Fantasy Sports

Jerry Jones’ favorite player reunites with the Cowboys after playing for the Patriots in 2023, functioning as New England’s lead back for the final month of the regular season. While Elliott’s yards per carry hit a career low (3.5) in 2023, his yards after contact per rush (2.54) remained respectable and in line with his career mark of 2.85. He’ll enter his ninth NFL season with a chance to lead the Dallas backfield, unless Rico Dowdle impresses coaches this summer after outplaying Tony Pollard last season. Elliott’s primary usage could come in the passing game.

The Vikings front office, in other words, did everything it could to move up and land Drake Maye. Instead, the stayed at pick 11 and took J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota’s aggressive offer undercuts the team’s insistence that McCarthy — who draft stock spiked in April — was their guy all along. “There were different points throughout the process where there were [offers],” said Elliott Wolf, New England’s director of scouting who has operated as the team’s de facto GM. “All along, we knew we were in a unique opportunity to get a quarterback that we liked.” The Patriots felt comfortable taking the somewhat unpolished Maye after offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt met with Maye and discussed the “outside zone scheme” he plans to run in New England. Maye’s questionable footwork, according to Fowler’s report, did not concern the Patriots.

The Jaguars, after signing Gabe Davis this offseason and drafting LSU WR Brian Thomas, part ways with Jones after two seasons. Jones was a central part of the team’s passing offense over those two years, catching 116 passes for 1,144 yards and seven touchdowns. Look for Jones — who had domestic battery charges against him dropped in March — to land with another wideout-needy team in the coming weeks. The Lions, for one, profile as a good fit.

Jacksonville draft K Cam Little out of Arkansas with the 212th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. With Slye’s release, it looks like Little will compete with veteran Riley Patterson for kicking duties. Little converted nearly 83 percent of his field goals at Arkansas and never missed an extra point. Little was first-team All-SEC as a kickoff specialist. Slye, who made 85 percent of his kicks during three years with the Commanders, will likely find work elsewhere this summer.

There was plenty of pre-draft chatter that the hulking Wilson (6'6/231) could fit better as a tight end in the NFL. Roseman told reporters on Monday that Wilson “can run the full route tree” and that wideouts are usually moved to tight end when they lack “lower body flexibility to get in and out of breaks.” “We don’t see that with Johnny,” Roseman said. Wilson, whose best collegiate season (2022) ended with 897 receiving yards, could fit in as a distant WR3 option behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in 2024. His targets will be limited in the balanced Eagles offense.

Gallup made his rounds during the legal tampering period but ultimately went without a contract through the NFL Draft. That is, until the Raiders signed him to a one-year “prove it” deal Monday. Considering the Raiders are thin at the position behind Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, Gallup could push for starter’s snaps out of 11-personnel to start the season, assuming he can beat out Tre Tucker and Kristian Wilkerson. The one-year contract is worth up to $3 million.

With Kirk Cousins now in town, Pitts is looking at what may be his best season as a pro. After totaling 68-1,026-1 in his rookie season, Pitts has managed just 81 catches for 1,013 yards and five touchdowns over his last two years combined. While the production numbers are low, Pitts has fallen victim to poor target quality from the likes of Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, and Taylor Heinicke over that span. That target quality is expected to improve with Cousins now in town, which could be setting Pitts him for a high-end TE1 campaign in 2024. Now under contract through the 2025 season, Pitts will earn just over $10.8 million in that final year of his deal.

Waddle has gone for 1,000-plus yards in each of his first three seasons with the Dolphins and has been an impressive producer for a guy who has spent two years playing opposite Tyreek Hill. Drafted with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Waddle’s 3,385 career yards rank third behind Ja’Marr Chase (3,717) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (3,602) as far as receivers taken in his class are concerned. He’ll earn $15.591 million on his fifth-year deal and should be in line for a long-term extension in the very near future.

With this extension, Kelce becomes the league’s highest-paid tight end and is now under contract through the 2027 season. This all but ensures that Kelce will retire as a Chief when he decides to hang it up, as he is now set to hit free agency after his age-37 season. Kelce took a slight step back in 2023, averaging 65.6 yards per game — his fewest since 2015, while also averaging a career-low 10.6 YPR. Despite this, he remained one of the league’s most productive tight ends, finishing the year with a line of 93-984-5 while being named to his ninth-straight Pro Bowl. The tight end position is one of the most demanding in the sport, but that hasn’t stopped some of the best in the game from playing at a high level into the twilight of their careers. Kelce has had a relatively clean bill of health over his first 11 years in the league and has a chance to be the latest to ride gracefully into the sunset over the final few years of his career.

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.