Fantasy Football News

Dalvin Cook has been officially released by the Vikings after with no last second trades in sight. Cook will be able to sign with any team wanting to acquire him later today. (Source: Tom Pelissero on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Cook has been one of the most productive backs in the NFL when healthy, but has fallen out of favor with the Vikings. Minnesota will move forward with Alexander Mattison, Ty Chandler, and DeWayne McBride. Cook will look to find a new home, rumors have him signing with Miami. Wherever he ends up, it will drastically change their backfields fantasy outlook.

DeAndre Hopkins is set to visit New England next week. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Hopkins recently visited with the Titans and it appears his free agent market is beginning to heat up. Hopkins joining the Patriots would give them a starting trio of Hopkins, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and DeVante Parker. A potential move to New England would drastically change the look of the offense and give Mac Jones a top receiving threat for the first time in his young career.

Brandon Smith was signed by the Arizona Cardinals Thursday. (Source: Aaron Wilson on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Smith most recently played in the XFL after spending the 2022 season on the Cowboys’ practice squad. Smith will compete for a depth spot on Arizona’s roster, but likely will not hold much fantasy value this season.

Breon Borders was suspended for the first two games of the 2023 season Thursday. (Source: Field Yates on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: There was no additional information provided as to why the recently signed Borders was suspended by the league. The 27-year-old cornerback will be eligible to return Week 3 against Detroit.

The Denver Broncos signed DE Frank Clark Thursday. (Source: Ari Meirov on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: The 30-year-old was released by the Chiefs earlier in the offseason after Clark and the team could not come to terms on a reworked deal. Clark will join a Broncos team that is retooling the roster after a tough 2022 season.

Courtland Sutton stated Thursday that he has studied Michael Thomas in Sean Payton’s offense and is focusing on implementing parts of his game. (Source: Zac Stevens on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Sutton is coming off a disappointing season where he tallied 704 yards, four touchdowns, and 42 receptions in 16 games. The 27-year-old will look for a bounce back campaign in a redesigned offense under Sean Payton. Sutton currently ranks as the WR43 in ECR, according to FantasyPros.

Christian Elliss has reportedly been the most impressive player in team drills in the practices open to the media. (Source: Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Elliss has two interceptions and a pass breakup through two open portions of practice. He will likely compete for a starting job on a very good Eagles’ defense.

Jahmyr Gibbs stated Thursday that he “loves how the team has used him in different areas of the field. He added that QB Jared Goff has communicated early how he wants him to run routes and plays and it has helped their chemistry. (Source: Eric Woodyard on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Gibbs has worked with the first-team during OTAs while David Montgomery has been sidelined with a leg injury. With the Lions taking Gibbs 12th overall in the NFL Draft, he should be in line for an immediate major role in the Lions’ offense. Gibbs currently ranks as the RB21 in ECR, according to FantasyPros.

Broncos’ head coach Sean Payton stated Thursday that he is pleased with Javonte Williams’ rehab. (Source: Zac Stevens on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Williams has been working in a limited capacity in OTAs as he works his way back from a torn ACL, LCL, and PCL. Williams may be slow coming out of the gate during the regular season coming back from a major knee injury, similar to what fantasy managers saw with the Ravens’ J.K. Dobbins in 2022. The 23-year-old currently ranks as the RB28 in ECR, according to FantasyPros.

Broncos’ head coach Sean Payton stated Jerry Jeudy has “extremely loose hips” and is “very explosive.” (Source: Zac Stevens on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Jeudy tallied 972 yards and six touchdowns on 67 receptions in a difficult year for the Broncos’ offense. With Sean Payton taking over in 2023, Jeudy should have a chance to put up his best season if he can stay healthy. The 24-year-old ranks as the WR22 in ECR, according to FantasyPros.

The Los Angeles Rams have agreed to terms with Demarcus Robinson. (Source: Jamison Hensley on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Robinson will provide the Rams with additional veteran depth at wide receiver. Robinson tallied 456 yards and two touchdowns on 48 receptions last season with the Ravens. The 28-year-old likely should only be added in deeper leagues.

Tyreek Hill stated one of his 2023 goals is to top 2,000 receiving yards, which would break Calvin Johnson’s record set in 2012. (Source: Cameron Wolfe on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Hill tallied 1,710 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 119 receptions in his first season with the Dolphins. Hill could have a legitimate opportunity to eclipse the 2,000 yard mark should Tua Tagovailoa stay healthy this year after playing in just 13 games last season.

Bryce Young took all the first-team reps on Thursday at Panthers OTAs. (Source: Charlotte Observer)

Fantasy Impact: Panthers coach Frank Reich did not say Young was officially at the top of the depth chart, but he did say this was planned. “For right now, that was our move,” Reich said. “Again, there’s really nothing more to say other then this was a time we had earmarked to make a move. We made the move, we’ll just keep progressing, and we’re always going to do what’s best for the team.” Young reportedly connected with Terrace Marshall during the full-team drills. He continues to impress in camp for Carolina.

