Houston Texans

The obvious choice is the Texans, they made it to the Divisional Round with a rookie quarterback. C.J. Stroud is now heading into his second year. The acquisition of Stefon Diggs certainly boosts the offensive firepower. If Stroud continues on this track I certainly expect Super Bowl contention.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns have had an elite defense for a couple years now. The problem has been offensive production, with Deshaun Watson struggling a bit and the injury to Nick Chubb it wasn’t very good last year. This year Watson can deliver and make this team a Super Bowl caliber one. Kevin Stefanski will find a way to bring some sort of production out of Watson.

Chicago Bears

By no means is Chicago a sure-fire Super Bowl contender. I do think they have the pieces to be a serious playoff contender and even in a weak NFC conference anything can happen. Caleb Williams has all the tools needed to perform in Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore, D’Andre Swift and two stud tackles. Regarding the defensive the Bears locked down cornerback Jaylon Johnson earlier this year. 

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Are the 49ers Exploring Trades for Aiyuk?

As of today, the 49ers front office is denying that they are exploring trades for Aiyuk. The key word is ‘as of today’ because this very much could change next week. With the 2024 NFL Draft coming next Thursday we could see San Francisco changing its stance and trading away their star receiver during the draft.

If they do entertain trades we can expect San Francisco to want a decent haul in return. This could include multiple draft picks in this year’s draft. Look no further than the Stefon Diggs trade for what to expect for Aiyuk.

The Bills shipped Diggs to Houston for a 2025 2nd-round pick, a 2025 5th-round pick and a 2024 6th-round pick. I believe a 2024 2nd-round pick and a 2025 mid-round pick could pique the 49ers interest. Especially if the 2nd round pick is high in that round.

Possible Brandon Aiyuk Landing Spots

If you look at the current betting odds for Aiyuk’s next team the Steelers are in the lead at +200. This makes sense as Pittsburgh is in need of more weapons after the departure of Diontae Johnson. The Steelers have the 20th pick in the first round and they could offer this for Aiyuk.

Another team to watch is the Washington Commanders. Washington is also in need of receivers and Aiyuk has ties to the new front office. Commanders GM Adam Peters drafted Aiyuk in 2020 and knows him well. Washington would then have to pay Aiyuk but they have plenty of cap space. The only hesitation I have to this scenario is the Commanders would have two high-paid receivers. Terry McLaurin has two more years left on his contract and has a cap hit of $24 million this year.

Then of course there is the Jayden Daniels connection. If you believe the rumors that the Commanders plan on drafting Daniels with the 2nd pick then pairing him with his former Arizona St. receiver makes sense. For the record, I do believe Daniels is the pick for Washington as outlined in my latest mock draft.

There will be plenty of chatter between now and the draft on Aiyuk’s future with the 49ers. If he is indeed traded I expect it to come next weekend.

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Buffalo Bills: This is the Bills team we all know and love. Josh Allen to Stefon Diggs and a defense that makes enough stops to keep the other team at bay. Miami had a chance to make a statement but they just couldn’t stop Allen.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Is this Baker Mayfield‘s resurgence with an NFL team. He has proven that he wants to stay and has the Bucs at an impressive 3-1 record.

San Francisco 49ers: 49ers are arguably the best coached team and have the best defense in the league. They also have Christian McCaffrey who ran for three touchdowns on Sunday. They face a tough Dallas D this weekend.

Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys D has been very formidable this year only second to the 49ers. Once there offense starts clicking, which starts with Prescott, they will be tough to beat.

Stock Down

New York Giants: Brian Daboll might be on the hot seat already. After a very good 2022 season where he took them to the playoffs, they look the complete opposite this year. Daniel Jones is struggling and not having Barkley in the backfield definitely hurts.

New England Patriots: What is wrong with the Patriots? Mac Jones is struggling and their defense is doing much better. This is Bill Belichick’s biggest challenge so far. Right now there is no way they make the playoffs.

Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals were favored to go to the Super Bowl if not win it this year. Something is wrong and it starts with Joe Burrow. There offense has been non-extinct. They also are not a playoff team with the Bills and Chiefs surging ahead. If the Bengals don’t turn it around with a W this weekend, it could be a long season.

Chicago Bears: Matt Eberflus is clearly not the answer at coach. He had some questionable calls on Sunday. Justin Fields hasn’t looked himself which is why I have them trending down.

