Fantasy Football News

The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed No. 61 overall pick D.J. Chark to a four-year, $4.47 million contract. The deal includes a signing bonus of $1.31 million. (Source: Mike Kaye via Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Chark (6-4, 198) has impressive tools and hopes to become the latest LSU wideout to hit big in the NFL. Some analysts consider Chark just a straight-line deep threat, while others think he can develop into a solid red-zone receiver. The Jacksonville receiving corps is wide open, so Chark has a chance to earn Year One reps if he can move up the depth chart in August.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo is reporting the Green Bay Packers and free agent TE Marcedes Lewis have agreed to terms on an undisclosed deal. (Source: Mike Garafolo on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: After spending his entire 12-year career with the Jaguars, Lewis will join a Packers offense that hasn't had much luck utilizing notable tight end additions in recent years. In fact, Martellus Bennett, Jared Cook and Lance Kendricks have all been flops during their tenure in Green Bay. With Jimmy Graham in line to garner the lion's share of the TE1 reps, especially in passing situations, Lewis' fantasy value will remain at a minimum despite the plus landing spot and QB upgrade.

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott announced that wide receiver Zay Jones underwent knee surgery and will miss the remainder of the offseason program, NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on Thursday. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: It has not been a great offseason for Jones as he attempts to move past a disappointing rookie season that saw him catch 27 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns. It is worth noting that he played with a torn labrum, which he had surgery to repair in January. He was arrested for felony vandalism back in March, though he ended up not being charged in the incident. Now, he will have to attempt to work his way back from knee surgery.

Miami Herald columnist Armando Salguero has observed Dolphins OTAs and says that the chemistry between QB Ryan Tannehill and free-agent addition Danny Amendola has been apparent and Salguero thinks Amendola could catch 80-85 balls in 2018. (Source: Armando Salguero via Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Amendola will take over the slot role vacated by Jarvis Landry, which will certainly be a good position to rack up a ton of catches. With a current ADP as low as WR71, Amendola is going undrafted in most fantasy leagues and is shaping up to be a tremendous late-round value in PPR drafts.

Reuben Foster had his domestic violence charges dropped by Judge Nona Klippen on Wednesday. His weapons charge was also reduced to a misdemeanor clearing the way for him to return to the team Thursday. (Source: Matt Maiocco on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: 49ers general manager John Lynch has already issued a statement stating that as a result of the ruling, Foster "will have the opportunity to rejoin the team tomorrow, ... it has been made clear to Reuben that his place on this team is one that must continue to be earned." The trouble is not completely over for Foster just yet as the team will continue to monitor the remaining misdemeanor weapons charge that he faces as a result of this incident as well as his marijuana possession charge that he received while driving in Alabama. The league is still paying close attention to the situation as a whole regarding Foster and a suspension is certainly still on the table based on precedent regardless of charges being dropped.

Reports are coming in that Chargers, tight end, Hunter Henry likely tore his ACL in a non-contact drill at practice Tuesday. He is expected to seek a second opinion but the news certainly looks bad for the Chargers and Henry dynasty owners. (Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Henry was on the verge of becoming a superstar with more targets finally in store. At this point, it seems like the beneficiaries of the news, if there is such a thing, are Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Antonio Gates may be brought back to play another season as a stop gap.

The Philadelphia Eagles have released linebacker Mychal Kendricks, who started 13 games and compiled 77 tackles and two sacks for the Super Bowl champs last season. Kendricks was due to count $7.6 million against the cap for the cash-strapped Eagles, who will replace Kendricks with newly-signed LB Corey Evans. (Source: Adam Schefter via twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Kendricks was a 2012 second-round pick by the Eagles and played in 85 games for Philadelphia. With an overall grade of 86.0, Kendricks was Pro Football Focus's No. 9 linebacker in 2017, so he won't be out of work for long.

