The former No. 4 overall pick isn’t ready to call it a career just yet
Free-agent RB Leonard Fournette is motivated to continue his NFL career, intends to sign with a team before the season, and has hired his former agent Ari Nissim, and Pat Capra, both of @ChaseYourLegend, to help in that pursuit. “Leonard’s in the best shape of his career and I…
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette isn’t ready for his NFL career to end just yet.
Fournette is planning to sign with a team before the start of the 2024 season, according to a statement from his agents (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, Fournette spent three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, then three more with the Bucs, helping them win a Super Bowl in 2020.
He spent the 2023 season with the Buffalo Bills, but saw a dramatic drop-off in his usage and production, appearing in just five games and carrying the ball only 12 times for 40 yards and no touchdowns.
LSU QB commit Bryce Underwood remained the top overall recruit in On3’s latest update.
On3 released its updated recruiting rankings on Monday, but LSU quarterback commit [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag] held firm at the top spot.
Underwood, who committed to LSU in January, ranks as the nation’s top recruit at both On3 and 247Sports. He’s not that far behind on the other sites either, ranking second at ESPN and third at Rivals.
On3 calls Underwood a “top arm talent” and said he “is among the more physically gifted quarterback prospects in recent cycles.”
Underwood is the headlining piece of an LSU class that features a few of the nation’s top prospects. According to On3, the Tigers’ 2025 class sits second nationally, trailing only Ohio State.
Underwood would be the top-rated QB recruit in LSU’s history and the first No. 1 overall recruit to sign with LSU since [autotag]Leonard Fournette[/autotag] inked his letter of intent in 2014.
LSU went all the way to Michigan to secure Underwood’s commitment, which speaks to the recruiting talent of offensive coordinator [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag].
With [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] set the lead the Tigers in 2024 and Underwood on the horizon, LSU’s quarterback room is in good hands for the foreseeable future.
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#Bills release Leonard Fournette from practice squad:
The Leonard Fournette experiment with the Buffalo Bills has run its course.
The Bills have confirmed that the running back has been released from the team’s practice squad ahead of their upcoming playoff matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. He originally signed to the taxi unit in October but was rarely given an opportunity to feature in the Bills offense.
Shortly after Fournette’s decision to sign in Buffalo, offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was fired by the team. The 28-year-old did not seem to be in favor of Dorsey’s replacement, Joe Brady, who began to lean on depth running back Ty Johnson more than Dorsey had previously.
Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott confirmed via video conference on Tuesday that Fournette had been released. McDermott hinted that the decision had more to do with needing space on the practice squad in case depth needs to be added this week. Over the past two games, the Bills locker room has been hit with a rash of injuries.
Fournette was a first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017. He spent three years there and the past three with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He won a Super Bowl with the Bucs but asked for his release in March after Tampa began to prepare for life without quarterback Tom Brady.
A 6-foot, 228 bruising back, Fournette has averaged four yards per carry in his career prior to joining the Bills. In Buffalo, Fournette rushed for 40 yards on 12 carries in two games.
Bills Wire will provide updates on the team’s potential future practice squad transactions when information in made available.
Injuries made the #Bills defensive snaps interesting:
The Buffalo Bills got after it against the Miami Dolphins and ended up taking a close win, 21-14, on Sunday evening in Week 18.
But who exactly were the ones on the field for the Bills (11-6) doing all the dirty work against the Dolphins (11-6)?
More often than not, taking a look in between the lines at snap count totals for Buffalo’s players can give us some insight as to what went down in between the lines on the gridiron.
There is always plenty to discover when looking at these finer details.
Here is the stock report following Sunday’s 21-14 win over the Miami Dolphins:
The Buffalo Bills (11-6) came into Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins (11-6) needing one more win for them to win the AFC East and be the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Thanks to some big contributions from players integral to the team, the Bills achieved their goal of running the table all the way to a home playoff game.
In this one, Buffalo star quarterback Josh Allen wasn’t perfect as he turned the football over three times, but he also delivered the kind of dual-threat performance that he is capable of doing in any outing. Allen took advantage of the Dolphins’ spotty coverage of wide receiver Khalil Shakir for arguably the biggest game of his career.
Along the way, the Bills saw playmakers like Shakir, Trent Sherfield, and Deonte Harty come up with huge plays along with some clutch plays by the defense. With that being said,
Here is Bills Wire’s stock report following the win:
Fournette gained 20 yards on five carries against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 23. He also returned a kick for 17 yards in that game.
Fournette originally signed in Buffalo (10-6) when Ken Dorsey was the team’s offensive coordinator. Since Joe Brady replaced him, it has appeared that Brady prefers using Ty Johnson and Latavius Murray behind James Cook in the backfield.
Johnson was inactive against the Chargers when Fournette was called up but currently the Bills do not have any injured running backs. It remains to be seen what role Fournette has against the Dolphins (11-5).
The Buffalo Bills kept rolling in Week 16 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Bills (9-6) took a 24-22 win. As the score indicates, everyone wasn’t perfect against Los Angeles (5-10). Some positions fared better than some others.
With that, here is Bills Wire’s position-by-position report card for Week 16:
Interesting defense/special teams numbers to monitor:
The Buffalo Bills got after it against the Los Angeles Chargers and ended up taking a close win, 24-22, on Saturday evening in Week 16.
But who exactly were the ones on the field for the Bills (9-6) doing all the dirty work against the Chargers (5-10)?
