The former Chicago Bears three-time All-Pro return specialist Devin Hester wasn’t announced as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but he was one of the most unique football profiles in NFL history. Here is a close look at how productive he’s been in his career:

• 14 total punt return touchdowns
• 7,333 total kick return yards
• 3,695 total punt return yards

Hester has been a rockstar and arguably the best return specialist in NFL history for the Chicago Bears (2006-2013), Atlanta Falcons (2014, 2015), Seattle Seahawks (2016), and Baltimore Ravens (2016). It should also be noted that Hester hasn’t only played in a Super Bowl, but he played lights out in the big dance. He returned the opening kickoff in Super Bowl XLI for a touchdown.

Unfortunately, the special team hero couldn’t overcome the opponent on the other team: Peyton Manning. The Bears lost 29-17 and it’s clear Hester was the most gutted after the game.

Hester hasn’t won a Super Bowl, but he does hold many records. He has the most special team return touchdowns of all time and the most punt return touchdowns of all time. It’s clear that Hester is a gifted profile.

Is there a modern-day Devin Hester? Well, We witnessed Cordarrelle Patterson follow a similar path as Hester, as he dominated opponents with the Bears and Falcons. Patterson was a two-time All-Pro returner with Chicago Bears. It will be interesting to see what legacy Patterson portrays if he can have a few more potent years as a special teamer (and RB/WR). The Saints WR/KR Deonte Harris could make another All-Pro team soon, as well.

We know Hester was a gift from the football gods on the field, but he was also a competitor off the field ….

He also entertained the world with a race against Chris Johnson and a cheetah in 2014. It’s strange to say this, but Hester came out with the victory. At least we know the cheetah on the Kansas City Chiefs doesn’t want to risk losing a race in the Pro Bowl, while Hester puts his money on the line against the fastest creature on the planet. Sadly, The world never got to witness Hester run against a race car.

The post Remembering the Bears legend Devin Hester appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Jameis “Jaboo” Winston graduated from the Harvard quarterback school in New Orleans and proceeded to start for the Saints in 2021. Winston bravely started 5-2 with the Saints, while claiming big victories against the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, and Seattle Seahawks.

The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB that threw for 30 interceptions in 2019 was actually taking care of the football while making big plays with his arm. Jaboo threw 14 touchdowns to 3 interceptions while unveiling 1,170 passing yards in seven starts. It seemed like Winston was on course to make the Pro Bowl and lead the Saints back to the postseason in the Brees-less era.

All of sudden, the air was taken out of the Caesars Superdome in a Week 8 showdown between the Saints and Buccaneers. Jameis Winston was facing his former team and the stage was set for Winston to get revenge against the Bucs. Unfortunately, the universe had a different plan for Winston. The Saints starting QB fled the pocket on a broken-down pass play and was taken down by his former teammate Devin White. The tackler on Winston performed a horse-collar tackle on the Bucs former QB and Winston went down awkwardly.

The motivated Saints QB appeared to have serious pain in his knee after White’s illegal tackle which was a terrible sign for the QB. The worst expectation was true: the inspirational comeback of Jameis Winston in 2021 came to an end as Winston suffered a torn ACL. Winston was out for the season and the Saints would claim a 4-6 record in the aftermath of his ACL injury.

Winston entered the 2022 offseason with enormous motivation after suffering a brutal injury and not seeing his beloved Saints squad not make the playoffs. Nonetheless, I believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel for Winston and it will be on the Saints again. Here are a few reasons why Winston will remain with the Saints and why he will climb to prominence in the Big Easy.

• Loss of Sean Payton and the return of Pete Carmichael

It was a sad surprise that Sean Payton “retired” from the NFL and left the Saints a short bit ago. Kevin James Dennis Allen, who was the former Saints defensive coordinator, is the new ring leader. The chances of getting Russell Wilson took a hit with Payton leaving New Orleans.

The Saints were able to keep Pete Carmichael (Payton’s long-time best friend) as the offensive coordinator this offseason. It’s very positive that Carmichael is returning because it keeps a strong chemistry between Carmichael and Jameis Winston, who is at least surely in the building for a bit longer. Winston has to be happy that a very similar scheme from 2021 will be repeating itself in 2022 under Carmichael. The return of the introverted Pete Carmichael helps Winston be more attracted to sign with the Saints on new deal.

