1-year deal, according to CBS Sports' Josina Anderson. The G-Men continue to stockpile slot receivers, with Crowder joining Parris Campbell, Wan'Dale Robinson and Sterling Shepard as options on the inside. We'll see about the details of Crowder's contract, but he's probably not even a lock to make the final roster. Turning 30 in June, Crowder caught 6 balls in 4 games for the Bills last year, missing the rest of the season with an ankle injury.
The Jaguars signed RB D'Ernest Johnson to a one-year deal. Johnson was excellent in a trio of spot starts back in 2021, posting 22-146-1, 19-99-0, and 25-123-1 rushing lines. He led all 50 qualifying RBs in 2021 Pro Football Focus rushing grades. Johnson got on the field for just 35 offensive snaps this past season, though, with both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt healthy. Johnson now joins JaMycal Hasty behind Travis Etienne in Jacksonville's backfield. Neither guy is likely to have standalone fantasy value. But, if Etienne misses time, we'd expect Johnson to lead in carries, with Hasty handling passing-down work.
Free-agent TE Foster Moreau announced Wednesday that a "routine physical" during a visit to New Orleans discovered Hodgkin's lymphoma. Moreau says he's "stepping away from football at this time to fight" cancer. Bet on the soon-to-be 26-year-old missing at least the coming NFL season. We'll see how the treatment goes beyond that.
The Raiders have agreed to a one-year, $2.75 million deal with TE Austin Hooper, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. The deal has a max value of $3.5 million. That's obviously not enough to guarantee a top role at the position. But Hooper's a better bet for receptions than new teammate TE O.J. Howard. Even so, he has averaged just 2.4 catches per game over the past two years, with two different teams. Neither Hooper nor Howard is likely to make a big fantasy football impact this year.
The Jets are trading WR Elijah Moore and a third-round pick to the Browns for a second-rounder. The move confirms what the Jets' usage told us last year: They've already fallen out of love with the 2021 early-second-round pick. We loved Moore as a prospect, and he supplied a promising rookie-year stretch when healthy. He joins a Cleveland team with Amari Cooper in place as the top WR. But Moore could push Donovan Peoples-Jones for the No. 2 spot. And the trio makes a high-upside corps for QB Deshaun Watson. The Jets, meanwhile, might now be more incentivized to keep WR Corey Davis. We'll see if the team adds any notable wideouts in the draft, as well as how many more ex-teammates Aaron Rodgers demands the Jets acquire. The landing spot doesn't immediately boost Moore's fantasy outlook. But getting to a team that wants him more can only help his upside.
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.
The Colts signed WR Isaiah McKenzie, who was cut by the Bills earlier this week. McKenzie is coming off a career-best 42-catch, 423-yard season in Buffalo -- but that still landed him outside the top 50 WRs in PPR points. He currently looks like the favorite to replace Parris Campbell as Indianapolis' primary slot receiver, but we'll see if the team adds anyone else to the WR room. McKenzie isn't an exciting pick in early best-ball drafts.
The Cowboys signed RB Ronald Jones to a 1-year deal. In a best-case scenario, Jones would be Dallas' Ezekiel Elliott replacement -- an outcome that would give him plenty of fantasy value. The problem is that Jones' career has headed sharply south since his 192-978-7 rushing line back in 2020. He fell behind Leonard Fournette in 2021, carrying just 101 times for 428 yards and 4 TDs. And then Jones could barely get on the field for the Chiefs last year, finishing with just 17 carries for 70 yards and 1 TD. We're not completely throwing in the towel on Jones, who turns just 26 in August. But we're also not considering him a lock for Dallas' #2 RB job. We'll see what else the offseason brings. If Jones is the Cowboys' biggest addition, it'd be a big win for RB Tony Pollard.
The Raiders signed TE O.J. Howard to a one-year deal. The 2017 first-round pick has struggled since his 2020 Achilles tear, totaling just 24 catches across 30 games the past two seasons. Howard did average a big 14.5 yards per catch for the Texans last year -- but finished third among the team's TEs with just 10 catches. Howard at least finds opportunity in Las Vegas, where the Raiders traded away TE Darren Waller and have not at this point re-signed TE Foster Moreau. We'll see what the rest of the offseason brings. For now, consider Howard just a last-round flier in best-ball drafts.
On the same day RB Devin Singletary agreed to terms with the Texans, the Bills have reached a deal with a former rival. RB Damien Harris agreed to a one-year pact, according to multiple reports. The money has yet to be announced. It's tough to imagine the money being a lot less than the "up to $3.75 million" Singletary will get from the Texans. So Buffalo clearly believes Harris to be an upgrade. Expect him to complement James Cook, though we wouldn't rule out the Bills also making a significant backfield addition via the draft. Bijan Robinson in Round 1? Probably not. Harris -- who has averaged 4.7 yards per carry for his career and scored on a strong 4.5% of his career rushes -- lands in a good spot for TD upside. QB Josh Allen vultures some short-range rushing TDs, but Singletary still managed 12 ground scores over the past two years. Harris will be a nice value if he stays deep in RB4 range, as he currently sits in Underdog ADP. Cook should probably come down from his RB27 ADP there.
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.
The Texans have agreed to a one-year deal with TE Dalton Schultz worth "up to $9 million," according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. It has to be a disappointing contract for a guy Dallas franchise-tagged just last offseason. But it sounds like about the same contract Mike Gesicki is getting from the Patriots. Schultz opened his career with two quiet seasons (13 total catches) in Dallas, before breaking out in 2020. He then averaged 4.1 receptions and 41.7 yards per game over the past three years. Bet on the Houston offense being worse than the Cowboys unit Schultz is leaving. But Houston's top three pass-catchers currently look like WR Robert Woods, WR Nico Collins, and WR John Metchie. So there's target-share opportunity. Of course, we'll also see who the new starting QB will be. The Texans figure to select that guy early in the NFL Draft. We're not excited about Schultz at his current TE12 best ball ADP. He could become more interesting, though, if he drops significantly below that.
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.
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