Fantasy Football Cheatsheets & Rankings

The Facts: In past offseasons, the Vikings have doled out contract extensions to a handful of players ahead of when their current deals were set to expire. Another Viking who could be in line for an extension this offseason is Thielen. The wide receiver signed a four-year deal worth $19.246 million in 2017, which will earn him around $8 million next season. Thielen's agent, Blake Baratz, indicated a belief that an extension for the two-time Pro Bowl receiver could be reached this offseason and that it wouldn't come via a holdout by Thielen if both parties couldn't come to an agreement. "Adam's not that type of person," Baratz said of the receiver holding out. "I would never condone a player to hold out or be disruptive if it wasn't for a very valid reason, and [what's not] a valid reason, to me, is both sides working in good faith to come to a conclusion that makes sense for everybody." Reported by ESPN.com

Diehards Line: Thielen's record-breaking season and career highs in catches (113), yards (1,373) and touchdowns (9) have lead many, including his representation, to believe he has outplayed his current contract. At the start of last training camp, Diggs inked a five-year deal worth $72 million with a $15 million signing bonus. While it isn't clear whether those figures are what Thielen and his representation are eyeing, a similar deal would put the 28-year-old receiver among the top 10 highest paid at his position. "In a perfect world, we'd like to get something done," Baratz said. ... We'll be watching for more on that as the offseason progresses.

The Facts: The Rams insisted Gurley was healthy for the postseason, but he got just 14 carries in the conference championship and Super Bowl combined, leading many to speculate what HC Sean McVay's plan was. Anderson shed some light on what he knew about the situation, including Gurley's knee. Fox Sports 1's "Undisputed" host Skip Bayless asked Anderson, "How hurt was Todd when you got there?" "He was more hurt than what we thought," Anderson replied. "The injury was a little bit more than what everybody in the building thought, including himself." Reported by USA Today

Diehards Line: Turns out that right up until the morning of their Week 16 game against the Cardinals, McVay expected Gurley to play, but he was made inactive, giving the reins to newly-signed Anderson. Gurley missed the season finale as well. Bayless asked if he'd call it a "sprained knee," and while Anderson said Gurley didn't tell him exactly what the injury was, he indicated that's what it was. "Yeah, he'd never really tell me. It was tough. I would say sprained knee," Anderson said. In case you missed it, McVay and the Rams called the issue knee inflammation, which can be a lingering issue and result from a heavy workload, which Gurley's had the last two years. No player in the NFL has more touches than him since the start of 2017, so he's taken a pounding the past two seasons. It should be noted there have been no reports of surgery, so the issue could be resolving itself with rest and rehab. That said, we'll be watching for more.

The Facts: Sanders has no interest in restructuring his contract. Responding to a tweet from a Denver radio station speculating whether the team should do just that, Sanders responded, “It ain’t happening. No way Jose.” Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Sanders, 31, tore his Achilles’ tendon in a Dec. 5 practice. He is scheduled to count $12.94 million against the salary cap in the final year of his deal. The Broncos face a March 12 deadline to exercise Sanders’ option for 2019, which would trigger a $1.5 million full guarantee of his salary, Mike Klis of News9 reports. Sanders may mean he won’t take a pay cut. The Broncos can save $10.25 million by cutting Sanders, leaving only $2.687 million in dead money, according to overthecap.com. In 12 games last season, Sanders made 71 receptions for 868 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass.

The Facts: Bruce Arians is bringing back one of his favorite ball carriers. Ellington, a running back who previously played for Arians in Arizona, has signed a contract to play for Arians again in Tampa Bay. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: The Cardinals drafted Ellington in 2013, Arians’ first season as their head coach. He had a surprisingly successful rookie season, carrying 118 times for 652 yards and adding 39 catches for 371 yards. He then became the Cardinals’ primary ball carrier in 2014 and again topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage. Ellington struggled after that and was waived during the 2017 season. He did not play at all in 2018, but Arians will see if he can help Ellington revive his career in 2019.

The Facts: The Jaguars signed kicker Josh Lambo to a four-year extension last week, a deal that included $6.5 million guaranteed. With Lambo signed long term, the Jaguars don’t need another kicker. Thus, Jacksonville cut Forbath, the team announced Tuesday. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Forbath, 31, appeared in three games for the Jaguars in 2018 when Lambo was injured. He converted 4 of 5 field goals and all three extra point attempts. In seven seasons, Forbath has played for four teams. He has made 85.7 percent of his career field goal attempts and 94 percent of his extra points.

