Dynasty Player News

Larry Legend is back! It's a minor surprise given the Cardinals' league-worst finish and change in coaching staff. Kliff Kingsbury will be the team's third head coach in three years but should bring a renewed focus on offensive production. Fitzgerald's numbers (65/698/5) dipped significantly in 2018 but it's hard to pin the blame on his advancing age as no Cardinal skill-position player performed well and numbers were down across the board. Given his reduced production, the Legend still finished as PPR's WR28. Fitzgerald will turn 36 just prior to kickoff of the 2019 NFL season and is DLF's WR64. He can be rostered in dynasty formats as a last-flex option but doesn't possess enough upside for anything more than depth for competing teams.

The Jaguars are in dire straits at the position and DeFillipo and Foles enjoyed Super Bowl success in 2017. Blake Bortles has had his last chance and the Jags are certain to upgrade at the position. With Foles looking for a starting role as a free agent in 2018, the fit in Jacksonville is too perfect to ignore. Foles is a quality person and has shown shown toughness and the ability to be productive in tight spots for Eagles in 2018 and 2018. He'd be an immediate upgrade over Bortles giving the Jaguars immediately leadership and hope for the near-term. Nick Foles, only 30 years of age, is rising as DLF's QB35.

It's a story you'll want to read yourself via the linked article and, if true, would be something to watch moving forward. Nick Foles famously filled in for the injury Wentz last year and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl. A struggling Eagles team in 2018 eventually found their footing late but caught fire after Wentz' late-season injury, ceding to Foles once again. Foles came through in the clutch again leading the Eagles to three wins to end the season to a playoff berth. Wentz will remain the starter as Foles is certain to depart in free agency (Jacksonville?) but "selfish", "complicated", "not accountable" and "playing favorites" aren't terms you want affiliated with your face of the franchise. The Eagles haven't responded to the report as of yet and it's likely one isn't coming any time soon. There's not enough here to drop Wentz's value but it's a story which bears watching. Wentz is found as DLF's QB8.

It's hard to argue the point of view as Inman came up clutch for the Colts down the stretch with 28 receptions and eight more in the playoffs. He hauled in four touchdowns overall. The move would likely usher Ryan Grant and, potentially, Chester Rogers, out of the lineup and into free agency as the Colts looked to make significant upgrades at the position. Inman, who will play 2019 at the age of 29, is unheralded but provides toughness in traffic and size behind WR1 TY Hilton. He's found as DLF's WR105 and is nearly off the radar completely.

It's fair to wonder where C.J. Anderson will play in 2019. After eclipsing 1,000 yards for the first time in 2017, he made his way to Carolina in replacement of Jonathan Stewart in what appeared to be a perfect fit. Instead, Anderson was released by Carolina in November, eventually signed in Oakland but didn't play a single snap before being waived again in early December. He was signed by the Rams the next week and has given Los Angeles a badly needed boost given Todd Gurley's lingering knee injury. In weeks 16 and 17, Anderson racked up 299 yards and two touchdowns on 43 carries. He then followed that up with 123 yards and two touchdowns in the NFC Divisional tilt vs. the Cowboys. What will the Rams do with Anderson, a free agent in 2019? Note that running back Malcom Brown (IR), who has looked capable in spot duty himself, is a restricted free agent in 2019. Options abound but it's safe to assume at this juncture the Rams will want to retain the soon-to-be 28 year old Anderson as a valuable backup behind Gurley. Anderson is only viable as an early-down thumper but as he's shown in L.A., just add a quality offensive line and production will follow.

The move has been completely expected by the All-SEC player and he'll join Noah Fant at the top of the rankings, though Smith can't match Fant's dynamic or upside at this juncture in his development. Smith isn't spectacular in any one phase of his game but he's accomplished across all of them, providing for a solid choice in the NFL Draft's second round, with some believing he could slip into the back end of the first round. Tight ends have a notoriously long integration period into the NFL and are risky fantasy selections, but first-round-selected tight ends tend to produce at a high level eventually. The tight end class, headlined by aforementioned Noah Fant, isn't particularly deep but the addition of Smith provides another name to consider in the back half of the second round in fantasy drafts.

