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Free Agency Roundup: Gore Back In Miami; Pryor's Second Chance
Frank Gore will be playing for his hometown team in 2018. This after the veteran running back agreed to a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins on Thursday.

The issue for fantasy owners centers on Gore's role -- and more specifically, what it means for Kenyan Drake.

The 34-year-old Gore was born in Miami and played for the University of Miami. Joining the Dolphins to close out his career could bring his journey full-circle.

Gore, who will turn 35 in May, rushed for 961 yards for the Indianapolis Colts in 2017, just shy of a 10th career 1,000-yard season. He signed with the Colts in 2015 with the goal of pairing with quarterback Andrew Luck. Injuries to Luck, however, limited the two to only 22 games together in Gore's three seasons in Indianapolis.

Drake (644 yards, 4.8 yards per carry) did what he could to replace Jay Ajayi after a midseason trade. But the Dolphins are convinced Drake needs help. Head coach Adam Gase said he wants to employ a two-back system, something PhinPhanatic.com's Michael Hernandez confirmed to listeners during an appearance with the FootballDiehards on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio this past weekend.

In addition, as South Florida Sun-Sentinel staffer David Hyde suggested, every young player could use a mentor, of course.

Hyde went on to note there are some concerns about Drake’s work habits, though he improved last year from his rookie season.

Since being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2005, Gore has been one of the most consistent runners in the NFL. He's surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in nine of his 13 NFL seasons, with more than 960 yards in each of the past seven years. For his career, Gore has compiled 14,026 yards, 4.3 yards per carry, with 77 rushing TDs. He needs just 75 yards to pass Curtis Martin for fourth place on the NFL's all-time rushing list.

So there's no question Gore knows what sustained success at the pro level requires. And Drake will certainly benefit from that knowledge if you chooses.

But Gore still has miles left on his legs.

As NFL.com's Kevin Patra pointed out, despite working behind a porous Colts offensive line last season, the aging veteran continued to find creases and move the pile. Patra went on to note Gore isn't going to break off 80-yard touchdowns but remains a workhorse.

Before Gore, the Dolphins looked at 30-year-old DeMarco Murray, another guy who had forged a stellar career with good habits. Again, old at running back. Again, good work habits. So Hyde believes this was the plan all along: To get a veteran mind to work with Drake and, surely, another young back probably from the draft.

"It’s debatable if this is a good move for the Dolphins, betting on a 35-year-old running back," Hyde wrote. "But a good move for Drake? That seems to be the play here."

The real concern for fantasy owners, however, is workload.

Based on his promising effort last year, Drake is of great interest for our purposes. As long as he retains the lead role. That still looks like the most likely outcome, but it's a situation we'll all have to watch in coming weeks. ...

In a related note. ... Former Dolphin Damien Williams signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with Kansas City this week. He’s coming off shoulder surgery and could miss up until the season.

Of course, Williams was mostly a backup with the Dolphins. He rushed for 477 yards in four seasons, including a career-high 181 last year. He was utilized frequently as a pass receiver in Miami, where he caught 85 passes, including 20 in 2017.

The Chiefs are stocked at running back with Kareem Hunt, Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West. Hunt led the NFL in rushing last season as a rookie.

Ware, who led the Chiefs in rushing in 2016, missed all of last season with a knee injury and multiple observers note that Williams is insurance in case Ware doesn't return for the start of the season.

Bottom line?

Let's hope Williams enjoys watching Hunt do his thing as much as fantasy owners do. ...

In New York. ... The Jets have agreed to terms with free-agent wide receiver Terrelle Pryor. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Pryor, who also met with the Seattle Seahawks during his free-agent visits, is coming off a disappointing season in Washington -- which is putting it mildly.

Pryor tallied a mere 240 receiving yards with one touchdown in nine appearances (two starts) with the Redskins last year. Cleary not what the Redskins -- or fantasy owners -- were looking for.

But Pryor was terrific for the Cleveland Browns during a breakout, 1,000-yard season 2016. As ESPN.com's Rich Cimini suggests, if the Jets get that version, it could be a home run. That's even more true given the prices paid by the Bears and Chiefs for Allen Robinson and Sammy Watkins, respectively.

In addition, as Cimini went on to explain, the Jets don’t have any pass-catching tight ends now that Austin Seferian-Jenkins is gone (the tight end signed with the Jaguars this week), but they go four deep at receiver. They have three big-bodied wideouts in Pryor (6-4), Robby Anderson (6-3) and Quincy Enunwa (6-2). They also have Jermaine Kearse (6-1). According to Cimini, new coordinator Jeremy Bates needs big targets to run his West Coast offense, which relies on yards after the catch -- and now he has them.

Of course, the Jets need Enunwa, who missed last season due to neck surgery, back at full speed. They also need Anderson, whose off-the-field behavior (two arrests) is facing a likely NFL suspension to start the season.

Cimini notes that Anderson and Pryor are similar: long and fast.

Evidently, the Jets don’t have much faith in 2017 draft picks ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen, both of whom appear buried on the depth chart.

One reminder: Pryor, who turns 29 in June, played last season with an injured ankle, finally having surgery in November. He contends that's the reason for his poor showing in Washington. We'll all find out soon enough if that's the case. The positive here is, much like the Jets, fantasy owners will be able to land Pryor (if they so desire) at a discount. ...

In Philadelphia, the Eagles have agreed to a one-year deal with Mike Wallace, who is only one year removed from a great 2016 season with the Ravens in which he had 72 receptions, 1,017 yards, and four touchdowns.

The Eagles let Torrey Smith move on in free agency; Wallace will compete with second-year wideout Mack Hollins for snaps on the outside opposite Alshon Jeffery.

ESPN.com's Tim McManus notes that Hollins was effective in a limited role last season, catching 16 balls on 22 targets for 226 yards with a touchdown. While Hollins showed promise, this gives head coach Doug Pederson some depth and options at receiver, and allows Nelson Agholor to remain primarily in the slot, where he thrived last year. ...

One last item here. ... If there were any lingering concerns about Marshawn Lynch's future in Oakland (there shouldn't have been) you can toss them out the window.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday that Lynch restructured his contract on Saturday before his $1 million roster bonus was due.

The move lowered his base value in 2018 to $5.5 million -- $500,000 less than before -- but practically guarantees $4.5 million of that (instead of Lynch having zero guaranteed dollars), per Pelissero.

Lynch can earn up to $9.25 million total with incentives. The restructure adds more certainty to Lynch's placement on the Raiders. Following the signing of running back Doug Martin, rumors swirled that it might spell the end to the Beast Mode experiment in Oakland. Not so.

According to NFL.com, Lynch looks set to be head coach Jon Gruden's lead back. Gruden said last month he needs "full-time Lynch" to succeed in 2018.

Of course, there's been more news in recent days -- and more to come. Keep up with all the latest regarding free agency and the fantasy fortunes of those involved in the News & Views section of the site. And check back here (the Headline News section) for more in-depth information.