3 days agoThe Athletic's James Boyd has Indianapolis Colts tight end Jelani Woods projected as the team's starting tight end in May because he remains bullish on his potential, despite the fact he was sidelined all of last year due to hamstring injuries. Woods should be healthy for organized team activities, and his next-level athleticism will mesh perfectly with head coach Shane Steichen's play-calling to create mismatches all over the field. He's also big enough to block when needed, and Kylen Granson can continue to use his speed and route-running to help move the chains. Mo Alie-Cox will remain in the mix as a seasoned veteran. While Woods should have a bigger pass-catching role if he can stay on the field, this could once again be a frustrating committee situation at TE for fantasy managers.Source: The Athletic - James Boyd
3 days agoThe Dallas Cowboys signed rookie offensive tackle Tyler Guyton to his rookie deal on Thursday. In addition to Guyton, Dallas locked up rookies Cooper Beebe, Maris Liufau, Caelen Carson, Ryan Flournoy, Nathan Thomas and Justin Rogers. The only rookie that remains unsigned now is second-rounder Marshawn Kneeland. Guyton was selected 29th overall in the first round after Troy Fautanu and Amarius Mims came off the board earlier in the first round. The 6-foot-8, 322-pounder has excellent physical traits and the potential to play tackle at the next level, but it remains to be seen if he'll eventually develop as a starting-caliber left tackle. When the 22-year-old did enter the starting lineup at Oklahoma, he only played on the right side.Source: ESPN Dallas - Todd Archer
3 days agoThe Las Vegas Raiders signed first-round rookie tight end Brock Bowers to a fully guaranteed four-year deal on Thursday that is worth $18.1 million. He'll receive $10 million via a signing bonus and the standard fifth-year team option as a first-round pick. The Raiders held off on reaching for a quarterback in the first round in last month's draft and instead took one of the best players in the entire draft in Bowers at 13th overall. The 21-year-old was the highest-selected tight end since Kyle Pitts in 2021 and is athletic enough as a tight end to play pretty much anywhere on the field. Bowers set a school record at Georgia with 26 touchdowns in his time there and is the complete package. Even with Michael Mayer in town, Bowers should take over as the team's top pass-catching TE in his rookie year.Source: The 33rd Team - Ari Meirov
3 days agoThe Los Angeles Rams surprisingly selected Michigan running back Blake Corum in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft despite breakout star Kyren Williams racking up 1,350 total yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023. In a media availability, generalread more...
3 days agoThe New Orleans Saints signed No. 14 overall pick Taliese Fuaga to his rookie deal on Thursday, according to NFL insider Ari Meirov. The first-round offensive tackle inked a fully guaranteed four-year deal worth $17.3 million. His contract includes a $9.4 million signing bonus and a fifth-year option. Pro Bowl right tackle Ryan Ramczyk (knee) has an uncertain future after a series of knee injuries, so there's a chance Fuaga could be a Day 1 starter on the Saints' offensive line. If not, he'll likely develop behind Ramczyk with the intention of taking over at some point in his rookie or sophomore campaign. The 22-year-old was a First-Team All-American at Oregon State in 2023 and was a consensus first-round prospect during the pre-draft process.Source: Ari Meirov -- 33rd Team
3 days agoThe Chicago Bears signed undrafted rookie quarterback Austin Reed on Thursday, according to NFL.com. Reed had a monster college career, passing for 8,084 yards, 71 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions in his two seasons at Western Kentucky. Before his move to WKU, he threw for 7,464 yards, 78 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions in two years at West Florida and won a Division II National Championship. The 24-year-old spent six years in college and was not among the 11 quarterbacks selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he'll now have an outside chance of competing with Tyson Bagent for the QB2 job behind No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.Source: NFL.com
3 days agoDetroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has vastly exceeded expectations since being traded from the Los Angeles Rams to Detroit ahead of the 2021 season. The former No. 1 overall pick has thrown for 12,258 yards, 78 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions through his first 48read more...
3 days agoDespite the Tennessee Titans signing veteran wide receiver Tyler Boyd this week, head coach Brian Callahan and the organization still have hope for third-year wideout Treylon Burks. "We've made very clear to Treylon that the signing of Tylerread more...
