3 days agoAccording to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver
Brandon Aiyuk is reportedly looking for a new contract similar to what
Amon-Ra St. Brown got from the Lions. The wideout is slotted to make just over $14 million on his fifth-year option. However, if Aiyuk gets his wish, he could double that amount. Of course, St. Brown has been more productive, so it will be tough to justify making Aiyuk one of the highest-paid receivers in the National Football League. But the 26-year-old is coming off the best season of his career, amassing 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns off 75 catches, meaning someone would be more than happy to pay him if the 49ers decide to move on from this situation.
--Dennis Clausen - RotoBallerSource: Michael David Smith
4 days agoWashington Commanders wide receiver
Dyami Brown's stock is down this offseason after the team added
Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency and drafted
Luke McCaffrey in the third round. Brown, a third-round pick in 2021, has just 29 receptions in his three NFL seasons, and two of his three career touchdowns came in one game. He offers a different player profile than both Zaccheaus and McCaffrey, but Washington's previous staff made Brown available at last year's trade deadline, according to league sources. Another challenge for Brown will be the fact that the Commanders love to use 12 personnel, which means two tight ends on the field at the expense of a receiver. The presence of pass-catching running back
Austin Ekeler also likely cuts down the available snaps for Brown in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Ben Standig
4 days agoWashington Commanders running back
Chris Rodriguez Jr. is likely headed for the No. 3 role in the backfield behind
Brian Robinson Jr. and
Austin Ekeler after the team passed on selecting another RB in this year's NFL draft. Rodriguez is the clear early-down backup to Robinson, whether that means five to 10 touches from scrimmage per game or a lower figure. However, he could have a bigger role on special teams if the Commanders view him as part of what looks like a trend of teams seeking bigger-bodied kick returners given the new league rules on kickoffs. The 23-year-old doesn't have a path to any kind of real fantasy value in 2024 unless one of Robinson or Ekeler go down with an injury. In his rookie campaign in 2023, Rodriguez had 51 carries for 247 yards and two touchdowns while catching two passes for 12 yards in 13 regular-season games.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Ben Standig
4 days agoDallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith (shoulder) is still working his way back from a shoulder problem that bothered him during his rookie season which forced him to have surgery at the beginning of the offseason. "He's still in the rehab group," McCarthy said. "Working primarily with our rehab guys. He's still in our meetings and everything else." The 22-year-old former 26th overall pick last year out of Michigan played in all 17 regular-season games (three starts) in his first NFL season in 2023 and finished with just 13 tackles (nine solo), one sack, three tackles for loss and three QB hits. The hope is that Smith is much more effective in his sophomore campaign after getting his shoulder fixed. The Cowboys hope that he'll be a force on the interior of their defensive line in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: DallasCowboys.com - Nick Harris
4 days agoCleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said that kicker
Dustin Hopkins (hamstring) has recovered from the torn hamstring that he suffered on Christmas Eve last year against the Houston Texans that sidelined him for the rest of the season and the playoff loss. Despite being recovered from the injury, Hopkins was a notable absence during organized team activities this week. The Browns also have kickers
Cade York and
Lucas Havrisik on the current roster, but barring injury, the 33-year-old Hopkins figures to be the team's starting kicker in Week 1 of the 2024 regular season. Despite missing the final two games of the regular season last year, Hopkins finished as the No. 12 fantasy kicker by making 33 of his 36 field goal-attempts and 24 of his 26 extra-point tries. He'll be a fringe fantasy kicker in drafts this fall.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Browns Zone - Scott Petrak
4 days agoDallas Cowboys wide receiver
CeeDee Lamb's absence at voluntary organized team activities this offseason has opened up opportunities for the team's young receivers such as
Jalen Tolbert, a third-round pick in 2022. Tolbert has the chance to take the No. 3 role behind Lamb and
Brandin Cooks this year after the Cowboys released
Michael Gallup in the offseason and didn't address the position with a known commodity in free agency or early in the draft. The 25-year-old had only 22 catches for 268 yards and two touchdowns last year, but he showed improvement from his rookie season in which he caught just two passes for 12 yards and was inactive for nine games. Tolbert is heading into the 2024 season with more confidence and more trust from quarterback
Dak Prescott, which could make him a sleeper to target late in deeper fantasy leagues.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN Dallas - Todd Archer
4 days agoSeattle Seahawks wide receiver
Dee Eskridge will likely get one more season to prove himself in the NFL after being a second-round pick in 2021, and new head coach Mike MacDonald's coaching staff has decided to give him a shot as a kick returner in 2024. In addition to Eskridge, free-agent pickup
Laviska Shenault Jr. is also getting reps as a returner in organized team activities. The 27-year-old Eskridge finished off the 2023 campaign on Injured Reserve with a rib injury, but he appears to be fully healthy now and ready to go for the 2024 regular season. He didn't have a single catch while playing in just four games in 2023 and has only 17 receptions on 34 targets for 122 yards and one touchdown in his three years in the NFL. Eskridge remains well off the fantasy radar.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Seahawks Wire - Tim Weaver
4 days agoThe New England Patriots signed fourth-round rookie wide receiver
Javon Baker to his rookie contract on Friday, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss. Baker, the 110th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft was rumored to potentially come off the board on Day 2,
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5 days agoThe Athletic's Mark Kaboly writes that the No. 2 wide receiver spot for the Pittsburgh Steelers is currently wide open.
