NFL Player News

Yes, we are again banging the drum that the 49ers may get an offer they can’t refuse for Jones, who has only $1 million in guaranteed salary in 2026 and could be a major upgrade for the Vikings over J.J. McCarthy. Lewis believes the 49ers will “drive a hard bargain” for Jones. As has been rumored for a bit, it would likely take a Day 2 pick for the 49ers to move on from Jones, and perhaps a second-rounder rather than a third-rounder.

While Jones did “a bit more” at OTAs and was at least present, he himself has said he doesn’t have a timeline to return, and the Steelers declined his fifth-year option and drafted Max Iheanachor in the first round while moving Troy Fautanu to left tackle. It doesn’t sound like there’s any guarantee that Jones suits up this season from either his words or the Steelers’ actions.

In a mailbag column, Alexander was asked specifically if the Texans had any interest in adding Deebo Samuel. Alexander writes that the Texans like their current receiver group and will give them every opportunity to show what they’ve got in training camp. Samuel has had an extremely quiet free agency compared even to other veterans like Stefon Diggs and Keenan Allen, and it’s puzzling from the outside because Samuel was still putting up solid YAC numbers last year and didn’t appear to have lost a step. He’s still a threat to pop back on to the fantasy radar if he lands in a good situation.

“I don’t think that we have any individuals or personalities in our offense that are saying, ‘Hey, I need this, I need that,’” Sutton told The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider. “I think we have a bunch of guys that are willing to put their pride aside and say, ‘What do I need to do for this team to be successful?’” Kosmider guesses that the Broncos won’t have two 1,000-yard receivers this year as they spread the ball around. Sutton is coming off the board around the WR35 mark, surrounded by rookies and other players with real usage or injury questions. This is a great quote for Broncos fans, but fantasy managers would probably prefer a squeakier wheel from Sutton. He may fade into the WR4 picture if the Broncos decide to feature new additional Jaylen Waddle.

“I think we’ll see Harvey make a big jump in Year 2, even as he elbows for room in a more crowded backfield,” Kosmider writes. Harvey is definitely one of the more interesting bets on the board — his ADP is slightly ahead of backfield mate J.K. Dobbins, but well outside of the top 50 overall. It’s worth noting that Harvey did crush as a receiver already last year as he posted a 47/356/5 line, so we already know he can be a high-efficiency winner in this offense. Still, with Jonah Coleman potentially elbowing his way into the third-down mix and Dobbins back, Harvey does have some low-floor results in his range of outcomes.

It’s possible the Broncos are just easing him back from a torn triceps that took most of this year. But Kosmider believes there’s a chance that Denver simply moves forward with Alex Palczewski at left guard and releases Powers ahead of the season if they think Palczewski is their best option at the position. Sean Payton told reporters that Powers “is right on schedule to where we thought he’d be at this point.”

Yes, well, the door has been open for almost two years now. O’Connell, entering the final year of his rookie contract, played only in the Week 18 finale with Geno Smith hurt and Kenny Pickett self-combusting. It’s clear the front office doesn’t want much to do with him. He’s a plausible trade or release candidate at last cuts as the Raiders look likely to roll with Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza on the active roster.

The Giants brought in Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster, Braxton Berrios, Calvin Austin, and Darnell Mooney in free agency. They also traded up to draft Malachi Fields in the third round. So, yeah, Hyatt seems like a likely roster cut. Dynasty leaguers can feel free to cut bait.

He notes that Tracy “could be” the second option in a backfield committee with Cam Skattebo, but it sounds like we shouldn’t necessarily count on Tracy to win that role. With a new coaching staff in town, it’s possible Tracy falls out of favor. The good news for Tracy is that the Giants didn’t add anyone new to the backfield in free agency or the draft. Tracy’s role dwindling would be good news for Cam Skattebo, assuming Skattebo is healthy.

What does this mean for fantasy purposes? In short, it means he thinks the Saints are going to feature Etienne as an offensive focal point. Underhill believes the Saints are entering a “post-Alvin Kamara world,” although he acknowledges that Kamara may stick around for one more season. That said, Underhill thinks Etienne will operate as a “full-volume starter” and describes him as a “three-down player.” If Kamara does play for the Saints this season, Underhill does not think Kamara’s presence “changes the outcome significantly” for Etienne’s touch count. Toward the end of the segment, Underhill projects Etienne for 235 carries, 1,050 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 42 catches, 330 receiving yards and 3-4 receiving touchdowns. Splitting the difference on the receiving touchdowns brings the total to 231.5 PPR points, which would have made him the RB15 last season. Treating him as a high-end RB2 with RB1 upside makes sense.

Kempski believes Mundt’s blocking ability keeps him in the TE2 spot for now. He also notes that “Stowers was quiet during spring practices, and even seemed limited in practice due to an injury,” sporting a sleeve on one leg. Missing spring practice reps would certainly slow down a rookie’s development. Regardless, if Stowers is going to show up in the box score, he will likely do so late in the 2026 season. For now, treat him as a worthwhile best ball TE3, and a name to know for late-season waiver wire purposes in re-draft.