Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Follow along with the fantasy-related pick analysis from Rounds 2 and 3.
The 2024 NFL Draft enters Day 2, consisting of the second and third rounds. Follow along for real-time analysis of the opening round’s impact on fantasy football plans for the upcoming season and beyond.
Fantasy draft season may not be close to hitting its crescendo, but hardcore gamers have been selecting players prior to the conclusion of the collegiate bowl season. It’s time to let the real fun begin!
Keep up with our real-time fantasy reactions for the 2024 NFL Draft.
The 2024 NFL Draft is finally upon us, and prospects are now rookies with NFL cities to call home. Follow along for real-time analysis of the opening round’s impact on fantasy football plans for the upcoming season and beyond.
Fantasy draft season may not be close to hitting its crescendo, but hardcore gamers have been selecting players prior to the conclusion of the collegiate bowl season. It’s time to let the real fun begin!
Keep up with our real-time fantasy reactions for the 2024 NFL Draft.
The 2024 NFL Draft is finally upon us, and prospects are now rookies with NFL cities to call home. Follow along for real-time analysis of the opening round’s impact on fantasy football plans for the upcoming season and beyond.
Fantasy draft season may not be close to hitting its crescendo, but hardcore gamers have been selecting players prior to the conclusion of the collegiate bowl season. It’s time to let the real fun begin!
NFL free agency will drastically help reshape the fantasy football landscape as the new league year begins.
Now that NFL free agency is upon us, we’ll run through the fantasy football outlooks for trades, re-signings, midrange deals, and tag recipients.
This analysis will be updated as players continue to move about in free agency, so be sure to check back regularly.
Fields heads to Pittsburgh, but will he be the starter?
In an unexpected if not outright bizarre trade, the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields on Saturday in exchange for next to nothing in draft compensation.
It’s a conditional 6th round pick that can become a fourth rounder going to the #Bears. And a new era in Chicago https://t.co/jE65yV0jzm
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2024
Despite signing free-agent quarterback Russell Wilson and jettisoning former first-round pick Kenny Pickett to Philadelphia, the Steelers weren’t done reshaping their quarterbacks room. The acquisition of Fields immediately prompts one to question not just why but which quarterback will be the starter.
Is it a competition between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in Pittsburgh?
One source just texted: “Russ is the starter.”
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 16, 2024
It comes down to for how long, because from nearly everything we’ve seen out of Wilson in the last two-plus seasons suggests he will have a tenuous grasp on the starting gig. Fields, however, has flashed here and there but ultimately battled injuries and a slower development pace as a passer than Chicago’s brass was willing to accept.
Conservative-minded Arthur Smith is the new offensive coordinator in the Steel City, and the underwhelming cast of skill players don’t do enough to tip the scales in favor of Wilson being anything better than a shaky QB2 draft target. Adding the stress of Fields looking over his shoulder only further complicates this situation.
Presuming Wilson indeed remains the starter entering Week 1, it’s only fair to wonder how long it will last before Fields gets his shot. It’s entirely possible the Steelers will stick it out with Wilson this entire season and then turn the keys over to Fields. Pittsburgh has to make a decision about his fifth-year option before May 2, which seems like a lock to be picked up given they were willing to trade anything for him.
Should Fields wind up in the starting lineup at some point this season, he’ll be no worse than a matchup-based No. 2 quarterback thanks to his legs alone. As a real-life starter, he certainly would present QB1 upside in fantasy.
On the other side of this deal, the Bears now will retool under rookie quarterback Caleb Williams it would appear, and the upgraded talent acquired the past few days will put him in a good position to hit the ground running (and passing). We’ll dive deep into that one once the NFL draft comes to pass.
The former Packer sticks within the NFC North for a shot at revenge.
A day after the Green Bay Packers opted to get younger at running back by signing Josh Jacobs and releasing Aaron Jones, the latter chose to stay in the NFC North on a one-year, $7 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings.
Staying in the NFC North: Sources tell me and @TomPelissero that former #Packers RB Aaron Jones is expected to sign with the #Vikings, just a day after being released in Green Bay. This sets up two revenge games next year.
He gets a 1-year, $7M deal. pic.twitter.com/ZhhfL633Vw
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2024
Jones appears to have favored the revenge factor and healthy paycheck over a chance at winning a Super Bowl, since the quarterback-less Vikings face a potentially dire situation at the most important position in the game. Unless a rookie steps in and “C.J. Strouds” his way out of the gates, Minnesota appears to be playing for pride in 2024. Nevertheless, Jones will be heavily utilized as the primary back in a system that has proven to generate results from the position, on the turf and through the air.
Jones’ versatility will help offset a likely lack of touchdowns. While age (turns 30 in December) may be working against him, and the injury bug reared its ugly head last season (11 games played), he looked rather spry down the stretch. Expect a rookie to give him the occasional breather, though it’s likely to come from a midround selection than an early investment.
Unless there’s a significant injury issue or the quarterback play is even worse than anyone can imagine, the Vikings will lean on the veteran enough to present low-end No. 2 worth in fantasy leagues. Jones may get overvalued a tad based on name recognition, but most competitive formats probably will draft him on the border of being an RB2 and third back.
Derrick Henry moves to Baltimore
The Tennessee Titans move on from Derrick Henry after eight seasons as their workhorse running back. Tony Pollard was added yesterday as a partial replacement, but the Titans begin a new era under HC Brian Callahan and without Henry for the first time since 2016.
Henry has been a Top-10 fantasy running back for the last five years when not injured and he’s proven to be amazingly durable for a bruiser that turns 30 years old. Henry signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Ravens to move them beyond their traditional committee backfield.
