2 weeks agoThe Los Angeles Chargers are an obvious candidate to swing big at the wide receiver position in this year's NFL draft after trading away Keenan Allen and cutting Mike Williams this offseason, which is why The Athletic's Bruce Feldman is predicting the Bolts take Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fifth overall pick. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound Harrison checks every box and is the consensus top receiver in this class with good length, strength, burst, polish and competitiveness. The 21-year-old is the most complete of any receiver to come out of Ohio State in the last decade, which is saying something, and he'd have immediate weekly starting potential for fantasy football managers if quarterback Justin Herbert was throwing to him in Year 1. Harrison is one of two players in this draft that Feldman would say is the closest to a "sure thing."Source: The Athletic - Bruce Feldman
2 weeks agoWith quarterback Kirk Cousins now with the Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell needs a new QB to utilize a talented group of receivers, and The Athletic's Bruce Feldman is hearing the Vikes are very interested in Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy, who went 27-1 as the Wolverines starter and led the team to the national title last year. Feldman is even suggesting the Vikings could trade all the way up to No. 4 overall with the Arizona Cardinals to take McCarthy in this year's NFL draft. The 21-year-old didn't put up the gaudy stats that the high-end names in this year's draft did, but he has honed pro-style footwork and threw 44 touchdowns to only nine picks in two seasons as the starter. McCarthy can also run, going for nine TDs and more than 500 yards on the ground. Landing in Minnesota would probably give him the most short- and long-term fantasy upside.Source: The Athletic - Bruce Feldman
2 weeks agoThe Kansas City Chiefs agreed to terms to re-sign defensive end Mike Danna to an undisclosed three-year deal on Friday, according to a source. The Chiefs will bring Danna back after he had career-highs in combined tackles (50) and sacks (6.5) while also recording seven tackles for loss and 13 QB hits in 16 regular-season starts for the Super Bowl champions in his fourth year with the team. Kansas City originally drafted the 26-year-old pass-rusher in the fifth round (177th overall) in 2020 out of Michigan, and he's tallied 128 tackles (68 solo), 17 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, 39 QB hits and four forced fumbles in 59 games (23 starts) in his four years in the league. Danna will continue to be a starter for KC in 2024 but isn't much of a fantasy asset in IDP leagues.Source: NFL Network - Mike Garofolo
2 weeks agoThe Athletic's Bruce Feldman predicts that the New England Patriots will take North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick in this year's NFL draft after the Washington Commanders go with LSU QB Jayden Daniels. The Pats areread more...
2 weeks agoFree-agent defensive tackle Teair Tart signed an undisclosed deal with the Miami Dolphins on Friday, according to a source. Tart spent the 2023 season with the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans, combining to record 24 tackles (17 solo), one sack and eight tackles for loss in 13 games (nine starts). The 27-year-old began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent out of Florida International in 2020 with the Titans. He spent the first three years of his NFL career in Tennessee and has totaled just 79 tackles (49 solo), 2.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, 14 QB hits, one interception, seven passes defended and a fumble recovery in 47 games (36 starts) over four seasons. If Tart makes the Dolphins roster in 2024 out of training camp, he'll serve as interior defensive line depth.Source: Bleacher Report - Jordan Schultz
2 weeks agoThe New York Giants agreed to terms on an undisclosed deal with free-agent running back Dante Miller on Friday, pending a physical. The 5-foot-9, 200-pounder has not played since 2022 at South Carolina, but he'll give the Giants some additional backfield depth in 2024 behind Devin Singletary, Gary Brightwell, Eric Gray, Jashaun Corbin and Deon Jackson. Miller will simply be hoping to impress the Giants' coaching staff this offseason and during training camp this summer in order to win a roster or practice squad spot. He has never appeared in an NFL game and is unlikely to become a big part of the team's offense, even if he somehow wins a spot on the 53-man roster.Source: Giants.com - Dan Salomne
2 weeks agoThe Arizona Cardinals hosted Ohio State star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. on a top-30 visit on Friday, according to a source. The Cardinals hold the fourth overall pick in this year's NFL draft, and Harrison is widely considered to be at the top of the receiver class in 2024. Arizona is a prime candidate to trade down early in the first round for the second year in a row, but if they stand pat, adding the top receiver in this year's class would be tempting to give quarterback Kyler Murray a top target moving forward. If Harrison were to land in the desert, he'd instantly become the team's No. 1 pass-catcher among a receiving corps that currently includes Michael Wilson, Chris Moore and Greg Dortch. The 21-year-old's fantasy value will depend on where he lands, but most likely he'll be in play in weekly lineups in his rookie campaign.Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
2 weeks agoThe Athletic's Bruce Feldman is projecting the Washington Commanders taking LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick in this year's NFL draft. General manager Adam Peters is reportedly enamored with Daniels, and the team traded last year's starter, Sam Howell, to the Seattle Seahawks this offseason. "I tell people this: Outside of Patrick Mahomes, I haven't coached against someone like this. He's just very hard to defend. We tried to force him to run it to take it out of his hands. The throws he makes and the timing he has, I thought was second to none. He throws the deep ball extremely accurately," one coach said. Daniels has above-average arm strength and all kinds of athleticism, but one of the biggest concerns about him is his size and whether he'll hold up health-wise at the next level.Source: The Athletic - Bruce Feldman
