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.
QB Derek Carr and the Saints are working out a contract that could be done as soon as Monday afternoon, according to multiple reports. It's not a surprising turn for Carr, who had "lengthy" visit to New Orleans a month ago. His arrival will be good news for Saints second-year WR Chris Olave, who finished his rookie season 10th in yards per route run among all WRs with 30+ targets. WR Rashid Shaheed was among the nine players ahead of him (on far fewer targets), so that pair presents some big-play upside for Carr's stat line. That said, we can't upgrade the QB for leaving Davante Adams and Darren Waller. So the best hopes for Carr's ADP and fantasy football outlook are: 1) The Saints add more talent on offense; and 2) fantasy drafters don't boost him much from his current QB20 position. We'll see what else a cap-strapped New Orleans roster can add. And we'll see who teams such as the Jets and Panthers turn to at QB (after also courting Carr). WR Michael Thomas remains under contract with New Orleans as well. But he looks like a cut candidate that could help with the cap issues. Don't assume too strongly for now that he opens the year with the Saints.
Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Carr agreed to a four-year, $150 million deal, with $100 million in "total guarantees."
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.
Weighing in at 6’0 and 219 pounds, Texas RB Roschon Johnson showed good promise at the NFL Combine on Sunday. His official 4.58 40-yard time left a little to be desired, but his 1.52-second 10-yard split ranks tied for 3rd with fellow Longhorn teammate Bijan Robinson and Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs. Johnson looked fairly fluid in running drills and displayed competent pass-catching ability as well. It'll be intriguing to see if he did enough to hear his name called on Day 2 of the NFL Draft in April.
Pitt RB Israel Abanikanda chose not to test at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. We’ll have a chance to see the 5’11, 216-pound RB put his skills to the test at Pitt’s pro day scheduled for March 29th. His size is about on par with where he was listed as a collegiate athlete, so that’s 1 less piece of the puzzle to worry about as far as Abanikanda’s profile goes. Tune back in at the conclusion of March for more information.
Though Tulane RB Tyjae Spears chose not to participate in the 40-yard dash at Sunday’s NFL Combine, he had a great day running through drills. Spears displayed his receiving skills and sudden cuts and solidified his status as an intriguing upside prospect. We’re excited to dig more into Spears in our upcoming Dynasty Fantasy Football Value series, previewing the entire 2023 rookie class.
Syracuse RB Sean Tucker opted out of NFL Combine participation on Sunday. The speedster weighed in at 5’9 and 207 pounds. We’ll have an opportunity to see him put his skills on display at Syracuse’s pro day scheduled for March 20th. Stay tuned for our Dynasty Fantasy Football Value profile of Tucker coming later this month.
Georgia RB Kenny McIntosh had respectable performances as a pass-catcher in drills at the NFL Combine on Sunday. Unfortunately, the 6’0, 204-pounder logged a disappointing 40-yard time (4.62) that ranks 3rd-lowest among RBs. This showing in Indianapolis may push McIntosh into Day 3 conversation in the NFL Draft next month. Certainly not the effort the former Bulldog was hoping for.
Ole Miss RB Zach Evans (hamstring) didn’t participate in any drills at the NFL Combine on Sunday. We did confirm his measurements at 5’11 and 202 pounds, though we won’t see the former TCU transfer run drills until the Rebels' pro day scheduled for March 29th in Oxford, Mississippi. A quality pro day performance could see the former top high school recruit work his way into Day 2 draft capital. Check back on Evans as the month unfolds.
Texas A&M RB Devon Achane ran the fastest 40-yard dash time of all RBs at the NFL Combine. The former track athlete logged an official 4.32 time measuring at 5’8½ and 188 pounds. Given Achane’s smaller frame, this weight/speed combination is extremely encouraging. We’re potentially looking at a top-5 RB in this 2023 class with the right scheme fit for his all-purpose skill set. Achane’s performance today solidified the likelihood of receiving early Day 2 draft capital.
UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet looked sharp at the NFL Combine, weighing in at 6’0 and 214 pounds. Though his athleticism didn’t blow the doors off Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Charbonnet’s official 4.53 40-yard time and sound performances in most of the drills on Sunday reflect his profile of a well-rounded RB with a potential 3-down skill set. Look for Charbonnet’s name to be called at some point during Day 2 of the NFL Draft in April.
Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs measured in at 5’9, 199 pounds at the NFL Combine on Sunday. Though he’s slightly shorter than he was listed in college (5'11), the Crimson Tide product wowed in drills. Gibbs recorded the 2nd-fastest official 40-yard dash time (4.36) with a stellar 1.52-second 10-yard split. Sub-200-pound RBs may give fantasy managers some pause, but Gibbs’ speed and agility displayed in both running and pass-catching on Sunday shouldn’t impact his draft stock. We’re still looking at him as a top-2 back in this 2023 class.
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