The Bengals agreed to a 1-year deal with TE Hayden Hurst. It's a solid landing spot for the former 1st-round pick. Hurst figures to step into C.J. Uzomah's role, which produced a 49-493-5 line in 16 games last season. Uzomah finished 19th among TEs in PPR points while seeing 12% of Bengals targets. Hurst will likely struggle to reach every-week TE1 status without injuries to Cincinnati's WR corps. But he should bring intriguing upside as a spot-start option in lineup-setting leagues and is a fine TE2 target in best ball.
QB Baker Mayfield has asked the Browns to trade him, according to multiple reports. ESPN's Jake Trotter reports, however, that the team has told Mayfield it is "not accommodating his request." This, of course, follows Cleveland making a push for Deshaun Watson, which got denied. We'll see how the Mayfield situation develops. Should the Browns decide to trade Mayfield, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the QB has "strong interest" in the Colts. Mayfield is now in the 5th and final year of his rookie contract.
Giants DB Logan Ryan seemed to indicate via Twitter Thursday that the team is releasing him. It's a salary-cutting move for a guy who had a $3 million guarantee set to trigger, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Ryan spent the past 2 years as a full-timer for the Giants, seeing action at safety and corner. We wouldn't be surprised to see the 31-year-old land a gig elsewhere, but Ryan is no lock to do so.
The Rams are signing WR Allen Robinson to a 3-year, $46.5 million deal. It's a particularly surprising move considering the money. The Rams obviously return Cooper Kupp, get Robert Woods back from his ACL tear and retain Van Jefferson. There had also been reports of the team being interested in re-signing Odell Beckham Jr. (whose Super Bowl ACL tear makes it unlikely that he begins the season on time). The investment in Robinson clearly points to the team believing the veteran wideout will rebound from his 2021 performance. We'll see whether it also indicates concern for Woods' recovery or means that Jefferson's role will shrink. Robinson could have landed in better situations for his target volume, but Matthew Stafford will easily be the best QB he has played with. Robinson has been going low in WR4 range of early best-ball drafts and remains a solid-to-good shot to take if he continues to go in that range.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that EDGE Za'Darius Smith is not signing with the Ravens, despite previous reports that they'd agreed to terms. So he remains on the free-agent market after his release from the Packers.
The Bills are releasing WR Cole Beasley, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, saving a little over $6 million against the 2022 cap. That leaves Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis and Isaiah McKenzie as the team's top 3 WRs currently. We'll see what else they do at the position in free agency and the draft. Buffalo signed TE O.J. Howard on Wednesday, so we could see more 2-TE sets with Howard and Dawson Knox this season.
Speaking Wednesday, new Broncos QB Russell Wilson discussed how long he’d like to remain an NFL QB. “My goal is to play 10 or 12 more years and hopefully win three or four more Super Bowls. That’s the plan,” Wilson said via NBC Sports. “That’s the mindset. That’s why I came here, to finish my career here and hopefully finish on top as a champion. And do it multiple times.” Wilson turns 34 in November, so playing as long as he wants is a major long-shot. Still, the move to Denver — and his current mindset — looks favorable for his dynasty value.
The Buccaneers and WR Chris Godwin have reached agreement on a 3-year, $60 million deal that includes $40 million in guarantees, according to multiple reports. Godwin had received the franchise tag, so we knew he wasn't going anywhere. This locks him in for the next 3 seasons and sets him up to hit the open market ahead of his age-29 campaign.
The Ravens have agreed to a 4-year, $35 million deal with EDGE Za'Darius Smith, according to multiple reports. Smith played his 1st 4 seasons with Baltimore before leaving for Green Bay in free agency. Smith racked up 26 sacks over 2 years with the Packers before missing nearly all of last season with a back injury. He returns to a Baltimore defense that needs the pass-rush help. The money says the Ravens believe Smith will be all the way back, but we'll keep an eye on his status through the offseason.
NFL Network reports that the Jets are signing TE Tyler Conklin. It's a somewhat curious move for both sides this early in the free-agent cycle, given that the Jets have already agreed to a deal with TE C.J. Uzomah. The arrival of both players lowers the fantasy ceiling for each. Expect both to settle well down into reserve territory in our TE rankings.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Dolphins are expected to sign RB Raheem Mostert. The veteran RB, of course, played under new Miami HC Mike McDaniel in San Francisco, where McDaniel spent 2021 as OC after 4 seasons as run-game coordinator. We'll see about the plan for Mostert in a backfield that has already added RB Chase Edmonds in free agency. Mostert is going in the late rounds of early best-ball drafting, which gives him upside at a low-risk price. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports it's a 1-year, $3.25 million deal.