• The hungry and healthy Michael Thomas

Michael Thomas recently took to intagram to display his hunger to dominate in 2022. Thomas deleted all of his inta material and only posted “demon mode”, which was a reference from the legend Kobe Bryant. Thomas’s social media statement comes shortly after the Saints announced they wouldn’t trade Michael Thomas this offseason.

Thomas may not win Offensive Player of The Year again, but he can be a Pro Bowl caliber WR at least. Cantguardmike was playing well when he half injured and catching passes from Taysom Hill in Drew Brees’s absence in 2020. Thomas had 9 catches for 104 yards against the Atlanta Falcons, 6 catches for 50 yards against a quarterback-less Denver Broncos team, 9 catches for 105 yards against the Falcons, and 8 receptions for 84 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. Thomas can be a top end WR in 2022 and bring a sizable boost to Winston, who was playing well without Thomas in 2022.

• The decaying NFC South

The NFC South has a murky outlook in 2022 and beyond. The NFC South and the NFL’s GOAT Tom Brady has hung up his cleats. Barring a trade that Bruce Arians makes for the likes of Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson, it would be a challenge for the young Kyle Trask to recapture glory.

The Carolina Panthers could move on from Christian McCaffrey and the Atlanta Falcons could part ways with Matt Ryan this offseason, as well. Matt Ryan is the highest paid NFL player in 2022, so they will need to figure out his contract. It seems like a strong possibility that the Falcons finally move on from the very expensive, soon to be 38 year old QB. Calvin Ridley will likely be out of Georgia, too.

CMAC is coming off two injury riddled season and it doesn’t help that he plays the bruising RB position. The Panthers still don’t have a QB that can lead them to the playoffs in sight, regardless of CMAC’s presence. If Matt Ryan stays in Atlanta, Ryan and Kyle Pitts can put up a lot of points together. Nonetheless, the Falcons lack firepower outside of Pitts, and their defense is a serious work in progress. Assuming Winston returns to the Saints, who have won the division in four of the past five years, the Saints should be able to dominate in many of their divisional matchups and win the South in 2022.

Bonus factor:

• The rise of Deonte Harris

The Saints All Pro punt returner, Deonte Harris, had a career season at the WR position in 2021. Harris ousted 36 receptions, 570 yards, and 3 touchdowns. The speed demon was a serious deep threat, as he averaged 15.8 YPC. Those numbers may not sound impressive, because they aren’t. Still, it should be noted that Harris had expoential growth from 2020 (17 receptions, 207 yards, 0 touchdowns) and he had respectable production in a passing offense that was ranked 32nd. Harris should benefit from a quality QB playing for 7 17 games and potentially from Cantguardmike attracting double coverage on a consistent basis.

The post Why Jameis Winston is the CPOY favorite in 2022 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Malcolm McMillan

Well it is finally here. The end of the road. Week 17 (for most) represents the final week of the fantasy football season. After this, it is booking tickets to Cabo to celebrate the end of an exhausting 2021, and if you are lucky getting to watch your NFL team make a run at the Super Bowl.

Unless you play in a dynasty league.

If you play in a dynasty fantasy football league, you know that the season never ends for you, even if it is””admittedly””about to slow down significantly. Before that happens though, there is still a week to make some significant moves, and some players that could boost their stock going into 2022. This week the focus is going to be on those players; guys who could boost their stock for 2022 with a good Week 17 performance. Dynasty managers can then either hold these assets or flip them for a nice return on investment before the offseason gets underway.

Ke’Shawn Vaughn: RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Ke’Shawn Vaughn has arguably been a bust so far in his career. Does it help him to be on a win-now team with two talented veteran running backs ahead of him in the depth chart? No, be even with that caveat it has still be disappointing. Last week though, there were finally signs of life. With starter Leonard Fournette out, Vaughn put in a solid relief performance behind Ronald Jones II. In fact, it was more than solid. In point-per-reception (PPR) scoring, Vaughn finished RB21 with 13 points. This week, Fournette is still out, and Vaughn gets an even better matchup against the abysmal New York Jets. So the stage is set for him to boost his stock.

This opportunity could not come at a better time. Last year, Fournette played well with Jones II injured, and turned it into a starting role this year. Now it could be Vaughn’s turn to shine, and given he is the only running back on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster in 2022 (for now), capitalizing on that opportunity could turn his career around.

