1 month agoFor now, quarterback Jarrett Stidham is the Denver Broncos' potential starter in 2024, but head coach Sean Payton declined to say Stidham was in the top position for the job. "He's definitely competing to be the starter," Payton said. "I don't think we have a term 'driver's seat' really. But he is going to compete for that position. I know he's anxious and excited to do that, and I'm sure there will be other candidates that will be competing with him." Stidham and Ben DiNucci are the only QBs on the current roster after the team released Russell Wilson this offseason, but the Broncos are a candidate to trade up in the first round of next month's draft for a potential franchise signal-caller. Stidham has flashed some potential late the last two years with the Raiders and Broncos, but not enough for him to be outright named the starter this offseason.Source: NFL.com - Kevin Patra
1 month agoFormer New England Patriots running back Damien Harris announced his retirement from professional football on Monday at age 27. The Patriots selected Harris in the third round (87th overall) in the 2019 NFL draft out of Alabama, and he had 449 rushing attempts for 2,094 yards and 20 touchdowns in his four years in New England in 38 regular-season games (34 starts) while adding 40 receptions on 51 targets for an additional 281 receiving yards. Harris spent the 2023 campaign with the Buffalo Bills but played in only six games before suffering a season-ending concussion/neck injury that saw him be taken off the field in an ambulance. He'll end his NFL career after just five seasons, recording 2,188 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on 427 carries with the Pats and Bills.Source: Patriots.com - Evan Lazar
1 month agoIndianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen wouldn't say definitively that quarterback Anthony Richardson (shoulder) will be cleared by next month but he "should be" after missing most of his rookie season in 2023 with an AC joint sprain that required season-ending surgery. "I know he's super fired up and ready to roll through the spring practice and training camp and this season," Steichen said. The 21-year-old had surgery on Oct. 24 and began throwing last month. This year in training camp, Richardson will take all of the starting reps while Joe Flacco serves as his backup. Having his role clearly defined at this stage of the offseason, as well as another year in the same system, should make Richardson feel more comfortable than he did as a rookie. His brief showing in 2023 gave fantasy managers a quick glimpse into his high-end QB1 upside, mainly because of his elite rushing abilities.Source: The Athletic - James Boyd
1 month agoFree-agent wide receiver Quez Watkins is signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The 25-year-old was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but he has not made much of an impact playing behind star wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith over the last two seasons. However, he adds a much-needed element of speed to the Steelers' wide receiver room, and he can be utilized as a field-stretcher for Russell Wilson in 2024. Watkins has just 98 receptions for 1,249 yards and six touchdowns through his first 49 NFL games. Expect him to serve as the team's WR3 or WR4 this season. Although Diontae Johnson was traded to the Carolina Panthers, the Steelers will likely heavily target the wideout spot in next month's NFL Draft.Source: Jeremy Fowler
1 month agoThe Pittsburgh Steelers have signed free-agent defensive lineman Dean Lowry, according to Ari Meirov of the 33rd Team. Lowry was a fourth-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 2016 NFL Draft, and he spent seven seasons with the organization before one year with the Minnesota Vikings in 2023. Overall, the 29-year-old has racked up 267 tackles, 15.5 sacks, one forced fumble, five fumble recoveries, one interception, 17 pass deflections, and 19 run stuffs through his first 120 NFL games. He played in just nine games last season before suffering a pectoral injury. Lowry is unlikely to crack the starting lineup for Pittsburgh, but he will provide depth behind Larry Ogunjobi and Cameron Heyward in Mike Tomlin's attacking defense. He is not on the fantasy IDP radar.Source: Ari Meirov -- 33rd Team
1 month agoFree-agent quarterback Kyle Allen signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Ari Meirov of the 33rd Team. Allen, a six-year NFL veteran, has thrown for 4,734 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions through his first 30 NFL games with the Commanders, Panthers, Texans, and Bills. With Russell Wilson and Justin Fields now on the roster, Allen is likely competing to be the team's emergency quarterback and scout team signal-caller. The Steelers carried three quarterbacks on the roster last season, so he has a path to sticking around beyond the offseason and training camp. However, he can be safely ignored in fantasy football, regardless of format.Source: Ari Meirov -- 33rd Team
1 month agoNew York Jets wide receiver Mike Williams (knee) is unlikely to take part in training camp, according to general manager Joe Douglas. "Mike's rehabbing the knee injury. I would say he's not gonna be ready for the start of training camp, but again, there's a lot of time, so we'll see how the rehab progresses, Douglas said. "There's a lot of checkpoints to hit, but we do feel confident that he's gonna be ready for the year." The 29-year-old is coming off an ACL tear he suffered in Week 3 of last season, so the injury update is not much of a surprise. The longtime Los Angeles Charger is expected to fill the WR2 role behind Garrett Wilson this season. Although he has durability concerns, the contested-catch specialist could do serious damage with Aaron Rodgers at the helm, making him an intriguing best ball target in 2024.Source: Harrison Glaser -- TakeFlightMedia
