NFL
The league passed a proposal to give each team one possession in postseason games that go to overtime
Why It Matters: Josh Allen would have gotten a chance to match Patrick Mahomes II in the epic divisional playoff battle under this rule. It will be interesting to see if this change affects the logic of whether to go for two points in overtime, especially if the team winning the toss scores a touchdown and kicks an extra point. Getting the ball first is still valuable because it ensures that a team would get the third possession if the teams are still tied after the mandated two possessions.
The NFL announced that Detroit will host the 2024 draft and the Lions were also announced as the featured team for the reality series Hard Knocks.
Why It Matters: The Lions are on the upswing under GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. The league fanbase will get a much wider view of what the team is up to this summer via the series, and hopefully, fans will avail themselves of the excuse to travel to Southeast Michigan in the spring of 2024 and get more familiar with one of the countries great cities and cultural centers.
Atlanta
The Falcons signed WR Auden Tate (Cincinnati) to a one-year deal
Why It Matters: Tate would be battling for snaps on most teams and hoping to stick as a third or fourth receiver, but he might be the best receiver on the Falcons roster right now. They should add more talent via the draft or free agency, but Tate's size outside could give him an edge for a starting spot. Keep him on your radar in deep leagues.
Buffalo
The Bills matched the Bears' four-year, $17 million offer sheet to retain OL Ryan Bates.
Why It Matters: Bates had originally gotten a 2.4 million dollar restricted free agent tender that only gave them the right to match any offers he got, and he got one from Chicago in short order. Bates is still a value for a versatile, young, starting quality lineman, so Buffalo GM Brandon Beane ended up winning in the end even though a higher value second-round tender would have given the team more time before having to decide whether to commit to Bates because it would have discouraged offers. Bates is a great illustration of how going undrafted can be beneficial for a player because they can get some measure of their value reset in year four instead of year five of their careers.
Carolina
GM Scott Fitterer said "The tackles will be the best players on the board, but we do need a quarterback, and at some point, you have to take a shot, especially in the top 10. You hate to force it, because when you force it, you could make a mistake."
Why It Matters: The Panthers don't have a second, third, or fourth-round pick, so it's #6 or bust for a quarterback unless they trade down, but this draft is bereft of the types of talents that give a team the urgency to trade up, quarterback or otherwise. The Jets and Giants are at #4 and #5 and they are both holding a second top 10 pick, so they could be candidates to trade up ahead of the Panthers if a team is afraid they will miss out on their quarterback of choice. Pitt's Kenny Pickett and Liberty's Malik Willis are thought to be the top two quarterback prospects, with Pickett being more pro-ready, so he would likely be the pick if the Panthers give in to quarterback desperation
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Cleveland
A Brazoria County grand jury declined to indict Deshaun Watson
Why It Matters: There's no resolution of his civil cases or any league discipline coming soon. Commissioner Goodell said there's no timetable for a decision on a suspension and that the league is concerned with getting to "the bottom of the facts". Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk raised the possibility that Watson could land on the commissioner's exempt list if the investigation is not concluded by the beginning of the season. We can't be sure how many games Watson will play this year, or whether he will even play at all, so keep this in mind when projecting the Browns offense.
Denver
Head coach Nathaniel Hackett said TE Albert Okwuegbunam will be a hybrid tight end/wide receiver this season
Why It Matters: With Russell Wilson in town and Noah Fant shipped off to Seattle, Okwuegbunam is the #1 tight end and very intriguing for fantasy as a late-round pick. He's just as athletic as Fant and should benefit from defensive focus on Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and K.J. Hamler.
GM George Paton said "the door is still open" when asked about free agent RB Melvin Gordon
Why It Matters: Javonte Williams' time is coming, but his lofty early draft ADP, sometimes even going in the first round, would be a balloon popped by the return of Gordon, who is still very viable, playing arguably some of his best football in 2021. No team has had Gordon in for a visit, so the longer this goes on without any developments, the more likely it becomes that Gordon stays in Denver.
Indianapolis
Head coach Frank Reich said RB Nyheim Hines will have a larger role in the offense this year
Why It Matters: Hines' role in the passing game shriveled up with Carson Wentz at quarterback, but Matt Ryan is at the other end of the spectrum when it comes to enriching receiving running back stats. Hines value is on the rise in PPR leagues, especially best ball. This isn't a reason to fade Jonathan Taylor as the #1 overall pick in fantasy drafts, but it could take a few snaps and targets away from him.
Kansas City
The Chiefs signed RB Ronald Jones II (Tampa Bay) to a one-year, $5 million deal
Why It Matters: Jones will get a chance to wrest early-down work away from Clyde Edwards-Helaire, which is a bit of a drag on his value, but Jones ineptitude on passing downs could actually mean that Edwards-Helaire will be worth more in PPR leagues than he would have if the team had signed a better all-around back. Jones could lead the team in rushing scores and Andy Reid said he'll have a chance to be a "major part" of the offense, so this definitely increases Jones' speculative value, but he's still just a bench stash that you pick late and hope for the best in 2022 leagues.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams signed LB Bobby Wagner (Seattle) to a five-year, $50 million deal
Why It Matters: The rich get richer as the Rams waited out a strong market for one the best off-ball linebackers of this era. Wagner upgrades a position that has long been a sore spot in the Rams defense, and the team won't lose any of the projected four compensatory picks they racked up when other teams signed their free agents because Wagner was released by the Seahawks. The Baltimore Ravens were the other team with a good chance to get Wagner, but the Rams won out in the end.
New Orleans
Malcolm Jenkins announced his retirement
Why It Matters: The Saints will have two new safeties with Jenkins retiring and Marcus Williams heading to Baltimore in free agency. Right now, two free-agent pickups - Marcus Maye, who is coming off of an Achilles injury, and Daniel Sorenson, who isn't known for his coverage abilities - are set to start, but this could spur the Saints to bring Tyrann Mathieu back to his hometown.
The Saints signed QB Andy Dalton to a one year deal with $3 million guaranteed
Why It Matters: If Jameis Winston isn't ready for the season coming off of ACL surgery or gets hurt again, the team has a high floor backup, but was that worth canceling out the third or fourth round compensatory pick they were going to get in 2023 for Miami's big-money signing of Terron Armstead? Should the team be worried about depth with Tom Brady returning? This seems like a net resource loss and a very questionable move by Mickey Loomis.
Philadelphia
The Eagles signed LB Kyzir White (Los Angeles Chargers) to a one-year, $5 million deal
Why It Matters: White had his most productive season of his career in 2021, and he should remain very relevant in IDP leagues with the weak side spot in the Eagles defense likely earmarked for him. He has safety/linebacker tweener viability and should stay on the field in subpackages.
Tampa Bay
Head coach Bruce Arians retired and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles was promoted to take his place
Why It Matters: There were murmurs of discord between Arians and Tom Brady last year, so this development will invite speculation about the connection between Brady's unretirement and this announcement. Arians will join the front office of the team, while Kacy Rodgers and Larry Foote have been promoted to being co-defensive coordinators. Brady and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich worked closely together last year, so it's not even clear that Arians' retirement will affect the quality of the offense in a negative way. Ndamukong Suh indicated in a tweet that he would be inter
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