Jaret Patterson, RB: Washington Football Team

While he was an impressive college player, Jaret Patterson was never expected to be a star in the NFL. He is undersized, and his athletic profile is nothing impressive despite his gaudy college stats. Plus, he is strictly a downhill runner, so the odds were against him to break through the Washington Football Team depth chart. However, he did just that, making it onto the 53-man roster despite his undrafted free agent status. Since making it that far though, he has stalled out as an occasional relief runner for starting running back Antonio Gibson.

Week 17 could change all that. Pass catching running back J.D. McKissic is already on injured reserve, and now Gibson is out on the COVID-19/reserve list. That leaves the backfield””potentially””solely in the hands of Jaret Patterson against a Philadelphia Eagles run defense that gave up two rushing touchdowns to the Washington backfield just two weeks ago, but not much else. If Patterson has a good performance against the Eagles, he could boost his stock going into 2022, when he and Gibson are the only running backs (currently) on the roster.

Deonte Harty: WR, New Orleans Saints

2021 has been a wild year for Deonte Harty, who started the year as Deonte Harris. The New Orleans Saints wide receiver has been suspended, been on the COVID-19 reserve list and changed his name and that was just in the past month. Prior to that, he flashed as one of the two wide receivers of note for the Saints (the other being Marquez Callaway). Now that he is back off the COVID-19 list for Week 17, he has a change to flash again against a reeling Carolina Panthers.

There are a couple of things going for Harty going into 2022. First, the Saints have a potential opening for a top wide receiver with Michael Thomas doing his best to be off the team in 2022. If they cannot trade Thomas, it may be worth it to cut the bridge-burning veteran receiver, as a post-June 1st cut would save the cap-starved Saints $15.8 million against the cap. Harty, as a restricted free agent, would be easy (and cheap) to bring back for 2022. His top HOG rate and targets per route run certainly indicate the Saints see something in him, and it would be surprising if they did not bring him back.

If the Saints do not bring Harty back for 2022, a great Week 17 performance would entice teams currently window shopping for a wide receiver. The 24-year old is currently trending up, and would be an attractive option for any team needing an intermediate to deep threat at wide receiver.

The post Deep Fantasy Football Stashes for Week 17 (and Beyond!) appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Will Baptist

Sean Payton seems to love his new, shiny toys that he can use in a variety of ways on offense. Taysom Hill plays all over the field, Alvin Kamara is used in a plethora of different ways, and it looks like Payton has found another diamond in the rough. His name is Deonte Harris, and he fits that mold like no other.

Harris is primed for more action this upcoming season after a disappointing 2020 campaign, where he battled injuries throughout the year. Harris is electric in the open field and it behooves Payton to get him on the field more on offense. His rookie season in 2019 was special to say the least, as an undrafted free agent, he led the NFL in punt return yards, and made it to the Pro Bowl as a returner.

Harris is only 5’6 and 170 pounds, and his quickness is unparalleled, but he is uniquely strong and hard to tackle for his size. Payton and Harris are a match made in heaven, and there is nothing more logical than the Saints getting another weapon that they can use on offense. Getting Harris out in open space on screen passes has to be a wrinkle in the Saints offense this season. He needs to get the ball more, because if and when he does, he will be explosive.

Considering how great of a returner Harris is, he will always garner attention from opposing defenses. He can take one to the house in the blink of an eye, while he continues to develop as a route runner and wide receiver, he can easily be used on streaks and screens.

Luckily for Harris, he has arguably the best route runner in the NFL as a teammate, in Michael Thomas. The coaching staff and wide receiver room will undoubtedly improve his route running every single year.

Even though he was limited in 2020, his improvement was evident, and it was clear Payton wanted him more involved in the offense. He played in 14 games in 2019, and only had 10 total touches. That number increased dramatically in 2020, with 26 total touches in only nine games. That number could easily double in 2021, since the Saints are fairly thin at wide receiver outside of Thomas.

Imagining Hill at quarterback, with Kamara and Harris in the backfield will make opposing defensive coordinators’ heads explode. It will be extremely difficult to game plan against, and there is no blueprint for how to defend all of those weapons at once.

Thomas had a rough year in 2020, and with Drew Brees finally retiring from the NFL, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding what the Saints will look like this season. They have yet to name their starting quarterback, but one thing is for certain, and that is whoever is under center will need to get Harris the ball in open field. He will be the quarterback’s best friend, and can take a 5-yard slant and turn it up field for a 60-yard touchdown.

The post Why Deonte Harris is the Saints secret weapon appeared first on Pro Football Mania.