April 2018 4for4 Player News Articles

The Philadelphia Eagles brought back running back Darren Sproles to the team on a one-year deal.

Following the offseason departure of LeGarrette Blount to Detroit, the Eagles' RB depth chart consisted of Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement, Wendall Smallwood, and Donnel Pumphrey. They did not add a back during the draft, which bodes well for Sproles to earn significant playing time—likely in his regular pass-catching specialist role.

From 2014 to 2016, Sproles has averaged 72 targets and 49 receptions as an Eagle.

Adam Schefter sent out a tweet that the Los Angeles Rams traded WR Tavon Austin to the Dallas Cowboys for a sixth-round pick (192 overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Austin was phased out of the Rams' offense last year, catching only 13 passes (on 22 targets) for 56 yards and zero touchdowns. The offseason acquisition of Brandin Cooks added to an already crowded Rams WRs corps, making Austin expendable. He now goes to a Cowboys team in need of pass-catchers, but he will likely be nothing more than the third or fourth option in the passing game.

Chris Mortensen reported earlier today that Cowboys TE Jason Witten plans to retire and join the Monday Night Football broadcast booth. The soon-to-turn 37-year-old has played his entire 15-year career with the Dallas Cowboys since they drafted him in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He will retire with career totals of 1,152 receptions, 12,448 yards, and 68 touchdowns.

From a fantasy perspective, Witten brought unparalleled consistency to the tight end position, finishing in the top 11 in PPR formats in 14 straight seasons. That run included seven finishes in the top five. Losing Witten is another blow to Dak Prescott, whose value took a hit when Dez Bryant was cut. Next up on the depth chart are Geoff Swaim, Blake Jarwin, and Rico Gathers.

We've heard rumblings before of the Steelers wanting to trade WR Martavis Bryant and they finally pulled the trigger during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, sending him to the Oakland Raiders for a third-round pick (79th overall).

The emergence of JuJu Smith-Schuster (58 catches, 917 yards, 7 TDs) last season made Bryant expendable. Bryant will likely compete with Seth Roberts for the third receiver role in Oakland. When on his game, Bryant, who won't turn 27 until December, has all the potential in the world to be an impact receiver on the field and for your fantasy roster—he scored 14 combined TDs in his first two seasons—but his on-field presence is a question mark after missing the entire 2016 season due to suspension. Raiders QB Derek Carr has averaged 561 pass attempts in his four-year career, so it's a great landing spot for Bryant.

Former third-round pick Charles Sims is heading back to the team that originally drafted him after not receiving any interest as a free agent. The deal is for one year.

Prior to the Sims signing, the Bucs were heading into tonight's NFL Draft with a tandem of Peyton Barber and Jacquizz Rodgers at the top of their RB depth chart. Adding Sims will likely not stop them from taking a back in the draft, making this signing an unexciting one for fantasy purposes.

Sims' best season as a pro came in 2015, when he totaled 1,090 yards and caught 51 passes. Consider him nothing more than a late-round option in PPR leagues.

The New Orleans Saints declined to match the two-year offer sheet Willie Snead signed with the Baltimore Ravens. Snead is now a member of the Baltimore Ravens' wide receiver corps. Adam Schefter also mentioned how the Ravens are now out of the Dez Bryant sweepstakes after showing "initial interest".

The Ravens are going to need name tags in the wide receiver room this summer. In addition to Snead, Baltimore has signed Michael Crabtree and John Brown, and have completely revamped its receiver corps. Prior to his suspension (DUI) in 2017, Snead was one of the best up-and-coming receivers in the league, producing a combined 141 receptions for 1,879 yards and seven touchdowns in 2015 and 2016. But he was a non-factor after the suspension, garnering just 16 targets in 11 games for the Saints last year. He’ll likely vie for targets with Brown behind Crabtree, who should serve as the Ravens’ top target in the passing game.

Saints restricted free agent WR Willie Snead has signed a two-year offer sheet with the Baltimore Ravens worth $10.5 million. The Saints now have five days to match the offer or let Snead become a Raven.

After adding Cameron Meredith via the same offer sheet route, it's doubtful the Saints will match Baltimore's offer. If Snead does indeed become a Raven, he will join a Baltimore WR depth chart that includes Michael Crabtree, John Brown, Breshad Perriman, and Chris Moore.

In the 11 games he played last season, Snead was an afterthought in the Saints' offense, catching more than one pass in only one game. His best game came in Week 13, when he caught both of his targets for 31 yards. Temper your expectations when it comes to Snead in fantasy drafts this year.

A day after Brandon Marshall said in a deleted Instagram story that there was 'no room' for both he and Dez Bryant on the New York Giants, Marshall was released by the team. It's highly doubtful Marshall's words had any impact on his being released or that this now means the Giants will go after Bryant, but the timing is interesting.

Marshall only suited up in the first five games last season after suffering a season-ending ankle injury. He didn't make much of an impact with the Giants, catching only 18 passes. Marshall just turned 34, and is coming off of an injury, so it will be hard to see him be a difference-maker or fantasy factor this upcoming season.

As for the Giants, this leaves the trio of Odell Beckham Jr., Sterling Shepard, and Evan Engram as their top pass-catchers, with Roger Lewis, Cody Latimer, and Travis Rudolph competing for the No. 3 WR position—unless they bring in someone more talented via the draft.

Following unsuccessful attempts of trading C.J. Anderson, the Broncos released their former No. 1 back.

Anderson turned 27 in February and just rushed for his first 1,000-yard season in 2017. It's likely he'll land somewhere soon, and if it's with a team where the depth chart isn't too crowded, he should remain in the fantasy RB2 realm.

