Nyheim Hines - Fantasy Points Outlook

Browns RB Nick Chubb didn’t take part in OTAs or minicamp. Per The Athletic’s Zac Jackson, “it remains to be seen” if Chubb will participate in training camp. The seventh-year pro is returning from surgeries to repair meniscus, ACL, and MCL damage (left knee).

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The Browns and RB Nick Chubb have agreed to a salary adjustment for 2024, the final year on his contract. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the change drops Chubb's cap hit from $15.85 million to $6.275 million -- with incentives that could bring his salary back up to $12.2 million. You could read this several different ways. It's positive that Cleveland didn't simply cut Chubb, which would have cost just $4 million in dead cap space, according to Spotrac. But Chubb's new salary knocks him to 11th among RBs in total money for 2024, behind Tony Pollard and Aaron Jones; barely ahead of Devin Singletary and Miles Sanders. Chubb no doubt believes he can achieve at least some of the performance incentives and drive that number back up. But it also appears he wasn't willing to test the open market for higher 2024 earnings. Ultimately, it's way too early for fantasy managers to know what we can expect from the veteran RB. Chubb's multi-ligament knee injury in September has required surgeries then and in November. We haven't seen much on his return timeline. The Browns, meanwhile, have added RBs D'Onta Foreman and Nyheim Hines this offseason. Both signed small, one-year deals that don't come close to guaranteeing offensive roles. (Hines probably arrives to primarily return kicks.) But they join Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong as backfield insurance. We're staying away from Chubb at his RB27 best ball ADP, which still has him ahead of Javonte Williams, Austin Ekeler, and Zamir White, among others. The crowded depth chart behind Chubb also makes it a risky backfield for investing in backups.

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Bills RB Nyheim Hines is expected to miss the entire 2023 season after suffering a "significant knee injury off-site," according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. We'll look for more details on the injury and Hines' rehab timeline. The Bills acquired him via trade last November but used him primarily in a special teams role. Hines handled just six carries and nine targets in nine regular season games -- and then zero carries and three targets in two postseason appearances. There's very little fantasy impact here, besides making RB James Cook a slightly safer bet to handle passing-down snaps.

Update: Pelissero reports that Hines was struck by a jetski. He suffered a torn left ACL, per team reporter Alaina Getzenberg.

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The Bills announced Monday morning that they have signed RB Latavius Murray to a one-year deal. It's noteworthy that he comes off the market ahead of bigger-named free agents Ezekiel Elliot, Leonard Fournette, and Kareem Hunt. But that might just indicate what Buffalo is looking for vs. what those players would seek. Murray likely won't challenge the role of Damien Harris, who signed back in March. And he shouldn't challenge James Cook's role either. Murray looks like veteran depth. We'll see whether the contract terms even make him a lock for the regular-season roster. Don't bother with Murray in your best ball drafts at this point. See where the other Bills RBs sit in our 2023 fantasy football rankings.

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