It's not a surprising move though with senior Damien Harris departing, there was a possibility that Jacobs would decide to return to garner more carries and develop for another year. It's a solid decision as Jacobs appears to be the RB1 in a relatively weak running back class with no runner expected to be selected in the NFL Draft's first round. Jacobs ran for over 600 yards and 11 touchdowns, adding 20 receptions for 247 yards and three touchdowns while sharing the load as part of a three-back committee at Alabama. The 5'10/216 lb. back has the look and skill-set of a three-down player in the right system though he only has 252 carries on his resume'. The wide receiver position is the wheelhouse of the 2019 rookie class as far as fantasy is concerned but Jacobs provides an upside top-five selection for fantasy coaches needy at the position.

Word is now that Murray ,selected ninth overall by the Oakland A's in June's MLB draft, is leaning toward playing football. Should he choose the NFL over MLB, he'll have to return his signing bonus and reject his $4.66M deal. It's a bit of a shock as all indications were that Murray would be heading to Oakland to play baseball. At 5'10 and 195 lbs., he doesn't carry the prototypical size sought for quarterback but with recent success of Drew Brees and Russell Wilson, teams may be willing to take another look. We'll wait until the decision becomes final but Murray entering the draft could shake up the rankings a bit in what is a weak quarterback class.

He's safe to drop in every format.

it was a widely expected move for the productive two-year starter. In his past two seasons with Iowa St., Montgomery amassed 2,362 yards on 515 carries (4.6 ypc.) and 24 touchdowns. He also caught 58 receptions for another 453 yards. With good size at 5'11/216 lbs., Montgomery projects well to the NFL but isn't elite in any single area. 2019 marks a relatively weak running back class with no projected first-round NFL selections but Montgomery is in the mix to be one of the first two running backs off the board depending on yet undeclared Alabama back Joshua Jacobs who is a tackle-breaking machine with more apparent upside than fellow teammate Damien Harris. Either way, David Montgomery projects as a first-half of the first-round selection in dynasty rookie drafts.

Haskins was largely believed to be leaning toward jumping to the NFL in what is a very weak quarterback class. He immediately jumps to the top of the rankings at the position and is the odds-on favorite as the first quarterback selected, potentially at 1.01. The Arizona Cardinals hold the first selection but used their 2017 first-round pick on rookie Josh Rosen meaning their 1.01 will be in-play for trade. While Rosen wasn't spectacular, the Cardinals have other needs and should be looking to trade back in the first round while picking up additional selections. There are many quarterback-needy teams and it should create a hot market for Haskins. The Giants (1.06), Jaguars (1.07), Broncos (1.10), Bengals (1.11), Dolphins (1.13), Redskins (1.15) in the first half of the first round all could look to trade up.

The Steelers, still mired in the unfolding saga of Le'Veon Bell, have a new major distraction brewing and the odds have now swung in favor of Brown being traded. It's going to take a couple of tumblers to drop into place but you can bet the Steelers are motivated to see Brown out of Pittsburgh and the feeling will most certainly be mutual from Brown. The most likely scenario would appear to be a restructure of his contract which would make a trade far more palatable to acquiring teams. A trade prior to March 14 would also incur a $21.2M cap hit but also see a modest 2019 cap savings. It's still early and it's possible Brown relents but it would seem too much water is now over the damn and that Brown has played his last snap as a Steeler.

He was released by San Francisco when the charges were filed. There's too much smoke around Foster for there not to be some kind of fire. If you are risk-averse, he's probably long off your radar. Even if you are a forgiving soul, you're probably still squeamish about dealing for him. He is a buy-low opportunity, but I wouldn't give anything of real value for him.

In short, the Steelers would incur a dead-money cap hit north of $21M if they released him prior to June 1. On some teams, this may be a reasonable sum to get rid of a distraction, but not with Pittsburgh, who are well known to be very frugal. But, should the Steelers be willing to trade him, that number would fall to only $7M but any draft pick compensation would be in 2020 or beyond. One other scenario could be a restructure-and-trade scenario if Brown is very motivated to exit, which he very well could be. While the Steelers are fresh off the Le'Veon Bell saga, which technically is still unfolding, the appetite for carrying a further disgruntled Antonio Brown may be far less. It remains to be seen. While this whole saga continues to play out into the off-season, Brown's dynasty value has begun a slow slide and he's now found as DLF's WR8.

