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AFC
Baltimore - RB Ray Rice married Janay Palmer last week.
Why It Matters- Rice was also indicted on a felony aggravated assault charge last week stemming from an incident when he alleged knocked Palmer unconscious on February 15. Rice and Palmer were both originally charged with simple assault-domestic violence in February, but the charge against Palmer was dropped, and the charge against Rice was intensified. Palmer now can opt out of testifying against her husband under spousal privilege, which could make the prosecution's case much more difficult. Rice may end up suspended at some point this season, but right now the likelihood of it being a long suspension is going down.
Buffalo - Albert Breer, of the NFL Network, was told that Texas A&M WR Mike Evans "belongs in the top 10" of the draft, and he guesses Steve Johnson could be "moved" if the Bills are the team to take Evans at #9.
Why It Matters - Evans is a rare size/speed/ball skills talent at wide receiver, but he is still unlikely to go in the top 5. St. Louis could take him at 6 if they trade down with Atlanta, but Tampa at 7, Minnesota at 8, and Detroit at 10 are the teams most likely to take Evans in the top 10. In addition to Johnson, Mike Williams, Greg Jennings, and Golden Tate could all be in line for a value hit if Evans indeed lands in the top 10.
Miami - The Dolphins signed RB Knowshon Moreno.
Why It Matters - This was about the best place left for Moreno to land. The team said they see him as a "three-down back", and it's certainly possible that he could be the feature back, relegating Lamar Miller to a backup role. Moreno should be a solid value as an underrated back capable of grinding out tough yards - assuming the Dolphins get their running game straightened out.
New England - Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater and Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel will both visit Foxboro as part of the Patriots 30 alloted pre-draft visits.
Why It Matters - Manziel is not likely to fall out of the top 10 after a very impressive pro day, but Bridgewater is starting to slip out of the first round in mock drafts, so he could be there for the Patriots at the end of the first round. Ryan Mallett might not be the heir to Tom Brady, who turns 37 before the season begins. Head coach Bill Belichick is also likely using these visits to scout quarterbacks he is likely to face in the future, with more AFC teams in need of quarterbacks than NFC teams.
Oakland - The Raiders signed RB Maurice Jones-Drew.
Why It Matters - Jones-Drew only got 1.2 million guaranteed on his three-year. 7.5 million dollar deal, which is basically backup/RBBC money at best. Still, he was effective at times in a terrible Jacksonville offense last year, and Jones-Drew has been known to play with a chip on his shoulder when he feels he has something to prove. Darren McFadden is more talented, but also much more likely to miss time with an injury. Second-year player Latavius Murray is intriguing as a dynasty hold, but the Jones-Drew signing makes it much less likely that Murray will have fantasy relevance this year. The Raiders were successful in the running game with Rashad Jennings carrying the ball in the second half of the year, so Jones-Drew might be worth a flyer in the 12th round or later this summer on reputation alone.
Pittsburgh - The Steelers signed RB LeGarrette Blount and WR Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Why It Matters - If anything, Blount helps Le'Veon Bell's value. Bell was in danger of being run into the ground after two straight season with inordinate use by the Steelers and Michigan State before that. Blount will keep Bell fresher, and Bell is probably a better short yardage runner despite Blount being bigger. The Steelers were willing to pay Blount more than the Patriots, despite Blount's smashing success in the playoff win over Indianapolis last year. Heyward-Bey will compete for a backup wide receiver spot, and add straight-line speed, good run blocking, along with poor hands to a wide receiver corps in need of veteran help. The former #7 overall pick is slowly swirling his way around the drain after a career filled with disappointment.
San Diego - Long-time Chargers beat writer Kevin Acee, of the San Diego Union-Tribune, believes RB Donald Brown will get 5-10 touches a game.
Why It Matters - This is more evidence that we should not ding Ryan Mathews from his value as a solid RB2. The Chargers have a penchant for controlling the clock and running the ball, so there will be plenty of work for Mathews even with Danny Woodhead getting third downs and Brown occasionally spelling the lead back. Woodhead's value also takes a hit, rendering him merely an emergency/injury/bye play in deep PPR leagues.
Tennessee - Chris Johnson's agent, Joel Segal, says Johnson will not be a member of the Titans by some point this offseason.
Why It Matters - The offseason program starts Monday, April 7, so that is a possible cutoff day for the Titans giving up on recouping anything for Johnson in a trade and releasing him outright (NFL Network's Ian Rapoport also basically reported this on his Twitter feed). There aren't really any plum running back situations available, so Johnson is more likely to have a fantasy impact by bringing down another back than having value himself. Johnson is far from done as a solid NFL running back, but his days of high volume touches might be over. His value is in a free fall. Just how far it plummets will depend on his landing spot. Shonn Greene is presumably set up as the RB1 in Tennessee, but his upside is capped at a low RB2. The Titans should draft or sign another back, who could be a candidate to have more value than Greene if they are talented enough.
