2022 Fantasy Football Pro Forecast

The Facts: The 49ers have decided to go with an external candidate to be their next defensive coordinator. San Francisco will hire Steve Wilks for the position, according to NFL Media. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Wilks served as the Panthers interim head coach after Matt Rhule was fired during the 2022 season, compiling a 6-6 record with the club. The 49ers needed a new defensive coordinator after DeMeco Ryans departed the organization to become the Texans head coach. Wilks has previously run a 4-3 base defense, which provides some continuity with what the 49ers were running before. HC Kyle Shanahan previously said he wanted to keep a lot of things similar for 2023 with whoever became the team’s next DC. Wilks spent much of his career as a defensive backs coach, serving in that role for the Bears and Chargers before initially going to the Panthers in 2012. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2017. The Cardinals hired him to be their head coach in 2018 and he was fired after one season. Wilks also served as the Browns defensive coordinator in 2019 and Mizzou’s defensive coordinator in 2021 before going back to the Panthers as their defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach in 2022. The last two 49ers defensive coordinators — Robert Saleh and Ryans — have both left the organization to become head coaches.

The Facts: Win or lose in Super Bowl LVII, the Eagles are expected to begin contract extension talks with Hurts soon. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio at Super Bowl LVII Opening Night on Monday night that Hurts was "just what we're looking for." Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: Asked when negotiations might begin in earnest with Hurts and his agent, Nicole Lynn, Lurie joked, "Certainly not this week." Lurie has a point: There's a big game on Sunday. But it was clear from Lurie's words about the Eagles' 24-year-old quarterback that the team has no reservations about making Hurts the face of the franchise for the foreseeable future -- if he isn't already -- and likely rewarding him with a contract that places him among the highest-paid at his position. "I don't think he has anything to prove (as the quarterback of the future)," Lurie told Paolantonio. "He is an MVP-caliber quarterback, an incredible leader of the team on the field (and) off the field. He's 24 years old, incredibly mature and, most importantly, driven to be even better. "What we're seeing today, I think, is just the beginning for Jalen. This guy will attack every weakness, as he has since high school (and) since college. The future is bright and very exciting for all of us." All signs point to a deal getting done with Hurts and the Eagles this offseason. But first things first, and Hurts understands that his time will come. "We'll kind of handle that later on," Hurts said when asked about Lurie's comments. "Get there when we get there."

The Facts: The Steelers would like nothing more than to maintain the stability of their quarterback room and continue what they think is a solid backup plan by bringing back Trubisky for the 2023 season. Reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Diehards Line: On the surface, that would appear to be a foregone conclusion because Trubisky is under contract for next season. But several decisions still have to be made before that becomes a certainty, both by the Steelers and Trubisky. The Steelers have to decide if they want to pay a backup quarterback $8 million in salary (not counting incentives) and have him count $10.625 million against the salary cap in 2023. That would make Trubisky, 28, among the highest-paid backups in the league, if not the highest. And, as Post-Gazette staffer Gerry Dulac notes, Trubisky has to decide if he wants to forget the disappointment and discontent of what happened in 2022 and accept what would be the highest single-season payday of his seven-year career.

The Facts: The Chiefs have termed Toney as questionable to play on Sunday with an ankle injury, but Toney says there’s no question about it. Toney told USA Today he’s “definitely” playing in the Super Bowl. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: A first-round pick of the Giants in 2021, Toney was a disappointment in New York but has become an important part of the offense since he was traded to Kansas City during the 2022 season. After Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman was placed on injured reserve and officially ruled out of Super Bowl LVII this week, Toney became even more important. So it’s good news in Kansas City that Toney is good to go.

The Facts: The Broncos held their introductory press conference with HC Sean Payton on Monday. Their quarterback made his feelings known about the days happenings with a tweet. “Excited to get to work. Fired Up! Congrats Coach,” Wilson said, tagging Payton and the Broncos. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Colin Cowherd of FOXSports said on Jan. 19 that Wilson had been in contact with Payton and wanted the coach to come to Denver. Part of that was Wilson knowing he “needs fixing” and wanting Payton to come in and help. Wilson had the worst season of his career in 2022, completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 3,524 yards with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He was also sacked a league-leading 55 times, despite playing only 15 games. But Wilson will face at least some changes in the building with Payton at the helm. The head coach said on Monday that players having their own personal coaches in the building is “foreign” to him and won’t happen any longer.

