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Rotoworld

  • FA Quarterback
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    ESPN’s Pete Thamel writes the “building sentiment” from scouts and executives is that Miami’s Cam Ward is “likely” to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
    Perhaps this is something that has been made NFL-approved by Jayden Daniels’ rise last year, but Thamel notes that “Ward’s profile is atypical of a potential top draft pick, as he started at an FCS school and starred with three different programs -- Incarnate Word, Washington State and Miami -- during his time in college.” Teams typically have been reticent to take chances on players that transferred that often high in the draft, but Daniels’ success after his LSU transfer appears to have changed the perception on that. Ward threw for 39 touchdowns and 4,313 yards for the Hurricanes last year, adding 204 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. His landing spot will be a point of interest for fantasy managers this draft season regardless of if he’s the No. 1 pick or not.
  • PHI Running Back #14
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    Kenneth Gainwell rushed six times for 10 yards in the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX victory over the Chiefs.
    Gainwell was not targeted in the passing game as the Chiefs managed to shut down Saquon Barkley. The Eagles’ lightly-used No. 2 back behind free agent All-Pro addition Barkley, role-player Gainwell had the quietest of contract years. He averaged 3.9 yards per carry to Barkley’s 5.8 and slumped to a career-low 16 receptions. Turning 26 in the opening days of free agency, Gainwell has 382 career touches, 102 of which have come through the air. Even with Barkley in tow, it’s quite likely the Eagles will value Gainwell more highly than any other franchise. He’s long been a coaching staff favorite. A one-year deal with a low-guaranteed base to remain in Philly is probably the most likely outcome.
  • KC Wide Receiver #8
    DeAndre Hopkins caught 2-of-5 targets for 18 yards and a touchdown in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIX loss to the Eagles.
    Hopkins’ seven-yard garbage time score was just his second since Thanksgiving. Acquired from the Titans near the trade deadline, 32-year-old Hopkins had by far his least productive healthy campaign. The Chiefs took notice, phasing him out of the offense down the stretch. Hopkins caught all of three passes for 29 yards during the Chiefs’ three-game playoff run. His 1.71 yards per route run was by far his worst mark since 2016, when Brock Osweiler was the Texans’ primary quarterback. It placed 48th in PFF’s database. In steady decline for several years now, Hopkins is headed to free agency. We doubt he will be back in Kansas City considering the way he lost work down the stretch. Hopkins’ prodigious fantasy career is on its last legs.
  • KC Wide Receiver #1
    Xavier Worthy caught 8-of-8 targets for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIX loss to the Eagles.
    By far the best game of Worthy’s uneven rookie season was too little, too late for a Chiefs team that fell behind 34-0, but does provide hope heading into next season his late-season hot streak was not a mirage. Worthy notched scores of 24 and 50 yards in the second half, with the 50-yarder coming against tight end zone coverage. The No. 28 overall pick of the draft, Worthy entered the league as an undersized (165 pounds) “role ‘tweener” who couldn’t decide if he was best deployed deep or in the short area. As was the case at Texas, the Chiefs split the difference, giving Worthy a middle of the pack “average targeted air yards” of 9.0. Worthy was also the recipient of frequent deep shots but struggled mightily down the field, catching just 4-of-18 targets 20-plus yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Lagging badly in nearly every efficiency metric, Worthy finally took off in a post-Thanksgiving Rashee Rice-type role, vacuuming up at least five receptions in each of his final seven appearances, including the playoffs. Still young (22 in April), Worthy now has invaluable experience and has demonstrated the ability to get better at the NFL level. His perch as one of Patrick Mahomes’ top-two pass catchers makes him an extremely valuable Dynasty league asset even if you’re not a big believer in his ultimate career ceiling.
  • PHI Wide Receiver #83
    Jahan Dotson caught 2-of-3 targets for 42 yards in the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX victory over the Chiefs.
    Dotson got tackled at the Chiefs’ one-yard line in the second quarter. It would have been his first touchdown all year. A 2022 first-round bust in Washington, Dotson was acquired for a bag of footballs in August and proceeded to catch 19 passes in 17 games for the Eagles’ dominant but top-heavy offense. Although he was the nominal “No. 3 wideout,” the reality is that role does not exist in a statistical sense in Philadelphia. We wouldn’t consider it a guarantee Dotson is back for 2025, especially since his snaps grew more sporadic as the season progressed. He also earned poor PFF marks for his blocking. The 24-year-old just can’t seem to find his NFL niche.
  • KC Running Back #29
    Kareem Hunt rushed three times for nine yards in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIX defeat to the Eagles, adding a five-yard reception.
    The Chiefs had no shot at establishing the run as Philly caved in the Chiefs’ front with only a four-man rush. An emergency Week 2 signing after Isiah Pacheco suffered a broken leg, Hunt ended up easily leading the Chiefs in rushing, having his most productive campaign on the ground since 2020. Efficiency was not his forte — he averaged a wheezing 3.64 yards per carry, and was bottom five in average rush yards over expected — but Hunt wasn’t signed to be efficient. His role was to grind out third-and-shorts and handle the rock near the goal line, which he did with aplomb. Going on 30 with increasingly dead legs, Hunt isn’t going to get a 2025 reprise opportunity as lead back, but it’s possible he’s earned himself another year as a committee player in Patrick Mahomes’ backfield.