The Ravens already let Gus Edwards leave and J.K. Dobbins will be an unsigned free agent that could never remain healthy. The Ravens offense changed with new OC Todd Monken last year, and Henry is a perfect fit for what the Ravens offense needs.
Henry may be turning 30 years old, but he’s been amazingly durable and outside the norm for staying healthy. The future Hall-of-Famer and past 2,000-yard rusher lands in an offense that has a Top-3 offensive line – a major upgrade from the Bottom-3 O-line in Tennessee. And the new offense under Monk produced 1,696 rushing yards (No. 8) and 20 rushing touchdowns (No. 3) last year with far less talent than Henry.
The Ravens offense also does not throw much to running backs which has never been a strength for Henry. He’s exactly what the rest of the league did not want to see lining up behind Lamar Jackson.
Course correction: Houston acquires Joe Mixon via trade.
The Houston Texans pulled off a trade less than a day after reports stating Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon would be released. Instead, he’ll now line up in a backfield with second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Plot twist: The #Bengals are now trading Joe Mixon to the #Texans, rather than releasing him, sources say.
So Zack Moss signs in Cincy, Mixon is traded to Houston. From Joe Burrow to CJ Stroud. pic.twitter.com/TG0G3JMGMp
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2024
As mentioned in the response to Zack Moss agreeing to join the Bengals, Mixon has struggled with efficiency the last few years, but his rate of scoring touchdowns has dramatically improved. Nearly 28 years old, with considerable mileage on his odometer, Mixon is clearly entering the twilight of his career. Houston, which feels it is poised to win not only now but well into the future, chose a stable veteran after a one-year stint with Devin Singletary, who left for the New York Giants in free agency.
From a real-life perspective, Mixon’s veteran presence, penchant for scoring touchdowns in the red zone, pass-protection skills, and versatility will do wonders to help balance out the offense. He’s no spring chicken and lacks the burst for long-range chunk plays, which the Texans can offset during the draft or a still-deep pool of remaining free agents.
The fake football view puts Mixon in the range of being a high-end No. 3 and a midrange No. 2, provided he can stay healthy. The Texans, for all of last year’s impressive play, are still a young, developing offense, particularly at wide receiver. Look for ample checkdown plays to pad his receiving stats and a respectable ratio of rushing TDs to attempts, but the lack of yardage output most weeks will position Mixon to be dependent on finding the end zone to make a difference in a fantasy lineup.
There’s a changing of the guard in Cincinnati’s backfield.
Longtime Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon will be released and replaced by free-agent RB Zack Moss, helping the team get younger and the books get lighter.
3/12 update: Mixon was traded to the Houston Texans instead of being released.
Zach Moss in, Joe Mixon out. https://t.co/POlhrgbwP8
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2024
Mixon has become mostly a plodder the past few seasons, though the seven-year pro has developed a nose for the end zone as his career has chugged along. In the first four years, he found paydirt 25 total times but has posted 37 scores in the past three campaigns. The ascension of Joe Burrow hasn’t hurt his cause, preventing defenses from fully selling out in the red zone. An adept receiver and quality blocker, Mixon should pick up in Houston where he left off, despite entering his age-28 season.
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As for Moss, he split time early in his career with Buffalo before being sent to the Indianapolis Colts a couple of years back. He filled in admirably for Jonathan Taylor last year, generating 466 rushing yards, 576 total yards, and five offensive TDs between Week 2 and Week 6. He remained involved upon Taylor’s return until seeing his workload significantly decrease before fracturing his forearm late in the year.
Moss has enough talent to be a three-down option, though it’s likely Cincinnati works in Chase Brown to enough of a degree that this might even devolve into a full-on committee.
It’s simply too early to make a definitive fantasy claim as to Moss’ value, but he has a prime opportunity to finish in the neighborhood of RB10 to RB15 with a similar workload to what Mixon has offered in recent years. He’s not the same quality pass catcher, but Moss isn’t the worst receiver out of the backfield, either.
We’ll do a deep dive on this situation following the NFL draft. In the meantime, Moss’ dynasty worth is trending upward, and all gamers should be optimistic about his upcoming season.
Ekeler moves on from the Chargers and joins the committee in Washington.
The Washington Commanders wasted no time replacing the departed Antonio Gibson by grabbing Austin Ekeler as an upgrade for the new offense under OC Kliff Kingsbury. Ekeler spent seven seasons with the Chargers, and three of which produced Top-5 fantasy running back stats.
Ekeler signed a two-year deal worth up to $11 million. His production dropped last season with the change in offense and the eventual midseason firing of then-head coach Brandon Staley. His negotiating status dropped considerably from 2022 when he was the No. 1 fantasy running back.
The Commanders are entering the first season under HC Dan Quinn and the offense will be directed by Kingsbury. The new scheme is not expected to immediately be as pass-happy as his previous time with the Cardinals and last season helping the USC Trojans, but there’s still plenty of time left for the offense to be remade and acquire more players.
Ekeler joins a backfield that has the burly 6-1, 228-pound Brian Robinson Jr. as the primary rusher, and Ekeler’s expected to add mostly as a receiver in the committee approach. He turns 29 years old in May, and isn’t likely to see a heavy rushing load in Washington. Even with the Chargers, he had maxed out around 200 carries in the last two seasons and has durability concerns as he ages.
While the offense continues to evolve, the expectation is that Ekeler adds in a handful of carries to complement Robinson, and catches 60 to 70 passes as well. He’ll drop back from his typical first-round status of the last three seasons, but still offer consistent fantasy points in leagues rewarding receptions.
