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  • Frustrated with negotiations
    Aiyuk expressed frustration Monday with the progress of contract negotiations, and while the 49ers remain interested in re-signing him, it's only on a cheaper deal than what he's looking for, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

    Advice: Aiyuk posted a TikTok video in which he says, "They don't want me," in an apparent reference to the 49ers. Rapoport says he doesn't think negotiations are "completely dead," even though there seems to be a big money gap between the two sides. While Aiyuk's post may add fuel to the fire of trade rumors, it's still possible the 49ers keep him in a contract year even if they aren't able to work out a long-term deal. He was a holdout during June minicamp and may not show up for the start of training camp if he's still set to play out 2025 under the fifth-year option on his rookie contract for $14.12 million. Rotowire.com Tuesday, 7:10 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    9.34 (60th)
  • Picked up by Carolina
    Davis (concussion) has agreed to terms on a contract with the Panthers, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

    Advice: Davis missed the entire 2023 season after suffering a concussion in the Dolphins' final preseason game and subsequently being placed on injured reserve. With his rookie season over prematurely, the Western Kentucky product will now look to make an impression in Carolina. However, he will have his work cut out for him as one of 13 wide receivers currently on the roster. Rotowire.com Tuesday, 7:08 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    0.00 (1010th)
  • Giants sign former UFL RB Jacob Saylors
    Giants signed RB Jacob Saylors, formerly of the UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks.

    Advice: Saylors in 2024 led the UFL in rushing yards (537), averaging five yards per carry and scoring five touchdowns for the Battlehawks. Saylors led the UFL in yards after contact per rush. He also caught 24 passes for 264 yards. It will be an uphill battle for Saylors to crack the Giants roster this summer. For now, Devin Singletary and Tyrone Tracy are expected to lead New York’s backfield. Rotoworld Tuesday, 5:08 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    0.00 (986th)
  • Let go by Minnesota
    The Vikings waived Harper on Monday, Howard Balzer of GoPHNX.com reports.

    Advice: Harper inked with Minnesota as an undrafted free agent shortly after the 2024 NFL Draft, but after spending OTAs and mandatory minicamp with the team he now has to search for an opportunity elsewhere in the league. The former Mercer standout was a productive return man at the collegiate level. Rotowire.com Monday, 3:43 pm
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    0.00 (580th)
  • Wants more looks in passing game
    Achane has prioritized improving his route running this offseason and could earn more opportunities to line up out wide in Year 2, David Furones of the Sun Sentinel reports.

    Advice: Achane said during June mandatory minicamp he's been "lining up at different positions, as far as like receiver, running routes and stuff," calling those drills "something that we're doing different this year." The second-year pro, who logged record-breaking efficiency during his rookie season, said that in addition to becoming a more versatile pass catcher, his priority this offseason has been adding muscle in order to better avoid injury. Achane will have to compete with position mates Raheem Mostert and rookie Jaylen Wright for touches during the 2024 campaign, so it would be encouraging to see him develop into a capable enough receiver to catch passes out wide, rather than only out of the backfield. Despite the Dolphins looking primed to deploy a backfield committee, Achane's explosiveness and big-play ability make it easy to project a high fantasy ceiling in 2024. If he's indeed able to improve his versatility and durability this offseason, that could also give him a more consistent floor. Rotowire.com Monday, 3:07 pm
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    10.28 (51st)
  • Aiyuk: 49ers ‘said they don’t want me back’
    Brandon Aiyuk posted a video to his TikTok saying the 49ers “said they don’t want me back.”

    Advice: There’s a good chance this is a negotiation tactic by Aiyuk, who skipped out on mandatory minicamp amidst his contract dispute with the team. The veteran wide receiver is set to play out 2024 on the fifth-year option the 49ers exercised earlier this offseason, but he appears steadfast in his desire not to play without a long-term extension. Aiyuk caught 74 passes for a career-high 1,342 yards last season and found the end zone seven times. The 2020 first-rounder has strung together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and has been a focal point of the offense. However, the lack of movement on an extension, coupled with their selection of Ricky Pearsall in the first round of this year’s draft, could be spelling the end of Aiyuk’s time in the Bay Area. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the 49ers ‘’ to extend Aiyuk, “but the sense is things have stalled.” We’ll see what comes of this situation in the coming weeks, but with training camp a month away, it’s fair to say Aiyuk is a legitimate threat of a holdout if he and the team can’t agree to terms on an extension. Rotoworld Monday, 9:53 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    9.34 (60th)
  • Tyquan Thornton a projected camp cut for Patriots
    The Athletic’s Chad Graff has WR Tyquan Thornton being left off the Patriots’ 53-man roster in his early roster projections.

    Advice: This one shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Thornton, a former second-round pick of the Patriots in 2022, has been slowed by injuries and offered little offense upside when healthy. Through 22 career games, he’s caught just 35 passes for 338 yards and two scores, with most of that production coming in his rookie season. In addition to playing under a new coaching staff, Thornton is also set to compete against rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. Polk is already locked into a roster spot as a second-round pick, and the Patriots used a fourth-round pick on Baker, which should all but secure his spot. Outside of one or two depth options, the Patriots’ wide receiver room feels fairly in place. It may take a camp injury or two for Thornton to stick on the roster come cut day. Rotoworld Monday, 6:47 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    0.98 (469th)
  • Pat Freiermuth a top performer this offseason
    The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly writes, “Nobody performed better and more consistently for four weeks than Pat Freiermuth.”

    Advice: Kaboly went on to add, “Freiermuth might not have dropped a pass all month” and reiterated his “instant connection” with Russell Wilson — something he . Playing in an offense that, outside of George Pickens, looks thin at receiver talent, Freiermuth has a chance to be a key contributor for the Steelers in 2024. Add to that the fact that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith targeted his tight ends 173 times from 2021-2023, the third most of any team in the league, and it’s possible this year is setting up to be the best of Freiermuth’s career. Injuries limited him to just 12 games last season, but in 2022, he caught 63 passes for 732 yards and two touchdowns. Currently going as a fringe TE1/TE2 in fantasy drafts, Freiermuth could turn into a solid value for fantasy managers who opt to wait on the position in drafts. Rotoworld Monday, 5:44 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    4.54 (239th)
  • Kaboly: Austin could earn ‘big role’ for Steelers
    The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly said, “If there is one receiver besides George Pickens who has a chance to have a big role in [the Steelers’] offense, it’s Calvin Austin.”

    Advice: After redshirting in his 2022 rookie campaign, Austin caught 17 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown for the Steelers last season. The speedy fourth-round pick “continued to get better from the first day to the last” throughout the offseason, per Kaboly, and will have a chance to compete for a starting job on a wide receiver depth chart that is wide open after Pickens. Austin earned five-plus targets in three of his first four games to start last season, but was targeted just nine times in his final 13 games — a brutal footnote on his sophomore season. Even if he earns a “big role” in 2024, expectations should be tempered in an Arthur Smith/Russell Wilson led attack. Rotoworld Monday, 5:17 am
    Week 1 Projected Points & Rank
    1.95 (343rd)