The Bills are signing EDGE Von Miller to a 6-year deal, according to multiple reports. We'd bet against the 33-year-old (as of March 26) defender playing out that whole contract, but the reported $51.5 million guaranteed makes it sound like 3 years would be a solid bet. Most importantly, of course, Buffalo gains the best pass-rusher it will have had in HC Sean McDermott's stint. Miller racked up 82 total pressures last season, 5th most among all edge defenders, according to Pro Football Focus. He leaves behind a void for a Rams team lacking a 1st-round draft pick. Landing in Buffalo should also give Miller DE eligibility (perhaps for the 1st time ever in many fantasy football leagues). If that happens, it'll boost his IDP value.
The Bills signed TE O.J. Howard to a 1-year deal. It has a $3.5 million base value that can climb to $5 million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The relative cheapness of the contract points to where Howard's career is at. The 19th overall pick of the 2017 draft dealt with ankle, foot and hamstring injuries over his first 3 seasons but averaged 15.5 yards per catch and scored 12 TDs. A torn Achilles ended his 2020 season in Week 4, though, and Howard caught just 14 balls behind Rob Gronkowski this past year. Still, he's just 27 with a strong pedigree. And he lands in a top-notch Bills offense. TE Dawson Knox is the incumbent in Buffalo, coming off a career-best 49-587-9 line in his 3rd season. But we imagine that this will be an open competition for the starting job this summer.
The Titans are releasing WR Julio Jones, according to multiple reports. The move saves some cap space but also leaves behind $8.4 million in dead cap, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine ranked 2nd among Titans (behind A.J. Brown) in targets, receptions, receiving yards and TD catches last season, and stands as the most immediate beneficiary. But we'd be shocked if this offense doesn't make at least a couple of significant pass-catching additions -- either in free agency or the NFL Draft. Jones turned 33 in February and will be heading into his 12th NFL season this fall (assuming he continues playing).
The Raiders are sending DE Yannick Ngakoue to the Colts for CB Rock Ya-Sin. Ngakoue tied for 21st in the league with 63 total pressures last season, his lone year with the Raiders. The 27-year-old (as of March 31) is heading into the final year of his contract and coming off his 1st double-digit sack total since 2017. Indianapolis will be Ngakoue's 5th team since 2019. Pro Football Focus ranked Ya-Sin 34th in coverage among all 236 active CBs last year. He should claim a starting gig opposite Trayvon Mullen in Vegas, with CB Casey Hayward an unrestricted free agent. We'll see whether the Raiders make other moves at the position.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that EDGE Chandler Jones is finalizing a deal with the Raiders that's expected to average $17 million a year. Jones has delivered 10+ sacks in every season since 2013 that has seen him play at least 10 games. His 10.5 sacks last year marked his low for that span, though, and Jones' 47 total pressures tied for just 44th in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. He'll start opposite Maxx Crosby for a Vegas team that is reportedly trading Yannick Ngakoue. Jones turned 32 in February, so we wouldn't be surprised if his production declines further. On the positive side, moving to the Raiders defense should mean DE eligibility rather than LB in fantasy football leagues that rely on those designations. We'll see about Jones' draft price in IDP leagues this summer.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that RB J.D. McKissic has changed his mind on leaving for Buffalo in free agency and instead decided to sign a 2-year, $7 million deal to stay in Washington. It's reportedly the same offer he had originally accepted from the Bills. McKissic figures to again lead Washington RBs in receptions, limiting Antonio Gibson's upside in that area. Gibson trailed McKissic by 1.3 receptions per game last season (3.9 vs. 2.6) and ranked 21st among all RBs in targets. McKissic remains only a later-round PPR consideration. QB Carson Wentz isn't likely to help RB target volume overall in Washington.
The Bucs re-signed WR Breshad Perriman to a 1-year deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Perriman appeared in 6 games for Tampa last season, catching 11 balls for 167 yards and a score. He'll battle the likes of Scotty Miller, Tyler Johnson, Cyril Grayson and Jaelon Darden for scraps behind Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage this year.
The Browns are re-signing LB Anthony Walker on a 1-year, $5 million deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. That's not a guaranteed-starter level of commitment, but it points to Walker likely remaining in the 2022 lineup. His 2021 playing time dipped later in the year after 2nd-round pick Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah emerged as a starter. Walker looks like a LB4-level IDP option for 2022 fantasy football drafts.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Commanders are expected to re-sign WR Cam Sims. The 5th-year wideout caught just 15 balls for Washington last season but 32 the year before. Ben Standig of The Athletic said on our podcast earlier this month that HC Ron Rivera has indicated they want to get Sims the ball more going forward. Sims has a ways to go to become fantasy relevant, but he's a free stash across fantasy football formats right now. Sims turned 26 in January.
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