4 days agoThe Houston Texans acquired wide receiver Ben Skowronek from the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, according to sources. The Rams were set to waiver Skowronek, but the Texans swooped in before he hit waivers to get something done to add receiving depth behind Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Robert Woods, Noah Brown, John Metchie III and others. The 26-year-old Skowronek was the Rams' seventh-round pick in 2021 and has mostly been limited to a role on special teams in his three years in the NFL. That will likely continue to be the case with his move to Houston, and he won't be on the fantasy radar at all. In his three years in the NFL in LA, Skowronek only had 58 receptions for 575 yards and one touchdown on 93 targets in 45 games (12 starts).Source: The Athletic - Dianna Russini
4 days agoBuffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox likely knows a reduced role is on the way again for him in 2024, although he is a favorite of quarterback Josh Allen's in the locker room, so it remains to be seen how much he'll be on the sidelines in favor of second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid. Allen may need to rely on Kincaid more to pick up a big amount of slack to keep the offense moving with an unproven receiver unit this year. Buffalo moved away from heavy usage of 12 personnel early in 2023 and mostly settled into 11 personnel. If that's the plan again in 2024, it will be interesting to see how they divvy up the snaps between Kincaid and Knox. Either way, unless Kincaid misses time with an injury, it's going to be hard to justify starting Knox outside of two-TE leagues.Source: The Athletic - Joe Buscaglia
4 days agoIn what is the weakest wide receiving corps the Buffalo Bills have had in several seasons, rookie second-round wideout Keon Coleman should start right away in his first NFL season alongside veteran Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir. Coleman has a lot of potential, but asking a 21-year-old to produce in a way he never has at a higher level of football seems like asking for too much, too soon, according to The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia. Depth is also an issue for this unit, with journeyman veteran Mack Hollins as their top reserve. Coleman has good size at 6-foot-3, 213 pounds, but his lack of production at Florida State made him a polarizing draft prospect. The good news is that he's going to have his opportunities right away, although that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be a starting fantasy option on a weekly basis right away.Source: The Athletic - Joe Buscaglia
4 days agoBuffalo Bills running back James Cook bounced back from being benched last year and enters his third season in the NFL in 2024 as the unquestioned lead back with a giant gap between him and either Ty Johnson or rookie Ray Davis. Cook should continue to push toward some of the heaviest involvement the Bills have seen in recent years out of their top back. Johnson's game is similar to Cook's, so he'll likely have a game-day role when Cook needs a breather. The Bills are hoping Davis can add power and short-yardage ability, something the team has been wanting to add for years to the backfield. The 24-year-old Cook had a 1,000-yard rushing season in 2023 but added just two rushing TDs. What Cook lacks in scoring opportunities, he could make up for with his pass-catching abilities and sheer volume in 2024.Source: The Athletic - Joe Buscaglia
4 days agoThe Athletic's Zac Jackson writes that the Cleveland Browns believe wide receiver Cedric Tillman can make a second-year leap in 2024. Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Mooreread more...
4 days agoThere's a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Cleveland Browns' backfield heading into this summer with running back Nick Chubb (knee) months away from having a timetable to return. Nyheim Hines (knee) is also recovering from a torn ACL as well. D'Onta Foreman figures to operate as the team's short-yardage back, while Jerome Ford could go anywhere from first in line to a specialized role while mostly helping in the passing game. Pierre Strong Jr. and John Kelly Jr. round out the RB room. The Browns have nice depth at the position, but the pecking order and specific roles are to be determined based on Chubb's availability and effectiveness. Foreman's fantasy value will hinge on Chubb as well, but in a best-case scenario if Chubb isn't ready for the start of the season, he'll be a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex.Source: The Athletic - Zac Jackson
4 days agoThe Los Angeles Rams released wide receiver Ben Skowronek on Thursday, according to a source. The former seventh-round pick in 2021 out of Notre Dame had emerged into a team captain last year but also had a career-low eight receptions on 12 targets for 66 yards and his first career touchdown in 17 regular-season games (zero starts). The 26-year-old has mostly contributed on special teams in his three-year NFL career and will likely continue to do so wherever he winds up next. In his three years in LA, Skowronek caught 58 of his 93 targets for 575 receiving yards and just one touchdown in 45 games played (12 starts). He'll be off the fantasy radar wherever he lands next.Source: The Athletic - Dianna Russini