Fallout from 3 Big Veteran Signings!

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• Texans sign former Browns RB Nick Chubb to a one-year, $2.5M deal worth up to $5M for the 2025 season

  • This would have been a blockbuster deal two offseasons ago, but coming off a second-straight year muddled by injuries and entering his age-29 season, it’s hard to figure that Chubb will play any kind of fantasy relevant role besides being a potential early-down handcuff to Joe Mixon. Chubb spent the majority of the beginning of this offseason in limbo with the Browns, who faced the decision of whether or not to retain the franchise’s third-leading rusher for another year in Cleveland. After a few months as a free agent, it became clear that whatever role Chubb landed in wouldn’t be a starting one in the NFL, and he brings more presence in the locker room than on the field to Houston in 2025 at this point. Just as fantasy managers shouldn’t be swinging for Chubb in late rounds – Dameon Pierce still figures to be the favorite for the number two job – they also shouldn’t let the addition of Chubb scare them off drafting Joe Mixon. Mixon tallied nearly 300 touches despite playing just 14 games in 2024, and he’s slated to reprise that role in the Texans backfield once again this year barring injury. At the end of the day, the complexion of the backfield remains largely unchanged – but don’t rule out a token feel-good touchdown or two for Chubb in games where the Texans are well ahead or distantly trailing.

• Steelers sign former Jets and Packers QB Aaron Rodgers to a one-year deal worth up to $19.5M with $10M guaranteed

  • The inevitable is officially official as of last Friday, with the Steelers finally locking down a real starting quarterback with just three months to go until kickoff for the regular season. Of course, Rodgers is as seasoned a veteran as there is available in the league today, rivaled only by one Joe Flacco in Cleveland. He’ll be an upgrade over longtime Steelers backup QB Mason Rudolph and elevates the fantasy prospects of recently acquired WR D.K. Metcalf, who will likely land squarely within the mid-high WR2 ranks with this development. What the WR situation looks like behind Metcalf is anyone’s guess, but there’s at least the potential that we see a real contributor emerge from the fray with a capable QB like Rodgers around to support whoever that could be. As a fantasy QB himself, Rodgers is nothing more than a borderline startable fantasy QB and is best served starting in lineups that require a second QB or on benches as a bye-week replacement. In an offense as run-heavy as the Steelers have deployed under Arthur Smith, we could reasonably see Rodgers throwing at an uncharacteristically low rate this season – meaning any fantasy relevance could be dependent on efficiency. Make no mistake, though – the addition of Rodgers raises the both the bottom line and ceiling on this Pittsburgh offense.

• Colts HC Shane Steichen neglects to put a timetable on QB Anthony Richardson’s potential return to action as he battles his shoulder injury

  • Anthony Richardson’s camp battle against Daniel Jones for the Colts’ starting job still has yet to get off the ground thanks to a shoulder ailment that continues to raise concerns around the third-year signal caller’s status for 2025. When pressed for a potential timeline on Richardson’s return, Steichen reiterated that he had no such thing to provide the media as we get further into the offseason. Richardson may very well be the better quarterback between himself and Daniel Jones, and he might deserve the starting job, too – but if he’s not able to take any practice reps or even see the field, the battle for QB1 will be over before it even started. In the meantime, Daniel Jones has been taking the starting reps for Indy and the drumbeat is only growing louder for him to be the starter by the time Week 1 rolls around. No matter which way you flip the coin, the resumes for both quarterbacks from a fantasy perspective don’t necessarily inspire confidence for the Colts’ pass catchers: Richardson has only thrown the ball more than 20 times in a handful of games in his career, and Daniel Jones has yet to support a top-36 fantasy WR over the course of a full season. For Anthony Richardson’s dynasty managers, though, it’s officially a code red as injuries have been more of a plague than a trend as his career as a starter remains on life support.

• Broncos sign former Chargers and Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins to a one-year deal worth $5.25M

  • Deep breaths, R.J. Harvey managers – this signing might cause some alarm on the surface, but there’s no reason to be alarmed, especially in dynasty formats. While Dobbins does figure to eat up some work in the backfield, those stolen reps will be coming from players behind Harvey anyway – which will allow Harvey’s much anticipated work in the passing game to go untouched. Dobbins can be a late round flier/handcuff for teams looking to capitalize on the value of Sean Payton’s backfields, but outside of that, the value in Denver lies squarely with Harvey, who projects to have the most fantasy-friendly role as the pass catching back.

Can Travis Etienne reclaim the Jags backfield and be a fantasy RB1 again with Liam Coen?

Last year in Liam Coen’s offense with the Buccaneers, the backfield was ambiguous between Rachaad White (a less efficient back) and Bucky Irving (a more efficient back). We all know how that ended – Bucky Irving wound up taking over and finished as a league winner. Fast forward to the present, and the Jacksonville backfield is wide open for the taking. Travis Etienne was a top-5 fantasy just two seasons ago, and as the RB38 off the board in the 10th round, the margin for error is huge for those who bite the bullet and take a shot at his upside.

Is there a chance that Jaylen Waddle could overtake Tyreek Hill as the Dolphins WR1?

Tyreek Hill sputtered to his worst fantasy finish of his career in a year where he played at least 15 games, notching a finish outside the Top-15 and failing to crack 1000 yards in 2024. However, it wasn’t only Hill who struggled – Jaylen Waddle finished with the lowest fantasy output of his four year career, as well. That was with Tua Tagovailoa missing significant time, but even in games where Tua was healthy, Hill wasn’t the same elite WR1 we’ve become accustomed to seeing him be. Remember, Waddle had 100 receptions his rookie year, so the target earning prowess is there. Could he actually overtake the now 31-year old Tyreek Hill?

Is there a world where Xavier Worthy becomes the third or fourth target in the Chiefs offense?

Worthy finished the season strong in Kansas City, dominating late in the year and in the playoffs to put himself on the map in fantasy drafts. However, with Rashee Rice around along with Marquise Brown and Travis Kelce, the receiving room is much more crowded than the wide open one that Worthy dominated in 2024. Rashee will be the unquestioned No. 1 when he returns, which could be week 1, but that role as the second target in the offense very well could belong to Hollywood or even Travis Kelce. Andy Reid will find ways to involve Worthy, but the potential risk far outweigh the reward.