More often than not, taking a look in between the lines at snap count totals for Buffalo’s players can give us some insight as to what went down in between the lines on the gridiron.
There is always plenty to discover when looking at these finer details.
The season races toward Week 17 and fantasy championships (yes, I know, some use Week 18 because change is hard). That’s just five weeks away, and most fantasy leagues will begin their playoffs in either Week 15 or 16. For those of you in large contests, it probably starts in Week 14 so this is the final week of your regular season.
We’ve seen plenty of transition through the year and by this point, there aren’t many (any?) players new to starting that will make a difference. Your waiver wire is likely exhausted, and by this point, you’re swapping kickers and defenses just because it feels like you need to always upgrade.
Let’s take a look at six items for Week 13.
1.) RB Leonard Fournette (BUF) – I discussed him a few weeks back when he landed on the practice squad for the Bills, who wanted to get him into shape and versed in the offense. James Cook and Latavius Murray are currently splitting the workload, and adding Fournette may just reduce everyone’s fantasy value. But – if any player suddenly appeared on the scene and made a difference, it would be Fournette as a productive veteran landing in a capable offense. HC Sean McDermott said he didn’t elevate him last week because they needed other players against the Eagles. The Bills are on bye this week, and Fournette could get the call up for Week 14 at home against the Rams.
2.) QB Aaron Rodgers (NYJ) – The almost-starting quarterback for the Jets has nursed his torn Achilles and said that it was “possible” that he could return in the coming weeks. He was designated to return from injured reserve and that opened his 21 days to be activated or he must remain on IR for the balance of the season. He could play in Week 16 if it happens, but the Jets are 4-7 with a slate of ATL, HOU, and @MIA before Week 16 against WAS. Even if he did, he would carry no fantasy reliability but could potentially help Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson right when you need them most. That seems overly optimistic, but the Jets wouldn’t have activated him if they hadn’t thought he had a chance to play. They must end the season on a high note, no matter what.
3.) Those amazing rookies – The 2023 class of wide receivers wasn’t considered a top class, and there were no drafted until the 1.20 pick. There were 14 taken over the first two days (Rounds 1-3). And 17 were taken in 2022 during those rounds, and six were selected before the 1.20 pick. That was considered a great class for wideouts and three went on to be Top-40 last year – worthy of being a fantasy starter. This year? There are SEVEN wideouts currently in the Top 40. That’s more than one-in-six top wideouts who are rookies from a “weaker” class.
4.) QB Joe Flacco (CLE) – Dorian Thompson-Robinson has a concussion and may not be cleared in time to play the Rams. If he cannot play, Joe Flacco will take the start. That would change the offense dramatically. Flacco will not be running. He is a pocket passer, and he’ll probably get hurt if he leaves the safe pocket protected by the Browns’ formidable O-line. The 38-year-old veteran is drawing raves from Amari Cooper on the quality of his passes. Imagine the Browns’ passing game with a passer who won’t take off on a run and who started three games for the Jets last year with 285+ yards in each. He could boost the receiving stats for several players.
5.) WR Noah Brown (HOU) – The veteran wideout has been out with a bruised knee since Week 10 when he posted a career-best 172 yards on seven receptions at the Bengals. Brown had limited practices to start the week and should be on track to return this week. His last two games helped C.J. Stroud throw for 470 yards and five scores versus the Bucs, then 356 yards and two touchdowns against the Bengals. The Broncos this week will be a bigger challenge but the trio of Brown, Nico Collins, and Tank Dell has been devastating.
6.)Packers passing game – There’s been an upturn in stats for Jordan Love and the wide receivers. He threw for 322 yards and two scores against the Chargers and then 268 yards and three touchdowns on the Lions. Christian Watson and Jayden Reed scored in both games. This week they face the Chiefs and their challenging defense. If the Packers can show continued improvement against the Top-5 pass defense of the Chiefs, the Packers have a very advantageous remaining schedule.
About Last Night…
Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Seattle 35, Dallas 41
Well. Thursday night games are typically sloppier and lower scoring than Sunday games. Not this week, apparently the sloppy play was limited to the defenses.
The Cowboys were favored by eight points and had held visitors to Dallas to under 20 points. But the Seahawks led 21-20 at the half thanks to DK Metcalf scoring twice. The Cowboys had to settle for four field goals because they had a problem punching in touchdowns, and the Cowboys were on the Seattle 20-yard line or closer on every kick. The Seahawks led 35-27 to start the fourth quarter before the Cowboys posted 17 unanswered points to win.
No one expected Geno Smith to throw for 334 yards and three scores – by far the best passing performance allowed by the Cowboys this year. It helped that DK Metcalf (6-134, 3 TD) opened the game with a 73-yard touchdown. No opposing wideout had scored more than once against that defense. Jaxon Smith-Njigba (7-62) and Tyler Lockett (5-47) chipped enough to keep the stocks moving. Zach Charbonnet ran for 60 yards on 19 carries and rushed in a touchdown while catching a 39-yard pass. The Seattle offense was far better than expected and couldn’t quite hang on for a win.
The Cowboys posted very similar stats. Dak Prescott passed for 299 yards and three touchdowns with CeeDee Lamb (12-116, TD) as the top receiver and he also ran for 30 yards on two rushes. Jake Ferguson (6-77, TD) and Brandin Cooks (4-45, TD) were the only other receivers with more than 17 yards. Tony Pollard ran for 68 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries and added three receptions for 15 yards. It was shockingly high-scoring and a treat to see on a Thursday.
