Fantasy Football Cheatsheets & Rankings

The Facts: Bridgewater could have potentially taken this show somewhere else this offseason, maybe to a place where these reasons that make him worth keeping around would have added up to him leading a team of his own instead of opting for a second year as Brees’ backup. But Bridgewater employed the long view. Even if he does not ultimately succeed Drew Brees, he sees Year 2 in New Orleans as being a sort of quarterback graduate school with the added benefit of an enjoyable study environment. “This is the best opportunity for me to grow as a player,” Bridgewater said. Reported by the New Orleans Times-Picayune

Diehards Line: Bridgewater chose to remain with the Saints over his hometown Miami Dolphins during free agency. His experience last season was akin to a months-long cram session. New Orleans acquired Bridgewater the day before its final preseason game. The offense had long been installed, and Bridgewater was forced to soak up as much of the playbook as he could while the team’s focus was almost exclusively centered on game-planning. As offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael put it, Bridgewater was not afforded “a starting point.” That much has changed, and everyone involved — his teammates, his coaches and Bridgewater himself — are eager to see what emerges after Bridgewater has spent a full offseason developing an intimate knowledge of what the Saints do offensively.

The Facts: Gould and the 49ers remain in a holding pattern, and Gould said the only motivating factor at this stage of his NFL career is his family. Gould expected to be a free agent at the end of the season, but the 49ers tagged him as their franchise player. Gould has requested a trade, but the 49ers have stated they will not trade him. He has yet to sign the one-year, $4.971 million tender, and he remained away from the 49ers during the offseason program. Reported by NBCBayArea.com

Diehards Line: Gould, 36, spent most of the 2018 season away from his wife and three young boys while serving his second season as the 49ers’ kicker. He signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the 49ers on the first day of free agency in 2017. Gould has deep roots in Chicago, where he spent the first 11 seasons of his NFL career. The Bears released Gould just prior to the start of the regular season in 2016. The move came back to haunt them, as Gould made 72 of 75 field-goal attempts the past two seasons with the 49ers. “It’s a complicated situation,” Gould said. “The way I’ve kind of approached it is, I want to spend time with my family. And I let my agent handle it, and if anything comes up that I have to make a decision or be in the know, he’ll call me and let me know. But right now there’s nothing to really know, and I’m just enjoying being home and being in Chicago. I’m at a point in my career where my family is what’s going to dictate the decisions that I make.” The 49ers have stated they would like to sign Gould to an extension. The sides have until July 15 to work out a new multi-year deal. Gould’s scheduled salary does not begin paying him until Week 1 of the regular season -- in the amount of more than $290,000 per week.

The Facts: While the incoming coaching staff has been impressed with Winston's overall body of work, cutting down on interceptions will, indeed, be a focus -- “that’s a fact," QBs coach Clyde Christensen said. "We have to eliminate them.” Reported by SI.com

Diehards Line: Breaking down the tape, Christensen was able to categorize Winston’s mistakes. Most involved his aggressive nature. Some were a result of being down a couple scores late. Others were forced balls downfield. And others still came down to judgment. “Andrew Luck was the same thing. It’s hard—those guys, they just don’t give up on a play,” Christensen said, who worked with Luck in Indianapolis. “It’s hard for [Winston] to give up on a play, and that’s the hardest thing to teach." A area that Christensen and Winston have already done a lot of work on is wayward throws that simply wind up getting picked off. As the coach sees it, a lot of inaccuracy is caused by bad or sloppy technique, and so the Bucs really drilled down on the fundamentals over the spring. Again, Christensen still sees everything that made Winston the first pick in the draft four years ago. And at the same time, he remembers arriving in Tampa a generation ago with Tony Dungy, and how Trent Dilfer’s career went sideways because so many things went wrong around him. That’s given Christensen perspective on what it’ll take to get the most out of Winston—and how it’s the new staff’s job to create the right environment for their quarterback, which starts with a system they think fits him to a T. Time will tell if results show up accordingly.

The Facts: No NFL player has ever generated 2,000 receiving yards in a single season. If Cooper has his way, that will change in the NFL’s 100th season. Cooper tells PFTPM on Monday that his goal for his first full season in Dallas is 2,000 yards. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: His best season came in 2016, with 1,153 receiving yards. However, his 725 yards in nine games with Dallas last season after a trade from Oakland translates to 1,288 over the course of a full year. And that’s an impressive feat, given that he had to learn a new offense on the fly. Also impressive is the fact that Cooper had games of 180 yards and 217 yards last season. If he can do that more often, he can pile up a lot of yardage. He needs to average 125 per game to get to 2,000. Is that unrealistic? Sure. But an unrealistic goal sometimes pushes a player to achieve more than he ever would if the goal was more realistic. So if Cooper wants 2,000 yards but gets something like 1,500, that would still be a great year.