  • KC Running Back #10
    Isiah Pacheco rushed three times for seven yards in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIX loss to the Eagles, adding a five-yard reception.
    As was the case the entire postseason, Pacheco remained a non-factor behind Kareem Hunt and a struggling offensive line. Pacheco’s steady early-career momentum was halted by a Week 2 broken leg. He returned ahead of schedule in Week 13 but was visibly not the same player. Pacheco limped to a 3.6 YPC across the Chiefs’ final five regular season contests, handling more than nine carries just twice and never reaching 15. He caught only five passes during those five games, taking a clear backseat to a dead-legged Hunt. Veteran Hunt carried the mail during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl run. It stands to reason 26-year-old Pacheco (in March) will return to better health and increased production in 2025, but his violent running style makes it easy to envision more injuries. That, combined with his advanced age heading into the final year of his rookie contract leads one to wonder if Pacheco has already peaked for fantasy purposes, very much including in Dynasty formats. There’s still little doubt he will remain an important part of the Chiefs’ ‘25 backfield, likely taking the lead. It’s just possible his workloads decline instead of increase from here on out.
  • PHI Tight End #88
    Dallas Goedert caught 2-of-2 targets for 27 yards in the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX victory over the Chiefs.
    It was more of the same for Goedert in 2024, who once again dealt with injury and target competition from a supporting cast stocked with All-Pros. Goedert’s 10 appearances were a new career low, holding him below 500 yards receiving for the first time since his 2018 rookie year. His two touchdowns were also a new career low. Goedert was more involved during the playoffs, but his regular season flameout has his TE1 standing on increasingly shaky footing as he readies for his age-30 campaign in 2025. Due no guaranteed money heading into the final year of his contract, Goedert will be a candidate for an extension/restructure, though he could also end up getting outright released.
  • PHI Wide Receiver #6
    DeVonta Smith caught 4-of-5 targets for 69 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX victory over the Chiefs.
    Smith’s 46-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter was the second longest play of the game. He displayed impossibly strong hands in the process, wresting the ball away from the Jaylen Watson in the end zone. The No. 2 receiver in offense that rushed the ball 67 more times than any other team, Smith slumped to career lows in yards (833) and receptions (68). It didn’t help, of course, that he missed four games with injury, including concussion, back, wrist and hamstring issues. Unsurprisingly, Smith averaged 5/62 with A.J. Brown in the lineup compared to 7/78 in the two games ABJ missed with Smith active. 26-year-old Smith is the prototypical “would be the No. 1 for (x) other teams,” but he’s not on another team. He’s on the Eagles. Signed alongside Brown for several more seasons, Smith is hard-capped as a floor-based WR2 in fantasy leagues.
  • KC Tight End #87
    Travis Kelce caught 4-of-6 targets for 39 yards in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIX loss to the Eagles.
    “Playoff Kelce” showed up for the Divisional Round but was absent afterwards. Kelce took an efficiency nosedive this season, watching his yards per catch crater from an already-declined 10.6 in 2023 to an anemic 8.5. That’s late-career Jason Witten territory. After sitting at a robust 2.23 in 2022, Kelce’s yards per route run plunged all the way to 1.43. That was good for just 19th amongst tight ends in Pro Football Focus’ database, putting him behind players like Pat Freiermuth and Mike Gesicki. Visibly slower, Kelce’s famously improvisational route running is “hitting different” in his diminished state. Heading into the final year of his contract with no more guaranteed money, 35-year-old Kelce will probably give retirement a thought or two. If he returns for another year in K.C., it will likely be on a new deal. Despite the decline, Kelce would likely remain a solid top-eight fantasy TE for 2025.
  • PHI Wide Receiver #11
    A.J. Brown caught 3-of-5 targets for 43 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX victory over the Chiefs.
    Brown got free for a 12-yard touchdown late in the second quarter to put the Eagles up 24-0 in their eventual 40-22 victory. The superstar wideout has now scored in each of his career Super Bowl appearances. Brown’s 13 regular season appearances matched a career low thanks to a Week 2 hamstring issue and Week 17 knee ailment, but he still sailed past 1,000 yards receiving for the fifth time in his career and third time in as many seasons with the Eagles. With Jalen Hurts being asked to do less amidst Saquon Barkley’s domination on the ground, Brown didn’t receive as many down-field opportunities. Only 15.8 percent of his looks came 20-plus yards beyond the line of scrimmage, a new career low with the Eagles. This led to some late-season unhappiness, where Brown could scarcely hide his displeasure with Hurts’ play. This QB/WR pairing is going to be a little more volatile as long as Barkley is putting the offense on his back, but AJB remains in his prime heading into his age-28 campaign. He’s still a higher-end WR1 for fantasy purposes.