5 hours agoThe Houston Texans are not expected to pursue a trade for Baltimore Ravens franchise-tagged quarterback Lamar Jackson, according to league sources. The team's focus is on NFL QB prospects for the upcoming draft, including visits with Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Kentucky's Will Levis, Florida's Anthony Richardson and Tennessee's Hendon Hooker. The Carolina Panthers have the No. 1 overall pick and will have their choice of QB, but the Texans are fully expected to take another top signal-caller to be their franchise QB at No. 2. The Indianapolis Colts are really the only team currently that haven't been ruled out to pursue a trade for Jackson. Any team that is actually serious about acquiring him is going to have to give up major draft compensation while also signing him to a hefty long-term contract extension.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: KPRC 2 Sports - Aaron Wilson

5 hours agoAtlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said on Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings that quarterback Desmond Ridder will starting training camp as the starter ahead of high-priced backup Taylor Heinicke. "The plan is to start Desmond," Smith said. "That's our plan going forward right now." Ridder was taken with pick No. 74 in last year's draft, so it shouldn't be a huge surprise that the Falcons will give him the chance to prove he's the full-time starter. The 23-year-old completed 63.5% of his passes for 717 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in his first four NFL starts in 2022 and he showed steady progress. The Falcons expect Ridder to take the next step in his sophomore season, but it will still probably be a bumpy ride. Fantasy managers in single-year leagues should consider him merely a QB2.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: AtlantaFalcons.com - Scott Bair

5 hours agoThe Los Angeles Rams re-signed defensive lineman Marquise Copeland to an undisclosed deal on Monday, according to the team. Copeland will return to the Rams for a fourth season in 2023. He had his best season with the team in 2022, finishing with 31 tackles (16 solo) and one sack in 15 games (nine starts). Copeland played in just 10 games (zero starts) in his first two NFL seasons with the team. The Rams will be hoping that the 25-year-old can build on his best campaign in 2022 as defensive line depth this year. Fantasy managers in IDP leagues can continue to ignore him.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Los Angeles Times - Gary Klein

5 hours agoPhiladelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni had good things to say about running back Trey Sermon on Tuesday. "I can't tell you how many times at practice he made a cut or you just saw him in his pads or he made a play on a screen or whatever it was, you're like, 'Man, this guy got chance to be really good.' I wish we could get him touches," Sirianni said. The Eagles couldn't really get him touches in 2022, as Sermon finished with only two carries for 19 yards in two games. Even if Sirianni really likes the 24-year-old, he's unlikely to have much of a role in 2023 behind Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott in Philly's backfield. Sermon washed out in San Francisco after being a third-round pick by the 49ers in 2021.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Zach Berman

5 hours agoArizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon won't put a timeline on quarterback Kyler Murray's (knee) return "because you're always wrong when you do that. So, whenever he's ready to play, he'll play." Gannon wants Murray to be fully ready both physically and mentally before he returns from a torn right ACL suffered late last season. The 25-year-old's fantasy stock is going to take a pretty big hit heading into 2023 drafts, and he could be losing top wideout DeAndre Hopkins, who could be traded this offseason. Owner Michael Bidwell suggested earlier this offseason that Murray may not return until closer to midseason. We'll get a better read on Murray's timetable once training camp approaches this summer, but as of right now, he might not even be worth drafting in shallow leagues in 2023.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Josh Weinfuss

5 hours agoBuffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that linebacker Von Miller's (knee) recovery from a torn ACL last year is on schedule. "To have a player go down with a major injury that he had and that type of injury, and then to stick around the team I think says a lot about who he is as a person, who he is as a teammate, which is off the charts, right. And then you talk about the piece that he's working on, which is getting healthy to play and play well on the field. That's a whole other piece and to this point, it sounds like he's on schedule," McDermott said. Miller tore his ACL in Week 12 in his first year in Buffalo but should be ready in 2023. The 34-year-old had eight sacks in just 11 games in 2022, and his return will be a huge boost to an already strong defense.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: BuffaloBills.com - Grace Heldinger

5 hours agoBuffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott announced on Monday that he will call the defensive plays in 2023. Since it was announced that Leslie Frazier would be taking a year off from coaching, the Bills have explored internal and external options to fill the defensive coordinator position. McDermott is comfortable taking on defensive play-calling responsibilities after having served as a D coordinator for the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles before he became Buffalo's head coach in 2017. Regardless of who is calling plays for the Bills defense, they will be one of the top fantasy units entering the 2023 season.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: BuffaloBills.com - Grace Heldinger

5 hours agoDenver Broncos general manager George Paton said the team "won't know that for a while" when asked if running back Javonte Williams (knee) will be ready for the start of the 2023 season. However, Paton also said Williams is making "great strides" in his recovery from a serious knee injury in 2022. The 22-year-old tore his ACL and MCL in Week 4 of last year and isn't a lock to be ready for Week 1 this fall. If he's not ready to go, Samaje Perine could operate as Denver's lead back, so he'll be a popular handcuff in fall drafts. Many folks believed Williams was on the cusp of breaking out as a high-end RB1 in just his second NFL season in 2022, but his injury wiped out what could have been a promising season. Williams' 2023 ADP will depend on whether he'll miss any time early on.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Nick Kosmider

