Fantasy News

Martavis Bryant says he wants to return to the Steelers next season.

This is quite the turn of events for Bryant, who earlier during the season was suspended basically for not being a good teammate after he was disgruntled about his role and made comments about rookie receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on Instagram, saying JuJu is not better than him. A few months ago, it looked like there was almost no chance the talented receiver would be in Pittsburgh longer than this year, but his contract is an absolute bargain for the team. Expect him to be back with the Steelers in 2018, but his fantasy upside won’t be at quite the level it was previously, considering he’s probably fourth in line for targets behind Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Via: ESPN 1/16/18 - 12:55 PM ET

The Browns are expected to sign running back Carlos Hyde, according to Ian Rapoport.

After Dion Lewis agreed to a deal with the Titans last night, the running back market could start to heat up now. Hyde is getting three years, $15 million, according to Rapoport, and as of now he’s likely to step in as the lead runner for Cleveland in 2018. However, this doesn’t preclude the Browns from drafting running back Saquon Barkley with the first pick in the draft (or fourth, if he somehow drops), though it may make it a little less likely they do take him with the top pick. Hyde’s signing cannot become official until 4:00 PM ET today, but he’ll be an excellent addition to the Browns after he produced for a struggling Niners team and also showed his capability as a receiver over the last two seasons. San Francisco could be on the search for a new running back now that Hyde is set to leave.

Via: Ian Rapoport 3/14/18 - 07:47 AM ET

DeMarco Murray thinks he’ll be a lot better next season.

If you watched the Titans play this season, you would have seen that Murray clearly did not look like his usual self. He dealt with various injuries, playing through hamstring and shoulder injuries before not being able to play after his knee injury suffered in Week 16. Murray said he “definitely” still believes he can be a top-end running back that can carry the load, but did note he expects to return to the team in a tandem backfield with Derrick Henry in 2018. The Titans do have the ability to get out of the deal with no money owed to Murray, and Henry is capable of handling most of the carries in the backfield, but the team might want to have the more-than-capable veteran presence and leader remain on the team. GM Jon Robinson and the new coach have a decision to make this offseason.

Via: Tennessee Titans 1/15/18 - 02:02 PM ET

The Bears are expected to sign Chase Daniel, according to Peter Schrager.

Daniel is familiar with Bears head coach Matt Nagy from Nagy’s time as the Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach when Daniel was there from 2013-2015, so the connection is there. The 31-year-old will be a solid backup option for Mitchell Trubisky, and he’ll help the second-year quarterback learn the new offense. This situation is similar to the one Carson Wentz went through in Philadelphia, when Daniel was signed as a backup during Doug Pederson’s first year as the Eagles head coach (Pederson was previously in Kansas City with Daniel as the offensive coordinator). This deal cannot become official until the start of the new league year at 4:00 PM ET.

Via: Peter Schrager 3/14/18 - 07:13 AM ET

Willie Snead catches two passes in Saints’ playoff loss.

Snead gained 18 yards on his two receptions, but they were both very clutch catches, including one on a fourth down late in the game that kept New Orleans alive and allowed them to kick a go-ahead field goal. However, the Vikings came back and scored with no time remaining, knocking the Saints out of the postseason. Snead’s season started with a three-game suspension, and he was never really a big part of the offense when he returned. He did catch at least 69 passes in each of his first two NFL seasons, and there’s a chance he’s a bigger part of the offense again next season.

1/14/18 - 08:40 PM ET

Frank Gore will visit the Lions, according to Aditi Kinkhabwala.

The Colts are going in another direction, but the 34-year-old running back (35 in May) has shown he still has it and wants to keep his amazing career going. The Lions showed interest in Jonathan Stewart before he signed with the Giants, so maybe they’ll be more urgent and sign Gore. At this point in his career, Gore is going to go somewhere he believes has a good shot to win a championship.

Via: Aditi Kinkhabwala 3/14/18 - 07:32 AM ET

Kyle Rudolph caught five passes for 28 yards in Sunday’s playoff victory.

Rudolph was a reliable target underneath for the Vikings in a 29-24 win that came down to the last play of the game. The veteran tight end will look to find the end zone and make some plays next Sunday against Philadelphia in the NFC Championship Game.

1/14/18 - 08:40 PM ET