Dynasty Player News

The writing was on the wall and his fate was sealed following rookie Daniel Jones' ascension to the starting role early in the 2019 season. At 39 years of age, rather than grasping for one or two more seasons as a starter, primarily to groom younger talent, Manning goes out with 16 years with the New York Giants, finishing 117-117 and two Super Bowl rings. Expect to see him in the broadcaster's booth in short order. It's safe to move on from Manning in all fantasy formats.

Brown's trainer was taken into custody and charged with "burglary with batter" while Brown remains a suspect but has yet to be taken into custody. Brown has reportedly locked himself in his house and is not responding to police attempts at contact. This follows an Instagram incident last week when Brown was filmed berating officers following another incident, this one involving the mother of his children. After appearing that a return to the NFL may be possible following a workout in New Orleans, Brown as again devolved into further self-destructive and emotionally unhinged behavior. A return to the NFL in 2020 is quickly becoming a fading proposition. Antonio Brown is found as DLF's WR87

Jameis Winston is a free agent and Philip Rivers has permanently moved to Florida prior to his own impending free agency status. It appears to be a foregone conclusion that Rivers will not be returning to the Chargers and Bruce Arians has yet to offer Winston a vote of confidence to suggest his return to the Bucs for 2020. Is it possible a quarterback swap between the two clubs may be forthcoming? It's not out of the question. Winston is coming off a career high (30) of interceptions, though did throw for 5,109 yards and 33 touchdowns. Rivers struggled in 2019 and is all but certain to hit free agency himself but seems intent on continuing his career. The 38 year old Rivers will turn 39 prior to the end of 2020 and rests at an all-time low on DLF's quarterback rankings at QB28.

Hooper was the TE6 (PPR) to end 2019 and was running as the TE1 until an injury sidelined him for three weeks. He becomes a free agent on March 18th and the 25 year old remains an integral player on the offense. The Falcons badly need to keep their offense intact as they focus on defensive, along with interior line, fortification via the draft and free agency during the off-season. For Hooper, who amassed 68 receptions for 742 yards and six touchdowns on the year, all signs point to a return to the team prior to reaching free agency. Austin Hooper is found as DLF's TE5.

He's moving to Florida to be closer to family. There's been little linking Rivers to a return to San Diego as he's a free agent coming off a mediocre year. It appears as if the Chargers are prepared to move on with Tyrod Taylor under contract and many higher profile, and younger, free agents on the market. For the 38 year old Rivers, he has yet to hint at retirement and he's certain to find open interest for his services though his best days are clearly behind him. Philip Rivers is found as DLF's QB27.

Of course he did and of course he is. Stidham is saying the only thing he can about his development and the the GOATs looming decision which certainly impacts his own future. Brady is said to be taking a very methodical approach to his off-season, leaving all options on the table while he decides the best course of action. Brady hasn't been a free agent in his 20 year career and the 42 year old still has every desire to play until age 45, with or without the Patriots. While it's not a foregone conclusion Tom-Terrific is back in New England for another season, it's hard to believe owner Robert Kraft would allow the greatest player of all time to depart to another city, even if it meant the Patriots weren't as dominant as they have been in years past. For Jarrett Stidham, Brady's decision will dictate his playing status at least over the next season, and quite possibly beyond, but won't impact his readiness as he prepares to eventually be under center.

While LSU's Joe Burrow is still to be expected to be the top overall selection when the Bengals go on the clock, the Dolphins are said to be looking to trade up for the rights to draft Tagovailoa. The Dolphins hold picks 5, 18 and 26, possessing enough draft capital to move up to first overall if desired, or up to second for the ability to select Tagovailoa. Regardless of Tagovailoa's ultimate landing spot, it's a good sign that teams remain interested and he's said to be doing whatever he can in his rehab to be able to throw for teams individually or at his Pro Day. All appearances are that Tua's quarterback ranking in this draft class won't be significantly impacted following his scary hip dislocation injury which ended his 2019 season.

Etienne was in the mix to be a first round selection in the NFL Draft but his decision could be considered a smart one as he ranked no better than fourth in running back rankings behind such other big names as D'Andre Swift, J.K. Dobbins and Jonathan Taylor. Choosing to forego the draft until next year puts Etienne in the running to be the top overall back in 2021. It's also a huge plus for Clemson as, unlike LSU, the Tigers will be returning much of their team and will enter preseason polls as #1 overall and a strong favorite to, again, appear in the National Championship game. Etienne has amassed over 1,600 yards in his past two years, scoring 43 touchdowns on the ground. He's also shown three-down ability by securing 49 receptions and another six touchdowns as a receiver. Another solid year could place Travis Etienne at the top of 2021 rookie draft class.