Houston Texans second-year quarterback Deshaun Watson was on the field participating in 7-on-7 drills as the club held its first OTA practice of the 2018 season. This was Watson's first action since tearing his ACL in November and he told the media that "My knee feels [good and] comfortable. (Source: Sarah Barshop )

Fantasy Impact: Watson was electric in his six starts for the Texans, throwing for 1,597 yards and 18 touchdowns, while also chipping in 269 yards and another pair of touchdowns on the ground. Watson remains well ahead of the recovery timetable for an ACL injury and looks poised to be a top-5 fantasy signal-caller in 2018, with massive weekly upside.

ESPN's Field Yates is reporting the New York Jets have traded QB Christian Hackenberg to the Oakland Raiders for conditional seventh-round draft compensation in 2019. (Source: Field Yates on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Now that the Jets have traded away both Hackenberg and Bryce Petty, it is pretty clear that barring injury, New York will enter 2018 with Josh McCown, Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Darnold manning their QB depth chart. For Hackenberg, the former second-round pick will compete for a spot on the Raiders chart behind Derek Carr.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler is reporting Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell is not expected to attend OTAs on Tuesday. (Source: Jeremy Fowler on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Per Fowler, Bell's presumed absence from OTAs is a move that comes "widely expected." While Bell could earn $14.5 million in guaranteed money if he plays the 2018 season on the franchise tag, it would be his second consecutive year playing under the tender, which does not always favor a player with an injury/ off the field history similar to Bell's. And although he's threatened to hold out of OTAs, training camp and the preseason -- he even threatened to miss regular season action if he doesn't get a new deal -- I'm fully expecting Bell to be on the field when it counts. Let's face it, $14.5 million is a lot of guaranteed money to turn down, especially when you're not getting your weekly in-season game checks. Bell will open the 2018 season as a top 4 fantasy RB in both standard and PPR scoring formats.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is reporting New England Patriots QB Tom Brady is not present at the start of OTAs. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Similar to previous offseason workouts, Brady isn't in attendance on Monday for the start of OTAs. And recent history shows that there is a clear dissent within in the Patriots organization, primarily between Brady, Belichick and Bob Kraft. However, Brady is a pro. And even if he doesn't return anytime soon, he's fully expected to be on the field in Week 1.

Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com broke down some potential fits for the Philadelphia Eagles and speculates that the fact that the club has yet to bring free agent WR Dez Bryant in shows that the Eagles are highly unlikely to sign the 29-year-old wideout. (Source: NJ.com)

Fantasy Impact: The Eagles re-signed Alshon Jeffery to a four-year $52 million deal and also brought in Mike Wallace to play opposite of Jeffery. With Nelson Agholor, Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, and talented pass-catching backs, Bryant's lack of ability to create separation at the line of scrimmage would make him a poor fit in Philly. Bryant could still be an interesting red-zone option, but it looks like he won't be getting the large one-year deal he's seeking from the Eagles.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrance Williams was arrested and jailed early Saturday morning on charges of public intoxication and leaving the scene of an accident in Frisco, Texas. Allegedly, Williams crashed his Lamborghini into a light pole around 3 a.m. and left the scene of the accident before being arrested a short time later. (Source: Clarence Hill Jr. via Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Williams is still recovering from a broken foot and hadn't worked out during OTAs. The Cowboys are aware of the arrest, which certainly won't help Williams as he tries to secure a larger role in the Dallas passing game following the release of Dez Bryant. Williams caught 53 passes for 568 yards in 2017 but failed to score a touchdown. He'll battle Allen Hurns and third-rounder Michael Gallup for the starting outside receiver spots in training camp, but offers little fantasy upside.

Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel will try to resurrect his professional football playing career by signing a two-year contract with the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats. (Source: Ian Rapoport via Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Manziel won the Heisman Trophy in 2012 and was a first-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2014, where he produced eight touchdowns during a 14-game run between 2014-2015 before flaming out. Manziel drew some interest this spring when he held workouts but was ultimately unsigned. If he can stay clean and showcase his talents north of the border, Manziel could draw NFL interest, but he'd do well to even earn an opportunity to compete for a practice squad, or emergency quarterback role.