The post NFL Stock Up/Down Week 4 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Stock Down

New York Jets – Zach Wilson is clearly not the answer at QB for the Jets. But if you ask Robert Saleh, he’s the best option they have. Is he really the best option? I think at this point anybody is better than Zach Wilson, to include Tom Brady or Carson Wentz.

Washington Commanders – Just when you thought the offense was on track and Eric Bieniemy was a genius, the Commander took three steps back. The biggest issue is their offensive line who can’t block anybody. In my opinion, there recipe for success is the run game first, solid D, and then everything else after that. The defense is overrated and after three games really haven’t done anything. We saw this coming though right? The Commanders could easily be 0-3 right if it weren’t for a few plays that went their way. We do have to remember that their QB, basically a rookie, has only started in four games.

Denver Broncos – 70 points, Yes 70 points given up against the Dolphins defense. Does a team even have that many possessions for that to happen? Well in this game the answer is yes. This is totally uncalled for and it’s disaster time in Denver.

Stock Up

Miami Dolphins – Can anybody beat the high flying Dolphins? Right now the answer is NO. But we’re only three games in so we shouldn’t overreact too much. We all know one injury and things can change very quickly. There shooting on all cylinders and will be tough to beat. I am looking forward to the matchup with the Bills.

Buffalo Bills – When the Bills lost to the Zach Wilson led Jets in week 1, some were worried. I was not as I know the creme always rises to the top. They played a lackluster Commanders team and had 19 sacks. On the other side of the ball, Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs appear to have left off where they were last year. Teams know where the ball is going, and still can’t stop that duo, similar to the Mahomes/Kelce connection in Kansas City.

Kansas City Chiefs – Maybe Taylor Swift in the suite helped the Chiefs and Travis Kelce this weekend. Whatever happened, they appear to be just fine. We should expect them to be where they should be at the end of the season.

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Studs

Tua Tagovailoa/Tyreek Hill – We knew the Dolphins and Chargers had the potential to be high scoring and that’s just what we got. This dynamic duo could not be stopped as Hill hauled in 11 receptions for 215 yards and totaled 39 FP in Half PPR. Tagovailoa had a league high 466 yards including 3 passing touchdowns for a total of 28.1 FP. If Tagovailoa can stay healthy this offense will hum all season long.

Dallas Cowboys D/ST – The Cowboys absolutely dismantled the New York Giants on Sunday night. If you started the Cowboys defense you are likely winning your matchup as they finished with 37 FP. The Giants offense never had a chance to get going as their o-line failed to protect Daniel Jones all night long. This could be a long season for Jones and the Giants if they don’t fix their protection issues.

Brandon Aiyuk – The San Francisco 49ers had another dominating performance this time in Pittsburgh. Aiyuk led the way with 8 receptions on 8 targets. He hauled in 2 receiving touchdowns and had 129 receiving yards on the day. Aiyuk very much looks to be the #1 WR for the 49ers as he had a 28.6% target share. If he can stay consistent and healthy he is in for a big year.

Aaron Jones – Jones was one of our recommended starts in our week 1 start ’em, sit ’em column. He finished as RB1 on the day before he left the game with an apparent hamstring issue. We will have to monitor the hamstring but Jones remains a must-start for the foreseeable future.

Duds

Drake London – We expected London to take the next step in his trajectory for year 2 but he was non-existent on Sunday. London finished with 0 catches on only one target. Don’t bail just yet on him but this opening game dud is not ideal.

Tee Higgins – The entire Bengals offense was stuck in the mud for much of the game vs. Cleveland on Sunday. Credit the Browns defense but these stats don’t look good. Somehow Higgins finished with 0 receptions despite having 8 targets. That is one crazy stat.

Antonio Gibson – Gibson had a day to forget for the Washington Commanders. There was a lot of hype surrounding how Gibson would be utilized in Eric Bieniemy’s offense this year. A costly fumble limited Gibson to just 4 touches on the day. Again don’t bail on Gibson just yet but I wouldn’t be starting him.

Monday Night Football Preview

We have a juicy matchup on tap when the Buffalo Bills visit the New York Jets tonight. For the Bills, you’re obviously starting Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs. Beyond that, I am not yet ready to start James Cook or Dalton Kincaid. The Jets defense is once again loaded and it will be tough sledding for the Bills offense.

On the Jets side of the ball, I am starting Garrett Wilson but sitting Aaron Rodgers. I need to see how this offensive line protects before starting Rodgers. Also, I am staying away from the Jets running backs until I see how they are utilized.

