Mon Apr 29 11:53am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer
White should be lead back
The draft is always so exciting, seeing where all the players get picked. But after the draft, the big issue is figuring out what it all means for their fantasy value. We thought it would be a good idea to look at some of the biggest fantasy winners and losers from draft day. These are some of the players that were picked but also some of the guys that were already on rosters, seeing their fantasy value get impacted from the draft. Adjust your rankings accordingly!
WINNERS
Bryce Young, QB, Panthers. The Panthers did a great job of getting Young some much needed offensive help. The team took a receiver, running back and tight end in three of the first four rounds of the draft. Carolina already added Diontae Johnson this offseason, so the receiver corps should be much better after getting Xavier Legette in the first round. The receivers got very little separation last year, so it was hard to gauge Young. He needed help and got some this offseason. Carolina also took a possible franchise running back in Jonathon Brooks and hopefully a solid starting tight end in Ja’Tavion Sanders. Things are looking up for Young and this offense.
Xavier Worthy, WR, Chiefs. Worthy could not have landed in a much better spot. He heads to one of the best offenses in football that has some openings at receiver, especially with the status of Rashee Rice a bit up in the air. Worthy has electric speed and the Chiefs should find plenty of ways to utilize that. He could be the new Tyreek Hill for this offense. Look for Worthy to make an impact right away.
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Cowboys. Maybe one of the biggest surprises of the draft was the Cowboys not addressing their running back spot. Instead, the team signed Elliott after the draft. He is likely to be the starter in this top offense. He might not rack up the yards of past seasons, but has big touchdown potential in this offense. Elliott seems a pretty sure bet to get double-digit touchdowns. He could be a solid No. 2 for fantasy teams.
Jonathon Brooks, RB, Panthers. Brooks is returning from a major knee injury and could be slowed a little early in the season, but once he is back healthy look for him to the three-down back for the Panthers. He lands in a great spot for playing time, having little top talent to compete with for playing time. Brooks could really get the volume in this offense. He is our top rookie fantasy back.
Zamir White, RB, Raiders. Many thought the Raiders were another team that could address their running back spot during the draft, but that didn’t happen. They used a sixth-round pick on Dylan Laube, but he is not expected to challenge White for that starter’s job. It sure seems the Raiders are comfortable with White as their lead back. He has a chance to get a lot of touches in year two. His stock is going up.
Ladd McConkey, WR, Chargers. The Chargers need help at receiver and McConkey helps fill that need. It would not surprise if he quickly became Justin Herbert’s favorite target in the passing game. We really like his chances to rack up the weekly looks in this offense. Someone has to fill the Keenan Allen void and McConkey seems the best bet out of the options at receiver for the Chargers.
Keon Coleman, WR, Bills. Coleman is another rookie receiver that lands in a great spot for playing time. The departure of Stefon Diggs leaves a big opening for the Bills. Coleman could help fill that void. He has great size for the position and could be a top red-zone threat from day one for Buffalo. Coleman should get his chances from the get go, giving him a high ceiling for the coming year.
LOSERS
Raheem Mostert, RB, Dolphins. Mostert had a monster season last year and helped many fantasy teams to championships. He is going to have a very hard time repeating, especially after the Dolphins picked Jaylen Wright in the fourth round. Wright is a speed back similar to Mostert but a lot younger with less wear on his tires. Remember, Mostert is 32 years old. He might end up falling to third on the depth chart after the addition of Wright.
Rome Odunze, WR, Bears. Odunze is a super talented player that could be a star in the NFL. But for his year, you have to worry about him being up and down. He has two really good receivers ahead of him on the depth chart in DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. This is going to limit the ceiling of Odunze. He will be a much better fantasy player in a few more seasons. For now, expect erratic production from the talented rookie.
Kyren Williams, RB, Rams. Williams remains the lead back for the Rams and is coming off a breakout season. But the Rams picked Blake Corum in the third round. He is going to be a factor in the offense. He might get put a huge dent in Williams’ workload but the big concern is the goal-line work. Corum is more of a between the tackles runner that does well on short-yardage work. He could end up stealing some touchdowns from Williams, hurting his fantasy value.
Michael Mayer, TE, Raiders. Mayer was a second-round pick for the Raiders last year and showed well at times his rookie season. The Raiders couldn’t pass on the talented Brock Browers in this year’s draft, though. This move absolutely kills the fantasy value of Mayer. He is going to play second fiddle to Browers, getting few weekly looks. Browers is the clear tight end to own in this offense.
