Team news: Minnesota Vikings | Page 10

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence will be limited in the spring as he continues to recover from surgery to repair the AC joint in his left shoulder and is on schedule to be fully cleared by the time training camp begins.

Jaguars coach Liam Coen said that there isn't yet a set plan for how much throwing Lawrence will do but that Lawrence is being monitored by vice president of player health and performance Jeff Ferguson and Will Wynkoop, his personal strength coach, as the offseason program progresses.

Related Players: Nick Mullens, John Wolford

Lawrence had surgery on his shoulder on December 17th, the same shoulder he had worked on back in February of 2021. In a new offensive scheme under Liam Coen and OC Grant Udinski, it would be nice to see him out there through most of the offseason program, but we'll keep an eye on the situation.

At the league meeting this week, 49ers GM John Lynch said he expected WR Brandon Aiyuk to stick in 2025. His 2026 option-bonus guarantee triggered yesterday. He’s owed $24.875m this year, $27m in ’26. The $76m that was effectively guaranteed at signing is now fully guaranteed.

Related Players: Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing

This is likely the best case sceanrio for the 49ers and Brock Purdy's fantasy aspirations, but it's hard to say if it's a positive for Aiyuk. That would have all depended on his eventual landing spot, but it seems like we'll have to wait at least one more year for that shoe to drop. Consider the vet somewhere in the back-end WR3 range for now, with Jennings a tier or two above that.

Former Rams WR Demarcus Robinson is signing a 2-year, $9.5 million deal, including $6M fully guaranteed, with the 49ers.

Related Players: Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings

Robinson profiles as a rotational option on the current depth chart, but anymore movement (such as an Aiyuk trade) would push him more into a No. 3 role. He's coming off a nice 31-505-7 season, but should remain on the outskirts of the fantasy radar for now.

Sam Darnold has agreed to terms with the Seahawks, per source.

The top free agent quarterback available, Darnold gets the three-year deal he sought and heads to Seattle after a career year in Minnesota.

Related Players: Sam Howell, J.J. McCarthy, Daniel Jones

Darnold gets a long(er)-term deal, but it's not the best situation fantasy-wise. With Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf out of the building, the veteran will see a downgrade both in offensive line and receiver talent from Minnesota. Looking ahead, the Seahawks will get a guy who is seven years younger, but it would be hard to argue that Geno Smith is less talented than the journeyman.

Aaron Jones is back with the Vikings, sources say, getting a 2-year, $20M deal with $13M guaranteed.

Related Players: Cam Akers, Ty Chandler, C.J. Ham

This was probably always the best landing spot for Jones, and he re-joins a Vikings team that only has four draft picks this cycle, which could absolutely mean he comfortably has his 2024 role for another season. Push him back into low-end RB2 range.

Vikings officially will not be tagging QB Sam Darnold, per sources.

Related Players: J.J. McCarthy, Nick Mullens, Daniel Jones

While this doesn't necessarily mean Darnold will not be playing in Minnesota, it does make McCarthy and even Jones more interesting at the time of this news. Potential teams Darnold could land on include the Raiders, Giants, and Jets, among others.

Gannon said the Cardinals will not rest Kyler Murray in either of the final two games.

Related players: Clayton Tune

The Cardinals have been eliminated from the playoffs but the good news for fantasy owners is they are going to continue to play Murray. Tune is the backup and doesn't necessarily offer the Cardinals a future option. Murray is coming off a decent fantasy game in Week 16, throwing for a TD and also running for another. Murray and the Cards are at the Rams on Saturday night in Week 17. They end the season at home against the 49ers in Week 18.

Patrick Mahomes will “most likely end up playing” on Saturday, per Coach Reid.

There’s also a “good chance” Hollywood Brown will play.

Related Players: Carson Wentz

We'd like a little more reassurance here, but at least we have some hope that Mahomes will be available to elevate the offense. Mahomes should be benched in favor of a streamer in most fantasy formats.

After losing RBs Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell to season-ending injuries, it now looks as if the 49ers will be without RB Isaac Guerendo for Sunday’s game vs. Miami. Guerendo is dealing with a hamstring injury and is unlikely to play, per source.

Related Players: Patrick Taylor, Kyle Juszczyk, Israel Abanikanda

Sheesh. We're assuming Taylor will now be the next, next man up, but they also have Abanikanda, as well as Ke'Shawn Vaughn on the practice squad. Taylor should be considered somewhere in the RB3 range if Guerendo is out.

For a second straight day, the Chiefs listed Patrick Mahomes as a full participant in practice.

Related Players: Carson Wentz

Obviously a great sign for the Chiefs pass-catchers and Mahomes himself. The quarterback should likely be benched in your fantasy semi-finals in a not-great matchup against the Texans in a game that has seen its over/under drop to 41.5.