The post 2023-24 Week 1 Fantasy Football Recap appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

The Good

For the most part, the Buffalo Bills roster heading into the 2023-2024 season looks the same. They did lose a key defensive piece in Tremaine Edmunds but were able to bring in Leonard Floyd in free agency. Floyd will help solidify the Bills defense as he finished the last three seasons with at least 9 sacks. Pairing him with the likes of Von Miller, Ed Oliver and Shaq Lawson will give the Bills an elite pass rush. The only real weakness as of now on this defense is at the middle linebacker spot where the Bills will rely on journeyman A.J. Klein.

On the offensive side of the ball, it’s all about Josh Allen. After a rough rookie campaign, Allen has shown he belongs in the elite tier of NFL quarterbacks. Allen has thrown for 4,000+ yards and 35+ touchdowns in the last three seasons and continues to impress with his arm. Allen finished first in total air yards last season with 2,837. The only real concern right now with Allen is the risk of injury. To combat that he has recently stated that he wants to become more of a pocket passer going forward. If the Bills want to win a Super Bowl they have to have Josh Allen healthy and he is starting to realize that.

The Bad

As I eluded to before there are off-the-field distractions that many haunt the Bills going forward. In the blowout loss against the Bengals Stefon Diggs was not happy and let his frustrations be known. This was not the first time Diggs was seen on the sidelines arguing with teammates and it’s something to watch closely. Diggs was also notably absent from the first day of OTA’s which head coach Sean McDermott admitted was concerning. There seems to be some tension behind the scenes between Diggs and the Bills. If they can’t figure out a resolution it could end up derailing their season.

The Prediction

Although the Buffalo Bills will still be in the hunt for the playoffs, I expect them to take a step back next season. The AFC East will be the best division in football and the Bills have the 4th toughest schedule in 2023. According to Vegas, the current projected win total for Buffalo is 10.5 and I think that is spot on. I have the Bills finishing slightly over that with 11 wins. They will once again be in the playoffs but can they finally make a run?

2023 Record: 11-6

The post Buffalo Bills Record Prediction for 2023 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Before we look at next season, let’s take a look at the NFL target leaders from 2022. In the table below are the top 5 leaders in targets from last year. The first four finished in the same exact order in terms of total fantasy points amongst wide receivers (Half PPR). The only anomaly was A.J. Brown who jumped CeeDee Lamb and finished 5th in total fantasy points. Brown finished with 2 more touchdowns and 137 more yards.

2022 NFL Target Leaders

Predicting the Target Leaders for 2023-2024

Looking ahead to next season we can almost guarantee the top 5 target leaders will look different. For instance, in 2021 Cooper Kupp was the NFL target leader by a large margin +22. As we know Kupp suffered a serious ankle injury that cut his 2022 season short. Injuries aren’t the only factor to consider. Quarterback changes, coaching changes, free agency and the NFL Draft are all factors. Let’s now look at who I predict will be the NFL target leaders for next season.

2023 NFL Target Leaders (Projected)

Justin Jefferson will once again be the king of targets. I slotted his targets down but only slightly. This is due to the Minnesota Vikings adding Jordan Addison in the draft. It will take some time to get Addison up to speed but once he’s ready he should be productive in this offense. Also, keep in mind that Adam Thielen is no longer with the team.

Stefon Diggs will make the jump from #4 to #2 overall in targets. I am predicting 14 more targets for Diggs as he and Josh Allen continue to develop their chemistry. If somehow the Buffalo Bills end up grabbing DeAndre Hopkins I may re-adjust Diggs’ total targets.

Tyreek Hill‘s targets will drop but not by much. He will once again be the focal point in the Miami Dolphins offense. One major thing to keep an eye on is the health of Tua Tagovailoa. Can he stay healthy the entire season?

Next up it’s our first newcomer on the list. Garrett Wilson finished just outside the top 5 last year in total targets. Now with the addition of Aaron Rodgers, I expect his numbers to climb. I am not worried about Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb taking targets away. Wilson is the Jets #1 WR and they will continue to lean on him.

Last on the list is the always reliable Travis Kelce. Kelce finished 6th last season in total targets with 152. I expect him to hover around this range again in 2023-2024. The Chiefs no longer have JuJu Smith-Schuster and still lack a true #1 receiver. All that means is more target share for the great tight end.