Quez Watkins,
Calvin Austin III,
Marquez Callaway and
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5 days agoPittsburgh Steelers tight end
Pat Freiermuth has been one of new quarterback
Russell Wilson's favorite targets during organized team activities this week. The Athletic's Mark Kaboly writes that it's hard not to notice the connection the two have already built. The two had a throwing session in San Diego earlier in the spring, which might have helped. Wilson seems to have the most trust in Freiermuth right now, and the big tight end is fully healthy and is entering a contract year in 2024. Having a more accurate QB and an offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith who will highlight the tight end position could be the factors that lead to the 25-year-old having a breakout year. A hamstring injury cost Freiermuth five games in 2023, and he caught just 32 passes for a career-low 308 yards and two touchdowns in 12 regular-season games (nine starts) in 2023. With better health, he's a value pick at TE to consider in fantasy this fall.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Mark Kaboly
5 days agoPittsburgh Steelers quarterback
Russell Wilson has looked on point during organized team activities this week with his new team, and the 35-year-old still appears to have plenty of arm strength. Wilson's accuracy was spot on this week, whether in warmups, drills or competition periods, including a 70-yard pass in stride to receiver
Quez Watkins on Thursday. His ability to sell play-action fakes was also noticeably better than the other QBs this week. Wilson is in pole position to open the 2024 season as Pittsburgh's starter under center for Week 1, but
Justin Fields, a former first-rounder, is competing to make starts for the Steelers at some point in 2024 as well in what is a contract year for him. Fields' presence and dual-threat abilities will be a threat to Wilson's value as a QB2 in fantasy in his first year in the Steel City.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Mark Kaboly
5 days agoAs he competes with both rookie first-round quarterback
Bo Nix and former first-rounder
Zach Wilson in offseason workouts, Denver Broncos QB
Jarrett Stidham said he's much more comfortable running the offense in his
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5 days agoChicago Bears rookie quarterback
Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL draft out of USC, has looked like a rookie in the early going at organized team activities this week. The Bears are hoping that their strong defense will prepare the rookie QB and help him improve by the time he's facing other teams in games that matter. The Bears are installing a new offense under coordinator Shane Waldron and have a rookie signal-caller learning the speed and intricacies at the next level, so it's not exactly a surprise that he's struggling early on. Williams also hasn't had first-rounder
Rome Odunze or
Keenan Allen to throw to. Odunze is sitting out with a minor injury. Fantasy managers shouldn't read too much into Williams' early struggles against a strong defense in voluntary offseason workouts, but it's certainly worth noting.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Jon Greenberg
5 days agoGreen Bay Packers wide receiver
Christian Watson (hamstring) said this week that he's made significant progress toward ending his hamstring issues for good. Tests this offseason showed a muscle imbalance in his legs, which likely contributed to his problems -- he has missed 11 games in his first two seasons, including eight in 2023, due to a pulled right hamstring. Packers coaches have raved about the progress Watson has made so far this year, and the 25-year-old former second-rounder in 2022 out of North Dakota State looked explosive as a full participant in organized team activities on Tuesday. Watson had a 20% difference in muscle mass between his right and left legs. Now, it's between 8% and 10%. It's interesting news, but most fantasy managers may still be hesitant to roster a player with the injury history he has early in his career. But when healthy, Watson has the most upside of any of Green Bay's current wideouts.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Rob Demovsky
5 days agoIndianapolis Colts running back
Jonathan Taylor has been getting valuable repetitions during organized team activities this week with second-year quarterback
Anthony Richardson. Last year at this time, Taylor and Richardson didn't practice together in the offseason because Taylor was hurt and in a contract dispute. When he returned in Week 5, Taylor played with Richardson for two snaps before Richardson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Taylor missed seven games in 2023 due to ankle and thumb injuries but ended the year with season-highs in carries (30) and rushing yards (188), including a 48-yard touchdown run. The 25-year-old should be a lock for 1,000 rushing yards in 2024 if he's healthy, and his ceiling will be pretty high if Richardson remains healthy all years as well, although the dynamic QB could vulture plenty of TDs at the goal line.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - James Boyd
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