2 weeks agoThe Washington Commanders and Las Vegas Raiders have made preliminary inquiries on free-agent running back Austin Ekeler, according to a source. CBS Sports' Josina Anderson writes that Ekeler's situation remains fluid at this time, but he could choose his next landing spot relatively quickly after Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard have all agreed with new teams on Monday. The Commanders lost Antonio Gibson and the Raiders lost Jacobs, so they have obvious needs in their backfield right now. The 28-year-old Ekeler is coming off one of the worst years of his career in 2023, with 628 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground after scoring a career-high 13 TDs in 2022. A change of scenery could easily lead to a bounce-back campaign, but fantasy managers probably aren't going to treat him as the high-end RB1 like they did in 2023 drafts.Source: CBS Sports - Josina Anderson
2 weeks agoDespite a previous report saying that he was signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday, kicker Wil Lutz re-signed with the Denver Broncos on an undisclosed two-year deal, according to his agent, John Perla. Lutz will continue to kick for head coach Sean Payton, although moving to Jacksonville would have likely been much more lucrative for his 2024 fantasy value. The Broncos are in rebuilding mode and have moved on from quarterback Russell Wilson, which means their offense could struggle to get into field-goal range more often under Jarrett Stidham or another signal-caller. Lutz finished as the No. 18 fantasy kicker in 2023 by making 30 of his 34 field-goal tries and 29 of his 31 extra points. With Wilson now gone and an offense in flux, Lutz's fantasy ceiling and floor are likely going to be lower in his second year with the team.Source: Denver Gazette - Chris Tomasson
2 weeks agoThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers agreed to an undisclosed three-year deal to re-sign kicker Chase McLaughlin on Monday, according to a source. McLaughlin will stay with the Buccaneers after going 29-for-31 on his field-goal attempts and 33-for-33 on his extra points in 17 regular-season games. The 27-year-old's success rate on field goals last year set a new single-season record, so it's no wonder why Tampa wanted the kicker back for another go-round in 2024 as their primary kicker. From a fantasy perspective, McLaughlin finished as the No. 16 kicker in terms of overall fantasy points in 2023. The Bucs offense should remain largely the same this year with quarterback Baker Mayfield and top wideout Mike Evans sticking around, so McLaughlin should enter the year as a matchup-based streamer at the kicking position in fantasy.Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
2 weeks agoThe San Francisco 49ers re-signed quarterback Brandon Allen to an undisclosed deal on Monday, according to a source. Allen was an excellent presence in the team's quarterback room last year and could become the team's direct backup to Brock Purdy in 2024 if Sam Darnold leaves in free agency, which is expected. The 31-year-old served as San Francisco's emergency third signal-caller last year and didn't get into any games. In his four previous seasons with the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals, Allen has appeared in 15 games (nine starts) and has completed only 56.7 percent of his pass attempts for 1,611 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
2 weeks agoThe Atlanta Falcons have agreed to terms on a three-year, $12 million deal with free-agent tight end Charlie Woerner on Monday, according to his agent, Alex Essex. Woerner, a sixth-round selection in 2020 by the San Francisco 49ers out of Georgia, had just 11 catches on 15 targets for 120 yards and no touchdowns in 65 games (seven starts) in his four seasons in the Bay Area, so he shouldn't be expected to do much in Atlanta besides providing insurance at the tight end position behind Kyle Pitts. The 26-year-old is a blocking-first tight end anyway, so when he's in the game for new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, it will probably be to pave the way for running back Bijan Robinson.Source: ESPN.com - Michael Rothstein
2 weeks agoThe Philadelphia Eagles and Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson agreed to a four-year, $84 million contract extension, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The deal makes the 25-year-old the highest-paid guard in terms of average base salary ($21 million) after making two Pro Bowls in his first three seasons in the NFL. The loss of future Hall-of-Fame center Jason Kelce will be tough to deal with, but locking up Dickerson long-term will help Philly's chances to continue being dominant up front. He'll now block for star running back Saquon Barkley in 2024.Source: Ian Rapoport
2 weeks agoThe Las Vegas Raiders are signing veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew to a two-year deal, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. The 27-year-old was a sixth-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019 and has made 37 starts for three organizations. Between his time with the Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, and Indianapolis Colts, Minshew has thrown for 9,937 yards, 59 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions. In Las Vegas, he might have a chance to compete for the starting job, or he might get to start at the beginning of the season while the team eases a potential 2024 rookie into action. Minshew is not on the single-QB radar in fantasy football, but he should be monitored by two-QB and Superflex league fantasy managers. UPDATE: Minshew's two-year deal with Vegas is worth up to $25 million with $15 million guaranteed.Source: Ian Rapoport
