Former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. is expected to sign a one-year, $3 million deal worth up to $5 million with the Detroit Lions, according to a source. Jones spent the last two years with the Jaguars, but before that he played in Detroit from 2016-20. In 16 regular season games (10 starts) for Jacksonville in 2022, he caught 46 of his 81 targets for 529 yards and three touchdowns, numbers that all represented his lowest marks since his rookie season in 2012 with the Cincinnati Bengals. The 33-year-old had his only 1,000-yard season with Detroit in 2017, but fantasy managers should probably expect numbers more in line with his 2022 campaign in 2023. Jones figures to see infrequent work in Detroit this time around behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and second-year wideout Jameson Williams.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers agreed to terms on an undisclosed deal with free-agent kicker Chase McLaughlin on Tuesday. The 26-year-old went 30-for-36 on his field-goal tries, including nine successful attempts from 50-plus yards, in 16 games for the Indianapolis Colts in 2022. He also made all 21 of his extra-point attempts. McLaughlin will certainly be an upgrade in range from Tampa's previous kicker in Ryan Succop. However, with the Buccaneers transitioning from the now-retired Tom Brady under center, their kicking situation will be shaky for fantasy purposes. In his four NFL seasons while kicking for six different teams, McLaughlin has made 78.8 percent of his 85 field-goal attempts in 47 games played.
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said he expects quarterback Ryan Tannehill to be the starter in 2023. Vrabel also said that Tannehill is improving after suffering a season-ending ankle injury last December. The Titans also have last year's third-round pick, quarterback Malik Willis, on the roster, but it was clear at the end of 2022 that the Titans view him as a work in progress under center. The 34-year-old Tannehill completed 65.2 percent of his passes in 12 starts last year, throwing for 2,536 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. Tennessee's offense will likely remain run-heavy in 2023, although they should be looking to add receiving help in next month's draft. If Tannehill is starting in Week 1, he'll be a low-ceiling QB2 in fantasy.
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is tempering expectations for the transition from future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love in 2023. "Certainly, I think we're fooling ourselves if we think he's going to go out there and perform at a level to the likes of an Aaron Rodgers," LaFleur said. "This guy is a once-in-a-lifetime generational talent, and I don't think it necessarily started that way when he first started. But he progressed into that." The Packers must still complete a trade to send Rodgers to the New York Jets, but LaFleur has moved on to Love. The former first-rounder has just one career NFL start (in 2021) and will need all the work he can get before Week 1 of 2023. Fantasy managers can expect plenty of ups and downs from Love in his first full season as Green Bay's starter.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said on Tuesday that second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder will begin the 2023 season as the team's starter under center. "The plan is to start Desmond," Smith said. "That's our plan going forward right now." The Falcons drafted Ridder in the third round last year, and he spent the first 13 games backing up veteran Marcus Mariota. The 23-year-old then started the final four games of the season and completed 73 of his 115 passes for 708 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The team was encouraged by Ridder's progress, and he'll begin 2023 as the starter, even though Atlanta signed Taylor Heinicke in free agency. Ridder will need to keep improving to hold off Heinicke this season, and he should be considered a QB2 with upside in his first full season as the starter.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers free-agent wide receiver Scotty Miller agreed to an undisclosed one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday, according to a source. Miller will stay in the NFC South after spending the first four years of his NFL career with the Buccaneers. In his four seasons with the team, he caught 74 of his 128 targets for 924 yards and four touchdowns in 50 regular season games (eight starts). The 25-year-old former sixth-rounder in 2019 had 23 receptions for 185 yards in 15 regular season games on 40 targets in 2022. He was buried on Tampa's receiver depth chart behind Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Julio Jones and Russell Gage, so the move to Atlanta should allow him to have a bigger role, although it won't necessarily make him a big fantasy weapon.
The Las Vegas Raiders agreed to terms with free-agent wide receiver DeAndre Carter on an undisclosed deal on Wednesday. Carter will stay in the AFC West after spending the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he posted career-highs in catches (46), targets (65) and receiving yards (538) while scoring three touchdowns for the second straight season. The 29-year-old also had a career-high 11.7-yard average on 29 punt returns for the Bolts. In Las Vegas, he'll serve as receiving depth behind Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Hunter Renfrow. Carter will probably only become valuable in standard 12-team leagues in 2023 if a receiver in front of him misses extended time due to injury.
Former Baltimore Ravens star pass-rusher Calais Campbell intends to sign an undisclosed one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons, according to sources. The Pro Bowler and former Walter Payton Man of the Year will bring leadership to a young team. The Falcons have made several key additions to their defense through free agency this offseason, with Campbell joining Jesse Bates, David Onyemata and Kaden Elliss. The 36-year-old isn't in his prime anymore, but he showed last year with Baltimore that he can still make an impact. In 14 regular season starts, he had 36 tackles (18 solo), 5.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, 14 QB hits and two forced fumbles. Campbell could be in more of a rotational role in 2023 with his new team, making him hard to rely on in IDP leagues.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said on Monday that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was interested in playing for the Patriots, but New England doesn't have any plans to pursue him, according to a league source. If the Pats signed Jackson to an offer sheet and the Ravens didn't match it, they'd have to surrender two first-round picks. The Patriots would also most likely need to give Jackson a contract worth far more than they ever gave to Tom Brady. New England's expectations this offseason are that Mac Jones will be the starter in 2023, but he'll have to beat out Bailey Zappe this summer. So far, the Colts are the only NFL team that seems to even be considering making a run at Jackson.
The Los Angeles Rams are still playing out the idea of trading wide receiver Allen Robinson II, who they signed last spring to a three-year, $46.5 million deal. Robinson's role didn't develop the way the team initially envisioned. The team granted Robinson permission to seek a trade, with team and league sources saying that the Rams would be willing to take on part of A-Rob's $15.2 million in guaranteed salary, dependent on the pick exchange an acquiring team is willing to offer. There's still a chance he could be traded, but the Rams also aren't ruling out Robinson being a part of the offense in 2023. If he sticks around, the team would want Robinson to become more versatile. A change of scenery would probably be best for the 29-year-old's fantasy value in 2023.
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