Ricky Pearsall, WR, 49ers. Pearsall is a talented pass catcher that can get in and out of his breaks in a hurry. He is a really good fit for the slot and could fill that role for the 49ers his rookie season. The problem is he has some of the top talent in all of football to compete with for targets. He could really be up and down his rookie season. He will look better in a year or two when he has a more defined role and less to compete with at receiver. His rookie season could be a tough one to gauge for fantasy owners.
Malik Nabers, WR, Giants. Many considered Nabers the top receiver in this year’s draft. He is super talented with a high fantasy ceiling. The problem for Nabers is he got drafted by the Giants, a team that really struggled offensively last year. Plus, he has Daniel Jones throwing him passes. This is not a great landing spot for the talented Nabers. Jones needs to make some big strides this season if Nabers hopes to reach his potential. We aren’t sure that happens.
Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at jeff@rtsports.com. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.
The Kansas City Chiefs are keeping pass-rusher Charles Omenihu (knee), who tore his ACL in the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens, on the Physically Unable to Perform list to begin the 2024 regular season with hopes of a November return. Omenihu was never expected to be ready for the start of the season after suffering a devastating injury late in the postseason. Any help the 27-year-old pass-rusher can give the Chiefs' defensive line later in the year will be welcomed. His absence will put more on the shoulders of the team's top pass-rushers, Chris Jones and George Karlaftis. Omenihu, a former fifth-rounder by the Houston Texans in 2019 out of Texas, had a career-high seven sacks, 28 tackles (18 solo), five tackles for loss, 11 QB hits and two forced fumbles in 11 games during the regular season in 2023 in his first year in KC.
From RotoBaller
The Kansas City Chiefs released former rugby star and running back Louis Rees-Zammit on Tuesday, according to sources. The Chiefs continue to cut down their roster to get to 53 players ahead of the 2024 regular season in less than two weeks, and they also cut running back Deneric Prince. The 23-year-old Rees-Zammit was fighting for a depth role this summer, but a back injury suffered on Monday in practice certainly didn't help his cause. The signing of Rees-Zammit was pretty much just an intriguing flier from the beginning, and he was unlikely to do much for the Chiefs this year outside of maybe some special teams duties had he made the team. With Rees-Zammit now gone, both Mecole Hardman and Nikko Remigio will likely take on bigger return roles to begin the regular season.
From RotoBaller
The Kansas City Chiefs released former second-round tight end Irv Smith Jr. on Tuesday as they continue to cut their roster down ahead of the 2024 regular season. Smith will now be looking for a new team with less than two weeks before Week 1 kicks off. The 26-year-old was taken 50th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in 2019 out of Alabama and has been a bust through his first four seasons, with last year coming with the Cincinnati Bengals. In his four NFL campaigns, Smith has caught 109 of his 152 targets for 973 yards and 10 touchdowns in 49 games played (21 starts). Injuries have gotten in the way, but he also just hasn't performed up to expectations. Behind All-Pro Travis Kelce, the Chiefs will head into the regular season with Noah Gray and rookie Jared Wiley providing them with depth at the position.
From RotoBaller
New Orleans Saints second-year running back Kendre Miller (hamstring) is expected to start the 2024 regular season on Injured Reserve, according to a source. At the very least, Miller will be required to miss the first four games of the year. The 22-year-old former TCU RB injured his hamstring at the start of training camp and hasn't done much since. The former third-rounder battled injuries for most of his first year in the NFL as well and ended up playing in just eight games in 2023, carrying the ball 41 times for 156 yards (3.8 yards per carry) and one touchdown while adding 10 receptions for 117 yards through the air. The Saints are quickly running out of patience with Miller, so he'll need to get back on the field sooner than later if he wants to stick around past the 2024 season. Miller's injury provides a clear path for Jordan Mims to be the RB3 behind Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams.
From RotoBaller
The Kansas City Chiefs released former Clemson star wide receiver Justyn Ross on Tuesday, according to sources. The Chiefs let go of both Ross and Kadarius Toney on Tuesday as they trim their final roster down to 53 players. The addition of veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster to the receiving corps didn't help their causes to open the year on the active roster. Ross went undrafted out of Clemson last year and played sparingly in his first year in the NFL, catching just six of 11 targets for 53 yards and no touchdowns in 10 games played (one start). The Chiefs probably won't have Marquise Brown (shoulder) for the start of the season and are bracing for an eventual suspension for Rashee Rice later in the year, but they also have rookie Xavier Worthy, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman on their current roster at wideout.
