Fantasy Football Cheatsheets & Rankings

The Facts: The Giants came close to trading receiver Beckham last year. And then they didn’t trade him. So what happened? As Chris Simms explained on Monday’s PFT Live, New England’s interest in Beckham ultimately caused the Giants to think twice. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Noting that New England was "aggressively" pursuing Beckham, were willing to give up significant trade compensation and then cough up a significant second contract even though he’d never previously played for the Patriots, Sims and PFT's Mike Florio went on to suggest the Giants should be more inclined to keep him around. The Patriots apparently were banking on Beckham thriving, with coach Bill Belichick, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and quarterback Tom Brady providing the kind of structure, support, and (ultimately) success that would have kept Beckham from engaging in periodic outbursts fundamentally fueled by a burning desire to win. Regardless, New England’s interest was enough to get the Giants to trade Beckham to no one last year. Whether that could change this year remains to be seen. ... And we'll be watching for that.

The Facts: Smith was sidelined with a gruesome injury in Week 11 when he suffered a compound leg fracture and then incurred an elongated hospital stay due to infections. Many believe Smith will not be able to quarterback the Redskins in 2019 and questions abound as to whether the team's starter will come from free agency or the NFL Draft. However, Washington VP of player personnel Doug Williams isn't ready to dispel hopes of Smith playing for his team in the upcoming season. "[We are] also waiting to see what really happens with Alex Smith," Williams said. "I mean, I know a lot of people's counting him out, but you're talking about a guy that's been working all his life and you never know what's gonna happen." Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: Williams was asked as to what route Washington would travel to solve its quarterbacking quandary. More than anything else, Williams stressed patience in the approach as it's still just February. "I think once we sit down and meet with all the coaches and all the staff, which is supposed to start next week, [we will start] getting into the free agent[s] and looking at the board as to who's out there and who might possibly be out there," he said. ... The Redskins traded the Chiefs for Smith in the offseason and he started 10 games with Washington going 6-4. He threw for 2,180 yards and 10 touchdowns. Following his injury, the Redskins handed the starting reins to Colt McCoy (who also broke his lower leg), Mark Sanchez and finally Josh Johnson. Johnson and Sanchez were each signed after Smith and McCoy fell to injuries in consecutive weeks. McCoy has one year remaining on his Redskins deal while Sanchez and Johnson are unrestricted free agents.

The Facts: I think the more Brown tweets, the more he scares off potential suitors. (That's not just something I think. In the case of one team, it's something I know.) Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: So wrote NBCSports.com's Peter King after Brown held a question-and-answer session with his Twitter followers over the weekend. As King suggests, it wasn't the kind of thing NFL coaches and front office people like to see. As Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio suggested, that might be Brown's aim: He might want to damage his own trade value in an attempt to get the Steelers to release him, rather than trade him. If he gets traded, he's stuck with the team that trades for him. If he's released, he can negotiate a new contract with the team of his choosing. Florio added: "No one denies Brown's talent, but the combination of his off-field behavior, his issues in the locker room, and his enormous contract may make him tough to trade. A lot of teams just aren't going to be interested, even if the price is a seventh-round pick. ..." Stay tuned.

The Facts: Kliff Kingsbury echoed his general manager when it came to the idea of Kyler Murray speculation and the Arizona Cardinals -- “It comes with the territory,” Kingsbury said – as the coach Friday morning continued to analyze Rosen as his starter for 2019. “[Rosen] needs to understand we are in this together and I want him to know he kind of has the keys to the castle and let’s build this deal as a group,” Kingsbury said. “Make sure he is comfortable with what we are doing, if he doesn’t like something that is going on with this offense or the way I’m coaching it, let’s talk about it and come up with the best answer. When (the QBs) have that type of ownership, it goes a long way.” Reported by ArizonaCardinals.com