1 month agoLos Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead said quarterback Stetson Bennett is working out in Dallas, and he is expected to join the team for offseason workouts in the coming months. The two-time National Champion at Georgia was selected in the fourth round of last year's NFL Draft, but he was placed on the reserve/non-football illness list on September 13 and did not play in any games. It's still unclear why he was away from the team during his rookie season, but the plan is for him to be back in 2024. That said, the Rams recently signed Jimmy Garoppolo to back up Matthew Stafford, so Bennett is unlikely to make an impact for Los Angeles or fantasy teams this year.Source: Gary Klein - Los Angeles Times
1 month agoThe Washington Commanders have signed interior offensive lineman Michael Dieter, according to John Keim of ESPN. The 2019 third-round pick spent four seasons with the Houston Texans before one year with the Miami Dolphins in 2023. Dieter has 73 games of NFL experience (33 starts) and can play center or guard. The team has now signed or retained almost 20 free agents, so new general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn are looking to improve the franchise quickly. Dieter will likely provide depth as a backup for multiple positions.Source: John Keim
1 month agoThe Washington Commanders could be leaning toward selecting former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, according to conversations NFL insider Tom Pelissero has had with executives around the league at the NFL's league meetings. North Carolina's Drake Maye and LSU's Jayden Daniels have seemingly been competing to be the next quarterback off the board after USC's Caleb Williams, but McCarthy has been getting more hype as the pre-draft process has gone on. All that said, there is no shortage of examples of quarterbacks being pushed up by the media, only to fall in the real NFL Draft. Last year, Will Levis was projected to be picked as high as No. 2 overall, and he ultimately fell to the Tennessee Titans at pick 33. McCarthy is seemingly a lock to be selected in the first round of next month's draft, but it would still be somewhat of a surprise if he overtakes both Maye and Daniels in draft position.Source: Tom Pelissero
1 month agoChicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles said he thinks a long-term contract extension will come "down the road" for new wide receiver Keenan Allen, who is entering the final year of a four-year deal in 2024. "I try to be intentional with theread more...
1 month agoBoth San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and cornerback Charvarius Ward had core-muscle surgery this offseason and will be back, fully cleared, in time for training camp this summer, according to general manager John Lynch. It's worth noting, but for Kittle's sake, it's probably not going to have any effect on his 2024 fantasy value unless he suffers a setback during offseason training. The 30-year-old former fifth-round selection in 2017 out of Iowa has made the Pro Bowl in five of his seven NFL seasons and led all tight ends with 1,020 receiving yards in 16 regular-season games in 2023 while also catching 65 passes for six touchdowns on 90 targets. Despite undergoing offseason surgery, Kittle should be considered a no-doubt, top-five fantasy tight end this fall.Source: NBC Sports Bay Area - Matt Maiocco
1 month agoSan Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said the team is actively talking with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk about a long-term contract extension and there have been no trade discussions, despite reports to the contrary. Lynch said the team would be OK with Aiyuk playing on the fifth-year option in 2024. Given all the 49ers' other star players on both offense and defense, it might be hard for the organization to keep the 26-year-old former first-rounder past the 2024 campaign. Aiyuk now has back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and posted a career-best 1,342 receiving yards and 75 receptions for seven touchdowns in 16 regular-season starts in 2023. With at least one more season in the Bay Area coming, Aiyuk should be a highly sought-after WR2 in fantasy drafts this fall.Source: NBC Sports Bay Area - Matt Maiocco
1 month agoWhen asked how realistic it was for him to be a potential trade-up team in the upcoming NFL draft, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said, "realistic." The Broncos will consider the possibility and also noted, "it's good to be Monti (Ossenfort) right now." Ossenfort is the general manager of the Arizona Cardinals, who currently hold the No. 4 overall pick. Denver currently sits at No. 12 overall and have Jarrett Stidham as their starting QB after releasing Russell Wilson this offseason. Even if they don't trade up in the first round to take a high-end QB, it's a good bet the Broncos will select a quarterback at some point in this draft, and he'll likely compete with Stidham for the starting job in training camp this summer.Source: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
1 month agoMinnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that he's happy to have veteran quarterback Sam Darnold on the team this year. "I think his best football is ahead of him because of how he handled the last couple of years," O'Connell said. The Vikings head coach points out that he saw growth with Darnold's fundamentals as he worked as Brock Purdy's backup in San Francisco last year, and he's excited to get to work with him in Minnesota. The Vikings signed the former first-rounder to a one-year, $10 million deal this offseason, and depending on what the team does in the upcoming NFL draft, Darnold could open the year as the starter under center in Week 1. He'll have one of the best receivers in the game in Justin Jefferson to work with if he's starting, but Darnold will still be a midrange QB2, at best, in fantasy.Source: NFL Network