From RotoBaller
The Los Angeles Rams are leaving tight end Tyler Higbee (knee) on the Physically Unable to Perform list, which means he is ineligible to be active during the first four games of the 2024 season. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise after Higbee tore his ACL and MCL in his right knee in the loss in the playoffs to the Detroit Lions on Jan. 14. The 31-year-old veteran hasn't taken part in any of training camp and missed the entire preseason as well. At the very least, Higbee is probably going to miss at least around half of the 2024 season, depending on how he progresses once he returns to football activities. In the meantime, Colby Parkinson figures to be LA's top pass-catching tight end ahead of Davis Allen and Hunter Long. Parkinson is only worth a flier as a TE3 in two-TE leagues, while Higbee can be left to the waiver wire in standard-sized fantasy leagues to begin the year.
From RotoBaller
The Buffalo Bills are waiving running back Frank Gore Jr. (knee) on Tuesday. Gore's 101-yard performance before he went down with a knee injury in Saturday's preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers was not enough to keep him on Buffalo's final 53-man roster. The undrafted rookie will hit waivers and search for a new home as backfield depth, and perhaps other teams saw enough out of his final exhibition showing to give Gore a chance. As for the Bills, it's all set to be rookie fourth-rounder Ray Davis as lead back James Cook's primary change-of-pace back this fall, with veterans Ty Johnson and Darrynton Evans providing insulation for the team.
From RotoBaller
New York Jets wide receiver Mike Williams (knee) is banged up but should be ready for Week 1, and wide receiver Allen Lazard will take the vacated reps when Williams is on a pitch count. With Williams getting back up to speed in his recovery from a torn ACL suffered last September, Lazard could see a significant amount of playing time for the Jets early in the season. It remains hard to trust the 28-year-old veteran wideout from a fantasy perspective, anyway, after he caught just 23 of his 49 targets for 311 yards and one touchdown a season ago during his debut year in New York. Treat Lazard as a low-upside WR5/6 flier at the end of drafts only for his chemistry with quarterback Aaron Rodgers from their days with the Green Bay Packers, but he could be useful in a pinch if Williams' snaps are severely restricted early on.
From RotoBaller
The San Francisco 49ers have typically carried four running backs and a fullback on their 53-man roster. They've traded two RBs for fifth-round draft picks in the past, Matt Breida and Jeff Wilson Jr., during Kyle Shanahan's tenure as head coach. If Elijah Mitchell can fetch a return, then perhaps the 49ers have adequate depth to orchestrate another trade. San Francisco has been happy with Cody Schrader and Patrick Taylor Jr., so expect at least one of those backs to remain in the building, even if it's on the practice squad. Mitchell is one of San Fran's top backups to workhorse starter Christian McCaffrey (calf), who is currently not practicing. If Mitchell were to get traded ahead of the regular season, it would leave Jordan Mason as McCaffrey's clear-cut backup and an abundance of contingency upside as a handcuff.
From RotoBaller
It was clear early last season that running back Dameon Pierce wasn't a fit in the Houston Texans' zone-blocking system, making Year 2 a frustrating one for the power back. Things haven't changed this preseason for Pierce, who won't start now that Joe Mixon is back at practice, and Cam Akers has impressed in recent action in his bid to make the roster. Dare Ogunbowale seems like a lock for his special-teams and third-down value, and Houston might still want to develop rookie Jawhar Jordan rather than lose him to the waiver wire. While it's unlikely the Texans would release Pierce, he remains a trade candidate and still could be a solid reserve. The 24-year-old was approaching 1,000 rushing yards as a rookie before his season-ending injury in 2022. If an RB-needy team such as the Dallas Cowboys offered a late-round pick for him, it wouldn't be shocking to see Houston pull the trigger.
From RotoBaller
The Los Angeles Rams are trading linebacker Ernest Jones to the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday. It's a big addition for Tennessee's revamped defense, as Jones was a team captain for the Rams. The 24-year-old former third-rounder was rumored to be in a contractual dispute in LA, so he'll head elsewhere to play in 2024. Jones was one of the top linebackers for IDP fantasy managers last season, totaling 145 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 18 quarterback pressures, 14 tackles for loss, and 20 run stuffs, and he's arguably the No. 1 LB for those formats in drafts this summer.