Diehards Line: After saying “Josh is our guy” earlier in the week when meeting with the media, Kingsbury spent time Friday noting the things he likes about Rosen -- and also that his offense shouldn’t be pigeon-holed, not only with the quarterbacks that might be able to run it but also with how it will look overall. With Kingsbury moving his playbook to the NFL, “I don’t think it’ll be as foreign as people are saying.” He also knocked down the idea that there is the perfect quarterback for what he wants to do – a question rooted in the Murray talk – saying he doesn’t need a mobile or fast QB necessarily, just a quarterback who can escape and keep his eyes down the field. Kingsbury noted Tom Brady has shown that ability and Brady certainly isn’t considered mobile. Rosen showed he could move around well enough as a rookie. There still isn’t much communication between the two – because of CBA rules, teams and players cannot talk much about football until April – but Kingsbury discussed again Rosen’s extraordinary arm talent and mental toughness. “Every time I’ve turned on the tape, there is something you like and something you can build with,” Kingsbury said. None of this will quiet the Murray talk, but it's worth noting. ... Also: Rosen was involved in a minor car accident earlier today -- but he's OK, and he even took time to joke about it on social media Sunday, Shane Dale of ABC 13 News reports.

The Facts: It might not mean anything significant as it relates to his career intentions, but with Gronkowski saying he is weighing his football future, he has still shown up at Gillette Stadium multiple times over the past couple of weeks. Reported by ESPN.com

Diehards Line: While he might be visiting Gillette Stadium simply for treatment of his thigh, ESPN.com's Mike Reiss also views his time at the facility as a reflection of his being in a good place with how the season ended, both team-wise and personally. That doesn't guarantee his return in 2019, but it figures to at least be part of his decision-making process on whether to continue his career. Remember: Gronkowski has said he’s going to take some time before he decides whether to keep playing. He will turn 30 in May and has a $9 million base salary this season. ... It's a situation we'll continue watching.

The Facts: Brown has removed from his list of Twitter “likes” one of the two tweets referring to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s history of off-field sexual issues. Brown has replaced that with a tweet that addresses the basis for the apparent hostility between the two men. “No conflict just a matter of respect!” Brown said in response to a fan who asked Brown to explain the basis for his conflict with the quarterback. “Mutual respect! He has a owner mentality like he can call out anybody including coaches. Players know but they can’t say anything about it otherwise they meal ticket gone. It’s a dirty game within a game.” Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: As PFT's Mike Florio notes, the tweet from Brown starts off in a seemingly positive way, but it quickly turns. Brown perceives a lack of respect in Roethlisberger’s willingness to publicly call out teammates, given that they can’t do the same. And Brown clearly views that hypocrisy as “dirty.” The tweet from Brown is the first of what apparently will be 10 answers from the player aimed at disseminating “real truth and real facts.” He’s answering them slowly for now, probably because it’s taking too long to sift through the many sarcastic and mean-spirited responses he surely has received, but another question wondering if his desire for a trade was about getting a new contract, Brown responded: "Not for the money its for the love of the sport! The commitment to win relentlessly consistently passionately! Plus I made 70 million it’s public record not to be cocky just truth! Time to play for my own Team AB84 the family!” If Brown doesn’t want a new contract, his current agreement would be attractive to a new team, at less than $39 million over three years with no guaranteed money. "Of course," Florio summed up, "Brown has every right two say it’s not about money. Until it eventually is about money.