2 weeks agoThe Cincinnati Bengals re-signed tight end Drew Sample to a three-year, $10.5 million contract extension on Monday, according to a source. Sample will receive $3.5 million in 2024. In his fifth year with the Bengals in 2023, Sample had 22 catches on 27 targets for 163 yards and a career-high two touchdowns in 17 games (10 starts). Tanner Hudson, Mitchell Wilcox and Irv Smith Jr. are all free agents, but one or more of them could be retained or the Bengals could add competition at the position through the NFL draft. The 27-year-old Sample has accumulated just 80 receptions (103 targets) for 621 yards and three touchdowns in his five years in the NFL with Cincy, so it would be unrealistic to expect the Bengals to utilize him as their unquestioned No. 1 pass-catching TE in 2024.Source: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero
2 weeks agoThe New York Jets are re-signing veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein to a two-year, $8.4 million deal. The 36-year-old made 35 of his 38 field-goal attempts and 13 of his 14 extra-point tries in 2023. With quarterback Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) out of action, the Jets' offense sputtered, leading to a ton of stalled-out drives and field-goal attempts. If Rodgers is good to go for 2024 and is playing at a high level, more drives could be converted into touchdowns. That said, Zuerlein has a wide range of outcomes in fantasy football next season.Source: Tom Pelissero
2 weeks agoFree-agent edge rusher Jonathan Greenard is signing a four-year, $76 million deal that includes $42 million guaranteed with the Minnesota Vikings. The 26-year-old broke out with the Houston Texans last season, posting career-highs in tackles (52), sacks (12.5), and run-stuffs (nine). The Vikings are expected to lose Danielle Hunter, so Greenard helps make up for the potential departure. The Vikings could be headed into rebuild mode after the loss of franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins.Source: Adam Schefter
2 weeks agoSeattle Seahawks free-agent tight end Colby Parkinson intends to sign a three-year, $22.5 million deal that includes $15.5 million guaranteed with the Los Angeles Rams, according to sources. Before playing at Stanford, Parkinson attended Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, Calif., which is right down the road from the Rams' training complex. Parkinson, the former fourth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2020, will stay in the NFC West and will get a shot to serve as the team's top pass-catching tight end, at least to start the 2024 season. It's unlikely that Tyler Higbee (knee) will be ready to go for the start of the season after tearing his ACL and MCL in the playoffs. In Seattle, the 25-year-old Parkinson never had more than 322 receiving yards or two touchdowns in a single season, so fantasy managers shouldn't suddenly expect him to become a TE1 in LA with Higbee sidelined.Source: ESPN - Adam Schefter
2 weeks agoFree-agent safety Geno Stone is expected to sign with the Cincinnati Bengals, according to Ari Meirov of the 33rd Team. The former Baltimore Raven is set to join a division rival after leading the AFC with seven interceptions in 2023. A 2020 seventh-round pick by the Ravens, Stone has totaled 127 tackles, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, eight interceptions, and 11 passes defended over the last three seasons. The 24-year-old will try to turn the Bengals defense around after it regressed mightily from 2022 to 2023.Source: Ari Meirov -- 33rd Team
2 weeks agoVeteran running back Gus Edwards is expected to join the Los Angeles Chargers on a two-year deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The 28-year-old has rushed 699 times for 3,395 yards and 26 touchdowns since entering the league in 2018 with the Baltimore Ravens. Last year, he set career highs in attempts (198), rushing yards (810), and rushing touchdowns (13). He'll now be coached by another Harbaugh in Los Angeles, where Austin Ekeler is no longer on the roster as of Monday. The team could add another running back via free agency or the 2024 NFL Draft, but there's a chance Edwards will at least operate as the primary goal-line back in Justin Herbert's offense.Source: Adam Schefter
2 weeks agoThe Athletic's Dianna Russini writes that we should look for the Minnesota Vikings to go after free-agent quarterback Sam Darnold after former QB Kirk Cousins joined the Atlanta Falcons in free agency on Monday. Darnold has other suitors on the open market, but perhaps none more desperate than the Vikings right now. The former first-round pick spent the 2023 season as the San Francisco 49ers' backup to Brock Purdy, and he ended up going 28-for-46 for 297 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in 10 games played (one start). The 26-year-old looked much more comfortable with the Niners in limited action last year, but that doesn't mean he'll improve at all in a different organization if he's forced into a starting role for the Vikings in 2024. However, he would be in a strong situation with one of the best receivers in the game in Justin Jefferson.Source: The Athletic - Dianna Russini
2 weeks agoFree-agent cornerback Jeff Okudah is signing a one-year deal worth up to $6 million with the Houston Texans, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The former No. 3 overall pick by the Detroit Lions in the 2020 NFL Draft spent the 2023 season in Atlanta and posted 44 total tackles and three passes defended with the Falcons. He has yet to break out in the NFL, but he'll add veteran depth to a young defense under DeMeco Ryans in Houston. He has two total interceptions in 38 career games.Source: Adam Schefter