The Facts: Following up on a previous item. ... Gronkowski has been spending time at Gillette Stadium recently, but there’s been no word yet on whether he’ll continue to spend time there as an active player during the 2019 season. Gronkowski said after Super Bowl LIII that he’d make a call on playing another season in a week or two. It’s been a couple of weeks since the Patriots beat the Rams and Gronkowski’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said on Tuesday that a call will take a little more time. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: “He’s thinking it through, he’s giving it a lot of thought … I imagine a decision will happen in the next couple of weeks,” Rosenhaus said on ESPN. Gronkowski’s contract calls for him to make a base salary of $9 million in 2019. The Patriots have added incentives to his deal in the last couple of years and could do the same if he does return for a 10th season with the team.

The Facts: Following up on a previous item. ... DeVante Parker? All but gone. Danny Amendola? Iffy to stay. Even Kenny Stills could be at risk, with $4 million in cap savings if he’s cut. Then there’s Wilson, who’s got the most job security of any Dolphins receiver, and perhaps any Dolphin -- period. Assuming he has no setbacks from last fall’s hip injury, you can pencil Wilson in as a Week 1 starter. Reported by the Miami Herald

Diehards Line: So wrote Herald staffer Adam H. Beasley, who also reminded readers that Wilson was the Dolphins’ most explosive receiver (15 yards per catch) a year ago. And his contract — he would cost more against the cap to cut than keep — makes it a no-brainer. Then there’s this: His new position coach, Karl Dorrell, is a huge fan. “He was pretty dynamic wasn’t he?” Dorrell said recently. “He’s a very unique player. I’m really excited about him. .... I hear he’s doing a really good job with the recovery process but you could tell when he was on the field, he had a number of ways to affect the defense and to make the defense really pay attention to where he is and things like that.” Another plus in Wilson’s column? He fits into Brian Flores’ team-first philosophy. Wilson’s size -- 5-9, 201 -- won’t be held against him either. Dorrell said he does not stick to prototypes, but rather likes a good mix of size and speed. And Wilson has that.

The Facts: The Giants brought back one of their own Tuesday, keeping a solid role-player. According to Matt Lombardo of NJ.com, the Giants have re-signed Simonson to a new one-year deal. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: He’d have been an unrestricted free agent, but found a niche in New York after bouncing on and off rosters and practice squad. He has spent time with the Raiders and Panthers, and played in all 16 games for the Giants last year, registering nine of his 10 career receptions, including his first touchdown.

The Facts: Following up on a previous item. ... Ravens OC Greg Roman said earlier this month that the team is redefining their entire offensive approach and tailoring it to Jackson as he prepares to entire his second NFL season as a starter. Roman repeated that during a press conference on Tuesday and expanded his thoughts to say that a “powerful” offensive line is a must for them to be successful. He also outlined a couple of areas where Jackson has to improve on his rookie performance. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: The coordinator called ball security a “big emphasis” and expressed confidence that Jackson will take care of that problem. The other is throwing the football and Roman said he’s seen growth from Jackson on that front that leaves him feeling the “sky’s the limit” for future progress. “Lamar has a unique skill set,” Roman said. “Just like any young guy, he’s gonna develop. As far as him throwing the football, we feel great about it. We saw a lot of improvement last year throughout the season and, really, he’s only going to get better from here. ..." In addition, Roman said Jackson has been his own “harshest critic” heading into the offseason and has a “great plan” in place to improve in 2019. He didn’t outline what’s involved with that plan, but said the team will see how it has unfolded when their workouts begin in April.

The Facts: Following up on a previous item. ... The Cardinals announced that they have signed Clay to a one-year deal. No financial terms of the deal were announced, but Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the deal is worth up to $3.25 million and includes a $350,000 signing bonus. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Clay was released by the Bills earlier this month in a move that saved Buffalo $4.5 million in cap space. Clay had 21 catches for 184 yards in 13 appearances for the Bills last season after averaging over 56 catches and 600 yards per season over the previous five years. The Cardinals will be looking for something closer to those five seasons with Clay joining a tight end group that also includes Ricky Seals-Jones and Jermaine Gresham.