The Facts: When Adam Gase took over as coach of the Dolphins back in 2016, one of the first messages he sent was that he and his staff were committed to Tannehill. New coach Brian Flores has taken a different approach, being noncommittal to Tannehill, the franchise’s starting quarterback since 2012. Flores’ offensive staff tap-danced around Tannehill’s future with the franchise on Friday, hinting that he likely won’t be around in 2019. “The most important thing for our quarterback moving forward, whoever that is, we want great traits in that player,” new OC Chad O’Shea said on Friday. Reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Diehards Line: “Whoever that is” clarifies that Miami is exploring their options, and positioning the franchise to move on from Tannehill, who could either be traded or released in the coming weeks or months. The Dolphins have invested seven seasons developing Tannehill, and the result has been a 42-46 record and a quarterback who threw for 1,979 yards and 17 touchdowns, completing 64.2 percent of his passes to produce a 92.7 passer rating in the 11 games he played last season. However, Tannehill, who has a cumulative passer rating of 87.0, consistently struggles on third downs, and those struggles have stifled the Dolphins’ offense for the six seasons he’s started, no matter who was the team’s offensive play caller. According to Sun-Sentinel staffer Omar Kelly, at this point, players from last year’s Dolphins team have privately expressed their belief that it’s time for the franchise to move on and start fresh with a younger quarterback who has more upside. Even General Manager Chris Grier, who was given final say in the organization this offseason by owner Steve Ross, was non-committal on Tannehill’s future with the franchise, saying he’d wait to hear from Miami’s new coaching staff. ... If the Dolphins decide to move on from Tannehill, who turns 31 in July, the franchise will either trade him, likely for a low-round pick, or release him, possible in March or before the 2019 NFL draft. If Miami can’t trade Tannehill, he’ll likely be released, which would clear $18.75 million in cap space if he’s designated as a June 1 cut. If the Dolphins move on from Tannehill, they’ll either have to sign a veteran to replace him, select a quarterback in the early rounds of the 2019 draft, or use Luke Falk, a 2018 sixth-round pick Miami claimed off the waiver wire last season, or Jake Rudolph, a former St. Thomas Aquinas standout who was signed last month, to serve as the team’s starters. Brock Osweiler and David Fales, two journeymen quarterback who were on Miami’s roster last season, are unrestricted free agents. Their future with the Dolphins remains unclear. ... Stay tuned.

The Facts: Walton will have some legal trouble to sort out this offseason. According to multiple reports, Walton was arrested in Miami. Reports differ on whether he was arrested late Friday night or early Saturday morning, but agree that he faces a charge of battery. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Walton was a fourth-round pick out of the University of Miami last season and served as a backup to Joe Mixon in Cincinnati. He appeared in 14 games, ran 14 times for 34 yards and caught five passes for 41 yards during his rookie season. Walton will face possible league discipline in addition to whatever happens as his case makes its way through the courts in Florida.

The Facts: Johnson has shown his value as a receiver over the years and should have a big part in the passing attack, but OL coach Sean Kugler said the team’s ground game will be a bigger part of the puzzle than some might think. “I think people are going to be surprised by the amount that we do run the ball; it’s a big part of this offense in addition to the screen game,” Kugler said. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Given HC Kliff Kingsbury’s work on the college level, there's been considerable discussion about how he will move the pass-heavy concepts of the Air Raid system to the pros. And while Kugler said the staff is still working out what calls will work best for Johnson, the former Steelers assistant also said he expects to utilize “some of the one-back stuff we did in Pittsburgh with the power and counter and those types of things” as they try to get Johnson going. We'll be watching for more on that as the offseason unfolds.

The Facts: Greg Roman is starting from scratch as he looks for ways to improve the Ravens' offense. "We're literally redefining everything we do as a staff, as a group," Roman said. "Literally, everything: every formation, every route, every run, every route concept. How can we make this offense -- which up until this point has been good -- we're trying to make it as great as we can be." Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: The offensive coordinator said there will be elements from last year's offense. The end results, however, remain to be seen with Jackson fully entrenched as the starter given the pending trade of Joe Flacco to the Denver Broncos. "What's it going to look like?" Roman said. "It's going to look like how our players tell us it should look like. Obviously with Lamar at quarterback, it's going to be tailored towards Lamar." Roman said the Ravens might add run-pass option plays, which should suit Jackson's skill set well. But there are other factors in play in the coming months before the Ravens hit the practice field with installment periods for organized team activities starting in late May given potential personnel turnover. Free agency could see departures, as wide receiver John Brown and running back Alex Collins are eligible to hit the open market, while the NFL Draft will bring in new players. Both factors will play a large role in how Roman goes about installing the offense. ... We'll be watching for more and following up as needed.