7 hours agoBaltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh made it sound like wide receiver Devin Duvernay would return to the team in 2023 despite the recent addition of Nelson Agholor. Duvernay has been in danger of being a salary cap casualty this offseason after catching 37 passes for 407 yards and three touchdowns in 14 regular season games (13 starts) for Baltimore in 2022. The 25-year-old is much more valuable to the Ravens as a kick returner on special teams, but he also gives them some depth in a thin receiving corps. He broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot in late December but should be fully recovered by training camp. With the Ravens fully expected to add more receiving help in the draft, Duvernay won't be very attractive in fantasy as a pass-catcher, especially with quarterback Lamar Jackson's future in Baltimore in question.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Baltimore Sun - Jonas Shaffer

7 hours agoLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said that quarterback Matthew Stafford (neck) is healthy and will be ready for the 2023 season. "There will be no limitations. He'll be ready to roll," McVay said. Stafford wasn't healthy last year and missed the final seven games of the season due to a spinal-cord contusion. The 35-year-old has taken a lot of punishment in his career, and it's starting to show. Due to injuries to key players like Stafford and All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp (ankle), the Rams offense went off the rails in 2022. Stafford also played through right elbow tendinitis last year and may have to do so again in 2023. A bounce-back season could be in the cards, but fantasy managers should treat Stafford as a low-end QB1, at best.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN - Dianna Russini

7 hours agoSan Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Tuesday that quarterback Trey Lance has a shot to regain the starting job under center in 2023. "With Brock being hurt, (Trey Lance) has a chance to regain that," Shanahan said. On Monday, general manager John Lynch said that Purdy "has earned the right" to be the team's starter after impressing as a rookie in 2022. But with Purdy's availability for the start of the season in question after having right elbow surgery, Lance will have an opportunity to start in Week 1 if the team doesn't trade him during next month's draft. The 22-year-old former first-round pick hasn't had a real shot to prove himself as the team's starter yet, and it remains to be seen if he'll actually get that chance. We should know more this summer if Lance is still with the team. Shanahan said he expects Lance and Sam Darnold to both take first-team repetitions this offseason with Purdy hurt.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - David Lombardi

7 hours agoESPN New York's Jordan Raanan writes that free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. reuniting with the New York Giants is a long shot, at best, right now. Owner John Mara left the door open for the Giants to pursue a reunion with Beckham this offseason. The Giants could still use some upgrades at the position, but they also have Wan'Dale Robinson, Jamison Crowder, Isaiah Hodgins, Parris Campbell, Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard at the position with the draft approaching next month. The more likely option is for OBJ to join the New York Jets as they prepare to acquire quarterback Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers. The 30-year-old receiver didn't play at all in 2022 while recovering from a torn ACL, although he could make some fantasy noise in the right situation in 2023.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN New York - Jordan Raanan

7 hours agoCarolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich said that wide receiver DJ Chark (ankle) recently underwent ankle surgery, but he could be ready for part of organized team activities this spring. The 26-year-old should be ready for training camp this summer and the start of the 2023 regular season, but his surgery is noteworthy as he looks to learn his new team's offense. There's a good chance the Panthers will look to add to their receiver room in the draft, but for now, Chark and Adam Thielen will enter 2023 as their top two pass-catchers for an expected rookie starting quarterback this year. Injuries have hurt Chark in recent seasons, but he does have a 1,000-yard season under his belt and he could surprise some in his new digs, depending on his chemistry with the team's new franchise signal-caller.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Joe Person

7 hours agoNew Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen said that wide receiver Michael Thomas (toe) is making progress in his recovery, but he's not 100 percent yet and the team is going to be cautious with him in the offseason. Thomas and the Saints restructured his contract to keep him around in 2023 after he missed the final three months of the 2022 season with a dislocated toe. Since he had a league-high 1,725 receiving yards on 149 catches in 2019, the 30-year-old pass-catcher has fallen off a cliff due to injuries. Thomas missed the entire 2021 season and played in a combined 10 games in 2020 and 2022. He'll have a new quarterback in Derek Carr this year, and although he could bounce back with better health, fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting Thomas to be his pre-injury, All-Pro self in 2023.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Erin Summers

7 hours agoThe Green Bay Packers and New York Jets continue to work on trade negotiations for veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, with protection for draft-pick compensation emerging as a key holdup to a deal in the event that Rodgers doesn't play in 2024. According to multiple sources, the trade is currently surrounding a swap that would send the Packers two high draft picks for Rodgers -- one second-round pick this year and another second-rounder in 2024 that could become a first-rounder with "achievable" team performance escalators. Rodgers admitted last week that he was heavily considering retirement this offseason, so the Jets are worried he'll be one and done with them. A trade sending Rodgers to the Jets isn't imminent, but the Jets would certainly like to get it done before April's draft.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Yahoo Sports - Charles Robinson