The Facts: Mahomes may not be completely healthy, but he isn’t playing up the severity of his injury. Mahomes said from his podium on Super Bowl Opening Night that the ankle is “definitely better” than it was last week and that should have Cox and all the rest of the Eagles defenders on their toes come Sunday. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Mahomes missed time against the Jaguars in the divisional round after suffering an ankle injury, but he returned in the second half and played the entire way in the AFC Championship Game against the Bengals. Mahomes scrambled for a first down late in that game and picked up 15 more yards to set up the game-winning field goal when Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai hit him out of bounds. Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox referenced that play on Monday night when he was asked if he thinks Mahomes will be an easier target for Eagles defenders in Super Bowl LVII. “Did you not see him late in the game run the ball? He looked healthy to me,” Cox said.

The Facts: The Minnesota Vikings have hired Brian Flores as their new defensive coordinator, the team announced Monday, ending a monthlong search to replace the fired Ed Donatell. Reported by ESPN.com

Diehards Line: Flores spent last season as the Pittsburgh Steelers' senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach after being fired as head coach by the Miami Dolphins following the 2021 season. He'll take over a defense that finished No. 31 in the NFL in yards allowed and is on the cusp of a significant personnel overhaul. He has a yearslong relationship with Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell, who was drafted by the New England Patriots as a quarterback in 2008 when Flores was a special teams assistant there.

The Facts: Ryan‘s first season with the Colts was the worst season of his career, but that doesn’t mean Ryan is ready to retire. Ryan says he still believes he can contribute, somewhere. “I still love playing,” Ryan said, via Stephen Holder of ESPN. “I’m obviously not committed to anything. Got to see how it shakes out. But I still love playing and still feel like, honestly, there’s a lot of good football [left]. So, we’ll see.” Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: One reason Ryan isn’t eager to retire is contractual: If he retires, he doesn’t get his $12 million in fully guaranteed salary for 2023. If he’s cut, he does get it, and the Colts will cut him before March 17 because if he’s still on the roster after that he gets another $17.2 million fully guaranteed. Ryan’s current mindset is that he’s under contract to the Colts, so he’s going to keep working for the Colts. Once the Colts cut him, he’ll figure out whether it makes sense for him to sign elsewhere.

The Facts: Purdy is continuing discussions Monday about surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He is nearing a decision on the surgery path, Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com reports, and the expected outcome is a procedure that requires an internal brace rather than Tommy John surgery. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: The internal brace repair option would keep Purdy out about six months, allowing him to start throwing in three months with a slow, three-month build up. The more intensive reconstruction would sideline him for roughly a year. Purdy said last week that he hopes to return in time for the start of the 2023 season. Purdy played as a rookie only because of injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. Lance is close to returning, and he and Purdy are expected to compete for the starting job, though Lance will get a head start with Purdy sidelined. Purdy finished his rookie regular season completing 67.1 percent of his passes for 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions in seven games. He completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 569 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in three playoff games.

The Facts: Baltimore and Jackson could possibly be $100 million apart there, a massive gap to bridge, in current, ongoing contract talks. Reported by ESPN.com

Diehards Line: According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Jackson's future was a talking point at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, and most are in the same spot that they were six months ago. Most believe the Ravens should place the exclusive franchise tag on Jackson and try to work out a long-term deal, knowing he's secured for one more year. "And it could become a standoff, because I wouldn't expect him to sign the tag for a while," an AFC exec told Fowler. "And they will be so far apart in the guaranteed money. ..." And if it becomes clear that reaching a new contract is next to impossible, the Ravens can entertain trade offers closer to the draft. For what it's worth, Fowler notes those trade calls are coming. I don't get the sense that that process has heated up, in part because teams are assuming Jackson will be tagged. It's still very early on this one.