From RotoBaller
The Kansas City Chiefs are cutting running back Deneric Prince on Tuesday. Despite incumbent veteran Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) missing the majority of training camp due to post-traumatic stress disorder, Prince didn't do enough in camp and the preseason to earn a spot on KC's final 53-man roster. Prince appeared to be making a strong push for a roster spot at first, working ahead of CEH in team drills early in camp, but he struggled with consistency as a rusher in the preseason outside of a 41-yard run in the second exhibition game and also had made a mistake on special teams in the exhibition opener, which cost the Chiefs a safety on a kickoff. Fullback Carson Steele looks set to make the roster as backfield depth with this move, offering the team some value as a runner and in pass protection.
From RotoBaller
The Houston Texans are releasing wide receiver Noah Brown on Tuesday. It comes as a bit of a surprise, given Brown put up 17.2 yards per catch over 33 receptions (55 targets) for the Texans last year, but the addition of Pro Bowl wideout Stefon Diggs this offseason made him much more expendable. Houston's three-receiver sets will now be concentrated around Diggs, Nico Collins, and Tank Dell to still give quarterback C.J. Stroud one of the league's top supporting casts. The 28-year-old Brown shouldn't have much of an issue finding work as a viable deep threat elsewhere in the NFL, and it likely won't be long until he lands back on his feet with another team.
From RotoBaller
The Kansas City Chiefs are waiving wide receiver Kadarius Toney on Tuesday, but he'll have a market elsewhere. The Chiefs had been looking for a trade partner for Toney, but he'll now head to waivers after they found no suitors. Toney missed the exhibition opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a back injury, and his first snap against the Detroit Lions the following week was disastrous, as he committed two penalties. The former first-round pick reeled in a 20-yard pass in Thursday's preseason finale against the Chicago Bears as a last-ditch effort to stick around, but he just wasn't been able to put it together all throughout his rocky tenure in KC. Toney still has the talent to carve out some type of role as a playmaker or gadget player elsewhere, but his path back to fantasy relevance consists of many hurdles.
From RotoBaller
Dynasty | The Green Bay Packers have released wide receiver Samori Toure. Dynasty Analysis: Toure was one of the odd men out on a loaded Green Bay receiving corps. He lasted a couple of years on the roster but wasn't able to crack it this season. It's probably best he find a different team with a greater need at the position but his dynasty value is non-existent at the moment,
Dynasty | The Vikings have released running back Myles Gaskin. Dynasty Analysis: Gaskin was attempting to earn a depth spot with Minnesota but failed to impress throughout camp. Once a fairly productive runner in Miami, Gaskin hasn't been able to make much of an impression over the last couple of seasons. He could latch on elsewhere but this is a bad sign for his future dynasty value.
Dynasty | The Giants have released wide receiver Allen Robinson. Dynasty Analysis: Robinson ended up lasting just a few months with New York and has clearly lost a step (or more) at this point. He will now look to latch on to his fifth team in four years after stops in Chicago, Los Angeles (Rams), Pittsburgh, and now with the Giants. Robinson simply may be cooked at age 31 and his dynasty value has long since evaporated.
Dynasty | The Patriots have released quarterback Bailey Zappe. Dynasty Analysis: Remember when Zappe was outplaying Mac Jones and looked like he could be a future starter for New England? Yep, that seems like light years ago now. Zappe was brought back after final cuts last year but that likely won't be the case with the Patriots having Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett (now unlikely to be traded with this move) on the roster. It certainly looks like Maye is going to win the job and this may seal it.
Dynasty | The Eagles have released wide receiver John Ross. Dynasty Analysis: The former Cincinnati first round pick was attempting a comeback with the Eagles but didn't quite do enough to stick. Once the NFL's fastest man, Ross has simply been a bust during his time in the NFL. He may get a chance on a practice squad or get a call up as an injury replacement but he doesn't belong on a dynasty roster.
Dynasty | The Saints have released running back James Robinson. Dynasty Analysis: Robinson simply isn't the same player he once was in Jacksonville after his torn Achilles. Now having spent time with five different teams over the past two years, it's hard to see this as anything but a possible end to a career that once very promising. Robinson can safely be released from any deep dynasty rosters.