The post Predicting the NFL Target Leaders for Next Season appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Looking back on his 2022-2023 season, Hopkins played in only 9 games due to a PED suspension. When he returned the Cardinals were hovering around .500 and hoped he would provide a spark. That didn’t happen as Arizona finished the year with a 4-13 record.

When looking at his stats you can understand why Hopkins was frustrated. He had zero big plays over 40+ yards and his longest reception of the year was 33 yards. Moreover, his Air Yards Per Reception was 8.6 which in large part was due to poor quarterback play. Hopkins will be looking to correct that on his next team as determines where to go next. With that let’s take a look at the top landing spots for DeAndre Hopkins.

Las Vegas Raiders

Although the Raiders already have a star wide receiver in Davante Adams, pairing him with Hopkins could be a lethal combo. The Raiders brought in Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason and brought back stud running back Josh Jacobs. Adding Hopkins to this group could push the Raiders to the top of the AFC. Questions still remain on defense as Las Vegas finished towards the bottom of the league last year in total team defense.

Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson was the hottest topic in the NFL this offseason. The Ravens and Jackson finally came to terms on a long-term deal, locking up their franchise quarterback. They also made a splash at the wide receiver position by bringing in Odell Beckham Jr. for a hefty price. They should still bring in another receiver as OBJ will be rusty and is coming back after a significant ACL injury.

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills championship window is now and they need to push all their chips to the center of the table. This is why I believe Deandre Hopkins will eventually end up in Buffalo. Adding him to the mix and pairing him with Stefon Diggs could be exactly what gets Buffalo its first Super Bowl title. If I am Brandon Beane, I am doing everything in my power to make this happen. If you want to win championships you have to take risks (see the 2022 LA Rams) and grabbing Hopkins is a risk worth taking.

The post Top 3 Landing Spots for DeAndre Hopkins appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

QB Fraud Of The Week: Derek Carr 4.58 FP

137 Passing Yards, 2 Interceptions, 4 Carries, 11 Rushing Yards (Projected: 16.52 FP)

Derek Carr somehow lost to a QB that only learned the playbook on the plane ride to Los Angeles. The Raiders QB struggled mightily against the Los Angeles Rams defense. The second half looked terrible for him as he struggled to even get first downs with the talent he has. It was a bummer if you started him in your fantasy team. He will face a tough New England defense next week so let’s see if he will bounce back.

RB Fraud Of The Week: Travis Etienne 3.20 FP

17 Carries, 32 Rushing Yards (Projected: 12.75 FP)

Travis Etienne struggled on the ground again as he only had 32 rushing yards on 17 carries. His last three games have amounted to 89 total rushing yards and he hasn’t been the same ever since the bye. The Jags were lucky as they had Trevor Lawrence playing really well on the passing game. Etienne will have a tough stretch to end to the season as he faces teams with good defenses.

WR Fraud Of The Week: Stefon Diggs 6.70 FP

3 Receptions, 37 Receiving Yards (Projected: 22.54 FP)

The New York Jets did their job defending Stefon Diggs. The secondary limited him to his worst performance of the year as Diggs caught three passes for just 37 yards. The conditions of the game were ugly as the elements limited the Bills to just 130 passing yards. Look for Buffalo to bounce back against Miami in Week 15.

TE Fraud Of The Week: Mark Andrews 3.70 FP

2 Receptions, 17 Receiving Yards (Projected: 14.35 FP)

Mark Andrews has been on the down ever since the bye week. Andrews caught two balls for just 17 yards. The Ravens focused on the run game more as they ran for 215 yards while throwing for just 94 yards. With Lamar Jackson possibly being out for a bit, it will be difficult to gauge Mark Andrews’ performance going forward.

DEF/ST Fraud Of The Week: Tennessee Titans -4 FP

35+ Points Allowed (Projected: 9.08 FP)

The Tennessee Titans defense had no answer for Trevor Lawrence. Trevor threw for 368 yards and the offense scored 36 points in a win that keeps them in the hunt for the playoffs. The Titans were a big disappointment in this upset loss.

Thanks for reading! You can look forward to this series until the end of the season. You can check out the last installment of FRAUDS Of Week 13.

The post FRAUDS Of Week 14 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Guess who’s back? Yes, Baker Mayfield, who might start against the Rams. Unfortunately, not even Baker can save the Rams in this game. Raiders are hot on both sides of the ball, and are clicking on all levels.