NFC
Arizona - Head coach Bruce Arians indicated that while the team will "have a lot fun" with RB Andre Ellington, he still won't run him up the middle "30 times a game".
Why It Matters - Obviously thirty carries a game for any back is absurd, and it is worth noting that Arians said 10 catches and 20 carries would be closer to viable, which should make PPR owners' ears perk up. Arians also mentioned free agent pickup Jonathan Dwyer and Stepfan Taylor as smart alternatives to Ellington between the tackles. Ellington's value will be hurt by Arians' reluctance to totally commit to him, but probably not as much as fantasy owners think it will. If he falls to the fourth round of drafts, he'll present a terrific value.
Detroit - The Lions signed QB Dan Orlovsky.
Why It Matters - After Shaun Hill signed with the Rams, the Lions were in the market for a new backup quarterback, and they ended up going with an old one. Orlovsky started seven games for the Lions in 2008, and Calvin Johnson's value was actually intact as an elite WR1 while Orlovsky was at the helm. Six years later, it's hard to guarantee that Orlovsky will produce similar results if he is called on, but it could have been worse for fantasy owners holding parts of the Lions offense.
New Orleans - Mike Triplett, of ESPN, reports that the Saints are "high" on 2013 UDFA TE Josh Hill.
Why It Matters - Deep and TE premium dynasty league owners should note this, because Hill is a receiving tight end. He was used in the offense last year, and while he had some drops, Hill showed good movement skills for a player his size. The Saints are undergoing changes in the passing game, and Hill could eventually team up with Jimmy Graham to provide more two tight end sets, giving Hill a further chance to get his foot in the door.
New Orleans - Mike Triplett, of ESPN, believes the Saints are "very comfortable" with Marques Colston and Kenny Stills as their starting wide receivers, but also "there is probably a good chance" they will add another veteran like Sidney Rice or Robert Meachem.
Why It Matters - This is positive for Stills' outlook as a late-round sleeper in fantasy drafts, but Triplett said he would take the "under" of 1000 yards for Stills this year in a "slightly larger role" than what he had in his rookie year of 2013. He also wrote that the Saints "like the potential" of Nick Toon and Joseph Morgan.
Philadelphia - The Eagles released WR DeSean Jackson.
Why It Matters - Nick Foles looked to have the best arsenal of weapons in the NFC East, but now Robert Griffin III and Tony Romo are close, if not equal. Foles' value takes a hit, but Riley Cooper, Jeremy Maclin, Zach Ertz, and Darren Sproles all have a better chance to be relevant for fantasy leagues in this run-first offense. Cooper will likely inherit a lot of the deep targets Jackson was going to get, and Sproles will get a lot of the short targets earmarked for Jackson. A story about Jackson's gang ties came out on the day of his release, but Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer painted a more realistic picture that head coach Chip Kelly was just tired of Jackson's difficult-to-deal-with ways behind the scenes. Jackson staying in the division certainly gives the NFC East more drama this year.
St. Louis - The Rams signed WR Kenny Britt.
Why It Matters - Britt only got a little over half a million dollar guaranteed on a one-year, 1.4 million dollar deal, but he ended up in just about the best situation he could have in free agency. He is reunited with old coach Jeff Fisher, who drafted Britt in Tennessee, and only 2012 second-round bust (to this point) Brian Quick stands his way to be the #1 "big" receiver in this offense. Britt once looked like an elite WR1 in the making for a very short time, and he will have a chance to rehabilitate his value in St. Louis. He is worth acquiring in a minor deal to see if he can regain form after surgery on both knees and other issues have stalled out his career in recent years. Britt is still only 25, as he came into the league as the youngest player in the NFL.
Washington - Washington signed WR DeSean Jackson to a three-year, 24 million dollar deal, with 16 million guaranteed.
Why It Matters - The biggest winner from a fantasy standpoint is QB Robert Griffin III, who gets a massive upgrade in deep target quality, in addition to a playmaker in the short passing game. Pierre Garcon will certainly lose targets and probably see his upside capped in PPR leagues, but the hit on his value isn't as bad as it might first appear. TE Jordan Reed and RB Alfred Morris will have more room to operate with defenses accounting for Jackson first and foremost. Free-agent signing Andre Roberts moves to the third wide receiver role he played last year in Arizona, which he is well-suited for. Jackson's value is mostly unchanged, as Griffin was one of the best deep passers in the league before his knee injury, which should not hamper him this year. Washington could return to it's high-flying offensive ways if new head coach Jay Gruden effectively utilizes Jackson.