From an outsider's perspective, this is a surprising move. With Hill having a breakout year and Mississippi State changing coaching staffs, the timing seemed ideal for Hill to move on to the NFL. Even more so if you take into account new head coach Mike Leach's reputation for devaluing the running back position. In Leach's 18 seasons as a head coach (at Texas Tech and then Washington State) he never had a single 1,000-yard rusher. Not one. Instead, he's more known for his version of the Air Raid offense.

It's curious that Hill would choose to return to school with Leach's track record with running backs. In 2019 Hill rushed for 1,350 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. He hasn't been utilized much in the passing game at this point in his college career. In 37 games he's put together a 44-394-5 line in that regard. He'll start next season as one of the top running back prospects for the 2021 draft, but don't be surprised if enthusiasm for him wanes if Leach doesn't utilize him to the best of his abilities.

Fitzgerald, who turns 37 just prior to kickoff of the 2020 season, will be playing in his 17th season. In 2019, Fitz came out of the gate quickly with two 100-yard games to start the season, scoring two touchdowns in his first three games. He wouldn't eclipse 100 yards again and would only score two more touchdowns over the remaining 13 games. On the year, he compiled 75 receptions for 80 yards and four touchdowns. His best days clearly behind him, Fitzgerald is no more than a back-end possession WR4 at best in PPR scoring and likely only playable during bye week and emergency situations in deeper leagues.

It's an unexpected announcement but not altogether shocking considering recent concussion trends. A 2012 first-round selection, Kuechly quickly ascended the IDP rankings to be, arguably, the top linebacker in the game. A true ball hawking tackling machine, the 28 year old no doubt has had to balance long term health concerns related to multiple concussions and playing the game he loves, in the end choosing to retire after an extremely successful, albeit short, career. Dynasty coaches can likely move on from Kuechly though may wish to hold through the pre-season should he reconsider his retirement.

The 2020 draft class remains loaded with talent, but it did lose some firepower with Hubbard's decision to return to school. Hubbard was one of 2019's breakout stars, gaining 2,094 yards on the ground, another 198 through the air, and scoring 21 touchdowns. Hubbard became the first Oklahoma State back to eclipse 2,000 yards rushing since Barry Sanders' historic 1988 season. Despite the breakout performance, Hubbard was likely in the RB 5-7 range for this class behind D'Andre Swift, Travis Etienne, Jonathan Taylor, and JK Dobbins, and possibly Cam Akers as well. While fantasy owners in the back half of the first round surely would have liked a shot at a player of Hubbard's caliber that late in the round, the move makes some sense for him. By returning to school in 2020, Hubbard will have a shot at proving he should be the top RB in the 2021 class.

Financially, this might be a gamble by the young receive, but it could end up paying dividends. In a loaded class that will include former teammates Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III, it would have been easy for Smith to get lost in the shuffle. Often considered the "other guy" in Alabama's talented receiving corps, returning to school will give Smith a chance to seize the top receiving spot with the Tide.

Smith broke out in a big way this year, recording 68 receptions for 1,256 yards and 14 touchdowns. So far, in three seasons, he's posted a 118-2,109-23 stat line. If he can post big numbers next year, it will go a long way towards silencing skeptics who think his big year was thanks to defenses paying more attention to Jeudy and Ruggs.

With the speedy wideout's announcement, that makes two of Alabama's decorated receiving trio who will be trading in Saturday games for Sundays in 2020. While running mate Jerry Jeudy has long been considered the most prized of the Tide's three-headed receiving attack, Ruggs is perhaps the most electric on a single play. With scouts predicting Ruggs to post a potentially legendary 40-time, Ruggs is being compared to Tyreek Hill without the character concerns.

Ruggs started grabbing attention as a freshman in 2017. While he only had 12 receptions that year, six of them went for touchdowns as he averaged 19.1 yards per catch. In the following two years he never eclipsed 50 catches or 1,000 yards, but he did register 86 receptions, 1,487 and 18 touchdowns during that two year period.

Landing spot will be huge in determining where Ruggs is taken in rookie drafts, but destinations like Philadelphia or Green Bay would likely be near the top of most dynasty owners' wish lists.

It's understandable if you're unfamiliar with Cephus' name at the moment. The Wisconsin wideout has had his fair share of adversity as a college athlete. He played sparingly as a freshman but was having a solid sophomore campaign - 30 receptions, 501 yards and six touchdowns - before a broken leg forced him to miss the final five games of the 2017 season. Then he missed all of 2018 as he faced charges of sexual assault. Cephus was eventually acquitted by a jury and allowed to return to Wisconsin for the 2019 season, where he posted 59 receptions, 901 yards and seven touchdowns in the Badgers' run-heavy scheme.

