The Cardinals exercised the 5th-year option on QB Kyler Murray's rookie contract. It'll pay him about $30 million in 2023 if the 2 sides don't work out a long-term deal before then. This was a no-brainer move for Arizona, despite the drama with Murray this offseason.
The Broncos have agreed to a 1-year deal with RB Melvin Gordon worth up to $5 million, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That's obviously well short of what Denver paid Gordon the past 2 years, and the Broncos now sport a new coaching staff. But his return lowers the fantasy ceiling for 2nd-year RB Javonte Williams. We'll continue betting on the 22-year-old to lead Denver's backfield in fantasy points, but the decision by both the team and Gordon to make the agreement now clearly indicates a continued significant role for the veteran. We'll see how far Gordon's return pushes down the ADP for Williams, who has been occupying late Round 1 territory in early best-ball drafts. Gordon has slipped well into the double-digit rounds and could very well remain in that range over at least the next few days, while drafters figure out where he belongs. If he does, pounce.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara had been due for a hearing Monday in the battery case against him, but that has been pushed to Aug. 1. The decision came after lawyers for Kamara and other defendants said they needed more time to review evidence, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The delayed timeline for the case likely helps Kamara's chances of opening the regular season on time. The NFL is notoriously slow to react with discipline in criminal cases, and even this scheduled date is just for a hearing. The uncertainty with Kamara has pushed him at least well into Round 2 of early best-ball drafting, and often even into Round 3. He's a high-upside target in that range.
Bengals HC Zac Taylor doesn't expect WR Tee Higgins (shoulder) to participate in any of the team's offseason program. Higgins had surgery on his left shoulder after the Super Bowl and is expected to be out for a couple of months, Taylor said. It sounds like Higgins should at least be ready for training camp, but we'll keep an eye on his recovery.
49ers RB Elijah Mitchell had what he called a "clean-up" procedure on his knee this offseason. He added that he expects to be ready for the start of training camp. Mitchell missed 3 games in December with what was described as knee swelling -- although it's unclear if this surgery was related. We'll keep an eye on Mitchell this summer. He escaped free agency without the 'Niners adding backfield competition. We'll see what the draft brings.
Giants WR Kadarius Toney has been in town and at the team's facility for the past few days, according to insider Bobby Skinner. ESPN's Jordan Raanan, meanwhile, hears that the Giants still view Toney as a "valuable asset" and "would want a significant return" in a trade. "Makes it seem right now the likelihood is he does not get moved," Raanan adds.
Broncos WR K.J. Hamler is “well ahead of schedule" in his recovery from last September's torn left ACL, GM George Paton said. Hamler was able to get on the field and run some routes with new QB Russell Wilson in March. "The fact that I saw him running routes last month at Russell’s, I mean, I know he’s doing well, I know his surgery went well, but when I saw him out there (running routes), very impressive," Paton added. It sounds like Hamler is on track to be ready for the start of training camp. His challenge at that point will be climbing a depth chart that's topped by Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick.
Bears WR Byron Pringle was arrested in Florida on Saturday. He's facing charges of reckless driving and driving with a suspended license. ESPN's Courtney Cronin reports that Pringle was pulled over for "doing donuts on a public road" and arrested after ignoring officer commands and becoming "verbally confrontational." We'll see if anything more comes from this, but Pringle's situation doesn't seem like enough to produce a league suspension. We're not adjusting our fantasy outlook for Pringle at this point.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has resumed throwing and is "fully recovered" from offseason surgery on his left shoulder, according to Rob Phillips of the team's official website. "Pumped up is the way I feel, the leg feels, arm feels, body feels. I'm excited," Prescott said. That non-throwing shoulder isn't a concern as we look ahead to the 2022 season. Dak is QB8 in early FFPC best-ball ADP.
Washington TE Logan Thomas has resumed jogging and was told that he's "a little ahead of schedule" in his return from a December 5 torn ACL. Thomas had surgery on December 17 and was reportedly given a 10-month timetable for return. That'd put him back in mid-October. We'll continue to monitor Thomas' progress, but fantasy owners shouldn't currently be expecting him to be ready for the start of the season.
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman is striking an optimistic tone following a tough rookie season. "I do feel comfortable," Bateman said this past week. "The NFL was a big mental step for me. Just being here now I feel way more comfortable, way more relaxed. I know what to expect. I know how to move. I'm just excited for Year 2. I'm excited to be healthy. I'm excited to do the things I know I can do.” Bateman missed 5 early-season games following offseason groin surgery, his first missed games ever as a football player. Now healthy, the hope is that a year 2 breakout is around the corner. That might be tough if Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews stay healthy, but at only 22, Bateman remains an enticing dynasty asset. He cracks WR3 range in our Dynasty Rankings.
Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports that the Giants are "making calls on what they can get" for WR Kadarius Toney. The team drafted Toney 20th overall just last season but has since changed its GM and HC. Toney flashed as a rookie but appeared in just 10 games and compiled 57 total targets. It's hard to imagine the Giants getting a Round 1 pick in trade for Toney. We'll see what the market holds and whether a move actually happens. For now, be wary of Toney in best-ball drafts and dynasty trade proposals.
Philadelphia's J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is moving from WR to TE, according to insider Jeff McLane. It's a desperation move for the 57th overall pick of the 2019 draft, who's totaled just 16 catches at WR over the last 3 seasons. We'll keep an eye on JJAW at his new position, but he's obviously a long shot for any fantasy value.
The Giants signed TE Jordan Akins to a 1-year deal. The 30-year-old never cracked fantasy's top 25 TEs across his 4 seasons in Houston, topping out with a 36-418-2 line in 2019. Akins joins Ricky Seals-Jones in New York's remade TE room. We'd consider RSJ the favorite to lead Giants TEs in targets this season, but we'll keep an eye on the situation this summer.
Giants WR Kadarius Toney is not at the team's minicamp this week, HC Brian Daboll said Wednesday. Daboll added that Toney doesn't have the playbook yet since the team hasn't done anything virtual. This, of course, is a "mandatory" minicamp. But it's still an inauspicious start for Toney, who had a litany of issues last offseason.
Referencing a conversation with 49er Deebo Samuel, NFL insider Jeff Darlington said the star WR has requested a trade. Samuel didn’t reveal any specific reason, but we get the message. If he does in fact leave San Francisco, the 49ers would be left with guys like Jauan Jennings, KeeSean Johnson and Ray-Ray McCloud behind Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle. Currently, the 49ers don't pick until 61st overall in this month's draft, although they do have a pair of 3rd-rounders. As for Deebo, any suitor will need to pay him top dollar, as the 26-year-old is entering a contract year. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Deebo is frustrated over his RB usage. Rapoport added that Deebo hasn't "engaged" with the 49ers, despite the team's attempts to make him a lucrative long-term deal.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler hears that the 49ers are still planning to start QB Trey Lance this season. QB Jimmy Garoppolo remains of the roster as of now, at least in part because he's still recovering from shoulder surgery. "I'm told that [Lance has] gotten indications, at least informal indications from the team, that he'll be the guy next year. He's set to be that," Fowler said. "Now, whether that means that they would still keep Garoppolo and that could change the dynamic, possibly. But right now, Lance is going to be the starter." We're comfortable drafting as if Lance will be under center for San Francisco this year. And his ADP has actually sunk to QB13 recently, making him a nice value.
The Steelers claimed WR Miles Boykin off waivers from the Ravens. It's a fine landing spot considering Anthony Miller is currently the favorite for Pittsburgh's #3 WR job behind Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool. But Boykin will need to show us a lot more than he did in Baltimore before we consider him a fantasy target.
ESPN's Adam Schefter suggested that WR Deebo Samuel wants out of San Francisco. We reported on Tuesday that Samuel was skipping the team's offseason program as he seeks a new contract. But Schefter believes that Samuel isn't interested in getting that new deal from the 49ers. “San Francisco would pay Deebo Samuel today, tomorrow, the next day. It’s not hard to figure out what the contract would look like,” Schefter said on ESPN's NFL Live. “We’ve seen some of the top numbers in the league. This, I think right now, is Deebo Samuel not wanting to get a deal done. It’s not San Francisco not willing to do the deal, the 49ers are ready. Deebo Samuel is the one who has put a halt to everything for right now.” It's unclear what's caused this rift -- especially since Samuel is coming off a career-best season. We'll see where the situation goes from here. Samuel is overvalued in early best-ball drafts, although a move out of run-heavy San Francisco might actually help his fantasy stock.
Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell said TE Irv Smith is “right on schedule” in his recovery from an August meniscus tear. Smith, who called his 2021 injury a “freak” thing, added that the goal is to be 100% by training camp. Entering a contract-year, Smith will have a shot at a major role, especially with Tyler Conklin now in New York. Our early projections have him inside TE2 territory.
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