Fantasy Sports

Barmore was heading into the final year of his deal and set to hear just over $2.71 million. Now, the former second-round pick who totaled a career-high 8.5 sacks and 13 TFLs last season will be under contract through 2028 and can earn up to $41.8 million in guaranteed money on his deal. Barmore has been a staple along the Patriots’ defensive line since being drafted in 2021, appearing in 44 of a possible 51 regular season games while consistently grading as one of the best interior pass rushers per PFF.

Landry missed all of the 2023 season after his 2022 with the Saints was cut short due to an ankle injury. Landry, 31, has appeared in 21 games over his last two seasons played, catching 77 passes for 842 yards and three touchdowns over that span. A career slot receiver who has played 67.1 percent of his snaps from the slot, Landry may not find much room in a Jaguars offense that featured Evan Engram and Christian Kirk a combined 658 times in the slot last season. However, a deal with the team is far from imminent. If reports on his performance are good out of rookie camp, it’s possible he catches on with another team in need of slot receiver help.

Head coach Sean Payton and the Denver front office “fell in love” with Nix in the pre-draft evaluation process, Graziano said, and Nix’s ample college experience and processing abilities make him the odds-on favorite to start Week 1 for the Broncos. The No. 12 overall pick in the draft could be useful for fantasy purposes since he has some rushing ability and has proven to be a highly efficient passer. Look for Nix to throw plenty of screens and short-area passes in Payton’s offense, the same as he did at Oregon.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport were first on the report, stating that the Cowboys and Elliott have agreed to terms on a deal pending a physical. The two sides parted ways last offseason as part of a cap-saving move that cleared $11 million for the Cowboys last offseason. Zeke would eventually land in New England, where he served as a lightly-used backup before turning into a PPR merchant Week 14 after Rhamondre Stevenson was sidelined with a high-ankle injury. Over the final five weeks of the season, Zeke rushed for 72-213-1, while adding another 27-159-2 through the air. He averaged a mere 3.5 YPC on the season, and at almost 29 years old, continues to look like a player who has hit the proverbial wall. Opportunities will be easy to come by in a Dallas backfield that currently features Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, and Royce Freeman, but Zeke shouldn’t be viewed as a permanent solution to this backfield’s problems. With that said, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy stubbornly deploy him in a lead role early on.

Worth “up to” $5.5 million, the deal is contingent on a Monday physical, which is no sure thing in Becton’s case. Still, Philly undoubtedly knows what it is getting into. The Eagles, who addressed guard but not tackle during the draft, have needed a swing tackle since losing Jack Driscoll and Sua Opeta in free agency. Becton finally stayed healthy in 2023, but was more part of the problem than solution on the Jets’ right side.

Ross retired last season but is now reportedly looking at a comeback. An injury-riddle career limited him to just 37 games over five seasons, and Ross hasn’t taken a regular-season snap since 2021, when he went for 11-224-1 with the Giants. At 28 years old, durability is more of a concern for Ross than age. While it’s possible he does enough to earn an invitation to camp, it’s hard to imagine him making much of an impact even if he does latch on to a roster — in Philly or elsewhere.

As fantasy football writer Jakob Sanderson points out, Etienne’s option being exercised the same weekend the Jags only added return man RB Keilan Robinson in the draft makes it a good weekend for Etienne’s Dynasty league value despite coach Doug Pederson’s supposed desire to get Tank Bigsby more involved in 2024. ’23 was definitely a shaky campaign for Etienne, but he appears poised to remain the Jags’ primary backfield option on every down.

Future Hall-of-Famer Frank Gore’s son, Gore Jr. (5'8/201) was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and proceeded to have a three-star career at Southern Miss. Gore went 4-for-4 on 700-yard rushing campaigns, including 1,000-yard efforts each of the past two years, but hovered around 5.0 yards per carry for his career, settling at 5.3. That’s a good mark, of course, but not the elite one usually borne by future NFL runners. Gore did acquit himself well enough as a pass catcher, catching 75 career balls, 27 of which came in 2023. Compact and stout with good contact balance in the estimation of NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, Gore sees the field well but isn’t an overly explosive athlete. Zierlein believes Gore ultimately lacks the traits of a future locked-in backup.

A Division II transfer from Truman State, Schrader (5’9/202) arrived at Mizzou as a 2022 walk-on and proceeded to earn No. 1 back status with tough, one-cut running. After a 745-yard inaugural SEC campaign, he exploded for 276/1,627/14 in 2023, frequently putting the Tigers’ offense on his back and flirting with Heisman finalist status as he was named a first-team All American. Schrader exceeded 20 carries eight times last season, including each of his final seven appearances. He had nine 100-yard rushing performances, including 200-yard explosions vs. Arkansas and Tennessee. Limited by 4.61 speed, Schrader compensates with elite instincts and getting skinny through the hole despite his bulked-up frame. He finishes runs with authority. The kind of “volume back” that is out of vogue in the modern NFL, Schrader does offer plus pass-protecting and potential receiving upside despite limited side-to-side agility.

Reed (6'1"/220 pounds) threw for a whopping 71 touchdowns and ran for a dozen more in the same Western Kentucky offense that produced Patriots QB Bailey Zappe. Reed racked up nearly 16,000 passing yards over 51 collegiate games in the pass-first Hilltoppers offense. He’ll compete this summer to make the Bears roster and possibly serve as Caleb Williams’ backup.