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What It Means

Likely has been a consistent role player for the Ravens since entering the league as a fourth round pick in 2022, catching 36 passes for 373 yards and 3 scores as a rookie before turning 30 receptions into 411 yards and 5 scores as a sophomore. Tight ends often have a tough time hitting the ground running in the NFL, but Likely has looked good when called upon behind Mark Andrews.

While most NFL offenses aren't capable of producing multiple fantasy-relevant tight ends, the Ravens' lack of established wide receivers could help likely become a reliable option at the position in 2024. And with Derrick Henry joining Lamar Jackson behind the line, the team could utilize more formations with multiple tight ends to throw off opposing defenses.

Even with Andrews clearly ahead of him on the depth chart, Likely still projects as the TE21 for fantasy this season -- ahead of the TE1 options for multiple NFL franchises. He averaged 3.5 catches for 53.7 yards and 0.8 touchdowns per game once Andrews left the lineup and could grow into a similar role alongside Andrews if he can take another step forward.

What It Means

The Bills are headed into the 2024 season without either of their top two receivers from the past few years, leaving them with one of the most wide open depth charts in the league at the position. That gives second round pick Keon Coleman a great opportunity for immediate playing time in his rookie season.

Coleman was the first pick of the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. As a sophomore with Michigan State he outproduced future Packers wideout Jayden Reed with 58 catches, 798 yards and 7 touchdowns, and as a junior he compiled 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns as Florida State's WR1. At 6'3" and 213 lbs, the Bills are clearly hoping Coleman can develop into their own WR1 as soon as possible.

In their pass-heavy offense, Coleman is projected to finish as the WR47 in fantasy -- sixth-best among rookies. The projections have him catching 60.5 passes for 760.5 yards and 5.3 touchdowns. If he can establish himself as a reliable option for Josh Allen, Coleman could become a solid playmaker in fantasy football as a rookie.

What It Means

Douglas was the Patriots' most productive pass-catcher in his 2023 rookie season, though he faced little competition on the team's barren depth chart during the season. He finished his debut campaign with 561 scoreless yards on 49 catches.

Douglas' athleticism flashed off the screen amidst an offense that otherwise lacked it, and it seems like he has since leveraged his solid rookie year into an impressive offseason as well. It's encouraging to hear that he has continued to look like a difference maker despite the team's additions to the wide receiver room via the draft, with both Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker joining their ranks.

The projections at numberFire have Douglas finishing as the Pats' top wideout again in 2024, with 50.9 grabs, 635.8 yards, and 2.4 touchdowns for a WR59 finish in 0.5-point per reception leagues. He could be a late round wide receiver target in season-long fantasy drafts later this summer.

What It Means

Asked about Metcalf, McDonald said that the new Seahawk staff plans to make him a "moving target" for defenses. Adding "I can tell you this: We want to get DK the ball a lot, too."

This would appear to hint at a role that sees Metcalf involved from different spots in formations, not just the boundary. With a new staff in Seattle, including offense coordinator Ryan Grub, the offense could look different than it did under Pete Carroll and Shane Waldron. An increase in routes out of the slot, with higher percentage targets, would be a plus for Metcalf's outlook.

What It Means

Asked about their plan for Robinson this season, Morris said "In as simple of a form as you can possibly make it, it's 'get the ball to Bijan as much as you can in as many ideal situations that you possibly can." Morris added "For him (Robinson), he's so talented you don't want to limit the things that he can do, but you also don't want to water it down so much that he's not doing anything that he can do great."

As a rookie under former head coach Arthur Smith, Robinson was heavily utilize in the passing game, with 58 receptions on 86 targets -- well above Tyler Allgeier (18 receptions on 23 targets). In the run game, however, Robinson's utilization was much closer to Allgeier's. He handled 214 carries to Allgeier's 186 despite being more efficient on his touches (4.6 yards per carry to 3.7).