As for the Broncos, their RB depth chart currently consists of Devontae Booker and De'Angelo Henderson. It would be surprising if they don't add at least one back via the draft.

The Buffalo Bills today announced the signing of WR Jeremy Kerley.

With not much depth at the receiver position in Buffalo, Kerley could etch out a role for himself either as the team's No. 2 wideout or in the slot. If it does turn out he has earned a significant role, you might want to consider him in the very late round of fantasy drafts. But temper expectations as he has never caught more than 64 passes in a season and he might be catching passes from A.J. McCarron.

The Dallas Cowboys have released WR Dez Bryant. He has been a Cowboy for the past eight seasons after being drafted by the team in 2010 with the 24th pick in the first round. The loss of Bryant currently leaves Allen Hurns as Dallas' top wideout.

Bryant hasn’t played at an elite level since 2014 and given his giant cap hit, it makes sense for both sides to move on. The loss is a blow for Dak Prescott, who was shaping up as one of the best middle-round values at his position. The Cowboys may pick a receiver or two in the draft, but for now, they will move forward with Terrance Williams, Allen Hurns, Cole Beasley, and Deonte Thompson penciled in as their top four receivers. Prescott needs the team to shore up the position soon, or his value will take a big hit. As for Bryant, his fantasy value will depend on his landing spot, but he's unlikely to find as favorable of a situation as he had in Dallas, where he received a ton of targets from a quality quarterback.

Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict has officially been suspended four games for violating the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy. Upon completion of this suspension, he will have been suspended for a total of 10 games during his career.

The Chicago Bears have decided against matching the two-year, $9.6 million contract offer the New Orleans Saints made to wide receiver Cameron Meredith. The deal also contains $5.4 million in guaranteed money. According to Adam Schefter, the Bears passed on matching the offer due to concerns about Meredith's ACL and MCL injuries.

A healthy Meredith should play an important role in the Saints' offense, and he gets a boost playing with Drew Brees. The last time Meredith saw the field was in 2016—a season that saw the Bears trot out Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer, Matt Barkley, and David Fales under center. Michael Thomas should continue his role as the Saints' No. 1 WR, with Meredith will likely competing for the No. 3 WR role with Willie Snead or Tommylee Lewis. Tedd Ginn currently mans the No. 2 WR spot.

Chicago Bears' restricted free agent WR Cameron Meredith has signed a two-year offer sheet with the New Orleans Saints. The deal is worth $9.6 million (with incentives), and comes with $5.4 million in guaranteed money. The Bears have five days to match the offer or let Meredith walk.

Meredith missed all of last season with a torn ACL he suffered in the third week of the preseason, but he showed glimpses of potential during the 2016 season in which he caught 66 passes for 888 yards and four touchdowns. Those numbers, as well as the 97 times he was targeted that season, led all Bears receivers.

Whether he stays in Chicago, or moves to New Orleans to play with Drew Brees, a fully healthy Meredith should be a top-two or two-three receiver on his team and will be someone to consider late in fantasy drafts this summer.

The New England Patriots are signing former Bills WR Jordan Matthews to a one-year deal.

The Patriots recently shipped out WR Brandin Cooks to the Los Angeles Rams, and have now added Matthews as a depth chart signing. He will join a somewhat crowded receiver corps that features Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Cordarrelle Patterson, Phillip Dorsett, and Kenny Britt.

Matthews has yet to play a full 16-game season and appeared in only 10 games in his first season as a Bill. With all the mouths to feed in New England's passing game, Matthews shouldn't be on your fantasy radar at the moment.

The Denver Broncos have signed punter Marquette King to a three-year deal.

It didn't take King long to find a new gig after being released by the Oakland Raiders last week. He should be an upgrade over Riley Dixon, whom King bested in average yards per punt (47.4 to 45.6), net yards per punt (42.7 to 40.2), and punts downed inside the 20-yard-line (28 to 20) last season, according to NFL.com. King should be the top overall pick in punter-only fantasy leagues that awards bonus style points for celebrations.

The New England Patriots have added to their tight end stable by agreeing to a one-year deal with former second-round pick Troy Niklas.

Niklas will be entering his fifth season, but hasn't made much of an impact due to injuries. He's caught 19 total passes in four years, with 11 of those catches coming last season. If Niklas sticks around in New England he will likely compete with Dwayne Allen for the second tight end role behind Rob Gronkowski.

In an unexpected move, the Baltimore Ravens announced the signing of former Washington and Cleveland quarterback Robert Griffin III. The last time Griffin played a meaningful snap of football was in Week 17 of the 2016 NFL season.

Griffin will likely slide into the No. 2 QB role on the team, ahead of the inexperienced Josh Woodrum. It will be hard for Griffin to see much playing time, if any, in Baltimore, as incumbent starter Joe Flacco has only missed six games in his 10-year career.

In 2QB or Superflex leagues, owners might want to keep tabs on Griffin, remembering his 2012 season in which he led all QBs in rushing yards (815), but that was a long time ago.

Patriots are trading WR Brandin Cooks and a fourth-round pick to LA Rams for the 23rd overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft and a sixth-round pick, league sources told ESPN.

Cooks' value takes a hit in Los Angeles, where he'll compete for targets with Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. Jared Goff is no Tom Brady, and Sammy Watkins only saw 70 targets in 15 games (4.7 per game) in the role that Cooks is expected to fill. Woods and Kupp see slight downgrades as well. As for New England, this moves shows a lot of confidence in Chris Hogan and Julian Edelman, who will now vie for targets alongside Rob Gronkowski.