Fantasy Football News

Speaking after Sunday's NFC Championship Game loss, Aaron Rodgers said his future was "uncertain." 
“A lot of guys' futures, they’re uncertain, myself included," was Rodgers' exact quote. Parsing his words, The Athletic's Matt Schneidman concluded that Rodgers "fully sounded like someone who doesn't know if he will be the quarterback (in Green Bay) next season." This is just one reporter's interpretation, of course. Sunday was the latest in a long line of devastating Packers losses for 37-year-old Rodgers, who now has a first-round quarterback behind him on the depth chart. It's possible that wound hasn't healed, or will never heal. It's also possible Rodgers will start talking in the present again about his time in Green Bay after the sting of this defeat wears off. Stay tuned. 

Source: Matt Schneidman on Twitter

Packers CB Kevin King (back) is active for today's game against the Buccaneers. He turned up questionable after missing Friday's practice with a back issue but appears good to go.

Source: Draft Sharks

FOX's Jay Glazer reports Patrick Mahomes (toe) has been fitted with a "special orthotic" for the AFC Championship Game against the Bills. 
Per Glazer, the Chiefs are "very concerned," and Mahomes could require offseason surgery. Glazer confirms the toe was a bigger issue during practice this week than Mahomes' concussion, which apparently wasn't actually a concussion. Scrambling for first downs like mad in 2020, Mahomes' foot could loom large as the Chiefs look to repeat as AFC champions. 

Source: Jay Glazer on Twitter

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (ankle, hip) will be active for the AFC Championship Game against the Bills. 
The report comes via FOX's Jay Glazer. It will be CEH's first appearance since Week 15. With Le'Veon Bell (knee) looking doubtful, Chiefs backfield work will fall to CEH and Darrel Williams. It has been Williams who has taken the lead in CEH's absence, and it will probably remain Williams between the tackles against the Bills. CEH's touches are extremely difficult to project following the long layoff, but he will not lack for DFS upside in a game with a 54.5 over/under. 

Source: Jay Glazer on Twitter

The Chiefs expect RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (ankle, hip) to play against the Bills today, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. RB Le'Veon Bell (knee), on the other hand, is not expected to be active. That would leave CEH and Darrel Williams sharing the backfield work. Edwards-Helaire has not played since sustaining the dual injuries in Week 15 at New Orleans. He'll be risky for fantasy lineups in his 1st game back, but he's in play with limited RB options on a 2-game slate.

Source: Draft Sharks

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports Texans QB Deshaun Watson's thinking "is not expected to change" based on who Houston hires as their next head coach.
Watson has made his grievances with the organization known and an attempt to placate him with a specific head coach is apparently off the table. A Watson trade is looking increasingly likely by the day. The Jets are reportedly his preferred landing spot with Miami coming in second. Both teams have a young quarterback who could be moved plus a bevy of first-round draft picks. Watson thinks highly of New York's new head coach, Robert Saleh, and wants to play under him for Gang Green. Watson's presence would be a massive upgrade for the New York fantasy options. However, the lack of talent at receiver and tight end does make the landing spot less desirable for Watson's fantasy outlook. 

Source: Chris Mortensen

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is dealing with turf toe in his left foot but is not expected to need surgery after the season.
Rapsheet added that Mahomes will meet with a specialist after the season to ensure that surgery isn't needed. Mahomes will not be perfectly healthy for the Chiefs' AFC Championship game versus the Bills but even a less than 100 percent Mahomes is still capable of greatness. He did miss a few throws late in last week's game but still played well. The biggest difference will be his lack of running ability. Mahomes hit another level as a runner in the playoffs last year but this injury makes it unlikely that he'll repeat the same performances this postseason. Mahomes ceiling takes a small hit but he remains the top QB for DFS purposes this week.

Source: Ian Rapoport on Twitter

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the Chiefs "don't sound optimistic" WR Sammy Watkins (calf, questionable) will play in the Conference Championship game against the Bills.
Watkins got in a handful of limited practices this week and the team was initially optimistic that he would be able to play against Buffalo. It's possible that his calf issue got worse over the weekend. Watkins will still test out his calf in pre-game warmups but that rarely results in a player who isn't expected to play becoming active. Mecole Hardman finished third on the Chiefs in routes last week and drew four targets plus a rush attempt. He gets the biggest bump with Watkins presumed out while Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle both enter the tournament conversation for DFS purposes. Both receivers saw three targets last week.

Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter

The Lions are set to hire Anthony Lynn as OC, according to insider Michael Lombardi. Lynn struggled -- particularly with in-game management -- as Chargers HC over the past 4 seasons, but all 4 of those squads finished top 11 in total yards. In his only previous OC stint, Lynn led the 2016 Bills to a 16th-place finish in yards and 10th place in points. That team led the league in rushing yards, yards per carry and TDs -- with RB LeSean McCoy going for 1,267 yards and QB Tyrod Taylor for 580. Lynn is a former RBs coach, and especially with Detroit breaking in a new QB, we'd expect a run-leaning attack in 2021.

Source: Draft Sharks

The Lions and QB Matthew Stafford have agreed to part ways this offseason, according to multiple reports. That means the team will begin exploring trade options. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that a move would likely happen before the 5th day of the new league year (which begins March 17), because Stafford will be due a $10 million bonus that day. The veteran QB has 2 years left on his contract at $43 million and is coming off a solid season that found him finishing 15th among QBs in total fantasy points. Expect Detroit to try to address the position in the 1st round of the NFL Draft. The Lions pick 7th. The uncertainty could create a "buy" window in dynasty leagues, especially considering that older QBs tend to run cheap. Stafford figures to be most attractive to a contending team seeking a QB upgrade. Chase Daniel is the only other Lions QB whose contract runs through 2021.

Source: Draft Sharks

Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins (calf) is listed as questionable for Sunday's AFC Championship vs. the Bills. He was limited in practice all week. We'll look for an update on Watkins' status on Sunday morning. If he returns for this one, he'll be a risk/reward option for DFS tournaments only. It'd also put a dent in Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson's projections.

Source: Draft Sharks

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports the Lions are expected to hire former Browns GM John Dorsey as a senior personnel executive.
Dorsey had an eye for talent in Cleveland but made structural errors at every turn. Cleveland's first draft under Dorsey resulted in the team getting Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, and Nick Chubb with three of their first four picks. He scooped up Kareem Hunt on a cheap deal and acquired Jarvis Landry for two Day 3 draft picks. Still, the decision to give Hue Jackson an extra season after going 0-16 and then replacing him with Freddie Kitchens will go down as catastrophic failures. After being fired by Cleveland, Dorsey spent 2020 as a consultant to the Eagles. He'll take on a signifcacntly larger role with the Lions.  A job that lets him work on talent evaluation and not management decisions may suit him well. 

Source: Rotoworld

NBC Philadelphia's John Clark reports Eagles assistant head coach Duce Staley has requested to be released from his contract.
Staley has been continually passed over for promotions by the Eagles and has seemingly grown tired of waiting. He was not interviewed for Philly's OC vacancy last year and after Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie named him as an HC candidate this year, the team passed on him for that job and their vacant OC job once again. Staley has been with the Eagles for a decade. Eagles players raved about Staley and he will be a hot name for teams to bring on as a staffer but maybe not as an OC. He reportedly has numerous to explore this offseason.

Source: Rotoworld

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the Seahawks have requested an interview with Bills' Qbs coach Ken Dorsey for their offensive coordinator vacancy. 
Dorsey was previously the QBs coach for the Panthers and served in that role during Cam Newton's MVP season. He briefly coached at Florida Atlantic University before returning to the NFL in the same role for Buffalo. He has been with Buffalo for two years, both of which have seen Josh Allen make massive progress as a thrower. With Bills OC Brian Daboll deciding to stay in Buffalo after this year, Dorsey is the best proxy to Allen's unheralded leap that is currently available for hire. The Bills passed at one of the highest rates in the league despite winning 13 games and utilized all elements of Allen's talent to perfection. That type of philosophy combined with Russell Wilson's skill set would be a match made in heaven. There's no guarantee that Dorsey brings Buffalo's offensive success with him but opting for that upside versus the floor of a retread coach would be ideal for Wilson's outlook.

Source: Rotoworld

Chargers OC Shane Steichen is speaking with the Eagles about their offensive coordinator vacancy.
Steichen has been with the Chargers in every season but one since 2011. However, he was promoted to offensive coordinator in Anthony Lynn's final season and may want a fresh start. The Chargers could also want to let their new head coach Brandon Staley install someone into the role. That may be for the best as Steichen seemed to do nothing more than the basics as an OC. The Chargers ran the ball at a top-10 rate on first down despite averaging 3.9 yards oper carry on those runs. They also passed at a below-average rate on the whole despite having one of the best rookie passers in recent memory. LA did get an incredible season out of Justin Herbert and that will likely be Steichen's biggest selling point to the Eagles. If Philly believes Herbert's success was the doing of Steichen, bringing him in to try and fix Carson Wentz makes sense.

Source: Rotoworld