It's a shocking development to say the least and reeks of heavy-handed Tom Coughlin influence. It's safe to assume the Jaguars have been frustrated with Fournette's continuing injury issues coupled with noticeable frustration from the player as the Jags continue to put a poor product on the field. It appears Jacksonville is about to clean house though targeting your highly drafted (2017) running back in such a way is a dubious move at best. For his part, Fournette's constant ankle issues are an issue and have obviously affected his weight and conditioning. He looked noticeably lighter to begin the season but suffered a hamstring injury early which cost him half the season before returning in week 10, only to then be suspended for week 13 for a fight occurring week 12. Upon returning, Fournette appeared much heavier than earlier in the season and lacking burst and power. The final straw for management seems to have come as Fournette and T.J. Yeldon, himself a free agent in 2019, were 'caught' on camera sitting on the bench next to each other with their arms crossed seemingly uninterested in the game.

Injury frustrations aside, it's hard to side with the Jaguars here as it's obvious poor field performance, coaching and management have played a significant role in player relations. Yeldon is certain to move on in free agency and it now appears Fournette will be released or traded as well. It's safe to assume there's little way either player will wish to return. Fournette's situation could get dicey if Jacksonville decides to play hardball with contractual obligations though it's unknown at this time what that could mean. His value had already been in deep decline and may continue until more about his future becomes clear, likely as we near the NFL Draft. Turning 24 in less than a month, Fournette has unquestionable skills when healthy but it's safe to wonder if he'll ever be healthy again. He'll have an entire off-season to focus on his health, conditioning and his determination to prove the Jaguars wrong in 2019. All signs point to Fournette being traded early or released in 2019. He's currently found as DLF RB14.

It's a huge boost to the Chargers to haven't had consistency from the position since losing Henry in a pre-season game. It's a very quick return and he'll likely play limited snaps but it's what fantasy owners want to see as we head into the off-season. Henry's ADP (80) dipped significantly following the injury but should continue to climb as long as he suffers no further setbacks. Just recently turning 24, he's found as DLF's TE8 and should make for an intriguing risk-reward TE1 play in 2019.

Why wouldn't he? The GOAT has regressed slightly but is still performing at a high level with a single game remaining in 2018's regular season. With 4,105 yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, Brady is still a dependable QB1. His 11 interceptions is his highest total since 2013 and his 2018 quarterback rating of 95.4 sits just above his 2013 rating of 87.3 - again, with one game to play. While not much has changed physically with Brady, it seems as though Rome is burning around him. Rob Gronkowski has faded badly, Josh Gordon has been suspended indefinitely and the relationship between he and Bill Belichick has never been under more scrutiny as further details of discord continue to emerge. Both he and Gronkowski have one year remaining on their contracts and more than a few believe Gronk won't return. Smart money is seemingly on both Brady and Gronkowski finishing out their contracts together via one more year in New England with major change following in 2020. Tom Brady has fallen to DLF's QB22.

Ross, returning from a famously disastrous 2017 campaign where he garnered a single touch resulting in a lost fumble, was a hot name as a deep-sleeper prior to the season. While his touchdown total seems to have supported that notion, his 20 receptions on 53 targets remains an area of significant concern. The sophomore speedster out of Washington is arguably the fastest player in the NFL but has had difficulty finding his footing in Cincinnati who was decimated by significant injury at nearly every offensive position. It's hard to say whether Ross' value will jump heading into 2019 or if major roster change will strike the Bengals' this off-season leading to further uncertainty. As DLF's WR75, he's still on the radar but clearly not viewed as having tremendous upside in dynasty.

Truth be told, Godwin was a volume snap player in 2018, though was very inconsistent due to Tampa Bay's quarterback play coupled with DeSean Jackson's injury status. Humphries and Godwin were substantially similar in offensive snap share in the second half of the season behind Mike evans, Humphries emerging as the far more consistently productive receiver. With one game remaining, Godwin has amassed 53 receptions, 728 yards and five touchdowns though much of his production, including four of his five touchdowns, came in the first half of the year. Still only 22 years of age, any increase in snaps or role will upgrade Godwin's value substantially in 2019. Chris Godwin is found as DLF's WR27 showing his upside hasn't been missed by the dynasty community.

It appears as though he wants to return to Philadelphia in 2019 though there's no word whether there exists mutual interest and the Eagles' cap situation is an issue. Jackson hasn't played a full 16 games since 2013 and missed four games this year. He managed 41 receptions, 774 yards and four touchdowns as the deep threat in Tampa in 2018. The Eagles are most assuredly moving on from Mike Wallace and it remains to be seen if they will attempt to retain Golden Tate though their aforementioned cap-room makes it an unlikely proposition. For Jackson, who will play most of 2019 at 32 years of age, his best years are behind him and he'll be no better than an upside WR4 for competitive dynasty teams. He's found as DLF's WR81 due to advancing age and inconsistent production.