NFL Player News

What It Means

As the Chargers closed out their annual OTA practices, free agent signing Gus Edwards was notably absent. The former Baltimore Ravens rusher had been present at mini-camp earlier in the offseason, but worked with trainers instead of his teammates in those sessions (as injured players do).

We don't know what kind of injury Edwards is dealing with, but it seems like it could be more than just a minor issue. After moving on from longtime back Austin Ekeler this offseason, the team will now be relying on Edwards, the oft-injured J.K. Dobbins, and sixth-round pick Kimani Vidal to carry the load for them in 2024.

Harbaugh is expected to lean heavily on the run in his first year back as an NFL head coach, but may find himself shorthanded when the season rolls around. If one back can stay healthy and consolidate the lion's share of the running back opportunities, they could churn out a fantastic fantasy season. But currently, our model projects Edwards and Dobbins to split the work, with Edwards projected for an RB32 finish and Dobbins behind him at RB49.

What It Means

Polk, the 37th-overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, has reportedly been making a good first impression with his on-field work during the Patriots' OTA sessions. Polk has been making plays while working with the first-team offense, including multiple touchdown grabs from current starter Jacoby Brissett.

Polk could be in line for a considerable workload as early as Week 1 given the lack of target-demanding options elsewhere on the roster. With veteran wide receiver DeVante Parker headed for retirement, Polk will vie for targets alongside second-year wideout Demario Douglas, oft-injured veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne (ACL), and K.J. Osborn.

The former Huskies wideout put up 1,159 yards and 9 touchdowns on 69 grabs while playing alongside first-round pick Rome Odunze last year. Similar production would be well-received in New England given their lack of consistent receiver play in recent seasons -- no Pats receiver has hit 1,000 yards since Julian Edelman's final campaign in 2019.

What It Means

Freiermuth was reportedly targeted heavily throughout OTAs, and "looked like a legitimate playmaker" while doing so according to Kaboly. The third-year tight end has shown flashes of becoming a difference-maker in fantasy football and could take the leap this year with the offseason departure of Diontae Johnson via trade.

Freiermuth's first two seasons in the league were full of promise, with the young pass-catcher notching 123 grabs for 1,229 yards and 9 touchdowns. Like most Steelers, though, his production cratered in 2023 as the team's offense collapsed. With Russell Wilson in town, the hope is that Freiermuth can pick up where he left off in 2022 and become one of the league's premiere talents at the position.

Freiermuth is currently projected to finish as the TE15 this year in FanDuel points. If Wilson shake off his woes from the past two seasons and recapture his prowess from his Seahawks days, Freiermuth could certainly vault into the top 12 players at his position for fantasy.

What It Means

Kaboly wrote that Wilson has been "entrenched" as the team's top quarterback throughout the offseason, adding that the veteran signal caller has done nothing in practices that might encourage the team to start Justin Fields instead. Kaboly also pointed out that the team did not even begin making a move for Fields until after former quarterback Kenny Pickett expressed his desire to leave, which implies that the team has planned on having Wilson start from the get-go.

It looks like Wilson will get a fair amount of runway this season as the Steelers give the Arthur Smith offense a chance. Smith's offenses with Atlanta and Tennessee were notoriously run-heavy, a characteristic they shared with the Seahawks' offenses during Wilson's best seasons as a passer. He could enjoy a potential bounce-back after his disastrous tenure in Denver.

However, it's hard to feel too optimistic about Wilson's fantasy football outlook on a run-heavy offense with only one established wide receiver (George Pickens) on the roster. Our model currently projects the veteran to finish the season as the QB26 in fantasy, even as he garners all of the passing attempts the offense has to offer.

What It Means

Watson's 2024 season came to an early end after the quarterback suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 10. He had previously missed three additional games with other injuries, bringing his total games played since joining the Browns 2 seasons ago up to 12, between his injuries and his 2022 suspension. It looks like his shoulder injury is behind him now, as he has seemingly been a full participant in the team's OTA practices.

When he has suited up for Cleveland, Watson has been among the worst quarterbacks in the NFL. He's thrown just 14 touchdowns to 9 interceptions in that time while averaging 5.03 adjusted net yards per attempt -- a mark that would have ranked 28th in the league last year behind Steelers starter Kenny Pickett.