This season, it sounds like that won't be the case. Robinson said "I'm going to be more of a runner, that does everything else like not as much. It's run first, like what I did in college, and then still having that access to go to receiver and still having that access to do creative things out the backfield."

What It Means

Mims was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday after spending the first three seasons of his career with the New York Jets.

In three seasons in New York he totaled 42 receptions on 92 targets for 676 yards. He was the 59th overall draft pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

What It Means

Stevenson, a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, agreed to a four year extension with New England on Thursday that includes $17 million fully guaranteed. The move was expected after Stevenson has operated as a crucial component of the Patriots' offense since his rookie season.

As a rookie, Stevenson turned 133 carries into 606 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns while catching 14 of 18 targets for 123 receiving yards. As a sophomore, he evolved into a dual threat, with 1,040 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns and 69 receptions on 88 targets for 421 receiving yards and 1 receiving touchdown. He battled injuries last season, but still recoreded 857 total yards and four touchdowns in 12 games.

Steven is expected to remain a key part of New England's offense under new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. The arrival of Antonio Gibson in free agency could have a negative impact on his volume in the passing game.

What It Means

With a new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak in tow for the upcoming season, there was some speculation as to whether or not the Saints would continue making use of Hill in the role we've come to expect from him in recent years. However, early OTA practices and quotes from the team have seemingly confirmed that the soon-to-be 34-year-old will remain heavily involved in his "gadget" role. Viewers at OTAs witnessed Hill lining up across the formation, as well as taking snaps at each spot in the backfield as the team ran various plays.

He accrued 401 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns in the Saints' underwhelming offense last year, sometimes even taking over for starting quarterback Derek Carr close to the end zone. While 2023 saw him almost completely phased out as a passer, but his overall usage in the offense trended up.

Notably, Hill caught a career-best 33 passes for 291 yards and 2 scores last year, operating as a traditional tight end more frequently than we've seen in past seasons. If he can continue to develop that role in 2024, he could become a consistent every-week producer for fantasy.

Hill's truly unique profile makes him difficult to project, but he does have enviable fantasy upside due to his involvement all over the field. He is currently projected as the TE16 for the 2024 season, but the Saints' thin roster could push them into relying on him more than ever this season.

What It Means

Reed noted that neither quarterback has particularly excelled against the Raiders' defense so far this summer, but that the duo have split the first-team reps down the middle throughout their early offseason program. O'Connell took over as the team's starting quarterback down the stretch of the 2023 season, but will now battle against Minshew for the Week 1 starting gig over the rest of the summer.

O'Connell finished his rookie season ranked 26th in adjusted yards per attempt (6.2), just barely behind the more-seasoned Minshew's 23rd-ranked 6.5 adjusted yards per attempt mark with the Indianapolis Colts. Neither was a particularly effective quarterback, but each led offenses that produced fantasy-relevant players at points of the season.

While the fantasy fates of teammates like Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, and Brock Bowers may now rest on O'Connell's and Minshew's shoulders, neither quarterback is expected to produce much fantasy value on their own. The projections at numberFire have them finishing with a combined 236.5 FanDuel points this year, which would rank as the QB28 overall.

What It Means

Brown signed a one-year, $7 million contract to play with the Chiefs in 2024 and should slot in as the team's top receiver for the season with Rashee Rice facing a potential suspension and first-round pick Xavier Worthy getting his bearings. His pres

Brown has put up respectable numbers each year since entering the league while playing in offenses led by Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray, but could produce his first 1,000 yard season since 2021 with Mahomes under center. He'll get to operate as the team's top wide receiver without the pressure of playing as the top pass-catcher, somewhat mirroring the circumstances in which he posted 1,000 yards while playing alongside Mark Andrews as a Raven.

The early projections from numberFire put him close to that 1,000-yard mark -- he's slated for 922.2 yards and 7.4 touchdowns on 78 receptions as the team's top receiver. He is currently projected to finish as the WR31 league-wide for fantasy in 2024.