NFL front offices will have to do their due diligence on Cephus, and fantasy owners will have to weigh their own ethics when it comes to drafting Cephus. To his credit, Cephus has had no other legal concerns or disciplinary mix-ups at Wisconsin. As a prospect, Cephus checks a lot of boxes on film. He shows strong hands and routinely catches the ball away from his body. He runs crisp routes and has lined up both in the slot and outside. While he isn't blazing fast, he's been reported to have 4.5 speed.

In a loaded draft class with plenty of big names near the top, Cephus is a player worth doing some research on. He'll likely be available in the late second or third round of drafts, making him a potential sleeper for your team in rookie drafts.

It's not a surprise as the 6'1"/175 lbs. receiver was said to be leaning toward returning to Alabama late in the year. Smith was somewhat overshadowed by fellow Tide receiver Jerry Jeudy but was still a potential day two selection while some believed he could sneak into the bottom of day one. With 68 receptions, 1,256 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2019 as a junior, outproducing Jeudy in two-of-three categories, the arrows are pointing straight up for the would-be 2021 rookie. Third Alabama receiver, Henry Ruggs, is as of yet undeclared for the 2020 Draft but is expected to make himself available as another potential first day selection.

When speaking about retirement, Brady said it's "pretty unlikely" and in previous years has stated his desire is to play until the age of 45. With 20 years as a Patriot on the line, it would be shocking if the GOAT is under center anywhere but New England when the 2020 season kicks off in September. There's no denying Brady's stats fell greatly in 2019 due to inconsistent receiver play and the 2019 retirement of tight end Rob Gronkowski and it could be father time had a hand in his performance as well. For a full 16 game season, Brady's 4,057 yards was his lowest since 2010 and his touchdown total (24) the lowest since 2003. Brady finished as the QB12 in fantasy scoring and will turn 43 in August. He's found as DLF's QB28.

It was still widely believed that Tagovailoa would declare for the draft though the late season serious hip dislocation inury, along with its potentially troublesome long term prognosis, which could take a year or more to be determined, cast some doubt on his decision. Widely expected to be the first player off the board when the first team went on the clock, Tagovailoa simply had to stay healthy and stave off competition throughout his junior year. Instead, LSU's Joe Burrow turned in a nearly flawless season himself and Tua fell to a very significant injury while Alabama fell out of the National Championship race. It's now expected that Burrow is primed to be the first player chosen when the Bengals go on the clock and the Tagovailoa's stock will drop due to long-term uncertainty relating to his injury. Word is he remains a first round selection but expect medical due-diligence and reports to dominate the week of the NFL Combine, closely followed by conjecture, smoke-screens and rumor.

Tua Tagovailoa is DLF's R30 (rookie) in non Super-Flex formats due to uncertainty related to his long term prognosis combined with the lesser value carried by rookie quarterbacks. If completely healthy, Tagovailoa should be a high second round selection in dynasty rookie drafts but long term health won't be known for some time and he remains a risk-on selection.

Thus far there have been no surprises from the loaded junior class and Jeudy joins Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb as the marquee names at the receiver position. Jeudy, the top receiver on most scouts' rankings, completed his second 1,000 yard season in 2019, compiling a 77/1,163/10 line following 2018's 68/1,315/14 marks. Jeudy's measured size will be key as he goes heads-up against Lamb for top-receiver-off-the-board in fantasy, though he's clearly in the lead to be the top-selected receiver in the NFL Draft, most projecting him to be off the board within the first ten selections.

A proficient, shifty and sure-handed receiver, he checks all the boxes at the position and projects similarly to fellow Alabama alums, Calvin Ridley and Amari Cooper, both of whom have found success at the next level at a similar size (6'1/192). Jerry Jeudy is found as the R4 (rookie) overall on DLF's Devy rankings. Of fantasy's "Easy-Six" relating to the loaded 2020 junior class, only Travis Etienne remains undeclared leading up to the declaration deadline.

Swift sits atop DLF's Devy rankings as the R1 (rookie) and his declaration was fully expected. At 5'9/215 lbs., he has the size and skill-set to be a high pick during the NFL Draft and he's expected to be a first-day selection. Not possessing the stats of Jonathan Taylor or J.K. Dobbins, Swift also didn't carry the workload of the other backs, seeing 359 attempts over his past two years. In those two years, he amassed a 2,267 yards and 17 touchdowns and a 6.2 ypc. average. While Swift sits atop DLF's rookie rankings currently, this junior-heavy draft's first tier could be as deep as nine or ten players if all candidates declare and a number of them could vie for first-off-the-board honors depending on drafted situation. Even without seeing his upcoming Combine performance, Swift checks all the boxes at the position and he's fully expected to be the first overall selection in dynasty rookie drafts.