Given the success quarterbacks like Jacoby Brissett and Joe Flacco have found in an identical situation, it's fair to question how much longer the Browns will tolerate Watson's poor play. The team signed Jameis Winston as their QB2 this offseason, which could put pressure on Watson if he starts the season slowly.

What It Means

The Vikings have been open about wanting their quarterbacks to compete for the Week 1 starting job, and so far it seems like it has been Sam Darnold pulling ahead of first round pick J.J. McCarthy and incumbent backup Nick Mullens. The team signed the former second-overall pick in free agency this offseason prior to drafting McCarthy.

It's early days yet, but fantasy managers will want to play close attention to this competition over the summer. The team clearly believes in McCarthy, using valuable draft capital to add the National Championship-winning quarterback to their roster, but Darnold has had his supporters in the NFL over the years.

Whoever ends up winning the starting gig come Week 1 could be a fantasy-relevant player, considering how fantasy-friendly the Vikings' offense will be this season. O'Connell's system led to Mullens averaging a whopping 370 passing yards per start as their backup last year, and has an enviable trio of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson as pass-catching options for their quarterbacks this year.

What It Means

Lawrence's new deal reportedly includes $200 million in guarantees, locking him in as the team's quarterback for the foreseeable future. The former first overall pick has helped turn around the Jaguars' franchise in recent years, guiding them to winning records in each of the last two seasons while also taking them to the playoffs in the 2022 season (their first appearance in six years).

Apart from his rocky start under infamous head coach Urban Meyer, Lawrence has been as good as the team could have hoped. He's thrown for 8,129 yards, 46 touchdowns, and just 22 interceptions over the last two years and already ranks fourth in franchise history in passing yards.

The Jaguars' offense struggled to live up to expectations in 2023, but through no fault of Lawrence's -- injuries devastated the team's receiver corps throughout the year. The team made a concerted effort to bolster their wide receiver grouping in the offseason and will be relying on Lawrence to help them develop a leading offense in the NFL.

Lawrence is numberFire's QB17 for fantasy entering the year. His lack of every-week rushing production limits his overall fantasy upside, but he's been an efficient producer as a passer in each of the last two years. He should be a reliable QB2 again in 2024 for fantasy.

What It Means

Johnson suffered a potentially serious foot injury in OTAs and is now reportedly headed for offseason surgery. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, he is unfortunately expected to miss "a while", potentially leaving him sidelined through training camp later this summer. The veteran tight end could have been slated for an uptick in work in 2024 with the offseason hiring of new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, but his development in the team's new offensive environment could be stunted if he misses valuable offseason practice time. The initial projections at numberFire had him ranked as the TE18 for the upcoming season, but those rankings could change in light of this news.

What It Means

Burrow resumed throwing in April as he continues to recover from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist. "It's a constant process," Burrow told the media at Tuesday's mandatory minicamp . "That's what coming back from an injury is. There will be good days and bad days. We'll take it day by day. I'll be ready to go for the season." The 27-year-old quarterback should be good to go for Week 1 against the New England Patriots on September 8.

numberFire's models project Burrow for 4,182.1 passing yards, 31.95 touchdowns, and 11.4 interceptions this season, with 56.7 rush attempts for 245.0 yards and 2.58 touchdowns. He's currently the QB8 in our preseason positional rankings.

What It Means

McCarthy added that Ferguson has shined in his conditioning work, while Ferguson himself claimed to working on becoming a "complete" tight end in the vein of former Cowboys great Jason Witten.

Ferguson enjoyed a breakout 2023 campaign after former teammate Dalton Schultz signed with the Houston Texans in free agency, catching 71 passes for 761 yards and 5 scores as the team's top tight end. As he and several other teammates reportedly pointed out, he'll have a chance to step into an even more prominent role in the offense after both WR3 Michael Gallup and RB1 Tony Pollard departed in free agency.

Our model projects the third-year tight end to be this year's TE8, with 147.9 FanDuel points by the season's end. Even if he only sees marginal growth in his target share, he did stake a role as one of quarterback Dak Prescott's top red zone targets, finishing fifth in the NFL in red zone targets (23). His touchdown upside should keep him locked in as a solid tight end play in the 2024 season.