Prediction: Raiders 24 Rams 13

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills (-9.5)

Buffalo is a very tough place to play even if your the New York Jets. Mike White has been playing well, but I think the Buffalo D will be too much this week. Interesting matchup to watch: Stefon Diggs vs Sauce Gardner. Sauce has gone up against all the best wide receivers in the league, and has been pretty successful. In this game though, I like Diggs to score at least one TD and have 75 yards or more.

Prediction: Bills 27 Jets 20

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals (-6)

Cleveland picked a bad time to play the Bengals. The Bengals fresh off a great win over the Chiefs, are looking as dominant as ever. As well as they’ve been playing, Joe Mixon should be back this week which will give them that extra boost. On the Cleveland side of the ball, Deshaun Watson looked well, rusty, and if it wasn’t for the defense they would of lost.

Prediction: Bengals 31 Browns 13

Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys (-16)

One team is playing for the #1 draft pick, and the other is playing for the #1 seed. The Dallas defense has been exceptional and on the offensive side of the ball, they will put up big numbers this week! Expect them to be up by so much, they rest Dak and put Cooper Rush in.

Prediction: Dallas 38 Houston 7

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions (-2)

This matchup is very intriguing as both teams have a lot to play for. The Vikings are looking to keep pace with the Eagles, while the Lions are fighting for a playoff spot. The Lions have been playing well led by their true player coach Dan Campbell. This game will come down to a last minute field goal by the Vikings. Even though Detroit is at home, I like the Vikings in this one.

Prediction: Minnesota 24 Lions 21

Philadelphia Eagles (-7) at New York Giants

The Eagles are a complete team on both sides of the ball. The Giants started out hot and have struggled as of late. I think the Eagles win, but not as much as one would think. New York is fighting to stay in the playoff picture after an uninspiring tie last week against Washington.

Prediction: Philly 30 New York 24

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.5)

No Lamar most likely in this one. Tyler Huntley will step in and play well as a dual threat QB. The Ravens got “lucky” last week with a one point win, and I think this week they put away the Steelers. Mark Andrews is due to come back and I think that’s good for Tyler Huntley. He will most likely be running or dumping it to Andrews out in space.

Prediction: Ravens 20 Steelers 17

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans (-4)

The Titans got exposed last week against the Eagles and embarrassed. Their “star” WR put up big numbers on his old team and it provided to be too much for Tennessee. In this game they will be too much for the Jaguars who will have a hurt QB and Trevor Lawrence. Derek Henry will run well in this game along with Ryan Tannehill leading their offense.

Prediction: Titans 24 Jaguars 17

Kansas City Chiefs (-9.5) at Denver Broncos

Two teams going in opposite directions. The Denver Broncos seems to be dysfunctional right now led by their high profile QB Russell Wilson. The Chiefs will be too much this week even playing in the altitude. Look for Mahomes to have 4 touchdowns passes.

Prediction: Chiefs 37 Broncos 14

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers (-3.5)

What will the 49ers look like in Brock Purdy’s first start under center? In the game last week, he looked good leading the 49ers to a win over the Dolphins. It’s one thing though to come in during the game, and its another to start a game and then be consistent. Its a different mindset. Tampa Bay narrowly escaped a victory last week with some Brady magic. The Bucs have struggled this year scoring which is surprising looking at the talent they have on that side of the ball. In this game, the 49ers will prevail and it’s the defense that will lead them to victory.

Prediction: 49ers 21 Bucs 16

Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks (-3.5)

Everybody remember Sam Darnold? Well, he will be starting this week against the Seahawks. Carolina is coming off a bye but the Seahawks will be too much for them, especially in Seattle. Seattle also has a lot to play for as they want to stay in the top 7 in the NFC.

Prediction: Seattle 27 Panthers 17

Miami Dolphins (-3) at Los Angeles Chargers

The red hot Dolphins ran into a buzzsaw last week against the formidable San Francisco 49ers. I think they have bad taste in their mouth, and take care of the Chargers in LA. Look for Tyreek Hill to have a big game!

Prediction: Dolphins 30 Chargers 20

New England Patriots (-1.5) at Arizona Cardinals

The well coached Patriots are going up against a fairly healthy Cardinals club. Kyler Murray is coming off a great start and had a week to rest. Between Deandre Hopkins and James Connor at running back, the Cardinals will win a close one in Arizona.

Prediction: Cardinals 21 Patriots 17

Week 13 Record 13-1-1

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