According to Jeff Risdon of The Lions Wire, Detroit Lions WR Jameson Williams had a standout day at minicamp on Wednesday. Risdon said Williams looked like the best player on the field, staying in sync with the QBs. (Source: Jeff Risdon, The Lions Wire)

Fantasy Impact: Williams did not have the rookie season that was expected, only playing in six games and catching one pass on nine targets. However, his one catch was a 41-yard touchdown that showed what he is capable of doing. Williams is an excellent downfield route runner with game-changing speed and can add a wrinkle to Detroit’s offense that was absent in 2022. However, Lions fans will need to wait until Williams’ six-game suspension is completed before they can see if Williams can begin his anticipated ascension.

According to Greg Auman of FOX Sports, the Carolina Panthers will not have CB Jaycee Horn for OTAs or minicamp as he recovers from an ankle and foot injury. (Source: Greg Auman on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Horn has already dealt with injuries in his young career, but he is expected to be recovered in time for training camp in July. Horn suffered his injury while training on his own. The foot he injured is not the one that kept him out during the 2021 season; he will not require surgery but will need a boot for a few weeks. In 2022, a healthy Horn quickly elevated himself to one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL. If he can stay healthy, Horn could make a push for his first Pro Bowl season in 2023.

According to Nick Shook of nfl.com, the Minnesota Vikings are fielding trade calls for Pro Bowl edge rusher Danielle Hunter. (Source: Nick Shook, nfl.com)

Fantasy Impact: Despite struggling defensively, the Vikings have not been afraid to make moves with their players. The Vikings already traded Za'Darius Smith to Cleveland, and Hunter could be next. Hunter is in the last year of his deal and has a cap hit of roughly $13 million in 2023. Hunter returned from injury to make his third Pro Bowl in 2022 and is still just 28 years old. If the Vikings are facing a potential retooling down the line with Dalvin Cook trade rumors and Kirk Cousins' aging, the Vikings could just try to accrue value. Hunter had 10.5 sacks in 2022 and has 71.0 in his career.

According to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN NFL Nation, Las Vegas Raiders RB Josh Jacobs is still yet to sign his franchise tag tender and is the lone player not present at the Raiders' Wednesday mandatory minicamp as he is not yet under contract. (Source: Paul Gutierrez on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Wednesday is Day 2 of the Raiders' mandatory minicamp, and Jacobs is the only player not there. Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels says he respects the process and is looking forward to seeing Jacobs in July after the tag's signing period's deadline. While this is worth monitoring — especially with Jacobs' current average draft position being a price of RB7 in half-PPR formats — it could just be a matter of time before things are resolved. Cowboys RB Tony Pollard is the only player yet to sign his franchise tender.

According to Chris Mason of MassLive, RB Rhamondre Stevenson knows he's "the guy" at running back for the New England Patriots following RB Damien Harris' departure, and he's preparing his body for the workload. (Source: Chris Mason, MassLive)

Fantasy Impact: Stevenson was top 10 in the NFL in touches in 2022, picking up 1,461 scrimmage yards in the process. Now, Harris and his 123 touches are in Buffalo, opening up space for Stevenson to have less competition to worry about. The Patriots also have RBs James Robinson, Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong, but the third-year running back out of Oklahoma is expected to get the lion's share of touches out of the backfield as a runner and receiver. Stevenson currently ranks as the half-PPR RB10, according to FantasyPros' Expert Consensus Rankings.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Atlanta Falcons are losing RB and return man Avery Williams for the 2023 season after he tore his ACL in practice Wednesday. (Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Williams was entering his third NFL season after being drafted in the fifth round out of Boise State. Williams has served as the Falcons' return specialist, returning 38 punts and 39 kickoffs in two seasons. Williams also doubled as a rotational cornerback in Year 1 before converting to a rotational running back in 2022, rushing for 109 yards on 22 carries. Williams will miss the 2023 season, and RB Cordarelle Patterson will likely take over Williams' role as the team's main returner.

According to an article by Michael Baca of nfl.com, San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel said that his contract negotiations distracted him in the 2022 offseason and that he's ready to bounce back from an "awful" and "sluggish" season. (Source: Michael Baca, nfl.com)

Fantasy Impact: Samuel said he had a long film session with head coach Kyle Shanahan where the two reviewed his 2022 film. Samuel's response was that he would "never put nothing on tape like that again." Samuel's production was cut in half in 2022, totaling 864 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns. Heading into 2023, Samuel seems to have a new focus and motivation for self-improvement, as he aims to build on a season he called "awful." He's currently priced as the half-PPR WR18, according to FantasyPros' Expert Consensus Rankings.