The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... Hill will meet with NFL investigators in Kansas City this week, multiple sources told Yahoo Sports. Reported by Yahoo! Sports

Diehards Line: A few weeks ago, the Johnson County district attorney stated publicly that the criminal child abuse case involving Hill, who is still suspended from all team activities, is no longer active. The NFL has not ruled on the case, as commissioner Roger Goodell essentially said the league would not “interfere” with that until the child protective services investigation involving the family concludes. However, the fact the NFL is expected to meet with Hill this week is an indication a ruling from the league could be on the horizon. Hill is expected to be joined by his legal team for the meeting, and it could set the stage for him to potentially be ready to suit up for training camp, which starts in late July.

The Facts: Two problems have worked against Mariota to this point in his career—and one hasn’t been much within his control: Lack of continuity in his coaches. The second problem of Mariota’s is more complicated—his durability. “The thing I’ve stressed to him, and I know our coaches have stressed to him is, 'Let’s live to play another play,'” GM Jon Robinson said. “'It’s OK to punt, we’ll get another crack at it.' That’s the main thing, it’s stressing to him—to try as best as possible, like all quarterbacks do, to avoid getting hit.” Reported by SI.com

Diehards Line: Mariota has only missed eight games over his career, and just four over the last three years, and he’s been plenty tough, but he always seems to be playing through something. Last year it was a nerve issue that would be disconcerting for any football player, and cost him three starts and kept him out of two games all together. He and the organization are walking a tightrope that’s been well-worn in the NFL over the last couple decades, trying to maximize a superior athlete at the most important position on the field without compromising his availability or career longevity. HC Mike Vrabel, OC Arthur Smith, Robinson and the rest of the Titans brass want a multiple offense that can threaten a defense in every way. So figuring out where to pull the trigger and where to pull back with Mariota—who ran a 4.4 40 at the 2015 combine—as a runner is one challenge. Mariota learning when to use his wheels and when not to in broken-play situations is another. It will be a point of emphasis again when training camp opens.

The Facts: The Chiefs believe Hill could be suspended as early as next month according to Nate Taylor of The Athletic. Reported by The Athletic

Diehards Line: In case you haven't been following alongk, the Chiefs barred Hill from participating in offseason activities in the wake of child abuse allegations. It looks like he will avoid criminal charges unless further evidence emerges. While the expectation is that Hill will be reinstated ahead of next month's training camp, a suspension for violating the league's code of conduct remains a distinct possibility. As the Redzone.org suggests, Hill could be facing a punishment similar to the eight-game ban Kareem Hunt received for a domestic violence incident last year. ... We'll continue to watch for more.

The Facts: McCoy, entering his 11th NFL season and fifth in Buffalo, is ready to bounce back after rushing for 514 yards and three touchdowns on 161 carries last season. “It’s hard to replace a guy like me,” McCoy said. “I’m a good player and I feel like now, this year, they put a lot of guys around me. The front office got me some big hogs up front. And we’ll see what happens this year. I feel good and hopefully this year will speak for itself.” Reported by PennLive.com

Diehards Line: The Bills gave McCoy, who turns 31 in July and coming off the lowest rushing yardage total of his pro career, a serious vote of confidence following the 2018 campaign as GM Brandon Beane told reporters at his season-ending press conference that McCoy was “part of our plan” and that McCoy would “come back in 2019.” With McCoy entering the final year of the five-year, $40 million deal he signed with Buffalo in 2015, the Bills added to their stable of running backs by signing NFL veteran Frank Gore and 25-year-old T.J. Yeldon who spent four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Buffalo also drafted Florida Atlantic product Devin Singletary in the third round (No. 74 overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. McCoy been impressed with the 36-year-old Gore who enters his 15thNFL season. He wants to be a productive player into his 30s just as Gore has been. The good news for fantasy owners is you won't have to pay up for McCoy, who currently has a ninth-round ADP, this summer.

The Facts: Plenty of eyebrows were raised when the Colts signed Funchess to a one-year, $10 million contract this offseason. But HC Frank Reich sees no reason to believe his team overpaid. “We knew right away, you could tell day one that he was smart," Reich said. "[He was] not going to have a problem grasping the system. Then it’s just a question of getting used to the way we do things, the way we teach things and then our schemes. I just thought he showed a very high aptitude for that. Then really as a route runner, for a big guy for his size we’ve said he’s got good feet and he’s got good body control. So I was just really encouraged by his progress.” Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Funchess was seen as something of an underachiever during his four years in Carolina, but the Colts showed last year with Eric Ebron that they’re capable of signing an underachiever and turning him into a big-time contributor. They’ll hope Funchess can do that this year.

The Facts: Michel sat out the team’s minicamp after having arthroscopic surgery on his knee. Michael Giardi of NFL Media reports that Michel is “progressing quickly” after the operation. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Giardi adds that Michel has been running “full tilt,” so it seems like a good bet that he’ll be able to participate in practices once training camp gets underway next month. Michel was a first-round pick last year and led the team with 931 rushing yards. He ran for six touchdowns in the regular season and added six more during the team’s postseason march to a Super Bowl title. We'll continue to watch for more.