2 weeks agoWashington quarterback Michael Penix has been a rising draft prospect since his pro day, and scouts believe in his elite arm talent. The Athletic's Dane Brugler projects the Las Vegas Raiders taking Penix at 13th overall in the first round of this year's NFL draft as an upgrade over both Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell. Penix's health is a polarizing subject in draft circles -- he had four season-ending injuries at Indiana -- but he was healthy for the Huskies and got positive medical evaluations at the scouting combine. "His arm talent is as good as I've ever seen. He can throw every single ball on a rope. I just wanted to blitz him. I felt like he didn't handle pressure as some others. We lived and died by the blitz, but he got his yards," one coach said.Source: The Athletic - Bruce Feldman
2 weeks agoThe New York Giants agreed to undisclosed terms to re-sign safety/linebacker Isaiah Simmons on Friday, pending a physical. The Giants acquired Simmons via trade from the Arizona Cardinals before the start of the 2023 season. In all 17 games last year with the G-Men, he started four games and recorded 50 tackles, a sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and an interception returned for a touchdown in Week 11. The former eighth overall pick by the Cardinals in 2020 out of Clemson has never missed a game in his NFL career to this point, appearing in 67 games in the regular season (41 starts). The 25-year-old isn't exactly an IDP fantasy asset, but he's extremely valuable to the Giants' defense because of his versatility and ability to move in and out as either a linebacker or safety.Source: Giants.com - Dan Salomne
2 weeks agoFormer Buffalo Bills wide receiver and return man Deonte Harty is visiting with the Baltimore Ravens on Friday. Harty is a Baltimore native and could provide some decent receiving depth for the Ravens in 2024 behind Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor now that it's looking unlikely that the team will re-sign Odell Beckham Jr. The 26-year-old entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Assumption in 2019 with the New Orleans Saints and was a first-team All-Pro as a returner in his rookie year. Baltimore also lost returner Devin Duvernay this offseason, so Harty would be a natural fit in the return game to replace him on special teams. With just 79 receptions (113 targets) for 943 yards and five touchdowns on offense in his five seasons in the NFL, Harty isn't really on the fantasy radar.Source: The Athletic - Jeff Zrebiec
2 weeks agoThe Carolina Panthers and defensive tackle Derrick Brown agreed to a four-year, $96 million contract extension on Friday, according to a source. The deal includes $63.165 million guaranteed. The $24 million per-year average on the extension is the fourth-highest in the league for a defensive tackle, trailing only Chris Jones, Christian Wilkins and Justin Madubuike. The 25-year-old Brown was a Pro Bowler for the first time in 2023 after posting a defensive lineman-record 103 tackles while leading the NFL with a 47 percent run-stop win rate, according to ESPN Analytics/NextGen Stats. Brown was the former seventh overall pick in 2020 and has eight sacks and two interceptions in his four-year career. This is a key move for a Panthers defense that lost pass-rusher Brian Burns this offseason.Source: ESPN.com
2 weeks agoFree-agent tight end MyCole Pruitt agreed to terms on an undisclosed deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, according to a source. Pruitt will reunite with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith after working with him in both Tennessee and Atlanta. The 32-year-old veteran had 25 receptions on 33 targets for 260 yards and five touchdowns in 30 games (12 starts) in the last two years with the Falcons. The former fifth-round pick (143rd overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in 2015 out of Southern Illinois has mostly been a blocking tight end in his nine years in the NFL and has never really been on the fantasy radar. In Pittsburgh, both Pruitt and Darnell Washington will pair to provide blocking for the team's running game, with Pat Freiermuth to continue his role as the primary pass-catching tight end.Source: ESPN.com - Jeremy Fowler
2 weeks agoLSU quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels is set to meet with the New England Patriots on Monday, according to his agent. The Chicago Bears are fully expected to take USC QB Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in this year's NFL draft. The Washington Commanders are on the clock at No. 2 overall and are expected to choose between Daniels and North Carolina QB Drake Maye. Whoever the Commanders pass on, the Patriots are likely to choose as their next franchise signal-caller after giving up on the Mac Jones experiment and trading him to the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason. Daniels probably possesses more immediate upside at the next level, but both he and Maye have higher ceilings than Jones as the Pats look for a solution in the post-Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era.Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
2 weeks agoThe New England Patriots are hosting North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye on a top-30 visit on Friday at Gillette Stadium, according to sources. The Patriots hold the third overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft and also met with Maye at the scouting combine in February and again before his pro day. The Patriots traded Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars and are looking to draft their next franchise signal-caller this year. Veteran Jacoby Brissett could be the bridge QB if the rookie that New England takes isn't ready to start in Week 1 this fall. The Bears are fully expected to take USC QB Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall, and the Patriots could take Maye third overall if the Commanders go with LSU QB Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall.Source: NBC Sports Boston - Albert Breer