ESPN reporter Josina Anderson is reporting that Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will report to offseason training activities despite not having a contract extension in place. (Source: Josina Anderson on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: This is huge news even though Beckham had already shown up to voluntary workouts a few weeks back. It shows that the team and their star player are moving the right direction in contract talks, so Beckham is doing his part in the good faith of negotiations. This is bigger news for his fantasy stock than it would have been last year, as he needs to get inside the building and learn the new offense under Pat Shurmur. With Sterling Shepard, Saquon Barkley, and Evan Engram on the field with him, it's worth wondering if Beckham takes a step back in production this year, though he's still worthy of a first-round pick in fantasy drafts.

Cardinals beat writer Kent Somers is reporting that the Browns have traded cornerback Jamar Taylor to the Cardinals in exchange for a sixth-round pick in 2020. (Source: Kent Somers on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: It's very little compensation for a starting-caliber cornerback, but the Browns rebuild of the secondary is near completion. After trading away Jason McCourty to the Patriots and Taylor to the Cardinals, the Browns secondary will now be led by Denzel Ward, E.J. Gaines, and T.J. Carrie, who were all acquired this offseason. As for Taylor, he should walk into a starting role immediately with the Cardinals, as they were severely lacking talent at the position outside Patrick Peterson.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones is not expected to participate in the offseason training activities, as he'd like to remain healthy and is looking for an update on his contract. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: This isn't too out of the ordinary for big-name players, though Jones has been the model citizen during his time with the Falcons, so they are reportedly willing to talk with him about a contract extension. This is likely to get resolved as the weeks go on, but as for now, it shouldn't affect how you approach Jones in best-ball or keeper formats.

While it's obviously early in the preseason, an NJ.com article predicts that soon-to-be 35-year-old veteran running back Darren Sproles "will likely be the starter out of respect for the fact he is a veteran." The article also suggests that Jay Ajayi would be third on the depth chart behind Sproles and Corey Clement and would likely finish third in touches. (Source: Elliot Shorr-Parks )

Fantasy Impact: Expectations are that the Eagles will use a committee, with Ajayi leading the team in carries, while Sproles and Clement end up with more touches due to their roles in the passing game. Sproles was limited to three games in 2017 before breaking his arm and tearing his ACL. The Philadelphia backfield will be difficult to handicap, but Sproles looks like a terrific late-round stash that is going unselected in most early drafts

New Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy addressed the media after an OTA practice and gushed about the skillset of second-year running back Tarik Cohen, saying “He’s actually the one kid on this team that I knew had a lot of talent, but he comes out here and runs every route the right way, catches most balls and he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He’s a player you get giddy about.” (Source: Adam Hoge via Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: That's a glowing endorsement from an innovative offensive mind and one that fantasy football drafters should keep in mind. Cohen looked solid as a rookie change-of-pace rusher but really stood out as a pass-catcher, hauling in 53 of 71 of targets, including multiple receptions in each of Chicago's final seven games. Together with offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, Matt Nagy is expected to implement a fast-paced, innovative offense and use Cohen as a jack-of-all-trades type of weapon, especially in the passing game. Cohen looks like a terrific target in the sixth or seventh round of PPR drafts, especially for fantasy leaguers who find themselves attacking the wide receiver position early in drafts.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat writer Trevor Sikkema is reporting that offensive coordinator Todd Monken has said that second-year wide receiver Chris Godwin has "earned the opportunity to begin the season as a starting receiver." (Source: Trevor Sikkema on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: This is huge news for Godwin, who came on late in the 2017 season, finishing with at least 68 yards in three of the final four games of the season, including a seven-catch, 111-yard, one-touchdown performance in Week 17. This means Godwin will play primarily out of the slot and kick Adam Humphries out of the starting lineup. Some may be worried about DeSean Jackson, but this likely means that Godwin will play primarily out of the slot, with Jackson and Mike Evans sliding in there about 20 percent of the time each. Some will wonder just how many targets Godwin can get as the No. 3 receiver, but it's worth noting that Humphries totaled 166 targets over the last two seasons, which ranks 45th among all wide receivers. Godwin is likely to start the season in WR5 territory, but present upside for more. He's shaping up as an excellent best-ball target for those who are drafting early.