NFL Roster Cutdown Day: A Live Blog
Today is a huge day in dyansty leagues as the NFL rosters need to be cut down and many players will hit waivers and fail to make their respective squads. I’ll be updating this blog all day today, so read from bottom to top as the latest news will be at the beginning. Let’s get to work!
Eno Benjamin survives initial roster cuts
The Cardinals waived a bunch of running backs today, but Benjamin’s name was not on the list. He had no guarantee of making the team, so this is good news for dynasty rookie drafters who took a flier on him in the late rounds. Still, Benjamin is buried on the depth chart and would need a lot of things to happen to provide any type of short-term impact. Benjamin is our rookie RB16 and makes for a decent late round flier, but we have our collective doubts he turns into much this season.
Undrafted tight end Hunter Bryant makes the Lions Roster
The oft-injured but multi-talented Bryant went undrafted. He’s battling a nagging injury at the moment, but apparently he showed Detroit enough to keep him on the roster. He’ll compete with Jesse James to backup TJ Hockenson. Bryant has all the tools in the world, but needs his health and opportunity to match up at some point in time. He’s a decent flier in larger dynasty leagues.
JJ Taylor can’t crack the Patriots
The Patriots waived undrafted rookie running back JJ Taylor today. He had made some splash plays in camp, but ultimately it wasn’t enough as he was handed his walking papers today. It sounds like New England will try to stash him on their practice squad for the moment. If that’s where he ends up, his name is one to remember if/when an injury occurs in the Patriots always unsettled backfield.
Buffalo starts over at reciever
The Bills are likely going into the season with a receiving corps of Stefon Diggs, John Brown, Cole Beasley, and Gabriel Davis. Today, they cut Robert Foster, Duke Williams and Andre Roberts. It does look like Isaiah Hodgins has made it through the first round of cuts and that’s intriguing for dynasty owners as well.
Late Round Rookie Sleepers get waived
The Chiefs have waived wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb and the Broncos have cut running back LeVante Bellamy. Both players had some pre-camp hype, but couldn’t ultimately move up to the active roster. Bellamy is intriguing and could find himself on a roster by the end of the weekend. If not, they both may end up on practice squads, making them not worthy of a roster spot.
Bryce Love makes the Washington roster
As expected, the WFT will go into the year with a platoon of Bryce Love, Antonio Gibson, JD McKissic and Peyton Barber. Love should be rostered, but it’s clear Gibson is the player to currently own in dynasty leagues. Time will tell if Love can ever regain his pre-injury form, but this is a big step in the right direction.
JaMycal Hasty a surprise cut
The 49ers have released JaMycal Hasty, who was having a very solid camp by all accounts. He was a bit of a long shot to make the loaded runnin g back corps in San Francisco, but made some real noise as of late. They will likely try to stash him on their practice squad, but another team could claim him.
Lynn Bowden traded to Miami
The Dolphins and Raiders completed a trade this morning sending Lynn Bowden and a 6th round draft pick to Miami in exchange for a 4th round pick. It will be very interesting to see just what Miami has in store for Bowden, who can play running back, wide receiver or quarterback. My guess is he’ll be a jack-of-all-trades type of player who gets limited touches, but can still take any one of those to the house. His rookie ranking of RB13 and 30 overall are likely to move one way or another when we get an idea of how the Dolphins will plan to use him. However, it’s a bit of a red flag to be a third round pick in April, only to be moved with a sixth for a fourth later that off-season.
Keenan Allen gets his payday
The Chargers locked up Keenan Allen with a four-year extension worth $80 million. This makes Allen the second highest paid receiver in the NFL. He’s bucked the injury bug that plagued him early in his career and has posted three straight 1,000 yard seasons. It’s fair to wonder just how Allen is going to fare with Tyrod Taylor or Justin Herbert, but he’s been a very reliable and dependable player the past three seasons. Allen is our WR23 and, as usual, makes for a solid WR2.
Paul Richardson cut in Seattle
Well, at least his cup of coffee was likely Starbucks. Richardson failed to impress this week and will now look to latch on elsewhere. The Seahawks must be confident Josh Gordon‘s reinstatement is imminent because they don’t have a ton of depth with their widouts.
Jauan Jennings fails to make the 49ers
One of my favorite receiver sleepers, Jennings just couldn’t overcome his lack of speed and athleticism. He could be a practice squad candidate, but he is no longer on the late round dynasty rookie radar. On the plus side, I won’t have to continuously have trouble spelling the name Jauan.
Artavis Pierce cut in Chicago
The Bears are woefully thin at running back, so Pierce was a surprise cut today. As early as last week, some beat writers were predicting some early season carries for Pierce, but that obviously isn’t going to happen now. It’s clear the Bears believe David Montgomery will be back sooner, rather than later and could even use Cordarelle Patterson more than expected. Pierce can be moved off the late round dynasty sleeper list.
Alex Smith makes comeback complete
Washington will reportedly keep Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen and Alex Smith all on the opening day roster. Smith’s story is incredible as he has endured 18 different surgeries in an effort to save his leg, walk again, be cleared for football activities, and now make an NFL roster. While Smith is a long way from dynasty relevance, it would be a crime not to include him in today’s news.
Panthers move on from Reggie Bonnafon
This is a bit of a surprise as he was the backup to Christian McCaffrey last year. At this point, it looks like Mike Davis and Trenton Cannon will be the clipboard holders for the most dynamic player in fantasy football. The Panthers may not be done at the position, but both these players would have value should the unthinkable happen and McCaffrey misses a significant amount of time.
Chiefs release DeAndre Washington
Washington was a popular pick to be the backup to Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but he lost that job to the pair of Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson. The fact Washington couldn’t crack the depth chart even after Damien Williams opted out of the season is a red flag for his NFL future. He’ll likely latch on somewhere as a depth player, but he just doesn’t look like a difference maker at this point. He can be safely released in dynasty leagues.
Patriots relase Lamar Miller
Miller will join Adrian Peterson on the scrap heap of veteran running backs looking for a new home. It looks like New England will roll with a combination of Sony Michel, James White, Rex Burkhead and Damien Harris to start the season, but that won’t be finalized until the weekend is over. Miller is starting to run out of chances, but should land on his feet as a committee back somewhere, perhaps after next week when a team wouldn’t have to guarantee his salary and could have endured an injury after week one.
Patriots release Jeff Thomas
This is a buzzkill for dynasty owners who had Thomas as a late round sleeper after New England released Mohamed Sanu. Much like Jakobi Meyers last year, Thomas was generating a lot of noise from the New England media early in camp, but he didn’t ultimately show enough to make the active roster. Dynasty owners can now move on in search of their next late round dynasty darling.
Falcons release Laquon Treadwell
Once a dynasty darling, Treadwell is now back on the streets and looking for a new team to take a chance on him. The 2016 first rounder ha sposted just 65 career catches and has found his game just doesn’t translate to the NFL level. The move is good news fore Russell Gage, who is likely going to be the third receiver in the explosive Falcons offense. Treadwell has no business being on rosters at this point.
Texans sign Deshaun Watson to a four-year, $160 million extension
The deal will keep Watson in Houston through the 2025 season. Instead of going to a massive long-term deal, Watson is gambling on himself in the hopes he can nail down two monster extentions in his career. It’s a risky move for sure, but he’s also getting $111 million guaranteed, so you’re not going to bump into him at your local Wendy’s any time soon. Watson is clearly in the third quarterback tier in dynasty leagues along with Dak Prescott and Kyler Murray, just below Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes. It’s good news for all Texans skill players.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
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