The Cardinals have re-signed Chris Johnson to a one-year deal.
The Cardinals take on very little financial risk here and get a solid backup to David Johnson back in the fold. Dynasty owners who find it a priority to handcuff their stars can grab him but even if David Johnson were to get injured, Chris Johnson is far from the dominant force we once saw with the Titans. He'll be a player with very little current or future value unless there's an injury ahead of him. At that point, it would likely be wise for an owner to spin him away for a future draft pick as he may only have 1-2 years left and is unlikely to truly help a contending team. Realistically, legitimate contenders in conventionally sized leagues would likely have better starters than CJ2K even if he was a starting running back. Without an injury, Johnson is looking at a handfull of carries each week as a change of pace back.
ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting Mike Williams may need season-ending back surgery to alleviate pain from a herniated disc in his back.
Yikes. Those drafting early in the process have been dealt a severe blow here as Williams was taken likely at 1.05 or 1.06 in early rookie drafts. With this news, the minor concern with him has now turned to major. Those drafting late will see him drop to the end of the first for sure and could even see him slip a bit more. Those taking him that late could find themselves with a huge bargain or with a player who never fully realizes his potential. Feel lucky? Surgically repaired backs and hits from free safeties don't tend to go well together and Williams has turned from "sure thing" to "wild card" over the past few months. It's easy to say other LA receivers benefit from this, but I actually think that's a bit of a lazy narrative - Williams wasn't likely going to make a huge impact this year anyway. Let's hope he gets well soon, surgically or not.
Le'Veon Bell and the Steelers failed to reach a long-term agreement prior to the franchise tag tender deadline.
Bell will now play out the season on the franchise tag and hopes to re-establish the running back market in the off-season. There would be multiple suitors for the talented running back as he looks to cash in during his prime years. His value remains unchanged as he's an elite running back no matter where plays. At the same time, the needle of James Conner is moving up a little as the Steelers will undoubtedly use the off-season (Bell has no need to report for a while) to evaluate what they have in Conner.
Kirk Cousins and the Redskins failed to come to a long-term agreement prior to the deadline.
Cousins will now play out the year on the franchise tag and become a free agent after the season. The Redskins botched this a year ago and may now pay the price after the season. While Cousins is never likely to be a truly elite QB1, he has the ability to put up some monster performances. The news here is likely worse for Washington skill players under contract beyond this season. If Washington loses Cousins to another team (San Francisco seems likely), they'd have to start over and that would be bad news in the Nation's capitol.
Ezekiel Elliott was involved in an incident at a bar last night.
News is coming out rapidly this morning but TMZ is reporting Elliott punched a man. Combine this incident, a possible suspension stemming from a domestic violence incident and the video that came out over the summer of Elliott exposing a woman and you have a player who is clearly becoming riskier by the day to own. While it's not time to panic and sell Elliott, his owners have to be very concerned about this string of incidents for a player who is supposed to be a pillar of strength for dynasty teams.
The Eagles have released wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham.
The move frees up a little breathing room for the other receivers on the Eagles depth chart that currently includes Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Alshon Jeffery, Toreey Smith, Mack Hollins, Bryce Treggs, Paul Turner and others. As for DGB, he's talented enough to get another shot this off-season but he's running out of chances. Let's see where he ends up before really judging his value. However, it's not going to be surprising to see him on a lot of waiver wires now.
Eric Decker signed a one-year contract with the Titans on Sunday.
So Decker joins Corey Davis, Rishard Matthews and Delainie Walker as the top targets of Marcus Mariota. On top of helping Mariota's short term dynasty outlook, the move locks in Decker as a solid WR3 for at least 2017. Owners of the 30-year old wide out should see the landing spot as a positive. For at least one more season, he remains a reliable vet for contenders seeking depth on the perimeter.
The Colts have placed Christine Michael on IR.
Michael reportedly went down with an injury earlier this week and it's obviously not good. He was starting to generate the patended "C-Mike Hype" in the first two days, then everything went South as it usually does. Michael should be on the waiver wire.
Michael Floyd has violated his house arrest by reportedly testing positive for alcohol as many as five times last week.
Floyd is conteding the positive tests are a result of drinking herbal tea. However, I've never gone out to Chinese Food and been cut off the tea pot because they were afraid I'd had too much and couldn't get behind the wheel. Still, Floyd will reportedly get his day in court back in Arizona in late June. If he can't convince the judge these tests were from a supposed bad batch of Earl Grey, he could be headed back to jail. If he does indeed go back and the Vikings release him, it's time to cut bait on Floyd. If he stays on the roster, he's likely a bottom feeder roster hold at best - this just isn't good news at all.
The New York Jets have released wide receiver Eric Decker.
Barring a veteran addition, the Jets will now go into the season with no receiver having more than 1,200 career receiving yards. Quincy Enunwa and ArDarius Stewart will presumably be the starters on an offense that promises to be one of the worst in football. Defenses will stack the box against Matt Forte and Bilal Powell and dare the Jets to beat them through the air. As for Decker, he'll have a chance for a fresh start and should recoup his value with the Ravens, Eagles, Browns, Bills or another team. Stay tuned there.
