New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold has been unable to orchestrate his team to victory thus far in 2020, failing to put a touchdown on the board in the team's loss Sunday to Miami. But head coach Adam Gase is sticking with Darnold as his starter, saying, "I think Sam is the starter and we need Sam to play as many snaps as possible," per Rich Cimini of ESPN. In seven starts this year, Darnold has amassed three touchdowns to eight interceptions, completing just 58.7 percent of his passes. Veteran Joe Flacco hasn't fared terribly better, but shoulder injury concerns loom around Darnold as well, whom the organization has reiterated will play only if healthy. Despite Gase's assurances, Darnold has little fantasy intrigue at this stage, even in two-QB formats.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees' (foot, shoulder) wife Brittany revealed that the 42-year-old signal-caller was playing through a torn rotator cuff and a torn fascia in his foot. "He's as courageous and as tough a player as I've ever been around," head coach Sean Payton said, via The New Orleans Times-Picayune. Brees' injuries likely played a part in his struggles pushing the ball downfield, and he threw three interceptions in what will be the final game of his storied career in the Divisional Round loss to the Buccaneers. He has yet to make his retirement official, but it's expected to come eventually, especially after playing through other injuries that we didn't know about. If this is the end, Brees will go down in NFL history as one of the greatest to ever play the position.
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Vance McDonald announced his retirement from the NFL on Friday. McDonald was a second-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2013. He spent four years with the Niners before being traded to Pittsburgh shortly before the 2017 season. McDonald played in 101 career games (77 starts) and finished with 181 catches for 2,036 yards and 15 touchdowns. In his four years with the Steelers, McDonald reeled in 117 passes for 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns in 53 games (47 starts). His best season came in 2018, when he caught 50 passes for 610 yards (12.2 yards per catch) and four touchdowns. The 30-year-old dealt with his fair share of injuries in eight seasons. His retirement will save the team $5.2 million in salary cap space heading into the 2021 season.
The Washington Football Team hired San Francisco 49ers executive Martin Mayhew to serve as their new general manager on Thursday. Marty Hurney, who was previously reported as becoming the next GM, will be appointed to a high-ranking front-office role. Mayhew has been an NFL executive since 2001 and will step into his second stint as GM, with his first coming with the Lions in 2008. He remained in that position until 2015. Mayhew then took over as the New York Giants director of football operations before moving to San Francisco in 2017 as the team's senior personnel executive for two seasons. He became vice president of player personnel in 2019. Mayhew was a cornerback in the NFL for the Bills, Washington and the Buccaneers from 1988-96 and won a Super Bowl with Washington in 1992.
Things are trending in the right direction for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (concussion) to play in the AFC Championship against the Bills on Sunday. Mahomes was limited in practice for the second straight day on Thursday and took the majority of the snaps on offense, a good sign that he didn't suffer a setback after practicing on Wednesday. The hope is that he's a full participant in practice on Friday, which means he'd likely be on his way toward being cleared from the league's protocol before Sunday. The 25-year-old former MVP will be a tad more risky at his elevated DFS price against Buffalo coming off a head injury that knocked him out of the Divisional Round game against the Browns, but Mahomes should put up numbers in what could be a high-scoring affair this weekend as long as he doesn't suffer another head injury.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to hire Darrell Bevell as their new offensive coordinator, according to sources. Several teams were trying to hire Bevell after he finished the 2020 season as the Detroit Lions interim head coach. The 51-year-old was the offensive coordinator in Detroit the last two years, with the team averaging 22.5 points per game and 348.5 total yards per game in his two seasons at the helm. Bevell became the Seahawks offensive coordinator in 2011, 11 seasons after breaking into the NFL as an assistant quarterbacks coach with Green Bay. He made back-to-back trips to the Super Bowl with Seattle in 2013-14 and won one championship. His biggest task will be working with a likely rookie quarterback -- expected to be Clemson's Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall selection in the draft -- to mold Jacksonville's offense to the young signal-caller's strengths.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin is poised for a great showing against the Packers in the NFC Championship game. Godwin has 19 targets in the Buccaneers' two playoff games, a mark that leads the team. He could be in line to receive more work than usual, as Mike Evans will likely have to deal with star corner Jaire Alexander and Antonio Brown (knee) is a game-time decision. The drops have been an issue for Godwin in the postseason, but Tom Brady's trust in him hasn't wavered. He won't be as pricey as Stefon Diggs or Davante Adams, but he could provide similar production, making him a great DFS value play this week.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans will likely face off with Packers' star corner Jaire Alexander in the NFC title game. This is fresh off of being held to one catch by Marshon Lattimore- though his lone reception was a touchdown. Evans and Alexander went toe-to-toe in Week 6, with Alexander following him on 76 percent of the routes, holding him to zero catches, per Pro Football Focus. Evans is talented enough to beat any corner, but this is legitimately a matchup to fear. He should be faded in DFS tournaments this weekend.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones II (quadriceps) said he's "good" after returning last week from a quadriceps injury in a win over New Orleans. Jones has since gotten in two limited practice sessions and seems poised to be out there again on Sunday against Green Bay. While he's likely looking at a timeshare with Leonard Fournette, Jones has the upside to be the better valued running back this weekend in DFS. He only had 13 carries last week but ran hard against the Saints' stingy run defense- it's also worth noting that he had 20+ carries in a game three times this season, one of which was against the Packers. Jones is riskier than Fournette but could provide more bang for your buck, especially if he runs like he did last week.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette has been on a roll in the playoffs. With fellow back Ronald Jones II (quadriceps) battling injury, Fournette has taken the reins of the backfield with 45 total touches in his last two games, the most for him in any two-game stretch this season. Jones seems to be getting healthier, but expect Fournette to have the slight carry edge if it turns into a timeshare. Green Bay's run defense has tightened up in the second half of the season, though it's still not a matchup to fear. Don't expect 20+ touches again, but Fournette could have himself a solid day against the Packers.
Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak officially announced his retirement on Thursday after 25 seasons of coaching in the NFL. He was hired in Minnesota in 2019 to be the team's assistant head coach/offensive advisor, serving as the offensive coordinator in 2020. The 59-year-old was leaning toward retirement after the season, but he has made it official. The Vikings will have their sixth offensive coordinator in eight seasons in 2021. The team ranked fourth in yards per game (393.3) and finished 11th in points at 26.9 per game in 2020 under Kubiak. Quarterback Kirk Cousins had a career year and running back Dalvin Cook made Pro Bowls each of the last two seasons. Kubiak will retire with four Super Bowl rings to his name -- one as Denver's head coach, back-to-back titles in 1997-98 as Denver's offensive coordinator and his first Super Bowl ring in 1994 as the 49ers quarterbacks coach.
