NFL Player News

With Kirk Cousins now in town, Pitts is looking at what may be his best season as a pro. After totaling 68-1,026-1 in his rookie season, Pitts has managed just 81 catches for 1,013 yards and five touchdowns over his last two years combined. While the production numbers are low, Pitts has fallen victim to poor target quality from the likes of Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, and Taylor Heinicke over that span. That target quality is expected to improve with Cousins now in town, which could be setting Pitts him for a high-end TE1 campaign in 2024. Now under contract through the 2025 season, Pitts will earn just over $10.8 million in that final year of his deal.

Pleasant was signed by the Rams as their defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator last offseason and is now going to add the title of assistant head coach to his resumé. Pleasant helped coach up a Rams defense that surprisingly ranked 19th in the league in points allowed and 20th in yards allowed. It wasn’t stellar, but for a defense that was expected to be among the worst in the league, it’s easy to say they outperformed expectations. Pleasant could find himself in contention for head coaching jobs next offseason with another solid year in 2024.

Cephus’ release comes on the heels of the Bills signing safety Dee Delaney. Cephus was signed by the Bills shortly after being reinstated from a year-long suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy but clearly didn’t impress enough to remain with the team ahead of training camp. Cephus has caught 37 passes for 568 yards and four touchdowns in his three-year career and could earn another opportunity elsewhere ahead of training camp.

To be fair, Johnston doesn’t have anywhere to go but up at this point. The 2023 first-round pick took a back seat to several receivers last season and wound up catching 38 passes for 431 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie campaign. the 6-foot-4 speedster was targeted on just 13.3 percent of his routes, which ranked 50th amongst 60 receivers (min. 400 routes run). With Keenan Allen in Chicago and Mike Williams in New York, Johnston has a chance to open the season as the Chargers’ WR1. A step forward would be great for the Chargers and fantasy managers, who are looking for far more production in 2024 than we saw in 2023.

The Monday Night matchup for Week 12 will feature the Harbaugh brothers facing off for the first time since Jim Harbaugh signed on to coach the Chargers this offseason. Jim and John famously coached against each other in Super Bowl XLVII, with John and the Ravens coming out on top over Jim and the 49ers. This Chargers team has a heavy Ravens influence, with former Ravens exec Joe Hortiz now the Chargers’ general manager. Reigning MVP Lamar Jackson will look to keep the Ravens contending while Justin Herbert will quarterback a changed Chargers offense in the latest iteration of the “HarBowl”.

The Cowboys will play their annual Thanksgiving game against the NFC East rival Giants. Jerry Jones wanted to go “all in” on the Cowboys this season, and they are running it back with head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Dak Prescott leading the team. Ezekiel Elliott will return to the team, putting the Salvation Army kettle on high alert. Meanwhile, the Giants are expected to start Daniel Jones after a frustrating 2023. Malik Nabers will be an exciting receiver to watch, but it will be difficult to trust any other Giant for fantasy. Fantasy managers will be eyeing Prescott and CeeDee Lamb the most this Thanksgiving.

Caleb Williams will experience his first Thanksgiving matchup, heading to Detroit in Week 13. The Bears have invested heavily into Williams, with Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, and D’Andre Swift joining DJ Moore and company in what looks to be an exciting offense. They will face an established high-powered offense in Jared Goff and the Lions, who have not won on Thanksgiving since 2016. Fantasy managers will be glued to the screen Thanksgiving afternoon hoping to watch both offenses feast.

The NFL returns to Germany this season, with the Panthers and Giants playing in Munich for Week 10. Bryce Young will experience his first international game while the Giants, presumably starting Daniel Jones, will play their fourth ever international game. Both teams were among the worst in the league last season with frustrating 2023 campaigns. The Panthers will look to build upon Young and other highly-selected offensive weapons like Xavier Legette and Jonathon Brooks. The Giants hope to get a better return on their investment in Daniel Jones in this lone Germany matchup.

The two-time Super Bowl champions will head to Pittsburgh to play in a Christmas game broadcast on Netflix. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs contingent will be competing for one of the top seeds in the AFC at this time while the Steelers may be competing for a playoff spot. At this point of the season, the Steelers will have a large sample size to judge their quarterback room and either Justin Fields will have taken over or Russell Wilson will be holding down the fort. With the other Christmas game being Ravens-Texans, this day looks to have massive playoff implications in the AFC.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford heads back to his former home while Lions quarterback Jared Goff hosts his former team after freshly signing a four-year, $212 million contract extension. This will be a rematch of last season’s Wild Card game, where the Lions bested the Rams 24-23. Goff and Stafford were dealt for each other in 2021, with the Rams winning a Super Bowl and the Lions making it to the Conference Championship since then. This game will kick off Sunday Night Football for the season and will feature many fantasy-relevant players, including top receivers Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Heyward has not attended voluntary offseason workouts and looks to sit out OTAs as he awaits a contract extension. The six-time Pro Bowler is entering the final season of a four-year, $65 million contract. He has been with the Steelers since getting drafted in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Heyward just turned 35 and is a three-time first-team All-Pro, though his 2023 season was plagued by injury. He appeared in 11 games, tallying two sacks and winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his off-the-field work. Fowler notes that Heyward has never missed an offseason program. The Steelers will work to get an extension done with a mainstay of their defense for over the last decade.